California could overtake NY in coronavirus cases this week
The Chronicle's CYNTHIA DIZIKES/ALEXEI KOSEFF: "With coronavirus cases nearing 400,000 on Monday, California appears on track to surpass New York as the state with the most coronavirus infections, a sobering milestone for a region that led the country in aggressive shelter-in-place measures and helped dampen the spread of the virus this spring.
After the easing of restrictions last month came a surge of cases across the state. On Monday, California reported 398,125 cases and 7,765 deaths since the pandemic began. New York reported 412,034 total cases Monday and 32,203 total deaths. However, California has far fewer cases per 100,000 residents: 1,000 to New York’s 2,124.
Case increases in New York have largely leveled off. But in California and the Bay Area, this month’s average daily increases in coronavirus cases are more than twice what they were last month."
READ MORE related to Pandemic: COVID-19 testing sites that don't require doctor's referral -- The Chronicle's KAZI AWAL
Berkeley approves goals to cut police budget by 50%, reduce cops' role in traffic enforcement
The Chronicle's BRETT SIMPSON: "A tense, nine-hour Berkeley City Council meeting ended early Wednesday morning with a sweeping set of new public safety reforms, including a pledge to eventually cut the Police Department budget in half and create a Department of Transportation to reduce traffic stops based on race.
But critics of the plan called the actions hollow without a clear timeline for when and how they’ll take shape.
An omnibus bill proposed by Mayor Jesse Arreguin, which passed 8-0 with one abstention, will reduce the use of Berkeley police in traffic stops as well as homeless and mental health crisis responses, fund an independent analysis of police call data, and create a community safety committee to lead the changes. The goal is to eventually slash the police budget in half to $36 million."
A 17-year-old called out Trader Joe's. Now the chain is dropping offensive labeling
LA Times's THOMAS CURWEN/HOWARD BLUME/STEPHANIE LAI: "When Trader Joe’s founder Joe Coulombe died earlier this year, he was hailed as a marketing whiz, a retail visionary. He had opened a small, nautical-themed market in South Pasadena in 1967 and watched it grow into an empire of nearly 500 stores nationwide.
But today that empire, known for its trading-post motif and international product lines, has come under attack for its branding of ethnic foods. The names Trader Ming’s, Arabian Joe’s, Trader Jose’s, Trader Giotto’s and Trader Joe San appear on items such as habañero and lime salsa, gyoza dipping sauce and artichoke antipasto.
The popular Southern California institution has created “a narrative of exoticism,” according to an online petition posted about two weeks ago calling for Trader Joe’s to remove and rebrand a variety of products with “racist” labeling."
San Quentin coronavirus outbreak apparently result of missed steps by prison overseer
The Chronicle's BOB EGELKO: "The deadly outbreak of COVID-19 at San Quentin State Prison resulted from a mass transfer of inmates from a virus-plagued prison in Southern California, a transfer approved by J. Clark Kelso, the court-appointed receiver in charge of health care in the state’s penal institutions. A legislator whose district includes San Quentin says Kelso should be fired from the job he has held since 2008.
“The federal receiver is responsible for medical care in the prisons” and should be held to account for “the incompetence and negligence that has resulted in the worst prison health screw-up in state history,” Assemblyman Marc Levine, D-San Rafael, said in an interview.
A shakeup does not seem to be in the works. The federal judge who oversees Kelso has not removed him despite denouncing the decision to transfer the prisoners. Lawyers for inmates who sued the state over prison health care say Kelso bears some blame for the deaths at San Quentin but have not argued for his removal. Kelso himself has acknowledged responsibility but is not stepping down."
LA may become the biggest US city with a second stay-home order
LA Times's DAKOTA SMITH/RONG-GONG LIN II: "Los Angeles was one of the first major cities in the nation to impose a stay-at-home order when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Now, L.A. may soon have the dubious distinction of being the biggest U.S. city to receive a second stay-at-home order, amid a surge of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations that so far shows few signs of slowing.
For two weeks, Mayor Eric Garcetti has warned that the city is close to returning to some type of stay-at-home order due to the new increase — which became clear in June after businesses began to rapidly reopen in May — but has held off."
Unemployed workers' extra $600 benefit is about to expire -- but Dems have new plans
Sac Bee's DAVID LIGHTMAN: "Millions of unemployed California residents are facing a sudden $600 drop in their jobless benefits at the end of the month, but Democratic plans would keep the money coming in as long as the economy remains in turmoil.
The proposals, which so far have received virtually no Republican support, would tie the benefits to the state of the economy.
The $600 a week, which is added to the state’s regular benefit, is a federal program created in March to provide a lifeline to jobless people as the coronavirus pandemic sent the economy into a tailspin."
Biden calls for overhauling the nation's caregiving system to boost the economy
LA Times's SEEMA MEHTA: "Joe Biden plans to announce on Tuesday a $775-billion proposal to overhaul the nation’s caregiving system, efforts that he will argue can create 3 million jobs while freeing up millions of people — largely women and people of color — to enter the workforce.
The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee’s proposal includes measures to expand care for children, the elderly and the disabled. Some of the boldest proposals — such as providing free universal preschool for all 3- and 4-year-olds and creating tax credits to help pay for child care — come as the needs of parents struggling to balance caring for their children while working have been thrown into sharp relief by the COVID-19 pandemic and as many schools are opting against in-person instruction in the fall.
“These plans are really about easing the squeeze that working families all over this country are feeling every day,” said a senior campaign official who briefed reporters about the proposal Monday. “Our country is experiencing a caregiving crisis. This crisis existed before COVID, but COVID has shone a bright light on these issues.... The problem has gotten so much worse."
California sues to protect Obamacare protections for LGBTQ residents
Sac Bee's MATT KRISTOFFERSEN: "California joined a lawsuit with 22 other states against the Trump administration on Monday seeking to protect anti-discrimination language in the Affordable Care Act that the White House last month moved to eliminate.
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra at a press conference warned that the Trump administration’s policy change could open vulnerable people to discrimination by health care providers and insurers.
The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York."
Court upholds Monsanto cancer verdict but further slashes award
LA Times's STAFF: "A California appeals court on Monday upheld a groundbreaking verdict that Monsanto’s widely used weed killer caused cancer in a school groundskeeper, but the panel also slashed the damage award from $78.5 million to $21.5 million — less than one-tenth the original amount.
The 1st District Court of Appeal said there was evidence to support a California jury’s 2018 decision that “Monsanto acted with a conscious disregard for public safety,” but it reduced the damages to Dewayne Johnson of Vallejo because state law doesn’t allow damages for reduced life expectancy, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
The original San Francisco Superior Court jury found that St. Louis-based Monsanto had purposely ignored warnings and evidence that glyphosate, the active ingredient in its popular Roundup and Ranger Pro products, causes cancer."
Another California pension fund falls short of investment target after coronavirus downturn
Sac Bee's MACKENZIE HAWKINS: "California’s pension fund for teachers missed its investment target for the last fiscal year, reflecting a global market downturn brought on by the coronavirus outbreak.
The California State Teachers’ Retirement System on Monday reported a 3.9% return on investments in the fiscal year that ended June 30, falling short of its 7% goal. The state’s largest pension fund for public employees, CalPERS, similarly came up short with 4.7% returns this year.
Both funds’ performance generally reflects that of the stock market, which this year saw its worst first quarter ever recorded, CalSTRS noted in a release. That downturn was followed by the quickest rebound in stock market history, putting California’s pension funds in better shape than they could have been."
Californians can get their hair done outdoors -- but no shampoos
The Chronicle's ALEXEI KOSEFF: "Californians will be allowed to get their hair cut and their nails done outdoors, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday, a week after he ordered personal care services shuttered again in most of the state amid a surge in coronavirus cases.
New state guidelines issued Monday cover barbershops and hairstyling except for shampooing and chemical treatments such as straightening, coloring and perms, which cannot be done outdoors. Massages and beauty services, including facials, waxing and manicures, can move outside, while tattoos, piercings and electric hair removal are excluded because of hygiene requirements.
But the guidance gives discretion to counties, ultimately leaving it up to local public health officials where to resume haircuts and other personal care services outdoors."
California requires back-up power for cell towers, after wildfire evacuation alerts failed
Sac Bee's RYAN SABALOW: "California is requiring all wireless carriers serving high-risk wildfire areas to provide 72-hour backup power for their cell phone towers and communications equipment, after a series of deadly fires left many residents without evacuation alerts.
The changes come after reporting by The Sacramento Bee and other news outlets showed that after several fast-moving wildfires — from the wine country fires in 2017 to the Carr and Camp fires the following year — residents didn’t receive the evacuation alerts local authorities said they had sent via text message.
Without access to a landline, and with most people now tethered to their cell phones throughout the day, losing cell phone service was also frustrating during last year’s Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s blackouts, designed to prevent sparking even more wildfires in windy and dry seasons."
State workers trained as California contact tracers await assignment, even as counties struggle
Sac Bee's SOPHIA BOLLAG: "Most California state workers trained to be COVID-19 “contact tracers” still haven’t started tracking down people exposed to the coronavirus, even as many counties say they don’t have enough staff to do the work.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has frequently said state workers will be essential to the state’s contact tracing efforts. Earlier this year his administration notified many state workers they would be reassigned from their usual jobs to help counties track infections. He’s also repeatedly touted the fact that the state met its goal of training 10,000 contact tracers by July 1, which includes a mix of county and state workers.
As of last week, however, just over a third of the 3,600 state workers who were trained had been assigned to do that work, California Department of Public Health spokeswoman Ali Bay said. The assignment process is “ongoing” with more scheduled for this week, she said."
UCSF study shows health workers grappling with pandemic anxiety: 'It's exhausting'
The Chronicle's MALLORY MOENCH: "Dr. Robert Rodriguez’s anxiety rises and falls with the number of coronavirus cases and deaths.
Fear that he could get infected at his San Francisco General Hospital job, or bring the virus home, affects his sleep. He doesn’t hug his 16-year-old son as much. Other worried family members avoid interacting with him. The stress isn’t sustainable, he said.
“If day after day, you’re waking up and dealing with patients that are extremely ill, some of whom wind up in the ICU and dying, it just takes a cumulative toll on our anxiety and burnout,” said Rodriguez, a UCSF professor of emergency medicine who works in the emergency department and intensive care unit at San Francisco General. “It’s exhausting every day trying to deal with this."
SF Police Commission votes to install BLM posters in every station
The Chronicle's ALEJANDRO SERRANO: "San Francisco’s Police Commission voted Wednesday evening to display a “Black lives matter” poster in every station throughout the city, despite objections from the rank-and-file’s union.
The resolution, which was unanimously approved, ordered the Police Department to install a poster of at least 32 by 24 inches in each district station within 30 days. The poster must “prominently and exclusively” feature the phrase “Black lives matter” and it must be displayed in a place visible to station visitors.
The Black Lives Matter movement has gained greater support after Minneapolis police were captured on video killing George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, on Memorial Day. Protests and demonstrations calling for the officers’ arrest, as well as localized police reforms, were held across the nation, leading to louder calls to address systemic inequalities and bias in policing."
Defunding the police: Oakland, Berkeley could be test cases for Bay Area, nation
The Chronicle's RACHEL SWAN/BRETT SIMPSON: "Oakland and Berkeley have set themselves on a path to fundamentally rethink the police. The question now is whether they can deliver.
Cities that vow to quickly chop law enforcement budgets will come under scrutiny. In wanting to be leaders, they will confront powerful police unions that tend to land the best municipal labor contracts. They will weigh the public’s appetite for a different version of public safety and test politicians’ willingness to start a process that may take years.
“I want to treat this as a real thing and a real mandate,” Oakland Councilwoman Lynette Gibson McElhaney said, adding that she hopes to debunk the perception that “police keep us safe."
Sacramento police overtime hit nearly $14M last year. Should it be spent elsewhere?
Sac Bee's THERESA CLIFT: "The city of Sacramento paid $13.8 million in police overtime last year – $11 million more than it did in 2011, according to city data.
Public safety overtime pay isn’t a new issue. But the amount being paid in Sacramento to police officers has grown and is now a rallying cry for activists and community members urging the city to allocate that money to services designed to uplift disadvantaged neighborhoods.
Los Angeles and Seattle recently voted to drastically reduce police overtime in response to the “defund the police” movement. And Flojaune Cofer, chair of a citizens advisory committee tasked with providing guidance on how new sales tax dollars should be spent, said Sacramento should follow."
75-acre fire in Contra Costa County prompts evacuations
The Chronicle's ANNA BAUMAN: "A wind-driven brush fire in Contra Costa County grew to 75 acres and prompted evacuations on Monday evening, officials said.
The Holland Fire was 65% contained around 7:15 p.m., according to the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District.
Fire officials evacuated homes near the Brentwood Marina in Knightsen at 6 p.m. while firefighters from multiple agencies tackled the blaze, the agency said."
1,500 janitors in SF walk out as part of national Strike for Black Lives
The Chronicle's ROLAND LI: "About 1,500 janitors in San Francisco walked off the job and hundreds of protesters gathered outside City Hall on Monday as part of a national day of strikes for racial justice.
The Strike for Black Lives protests organized by unions and other groups extended to more than two dozen U.S. cities. Workers also rallied outside the Trump International Hotel in Manhattan. McDonald’s cooks and cashiers in Los Angeles and nursing home workers in St. Paul, Minn., were also striking, according to Fight For $15, a labor group pushing for a higher minimum wage.
In San Francisco, Gus Vallejo, president of International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Local 21, which represents public sector workers, said labor unions stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and noted the coronavirus pandemic has disproportionately hurt minority communities."
