California cuts off thousands of Valley farmers from river water as drought intensifies
Sac Bee, DALE KASLER: "California regulators moved to cut off thousands of farmers from their main irrigation supplies Tuesday, voting to ban them from pulling water from the state’s main rivers and streams as the drought worsens.
The State Water Resources Control Board, following hours of debate and comment, voted 5-0 to issue “emergency curtailment” orders covering the rivers of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta watershed — essentially the entire Central Valley.
It’s the most dramatic step taken to date by state regulators since the drought was officially declared in most of California’s counties — and surpasses any of the moves made during the previous drought."
Newsom and his allies raise tens of millions more than recall backers and GOP candidates
SEEMA MEHTA and MALOY MOORE: "Gov. Gavin Newsom and his allies have raised more than $51 million to fight the attempt to recall him, more than twice as much as every major Republican candidate and pro-recall committee combined, according to new fundraising disclosure reports.
The numbers crystallize the enormous financial advantage Newsom enjoys. Democrats said that the financial backing is evidence of Californians’ deep support of Newsom, and that they have the resources necessary to win the Sept. 14 election.
“We have donors from every state. We have more than 100 donors in every California congressional district,” said Nathan Click, spokesman for the main anti-recall committee. “It just goes to show that Democrats are energized, and we’re looking to translate that from our donors to the ballot box.”
Researchers study impact of California drought, wildfires
The Daily Californian, ZACHARY KHOURI: "As California grapples with the effects of an ongoing drought, UC Berkeley researchers are studying changes in the magnitude of streamflows and drought-induced tree mortality in order to advise climate change policy.
Laurel Larsen, campus associate professor in the department of geography, is the lead scientist of the Delta Stewardship Council and provides data that informs the council’s decisions on water management in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
According to the Delta Stewardship Council website, the council aims to ensure a reliable water supply throughout the state and “a healthy and protected ecosystem.”"
California sees significant rise in vaccinations as employers issue mandates
LA Times, LUKE MONEY: "California has seen a substantial increase in the number of people getting vaccinated against COVID-19 over the last two weeks, a turnabout that comes as a growing list of municipalities, businesses and venues are moving to require the shots for employees and, in some cases, even customers in hopes of slowing the latest surge.
The recent boost is a promising development after weeks of rising coronavirus cases and hospitalizations fueled by the highly infectious Delta variant of the virus — a tide officials say can eventually be turned if significant numbers of unvaccinated people roll up their sleeves.
Amid this new surge in infections and illness, a growing number of both public and private sector employers are movingtoward mandating their workers be vaccinated."
Red flag warning issued as high winds and low humidity come to NorCal
Sac Bee, VICTORIA HSIEH: "A red flag warning was issued for Wednesday and Thursday for the northern Sierra as critical fire weather conditions moved into the region.
The red flag warning, issued by the National Weather Service, will go into effect at 1 p.m. Wednesday. The warning lasts until 8 p.m. Thursday and covers the northeast foothills, Lassen National Park, mountains of western Plumas County and eastern Shasta County.
The National Weather Service’s Sacramento office issued the warning because of concerns of gusty winds, very low humidity and extremely dry fuel."
Leading candidate to replace Newsom wants no minimum wage requirement
Sac Bee, LARA KORTE: "California workers currently earn a minimum of $13 or $14 an hour, but Larry Elder says he’d get rid of a legal baseline altogether.
“For somebody who’s never run a business to tell business people... ‘I’m going to jack up your price of labor, and you’re going to deal with it,’ to me, it’s offensive,” said Elder, a longtime conservative talk radio host and leading candidate to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom in the recall election this fall.
“The ideal minimum wage is $0.00,” he added."
SF Mayor Breed to be fined nearly $23K for series of 'significant' ethics violations while in office
The Chronicle, TRISHA THADANI: "San Francisco Mayor London Breed has agreed to pay a $22,792 city fine to settle allegations that she committed a series of ethics violations while in office, including asking former Gov. Jerry Brown to release her brother from prison and allowing Mohammed Nuru, the disgraced former head of Public Works, to pay for repairs to a car she owned.
While it’s not unusual for city supervisors and candidates to be hit with fines from the Ethics Commission, Breed, who is also accused of failing to properly report a 2015 campaign contribution, appears to be the first sitting mayor in San Francisco to settle such a case, according to records.
It is also one of the commission’s biggest fines in recent history."
SF exploring potential mandate requiring vaccination proof for entry to indoor restaurants, gyms
The Chronicle, CATHERINE HO: "San Francisco is weighing a mandate that could be similar to one New York City announced on Tuesday requiring people there to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter indoor restaurants, gyms and concerts.
“We’re exploring that,” San Francisco Health Director Dr. Grant Colfax said Tuesday at a news event highlighting in-home vaccination options. The city is looking into whether there is need to go beyond its encouragement of businesses that have voluntarily instituted their own requirements that customers show proof of vaccination.
“Right now we’re seeing that a number of bars and restaurants and other entities are doing that, and we’re very supportive of that and encouraging people to take advantage of that policy,” Colfax said."
College students with children face unique pandemic challenges
EdSource, EMILY CHUNG/MELANIE GERNER/TAYLOR HELMES/JASMINE NGUYEN/IMAN PALM/CASSANDRA REICHELT: "If you’ve raised kids or gone to college, you can imagine how difficult it is to do both simultaneously. College students who are parents must find myriad ways to get their children fed and ready for their day, whether it means being dropped off at day care or school, and then prepare for their own day of classes, homework and test preparation. And for many student-parents, there is the added responsibility and pressure of having to earn a living."
"The pandemic pushed the student-parent balancing act to a new level, compounded by the chaos, stress and forced isolation brought upon by the unfolding health crisis and shelter-in-place restrictions.
As a new school year is set to begin amid the pandemic, parents in college continue to struggle with how to juggle their classwork and their children’s schooling as the Covid-19 delta variant raises new questions about health and safety, as well as remote learning."
Low grades? No problem. New California law allows HS students to change them
The Chronicle, JILL TUCKER: "High school students in California who ended up with bad grades last year now have the chance to change them to pass/fail, ensuring pandemic circumstances beyond their control don’t ding their grade point average or their chances of getting into college.
An emergency statute passed this summer requires all school districts to allow for the change, given the impact of distance learning on students.
Many high school students spent the entire school year online, some without adequate technology or support at home, including English learners, homeless students, foster youth and other vulnerable young people."
Woman sues L.A. after being struck by a car on a street where tents block the sidewalk
DAVID ZAHNISER, LA Times: "A Valley Village woman has sued the city of Los Angeles, saying she was struck by a car after venturing into a Hollywood street where a homeless encampment was blocking city sidewalks.
Debra Todd, 64, sustained injuries to her head, hip, back, arm and leg when she was hit by a Nissan heading south on Gower Street at the 101 Freeway overpass, according to the lawsuit filed earlier this week.
The incident occurred on Oct. 4, 2020, as Todd was crossing Gower. Todd said she had gone to the overpass to distribute sandwiches, potato chips and water to people living at the freeway encampment."
CDC issues new eviction ban for most of US through Oct. 3
AP: "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a new eviction moratorium that would last until Oct. 3, as the Biden administration sought to quell intensifying criticism from progressives that it was allowing vulnerable renters to lose their homes during a pandemic.
The ban announced Tuesday could help keep millions in their homes as the coronavirus’ delta variant has spread and states have been slow to release federal rental aid. It would temporarily halt evictions in counties with “substantial and high levels” of virus transmissions and would cover areas where 90% of the U.S. population lives.
The announcement was a reversal for the Biden administration, which allowed an earlier moratorium to lapse over the weekend after saying a Supreme Court ruling prevented an extension. That ripped open a dramatic split between the White House and progressive Democrats who insisted the administration do more to prevent some 3.6 million Americans from losing their homes during the COVID-19 crisis."w
