NorCal hospitals, ICUs filling up with virus patients
Sac Bee's TONY BIZJAK/CATHIE ANDERSON/MICHAEL MCGOUGH: "The coronavirus has found a weak spot in the California healthcare system. It’s the intensive care unit.
With the COVID-19 surge causing record hospitalizations, and with fears that Thanksgiving get-togethers are about to result in even more extremely ill patients, Gov. Gavin Newsom warned this week he may order another stay-at-home rule at any moment to stop a Christmas crisis in hospitals, particularly in acute care units where capacity is extremely limited.
Already this week, one Sacramento-area hospital in Marysville reported just two ICU beds left. In Placer County, health officials say COVID-19 patients are taking up more than 15% of beds, a worry heading into winter when hospitals are typically most busy. In Sacramento County, health officials on Tuesday said they already are seeing the first reports of Thanksgiving week infections leading to early hospitalizations."
READ MORE related to Pandemic: California shuts down to curb coronavirus surge. Will it work? -- The Chronicle's ERIN ALLDAY/AIDIN VAZIRI; LA County shatters daily coronavirus record as infections reach alarming levels -- LA Times's LUKE MONEY/RONG-GONG LIN II/BENJAMIN ORESKES
Governor plans stricter COVID-19 response
JOHN HOWARD, Capitol Weekly: "Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to announce Wednesday a tougher response to a surge in coronavirus infections that includes at least a three-week cutback on nonessential services and businesses and renewed stay-at-home restrictions affecting most Californians.
Sources familiar with the discussions said late Tuesday that the plan — reminiscent of an earlier crackdown during the spring — evolved amid reports of a dramatic increase in infections and a spike in overcrowding at hospitals’ intensive care units.
The administration believes a “blanket order” may be forthcoming and likely would affect areas of the state representing most of California’s population, sources said. The announcement was expected at noon Wednesday."
California unveiled a blueprint for the future of early education. Critics say it's built on shaky ground
LA Times's SONJA SHARP: "After months of delays and pandemic upheaval, California officials on Tuesday released the long-awaited Master Plan for Early Learning and Care, a 113-page blueprint to remodel the state’s Byzantine child-care system and dramatically expand public preschool.
“The Master Plan shows how one state can achieve goals that are soon to become national ones,” the authors noted. “California can use the Master Plan to signal its fitness as an early partner with the incoming Biden administration,” which advocates early-education reform and better access to child care.
But critics say the forward-looking document does little to shore up the existing infrastructure, even as it crumbles underfoot. Unlike K-12 schools, preschools and day-care centers have been allowed to operate throughout the pandemic. Yet since March, almost 400 child-care centers have closed permanently, and at least 5,700 licensed family child-care homes have gone under, leaving tens of thousands of working parents in the lurch."
SF Mayor London Breed had her own French Laundry party--the night after Gavin Newsom's
The Chronicle's HEATHER KNIGHT: "Gov. Gavin Newsom is in good company when it comes to politicians attending fancy birthday parties while encouraging others to avoid gathering.
It turns out San Francisco Mayor London Breed dined at the French Laundry the night after Newsom’s infamous, ill-advised, mid-pandemic soiree at the three-star Michelin restaurant in Yountville.
Breed took a few days off after election day and joined seven others the night of Nov. 7 to celebrate socialite Gorretti Lo Lui’s 60th birthday, Breed’s spokesman Jeff Cretan confirmed. The party of eight dined in the same kind of partially enclosed room with a ceiling and chandelier as Newsom did — making it more of an indoor dining experience than an outdoor one."
California will receive 327K doses of vaccine by mid-December. Who gets them?
Sac Bee's HANNAH WILEY: "Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Monday that California could receive as many as 327,000 doses of a coronavirus vaccine as early as mid-December, with another round of supply anticipated three weeks later.
Newsom said he “did not want to give the specific date quite yet” for when exactly the pharmaceutical company Pfizer plans to send a shipment to California, but said it’s expected before the end of the year.
“We are anticipating 327,000 doses of the vaccine, Pfizer, to come in within the next few weeks,” Newsom said."
READ MORE related to Vaccines: First COVID-19 vaccines should go to the healthcare workers and nursing homes, panel says -- AP
Captain of Conception dive boat fire indicted on 34 counts of manslaughter
LA Times's MATT HAMILTON/RICHARD WINTON: "The captain of the Conception, the dive boat that caught fire last year off the coast of Santa Barbara, was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury on 34 counts of seaman’s manslaughter for the passengers and crew member who died in one of the worst maritime disasters in recent U.S. history.
The indictment says that as the leader of the Labor Day weekend diving tour near the Channel Islands, Jerry Boylan, 67, “was responsible for the safety and security of the vessel, its crew, and its passengers,” according to the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles, which announced the charges.
Boylan, a resident of Santa Barbara, was expected to surrender to authorities at a later date, and two federal public defenders representing him did not respond to messages seeking comment. If convicted, Boylan faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for each count of seaman’s manslaughter, although defendants have typically served less time in custody."
Under fire from DAs, Newsom says he is taking action to curb prison unemployment fraud
Sac Bee's WES VENTEICHER/DAVID LIGHTMAN/DALE KASLER: "Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday defended his response to a surge in unemployment insurance fraud among state prison inmates, saying his administration took action when the scheme surfaced.
With the massive prison fraud case becoming his latest political headache, Newsom acknowledged that “bad actors” had exploited the unemployment crisis that erupted when the pandemic shut down much of the economy in March.
Last week, Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert criticized Newsom’s administration for doing too little to address fraud that swept through California’s prisons and jails this year, resulting in up to $1 billion in improper payments. She urged Newsom to “turn off the spigot” of money flowing to criminals and said 35 other states had a system to prevent such fraud."
Newsom asked California doctors and nurses to join his Health Corps. Why the plan flopped
Sac Bee's JASON POHL: "In late March, as the state scrambled to prepare for the emerging pandemic, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the creation of the California Health Corps to recruit and deploy thousands of retired doctors, newly graduated nurses and other medical professionals into COVID-19 hotspots.
Roughly 93,000 people signed up in the days after Newsom unveiled the program, signaling that a groundswell of workers was ready to meet the moment for hospitals and nursing homes. “If you have a background in health care, we need your help,” he declared.
But now, as the state faces another surge in COVID-19 and some hospitals are sounding the alarm about a dangerous lack of medical staffing, less than 1% of the people who originally signed up for the Health Corps are available to help."
Some Taiwanese immigrants fear Biden will 'Make China Great Again.' Can he win them over?
LA Times's STEPHANIE LAI: "For Jack Tseng, supporting Donald Trump isn’t just about MAGA.
It’s about MCGA — “Make China Great Again,” a slogan Tseng invented for what he fears Joe Biden will do as president.
Despite living in the U.S. for 40 years, Tseng cast his vote in the presidential election largely based on Taiwan, the island where he grew up, which exists in a precarious limbo under threat of being taken over by China."
SF bans tobacco smoking inside apartment buildings, allows cannabis smoking
The Chronicle's TRISHA THADANI: "San Francisco residents who live in apartment buildings with three or more units will no longer be allowed to smoke tobacco inside their homes — but they can still smoke cannabis, under a new ordinance the Board of Supervisors passed on Tuesday.
The board voted 10-1, with Supervisor Dean Preston dissenting. San Francisco is now the largest city in the country to ban tobacco smoking in apartment buildings.
“One should not have to live in a single family home to be able to breathe clean air,” said outgoing President Norman Yee, who wrote the ordinance. “That right should exist for every single person and family, regardless of where they live or what their income is.""
Sac County supes select first woman county exec amid misconduct inquiry
Sac Bee's MICHAEL FINCH II: "The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors appointed Ann Edwards on Monday to be the acting county executive, replacing Navdeep Gill who was placed on paid leave while facing an investigation into alleged misconduct.
Edwards, who is the director of the department of human assistance, will be the first woman to hold the top position, which oversees thousands of employees. She has worked for the county in a number of leadership roles, including as chief deputy county executive for countywide services, since 1998.
Edwards left for a brief stint to become the director of social services in Solano County in 2013, but returned to Sacramento County the following year to lead the Department of Human Assistance, which is partly responsible for social programs like Medi-Cal, indigent health care, CalFresh and support services for foster children."
What's next for SF City Admin Naomi Kelly?
The Chronicle's MEGAN CASSIDY: "The fraud case against San Francisco’s now-former Public Utilities Commission chief Harlan Kelly may have serious implications for another high-ranking city official: his wife.
City Administrator Naomi Kelly, the most powerful unelected official in San Francisco government, attended a family vacation that federal investigators believe was intended as a bribe for Harlan Kelly, according to the criminal complaint against him released Monday.
But the documents also suggest Naomi Kelly may have misled FBI agents investigating the case about who paid for the trip, and how much it cost."
Oakland bans natural gas in new residential and commercial buildings
The Chronicle's SARAH RAVANI: "The Oakland City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to ban natural gas in newly constructed apartment and commercial buildings.
The measure requires all developers to design new residential and commercial buildings without natural gas. Developers can apply for waivers for “technology feasibility reasons” to avoid abiding by the new regulation. Existing buildings, additions and accessory dwelling units are not affected by the legislation.
“Oakland’s national leadership to build cleaner, safer, and healthier cities for all families continues with this historic transition to all-electric buildings,” said Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf in a statement."
Feds want rugged whitebark pine on endangered species list because of climate change
The Chronicle's KURTIS ALEXANDER: "The storied whitebark pine, which endures life at the cold, snowy upper reaches of the Sierra Nevada and other Western mountain ranges, will become the first tree recommended for protections under the Endangered Species Act because of climate change.
Having thrived for millennia in the harshest of alpine conditions, the whitebark pine has recently struggled because of a daunting combination of fungus, bark beetles and wildfire, dangers exacerbated by rising temperatures. More than half of all standing whitebark pines, as of 2016, were dead, according to the federal government.
The U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife said Tuesday it will propose designating the tree as “threatened,” citing its many perils, including climate change. Such a designation would mandate the drafting of a recovery plan and limit disruption to the species, whether it be by logging forests or building a ski resort."
California punts again on high school sports; athletes say they're tired of waiting
Sac Bee's JOE DAVIDSON: "Caelan Bonniksen, Zelbee Rader and Richie Watts are hurting. So are a good many of their friends and teenage peers.
Bonniksen of El Dorado, Rader of Bella Vista and Watts of Rocklin are normally radiant high school students used to engagement on campus and year-round sports participation. There are only bits and pieces of any of this playing out now. On Sunday, in front of the State Capitol with a monstrous Christmas tree in the background for a “Let us Play!” rally, Bonniksen, Rader and Watts bore glum expressions.
Their extracurricular lives are on hold, the coronavirus pandemic putting a seize on how much schools can open, if at all, and pausing sports seasons."
SF police union clears way for civilians, not cops, to respond to non-violent calls for help
The Chronicle's MEGAN CASSIDY: "The president of San Francisco’s police union has signed a letter of intent with the city that clears the way for non-sworn service providers — instead of police officers — to respond to calls involving mental health, homelessness and other non-violent issues.
The document itemizes 17 types of calls for service in which police union officials agree civilians could be the primary responders. This list includes homelessness and quality of life calls, non-criminal mental health calls, juvenile disturbances, public health violations, traffic congestion, parking violations and dog complaints.
“Currently, police officers are the initial responders and primary resource on certain calls for service that may be better suited to mental health or non-law enforcement professionals,” the letter stated."
Justice Dept. investigating potential bribery and lobbying scheme for presidential pardon
AP: "The Justice Department is investigating whether there was a secret scheme to lobby White House officials for a pardon as well as a related plot to offer a hefty political contribution in exchange for clemency, according to a court document unsealed Tuesday.
Most of the information in the 18-page court order is redacted, including the identity of the people whom prosecutors are investigating and whom the proposed presidential pardon might be intended for.
But the document from August does reveal that people are suspected of having acted to secretly lobby White House officials to secure a pardon or sentence commutation and that, in a related scheme, a substantial political contribution was floated in exchange for a pardon."
