Absenteeism surging since schools reopened
CAROLYN JONES, EdSource: "A month into in-person learning for most California schools, some districts are reporting soaring rates of absenteeism due to stay-at-home quarantines, fear of Covid and general disengagement from school.
Even districts like Elk Grove and Long Beach that had relatively high attendance before Covid have seen big increases in chronic absenteeism — students who have missed more than 10% of school days.
“It’s very concerning. We need to pay close attention to these students,” said Hedy Chang, executive director of Attendance Works, a nonprofit aimed at boosting school attendance. “Not only are they missing out on opportunities to connect with their peers, but they’re missing valuable classroom time to help them recover from learning loss from the previous year.”
At a grim convention, California GOP seeks to regroup after bruising recall defeat
SEEMA MEHTA, LA Times: "California Republicans, stinging from their lopsided loss in this month’s recall election, sought to regroup and focus on the upcoming midterms at their party convention this weekend.
Typically a boisterous gathering, the three-day meeting in San Diego was among the grimmest in recent memory.
“I’ve been wanting to tell people this is the ‘There’s nowhere else to go but up convention,’” said Orange County delegate and former state GOP executive director Jon Fleischman, adding that he couldn’t because the party’s prospects could sink further because of the decennial redrawing of congressional districts currently underway."
Wildfire updates: KNP Complex passes 45,000 acres; more extreme fire behavior possible
ROBERT KUWADA, SacBee: "The KNP Complex fire burning in Sequoia National Park was listed at 45,790 acres and 8% containment in a Sunday update, with no new evacuation warnings or orders issued within the past 24 hours.
California Army National Guard troops continue to work in the northern areas of the fire to protect park infrastructure, a structure protection crew is working around the Hartland area south of Highway 180, and preparations are being made to drop fire retardant on sequoia trees in the Muir Grove as weather permits.
A brief cooling trend in the next few days will help firefighters, but clearing skies and less smoke could also lead to an increase in active to extreme fire behavior in the area."
Capitol Weekly Podcast: Robb Korinke looking for “the Fishhook”
Capitol Weekly Staff: "Today’s guest is Robb Korinke, who turned heads in August with a data-driven pushback on the pundit-driven panic driving Democrats to despair regarding the governor’s odds in the Recall. Korinke’s projection that Gov. Newsom would win, and win handily, was not only correct, but actually underestimated the size of the groundswell to keep him in office.
Korinke is the editor of CaliforniaCityNews.org and CaliforniaCountyNews.org, a position which came in very handy when it came time to choose who had the Worst Week in California Politics…. or, as Korinke puts it: “the most bananas political story in the state, bar none.”
The fight over ‘The One’ — L.A.'s biggest and most extravagant mansion
LAURENCE DARMIENTO, LA Times: "It’s hard to grasp the enormity of “The One,” but an aerial photograph of the largest modern home in the United States provides perspective.
Viewed from a drone, the white marble structure once marketed for $500 million looks every bit the fortress towering over the scattered dwellings of a village.
Of course, those diminutive quarters are themselves mansions that climb the hills of Bel-Air, houses that are multiple times smaller than the 105,000-square-foot behemoth hovering above them."
Momentous mayor’s race will be a pitched battle over how to fix L.A.'s ills
DAVID ZAHNISER, DAKOTA SMITH and BENJAMIN ORESKES: "For much of the past year, the contest to become Los Angeles’ next mayor has been a sleepy affair, barely registering with voters and drowned out by a quixotic statewide recall election.
All that changed this week, with a succession of candidates revealing — either directly or through surrogates — that they were joining the increasingly crowded race to replace Mayor Eric Garcetti. The most prominent name yet is U.S. Rep. Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles), whose supporters confirmed Friday that she intends to run for the office.
Voters now have a much clearer picture of next year’s contest to replace Garcetti, who faces term limits. And the candidates will soon need to explain in detail how they will confront the many problems facing the city, including a homelessness crisis that overshadows nearly every other issue."
Column: Of course, Karen Bass will run for mayor. Why settle for a gridlocked Congress?
ERIKA SMITH, LA Times: "So, word on the street is U.S. Rep. Karen Bass is going to run for mayor of Los Angeles.
As my Times colleagues Dakota Smith and David Zahniser reported last week, three sources who asked to remain anonymous said she will join the increasingly crowded field of candidates vying to succeed Eric Garcetti in 2022.
Additional anonymous sources, these quoted by the Washington Post, say Bass will make an announcement as soon as this week — “barring unexpected changes.”
New fees considered for some national park sites in S.F., Marin
KELLIE HWANG and SARAH RAVANI, Chronicle: "The Golden Gate National Recreation Area is considering charging new fees at some park sites in San Francisco and Marin County, with Sunday the last day for the public to submit comments on the proposal.
In August, the Golden Gate National Recreation Area introduced a plan to add fees for parking at Lands End, Sutro Heights, Baker Beach, Rodeo Beach, China Beach, Stinson Beach, Navy Memorial and Fort Cronkhite, which currently do not charge.
The proposed new fee for each lot is $3 an hour with a daily maximum of $10 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Visitors arriving by car outside those hours will not be charged for parking. According to the National Park Service, the fees would align rates with lots at other public lands and urban areas managed by the agency.
How California's EDD got scammed out of $2 million by a prison inmate, a nurse and a car dealer employee
CAROLYN SAID, Chronicle: "A prison inmate, a nurse and a car dealer employee used the dark web to bilk California’s troublunemployment system of almost
$2 million, buying a $71,000 Audi Q7 and a new home with their ill-gotten gains, authorities say.
It sounds like the plot of a hackneyed heist movie.
But it’s just the latest in a string of embarrassing revelations about fraud at the state Employment Development Department, which has lost billions of dollars to scammers during the pandemic. Officials say the EDD lost between $11 billion and $31 billion to perpetrators who include organized criminals from overseas, gangs of prison inmates and even some on Death Row who took advantage of a deluge of claims and lax standards for verifying information. EDD has received 22.7 million claims and paid out $164.8 billion since January 2020."
