A COVID-19 vaccine may be coming. How Northern California hospitals are getting ready
Sac Bee's TONY BIZJAK: "News this week from Pfizer pharmaceuticals of a coronavirus vaccine breakthrough is prompting Sacramento and Northern California healthcare providers to step up preparations for mass distribution.
That includes the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, which is in talks with state officials about serving as a vaccine storage and distribution site for Northern California. The vaccine requires specialized low-temperature freezers for storage, and UC Davis has some and is buying more.
Dr. David Lubarsky, chief executive for UC Davis Health, said a limited number of vaccine doses could be available as early as December in California for first responders and healthcare workers. The general public, he said, probably won’t have access until after the middle of next year."
READ MORE related to Pandemic: A winter surge in COVID-19 cases seems inevitable. Can we stop it? -- LA Times's DEBORAH NETBURN; Bay Area coronavirus surge could mean a huge reopening reversal as soon as next week -- The Chronicle's KELLIE HWANG; California joines most of US in 'uncontrollable' coronavirus spread -- The Chronicle's ANNIE VAINSHTEIN
Dems poised to expand control over California legislature
LA Times's MELODY GUTIERREZ: "There is optimism — and some finger-crossing — among Democrats in the California Senate as they wait for final tallies in four races that could flip from the Republican Party but remain too close to call. If won, the victories would further pad the supermajority status Democrats hold in both the Senate and Assembly.
If Democrats prevail in three of those Senate races, the party will have 32 of the 40 seats in the upper house. That would be the most Democrats in the state Senate since 1883, said Alex Vassar, communications manager at the California State Library. Democrats have never held more than 32 seats, Vassar said.
“Who knew California could be more blue?” said Robin Swanson, a veteran Democratic communications consultant."
California would decriminalize psychedelic drugs under Scott Weiner bill
The Chronicle's ALEXEI KOSEFF: "California lawmakers will consider next year whether to allow the use of psychedelic drugs that supporters argue have therapeutic benefits.
State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, said Tuesday that he plans to introduce a bill when the Legislature returns decriminalizing possession of hallucinogenic mushrooms and other psychedelics, part of his broader drug policy agenda that also includes measures to legalize safe-injection sites and end mandatory minimum sentences for some drug crimes.
“The war on drugs has been a disaster, in terms of bloating law enforcement, tearing apart communities, criminalizing addiction and spending enormous amounts of money on prisons,” Wiener said. “We need to end the war on drugs. Possession of drugs should just not be a crime.”"
Biden names his White House chief of staff. What to know about Ron Klain
Sac Bee's BAILEY ALDRIDGE: "President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday announced he’s selected Ron Klain to serve as his White House chief of staff when he takes office in January, Biden announced in a statement.
The Associated Press and other media outlets named Biden the projected winner of the presidential election on Saturday, and the former vice president has since started planning his transition of power — this week naming a 13-member COVID-19 advisory task force and members of agency review teams.
Choosing a chief of staff is typically the first big decision for a president-elect, ABC News reports. Biden is expected to announce other selections for his Cabinet later this month."
New stimulus package looks dead until Biden administration
LA Times's JENNIFER HABERKORN: "Hopes that Congress would move swiftly after the election to provide more coronavirus relief for Americans are fading as Senate Republicans continue to resist large spending measures and pressure from President Trump to take action has waned.
That means as new COVID-19 cases surpass 130,000 nationwide each day, families and businesses are unlikely to receive another round of stimulus checks or enhanced unemployment benefits until next year, if at all.
Failure by lawmakers to address the health crisis and its economic fallout could portend the difficult road ahead for President-elect Joe Biden as he tries to get his agenda through what is expected to be a divided Congress."
READ MORE related to Economy: How will Biden's administration help unemployed workers? Here's what experts say -- Sac Bee's DAVID LIGHTMAN
Trump falsely claims fraud in LA elections. The truth is there were few problems
LA Times's MATT STILES: "Voters may have differed on their ballot choices in last week’s election, but they seemed to be in agreement on one thing: Drop boxes are a great idea.
The boxes sprinkled around Los Angeles County were a “phenomenal” success, according to the county’s top election official.
President Trump thinks they’re evidence of fraud."
'Toxic culture' of sexism, racism: Health officials want Sac County exec fired
Sac Bee's MICHAEL FINCH II: "Several public health officials are calling for the ouster of Sacramento County’s top executive, accusing him of creating a culture where sexism, racism and intimidation tactics were used to silence dissent and undermine the public health department’s work amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The allegations were spelled out in a two-page letter sent to the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors Monday, adding fuel to the criticism surrounding Navdeep Gill, the county’s top administrator. It was signed by Dr. Olivia Kasirye, the county’s public health officer who leads the coronavirus pandemic response, and other women who currently or previously worked for the county.
“Over the years, County Executive Gill has created a toxic culture rife with sexism, intimidation, racism, and a blatant disregard for public health,” the letter begins. “We can no longer stand by and allow Nav Gill to operate with impunity as he has done for years as such behavior only hurts the residents of our beloved county.”"
Biden's education transition team gets California leader
LA Times's HOWARD BLUME/NINA AGRAWAL/PALOMA ESQUIVEL: "Linda Darling-Hammond, a leading figure in California education policy, is heading the education transition team for President-elect Joe Biden, where she is expected to emphasize support for teachers and traditional public schools.
Darling-Hammond, president of the state Board of Education, has long been associated with research and advocacy in support of top-tier teacher preparation, continued professional development and efforts to retain teachers in the profession.
Going into 2020, she helped Gov. Gavin Newsom set new spending priorities for education, which then were sharply curtailed amid the coronavirus emergency. She is the founding president of the Palo Alto-based Learning Policy Institute and helped redesign the Stanford Teacher Education Program."
READ MORE related to Education: Here's how Biden's win could help California school districts, teachers and students -- The Chronicle's JILL TUCKER
As misinformation spreads online, will Biden admin crack down on Facebook?
The Chronicle's CHASE DIFELICIANTONIO/ROLAND LI: "As President Trump and his supporters continue to spread false information about the results of the election, officials from the incoming Biden administration are ramping up criticism of tech companies, in particular Facebook.
In a move that may telegraph a more muscular approach to fighting online misinformation, one of Biden’s senior aides unleashed a broadside against the social networking giant in a series of tweets.
“If you thought disinformation on Facebook was a problem during our election, just wait until you see how it is shredding the fabric of our democracy in the days after,” Bill Russo, a Biden deputy press secretary, wrote Monday on Twitter."
Avoid these 'high-risk' behaviors as COVID rates rise, California health officials warn
Sac Bee's SOPHIA BOLLAG: "As the holidays approach and COVID-19 rates trend up in California, government health officials are urging residents to avoid activities where people easily spread the coronavirus.
California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly on Tuesday outlined which “high-risk” behaviors people should avoid to prevent another debilitating spike in disease rates.
Ghaly described the behaviors generally as ones to avoid as the state braces for a winter season that will tempt people to gather with other households indoors amid cold weather and holidays. The state has not yet released specific guidance for the upcoming Thanksgiving and winter holidays, but Ghaly indicated such guidance will come soon."
Gun rights group sues Sac sheriff over gun violence restraining order records
Sac Bee's ROSALIO AHUMADA: "A gun rights group has filed a lawsuit against Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones, arguing that his agency violated the public’s right to access firearm confiscation records, including a gun violence restraining order for an alleged online hate group leader from Orangevale.
The Firearms Policy Coalition, based in Sacramento, announced it had filed the lawsuit against the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office in a news release Wednesday afternoon. The gun rights group argues that the Sheriff’s Office violated the California Public Records Act and the state constitution.
“People have a right to know how the government is enforcing its laws and policies, especially in cases that involve the seizure of firearms and the suspension of fundamental, constitutionally enumerated rights,” the group’s director of legal strategy, Adam Kraut, said in the news release. “The defendants’ denial of our requests is particularly concerning in light of it being a significant matter of great public interest, and we look forward to finding out what they’re hiding from us and all Californians."
No more natural gas in new SF buildings starting next year
The Chronicle's JK DINEEN: "When Residential Builders Association President Sean Keighran first heard about San Francisco Supervisor Rafael Mandelman’s proposal to ban natural gas in new construction, he was against it.
The idea of a new building with all-electric heating and cooking appliances seemed far-fetched and costly. Plus it was far from clear that food-centric Bay Area consumers would be willing to give up the fiery satisfaction of a gas range for the cool efficiency of an electric induction stovetop.
But the more he learned about technological advances in both all-electric heating systems and induction stoves — and the more he studied the environmental benefits of turning off the natural gas — he realized his initial reaction was wrong. He said he now believes that the future for residential development is all-electric."
Bay Area public transit is hanging on a finacial thread. Can Biden's election save it?
The Chronicle's MALLORY MOENCH: "When Joe Biden started his political career, he boarded Amtrak in Washington every day to go home to eat dinner with his children in Delaware, and for nearly half a century, he’s kept riding.
Now the former train commuter is headed to the White House — and the Bay Area’s public transportation agencies are hopeful that having a Democratic transit advocate in the country’s highest office, with the chance of more federal emergency funds, will pull them back from financial ruin. As Bay Area transit agencies worry about potential service cuts and layoffs, and ridership that has not rebounded, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
“Transit is imprinted on Joe Biden’s DNA,” said Bevan Dufty, BART director and former San Francisco supervisor, who started his career on Capitol Hill. “He is going to ensure that, whatever recovery program, transit is going to be a part of it.”"
READ MORE related to Transportation: What will stop SF traffic deaths? Politicians push street changes, outreach to vulnerable -- The Chronicle's MALLORY MOENCH
Biden win poses dilemma for world leaders that backed Trump
LA Times's LAURA KING: "Some global leaders who loudly celebrated when President Trump won election four years ago are staying silent — or seemingly thinking aloud, in real time, about how to manage a relationship with President-elect Joe Biden.
Most traditional U.S. allies, mainly advanced democracies, quickly congratulated Biden on Saturday when projections after election day put him over the top for victory — just as they had done in 2016, when Trump was forecast as the winner.
But some leaders — North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro, to name a few — have been holdouts, not acknowledging a Biden victory."
Jeffrey Toobin fired over Zoom scandal
LA Times's CHRISTIE ZDURILLA: "Reporter Jeffrey Toobin has been relieved of duty by the New Yorker following an October incident in which the lawyer and CNN legal analyst exposed his genitals during a company Zoom call.
“I was fired today by @NewYorker after 27 years as a Staff Writer. I will always love the magazine, will miss my colleagues, and will look forward to reading their work,” Toobin tweeted Wednesday afternoon.
After the New Yorker suspended him, Toobin explained away the gaffe — which happened during an election-simulation call between New Yorker staffers and WNYC radio employees — as a mistake."
The party is ending, and America remains divided. Is the dream of unity over?
The Chronicle's PETER HARTLAUB/RACHEL SWAN: "They could be seen on television and social media feeds, dancing in the Castro District. They danced on the asphalt outside of the Berkeley home where Vice President-elect Kamala Harris lived 50 years ago. They danced on rooftops and on lawns and at bus stops that hadn’t seen this kind of partying since 1999, or the end of World War II, or maybe ever.
From afar, the visual of the Trump-averse Bay Area celebrating a Joe Biden/Kamala Harris win on Saturday was truly cinematic; an echo of the “Footloose” credits sequence where everyone is bathed in smiles and glitter. But peer considerably closer at America, and the celebration may look more like a failed exorcism than reconciliation.
“Now is the time for every Biden supporter to reach out to one person who voted for Trump. Empathize with them,” political scientist and author Ian Bremmer tweeted the day the election was called. “Tell them you know how they feel (you do, from 2016). Come up with one issue you can agree on.”"
