California congressman bulldozes Asian-run pot greenhouses, quotes 'Apocalypse Now'
Sac Bee, RYAN SABALOW: "In May, a Northern California sheriff’s office asked on Facebook for volunteers to help bulldoze the marijuana greenhouses that have recently popped up by the hundreds on private property in one small area of the remote county.
Less than a week later, the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office got an unlikely volunteer: The local congressman
On Wednesday, the office of U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa released a series of YouTube videos that feature the Richvale Republican touring the grow sites, speaking with local officials and climbing into the cab of a yellow bulldozer before he tears down greenhouses during a sheriff’s office operation as part of a court-ordered abatement."
Next 3 days are critical in battle against 113,000-acre Dixie Fire, firefighters say
The Chronicle, LAUREN HERNANDEZ: "Firefighters battled seven wildfires across California on Thursday, including the fast-moving Dixie Fire, which is burning near the burnscar of the deadly 2018 Camp Fire.
The Dixie Fire, which Cal Fire said has scorched 113,006 acres in Butte and Plumas counties and was 18% contained as of Thursday evening, is burning in a northeast direction on both sides of Highway 70, said Efren Lopez, a defensible space inspector with Cal Fire. Flames were in the areas of Bucks Lake — which is on the south end of Highway 70 — and in the area of Butt Valley Reservoir, on the northeast side of the highway, Lopez said.
A new spot fire on Butterfly Valley Road prompted mandatory evacuation orders for the area east of Keddie, Round House Road and Old Highway. Plumas County sheriff’s officials said anyone north of the Greenville Wye should evacuate northbound because of the spot fire. Sheriff’s officials said one evacuation shelter has been set up at at 19725 Ridge Road in Red Bluff in Tehama County, and one in the Quincy area at 59 Bell Lane, located at the Springs of Hope Church."
California parent groups sue Newsom over COVID mask mandate for schools
Sac Bee, ANDREW SHEELER: "Two parent advocacy organizations announced Thursday afternoon that they are suing California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state’s top health officials over the statewide mandate that children wear masks to school regardless of their vaccination status.
The lawsuit, filed by Let Them Breathe and Reopen California Schools in San Diego County Superior Court, names Newsom, Health and Human Services Secretary Mark Ghaly, Public Health Director Tomás Aragón of the Department of Public Health, and Dr. Naomi Bardach of Safe Schools for All as defendants.
“It’s clear that (the health the department) has chosen to ignore the overwhelming evidence that show children are at a very low risk from being infected with COVID-19, transmitting it to others, or becoming seriously ill from COVID-19,” Reopen California Schools founder Jonathan Zachreson of Roseville said in a statement. “A return to a normal school year is crucial to the mental and physical health recovery for students across California who have endured months of isolation and a majority of who spent last school year entirely in distance learning.”"
20% of LA County's coronavirus cases in June were among the vaccinated. Why that's not surprising
LA Times, RONG-GONG LIN II/LUKE MONEY: "In June, 20% of Los Angeles County’s coronavirus cases were among fully vaccinated residents. That’s up from May, when 11% of coronavirus cases were among that group.
Is this a cause for concern? Is something new happening here?
Actually, the development is not surprising to health experts, who say it’s to be expected — particularly when transmission substantially increases."
California EDD to stop freezing unemployment bennies and adopt 'pay now' policy
The Chronicle, CAROLYN SAID: "It’s a pernicious problem that causes misery for hundreds of thousands of jobless Californians.
One day, their unemployment benefits mysteriously stop coming. They urgently need the money for rent, food and other necessities. They call the Employment Development Department, but they can’t reach anyone to find out what happened. The agency’s website doesn’t give an explanation. Their bills pile up. Their savings — if they have any — evaporate. Some lose their housing. Some forego medical care. The freeze on benefits may last months on end.
Now EDD, under pressure by consumer advocates, will stop freezing benefits for people whose existing claims have eligibility questions. Instead, EDD said Thursday, it is implementing a “pay now” policy to issue conditional payments while it investigates problems, rather than subjecting claimants to lengthy waits to get money flowing again."
Dems in California and DC clash over how state's high-speed rail should be powered
LA Times, RALPH VARTABEDIAN: "A key block of California lawmakers is feuding with the Biden administration over the state’s high-speed rail endeavor, arguing that conditions of a restored federal grant lock the project into what the group sees as an outdated technology for powering the bullet train.
In a recent letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, California Speaker Anthony Rendon and 17 other Assembly Democrats say the federal grant unnecessarily directs California to use overhead electrical lines to propel the trains down their tracks.
Instead, Rendon wants California to keep open the option of powering locomotives with batteries or fuel cells, arguing that the switch could help the state avoid the high cost of installing overhead lines, a system used worldwide since the 1960s."
These five maps show how California is divided between Dems and Reeps
The Chronicle, NAMI SUMIDA: "California has over 22 million registered voters, an all-time record achieved ahead of the 2020 presidential election. The state’s number of registered voters now surpasses Florida’s entire population.
Of the 22 million, about 10 million (or 46%) are Democrat and 5 million (24%) are Republicans. The remaining 6.5 million (30%) are independents or registered to other parties, according to the most recent Report of Registration from the California Secretary of State released in February 2021.
The traditional political map of California below shows the party breakdown varies by county. Those in the Bay Area tend to have large shares of Democrats, while northern, eastern and some central counties lean more Republican."
SF coronavirus case rate has spiked above California's. What's going on?
The Chronicle, DANIELLE ECHEVERRIA/ERIN ALLDAY: "Coronavirus cases rose faster in San Francisco in the past week than in the Bay Area and California as a whole, and the city’s case rate on several days exceeded both the region’s and state’s.
It was a rare occurrence for the city, which has had among the lowest virus rates among major U.S. metropolitan areas throughout the pandemic.
Experts say that more than a month after the state — and the city — reopened, the super contagious delta variant is spreading rapidly among the unvaccinated."
Report on powerful water agency finds no widespread issues in handling employee complaints
LA Times, ADAM ELMAHREK: "A powerful Southern California water agency accused by some employees of sexual harassment and other workplace violations “generally provides a safe and respectful working environment” for people of color, women and LGBTQ+ workers, a report on the agency concludes.
The review of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California found no systemic problems in how the agency handles complaints of harassment, racism, retaliation and other alleged discrimination. But it found the agency had not properly responded to such complaints in the past and said some current equity policies are inconsistently applied.
The 67-page review was conducted by the Shaw Law Group, the Sacramento-based firm hired after several employees related personal experiences of alleged harassment at public meetings. The board of directors approved an independent review in November."
Kamala Harris says she will campaign for Newsom in recall fight
The Chronicle, TAL KOPAN: "Vice President Kamala Harris told The Chronicle Wednesday that she intends to campaign for Gov. Gavin Newsom in his recall election.
The former California Senator, attorney general, San Francisco district attorney and longtime ally of Newsom answered a question from The Chronicle in the affirmative as she was leaving the Capitol, turning back to ensure her “yes” was audible.
Harris’ office did not offer further details of how she intends to support Newsom."
UC regents approve tuition hikes. Here's how much more students can expect to pay
The Chronicle, OMAR SHAIKH-RASHAD: "The UC Board of Regents approved a proposal to raise tuition rates that will take effect for incoming students beginning in fall 2022.
The regents approved the increases by a 17-5 vote Thursday, setting in stone a yearly tuition increase for incoming undergraduate students and all graduate students that will be tied to inflation.
The regents postponed a similar plan to increase tuition in March 2020 because of the pandemic. Sixteen months later, the regents picked up where they left off — to the chagrin of many students."
Feds ask that yearlong prosecution of UC Davis Chinese researcher be dropped
Sac Bee, SAM STANTON: "In a surprise move days before the trial was to begin in Sacramento for a Chinese researcher accused of lying to gain entry to the United States, federal prosecutors asked a judge late Thursday to dismiss the case.
The motion filed in federal court in Sacramento asks U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez to dismiss the remaining count against Dr. Juan Tang, a prominent cancer researcher who came to the United States in December 2019 to conduct research at UC Davis.
Her trial was set to begin Monday on a charge of lying on her visa application about whether she had been a member of the Chinese military. Mendez previously had dismissed a separate count charging her with lying to the FBI because agents violate her Miranda rights by not advising her that she did not have to answer their questions."
Where is California poverty most severe? Report sholws 1 in 3 households struggles to pay bills
Sac Bee, JEONG PARK: "The high cost of housing and childcare and the slow growth of workers’ incomes pushed nearly one-third of California households into situations where they struggled to pay for their basic needs, according to a report published Wednesday by United Ways of California.
The nonprofit organization said the report, based on data from 2019, illustrates how far California has to go to address poverty, especially among those who are working.
Nearly all of the households struggling to pay for housing, childcare, health care and food have at least one working adult, according to the report."
Black SF employees file federal complaint alleging 'rampant' discrimination and harm
The Chronicle, MALLORY MOENCH: "A coalition of Black city workers in San Francisco filed a complaint with a federal agency this week alleging “rampant” discrimination and harm, particularly in racially disproportionate discipline of employees.
The group based its complaint — filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission — off data provided from the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency that showed disparities in discipline for workers. From July 2020 to June 2021, Black workers were the subject of 49% of disciplinary cases, despite making up only 28% of employees. Other races had lower shares of cases than their proportions of the workforce.
The same employee could be a repeat offender in more than one case. Not all discipline is subjective -- some transportation safety violations under state and federal law automatically trigger repercussions -- and 93% of the transit operators subject to those laws are people of color."
For a Black LAPD officer, police reckoning brings pressure from protesters and fellow cops
LA Times, KEVIN RECTOR: "Los Angeles Police Officer Michael Silva stood stoically on the steps of LAPD headquarters one night last fall as several young protesters, two in horror masks, taunted him with racial slurs and flashed the middle finger in his face.
The demonstrators, who were Black, were protesting a grand jury decision not to charge officers in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor in her home in Louisville, Ky. Silva, who is also Black, normally patrolled some of L.A.'s most impoverished neighborhoods, but that evening, he had been given protest duty.
As the slurs landed, Silva appeared unfazed, even calm, as a video of the encounter that later went viral shows. But his brain was working overtime, he said, trying to focus on his training while processing thoughts about the rage directed at him."
Sacramento's real estate market is like an 'action movie.' How buyers are adjusting
Sac Bee, TONY BIZJAK: "Sacramento continued to be one of the hottest home sales markets in the country in June as buyers bid against each other to land a limited number of houses amid fast-rising and record-high prices.
Overall home values in the four-county Sacramento, El Dorado, Placer and Yolo region have jumped 21% in the last year, a steeper increase than all but a few metropolitan areas, according to an index calculated this week by national real estate brokerage and data analyst Zillow.
Austin led the way nationally with a stunning 37% leap from June 2020. Home values in the Texas capital are still some $50,000 lower on average than Sacramento, though."
