6.0 quake rocks NorCal followed by more than 60 aftershocks. Jolt felt in Bay Area
NORA MISHANEC and LAUREN HERNANDEZ, Chronicle: "A 6.0 quake followed by more than 60 aftershocks — including a 5.2 shaker — struck Thursday afternoon in California, close to the Nevada border but was felt in the Bay Area.
The first quake hit at 3:49 p.m., registering a magnitude 6.0 in Coleville (Mono County), followed by a 5.2 shaker in the same location a minute later, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Those two quakes were followed by a series of more than 60 temblors ranging from magnitude 1.0 to 4.6 that hit Coleville and surrounding areas of Dardanelle (Tuolumne County), Walker (Mono County), Markleeville (Alpine County) and the Yosemite Valley.
In Mono County, Sheriff Ingrid Braun was in her Bridgeport office when the building started shaking."
"Experts say California is overdue for a large earthquake. Here are the 5 biggest earthquakes in modern California history."
READ MORE EARTHQUAKE NEWS -- 5 biggest earthquakes in modern California history, Sac Bee, AKIRA OLIVIA KUMAMOTO: Did you feel that earthquake that rocked NorCal? 'Still feel the rolling' -- Sac Bee, DON SWEENEY; Sacramento, Central Valley felt quake longer and stronger than others. Here's why -- Sac Bee, SAM STANTON; USGS scientist assesses earthquake in eastern Sierra -- Sac Bee, DALE KASLER
Coronavirus cases in California rise for first time in months as Delta variant spreads
LUKE MONEY and RONG-GONG LIN II, LA Times: "After months of steady declines, coronavirus infections are once again on the rise in California as the state struggles with slowing daily vaccination rates and the spread of the highly infectious Delta variant.
While it’s too soon to say whether the upticks are a trend or a blip, health experts and state officials expressed confidence that California’s reopening and the return of something resembling normality were not in jeopardy.
“This is the call to anyone who hasn’t been vaccinated: Get vaccinated,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said during a briefing Wednesday. “What more evidence do you need?”
As heat wave rolls in, California grid manager calls another Flex Alert, urges conservation
Sac Bee, DALE KASLER: "Another heat wave, another warning from the operators of California’s electricity grid.
The California Independent System Operator issued a Flex Alert for Friday afternoon and evening as temperatures are expected to zoom past 100 degrees and put renewed pressure on the state’s power network.
The alert is a voluntary call for conservation from 4 to 9 p.m., when the grid would be most vulnerable to rolling blackouts. Grid operators urge Californians to cool down their homes and businesses earlier in the day, but shut off major appliances and turn thermostats to 78 or higher once the alert takes effect."
Newsom calls on Californians to cut water use by 15%, expands drought emergency
Sac Bee, DALE KASLER: "Gov. Gavin Newsom expanded his drought emergency declaration Thursday and called on Californians to reduce water consumption by 15%.
In a pair of emergency orders issued during an appearance at parched Lopez Lake near San Luis Obispo, the governor added nine more counties to the list of those covered by his emergency declaration from two months ago. That makes the drought official in 50 of the state’s 58 counties — essentially, everywhere except San Francisco and urban Southern California.
The counties added to the list: San Luis Obispo, Inyo, Marin, Mono, Monterey, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz. Extending the emergency to a broader area makes it easier for the State Water Resources Control Board to cut off water rights to farmers who pull water from rivers and streams."
Some surprises in the handling of this year's budget
Capitol Weekly, CHRIS MICHELI: "For someone who is interested in the activities of the California Legislature and tracks the budget closely, the last two legislative sessions have brought some interesting developments, as well as a recognition of the tremendous work that legislators, staff, and the governor’s administration put into crafting the state’s spending plan each year.
Earlier in this calendar year, spread over several weeks, was a series of what were called “early action” bills, which were “budget bills junior” (BBJs) because these bills amended last year’s budget deal that was adopted in June 2020 for the current fiscal year.
That series of BBJs was unique because of their sheer volume, as well as the amount of additional, current-year spending that was appropriated. Perhaps this was a one-time occurrence in light of the surge in state tax revenues and the infusion of federal stimulus funds received this year."
Sacramento COVID-19 activity spiking amid Delta variant concerns
Sac Bee, MICHAEL MCGOUGH: "Health officials are expressing increased concern about COVID-19 and the Delta variant in California’s capital region, as virus infections and hospitalizations show early signs of spiking from low points enjoyed for most of May and June.
“The numbers are going up,” Sacramento County health officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye said during a video call with reporters Thursday morning.
The county’s coronavirus case rate has nearly doubled in the past two weeks, according to a Thursday update from the local health office, increasing from 3.7 daily cases per 100,000 residents during the week ending June 20 to 7.0 per 100,000 for the week ending July 4. Test positivity, a key indicator of spread, has increased from 1.7% to 3.1% in less than two weeks."
READ MORE COVID-19 NEWS --- How to know if the Delta Variant might return COVID restrictions to Bay Area -- The Chronicle, KELLIE HWANG; Assembly weighs mandating vaccines after statehouse COVID outbreak -- The Chronicle, ALEXEI KOSEFF
Former Garcetti staffer says an aide's unwanted kissing and touching was 'an open secret'
LA Times, DAKOTA SMITH, RICHARD WINTON and DAVID ZAHNISER: "A former high-level aide to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti testified last month that former Garcetti advisor Rick Jacobs kissed both her and her husband on the mouth without their consent, and that a male Garcetti staffer separately complained to her that Jacobs made a pass at him.
Former Garcetti communications director Naomi Seligman said in deposition testimony that Jacobs grabbed her and kissed her on the lips in 2016 in front of several staffers, an incident she called humiliating. Seligman, who worked in the mayor’s office from 2015 to 2017, also testified that she complained about the incident to Garcetti chief of staff Ana Guerrero but that nothing was done.
The deposition, a copy of which The Times reviewed Thursday, contained several explosive allegations about Jacobs — now at the center of a sexual harassment lawsuit — and those who worked with him."
SF DA Boudin talks recall at first in-person event since pandemic shutdown
The Chronicle, MEGAN CASSIDY: "San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin took aim Thursday at recall campaigns targeting him and other progressive leaders, saying they’re not about removing bad actors from office but instead about changing the outcome of elections.
In his first in-person discussion with an audience since the pandemic restrictions forbid gatherings, the progressive district attorney fielded questions at Manny’s, a cafe in the Mission District, from friend and venue owner Manny Yekutiel about his first 18 months in office.
The event was an opportunity for the DA to talk about crime and criminal justice, his accomplishments and his thoughts about the campaign drive to remove him from office. The audience was friendly and receptive, responding to many of Boudin’s comments with head nods, snaps and applause."
How on California campus, the statewide leader in COVID aid, starts spending its millions
EdSource, LARRY GORDON: "Visit the campus health center to see how an unprecedented flow of federal dollars in pandemic relief is being spent at California State University, Northridge.
An office has been converted into a state-of-the-art isolation room to test and treat patients possibly infected with the Covid-19 virus or other airborne illnesses. Through a sophisticated ventilation and sealing system, the air in that so-called negative pressure room is pulled out like a vacuum into a metal chimney stack leading outside to the roof. The goal is to prevent virus particles from floating into other parts of the clinic.
Cal State Northridge is slated to receive $265 million in total federal Covid relief, the largest amount among California’s public and private colleges and universities. The $219,000 for the isolation room upgrade is among a long list of projects and services on that campus funded by that aid."
Lake Tahoe's famously clear water is murky -- here's what's causing it
The Chronicle, GREGOR|Y THOMAS: "Lake Tahoe’s water continues to show some of the murkiest levels on record, according to a new report from UC Davis.
Readings from 2020 put the average depth of Tahoe’s water clarity at 62.9 feet, on par with 2019’s average of 62.7 feet but down a substantial 8 feet from the year before. The 2019 and 2020 data show the lake near its lowest level of clarity since UC Davis researchers began keeping records 53 years ago. The worst year was 2017, when lake clarity measured 59.7 feet.
When researchers first started peering into the lake the 1960s, clarity reached about 100 feet deep. But it has been declining steadily since then and has plateaued in the past 20 years, hovering between about 60 and 75 feet."
VTA plans to restore light-rail service by end of July
The Chronicle, RICARDO CANO: "The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority plans to resume light-rail service by the end of July, roughly two months after a disgruntled worker killed nine VTA employees and himself.
The transit agency suspended light-rail service immediately following the May 26 early-morning mass shooting at the Guadalupe River light rail yard near downtown San Jose, affecting tens of thousands of South Bay residents who rode the trains each day.
Several steps are needed to restore service, the authority said in a plan announced Thursday. This includes retraining workers, inspecting and repairing trains and equipment, and relocating staff to temporary work sites. The authority plans to relocate employees and equipment while officials decide whether to remodel or rebuild parts of the Guadalupe rail yard, which could take two to five years."
Victims of 2019 San Diego synagogue shooting allowed to sue gun maker
The Chronicle, BOB EGELKO: "A judge says victims of the 2019 synagogue shooting in San Diego County that killed one worshiper and wounded three can sue the manufacturer of the semiautomatic rifle and the gun shop that sold it to a teenager.
A 2005 federal law shields gunmakers from damages in most cases for crimes committed with their weapons, but allows lawsuits if the manufacturer was negligent or knowingly violated a state or federal law. In this case, victims and families in the Poway synagogue shooting have adequately alleged that Smith & Wesson, the nation’s largest gun manufacturer, knew its AR15-style rifle could be easily modified into a machine-gun-like or an assault weapon in violation of California law, San Diego County Superior Court Judge Kenneth Medel said Wednesday.
Medel said the plaintiffs may also be able to sue on their claims that Smith & Wesson negligently marketed the rifle to youths on social media and video game-style ads. And he said San Diego Guns could be sued for selling the weapon in April 2019 to John Earnest, who was 19 and lacked a hunting license that would have exempted him from California’s 21-year minimum age for owning long guns."
