L.A. County seeing more fatalities from Omicron as COVID-19 deaths climb
LA Times, BY RONG-GONG LIN II, LUKE MONEY, EMILY ALPERT REYES: "Deaths from COVID-19 in Los Angeles County have soared over the last week, with officials saying most of the recent fatalities appear to be from the Omicron variant.
The spread of the latest coronavirus variant has moved with unprecedented speed since December, although officials have said people who get infected with Omicron generally get less severe symptoms than with the earlier Delta variant. Even so, officials say it is fatal for some.
Of 102 deaths reported Thursday — the highest single-day tally since March 10 — 90% involved people who became ill with COVID-19 after Christmas, and 80% were among those who fell ill after New Year’s Day, indicating a high likelihood of Omicron infection, Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said."
‘An important victory’: Native American tribes reclaim a redwood forest in Northern California
The Chronicle, Kurtis Alexander: "Deep in the mountains of Mendocino County, nearly 200 acres of old-growth redwoods, chronically threatened by logging, have long stood on a plot known as Andersonia West, well beyond the reach and awareness of most Californians — at least since Native Americans lived there.
Today, in a story that goes full circle, this ancient grove of trees has garnered permanent protection and the land is back in the hands of those who call it home.
The deal, to be announced Tuesday, was orchestrated by San Francisco conservation group Save the Redwoods League. The organization purchased the wooded swath two years ago and last month transferred its ownership to the InterTribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council, which represents tribal nations with historical ties to the area. Covenants on the property ensure the forest’s preservation."
California’s job data reflects increasing impact of women
SETH SANDRONSKY, Capitol Weekly: "California’s growth of nonfarm payroll jobs continued on a steady pace as 2021 ended, according to recent figures from the state Employment Development Department that do not fully reflect the impact of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
Employers added 50,700 new hires in the survey week ending December 12 versus November’s revised upward 52,500 workers. With 12% of the U.S. population, “California’s December 2021 gain of 50,700 nonfarm jobs accounted for nearly 25.5 percent of the nation’s 199,000 overall jobs gain for the month,” according to the EDD.
Lynn Reaser is the chief economist of the Fermanian Business & Economic Institute, at Point Loma Nazarene University. “The 50,000 gain in the labor force was encouraging in December and certainly included more women,” she told Capitol Weekly via email."
California state worker pay database updated with 2021 wages, overtime
Sac Bee, BY PHILLIP REESE AND WES VENTEICHER: "The data is searchable by employee name and state department, and includes 2021 salary information for civil service employees along with those who work for California State University. It includes 2020 salary information for those who work at the University of California. Data on 2021 University of California salaries will be available later this year.
Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature restored state employees’ pay in July after reducing it a year earlier amid projections of a budget shortfall that never came to pass.
A Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action could go further than California’s ban
The Chronicle, Bob Egelko: "The conservative-led Supreme Court has agreed to consider an action that voters in liberal California took more than a quarter century ago: banning affirmative action in university admissions.
In 1996, 55% of the state’s voters approved Proposition 209, which prohibited any consideration of race in state and local government programs, including the University of California, where Black enrollment immediately plunged. In November 2020, while Democrat Joe Biden was trouncing Donald Trump in California by nearly 2-1, more than 57% of the voters rejected Prop. 16, a legislatively approved measure to repeal Prop. 209 and reinstate affirmative action.
On Monday, the Supreme Court granted review of two cases accusing Harvard and the University of North Carolina of racial discrimination by giving favorable consideration to applicants who are Black or Latinx. If the court strikes down the Harvard program, it would go further than Prop. 209 by banning affirmative action in private universities, such as Stanford and USC."
Sacramento Sheriff Scott Jones will run for Congress, challenging Assemblyman Kevin Kiley
Sac Bee, BY LARA KORTE: "After a decade as Sacramento Sheriff, Scott Jones announced Monday he will run for California’s new 3rd Congressional District.
This is the second time Jones, a Republican, has set his sights on a seat in Congress. In 2016 he challenged incumbent Democratic Rep. Ami Bera for control of his Elk Grove-centered district, losing by a margin of less than 3%.
Now, Jones is gearing up for another run, this time, in the the newly-drawn 3rd district, which includes all of Placer County, as well as parts of Sacramento, Nevada, El Dorado, Plumas, Sierra, and Yuba County."
Big Sur wildfire burn zone not as large as feared
NATHAN SOLIS, LA Times: "A wildfire that broke out north of Big Sur and forced roughly 500 people from their homes amid high winds Friday night has not burned as many acres as officials initially feared.
The rare January brush fire ignited near Palo Colorado Road and canyon in Monterey County around 5 p.m. Friday. The blaze whipped through the area overnight, fanned by high offshore winds burning in dry vegetation, according to meteorologist Brooke Bingaman with the National Weather Service’s Monterey office.
After growing to 100 acres in a few hours Friday, officials estimated the blaze had swelled to 1,500 acres by Saturday morning after crossing Highway 1 and forcing hundreds of residents to evacuate."
California DMV expands digital services: How to get registration renewal notifications
Sac Bee, BY HANH TRUONG: "The California Department of Motor Vehicles is now going virtual for some of its services, meaning residents can avoid long lines and waiting for the mail.
According to DMV director Steve Gordon in a news release Monday, customers can now get renewal notices via email, instead of in the mail. Then, they can immediately renew their vehicle registration online.
The move to electronic services is a part of the agency’s digital expansion to reduce its carbon footprint."
Here’s where in the Bay Area omicron is still surging
The Chronicle, Aidin Vaziri: "The winter omicron surge appears to have peaked in most parts of the Bay Area — but a few counties are still at a plateau, indicating the region is not entirely out of the most meteoric phase of the pandemic.
The seven-day average of daily coronavirus cases reported on Monday across the Bay Area was down about 34% compared with Jan. 17, according to data from the California Department of Public Health. That follows a statewide trend, with average daily cases down nearly 23% week over week. Despite the downturn, the rate of infection in terms of case numbers remains at a pandemic high.
“We’re confident that the crest of the omicron wave is behind us,” Dr. Matt Willis, health officer for Marin County, said Monday. “What remains unknown is what will be the shape of our decline. Our rates of transmission are still higher than they ever were.”"
How long will it take to get your tax refund after filing? IRS offers an estimate
Sac Bee, BY DAVID LIGHTMAN: "Most refunds to qualified federal taxpayers should go out within 21 days of filing the return, the Internal Revenue Service said Monday.
The federal tax season opened Monday, and IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig told reporters that the key to getting a timely refund is to make sure the return is accurate, filed electronically and can be direct deposited.
It will also help to have “no issues,” IRS said in a statement. The average refund last year was more than $2,800."
What you need to know before going to Yosemite and other national parks in 2022
LA Times, BY CHRISTOPHER REYNOLDS: "After a 2021 filled with pandemic uncertainty and anxiety about all things indoors, many travelers are sure to be thinking hard about national park destinations in the West this year. But there’s plenty of change and uncertainty outdoors too.
If you’re leaning toward a park trip, here’s a roundup of what to expect at 17 parks in California, Arizona and Utah, including bigger crowds in the deserts, reduced services because of pandemic measures and worker shortages, miles of scorched earth in Sequoia, Kings Canyon and Lassen Volcanic national parks, a new reservation system in Arches National Park and the unresolved question of whether Yosemite will require advance reservations for summer daytime visits.
No matter which park you visit, travel these days means checking and rechecking park websites and following the parks’ official Twitter and Instagram accounts to keep up with late-breaking changes. It’s also wise to keep up with CDC travel advice, which includes getting vaccinated before you go anywhere and wearing a mask on planes, trains, buses and all other public transport."
S.F. election: Assembly candidate, political newcomer faces criticism for voting record
The Chronicle, Mallory Moench: "Political newcomer and state Assembly District 17 candidate Bilal Mahmood is under fire from some opponents for his sparse voting record.
Voting records show Mahmood — a scientist, entrepreneur, philanthropist and the youngest candidate in the race at 34 — has voted in only six elections. They include the general elections in 2008, 2010, 2012, 2016 and 2020, and the special election for the governor’s recall in 2021.
By comparison, Mahmood’s three contenders for the vacant Assembly seat representing the eastern side of San Francisco have long track records of voting in primaries and generals for local, state and national elections in the city, where they have all held elected office. Mahmood’s voting record was first reported by Mission Local."
S.F. cop charged in baton beating says D.A.’s office withheld evidence, asks judge to toss case
The Chronicle, Megan Cassidy: "A San Francisco police officer charged with unnecessarily striking a man with a baton has asked a judge to dismiss the case against him, claiming that the District Attorney’s Office withheld incriminating evidence from police that justified his use of force.
Officer Terrance Stangel’s motion, filed last week in San Francisco Superior Court, claimed the DA’s office committed misconduct when prosecutors allegedly withheld from police an interview with a witness who said that the man Stangel struck, Dacari Spiers, was assaulting his girlfriend before officers approached him. Under these circumstances, defense attorneys said that Stangel’s use of force was reasonable.
San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin filed felony battery and assault charges against Stangel in late 2020 stemming from the October 2019 incident at Fisherman’s Wharf. Stangel and another officer were responding to a 911 report of domestic violence when they approached Stangel, touching off an altercation in which Stangel hit Spires with his baton — at least once while Spires was on the ground."
Sacramento program gives families $300 a month, no strings attached. How it’s changing lives
Sac Bee, BY ALEXANDRA YOON-HENDRICKS: "Fienishia Wash arrived in Sacramento three years ago, when untenable rent prices in Oakland forced her and her family to pack up their belongings and move inland, despite knowing no one here.
They lived out of her car six months while Wash was “working like a dog” to finally scrounge enough money to secure a home.
A single mother of five, Wash and her three youngest children — two have special needs, and one is in kindergarten — now survive on income she earns through county for providing in-home supportive services for her son. Nearly all of it goes toward her $1,660 monthly rent for a townhouse in South Sacramento."
Ukraine urges calm, saying a Russian invasion is not imminent
LA Times, BY YURAS KARMANAU: "Ukraine’s leaders sought to reassure their nation that a feared invasion from neighboring Russia was not imminent, even as they acknowledged the threat as real and prepared to accept a shipment of U.S. military equipment Tuesday to shore up their defenses.
Russia has denied it is planning an assault, but it has massed an estimated 100,000 troops near Ukraine in recent weeks, leading the United States and its NATO allies to rush to prepare for a possible war.
Several rounds of high-stakes diplomacy have failed to yield any breakthroughs, and this week tensions escalated further. NATO said it was bolstering its deterrence in the Baltic Sea region, and the U.S. ordered 8,500 troops on higher alert to potentially deploy to Europe as part of an alliance “response force” if necessary."
