Caldor Fire is moving into the Tahoe basin. These historic Sierra sites are under threat
Sacramento Bee, MILA JASPER: "The Caldor Fire’s explosive growth is expanding evacuations as that blaze marches toward Lake Tahoe, and the fire may be threatening some historic towns along Highway 50.
Cal Fire is updating and expanding its evacuation orders in El Dorado, Alpine and Amador counties. Several Sierra communities that are usually havens of outdoor activities are now under mandatory evacuation orders and others are under voluntary orders due to threat from fires. Take a look at all the towns that might fall in the fire’s path.
Twin Bridges is the home of the famed Sierra-at-Tahoe ski and snowboard resort. Footage from webcams around the resort show eerie, smoky skies. Twin Bridges is also home to Camp Sacramento and the Sierra Pines Camp."
'Mad moms' and mask mandates: Will they determine whether Newsom is recalled?
LA Times, SEEMA MEHTA: "Almost since its inception, the effort to oust Gov. Gavin Newsom has been inextricably tied to the pandemic’s impact on schools. Recall backers say they succeeded in qualifying for the ballot in large part because of mothers’ frustration with closed classrooms and their children’s struggles with virtual learning.
Now, as recall ballots are dropping in mailboxes, children are returning to school amid heated battles over mask mandates and skyrocketing cases of the highly transmissible Delta variant. Leaders of the effort to remove Newsom for office are confident that women, exasperated by the effect of Newsom’s policies on their children, are the reason they will prevail.
“It’s gas on the fire,” said Anne Hyde Dunsmore, campaign manager for Rescue California, one of the main recall groups. “The whole time, it’s probably the single biggest ingredient in the campaign, in our success.”"
SCOTUS allows evictions to resume during pandemic
AP, MARK SHERMAN: "The Supreme Court's conservative majority is allowing evictions to resume across the United States, blocking the Biden administration from enforcing a temporary ban that was put in place because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The court's action late Thursday ends protections for roughly 3.5 million people in the United States who said they faced eviction in the next two months, according to Census Bureau data from early August.
The court said in an unsigned opinion that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which reimposed the moratorium Aug. 3, lacked the authority to do so under federal law without explicit congressional authorization. The justices rejected the administration's arguments in support of the CDC's authority."
California lawmakers grapple with whether to impose a statewide COVID-19 vaccination mandate
TARYN LUNA and MELODY GUTIERREZ, LA Times: "After ceding power to Gov. Gavin Newsom throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, state lawmakers are now considering one of the most politically challenging government mandates yet: requiring Californians to show proof of vaccination to enter many indoor business establishments and forcing workers to get vaccinated or regularly tested.
Democratic legislators leading the conversation at the state Capitol believe mandates provide an opportunity to improve vaccination rates and help lessen the effects of the Delta variant spreading through California.
But the proposal, which is still in draft form and has not been introduced in a bill, requires weighing serious considerations such as enforcement, costs, implementation, the political will of the state Legislature and how such a sweeping statewide mandate could help or hurt Newsom’s chances of beating back a possible recall."
Time to break out the N95s, experts say
The Chronicle, DANIELLE ECHEVERRIA: "With revived mask mandates in place to combat the delta variant surge, face coverings have once again become a common sight across the Bay Area. But especially with wildfire smoke compounding the need for protection, should you upgrade to an N95 mask?
Many seem to think so — public health experts are increasingly tweeting about N95s, and Google searches for the term in the Bay Area spiked this month.
N95s are respirators, which means they filter out particles from the air before you can breathe them in. Commonly used in health care settings, the masks are designed to fit tightly, creating a seal around the nose and mouth — distinguishing them from looser-fitting surgical masks or cloth ones."
Long COVID's daunting toll seen in study of pandemic's earliest patients
LA Times, MELISSA HEALY: "COVID-19 patients in Wuhan were among the pandemic’s first victims, and a comprehensive new study finds that a year after shaking the coronavirus, survivors were more likely than their uninfected peers to suffer from mobility problems, pain or discomfort, anxiety and depression.
A detailed accounting of 1,276 people hospitalized for COVID-19 in the pandemic’s opening months reveals that a full year later, almost half continued to report at least one lingering health problem that is now considered a symptom of “long COVID.”
One out of five said they had continued fatigue and/or muscle weakness, and 17% said they were still experiencing sleep difficulties. Just over one in four said they were suffering anxiety or depression in the wake of their bout with the SARS-CoV-2 virus."
Californians can all vote by mail in the recall. Here's how
LA Times, JON HEALEY: "If California was flirting with mail-in voting before 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic performed a shotgun wedding. To make sure the coronavirus didn’t shut people out of the November 2020 election, the state Legislature passed and Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a measure requiring counties to send mail-in ballots to all registered voters, no application or request necessary. The state later extended this requirement through at least 2021.
The ballots for the Sept. 14 recall election have already been delivered, and voters are starting to fill them out and return them. But it’s not too late to obtain a mail-in ballot if you’re a freshly registered voter or you’re living at a new address. Here are a few tips for how to obtain, return and track your ballot.
County election officials send a blank ballot, instructions and a postage-paid return envelope to the address on record for each registered voter. You’ll fill out the ballot much the same way as you would in person: There are two questions presented, and you are free to answer both or just one of them."
Recall candidate Kevin Faulconer calls for fully paid parental leave for Californians
Sacramento Bee, LARA KORTE: "Gubernatorial recall candidate Kevin Faulconer wants to implement fully paid parental leave as part of a plan he says will support California women, especially working mothers.
The plan, which Faulconer introduced Thursday, comes as he and other candidates lambaste recall front runner Larry Elder over comments he made in support of pregnancy discrimination.
Faulconer accused Elder of wanting to “eradicate women’s protections” and said his plan will provide mothers with support when they need it most."
California agency rejects GOP complaint about Newsom's home, says he followed law
Sacramento Bee, SOPHIA BOLLAG/LARA KORTE: "California’s campaign finance watchdog agency swiftly rejected a complaint from the state’s Republican Party on Thursday, saying Gov. Gavin Newsom had properly disclosed information related to his home in Fair Oaks.
The California GOP had filed a campaign finance complaint that morning alleging Newsom failed to report important details regarding his $3.7 million Fair Oaks mansion in campaign filings.
The Fair Political Practices Commission issued a letter Thursday afternoon dismissing the complaint and saying the governor had followed the law, according to a copy of the letter provided by Newsom’s campaign. The FPPC also provided a copy of the letter to The Bee."
Bill to decriminalize psychadelics shelved in California legislature
The Chronicle, DUSTIN GARDINER/ALEXEI KOSEFF: "A bill that would have decriminalized the use of some psychedelic drugs has stalled in the California Legislature — at least for this year — after its author pulled the proposal.
The measure, SB519 by state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, would have allowed the possession and personal use of hallucinogenic mushrooms, LSD, MDMA and other psychedelics, which supporters argue have therapeutic mental-health benefits.
It was one of dozens of bills that fizzled Thursday, without debate, as the Assembly and Senate appropriations committees moved hundreds of bills through a procedural bottleneck for legislation with significant fiscal impacts."
Investigators have ruled out 2 causes of death in case of Mariposa family, but still have no answers
The Chronicle, MATTHIAS GAFNI: "Investigators said Thursday they have ruled out exposure to chemicals from a mine along the trail and use of a gun or other weapon in the mysterious case of a former San Francisco family who died along with their dog on a remote Mariposa County hiking route.
In its first update on the case in nearly a week, the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office provided more details about the timeline of events, indicating the family was spotted heading to the trailhead on the morning of Aug. 15 by a witness.
Investigators believe the family hiked most of a grueling 8.5-mile loop — including 5 miles of steep southern exposure trail with little to no trees or shade in 103 to 109 degree heat — before succumbing on the return to their truck on a steep switchback."
The US delves into the pain inflicted on Indigenous communities through boarding schools
LA Times, JULIA BARAJAS: "Ground-penetrating radar this year revealed hundreds of unmarked graves at former residential schools in Canada.
The harrowing discovery — remnants of a government policy that sought to eradicate Indigenous cultures by separating an estimated 150,000 children from their families from the 19th century through the 1990s — prompted reaction from religious leaders and public officials worldwide.
In the U.S., Interior Secretary Deb Haaland wept when she saw the headlines from Canada. She is a member of the Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico, and her maternal grandparents were among the children subject to a similar policy on this side of the border. The Interior Department, which she now runs, oversaw hundreds of boarding schools for more than a century."
Pipe bursts in East Bay, spilling 12.5K gallons of raw sewage
The Chronicle, STEVE RUBENSTEIN: "A collapsed underground pipe leaked at least 12,500 gallons of raw sewage into Martinez storm drains and residents are being cautioned to avoid surface water in the area, authorities said.
The leak, first noticed on Monday by oil refinery workers, was blamed on the deterioration of a municipal sewer line just south of the PBF oil refinery, formerly known as the Shell refinery.
“It took time to identify which pipe was involved,” said Lilia Corona, district manager of the Mount View Sanitary District. She said dyes were used to spot the leak."
OPD say they 'don't know' if officer shot a man near Coliseum
The Chronicle, LAUREN HEPLER: "Oakland police said Thursday that it was unclear whether a person injured during an altercation a day earlier had been shot after an officer fired a weapon.
Initial reports suggested that the officer had shot a person, who police said was wanted in connection with a criminal warrant for manslaughter, during the incident around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday near the Oakland Coliseum.
The suspect, identified Thursday as David Garibay-Vargas, “had a non-serious injury” and was treated at a local hospital then transported to Alameda County Jail, public information officer Officer Johnna Watson said at a press conference."
SF wants to put homeless hotels around the city. These are the neighborhoods pushing back
The Chronicle, MALLORY MOENCH: "Many Japantown community leaders, business owners and residents are opposing San Francisco’s plan to buy a tourist hotel in the neighborhood and convert it into permanent affordable housing with social services for people experiencing homelessness.
Locals say their opposition isn’t “anti-homeless,” pointing out many supported using the Buchanan Hotel to house homeless people during the pandemic. But they’re worried about the demise of tourism if one of the neigborhood’s two hotels is permanently lost, and critical of what they feel is a rushed process in a historically marginalized community.
“When you start taking away those economic resources, it will choke the community,” said Paul Osaki, a resident for 60 years and executive director of the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California. “Our concern has everything to do with saving our community’s economy and the survival of Japantown’s small businesses.”"
