Sheriff’s investigator did not seek friendly judge to approve Supervisor Kuehl searches, court finds
ALENE TCHKMEDYIAN, LA Times: "A judge found Thursday that a Los Angeles County sheriff’s investigator followed proper protocols when he obtained a warrant to search the home and office of county Supervisor Sheila Kuehl and others, clearing him of allegations that he’d sought out a friendly judge to sign off on the searches.
“The court concludes that the process to obtain the new warrant did not deviate from established processes for law enforcement to obtain a warrant,” Superior Court Judge William Ryan wrote in a document laying out his findings.
He said that Sheriff’s Sgt. Max Fernandez, who wrote the statement of probable cause that was presented to Judge Craig Richman ahead of last week’s raids, attempted to get the warrants signed Sept. 8 by another judge who had handled proceedings related to earlier warrants in the case."
Your California tax refund could hit your bank account in 2 weeks. Here’s the payment schedule
BRIANNA TAYLOR, SacBee: "After months of living in an inflation-ridden economy, relief for some Californians is just around the corner. Residents who filed their 2020 taxes may receive a one-time payment of up to $1,050 as soon as Oct. 7.
Payments will extend through early next year. Direct deposits will be issued first, starting Oct. 7 through Oct. 25, according to the Franchise Tax Board.
The second round of direct deposits should hit accounts between Oct. 28 and Nov. 14."
L.A. County ends mask order on public transit, in airports
LUKE MONEY and RONG-GONG LIN II, LA Times: "Los Angeles County on Friday ended its local health order requiring masking while aboard public transit or inside transportation hubs, such as airports.
For months, L.A. has been the only California county to still mandate widespread masking in such settings — though some individual operators, most notably the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit commuter rail system, also have such rules in place.
L.A. County health officials had previously cited the heightened risks of coronavirus spread and exposure for transit workers, but with a notable decline in reported cases and hospitalizations."
Newsom signs ‘landmark’ law eliminating parking mandates near transit
JORDAN PARKER, Chronicle: "Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law on Thursday a bill to eliminate minimum parking requirements on new development near public transit, a step housing advocates cheered as a major victory.
AB 2097, by Assembly Member Laura Friedman, D-Glendale, will prohibit cities and counties from imposing minimum parking requirements on certain residential, commercial and other developments located within one-half mile of public transit.
“California has a severe housing shortage, not a parking shortage,” said Brian Hanlon, CEO of California YIMBY, a housing advocacy group. “AB 2097 is landmark legislation — it prioritizes affordable housing for people while eliminating costly parking mandates that are a significant cause of climate pollution in our state.”
California’s COVID-19 infection and hospital rates drop, but state’s death toll passes 95,000
MICHAEL McGOUGH, SacBee: "As the calendar flips from summer to fall, California’s coronavirus numbers appear to be continuing a long and steady trend of improvement, with key transmission and hospitalization metrics having now declined for about two straight months.
The California Department of Public Health in a weekly update Thursday reported the latest case rate for COVID-19 at 11 per 100,000 residents, a 12% decrease from the previous week.
The statewide test positivity rate fell to 5%, down from 6% last week, for the lowest positivity since the week ending May 16."
