California Positions Itself as a ‘Refuge’ of Abortion Rights
THOMAS FULLER, NY Times: “Political leaders in California said on Wednesday that they would work to make the state a sanctuary for women seeking abortions if a Supreme Court ruling allows the procedure to be banned in more conservative parts of the country.
The proposal, which was released with the backing of Gov. Gavin Newsom and the leaders of California’s two legislative chambers, calls for increasing funding for abortion providers and dozens of other measures to make it easier for clients to access abortion services and providers to get paid. It also includes a recommendation to fund the procedure for low-income women who come to California for abortion services.
Toni G. Atkins, the head of California’s Senate, whose office helped prepare the proposal, said the details of how abortions would be funded for out-of-state women would have to be negotiated in the State Legislature next year but could be a mixture of state and private funds.”
READ MORE on abortion rights: How California is prepping for the fall of Roe vs. Wade -- JOE GAROFOLI, Chronicle
‘They ambushed me’: California medical official says she was stalked by COVID misinformation group
JULIE JOHNSON, Chronicle: "“The president of California’s medical board said she was “followed and confronted” by members of a group under investigation by a U.S. House of Representatives panel for promoting dubious COVID-19 treatments, saying they flew a drone over her family’s Walnut Creek home and “ambushed” her outside her office.
Kristina Lawson, chief executive of law firm Hanson Bridgett who has served on the state medical board since 2015, described the ordeal on Twitter, saying it started when strangers parked outside her home Monday morning and ended in a parking garage for her office “when four men jumped out of the SUV with cameras and recording equipment and confronted me as I tried to get into my car to drive home.”
She said they identified themselves as members of America’s Frontline Doctors, an organization that claims on its website to be “protecting physician independence from government overreach.” The name was emblazoned on their jackets and a microphone.”
READ MORE on stalking : Anti-vaccine group targeted head of California Medical Board in ‘stalking’ incident, she says -- LARA KORTE, SacBee
Amid pandemic, California murder rate shows shocking rise
WILL SHUCK, Capitol Weekly: "Preliminary numbers from California’s biggest cities suggest that 2020’s stunning 30-percent increase in the statewide murder rate – the largest since 1960 – has continued to rise this year, and crime experts have as many questions as answers.
“We’re seeing a continued trend” in rising murder rates throughout 2021, said Mangus Lofstrom, a policy director and senior fellow at the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California. “We’re seeing increases in homicide year over year again.”
Official numbers for 2021, a year with a few weeks remaining, are months away. (Thoroughly analyzed crime data takes time.) But, thanks to the record-keeping reliability of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland and San Diego, researchers have an almost real-time count that shows 2021 is going to be another unsettling year."
Father and son arrested on suspicion of starting Caldor fire
LA Times, GREGORY YEE: "Authorities in Northern California announced the arrest of a father and son in connection with the Caldor fire, which burned for 67 days and threatened the community of South Lake Tahoe as it grew to become the 15th-largest wildfire in recorded California history.
David Scott Smith, 66, and his son, Travis Shane Smith, 32, were arrested on Ramey warrants, which are issued before criminal charges are filed, according to the El Dorado County district attorney’s office.
Both men are accused of “reckless arson,” prosecutors said."
How governments used the pandemic to normalize surveillance
LA Times, VICTORIA KIM: "Son Eun-ji’s newborn son will begin the first months of his life in a sci-fi-like home in the middle of a sparse river delta that was until recently sprawling fields of scallions.
The young family will move early next year into an experimental project showcasing South Korea’s ambitions for the city of the future. Robots will patrol the streets, mow the grass and deliver packages. Homes will be powered by renewable energy, and excess electricity will be shared among neighbors or absorbed into the grid. Benches, streetlights and trash cans will be internet-connected and gathering data to optimize efficiency. Residents’ vitals will be monitored and an artificial-intelligence-equipped gym will offer health tips.
Sensors, meters and cameras inside and outside will hum in around-the-clock surveillance. The technology-laden “smart city” being built on the southern coast of South Korea epitomizes the daily bargain for most of humanity: the relinquishing of personal data and privacy in exchange for convenience, order and safety."
Lawsuit: Sacramento is withholding records about police response to George Floyd protests
THERESA CLIFT, SacBee: "A prominent Bay Area organization is suing the city of Sacramento for allegedly withholding documents about controversial police response to recent protests in the capital city.
In February 2020, Tifanei Ressl-Moyer, an attorney at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, submitted a five-page request under the California Public Records Act for documents regarding police response to protests, according to the lawsuit.
The protests included those in the wake of the Minneapolis George Floyd killing in the summer of 2020, the “Stop the Steal” protests and counter-protests at the capitol in early 2021, and other incidents. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Sacramento County Superior Court, names the city and the police department as defendants."
Early evidence suggests omicron causes milder disease. What does that mean for the Bay Area?
The Chronicle, KELLIE HWANG: "Early findings have suggested that the new omicron variant may cause milder disease than other coronavirus strains — potentially encouraging news that experts in the Bay Area are still greeting with caution.
Even if omicron causes less severe infection, the highly mutated strain is already showing signs of even greater transmissibility than the current dominant delta variant. Experts say that could mean trouble, especially for higher-risk people and unvaccinated young children, in addition to a cascade of disruptions for communities, schools and businesses — adding more urgency to the drive for COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters.
As UCSF infectious disease expert Peter Chin-Hong explained, it’s "not necessarily a bad thing” if people contract mild infection from omicron and don’t end up in the hospital. However, “the more virus that circulates in the community, the higher chance that someone is not going to do that well,” especially immunocompromised people and children under 5, who are not vaccine eligible."
Nearly 500 L.A. Unified employees lose their jobs for failing to get COVID-19 vaccine
HOWARD BLUME, LA Times: "“Nearly 500 Los Angeles school district employees have lost their jobs for failing to meet the COVID-19 vaccination requirement, officials announced on Tuesday.
The number represents fewer than 1% of about 73,000 employees, a compliance rate the school system characterizes as a success. The total of terminated employees is much smaller than feared. Seven of the dismissed employees held teaching credentials, although officials did not indicate whether any of them were classroom teachers.
“We care deeply about all of our employees,” interim Supt. Megan K. Reilly said. “Parting ways with individuals who choose not to be vaccinated is an extremely difficult, but necessary decision to ensure the safety of all in our school communities. We wish everyone the best in their future endeavors and encourage everyone to get vaccinated.”
California AG to investigate Torrance police after racist text scandal
LA Times, JAMES QUEALLY: "California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta said Wednesday his office will investigate the Torrance Police Department in the wake of a scandal that revealed more than a dozen police officers had exchanged racist text messages for years, joked about using violence against suspects and mocked the idea that internal affairs might catch them.
In an interview with The Times, Bonta said that while the texts would be at the “heart” of any investigation, the probe will be broad in scope and could include policy reviews and, if necessary, criminal charges against individual officers.
“The reports are very disturbing and we are committed to going wherever the facts lead and making sure we remedy the situation and get the Torrance Police Department on a corrective course of action,” he said."
Here’s why some California school districts still require mask wearing during recess
SAWSAN MORAR, SacBee: "Pass by many California elementary schools during a recess break, and you will see dozens of students playing tetherball and tag with their masks on.
Drive a few miles to another school in another district, and students at recess are playing basketball and swinging on monkey bars without their masks.
That’s because district officials are interpreting outdoor masking rules differently as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impose safety restrictions at K-12 schools.
Read more at:
Marking one year in office, LA Dist. Atty. Gascon touts accomplishments, spars with critics on crime
LA Times, JAMES QUEALLY: "On his first day in office, Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón stood before a lectern in a largely empty room and described his plan for reimagining criminal justice in the nation’s largest prosecutor’s office, announcing sweeping changes to the way the office would file cases, seek bail and pursue charges.
One year and one day later, Gascón was flanked by progressive prosecutors from around the country as he stood before a room full of reporters during a 90-minute news conference meant to celebrate what he saw as his successes during his first 12 months on the job.
But on the heels of weeks of high-profile crimes, including the killing of a beloved Beverly Hills philanthropist, an explosion of gunfire that left one child dead in Wilmington and viral videos of smash-and-grab robberies at retail stores, Gascón instead spent much of his time sparring with reporters and trying to counter questions about criticism levied by those seeking to recall him."
With standardized testing out, what’s next for University of California admissions?
MICHAEL BURKE, EdSource: “The University of California’s historic move to abandon standardized exams may not be the last of changes coming to the admissions process for the public university system.
That’s the expectation of college access advocates and admissions experts who say ditching the SAT and ACT should be only the first step in making admissions more equitable across UC, which has nine undergraduate campuses. UC has stopped using those exams at all in admissions and made clear last month that it has no intention of replacing them with a different standardized test. UC made those decisions in response to criticism that the tests are biased against low-income students, disabled students and Black and Latino students.
“I hope we didn’t give so much weight to the impact of removing the tests, such that everybody’s expecting the demographics of who’s coming will now look dramatically different,” said Michal Kurlaender, a professor of education policy at UC Davis whose research includes college preparation and access. “There are definitely huge equity concerns with the SAT. But I am also worried that in removing it, there’s going to be this assumption that now our system is equitable and outcomes will look better. That isn’t going to happen naturally.”
California inmate firefighters win change in release date rules after months of complaints
SAM STANTON, SacBee: "After months of complaints from firefighter inmates and their families that their sentences were arbitrarily being increased under new good-conduct credit rules, California prison officials said Wednesday they are correcting the problem.
Firefighter inmates have complained since May that changes in good-conduct credits appeared to have added months and sometimes years to their projected release dates without explanation, and some complained they believed prison officials were trying to keep firefighting inmates longer to help deal with the California’s siege of wildfires.
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials denied that, and said firefighter inmates were not actually having their sentences increased under regulations that took effect May 1.
This comet will pass by only once in our lifetime -- here's how to see it in the Bay Area
The Chronicle, GWENDOLYN WU: "With a little bit of luck and a pair of binoculars, Bay Area residents might be able to spot the brightest comet of the year this coming week.
Comet C/2021, also known as Comet Leonard, is visible in both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere, including the Bay Area, through Christmas. The best time to see it is around 4 to 5 a.m. on Dec. 12, just a few hours after the moon sets and when it’s closest to the Earth, said Robert Lunsford, the fireball report coordinator for the American Meteor Society.
But just because it’s the brightest doesn’t mean it’ll be easy to see. According to NASA, the comet will be brighter but harder to spot because it will be near the horizon as it passes closer to the Earth."
Educators report rise in school threats, fights and misbehavior, and blame COVID
LA Times, MELISSA GOMEZ: "A 14-year-old in the Central Valley was arrested Monday after he allegedly threatened to kill two classmates. On Sunday night, police arrested a Buena Park High School student after he allegedly shared a photo of a person holding a gun and captioned it with a warning to classmates to stay away from school “if you wanna live.”
And after a social media threat was investigated at Santa Monica High School and campus was deemed safe, Supt. Ben Drati sent a message to the school community clarifying a recent spate of high school threats to his worried community: “There were other threats in the area that were confused with the (Santa Monica High School) threat that was determined to be an isolated incident, not related to any other threats you may have heard about at Palisades, Hamilton or Fairfax High School.”
Months after students returned to campuses — and a week after four were killed in a shooting at Michigan high school — multiple schools in Southern California and elsewhere have reported receiving threats of violence, compounding campus tensions at a time when school administrators and teachers say students are increasingly acting out in class, showing aggressive behavior and fighting."
California prison employees face new discipline process when inmates file complaints
WES VENTEICHER, SacBee: "Every formal allegation an inmate files against a California state prison employee would be reviewed at the prison system’s headquarters under a new proposal from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
The proposal, announced Wednesday, would mean prison wardens can no longer reject inmate allegations of wrongdoing by staff before the allegations are reviewed.
The corrections department’s announcement said the new proposal was developed in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General, which in recent years has been publishing “sentinel reports” highlighting some of the department’s most egregious failures in following protocols for disciplining officers."
COVID: Omicron outbreak among Oakland Kaiser staff linked to Wisconsin wedding
JOHN WOOLFOLK, Mercury News: “Kaiser Permanente said Wednesday that 11 of its vaccinated and boosted Oakland Medical Center workers were among a cluster of East Bay COVID-19 cases linked to the omicron variant — and that at least 16 patients and other staff members were exposed to them before the discovery.
All 11 of the Kaiser employees had attended a wedding in Wisconsin that is believed to be responsible for the outbreak, the largest known Bay Area cluster of infections attributed to the worrisome new variant that has touched off a worldwide sprint to determine its dangers and contain its spread.
The revelation comes five days after Alameda County health officials said they were investigating 12 local COVID-19 cases linked to the Nov. 27 wedding.”
It's one of California's most YIMBY city councils -- and one of the few surpassing housing goals
The Chronicle, J.K. DINEEN: "The state’s aggressive push to strong-arm cities into building more housing has provoked protests and hand wringing across California.
But one Bay Area town, the small East Bay city of Emeryville, is shooting to not only meet the target but exceed it by a mile.
Rather than joining 27 Bay Area cities in appealing its Regional Housing Needs Allocation — arguments ranged from traffic concerns to seismic safety issue — Emeryville is seeking to qualify as a “pro-housing city’ under a new state program. That means the city must top its state-mandated RHNA allocation by 50% — in the case of Emeryville that’s about 2,700 units instead of 1800, according to City Manager Christine Daniel. Pro-housing designated cities have an advantage in applying for state housing funds."
