Newsom declares statewide drought emergency, urges California to conserve water
IAN JAMES, LA Times: "Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a statewide drought emergency on Tuesday, appealing to all Californians to do more to conserve water in the face of one of the state’s most severe droughts on record.
“As the western U.S. faces a potential third year of drought, it’s critical that Californians across the state redouble our efforts to save water in every way possible,” Newsom said.
While most of California’s 58 counties have been in a state of drought emergency since July, Newsom’s proclamation added the last eight remaining counties, and further bolstered his call for everyone to voluntary reduce water use by 15%. The proclamation notes that the State Water Resources Control Board may adopt emergency regulations to prohibit wasting water, such as hosing down sidewalks or driveways, allowing drinking water to flood gutters or streets, or washing a car without a shut-off nozzle."
Why this week could be the most dangerous for Bay Area drivers in a long time
The Chronicle, GWENDOLYN WU: "Following a summer of historic drought — the driest in more than 100 years in California — the downpours expected this week in Northern California could bring several inches of rain to parts of the Bay Area.
While the raindrops will dampen parched vegetation and aid firefighters looking to quell a nasty wildfire season, they’ll also present a new, albeit temporary hazard: slicked roads and highways that could lead to car crashes.
That the rain follows such a prolonged dry spell only adds to the danger, according to experts. And with traffic congestion making a comeback in the Bay Area, an increase in crashes could lead to more roadway snarls."
Second state worker charged in fraud case at California Office of AIDS
Sacramento Bee, SAM STANTON: "A second state worker has been charged in connection with a scandal inside California’s Office of AIDS that prosecutors say has cost the state $2 million in fraudulent billings.
Christine M. Iwamoto, who was a manager inside the office at the California Department of Public Health until March 2018, was charged in federal court in Sacramento last week with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, court records say.
Iwamoto pleaded not guilty last week and was allowed to remain out of custody on a $25,000 unsecured bond. A change of plea hearing was scheduled for Oct. 28."
How the Bay Area stands apart on the CDC's latest COVID transmission map
The Chronicle, KELLIE HWANG: "All nine Bay Area counties as of Tuesday had moved out of federal health officials’ worst category for community coronavirus transmission — setting them apart from most other counties in the U.S. and indicating progress toward lifting local mandates on indoor masking.
The county-level COVID transmission map from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday showed all of the Bay Area counties in either the orange “substantial” or yellow “moderate” categories.
Just 1.43% of the counties in the U.S. were in the blue “low” risk category Tuesday, followed by 3.76% in the yellow tier and 9.93% at the orange level. The vast majority of counties in the U.S., more than 85%, were in the worst “high” transmission category, coded red."
As LA draws new political boundaries, two City Council members say they want USC
LA Times, DAVID ZAHNISER: "It would have been enough for the University of Southern California to find itself at the center of one political controversy this month — a federal indictment targeting a former dean and Los Angeles City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas.
But now USC has been drawn into a second political skirmish at City Hall: a tug of war between two other council members, each of whom has expressed interest in representing USC.
The city’s Redistricting Commission, charged with redrawing council district boundaries, brought the issue to a head Monday night, voting 11 to 10 to move USC out of Councilman Curren Price’s district and into the one represented by Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson. On Tuesday night, they abruptly reversed themselves, shifting USC back into Price’s district on an 11 to 9 vote."
Few expect these efforts to pass Congress. But they do work as political weapons
Sacramento Bee, DAVID LIGHTMAN/GILLIAN BRASSIL: "The Protecting Our Democracy Act, introduced by Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff last month and supported by lots of Democrats, probably won’t take the trip to President Joe Biden’s desk as is.
It aims to limit executive powers he says were flouted by former President Donald Trump, including giving Congress more oversight on pardons for people like Roger Stone, Trump’s longtime advisor, and Paul Manafort, his former campaign chairman.
It’s likely to go nowhere in the Senate."
Can online sports betting help the homeless? California mayors back ballot measure
Sacramento Bee, LARA KORTE: "The mayors of four big California cities are backing an online sports betting initiative that they say will help “countless Californians” struggling with homelessness by providing more state revenue for housing.
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia on Tuesday announced their support for a measure that would allow Californians to bet on sports games online. The proposal was introduced in August and is backed by major sports betting operators, including DraftKings, FanDuel and WynnBET.
The proposed initiative would use tax revenue from online sports betting to fund permanent shelter and housing for homeless people and expand mental health and addiction treatment services. It’s one of three sports-betting related ballot measures Californians could see in 2022."
Newsom asked Californians to cut water usage by 15%. Here's what actually happened
The Chronicle, KURTIS ALEXANDER: "Californians failed to answer Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plea for water savings for a second straight month, putting the governor in the awkward spot of deciding whether to take a heavier hand on water conservation as the crippling drought wears on.
New state data released Tuesday shows California residents cut their water use 5% in August compared with the same month last year, well short of the 15% reduction that Newsom asked for three months ago. In July, residents pared back just 1.8%, bringing cumulative savings since the governor’s request to 3.5%.
The only part of the state to meet the target was the North Coast, where the drought has hit particularly hard and water shortages have given local cities and utilities little choice but to enact restrictions. The state-defined North Coast hydrological region, which extends from Sonoma County to the Oregon border, conserved 18.3% in August compared with the same month last year."
A $564M water project was completed in Sacramento. What this means for you
Sacramento Bee, HANH TRUONG: "The Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District, also known as Regional San, completed a $564 million wastewater treatment project this summer that uses bacteria to remove more than 99% of ammonia from sewer water.
The operation, which is called the Biological Nutrient Removal project, is a part of a larger undertaking called the EchoWater project.
The EchoWater project was established by Regional San to comply with regulations and to ensure clean water quality. The effort also allows for the potential reuse of water for landscape and agricultural irrigation."
Former SFPUC chief Harlan Kelly faces new fraud charges with real estate broker Victor Makras
The Chronicle, RACHEL SWAN: "Former San Francisco Public Utilities Commission head Harlan Kelly is facing new federal charges of bank fraud and conspiracy to commit bank fraud, linked to a wide-ranging bribery scheme in which he allegedly traded insider information on city contracts for free meals, jewelry and international trips.
A federal indictment filed Tuesday also accuses San Francisco real estate investor and former public utilities commissioner and port commissioner Victor Makras of bank fraud and conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Additionally, both defendants face charges of honest services wire fraud and conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud.
The intricate and long-running case has upended several top leaders at San Francisco City Hall, including Kelly and his wife, Naomi Kelly, who resigned as city administrator earlier this year but has not been charged with a crime. It all stems from the January 2020 arrest of former Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru, who was charged with fraud in connection with a failed attempt to bribe an airport commissioner."
Family of inmate slain at Sacramento prison sue, claiming guards helped set him up
Sacramento Bee, SAM STANTON/WES VENTEICHER: "The family of a Sacramento-area prison inmate allegedly slain by three other prisoners in 2019 is suing California corrections officials, claiming guards conspired to recruit and assist inmates to conduct the stabbing death.
The suit stems from the Dec. 12, 2019, slaying of Luis Giovanny Aguilar at California State Prison, Sacramento, where guards have been accused in court papers of conspiring to plan inmate murders and which is the subject of an FBI probe into allegations of wrongdoing there by guards.
The prison, also known as New Folsom, has come under renewed focus since the August suicide of a former correctional sergeant turned whistleblower who had been working with attorneys on claims that he had evidence of corruption, harassment and cover-ups by prison staff."
Oakland to open guaranteed income applications, with spots for hundreds more city residents
The Chronicle, SARAH RAVANI: "Oakland will soon open applications for the second phase of the city’s guaranteed income program to residents citywide.
The program, Oakland Resilient Families, is one of the largest of its kind in the country — for 600 families — and provides $500-a-month cash payments with no strings attached for 18 months.
The first round of applications for 300 families in East Oakland opened in June. Now, 300 more families throughout the city will be eligible to apply."
