California cities rush to limit new increasing density of single-family neighborhoods
The Chronicle, ALEXEI KOSEFF: "Advocates of denser construction as a solution to California’s housing shortage scored a victory in September when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a long-sought law that will make it easier to build out existing neighborhoods by splitting lots, adding second units to the properties and converting homes into duplexes.
But the battle over SB9 — which could ultimately help add hundreds of thousands of homes across the state by allowing up to four units on some properties that had just one before — is ramping up again before the the law takes effect in January, as cities that opposed the measure move to limit its impact on their communities.
Los Altos Hills, the affluent Silicon Valley town that maintains a standard of minimum one-acre lots to preserve a semi-rural character and where homes sell for millions of dollars, led the way last week when it adopted an urgency ordinance, likely the first in the state, restricting the type of housing that residents can build if they split their properties."
Snowpack in California's Sierra Nevada could disappear in just 25 years
The Chronicle, KURTIS ALEXANDER: "As the climate continues to warm, more and more of the snow falling on California’s mountains will be replaced by rain. Already in recent decades, the snow season has shrunk by a month, according to one estimate, while snow levels have moved upward by 1,200 feet, according to another.
Scientists and water managers say that at some point California’s snowpack could simply disappear. This would leave the state without the crucial spring and summer melt-off that fills rivers and streams, nourishes plants and animals, and provides a huge chunk of the water supply. It would also be devastating for the ski industry.
This snowless future, according to a new study led by researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, could arrive in California’s Sierra Nevada in as soon as 25 years. The study is among many to detail the decline in snow, but it’s unique in synthesizing decades of research to nail down exactly when the snow might be gone. And it offers a timeline that is alarmingly short."
How bad will Omicron be? Scientists won't really know for months
LA Times, MELISSA HEALY: "In a virus that has already killed 5.2 million people across the globe, 50 or so new mutations sound like a nightmare for humanity. But in the age-old battle between microbes and mankind, that many genetic changes can turn the tide in any direction.
The next chapter of the pandemic could feature an Omicron variant that spreads more readily than Delta, blows past the defenses of a fully vaccinated immune system, and, like its coronavirus cousin that causes Middle East respiratory syndrome, kills more than one-third of those who get it. That worst-case scenario would be an unfathomable disaster, said Dr. Bruce Walker, an immunologist and founding director of the Ragon Institute in Cambridge, Mass.
At the other end of a wide spectrum of possibilities, humanity could catch a break. Omicron could turn out to be a benign variant that spreads as fast as Delta, is easily tamed by vaccine, and barely sickens its victims while leaving them with some immunity and little risk of developing “long COVID.” In that case, “nature may have created a natural vaccine,” Walker said."
UC Davis study shows pesticide can impact generations of bees. Here’s what you can do
HANH TRUONG, SacBee: "A recently released study by researchers at the University of California, Davis revealed that pesticides can have lasting affects on bee health, reducing their reproduction rate.
According to the findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, multiple generations of bees may be needed to recover from one pesticide application.
Here’s a rundown of the study and what you can do to save the bees.
Omicron may surface in Bay Area within weeks or days, experts say
The Chronicle, KELLIE HWANG: "The omicron coronavirus variant, which is raising global alarm bells due to its potential for increased transmissibility and vaccine evasion, has not yet been found in the United States. But experts believe it is already here — and some expect an announcement that it is in the Bay Area within weeks or even days.
“My guess is within the week we’ll hear of the first (omicron) cases in the U.S. and probably soon after that it will reach California and the Bay Area,” Ori Tzvieli, Contra Costa County’s deputy health officer, said in an interview on Monday. “They all arrive eventually, especially the ones that are more transmissible.”
Matt Willis, the Marin County health officer, echoed the sentiment: “I would be surprised if we didn’t see the variant surface in the Bay Area in the next few days,” he said."
Will US travel ban help stop the new Omicron variant?
The Chronicle, DANIELLE ECHEVERRIA: "After the World Health Organization deemed a new coronavirus strain — first identified by South African officials — a variant of concern on Friday morning, global leaders, including U.S. president Joe Biden, reacted quickly with travel restrictions directed at southern African countries.
Health officials say that the travel restrictions buy countries time to understand and fight new varaints, but many health experts criticized the move, saying that it won’t stop the spread of the virus and penalizes countries that report new variants.
“It seems to spread rapidly,” U.S. President Joe Biden told reporters about the omicron variant. “I’ve decided that we’re going to be cautious,” he said of the travel restrictions."
Attorney agrees to plead guilty to bribery in kickback scheme tied to DWP billing case
LA Times, DAKOTA SMITH/JULIA WICK: "An attorney hired by City Atty. Mike Feuer’s office has agreed to plead guilty in a scheme involving a $2.2-million kickback and bribes to the top executive at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power in exchange for a lucrative contract, prosecutors said Monday.
Paul Paradis, 58, of Scottsdale, Ariz., agreed to plead guilty to one count of bribery and is cooperating with the ongoing federal criminal investigation, prosecutors said.
In a 46-page plea agreement, prosecutors laid out how Paradis took part in a plan to settle a high-profile lawsuit brought against the DWP on terms that were favorable to the city and himself."
Oakland cannabis merchants say they're 'under attack' after string of burglaries. Now they're asking for a tax break
The Chronicle, RACHEL SWAN: "Jolted by a recent string of burglaries and bursts of gunfire, cannabis merchants in Oakland made a spirited plea to city and state leaders on Monday: Stop taxing us for two years.
“We are here today because cannabis businesses in Oakland are under attack,” Amber Senter, CEO of a local cannabis manufacturer and distributor, said at a news conference outside City Hall.
Senter and several other business owner presented a list of demands: a cannabis liaison in the Oakland Police Department’s command staff; a faster police response and follow-up investigations of violent incidents; repeal local cannabis taxes for all businesses regardless of size; a reprieve from the state cultivation tax; and a significant reduction to the state excise tax."
California health care companies want bilingual workers. Here are some top jobs
BY KIM BOJÓRQUEZ, SacBee: "Sacramento is home to multiple health care conglomerates that are looking for Spanish-speaking applicants. Here are the latest job listings between UC Davis, Sutter Health and Dignity Health that desire workers with bilingual skills.
Supervisor 2, Written Translations (Medical Interpreting), Davis Health System The position requires leading a team of translators for five UC medical centers’ written translation projects.
Other job duties include proofreading, editing and preparing written materials in a language or languages besides English. Learn more about the position here. The salary for this position ranges from $49,400 to $99,200 per year.
Sheriff Villanueva won't use county's coronavirus testing provider over alleged ties to China
LA Times, ALENE TCHEKMEDYIAN/RICHARD WINTON: "Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Monday that his department will no longer use the county’s coronavirus testing provider over concerns about the company’s alleged ties to the Chinese government.
In a letter to the Board of Supervisors, Villanueva said the FBI contacted him last week and held a briefing the day after Thanksgiving to relay “the serious risks associated with allowing Fulgent to conduct COVID-19 testing” of county employees.
Villanueva said that the DNA data obtained are “not guaranteed to be safe and secure from foreign governments” and that the FBI advised the information is likely to be shared with China. Fulgent Genetics, he said in the letter, has “strong ties” with Chinese technology and genomics companies, but he did not elaborate on what those ties are."
Oakland to propose growing police department ranks to address violent crime
The Chronicle, ANDRES PICON: "Oakland officials said Monday that they want to grow the city’s police force in an effort to confront a rising tide of violent crime that has gripped the city this year.
Mayor Libby Schaaf said her office was developing a proposal for the City Council to consider that includes boosting the number of active police officers and maintaining a larger overall police force.
Schaaf’s office also plans to recommend reversing budget cuts scheduled for next summer slated to freeze 50 police department positions. The hiring plan, which Schaaf said will be completed by Friday, will call for the creation of a new police academy class and will include a budget amendment to fund it."
As costs climb, restaurants wrestle with raising menu prices
The Chronicle, JANELLE BITKER: "Your favorite sandwich might cost $1 more than it did a few weeks ago. The crab pasta you loved eating on Fisherman’s Wharf might now share space with shrimp. And the cookies you bought from a local pop-up might look smaller the next time you visit.
Bay Area restaurants are dealing with rising costs of seemingly everything, they say, from meat and eggs to flour and take-out containers. As a result, owners are making difficult decisions to compensate. Some are raising menu prices, while others are adjusting portion sizes or eliminating dishes altogether.
The cost increases on many ingredients are dramatic, in some cases triple what they were just a few months ago. They’re among the myriad ripple effects spurred by pandemic-related supply chain issues and the nationwide staffing crisis."
Barbados bids goodbye to Britain's queen and becomes a republic
AP, DANICA COTO: "Barbados stopped pledging allegiance to Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II on Tuesday as it shed another vestige of its colonial past and became a republic for the first time in history.
Several leaders and dignitaries — including Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, and singer Rihanna — attended the ceremony that began late Monday in a popular square where the statue of a well-known British nobleman was removed last year amid a worldwide push to erase symbols of oppression.
Fireworks peppered the sky at midnight as Barbados officially became a republic, with screens set up across the island so that people could watch the event, which featured an orchestra with more than 100 steel pan players and numerous artists. It was also broadcast online, prompting a flurry of excited messages from Bajans (Barbadians) living in the U.S., Canada and beyond."
