LAT, PAUL PRINGLE: “The head of the California National Guard, who has presided over a series of scandals during the last 3½ years, will retire at the end of the month, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office confirmed Monday.

Maj. Gen. David Baldwin’s departure comes on the heels of a Times investigation that last month detailed the most recent run of embarrassing episodes for the Guard, including allegations in the officer ranks of abuse of authority, homophobia, antisemitism and racism.

Baldwin, who has led the Guard since 2011 as its adjutant general and reports to Newsom, did not respond to an interview request. After Newsom’s office acknowledged to The Times that Baldwin was stepping down, the governor issued a statement Monday night thanking the general “for his steadfast leadership and nearly four decades of committed service to our state and nation.””

LAT, RONG-GONG LIN II/LUKE MONEY/EMILY ALPERT REYES: “Super-contagious Omicron subvariants that can reinfect people within weeks are fueling a new wave of the pandemic across California.

Hospitalizations are rising, and Los Angeles County is moving toward an indoor mask mandate, perhaps by the end of the month.

The Chronicle, MELISSA NEWCOMB: “Several San Francisco LGBTQ advocacy organizations descended on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ regional office Monday to protest what they said was the federal government’s anemic response to the growing monkeypox outbreak and the lack of available vaccines.

Dozens of protesters from The Alice B.Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club, San Francisco AIDS Foundation and Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club picketed Monday to urge the federal government to increase access to the vaccine, ensure access to the vaccine for the most vulnerable and to fight the stigma associated with monkeypox and LGBTQ-identifying individuals.

Anyone can contract monkeypox, though to date many “reported cases have been among gay and bisexual men,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”

CITY NEWS SERVICE, LADN: "Los Angeles residents apparently have no patience for water-wasters during the current drought.

During the first six months of the year, the city’s MyLA311 system received 1,643 reports about water waste or people violating irrigation rules, more than double the number from the first half of last year, according to data released today by a nonprofit news organization.

Data compiled by Crosstown at USC, a nonprofit news organization based at the USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism, showed that 589 reports of water waste or other violations were made to the MyLA311 system in June alone, up from 314 in May."

The Chronicle, JK DINEEN: “Hundreds of residents forced to vacate a downtown San Francisco apartment tower because of an early June water main break will not be able to return to the building until late this year or early 2023, according to the building ownership, which also will stop paying rent elsewhere for the displaced tenants.

The development comes nearly seven weeks after a June 3 water main rupture on the 35th floor of the 403-unit East Cut building — home to fire pits, bocce courts, a library and chef’s kitchen — sent 20,000 gallons of water cascading through the tower, damaging 95 units and rendering the entire glass tower uninhabitable.

In a letter to tenants sent Monday afternoon the owner, Hines, said the “massive water intrusion ... caused damage to portions of the building’s electrical systems, elevators, life safety, and communications systems, as well as to walls, corridors, lighting, ceilings, and flooring throughout common areas and certain residences.””

LAT, SEEMA MEHTA: “Democrats are on defense across the country in this year’s midterm elections but appear to believe some of their best chances for flipping GOP congressional districts are in California.

Five of six candidates added to their “Red to Blue” program on Monday are in this state, according to an announcement by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

“The Democratic Party is stronger because of candidates like these who have joined the fight to represent their community,” committee Chairman Sean Patrick Maloney said in a statement. “Unlike their extreme Republican opponents, these candidates will fight for their district, work to protect reproductive freedom, battle to lower prices on groceries, gas and prescription drug costs, and seek commonsense solutions to combat gun violence terrorizing communities.””

LAT, GEORGE SKELTON: “Gov. Gavin Newsom is moving into position to possibly run for president, regardless of what he says or tells himself.

He may not be plotting a White House bid. Or he may be. He insists he’s not. But you can bet there’s at least a subconscious pull to the Oval Office. It’s the nature of the political beast.

“It’s difficult for any governor of the biggest state with more people than Canada to look in the mirror in the morning and not see a president staring back at you,” says Democratic consultant Garry South, the chief strategist for former Gov. Gray Davis.”

The Chronicle, STAFF: “This PG&E power outage map shows real-time shut-off zones in Northern California and expected Public Safety Power Shutoff outages. Search for your address on this page.”

The Chronicle, JESSICA FLORES: “California’s forests are in rapid retreat, which bodes ill for the future.

Using satellite data, researchers from the University of California, Irvine found that trees in the state’s mountainous regions declined 6.7 percent between 1985 and 2021 thanks to wildfires, drought and other climate-related sources of stress.

The drop was even steeper in the Sierra Nevada, which suffered 8.8% tree cover loss during that time period.”

CALMatters, EMILY HOEVEN: “When it comes to California elections, it’s out with the old and in with the new.

Secretary of State Shirley Weber on Friday certified the results from the June 7 primary election, which for many Californians probably already feels like a lifetime ago as the state’s political focus shifts to the complex and controversial initiatives on the November ballot and the persistent rumors that Gov. Gavin Newsom may be contemplating a presidential run in 2024.

Still, there was one key new takeaway from the June primary results: Despite concerns of low voter turnout, a record 7,285,230 residents cast ballots — a new high for a California gubernatorial primary, Weber announced. Although that represents just 33% of ballots mailed to active registered voters, the turnout was nevertheless remarkable considering the lack of drama in top statewide races and the absence of statewide ballot measures, a Public Policy Institute of California analysis found.”

Capitol Weekly, STAFF/PODCAST: “The 2022-23 California State Budget – signed recently by Gov. Newsom – included a big expansion of Medi-Cal and big wins for for dentists and oral health.

We invited Jeff Miller, President of Western Dental, to talk about what this means for California’s Dentists, and about the state of the industry. Founded over a century ago, Western Dental provides high-quality affordable dental care to patients of all backgrounds, including more Medi-Cal dental patients than any other oral health provider in the state. The Western Dental system provides 3 million patient visits annually across 357 offices in California, Texas, Arizona, Alabama and Nevada.

LAT, SELENE RIVERA: “Crouching for up to 10 hours between the furrows of a Nebraska field, Fausto Ríos, 17, could trim and separate 70 beets in a single minute with a small hoe. But he paid a steep price.

Under the scorching heat, sweat would bathe his entire body and blind him within minutes. When his legs began to weaken and the pain in his lower back felt as if he were being continuously stabbed, the Mexican immigrant had two tricks to motivate himself and avoid a scolding from his bosses: He had to stay upright as he “walked” on his knees, all the while thinking about getting paid at the end of the month.

Despite the extreme hardships, the job was a godsend for him and millions of other young Mexican men, Ríos says. For immigrant laborers with little or no formal education and a lack of employment opportunities in their native land, laboring in the fields of el norte offered a way out of utter deprivation.”

EdSource, MICHAEL BURKE: “The University of California is seeking to add more than 20,000 students by 2030 and plans to get there by expanding online and summer programs and by concentrating growth at certain campuses, including Merced and Riverside.

Those details are included in UC’s 2030 Capacity Plan, which will be presented this week to the university’s Board of Regents.

Also during this week’s meeting, UC officials will present recommendations to improve the transfer pipeline between California’s community colleges and UC campuses. The recommendations include increasing the number of those students who apply and ultimately enroll at UC. Improving the transfer process is a key piece to expanding enrollment at UC campuses including Riverside and Merced, which plan to increase transfer recruitment efforts at nearby community colleges.”

The Chronicle, STAFF: “One person was struck and killed by a BART train after entering the trackway near the Hayward Station just before 4 p.m., officials said.

The agency said BART trains stopped running between Bay Fair and South Hayward in the Berryessa, Richmond and Millbrae directions just before 5 p.m. because of the medical emergency.

There was no information immediately avaiable on why the person was on the tracks.”

Guard chief steps down

The Roundup: