California extends face mask mandate amid record COVID cases
JOHN WOOLFOLK, Mercury News: "Californians will have to keep wearing face masks indoors past Valentine’s Day regardless of vaccination, the state’s top health official said Wednesday as COVID-19 cases reached a new record fueled by the fast-spreading omicron variant.
Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said the face mask mandate will be extended a month to Feb. 15 and reevaluated then.
“Omicron is here, and it’s here now and we can’t abandon the tools we’ve used to achieve our collective success that have allowed California to be one of the safest states in the pandemic,” Ghaly said."
READ MORE about the pandemic: Bay Area hospitals struggle with omicron surge and nursing shortage as California extends mask mandate -- NANETTE ASIMOV, Chronicle;
‘Shut the whole system down’: S.F. teachers plan sickout as schools struggle amid omicron surge -- JILL TUCKER, Chronicle; California extends indoor mask mandate for another month as omicron variant spreads -- LARA KORTE, SacBee; Sacramento restaurants close, go takeout-only as omicron variant spreads rapidly -- BENJY EGEL, SacBee
Confusion, disparities in COVID safety measures
SETH SANDRONSKY, Capitol Weekly: "Timing can speak volumes. Consider this: As the Omicron variant of the coronavirus increases the infection rate, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cut COVID-19 quarantine and isolation times from 10 to five days on Dec. 27.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said that the California Department of Public Health would align itself with the CDC recommendations.
The CDPH did that with the following additions on Dec. 30. “Local health jurisdictions may be more restrictive in determining isolation and quarantine recommendations based on local circumstances, in certain higher-risk settings or during certain situations that may require more protective isolation and quarantine requirements (for example, during active outbreaks).”
California intends to keep Super Bowl in Los Angeles
JEREMY WHITE, Poltico: "California officials and the NFL said Wednesday they expect Los Angeles to host the Super Bowl as planned, despite surging coronavirus cases in the area.
“The Super Bowl is coming to L.A. I think Californians are excited to see that event occur,” California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly told reporters at a briefing, “and the work is to be sure that, as it is moving forward as planned, the mitigation strategies that create safety around that event are in place.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s chief of staff later reinforced the administration’s message that California will host the championship event next month, tweeting that he looked forward to seeing a California team play “in the SuperBowl here in CA.”
Supreme Court clears the way for thousands in back pay to San Francisco janitors who lost their jobs
BOB EGELKO, Chronicle: "Thirty-three former janitors at a San Francisco apartment complex won the right to thousands of dollars in back pay Wednesday when the state Supreme Court rejected an appeal by a contractor that refused to rehire them after taking over, despite state and local laws protecting those workers.
The janitors worked at Parkmerced, the high-rise near Lake Merced and San Francisco State University that is now undergoing redevelopment. They lost their jobs in April 2015 when the contractor that employed them, VPM Maintenance Management, was replaced by the property owners with another contractor, Preferred Building Services, which hired its own janitors.
Both California and San Francisco, however, have laws protecting economically vulnerable janitors from mass layoffs. The state law, passed in 2002, requires the new contractor to keep janitors and maintenance workers on the job for at least 60 days. The 1998 city ordinance, which also covers security guards, requires continued employment for 90 days."
California man says run-in with police left him paralyzed
DON THOMPSON, AP: "A 65-year-old Northern California man was paralyzed after being slammed to the ground during a traffic stop where police officers used “pain compliance” techniques and expressed disbelief when he repeatedly cried out “I can’t feel my legs,” according to a lawsuit announced Wednesday.
Police video released by lawyers for Gregory Gross shows the incident and his arrival at a hospital, where Gross is handcuffed to a bed, his nose bloodied.
“You want to grab his arms and flop him up on the bed?” someone asks after Gross tells a medical worker that he can’t feel his legs. They then do so while placing him in a sitting position without restraining his neck or spine."
State seeks to speed credentials for 10,000 direly needed school mental health counselors
MELISSA GOMEZ, LAT: "Confronted with a shortage of school mental health counselors, the state Department of Education is seeking to bring 10,000 more professionals to campuses at a time when federal public health officials are calling for action to address the nation’s growing youth mental health crisis.
The counselor effort, which requires legislative approval, would aim to entice clinicians into schools through loan forgiveness and deferrals, scholarships to offset education costs and potentially reduce the time it takes for mental health clinicians to get licensed, Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said Wednesday during a visit to Washington Preparatory High School in South Los Angeles. Thurmond said he is in talks with legislators and hopes a measure, projected to cost $250 million, can be introduced in coming weeks.
“I can’t think of anything more important right now in terms of dealing with the trauma that students and families have experienced,” Thurmond said. “But the reality is that there is a shortage, there just aren’t enough counselors at many schools and many communities, urban, suburban, rural.”
Judge denies LA County’s bid to dismiss Vanessa Bryant’s lawsuit over Kobe crash-scene photos
CITY NEWS SERVICE: "A judge ruled Wednesday that a lawsuit brought by Kobe Bryant’s widow alleging that Los Angeles County sheriff’s and fire department personnel snapped and shared gruesome photos of the bodies of her late husband and the couple’s 13-year-old daughter at the scene of the helicopter crash that killed nine people can go forward to trial.
U.S. District Judge John F. Walter concluded “there are genuine issues of material fact for trial” and denied Los Angeles County’s motion to dismiss the case.
The NBA legend’s widow is seeking millions of dollars in damages for the severe emotional distress she alleges she suffered after discovering that graphic digital images of the helicopter crash scene were passed around by county personnel."
San Jose’s mayoral race is shaping up to be the most expensive in city history
MAGGIE ANGST, Mercury News: "The race for San Jose’s next mayor is shaping up to become the most expensive political contest in city history.
San Jose rookie councilmember Matt Mahan, a former tech entrepreneur, announced Tuesday that he had already amassed a staggering $504,000 from nearly 1,000 donors, including a personal contribution of about $10,000, during the first 23 days of the city’s fundraising period, making him the early fundraising frontrunner.
Meanwhile, Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez, a tenured South Bay politician and longtime labor leader, has reportedly brought in $474,000 from nearly 1,000 donors, including a $10,000 personal contribution, during that same time period, according to Chavez’s campaign. Councilmember Raul Peralez, who will be battling Chavez for endorsements and funding from the region’s labor organizations, said Tuesday that he had raised about $264,000 from approximately 500 donors."
Riverside City, Moreno Valley, Norco colleges move classes online as coronavirus surges
ALLYSON ESCOBAR, Press Enteprise: "Riverside City, Moreno Valley and Norco colleges are shifting to online-only classes in an effort to protect students and faculty during the winter coronavirus surge.
The three schools in the Riverside Community College District made the move Wednesday, Jan. 5, until further notice, a letter from Chancellor Wolde-Ab Isaac states.
The change comes two days after students returned for in-person winter term classes Monday, Jan. 3, spokesperson Robert Schmidt said."
