L.A. and Orange counties post highest COVID death rates in 11 months
RONG-GONG LIN II and LUKE MONEY, LA Times: "Los Angeles and Orange counties are reporting their highest COVID-19 death rates in 11 months.
Los Angeles County recorded 103 fatalities Wednesday — the highest single-day tally since last March, according to county data. Another 81 deaths were reported Thursday.
And Orange County reported 136 COVID-19 deaths over the last week, also the highest such numbers since last March, according to a Times analysis of state data released Thursday."
This federal report suggests remote work and increased wages are here to stay
The Chronicle, Chase DiFeliciantonio: "Changes made by employers to cope with the pandemic, like teleworking and wage increases, are becoming increasingly permanent, according to federal data.
A report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics found that 14.5% of private sector businesses bumped pay for workers either by offering hazard pay or an hourly bonus, while 9.4% of all businesses gave out one-time bonuses for working during the pandemic.
The report is based on surveys done from July 27 through through Sept. 30 of last year, but the data are still relevant today, said Julia Pollak, chief labor economist at bzcsite ZipRecruiter."
Capitol staffers tell job gripes and slam bad bosses — anonymously
Capitol Weekly, Will Shuck: "Inspired by their union-yearning congressional counterparts, state Capitol employees have taken to social media with anonymous posts about bad bosses and a percolating desire for the same bargaining rights enjoyed by other state workers.
The Instagram account, “DearCaStaffers,” had about 2,700 followers by Thursday. That was 400 more than the day before.
Modeled on “dear_white_staffers,” an 80,000-follower account operated by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) congressional staff who are calling out inequities and rallying for union representation, the Sacramento account promises an anonymous platform to unload about workplaces where abuse is the norm."
Report: Human error, equipment failure probably caused sewage spill in Santa Monica Bay
LAT, Robert J. Lopez: "Multiple equipment failures, unheeded alarms and insufficient staffing at the city’s largest wastewater treatment facility are the likely causes of a “nearly catastrophic” flood that dumped millions of gallons of untreated sewage into Santa Monica Bay last summer, according to an official report obtained by The Times.
Although a full understanding of what triggered the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant crisis may never be completely determined, study authors said there was “little or no evidence” that the failure was caused by a deluge of concrete and wood that were illegally dumped into the city’s vast sewage system — a claim initially made by sanitation officials.
The report, which is to be presented to the Board of Public Works on Friday, sheds new light on an incident that gave residents skin rashes, headaches and nausea for weeks; spawned two lawsuits against sanitation officials; and triggered dozens of violation notices from regulators."
Horrific allegations of racism prompt California lawsuit against Tesla
LAT, Margot Roosevelt/Russ Mitchell: "The N-word and other racist slurs were hurled daily at Black workers at Tesla’s California plant, delivered not just by fellow employees but also by managers and supervisors.
So says California’s civil rights agency in a lawsuit filed against the electric-vehicle maker in Alameda County Superior Court on Thursday on behalf of thousands of Black workers after a decade of complaints and a 32-month investigation.
Tesla segregated Black workers into separate areas that its employees referred to as “porch monkey stations,” “the dark side,” “the slave ship” and “the plantation,” the lawsuit alleges."
After shocking Canada, are ‘Freedom Convoys’ in the U.S. next?
LAT, KURTIS LEE/MOLLY HENNESSY-FISKE/JESSICA GARRISON: "It began as a ragtag team of Canadian truckers shouting about their disdain for vaccine mandates and the politicians upholding them. They stood shoulder to shoulder in below-freezing temperatures, waving Canada’s flag and using their semis to block bridges and thoroughfares.
Now, nearly two weeks after the truckers began the blockades that shut portions of Ottawa, the nation’s capital, the patchwork movement orchestrated largely on social media and in online chat groups is expanding globally.
As the Omicron surge recedes across the U.S. and more states consider lifting mask mandates, similar caravans and blockades — dubbed “Freedom Convoys” — have started to pop up across the globe, threatening to bring city cores to a standstill in parts of the United States, France, New Zealand and Australia."
Hunt for third fugitive in COVID relief scam follows warnings she would flee
LAT, MICHAEL FINNEGAN: "Prosecutors had no faith that Tamara Dadyan could be trusted to turn herself in.
Moments after the brash Encino real estate broker was sentenced to 10 years and 10 months in prison for her key role in a tawdry pandemic loan scam, prosecutor Christopher Fenton asked a judge to put her in prison immediately. There was a “high, high likelihood,” he said, that Dadyan would flee, just as two relatives had done after their convictions in the same case.
U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson disagreed. “I’m going to give her 30 days to self-surrender,” he said."
Why efforts to scale back California’s ‘three strikes’ law for juveniles are failing
LAT, Hannah Wiley: "Marco Flores was just 16 in 2007 when he and a group of friends attended a party in Pacoima, where an argument broke out and one of his friends shot and killed a man who was patting down guests for weapons.
Flores, who said he wasn’t involved in the killing but fled the scene, was arrested with two co-defendants and charged with crimes including murder. He agreed to a plea deal with the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office to avoid the harshest possible sentence and to avoid going to trial in adult court. But prosecutors can use sentence enhancements to add time, including those allowed under California’s “three strikes” law, which was approved by voters in a 1994 ballot measure.
Flores received 11 years for voluntary manslaughter, which was counted as a strike. His deal required him to admit to a separate crime — a robbery in which he was a suspect— that added a second, juvenile strike and doubled his sentence to 22 years. A gun enhancement added another decade. Another serious or violent felony could land Flores, now 30, in prison for the rest of his life."
Telework isn’t the only hurdle for Bay Area transit. It has to get past people’s ‘psychology of fear’
The Chronicle, Ricardo Cano: "Public transit had a daily presence in Robin Pam’s pre-pandemic life. The San Francisco resident rode BART trains downtown for work and boarded Muni buses in the afternoons to pick her toddler up from preschool.
But after March 2020, Muni service was cut to historic lows, including Pam’s go-to line, the 23-Monterey. With transit options diminishing, she turned to the seldom-used e-bike that she bought months before the first shelter-in-place orders.
Now, two years into the pandemic, biking has become the primary mode of transportation for Pam and her family of four. The 23-Monterey has since returned, albeit under a shortened route that runs less frequently, but Pam still opts to bike every day — with no signs of that changing anytime soon."
Man beaten by S.F. cop testifies that he did not fight with police
The Chronicle, Rachel Swan: "A man beaten by a San Francisco police officer took the stand for the second day Thursday, saying the incident left him shocked and embarrassed, and denying that he tussled with officers.
Dacari Spiers closed his testimony as the closely watched trial of Officer Terrance Stangel rounded its fourth day, with the prosecution calling three witnesses to the stand to describe a chaotic encounter near Pier 39 on Oct. 6, 2019, in which Stangel struck Spiers with a baton, causing serious injuries.
Among the witnesses who testified Thursday was a police officer who responded to the scene, hearing from dispatches that the 911 callers had reported seeing someone being choked — what the police believed was an act of domestic violence. The others were bystanders who had been enjoying a night out at the wharf when they glimpsed the altercation that would ultimately prompt District Attorney Chesa Boudin to charge Stangel with three counts of assault and one of battery."
A police dog mauled an unarmed Uber driver who didn’t resist. Officials still found the attack ‘justified and necessary’
The Chronicle, Matthias Gafni: "The San Ramon Police Department concluded that an officer’s release of a police dog that severely mauled a man during a traffic stop was “justified and necessary,” even though video of the incident revealed that the unarmed and barefoot driver had offered no resistance, city records obtained by The Chronicle show.
Police Chief Craig Stevens signed off on the internal review that found the dog was “released at the proper time,” according to documents provided under a California law passed in 2018 to boost police transparency and accountability. The dog handler, Officer John Cattolico, faced no discipline in connection with the traffic stop in December 2020.
However, after victim Ali Badr filed a lawsuit and The Chronicle reported on the incident, the San Ramon City Council requested that city officials work with the police force to do additional investigation into what happened, said Council Member Sabina Zafar."
