Highly contagious Delta coronavirus variant spreading fast in California
LA Times, RONG-GONG LIN II/LUKE MONEY/ALEX WIGGLESWORTH: "The Delta coronavirus variant is now the third-most common in California, new data show, underscoring the danger of the highly contagious strain to people who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19.
The variant makes up 14.5% of California coronavirus cases analyzed so far in June, up from 4.7% in May, when it was the fourth-most identified variant in California, according to data released by the California Department of Public Health.
Experts say the Delta variant poses a greater chance of infection for unvaccinated people if they are exposed. The variant, first identified in India, may be twice as transmissible as the conventional coronavirus strains. It has been responsible for the rise in cases recently in India, the United Kingdom and elsewhere."
Accord reached to extend eviction moratorium to Sept. 30
ERIC FURTH, Capitol Weekly: "Gov, Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders agreed Friday to extend California’s eviction moratorium to Sept. 30 and fully cover the cost of low-income renters’ missed payments.
The agreement comes after weeks of uncertainty about the future of the moratorium, which would have ended on June 30 without an extension.
Floor votes in the Legislature are expected Monday. A print version of the state budget with details of the extension was expected later Friday."
California power grid manager not planning on Flex Alert amid West Coast heat wave
Sac bee, VINCENT MOLESKI: "California’s largest electrical grid operator changed course Sunday after saying it could issue a Flex Alert on Monday, which would have asked residents to voluntarily conserve energy as a heat wave pushes demand on the grid.
The California Independent System Operator, which manages about 80% of the state’s energy supply, said in a statement issued Sunday afternoon that it was “poised to call” a Flex Alert on Monday due to high temperatures which have been pushing residential air conditioning units into overdrive this month.
Later in the afternoon, however, the ISO reversed course, saying that it was no longer planning on issuing a Flex Alert."
READ MORE on power grid: California power grid operator urges conservation amid soaring temperatures -- ALDO TOLEDO, Mercury News; California's power grid may issue Flex Alert as scorching temperatures hit California -- JESSICA FLORES, Chronicle
California far north residents told to be ready to flee fire as needed
The Chronicle, CYNTHIA DIZIKES: "The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office alerted people living north of Weed to be prepared to evacuate the area as the Lava Fire grew Sunday to 410 acres.
One of four fires started by lightening in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest late last week, the Lava Fire was initially contained but then broke out and began spreading, according to Suzi Johnson, a spokesperson with the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.
“This is one of four fires that started, but this one decided it didn’t want to remain small,” said Johnson, who added that the other three were either contained or out."
California still highly segregated by race despite growing diversity, research shows
HAYLEY SMITH, LA Times: "Even as Los Angeles and other American cities have become more racially diverse over the last few decades, segregation and the inequities that go along with it have changed little, according to new research from UC Berkeley.
The Los Angeles metropolitan area has seen only slight improvements, the study found, and remains the sixth-most segregated of the 221 metro areas.
Some other regions of the state ranked in the study did even worse. The metropolitan regions of Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, Santa Barbara, San Jose, Riverside, Sacramento, Oxnard, Vallejo, San Diego, Modesto, Chico, San Luis Obispo, Bakersfield and San Francisco all saw their segregation numbers worsen, the study found."
The Roots of Structural Racism Project was unveiled this month after several years of investigation, researchers said. Its findings are stark: 81% of U.S. metropolitan regions with at least 200,000 residents were more segregated in 2019 than they were in 1990.
Sacramento fire captain fighting California assault rifle charges after ATF raids home
Sac Bee, RYAN SABALOW: "On July 18, 2019, federal agents with a warrant searched the El Dorado County home of a Sacramento Metro Fire captain looking for illegal machine gun parts.
It didn’t take long to find a trove of weapons.
According to prosecutors, agents discovered part of an Uzi submachine gun, numerous high-capacity magazines and at least 19 assault rifles, as well as parts to four AR-10 rifles and two AK-47s. They also found two devices that can convert Glock pistols to fully automatic machine guns."
California budget flush with surplus, stimulus checks and homeless aid up for votes today'
Sac Bee, SOPHIA BOLLAG: "California lawmakers plan to pass a 2021 state budget that reflects a partial deal with Newsom on most key issues, including $8 billion in stimulus checks for middle-income Californians and expanded funding for homeless aid.
Newsom and lawmakers have not yet announced a final deal on the state budget, but legislative leaders released a summary document Friday that says they’ve reached agreement on most areas, including on expanding coverage to more undocumented immigrants.
Lawmakers and Newsom will continue to negotiate some details of the $262.6 billion budget, such as some provisions related to child care, but the partial deal indicates that the governor and Legislature have agreed to an overall framework."
CW Podcast: Bernadette Del Chiaro
Capitol Weekly, STAFF: "As John says in the episode: “When we think of solar energy, we think of Bernadette Del Chiaro.” Bernadette is the executive director of the California Solar & Storage Association, whose mission is to promote the widespread deployment of local clean energy technologies. Rooftop solar has been one of the state’s biggest clean-energy success stories: California has built the equivalent of five nuclear power plants-worth of rooftop solar in the past 15 years. Now, proposed changes to net metering could put the brakes on the state’s rooftop solar expansion. Plus – Who had the #WorstWeekCA?"
Drought woes in dry US West raise July 4th fireworks fears
AP, LINDSAY WHITEHURST: "Many Americans aching for normalcy as pandemic restrictions end are looking forward to traditional Fourth of July fireworks. But with a historic drought in the U.S. West and fears of another devastating wildfire season, officials are canceling displays, passing bans on setting off fireworks or begging for caution.
Fireworks already have caused a few small wildfires, including one started by a child in northern Utah and another in central California. Last year, a pyrotechnic device designed for a baby's gender reveal celebration sparked a California blaze that killed a firefighter during a U.S. wildfire season that scorched the second-highest amount of land in nearly 40 years.
Some regions of the American West are experiencing their worst drought conditions in more than a century this year, said Jennifer Balch, director of Earth Lab at the University of Colorado. People setting off fireworks at home is a concern because of both the tinder-box conditions ripe for starting wildfires and the threat of injuries. Last year, injuries spiked to their highest level in 15 years after the pandemic canceled large gatherings, federal data shows."
Where are drugs to beat COVID -- and the next pandemic
The Chronicle, ERIN ALLDAY: "Even with powerful vaccines in hand and the coronavirus waning across most of the United States, there’s still an urgent need for drugs to treat COVID-19 — and that could lay the foundation for the next generation of therapies for pandemics, say Bay Area scientists conducting such research.
Drug therapies were an early focus in the pandemic, when it wasn’t clear how long it would take to develop effective vaccines. But while vaccine development has been enormously successful, thanks in large part to the federal government’s $18 billion investment, drug treatments have been disappointingly elusive.
The Biden administration announced this month that it would invest $3.2 billion into research on COVID therapies, in particular antivirals that attack the virus and stop it from replicating early in the infection, before people become seriously ill. That was cause for celebration, Bay Area scientists said, though it was unclear how much local research would be funded."
Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox proposes plan on California homelessness
LA Times, SEEMA MEHTA: "Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox is revealing his plan to reduce homelessness as he launches a statewide bus tour Monday in Los Angeles. Unlike his last major media effort, this one won’t feature a 1,000-pound Kodiak bear; rather, Cox plans to bring along an 8-foot ball of garbage as he lays out how he would cut homelessness in half over the next decade.
The Rancho Santa Fe multimillionaire has a four-point proposal that he says would slash the number of people living on the streets of California: requiring treatment for addiction or mental issues before providing housing, increasing crackdowns by law enforcement, redirecting funding and reducing the cost of building new housing.
“Solving homelessness in California requires new, bold ideas. It requires a new way of thinking and shaking up the status quo,” Cox’s policy proposal says. “That’s what John’s plan does and why we’ll cut homelessness in half in California.”
How Supreme Court decision frees schools from monitoring off-campus speech
EdSource, CAROLYN JONES: "With the Supreme Court’s ruling on a cheerleader’s free speech complaint, schools got some much-needed clarity on when they can discipline students for their actions off campus.
The 8-1 decision states that schools cannot punish a student for their speech off campus unless it “materially disrupts classwork or involved substantial disorder or invasion of the rights of others.” The Supreme Court ruling handed down on Wednesday offers some guidance for schools struggling with their role in the ever-changing world of technology and free speech, said Aaron Caplan, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.
“What this means is that schools are not in charge of students 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Caplan said. “There may be things kids say that school administrators don’t like, but the school does not have to monitor students’ every word, every tweet, every Facebook post.”"
UN rights chief urges reparations for Black people, calls for an end to discrimination
AP, JAMEY KEATEN: "In a landmark report launched after the killing of George Floyd, the United Nations human rights chief is urging countries worldwide to do more to help end discrimination, violence and systemic racism against people of African descent and “make amends” to them — including through reparations.
Monday’s report from Michelle Bachelet, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, offers a sweeping look at the roots of centuries of mistreatment faced by Black people, notably because of the transatlantic slave trade. It seeks a “transformative” approach to address its continued impact today.
The report, a year in the making, hopes to build on the intensified scrutiny of racism worldwide and its impact on people of African descent, as exemplified by the high-profile killings of unarmed Black people in the U.S. and elsewhere."
