Trump signs massive measure funding govt, COVID relief
AP's JILL COLVIN/LISA MASCARO/ANDREW TAYLOR: "President Donald Trump signed a $900 billion pandemic relief package Sunday, ending days of drama over his refusal to accept the bipartisan deal that will deliver long-sought cash to businesses and individuals and avert a federal government shutdown.
The massive bill includes $1.4 trillion to fund government agencies through September and contains other end-of-session priorities such as an increase in food stamp benefits.
The signing, at his private club in Florida, came amid escalating criticism over his eleventh-hour demands for larger, $2,000 relief checks and scaled-back spending even though the bill had already passed the House and Senate by wide margins. The bill was passed with what lawmakers had thought was Trump's blessing, and after months of negotiations with his administration."
READ MORE related to Pandemic Relief: 'We'd love to see $2000.' Newsom endorses larger COVID-19 relief checks -- Sac Bee's ANDREW SHEELER/DAVID LIGHTMAN
Several California hospitals delay nonemergency surgeries amid fears that surge will continue
The Chronicle's TATIANA SANCHEZ: "Some major hospital systems in California postponed elective procedures as the influx of COVID-19 patients stressed resources and raised fears that a further surge could arrive after the holidays.
Hospitals were moving patients around to use all available space as California’s tally grew to 19,237 infected patients as of Saturday, another record and an increase of nearly 300 from the day before. Bay Area coronavirus hospitalizations rose by 39 to 1,869, another record, defying — at least for a day — faint hopes for a regional plateau.
Intensive care unit availability remained at zero percent average statewide Sunday, reflecting how deeply the Southern California and San Joaquin Valley areas have had to dip into “surge” facilities to care for overflow patients. Bay Area ICU availability was at 11.1% on Sunday — only a slight downward tick from the 11.3% recorded Saturday."
READ MORE related to Pandemic: A new post-Christmas COVID-19 surge as holidays create 'viral wildfire' -- LA Times's SOUMYA KARLAMANGLA/RONG-GONG LIN II/DAKOTA SMITH
SoCal will likely face extended stay-at-home order after holiday surge in coronavirus cases
LA Times's BRITTNY MEJIA: "The earliest date that Southern California could have become eligible to exit the existing order was Monday, but state officials said Sunday that the region and several other areas of the state would likely have to continue following the restrictions for several more weeks as the recent surge is pushing hospitals to the breaking point.
The restrictions include reduced capacity at retail stores; the closure of some businesses including hair salons, nail salons, card rooms, museums, zoos and aquariums; and a prohibition on most gatherings, hotel stays for tourism and outdoor restaurant dining.
Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom expressed doubt that the Southern California and San Joaquin Valley regions would emerge from the state order by Monday due to a steady erosion of intensive care unit beds for COVID-19 patients."
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*** These photos reveal California's harrowing 2020, month by month (LA Times) ***
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COVID-19 vaccines arriving at (some) nursing homes. Here's what families need to know
Sac Bee's TONY BIZJAK/PHILLIP REESE: "The nation’s unprecedented COVID-19 vaccination program wades into the very heart of the pandemic beginning Monday as shot-givers fan out to skilled nursing homes, where coronavirus deaths have hit in disproportionate numbers among California’s most elderly and infirm.
Officials at the homes, which were forced to shut down most family visitations in March, say they are eager for the moment. But they are uncertain how it will play out.
“Nobody’s done this before. This is new territory,” said Deborah Pacyna of the California Association of Health Facilities. “There are going to be some hiccups.”
READ MORE related to Vaccines: AstraZeneca says its vaccine should work against new strain -- AP; European Union kicks off mass COVID-19 vaccinations -- AP
Another storm heads for NorCal. Expect rain in the Valley, snow in the Sierra
Sac Bee's VINCENT MOLESKI: "Northern California, just recovering from a severe winter storm, is facing another which is expected to bring more rain and snow starting Sunday night.
On Saturday, chain controls were required over Interstate 80 over Donner Summit due to heavy snow — up to 10 inches at Sugar Bowl, according to the National Weather Service’s Sacramento office.
The new storm, which will last through Monday, won’t be as intense and will affect the central Sierra Nevada more than the northern range. NWS forecasters predict up to 2 inches of snow at Donner Pass and up to 3 inches at Echo Pass. Light snow is possible at elevations of 3,500 feet."
READ MORE related to Air/Climate/Environment: Bay Area rain expected Sunday night, could return before New Year's Eve -- The Chronicle's VANESSA ARREDONDO; Three small earthquakes rattle NorCal, just a little -- The Chronicle's JUSTIN PHILLIPS
California court allows lawsuits for emotional distress when events are seen virtually
The Chronicle's BOB EGELKO: "In 1989 the California Supreme Court allowed people to sue for the shock they suffered from seeing a close family member seriously injured by someone else. Now a state appeals court, for the first time, is allowing damage claims by parents who said they saw the frightening events by smartphone.
Since the 1989 ruling, which involved an auto accident, California courts have permitted such suits only by individuals who were present when a close relative was injured or killed. But the Second District Court of Appeal in Los Angeles said it was time for the law to recognize the technology that has made “virtual presence” a reality.
“It is now common for families to experience events as they unfold through the live-streaming of video and audio,” Justice Gail Ruderman Feuer said in a 3-0 ruling Wednesday. Allowing a suit for emotional distress “where a person uses modern technology to contemporaneously perceive an event causing injury to a close family member is consistent with the Supreme Court’s requirements” in the 1989 case, she said."
CalEPA settles Black scientist's harassment lawsuit for $500K
Sac Bee's WES VENTEICHER: "The California Environmental Protection Agency paid $500,000 this year to settle a lawsuit from a Black scientist who said her boss harassed and threatened her based on her race and religion.
Loretta Sylve sued the agency in April 2019, saying she had to accept a demotion to escape the mental anguish of working under manager John Paine.
Sylve said in her lawsuit that Paine pounded his fist on tables, yelled at her to shut up and told her things like, “I will hurt you,” “your god will not protect you” and worse. The harassment came to a head in April 2017, when Paine blocked a doorway as Sylve tried to leave her office and made demeaning comments about the color of her skin, according to the lawsuit."
UC Berkeley shutting down rare pipeline for doctorates of color. Its supporters are fighting back
The Chronicle's NANETTE ASIMOV: "Victor Rios spent much of his childhood in an Oakland neighborhood so violent it was labeled the “killing zone” because many people never made it out alive.
He never met his dad. His mom, who washed dishes and sewed for a living, entered the U.S. from Mexico in 1987, bringing Victor, 10, and his brother Juan, 13, across the desert and up to Oakland. There, he said, adults drank openly and bullies beat him up. He joined a gang. He knew the inside of juvenile hall like his own bedroom. And he assumed he’d be “locked up or dead” by 18.
He’s neither. He is Victor Rios, Ph.D., renowned urban sociologist at UC Santa Barbara, associate dean of social science, and Ted Talk star. And as Rios considers how he got to here from there — he credits a teacher who cared deeply, and universities that let him in — he is troubled that UC Berkeley is preparing to dismantle another crucial stepping stone he relied on: the Institute for the Study of Societal Issues."
After Breonna Taylor sculpture smashed in Oakland, artist denounces 'racist intimidation'
The Chronicle's MATTHIAS GAFNI: "Police are investigating an act of vandalism against a bust in downtown Oakland honoring Breonna Taylor.
The ceramic sculpture, which was erected in Latham Square just two weeks ago with the phrase “Say Her Name Breonna Taylor” on a plaque, had sections smashed off Saturday, artist Leo Carson said.
Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency room technician, was shot by Louisville police when officers entered her home in March during a botched drug raid. Protests spread across the country in the name of Taylor and George Floyd, as well as other Black Americans killed by police."
Both SFPD officers recently charged in shootings were rookies. Did inexperience play a role?
The Chronicle's MEGAN CASSIDY: "San Francisco police Officer Christopher Flores had been in field training for five months before firing the single bullet that would send him to criminal court. Officer Christopher Samayoa had been on the streets for just four days when he killed a man in the line of duty.
The rookie cops will soon stand as the first tests of one of District Attorney Chesa Boudin’s core priorities: holding police accountable for what he argues are unjustified uses of force.
The charges against the two men raise questions about whether new officers are being sent into situations they’re not ready to handle and whether different training, more education or older recruits would produce better outcomes. How juries might weigh the officers’ inexperience is an open question."
Mysterious gingerbread monolith in SF park crumbles away, officials say
Sac Bee's DON SWEENEY: "A mysterious gingerbread monolith that appeared Christmas Day in a park overlooking San Francisco has already crumbled away.
The three-sided monolith, similar to shiny metal monoliths that have popped up across the globe, briefly stood in Corona Heights Park, KGO reported.
“We will leave it up until the cookie crumbles,” said city parks manager Phil Ginsburg, KQED reported. “We all deserve a little bit of magic right now.”"
What does the future hold for Michael Pompeo, Trump's most Trumpy Cabinet secretary?
LA Times's TRACY WILKINSON: "Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo is arguably the most Trumpy of President Trump’s Cabinet secretaries. He has aggressively pursued the president’s “America First” agenda, mimicked the commander-in-chief’s bombast and routinely flouted norms observed by his predecessors.
In a sharp turn from previous Republicans and Democrats who held his post, Pompeo has echoed Trump’s praise of dictators and suspicion of traditional democratic allies. The result has been a mixed record that foreign policy experts say will take years to assess, but did little to build ties with foreign leaders put off by Trump’s contempt for alliances.
Pompeo “seemed more of a democracy denier than a democracy promoter, more rooted in domestic politics than foreign policy,” said Douglas Alexander of Harvard Kennedy School’s Future of Democracy Project. His tenure “not only weakened the State Department at home,” Alexander said, “but weakened America’s standing” abroad."
Fifty-point halftime deficit!? Clippers suffer largest loss in franchise history
LA Times's ANDREW GREIF: "Clippers owner Steve Ballmer stood near the court inside Staples Center, staring blankly at the freshly printed box score in his hand, as team President Lawrence Frank stood at his side.
Ballmer made his billions through his ability to draw insights out of data. The numbers he was looking at Sunday afternoon, however, led to just one conclusion.
During one of the most inexplicable first halves in the franchise’s five-decade history, the Clippers could not shoot, rebound, defend or hold on to the ball, and it all added up to the most eye-popping figure of them all — a 50-point halftime deficit, the largest in NBA history since the league introduced the shot clock 66 years ago."
Virginia Ellis, who exposed California govt scandal for The Times, dies at 77
LA Times's JOHN MYERS: "Virginia Ellis, a trailblazing journalist whose government accountability reporting spanned four decades and culminated in award-winning Los Angeles Times reporting on secret diversions of public funds into the political operations of California’s insurance commissioner and led to his resignation, died Thursday.
She was 77.
Ellis served as the Sacramento bureau chief for The Times for seven years until her retirement in 2008 but spent more than four decades in journalism. She joined the newspaper in the late 1980s after covering statehouses in Florida and Texas."
