Creek Fire becomes 'unprecedented disaster' for Fresno County as it grows to 135,500 acres
Sac Bee's CARMEN GEORGE/LARRY VALENZUELA: "An “unprecedented disaster” is unfolding in Fresno County, officials said Monday night, as the 3-day-old Creek Fire grew to more than 135,500 acres.
Containment remained stuck at 0%, a combined gathering of local, state and federal officials said during a news conference at Sierra High School in Tollhouse, where a grim though still general assessment of heavy structural damage was reported.
Dozens of homes and other buildings appear to have been destroyed."
READ MORE related to Wildfire Season: Three recent wildfires now among top 4 largest in California history: See Cal Fire list -- The Chronicle's KELLIE HWANG; Several national forests in California to close due to increased fire danger -- Sac Bee's MACK ERVIN III; Gender reveal party sparks massive wildfire in California, officials say -- Sac Bee's SUMMER LIN; Creek Fire consumes half the homes in tiny town -- Sac Bee's MAREK WARSZAWSKI; Survivors tell harrowing tales of explosive Creek Fire -- The Chronicle's RUSTY SIMMONS/MATTHIAS GAFNI; Helicopters rescue 200 trapped by fast-moving Creek Fire in Sierra National Forest -- The Chronicle's LIZZIE JOHNSON/LAUREN HERNANDEZ; Fire season roared into California this year -- how much worse will it get? -- The Chronicle's KELLIE HWANG; Sioerra fire's unstoppable path of destruction devastates town, sends residents fleeing -- LA Times's THOMAS CURWEN/HARRIET RYAN; Bobcat fire in Angeles Forest threatens foothill cities amid California's worst fire season on record -- LA Times's BEN POSTON/HARRIET RYAN/MARY FORGIONE
PG&E begins blackouts for 172K California customers as Diablo winds raise wildfire risk
Sac Bee's DALE KASLER: "Pacific Gas and Electric Co. began imposing blackouts on an estimated 172,000 homes and businesses across the Sierra foothills and Northern California wine country Monday night amid forecasts of strong Diablo winds and increased wildfire risk.
As managers of the California electricity grid expressed confidence they could endure the third day of an epic heat wave without ordering rolling blackouts, PG&E said “public safety power shutoffs” began at 9 p.m. in a broad swath of foothill counties north and east of Sacramento. Other areas, including the North Bay wine country, were expected to lose power at midnight.
In all, portions of 22 counties were targeted by PG&E as the National Weather Service warned of “critical fire weather conditions” and winds as strong as 55 mph. The counties affected are Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, El Dorado, Humboldt, Kern, Lake, Lassen, Mariposa, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sonoma, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne and Yuba."
READ MORE related to Power Outages: Blackouts avoided as Californians sizzling in triple-digit heat conserve power -- The Chronicle's SAM WHITING; Roughly 5K customers lose power in downtown Sacramento in SMUD outage -- Sac Bee's MACK ERVIN III; Power shut-offs hit parts of Napa and Sonoma counties as PG&E braces for ominous winds -- The Chronicle's CYNTHIA DIZIKES/JOAQUIN PALOMINO
California's scaled-back high-speed rail plan faces doubts amid financial crunch
LA Times's RALPH VARTABEDIAN: "It was just last year that Gov. Gavin Newsom said he would need to downsize California’s ambitious bullet train project, because the state could afford only a limited system from Merced to Bakersfield.
But even the viability of that scaled-down $20.4-billion plan is becoming uncertain as construction costs rise in the San Joaquin Valley, expected revenues are under pressure and land acquisition problems continue to mount.
The changing conditions have prompted the California High-Speed Rail Authority to launch a comprehensive reassessment of its plans, said Chief Executive Brian Kelly, who is facing tougher questions by state leaders, given the austere outlook."
Thousands gather for Christian music concert at California Capitol, breaking COVID-19 rules
Sac Bee's MICHAEL MCGOUGH: "Neither coronavirus restrictions nor record-smashing heat could stop a massive crowd from assembling outside the Capitol in Sacramento for a Christian music concert Sunday evening.
Almost none of the thousands attending wore a mask during the hours-long event, and spectators were packed in about as tight as could be, photos and video from the concert/protest demonstration show. That prompts concern amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has infected close to 20,000 people in Sacramento County and killed over 330 residents, including 190 deaths in the capital city.
Christian musicians and speakers, including the state senate’s Republican party leader, nonetheless took the stage on the west steps of the Capitol for what organizers called a “Let Us Worship” rally. Events branded under that title have toured West Coast cities in recent weeks, including Redding, Fresno and Pismo Beach."
READ MORE related to Pandemic: Foster Farms allowed to reopen Livingston facility, following COVID-19 outbreak -- SUN-STAR STAFF; Latinos make up 75% of coronavirus cases in largely white Marin County. Will new equity efforts help? -- The Chronicle's TATIANA SANCHEZ; Immigrants, hit hard by the pandemic, are sending even more money back to Mexico -- LA Times's WENDY FRY/ALEXANDRA MENDOZA
CalPERS proposal would force next investment chief to sell stocks before taking job
Sac Bee's WES VENTEICHER: "CalPERS board members will consider forcing the pension system’s next chief investment officer to sell personal stocks before taking the job, according to a proposal posted to the board’s website.
The proposal follows the abrupt exit last month of former Chief Investment Officer Ben Meng, who was the subject of an anonymous ethics complaint after approving a $1 billion CalPERS investment with a firm in which he held stock.
A CalPERS committee is scheduled to weigh the new proposal at a Sept. 16 meeting. The proposal would require Meng’s replacement to either sell personal stocks or put them in a blind trust that would be managed independently."
Don't be surprised if there are more guilty pleas soon in SF's corruption scandal
The Chronicle's PHIL MATIER: "Word is the U.S. Attorney’s Office will be announcing a new round of guilty pleas in its City Hall corruption investigation in the next week or so.
No word on who will be copping a plea, but given the feds’ method of operation, the guilty pleas often are part of an agreement to cooperate further for a possible reduction in sentence.
The investigation has already snared former Department of Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru and a number of local contractors."
California unemployment claims spike up again. Why is the state struggling to recover?
Sac Bee's DALE KASLER: "Randy Karr isn’t sure how soon he’ll be able to reopen the doors at California Family Fitness. All he knows is that being forced to operate a health club chain outdoors — under tents, in parking lots — has made his business suffer.
The same goes for his employees, too: 1,000 of the Orangevale chain’s 1,100 employees remain furloughed as Karr struggles to navigate Gov. Gavin Newsom’s sometimes-confusing guidelines for reopening the California economy.
“There’s just so many inconsistencies,” Karr said."
READ MORE related to Economy: Unemployment benefits could be available to California parents who have to stay home -- Sac Bee's DAVID LIGHTMAN
People are fleeing the Bay Area. But they might not be gone for long
The Chronicle's ANNA KRAMER: "Shortly after Erica Johnston and her husband learned they were expecting a child, their best friends moved from San Francisco to Austin, Texas.
Johnston and her husband began to wonder if they should follow suit. Rent would be half the price for a larger place. They could be closer to friends. The Texas city would be a more affordable place to raise a child.
Then the coronavirus pandemic hit, and, six months later, raging wildfires brought unsafe air quality. “The last few weeks, especially with the fires, we can’t even take our daughter on walks,” Johnston said."
Ad watch: Did Devin Nunes 'vacation on the taxpayers dime,' as Democrat's ad says?
Sac Bee's KATE IRBY: "Democrat Phil Arballo took out his first major advertisements against Rep. Devin Nunes on Tuesday, placing three ads that portray Arballo as a longtime resident of the area who will fight for health care coverage more than Nunes.
Arballo, a financial adviser who has not run for election in the past, is running one ad on TV and two online.
Nunes, R-Tulare, has held his seat in Congress for nearly two decades, and until 2018 had won his elections by at least 30 points every year. He won by five points in 2018, but the seat is still considered a “safe” Republican seat by nonpartisan political analysts."
Why this group of Californians is especially vulnerable to wildfires, pandemics
Sac Bee's KIM BOJORQUEZ: "A deadly 2017 wildfire on California’s Central Coast underscored the vulnerability of the state’s undocumented immigrants and migrant workers, according to a new study that assessed who received help first from emergency response organizations.
During the Thomas Fire in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, the study found well-off households tended to evacuate first and benefit from emergency aid while more vulnerable Californians continued going to work in unhealthy conditions and did not receive recovery assistance.
Ventura and Santa Barbara counties are home to an estimated 111,000 undocumented immigrants, according to the study."
School resumes Tuesday. But Sacramento district, teachers union won't agree on a schedule
Sac Bee's SAWSAN MORRAR: "Tens of thousands of families in Sacramento are dealing with a new layer of uncertainty one day before Sacramento City Unified schools are set to begin their first full days of online instruction.
The district delivered a cease and desist letter to the Sacramento City Teachers Association calling on the union to use the district’s distance learning schedule. But some teachers on Monday said they instead plan to move forward with schedules they collectively created together as a union and are different than the district’s plan.
While the district and teachers union entered state mediation last week, the district adopted a distance learning plan Saturday after starting the school year two days before without one. The announcement included a list of start times for each school and all grade levels. The district serves roughly 42,000 students."
READ MORE related to Education: Stanford alums shocked by sports cuts are fighting back -- The Chronicle's ANN KILLION
New SF social-distance markers bring cheer in a dark time
The Chronicle's STEVE RUBENSTEIN: "It may be a bit trickier to lie down in the middle of a painted heart than a painted circle — the angles aren’t quite the same — but for the San Franciscans trying them out in some of the city’s public spaces, geometry isn’t everything.
Scores of white hearts were painted last week on the great public lawns of San Francisco, all showing where to sit in the socially distant summer of 2020.
The hearts are replacing the white circles that were the trial balloons in the effort to keep sunbathers 6 feet apart."
