Seven counties in NorCal are seeing all-time high rates of hospitalized COVID patients
The Chronicle, SHWANIKA NARAYAN: "Mendocino County emergency room nurse Kristen Marin says the surge in COVID-19 cases is the worst she’s ever seen.
In Humboldt County, Dr. James Goldberg worries his exhausted emergency department staff is worn out from working relentless shifts since the pandemic began 18 months ago.
Farther north, in Del Norte County, emergency room doctor Aaron Stutz has never seen his hospital so understaffed, and worries about what’s to come."
How close is the California recall? Here's what the poll experts say
The Chronicle, NAMI SUMIDA: "Earlier this month, results from a SurveyUSA poll showed that 51% of likely voters in California’s upcoming recall election would vote to remove Governor Gavin Newsom from office. It was the first poll to show a majority favoring his removal and led to a dramatic shift in polling averages.
Before these results, polling averages calculated by the politics and data website FiveThirtyEight showed a 7-point margin favoring keeping Newsom in office. But with SurveyUSA’s data, the margin narrowed to less than one point. As of August 17, the latest date for which we have data, the margin has inched up to 1.2 points, with 48.8% for keeping Newsom in office and 47.6% for removing him.
FiveThirtyEight’s polling averages are perhaps the most sophisticated data-based method of assessing the state of the recall race. The numbers come from a statistical model that aggregates individual poll results into two averages — one for keeping Newsom in office and another for removing him. The website has been producing these averages since mid-July but incorporates polls that go as far back as January 2021."
A Democrat takes the stage to clash with Republicans in California recall debate
PHIL WILLON and SEEMA MEHTA, LA Times: "YouTube star and Democratic political newcomer Kevin Paffrath on Wednesday injected a dose of partisan heat and a few offbeat ideas into the latest debate among candidates hoping to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom in the September recall election, telling viewers that backing any of his Republican rivals would be a “wasted vote” in left-leaning California.
Paffrath, a self-described “JFK-style Democrat” said he wants high-efficiency air filters in every building to stem the spread of COVID-19, and he proposed building a pipeline to the Mississippi River to alleviate California’s worsening drought.
“Now this sounds outlandish, but we have a massive problem,” Paffrath said of the pipeline during the one-hour debate held at KCRA television studios in Sacramento on Wednesday evening."
Mount Shasta hasn't been so bare of snow in years. Is this the new normal?
The Chronicle, KURTIS ALEXANDER: "Mount Shasta has long symbolized the grandeur of California’s far north, its muscular flanks and thick cover of snow an enduring expression of nature’s bounty.
But this summer, the north state’s tallest peak is looking a little frail. Its slopes are drab and dusty, and most of the snow has melted away. Locals say they haven’t seen the mountain so barren in years, if not decades.
The 14,163-foot volcano near the Oregon border, climate experts say, has become a casualty of California’s intense heat and drought, as well as a glaring illustration of what the extremes of climate change can mean for Western landscapes."
Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: The year of living dangerously
Capitol Weekly Staff: "Welcome to California in the year of living dangerously.
Intense politics and natural disasters are common in the Golden State. This year we had them both.
As if the interminable pandemic, wildfires and drought savaging the state weren’t enough, we have added in a recall campaign against Gov. Newsom that is projected to cost the state $215 million …. and, perhaps, our patience. What started as the subtext to a bad joke has since gained a degree of traction. While we believe its chances of succeeding are slim, there is no denying that the recall has shaped behavior in Sacramento."
California lawmakers weigh statewide vaccination requirement for indoor restaurants, venues
Sac Bee, WES VENTEICHER: "Nearly everyone in California could be required to prove they’re fully vaccinated before entering restaurants, bars, movie theaters, gyms, hotels, stadiums and other indoor establishments under a draft of a proposed new law.
The proposal, by Assembly members Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, Akilah Weber, D-San Diego, and Evan Low, D-Campbell, hasn’t yet been introduced in the Legislature. The Sacramento Bee obtained a copy of the draft.
As written, the proposal would take effect immediately upon the governor’s signature, and would direct the Department of Public Health to develop an enforcement mechanism by Nov. 1."
Coronavirus cases spiking in LAPD as officials finalize vaccine mandate, others push back
LA Times, KEVIN RECTOR/JACLYN COSGROVE: "Coronavirus cases are spiking within the Los Angeles Police Department as city officials work with labor leaders to finalize a vaccination mandate for city employees, and those who oppose the requirement search for ways to circumvent it.
There were 84 new coronavirus cases identified among LAPD personnel in the last week, an increase from 45 the week prior, according to police. The new total includes a “hot spot” of 26 new infections among employees at the LAPD’s Central Station in skid row — where officials were scrambling to isolate the outbreak.
“We’ve taken some added protective measures, including restricting the front desk access, in an effort to reduce the infection rate that we’re seeing there,” LAPD Chief Michel Moore told a civilian oversight panel this week."
How often do California recalls succeed?
LA Times, JENNIFER LU: "California is one of 19 states where voters can gather signatures to force a recall election that would remove a statewide officeholder.
The latest target is Gov. Gavin Newsom. On Sept. 14, voters will decide whether he keeps his job.
Including Newsom, 82 state officials have faced a recall drive since the process was added to the state Constitution more than a century ago."
California homicide rise becomes recall rallying cry, but experts question Newsom's role
LA Times, MELODY GUTIERREZ: "An image of crime tape flashes across the screen. A woman says, “we don’t feel safe anymore,” adding that “crime is surging” in California. The solution, the ad paid for by a Republican group argues, is to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Republicans looking to replace Newsom in next month’s election say the governor is “soft on crime” and to blame for the state’s increase in violent crime, pointing to a rise in homicides as a reason voters should approve the recall.
But researchers who study crime rates say the surge is much more complicated than the attack ads suggest, and that the causes for it likely extend well beyond the policies of one governor or even one state."
Top-polling Democrat in recall calls for COVID filtration systems, water pipeline in debate
Sac Bee, SOPHIA BOLLAG: "In his first debate, the top-polling Democrat running in the recall, Kevin Paffrath, called for filtration systems in California buildings to protect against COVID-19 and proposed a pipeline to the Mississippi River to address California’s drought.
Paffrath, who has made his name providing financial advice on YouTube, argued that vaccine mandate decisions should be left to individual businesses and schools, and promised to protect Californians from COVID-19 by increasing availability of N95 masks and HEPA filtration in schools and buildings.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, who could lose his job to Paffrath or one of the other candidates if he is recalled, has approved billions of dollars for schools for ventilation, masks, and COVID-19 tests and has purchased hundreds of millions of N95 masks for frontline workers. Paffrath did not say how he would pay for his proposal."
Some California unemployed workers will still receive payments after federal benefits are cut off
Sac Bee, DAVID LIGHTMAN: "Not everyone now getting federally-funded unemployment benefits is going to suddenly be cut off after September 4.
Payments on the four federal unemployment benefit programs that expire on September 4 can still be issued for weeks of unemployment prior to that date, even if that processing comes after the deadline and if conditional payments have not already been issued.
And twhose who qualify for benefits from the Federal-State Extended Duration, or FED-ED program and have a balance of up to 13 weeks of benefits available can still collect payments. But not for long – the last week of unemployment for which FED-ED benefits can be paid is the week ending September 11."
Bonta, Ramachandran battle down to the wire in East Bay Assembly race
The Chronicle, JOE GAROFOLI: "A caller to KQED’s “Forum” interrupted the sparring between the candidates in the hotly contested East Bay Assembly special election — Mia Bonta and Janani Ramachandran — to interject a rare shot of positivity into a race that has grown increasingly testy as Tuesday’s election day approaches.
“I’m actually very excited about both candidates, and it’s actually hard to choose for once,” said the caller, who identified herself as Melanie. “We have two activist, progressive, women of color which is an amazing choice to have to make.”
Either candidate likely would be among the most progressive members of the Legislature. That’s not surprising, as the 18th Assembly district — which includes much of Oakland, from its wealthier hills to its poorer flatlands, along with Alameda and San Leandro — is among the most left-leaning in California. Here, having two progressive women of color competing to represent it isn’t just celebrated as being newsworthy: it’s seen as overdue."
Millions of Californians to get another round of stimulus checks soon. When to expect the money
Sac Bee, KIM BOJORQUEZ: "wState officials expect the latest round of state stimulus payments to be issued to Californians by next Tuesday, Aug. 31.
That means eligible Californians earning between $30,000 to $75,000 a year can soon expect to see the $600 payments in their bank accounts. The California Department of Finance previously said the payments would be issued in early September.
Andrew LePage, a spokesman for the Franchise Tax Board, said the state plans to distribute the checks in batches every two weeks. So far, state officials have identified about 9 million tax returns eligible for the payment."
Appeals court blocks long-sought expansion of Squaw Valley ski resort
AP, SCOTT SONNER: "A California appeals court has blocked the expansion of Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows ski resort because the development plan fails to adequately address potential harm to air and water quality, as well as increased noise levels and traffic in the area.
A three-judge panel of the 3rd District Court of Appeals granted parts of two appeals brought by Sierra Watch against the Lake Tahoe-area resort. It reversed a state judge’s 2018 ruling and ordered the lower court in Placer County to issue a new ruling specifying additional actions that the resort must take to ensure the new development’s compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act.
In addition to other concerns, the panel said Tuesday that existing plans fail to adequately address climate change or impacts on regional wildfire evacuation plans surrounding the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics."
US to accelerate offshore wind energy use as industry sees global growth
LA Times, CELINA TEBOR: "As the world struggles to provide cleaner, less expensive energy sources, some countries are exploring more use of wind power as a key option.
The Biden administration this year pledged to increase the United States’ use of offshore wind energy, with a goal of doubling use by 2030 to 30 gigawatts, which could power about 10 million American homes annually.
Wind energy is renewable, which means it replenishes itself naturally (other examples include solar energy via sunlight), and studies find its costs are falling. The International Renewable Energy Agency, an intergovernmental organization, anticipates offshore wind costs will fall by 55% by 2030, to 5.4 cents per kilowatt hour from about 11.5 cents per kilowatt hour."
