Flex Alert issued by California's grid operator as temps soar on Wednesday
Sacramento Bee, STAFF: "As hot temperatures blast California on Wednesday, managers of state’s electricity grid have issued a plea for power conservation.
The California Independent System Operator issued a Flex Alert for Wednesday evening, citing high temperatures and a potential strain on the state’s power supplies. The alert will be in effect from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The National Weather Service said temperatures could reach 110 degrees in parts of the Sacramento Valley late Wednesday."
Biden plans to campaign against Newsom recall in California next week
The Chronicle, ALEXEI KOSEFF: "With a week remaining in the recall campaign, President Biden still plans to travel to California to stump for Gov. Gavin Newsom.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Tuesday that Biden would come to the state early next week, but provided no further information. A spokesperson for Newsom said more details would be available later in the day Tuesday.
“He will be,” Psaki said, when asked whether Biden would go to California to help Newsom with the recall. “I expect we’ll have more to report to all of you, or announce, on a trip he’ll take early next week.”"
First the snow vanished, then the mudslides began: Mt. Shasta's summer of pain
LA Times, LOUIS SAHAGUN: "A brutal summer of record heat and punishing drought has claimed yet another California victim: the majestic, snow-covered slopes of Mt. Shasta.
Just as the impacts of global warming have revealed themselves in extreme wildfire behavior and plunging reservoir levels, climate change is now altering the skyline of far Northern California and wreaking havoc on communities surrounding the dormant volcano.
The unseasonable disappearance of Mt. Shasta’s postcard-perfect snowpack has not only turned the landmark’s peak from white to brown but has also hastened the melting of mountain glaciers, unleashing thunderous torrents of mud, boulders and trees that have destroyed bridges, made roads impassable and threatened water infrastructure. Flows of volcanic ash also have turned once-green meadows into ghostly gray moonscapes."
Democrats optimistic ahead of California recall election; GOP divided over its front-runner
LA Times, SEEMA MEHTA/MELANIE MASON: "As the recall charges into its final days, Democrats’ midsummer panic has given way to cautious confidence that Gov. Gavin Newsom’s outlook has brightened, aided by healthy turnout so far, a towering advantage in money and the emergence of an ideal foil: Larry Elder.
A spate of polls showing a tightening race in July worked to Democrats’ advantage, as they marshaled their considerable institutional might in this deep-blue state to nudge their voters to the ballot box. But with seven days of voting to go, Newsom’s allies are working to ensure that promising signs for the governor do not lead to last-minute voter complacency.
“Even though the polling looks better, we’re still very clear that you can’t take anything for granted,” said Steve Smith, spokesman for the California Labor Federation, among Newsom’s allies opposing the recall. “This last … push is where the campaign is won or lost. Absolutely we can’t take our foot off the pedal.”"
Jury selection begins for the first trial in the college admissions scandal
AP, ALANNA DURKEN RICHER: "The first trial in the “Operation Varsity Blues” college admissions bribery scandal will begin this week, with the potential to shed light on investigators’ tactics and brighten the spotlight on a secretive school selection process many have long complained is rigged to favor the rich.
Jury selection begins Wednesday in federal court in Boston in the case against two parents — former casino executive Gamal Abdelaziz and former Staples and Gap executive John Wilson — who are accused of paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to help get their kids into USC by falsely presenting them as athletic recruits.
Although they were among dozens of prominent people — actors, executives, athletic coaches and others — arrested across the country when the case exploded into the headlines over two years ago, theirs is the first to go to trial."
SF, agriculture suppliers want their water, sue state over drought restrictions
The Chronicle, KURTIS ALEXANDER: "San Francisco, along with a handful of Central Valley irrigation districts, is suing the state for enacting drought restrictions that are keeping thousands of landowners and suppliers from drawing water from rivers and creeks.
The lawsuit, filed late last week in Fresno County Superior Court, claims that the State Water Resources Control Board — drought or no drought — does not have the authority to suspend the draws of those with the most senior claims to California’s water.
These water-rights holders include farms and many of their suppliers, as well as San Francisco. The city holds water rights on the Tuolumne River that date from between 1901 and 1911, allowing it to collect mountain runoff in reservoirs at and around Yosemite National Park and pipe it 160 miles to the Bay Area."
Video shows large-scale firefighting effort forced by Bridge Fire in Auburn
Sacramento Bee, DAVID CARACCIO: "Video released Tuesday shows the massive firefighting effort taking place in Auburn, where the 411-acre Bridge Fire ignited.
The video by Cal Fire’s Nevada Yuba Placer Unit came as fire officials reported no change in acreage and an increased 25 percent containment for the California wildfire on September 7, 2021. Evacuation orders and warnings were lifted in parts of Placer County, California on Monday.
The fire broke out on September 5."
Video: Larry Elder thinks the minimum wage should be $0.00
Sacramento Bee, JOSHUA BESSEX: "Radio talk show personality, Larry Elder, met with California opinion editors to discuss issues that spurred his candidacy for the recall election. Among them minimum wage; Mr. Elder believes the amount should be $0.00."
East Bay land parcel to become 3,100-acre state park instead of off-road vehicle spacec
The Chronicle, ANDRES PICON "A 3,100-acre stretch of land in Alameda County could soon become a protected state park, after Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature reached a deal Monday to keep the area from becoming part of a neighboring off-road vehicle park.
The agreement, which could be approved by the Legislature this week, has been cast as a way to protect the land, which sits east of Livermore off of Tesla Road, and safeguard its ecological and cultural significance, according to a statement from the office of state Sen. Steve Glazer, D-Orinda, who has advocated for the land’s preservation since 2018.
If the agreement is approved, the land, known as the Tesla parcel, would be closed to motorized recreation. The parcel borders the Carnegie State Vehicular Recreation Area, which had planned to expand into the land."
Thunderstorms to roll into Napa, Sonoma counties, raising concern that dry lightning could spark new fires
The Chronicle, ANDRES PICON: "The North Bay could see thunderstorms this week — a double-edged forecast for a region beset by drought but wary of the possibility of vegetation fires sparked by dry lightning.
The thunderstorms, which may or may not bring precipitation, are expected to roll into Napa and Sonoma counties Thursday afternoon and evening, said Jeff Lorber, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
“There could be some moisture with these thunderstorms, but they could also be dry as well,” Lorber said. “Any lightning strikes pose significant hazards to our area because of very dry fuels, especially with the recent heat that we’ve been having and the very dry air mass that’s settled into place.”"
California's Central Valley overwhelmed by COVID-19 Delta surge
LA Times, RONG-GONG LIN II/LUKE MONEY: "Hospitals in California’s Central Valley are increasingly overwhelmed by the fourth surge of the COVID-19 pandemic, with officials scrambling to transfer some critically ill patients more than 100 miles away because local intensive care units are full.
The San Joaquin Valley, the Sacramento area and rural Northern California are now the regions of the state being hit the hardest by COVID-19 hospitalizations on a per capita basis, according to a Los Angeles Times analysis. The regions have lower vaccination rates than in the highly populated, coastal areas of Southern California and the San Francisco Bay Area.
“Our system is still paralyzed and is at a standstill, as we’re trying to move a huge number of patients through this healthcare system that is completely overwhelmed,” Dan Lynch, who oversees emergency medical services for Fresno, Kings, Madera and Tulare counties, said at a recent media briefing."
Video: See Afghans protest Taliban and US withdrawal from Afghanistan at Capitol in Sacramento
Sacramento Bee, RENEE C. BYER: "Members of the Sacramento Afghan community protest recent events in Afghanistan at the state Capitol on Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021."
Health officials report first human case of West Nile virus in Yolo County this years
Sacramento Bee, ROSALIO AHUMADA: "Health officials on Tuesday evening announced they had received confirmation of the first human case of the West Nile virus in a patient in Yolo County this year.
The patient first became ill with the virus last month and was recovering, according to a news release. Health officials said people typically develop symptoms of West Nile virus between two and 14 days after they are bitten by an infected mosquito. This year, more than 30 people have contracted West Nile Virus in California.
“The recent detection of first case of West Nile virus in a Yolo County resident this year is a reminder that COVID-19 is not the only disease residents need to protect themselves against right now,” Yolo County Health Officer Dr. Aimee Sisson said in the news release. “West Nile virus is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito, and mosquitoes are active this time of year.”
Tracking coronavirus cases in SF public schools
The Chronicle, DIGITAL STAFF: "The Chronicle is tracking every reported coronavirus case in the San Francisco Unified School District, which reopened to more than 50,000 students on Aug. 16. The data is based on cases self-reported to the district by students and staff, as well as tests offered by SFUSD through Color Health.
San Francisco reported no in-school transmission after some schools reopened in the spring, but whether that will hold with the delta variant isn't yet known. The limits of contract tracing mean district and health officials might not know for sure in some cases.
In all districts, including San Francisco, students who test positive for the coronavirus are required to quarantine, isolating at home for a specific time based on a range of factors and depending on whether the child was symptomatic. San Francisco, however, is requiring quarantine for unvaccinated close contacts, meaning a handful of students from a classroom can’t return to school until at least eight days from exposure, doing independent study in the meantime."
Majority of LA Uinified board favors or leans toward student vaccine mandate
LA Times, HOWARD BLUME/LAURA NEWBERRY: "A clear majority of Los Angeles Board of Education members either favor or lean toward requiring eligible students to be vaccinated against COVID-19, as education officials across the state grapple with a measure that could help prevent school infections and keep classrooms open, but would probably ignite pushback.
School board President Kelly Gonez said that such a mandate would be a wise step to take “within a reasonable timeline.” Although the board could make a student vaccine mandate decision relatively soon, its effective date would depend on many factors, including allowing time for education efforts and outreach to families, she said.
Such a move would propel Los Angeles — once again — into the national spotlight for COVID safety measures that are among the most aggressive in the country. The nation’s second-largest school system has moved faster and more comprehensively than most others, testing all students and employees for infection every week, requiring masks indoors and outdoors and ordering employees to get vaccinated."
