Sacramento Bee, DALE KASLER: "Officials told residents in Pollock Pines, the most populous community in the vicinity of Caldor Fire, to evacuate late Tuesday as the Caldor Fire raged a few miles away in the rugged woods and canyons of El Dorado County.
The late-evening order followed a tense day. Restaurant owners and other business owners in the community of 7,000 said they were staying alert for evacuation orders as the fire, which exploded overnight, filled the air with smoke.
The Sheriff’s Office issued an evacuation advisory at mid-morning for the community, according to officials with the Forest Service. That was followed up in the early afternoon when officials ordered an immediate evacuation of the area east of Sly Park Road and south of Highway 50. By nightfall, an evacuation map released by the sheriff showed all of Pollock Pines under mandatory evacuation."
New lawsuit claims recall election is unconstitutional
Sacramento Bee, ANDREW SHEELER: "With the recall election of Gov. Gavin Newsom less than 30 days away, two California voters are taking the state to federal court in an attempt to block the election from happening.
The plaintiffs, Rex Julian Beaber and A.W. Clark, allege that the 2021 recall election is unconstitutional.
When California voters get their recall ballot, they will have two questions to answer: Should Gov. Newsom be recalled from office and, if so, who should replace him? Newsom’s name does not appear on the list of possible replacements."
READ MORE RECALL NEWS --- Recall candidate John Cox interrupted at debate with court order to pay ad agency $100,000 -- Sacramento Bee, HANNAH WILEY; Kevim Faulconer blasts California recall rival Larry Elder over past comments on women -- Sacramento Bee, SOPHIA BOLLAG/HANNAH WILEY; Republican Doug Ose drops out of Newsom recall race for governor, citing heart attack -- Sacraento Bee, ANDREW SHEELER
Larry Elder’s recall campaign targets a new opponent: the press
JAMES RAINEY and ADAM ELMAHREK, LA Times: "Leading in the polls and fundraising amid a crowded field in the campaign to try to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom, talk radio personality Larry Elder has launched a time-honored new front in the California recall election: bashing the media.
Elder has banned one of the state’s top newspapers from covering his events and refused to take questions from a Los Angeles Times opinion columnist, depicting himself as a victim of duplicity and unfairness.
The Elder campaign revoked the Sacramento Bee’s access Monday, charging that the newspaper “doctored” responses the candidate gave for an online “Voter Guide” feature. Elder included critiques of Newsom in his written responses. The Bee’s editors edited out the attacks, saying they had requested candidates limit their responses to policy."
Republicans in Newsom recall say they'd end California COVID vaccine requirements
Sacramento Bee, SOPHIA BOLLAG/HANNAH WILEY/LARA KORTE: "Three Republicans seeking to replace Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday they are vaccinated themselves, but would roll back his requirements that school employees and health care workers get vaccines against COVID-19 if they ase elected governor next month.
They also agreed that they would not require masks to be worn in California public schools.
Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer said he would allow local officials to institute such mandates if they chose."
READ MORE VACCINE NEWS --- A pill for COVID-19? UCSD scientists say they're able to deliver remdesivir in a capsule -- Sacramento Bee, CATHIE ANDERSON
Capitol Weekly Podcast: New census data
Capitol Weekly Staff: "The decennial census data released last week by the US Census Bureau offered insights into how the country has changed since 2010 and will be instrumental in redrawing California’s political maps.
We’re joined today by Paul Mitchell of Political Data Inc., who offers his thoughts on what the data portend for California’s redistricting. And he shares his very favorite redistricting story with us!
Plus, as always, we tell you who had the Worst Week in California Politics"
Deadly spate of shootings in S.F.: 4 killings in 5 days
MEGAN CASSIDY, Chronicle: "San Francisco police are investigating a deadly rash of shootings that have claimed the lives of four men in five days — crimes that police as of now believe are unrelated to one another.
The deaths are the latest amid a surge of gun violence that has San Francisco and other cities over the last year, with lawmakers across the country struggling to determine a cause of the increased bloodshed.
Police have made arrests in the second of the four shootings, and have not publicly identified any suspects the others."
Republican Doug Ose drops out of Newsom recall race for governor, citing heart attack
ANDREW SHEELER, SacBee: "Republican gubernatorial recall candidate Doug Ose announced Tuesday that he is dropping out of the race to be governor, following a heart attack.
Ose was one of 46 candidates whose names will appear on the ballot to determine whether California Gov. Gavin Newsom will be recalled, and if so, who will replace him. Ballots are currently going out to voters in the mail.
Ose, a farmer and former Republican congressman, said that he was treated for a heart attack Sunday evening."
Larry Elder draws fire in recall debate
ANDREW SHEELER, SacBee: "In the second Republican recall debate, candidates continued to aim most of their fire at Gov. Gavin Newsom – but one of their fellow competitors also took some shots.
Citing a recent heart attack, former Congressman Doug Ose dropped his recall campaign on Tuesday, hours before he was expected at a debate with fellow Republicans. We wish him a swift recovery.
The debate between Kevin Faulconer, Kevin Kiley and John Cox continued nonetheless, with candidates weighing in on COVID-19, homelessness, wildfires and unemployment. Notably absent, once again, was front runner Larry Elder. Caitlyn Jenner did not respond, and Gov. Newsom declined to join. The Sacramento Press Club hosted the debate at the Guild Theater, with moderators from CapRadio and The Sacramento Bee. All in attendance were required to show proof of vaccination and wear masks.
Horrific. Disgusting. Droppings on desks. A Montebello high school closed by rat invasion
PALOMA ESQUIVEL, LA Times: "Teachers arrived at Schurr High School in Montebello last week to prepare their classrooms for opening Monday. But instead of arranging books and desks, they found a horrific scene: dead rats on the floor, rat nests in the cabinets, excrement on desks.
“There was feces in several places in my room,” said teacher Al Cuevas. “I could hear rats running around in the walls and ceiling. It’s disgusting. Other rooms right near me were completely taken over by rats.”
After being confronted with the teachers’ frustration and safety concerns, late Friday the school district — which never opened for in-person learning last school year — sent an email to parents of some 2,600 students that the campus would be closed for “the next couple of weeks.” In yet another education setback, students will be put on an independent study program."
Campfires banned at most High Sierra campgrounds through summer and fall
GREGORY THOMAS. Chronicle: "Campfires are no longer allowed at state parks in much of the High Sierra, including the areas around Lake Tahoe and Truckee, until at least December.
On Tuesday, the leader of State Parks’ Sierra District, which covers popular mountain destinations from Plumas County south to Mono County, confirmed that campfires would be banned for the remainder of summer and through the fall. He cited the dry conditions that have made California’s forests increasingly susceptible to wildfires, among other factors.
“We were going into a red flag campfire ban today and given the preponderance of issues, weather, staffing, major fire incidents in (the) region, (and) the findings of extreme fire conditions, the campfire ban will continue beyond the red flag warning,” Dan Canfield, superintendent for the Sierra District of State Parks, wrote in an email provided to The Chronicle. “Unless there is a major improvement in conditions, the campfire ban will be in place through Dec. 1.”
UC pledges ‘transformational change’ to bring more equity, transparency to campus policing
TERESA WATANABE, LA Times: "Responding to prolonged national protests against racist policing, the University of California is vowing to make “transformational change” in campus safety practices with new independent accountability boards, public disclosure of more law enforcement data and a larger role for mental health and social service professionals.
UC President Michael V. Drake has unveiled a plan to meet this “pivotal moment in history” by moving the public research university system toward more inclusive, transparent and equitable campus policing practices. Drake, who is Black, has made the issue a top priority since taking UC’s helm last year, saying he and his family have personally suffered racial profiling by law enforcement.
“Recent events in our streets and our courts have catalyzed a powerful examination of policing, race and systemic injustice in America,” Drake wrote to the campus community in issuing the plan this week. “This integrated, holistic approach to safety and security is a significant culture shift for UC, and one that will require all of us working together with open hearts and minds.”
PG&E's wildfire safety blackouts begin across NorCal as fierce winds kick up
Sacramento Bee, DALE KASLER: "PG&E Corp. started shutting off power to thousands of Northern Californians on Tuesday evening as hot, dry weather mixed with strong winds to raise wildfire dangers.
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said the first wave of blackouts hit areas of Yolo, Shasta and Tehama counties, starting around 5 p.m.
They would soon be followed by portions of Butte, Colusa, Contra Costa, Glenn, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Napa, Plumas, Solano and Sonoma counties."
READ MORE WILDFIRE NEWS --- Dixie Fire swells to over 600K acres; Caldor Fire growth explodes -- Sacramento Bee, MICHAEL MCGOUGH/AMELIA DAVIDSON;
PG&E begins power shutdowns in Northern California amid elevated wildfire threat -- LAUREN HERNANDEZ, Chronicle
SF is closing its homeless hotels. But with more federal funding on tap, advocates are pushing back
The Chronicle, TRISHA THADANI/TAL KOPAN: "The Biden administration is expected to announce Tuesday that it will fully reimburse states for certain COVID-19 expenses through the end of 2021, which means emergency shelter — like San Francisco’s homeless hotel program — will continue to be completely covered, an administration official confirmed to The Chronicle.
The decision comes at a critical time for San Francisco, which recently began winding down its hotel program that sheltered thousands during the pandemic. Federal officials originally planned to yank emergency funding Sept. 30, but the administration decided to extend that deadline amid a troubling surge in delta variant cases across the country.
Now, a growing chorus of advocates is calling on San Francisco to slow its plan to close more hotels by year’s end. Four out of 25 hotels already closed over the summer, and the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing said Tuesday it still anticipates closing two more by the end of September. The department also said it is “assessing how that will impact” the shelter-in-place hotels."
California builds a ‘Noah’s Ark’ to protect wildlife from extinction by fire and heat
LOUIS SAHAGUN, LA Times: "It was just before sunrise in July when the botanists Naomi Fraga and Maria Jesus threw on backpacks and crunched their way across a brittle alkaline flat in the hottest corner of the Mojave Desert. Their mission: to rescue a tiny plant teetering on the brink of extinction.
A decade ago, the Amargosa River Basin east of Death Valley National Park was a vast muddy wetlands studded with millions of Amargosa niterwort, a fleshy herb that grows only here and that scientists call Nitrophila mohavensis.
Today, the species has dwindled to fewer than 150,000, and most of the plants that still sprout from this salt-white playa have stopped producing viable seeds — stressed victims of decreasing rainfall, rising temperatures and the loss of groundwater due to pumping."
