California coronavirus deaths double, with rural areas and suburbs hit hard
RONG-GONG LIN II and IRIS LEE: "California’s second surge of the coronavirus has resulted in a near doubling of weekly deaths since the spring — with almost 1,000 fatalities in the last week alone — and radically shifted the geography of the outbreak, a Times data analysis found.
Suburban and agricultural areas that had been relatively spared during California’s first surge of the virus are now being ravaged. And urban areas such as Los Angeles County and the San Francisco Bay Area are reporting fatality numbers just as high, if not higher, than in the spring.
The Central Valley has become home to one of the worst coronavirus hot spots in the country."
READ MORE related to Pandemic: Newsom: California 'turning the corner' on the pandemic, Newsom says -- The Chronicle's ALEXEI KOSEFF; Researchers: California's stockpile of masks, other PPE would prevent illness, save jobs -- Sac Bee's CATHIE ANDERSON; Medical experts speak out against Anaheim councilwoman's claim that wearing masks causes dental issues -- LA Times's BEN BRAZIL; Judge refuses to shut Ventura County church that has defied COVID-19 health order -- LA Times's LUKE MONEY; Why do some get sick from COVID-19 and some don't? Stanford study may unravel the mystery -- The Chronicle's MALLORY MOENCH
How tech breakdowns are hurting Newsom's pandemic response
Sac Bee's SOPHIA BOLLAG/MICHAEL WILNER: "Before he became California governor last year, Gavin Newsom built his reputation as a tech-savvy Bay Area politician, who wrote a book arguing government should follow Silicon Valley’s lead and embrace new technology.
But five months into the biggest crisis of his governorship, technology problems have become major stumbling blocks to his coronavirus strategy.
The state’s unemployment system has been mired in delays, leaving thousands of people desperate for aid checks in limbo."
How liberal is she? Watchdog groups rate the Senate record of Kamala Harris
Sac Bee's DAVID LIGHTMAN: "Sen. Kamala Harris’ voting record has (been) one of the Senate’s most liberal throughout her three years in Congress, according to congressional watchdog groups.
Americans for Democratic Action, a liberal advocacy group that compiles ratings based on major votes, gave her perfect scores in 2017 and 2018.
Fourteen senators, all Democrats, had perfect scores in 2017 and 10 had 100s in 2018. The Democratic Senate average was 88.8 in 2017 and 88.6 in 2018."
READ MORE related to Running Mates: Why celebrities are declaring 'We have her back' about Kamala Harris -- LA Times's NARDINE SAAD; Picking Harris, Biden puts centrist stamp on Democrats' future -- LA Times's JANET HOOK; 10 things to know about Harris and her Bay Area background -- The Chronicle's KELLIE HWANG; Kamala Harris made headlines for decades in California public office. Here are some highlights -- The Chronicle's ANNIE VAINSTHEIN
Newsom: $300/week in added unemployment bennies not nearly enough
Sac Bee's ANDREW SHEELER: "President Donald Trump’s current proposal for additional unemployment benefits of $300 a week just doesn’t go far enough, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said during a Wednesday press conference.
But he said he won’t “look a gift horse in the mouth” now that Trump has said states do not have to come up with another $100 a week on their own. The Democratic governor said he’s working on how California can process the $300 in the president’s proposal “as quickly and efficiently as possible.”
The $600 in weekly additional federal unemployment benefits expired at the end of July, and Congress and the White House have been deadlocked in negotiations to extend some or all of that amount."
READ MORE related to Economy: Newsom defends economic recovery efforts and task force amid criticism about transparency -- LA Times's PATRICK MCGREEVY; A revamped PPP coronavirus loan program is in the works. Will it help small businesses left out before? -- LA Times's SARAH D WIRE
SF voters will find 13 ballot measures to decide on the November ballot
The Chronicle's DOMINIC FRACASSA: "San Francisco voters will confront 13 local initiatives when they cast their ballots in November. It’s a list that features measures to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in local elections, break up the Public Works Department and overhaul the city’s business-tax structure.
And alongside voters in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, San Franciscans will also decide on a sales tax to fund Caltrain, widely considered to be a financial lifeline for the train service in the face of plummeting ridership because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Here’s a breakdown:"
10K-acre brush fire burns near Lake Hughes; mandatory evacuations ordered
LA Times's LEILA MILLER: "A fast-moving, 10,000-acre brush fire near Lake Hughes triggered evacuations in northern Los Angeles County late Wednesday.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department was alerted to the fire near North Lake Hughes Road and Pine Canyon Road about 3:30 p.m., according to Marvin Lim, a spokesman with the department. Within the next few hours it exploded to thousands of acres.
The fire was at 0% containment as of 9 p.m. Several residential structures, including ranches, were threatened. Officials said there were no reports of homes being destroyed or damaged."
LA father whose tip exposed Singer's college admissions scandal gets one year in prison
LA Times's MATTHEW ORMSETH: "Morrie Tobin, the Los Angeles financier who tipped federal authorities in Boston to William “Rick” Singer’s college admissions scam, was sentenced Wednesday to a year and a day in prison for selling stock at fraudulently inflated prices to unwitting investors, robbing them of millions.
U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton acknowledged Tobin’s “extraordinary” cooperation in helping unravel both his own securities fraud and “the infamous college admissions case,” but he said he could not allow a felon who has admitted trying to fleece investors of $15 million to avoid prison.
“Your motive was pure and simple greed,” Gorton told him."
READ MORE related to Education: Bay Area back to school amid pandemic: Everything you need to know about the new school year -- The Chronicle's JILL TUCKER; As SF state loses thousands of students, transferring in becomes easier -- The Chronicle's STEVE RUBENSTEIN
Katie Hill starts her comeback from sex scandal
The Chronicle's JOE GAROFOLI: "Less than a year ago, many would have have predicted that the upcoming Democratic National Convention would be a showcase for Katie Hill.
Winning her House seat in 2018’s blue wave election, she became an immediate favorite of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Many Democrats touted her as the future of the party, a female LGBTQ Millennial who was changing the face of politics. Some envisioned the Southern Californian as a future speaker.
Then a conservative website published nude photos of her with a campaign staffer, and within days she resigned. Two days after she left office, she lay in a bathtub in her Washington, D.C., apartment, humiliated that millions of people had seen the images and saddened for disappointing her supporters, colleagues and family."
Uber and Lyft might halt operations in California over a labor fight. That may help them in November
LA Times's JOHANA BHUIYAN: "Uber and Lyft warned they might temporarily shut down their services in California in response to a court ruling forcing them to start treating drivers in the state as employees.
A brief closure might seem like a drastic move, but it’s not exactly surprising. In fact, such a shutdown could prove to be a means for Uber and Lyft to appeal to voters — both riders and drivers alike — in the run-up to a crucial vote on the November ballot.
Proposition 22, a ballot measure backed by Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and other gig economy companies, aims to exempt the companies from Assembly Bill 5, a state law that took effect this year and sets stricter standards for companies that seek to treat workers as contractors."
READ MORE related to Transportation: Drivers crossing Bay Area bridges feeling free to skip paying the toll -- The Chronicle's PHIL MATIER
LA County offering money to renters affected by COVID-19 pandemic
LA Times's JACLYN COSGROVE: "Los Angeles County renters who’ve suffered financial setbacks because of the COVID-19 pandemic can soon apply for thousands of dollars in assistance to help them get on top of their payments.
The application period for the income-based L.A. County COVID-19 Rent Relief program opens Monday and will remain open until Aug. 31. Up to $10,000 will be given to households that meet the program’s income guidelines.
The emergency rent relief is financed through $100 million in federal CARES Act money. Its goal is to help about 9,000 households."
READ MORE related to Homelessness & Housing: A polluted SF garage is being turned into condos. Neighbors say the city is violating state law to clean it up -- The Chronicle's CYNTHIA DIZIKES; In a first, Airbnb to go after California party-thrower after shooting at Sacramento rental -- Sac Bee's MARIA HEETER
Employee dies and over 100 inmates infected with virus at Folsom State Prison
Sac Bee's MICHAEL MCGOUGH: "More than 100 inmates have tested positive for the coronavirus at Folsom State Prison, and a state prison employee who worked there has died, authorities said this week.
Folsom State Prison reports 99 inmates with active COVID-19 infections, all of them confirmed within the last two weeks, according to the CDCR coronavirus data tracker as of 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, an increase from the 56 listed in the morning. Another four inmates at Folsom had lab-confirmed cases that are now classified as “resolved,” and an additional three were released from custody with still-active cases, CDCR reports. No inmate deaths at Folsom have been reported.
Scott Walker, general manager of the California Prison Industry Authority, wrote in a staff memo obtained by The Sacramento Bee that an employee of CalPIA who worked at the prison has died “from potential complications related to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).”
READ MORE related to Police, Prisons, Protests & Public Safety: Officials say no evidence links Andres Guardado to incidents where deputy shot him -- LA Times's ALENE TCHEKMEDYIAN; SF police, fire unions strike tentative deal to pos tpone raises to help city budget -- The Chronicle's DOMINIC FRACASSA
Trump administration backs off plans to open land near Utah national parks to drilling
LA Times's ANNA M PHILLIPS: "The Trump administration has canceled plans to open tens of thousands of acres for oil and gas drilling near three national parks in Utah next month, a victory for environmentalists and residents angered by its proposal.
In all, the Bureau of Land Management’s plans had called for more than 114,000 acres of federal land across southern Utah to be auctioned off in September, one of many lease sales across the West planned for the end of this year. But from the outset, the proposal generated fierce debate because most of the land — about 87,000 acres — is close to three of the state’s biggest tourist attractions: Arches, Canyonlands and Capitol Reef national parks.
Critics said that, under the original proposal, visitors in search of iconic views would instead be treated to a landscape crisscrossed by power lines, access roads and pipelines. In letters to the agency, local elected officials, tribal governments, environmentalists and those in the tourism business also worried about increasing air pollution and heavy truck traffic, as well as the long-term effects that more oil and gas development would have on a warming planet."
WeChat is a lifeline for the Chinese diaspora. What happens now that Trump banned it?
LA Times's SUHAUNA HUSSAIN/TAYLOR AVERY: "Cindy Wang’s whole life is on WeChat.
Through the Chinese everything app, the 24-year-old shops for clothing and sends photos and audio messages to her grandma and uncle in Guangzhou. It’s how she schedules appointments with her hairstylist and where she found her bao supplier — a local woman who sells the steamed buns out of her car.
For millions of people around the globe, and in swaths of the United States with concentrated Chinese populations — including Southern California communities in the San Gabriel Valley and Irvine, where Wang lives — WeChat is a way of life."
