Newsom nominates Martin Jenkins to California Supreme Court, where he would be first openly gay justice
From BOB EGELKO, Chronicle: "Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday nominated Martin Jenkins, his chief adviser on legal affairs, to the California Supreme Court, where he would be its first openly gay justice.
Jenkins, 66, was a judge on state and federal courts for 30 years before leaving the bench last year to become Newsom’s judicial appointments secretary. He would succeed Justice Ming Chin, who retired Aug. 31 after 24 years on the state’s high court.
“I am truly humbled and honored to be asked by the Governor to continue serving the people of California on the Supreme Court,” Jenkins said in a statement. “If confirmed, I will serve with the highest ethical standards that have guided me throughout my career, informed by the law and what I understand to be fair and just.”
READ MORE on Martin Jenkins: Newsom appoints first openly gay, third Black man for California Supreme Court -- HANNAH WILEY, SacBee; California governor nominates 1st gay to state Supreme Court -- ADAM BEAN, AP; Newsom appoints first openly gay justice — and 3rd African American man — to California Supreme Court -- CARLA MARINUCCI, Politico
California's largest ever wildfire now 1 million acres, burning in 3 national forests
Sac Bee's MICHAEL MCGOUGH: "The August Complex, a gigantic lightning-sparked wildfire incident that started nearly two months ago at Mendocino National Forest and has flared in gusty winds since then, reached an incredible 1 million acres in size Monday morning.
The U.S. Forest Service, the lead agency for most of the fire zone, reported the fire at 1,002,097 acres as of a Monday morning incident update.
That acreage is equal to about 1,566 square miles. For comparison, the state of Rhode Island plus all of its immediately surrounding bays and rivers take up 1,545 square miles."
READ MORE related to Wildfire Season: Newsom makes 'special announcement,' provides California updates -- Sac Bee's HANNAH WILEY
Slow and steady: California's latest reopening plan is going better than its last
The Chronicle's ERIN ALLDAY: "Since the coronavirus pandemic took hold in March, Marcel Banks has been eagerly anticipating the day he could let diners inside his Bayview restaurant again.
But when San Francisco finally allowed indoor dining to resume last Wednesday, more than six months after the coronavirus closed every restaurant in the city, Banks was resolute: not yet.
“I don’t want to take any chances of getting anyone sick in here,” said Banks, who owns a small soul food spot called Frisco Fried on Third Street. “I’m looking forward to it, I want to do it. I just want to wait and make sure everything is safe, for just a little time.""
READ MORE related to Pandemic: LA County won't move into a new reopening tier this week, officials say -- LA Times's ALEX WIGGLESWORTH
Rain could fall on the Bay Area this week. Will it help put out the Glass Fire?
The Chronicle's KELLIE HWANG: "The Bay Area is welcoming predictions that rain might fall by the end of the week — but will it help snuff out the wildfires plaguing Northern California in a record-busting season that has scorched more than 4 million acres so far?
The expected period of wet weather may benefit firefighters in the short term, fire officials and weather experts said. But it’s likely not late enough in the season for this amount of rainfall to have a long-term impact.
Precipitation would provide immediate aid for crews battling the Glass Fire in Napa and Sonoma counties, which was 30% contained as of Monday, said Cal Fire spokesman Scott McLean. Cooler temperatures and higher humidity accompanying the weather system would “make a significant difference,” he said."
READ MORE related to Air/Climate/Environment: Redwood City salt ponds subject to environmental protections, judge rules -- The Chronicle's MICHAEL WILLIAMS; Steelhead trout in the LA River? These experts envision a fish passage through downtown -- LA Times's LOUIS SAHAGUN
How diverse is your government? These two laws changed who holds power in California
Sac Bee's KIM BOJORQUEZ: "Deborah Ortiz felt like an underdog when she ran for a seat on the Sacramento City Council in 1993. She was the only Latina in a field of six vying for the seat opened by Joe Serna Jr., who’d just won a race for mayor.
Ortiz didn’t get support from prominent Democratic leaders or influential developers in the city, who helped fund most local races. Most were convinced city council candidate Jean Shaw-Conelly, the wife of former Assemblyman Lloyd Connelly, would win the race, she said.
“There was always a candidate they endorsed other than me,” Ortiz said."
What you need to know before voting in the November election in the Bay Area
The Chronicle's ANNIE VAINSHTEIN: "Voting by mail is nothing new to a lot of Californians, including in the Bay Area. State officials say more than three-quarters of voters received a mail ballot in the March primary, and 72% of votes were cast by mail.
But as a pandemic precaution, the upcoming November election will be the first time every registered voter in the state receives a ballot in the mail.
The change, under a bill signed in June by Gov. Gavin Newsom, applies only to this election, and some voters may be wondering: Is anything else different this time? How do I make sure I’m registered? Do I have to mail my ballot, or can I still vote in person? How do I make sure my vote is counted?"
READ MORE related to Voting Day: You can still vote in person, starting now. Here's how SF is doing it -- The Chronicle's JOHN WILDERMUTH
Can Kamala Harris be president? How about Mike Pence? That's what's at stake in VP debate
The Chronicle's JOE GAROFOLI: "Vice presidential debates are typically forgotten by the next sunrise. But that’s not going to be the case this year, when voters can easily envision either Vice President Mike Pence or Democratic nominee Sen. Kamala Harris having to step into the top spot.
With 74-year-old President Trump contracting COVID-19 and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden risking exposure to the virus by traveling far more than most Americans, let alone most 77-year-old Americans, Wednesday’s debate at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City will be anything but a campaign afterthought.
“The circumstances are raising the profile of the debate and raising the stakes of this debate,” said Alan Schroeder, author of “Presidential Debates: Fifty Years of High-Risk TV.” “This is a very serious moment. People are thinking about the running mates stepping into the top job. This is a vice presidential debate with extra gravitas.""
READ MORE related to VP Debates: Pence and Harris to debate through plexiglass because of coronavirus concerns -- LA Times's SEEMA MEHTA
Mayor Breed nominates small-business owner to SFMTA board after previous pick's rejection
The Chronicle's ROLAND LI: "San Francisco Mayor London Breed nominated small-business owner Manny Yekutiel on Monday to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s board.
Yekutiel, owner of restaurant, bookstore and political event space Manny’s in the Mission, is also a member of the city’s Small Business Commission and board member of the Valencia Corridor Merchants Association.
The nomination, which requires Board of Supervisors approval, would fill the sixth of the seven SFMTA board positions. In August, the Board of Supervisors rejected Breed’s nomination of transit advocate Jane Natoli and approved nominee Sharon Lai, a former city planner. Breed called the board’s rejection of Natoli’s appointment a “deeply cynical move that represents what is wrong with San Francisco politics.”"
(OP-ED) Equal access to maternal, prenatal care crucial for mothers
FELICA JONES in Capitol Weekly: "With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, expectant mothers of color in California now face two battles at once: potential exposure to a deadly virus, and long-standing inadequate access to the best prenatal and maternal healthcare. And as the Black Lives Matter protests and national conversations around racial injustice continue to spread across California, it is more important than ever that California lawmakers address the systemic racial health disparities that plague our communities and give rise to this lack of access.
The damage that maternal and prenatal care disparities bring isn’t hypothetical.
The latest figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that the maternal mortality rate for Black women, 37.1 deaths per 100,000 live births, is more than double the rate for white women at 14.7. In addition, the Black infant mortality rate, at 11.4 per 1,000 live births, is also more than double the white infant mortality rate, 4.9."
LA Times Executive Editor Norman Pearlstine to step down
LA Times's MEG JAMES: "Los Angeles Times Executive Editor Norman Pearlstine announced that he would soon step down and that the paper was launching a search for a new top editor who could chart a digital future and unite a newsroom that has been torn by controversies.
Pearlstine, who celebrated his 78th birthday over the weekend, made the announcement Monday morning during a meeting with top editors and in a note to staff members.
“It has been an honor to serve as your executive editor since Patrick and Michele Soon-Shiong acquired the Los Angeles Times in June of 2018,” Pearlstine wrote. “Now, we have agreed that it’s time to begin an open search for my successor.”"
Alameda DA to reopen Oscar Grant case, as family demands charges against second officer
The Chronicle's MICHAEL WILLIAMS: "Alameda County prosecutors said Monday they would reopen their investigation into the fatal shooting of Oscar Grant by a BART police officer more than a decade ago, a stunning decision that came amid a national reckoning over police shootings of Black people.
“We are re-opening our investigation,” Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley said in a statement. “I have assigned a team of lawyers to look back into the circumstances that caused the death of Oscar Grant.”
O’Malley did not say what part of the shooting at the Fruitvale Station in Oakland she would re-examine. Johannes Mehserle, the BART officer who pulled the trigger on New Year’s Day in 2009, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2010 and served a jail sentence. Mehserle had said he thought he was shocking Grant with a Taser, not shooting his pistol."
READ MORE related to Police/Prisons/Protests/Public Safety: San Joaquin County correctional officer arrested on charges of sexually assaulting inmates -- Sac Bee's DARRELL SMITH; Sheriff Alex Villanueva's rehiring of fired deputy 'unlawful,' judge rules -- LA Times's ALENE TCHEKMEDYIAN; 'Gang-like' deputy clique exerts 'undue influence' at East LA station, report says -- LA Times's ALENE TCHEKMEDYIAN
Trump released from Walter Reed Medical Center. 'Don't be afraid of Covid,' he tweets
Sac Bee's DON SWEENEY/BAILEY ALDRIDGE: "President Donald Trump was released from a military hospital where he has been receiving treatment for COVID-19 and returned to the White House on Monday evening.
The president was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center with COVID-19 on Friday. He walked out of Walter Reed shortly after 6:30 p.m. ET on Monday, video shows.
“Feeling really good!” Trump wrote on Twitter before the news conference, saying he would depart the hospital at 6:30 p.m. “Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life.”"
READ MORE related to POTUS45: Trump, still infectious, back at White House -- without mask -- AP's ZEKE MILLER/JILL COLVIN/AAMER MADHANI; What we know about Trump's extraordinary COVID-19 treatment -- The Chronicle's PETER FIMRITE; Trump's doctor is a D.O. How is that different from an M.D.? -- LA Times's DEBORAH NETBURN; Tracing the path of COVID-19 to -- and from -- President Trump -- LA Times's EMILY BAUMGAERTNER/DEBORAH NETBURN; Trump returns to WH, although doctors say he 'may not entirely be out of the woods' -- LA Times's NOAH BIERMAN/ELI STOKOLS
Trump's touting of 'racehorse theory' tied to eugenics and Nazis alarms Jewish leaders
LA Times's SEEMA MEHTA: "President Trump has alarmed Jewish leaders and others with remarks that appeared to endorse “racehorse theory” — the idea that selective breeding can improve a country’s performance, which American eugenicists and German Nazis used in the last century to buttress their goals of racial purity.
“You have good genes, you know that, right?” Trump told a mostly white crowd of supporters in Bemidji, Minn., on Sept. 18. “You have good genes. A lot of it is about the genes, isn’t it? Don’t you believe? The racehorse theory. You think we’re so different? You have good genes in Minnesota.”
Rabbi Mark Diamond, a senior lecturer on Jewish studies at Loyola Marymount University, was stunned."
