Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene called this California state senator a ‘communist groomer’
Sac Bee, ANDREW SHEELER: "Just days after a mass shooting at a Colorado Springs LGBTQ club killed five people and injured many more, Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, whose Twitter account recently was reinstated by Elon Musk, took to the platform to hurl an anti-LGBTQ slur at State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco.
It started Sunday when Wiener tweeted, “The word ‘groomer’ is categorically an anti-LGBTQ hate word. It’s super homophobic/transphobic. It plays into the slander that LGBTQ people are pedophiles. It’s no different than calling someone a (gay slur). If you call someone groomer, you’re inciting violence against LGBTQ people.”
Greene, reinstated over the weekend, tweeted Wiener’s post Tuesday, and used it to promote a bill she has drafted that would prevent transgender children from from receiving gender-affirming treatment."
UC’s academic union workers in week two of strike
Capitol Weekly, SETH SANDRONSKY: "About 48,000 academic union workers at the University of California are in the second week of a strike at UC’s 10 campuses, from San Diego north to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. They walked off their jobs on Nov. 14 amid complaints of unfair labor practices, an action that closed some classrooms and research labs.
The strikers, who are in multiple bargaining units of the United Auto Workers, say bread and butter issues drove their labor action.
Just ask Menelik Tafari, 32, a fourth year Ph.D. student in urban schooling, graduate student researcher, organizer and teacher assistant at UCLA. He has been walking the picket line with fellow strikers, upset with the economics of their occupations."
California election results near final form
CALMatters, EMILY HOEVEN: "And then there was one.
Just one California race for a U.S. House of Representatives seat remained too close to call as of Tuesday, two weeks after the Nov. 8 election: With about 335,000 unprocessed ballots left to count, Republican farmer John Duarte was leading Democratic Assemblymember Adam Gray by fewer than 1,000 votes in the new, open 13th District anchored in the middle of the Central Valley.
Two other California House seats went to Republicans this week: On Tuesday, GOP Assemblymember Kevin Kiley beat out Democrat Kermit Jones for the new 3rd district, which stretches from the Sacramento suburbs down the Sierra to Death Valley."
To make a will, California says you either pay a lawyer or DIY it. That makes no sense
The Chronicle, KEVIN FRAZIER: "If you’re trying to avoid religion or politics this Thanksgiving dinner, try estate planning. After all, a will is more than just a piece of paper — it’s an opportunity to shape your legacy, assist those you love and advance the causes you believe in.
Yet, in California, arbitrary and vague rules have largely made it impossible to create one without expensive attorneys. That needs to change.
Creating a will in California can cost upward of $400 in attorney fees. That price is too steep for many, but a relative bargain when compared to the alternative — probate — which may be necessary if someone dies without a will. If a loved one’s estate goes to probate, then the family may be on the hook for substantial costs — an attorney may receive $4,000 to guide an estate valued at $100,000 through the probate process."
California hospital ICU’s see 20% jump in COVID-19 patients since last week, state data show
Sac Bee, CATHIE ANDERSON: "The number of COVID-19 patients needing intensive care jumped 20% over the last week, public health officials announced in their latest update.
They have released a steady drumbeat of warnings to the public that cases of three winter viruses — COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV — are sharply rising. In some cities, hospital personnel have been setting up tents in parking lots to triage patients.
As of Wednesday, there were 346 patients in hospital intensive care units, accounting for roughly 13% of available beds. A greater percentage of COVID-19 tests came back positive, 7.6% this week compared with 6.3% in the report released Thursday."
Stop touching your face! It could help you stay healthy this holiday
The Chronicle, RONG-GONG LIN II/LUKE MONEY: "Looking for an easy way to reduce your risk of catching the flu or other viral illnesses? Try not touching your face.
That’s a step doctors are urging people to take as California faces a “tripledemic” threat — with flu, the coronavirus and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, circulating at elevated levels statewide all at once.
“The one point I want to reemphasize is … avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth,” Dr. Ralph Gonzales, a UC San Francisco associate dean, said at a recent campus town hall. “Very good studies have shown that if we can double down our efforts to be vigilant about this, that will increase our chances of staying flu free.”"
New Folsom Prison health care deemed ‘inadequate,’ still under federal oversight
Sac Bee, ALEX MUEGGE: "One of two state prisons in Folsom is still getting failing grades for the health care it provides to inmates, leaving it among the institutions that remains subject to oversight from a federal receiver.
The institution — known as California State Prison, Sacramento — recently received an “inadequate” rating from the California Office of the Inspector General on the overall quality of health care it provides.
Those ratings are among the factors that help determine when a prison can exit the federal receivership that has managed health care in state correctional facilities since 2006."
Climate change is increasing the frequency and temperature of extreme heat waves
LA Times, HAYLEY SMITH: "As California awakens to the worsening risk of extreme climate events, researchers are shedding new light on last year’s anomalous and extreme Pacific Northwest heat wave. One study published this week said such heat waves could become 20 times more likely to occur if current carbon emissions continue unabated. Another said they may also be nearly 10 degrees hotter.
The nine-day event in late June and early July 2021 seared parts of Northern California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia, where Canada saw its highest temperature on record, 121.3 degrees. The heat wave claimed hundreds of lives, sparked several devastating wildfires and killed an estimated 1 billion sea creatures.
Such an event would have been “virtually impossible” in the 1950s, but atmospheric warming has already increased its probability to about a 0.5% chance per year, according to one study out of Columbia University, published Thursday in the journal Nature Climate Change. Should warming surpass 2 degrees Celsius — the upper limit set by the International Panel on Climate Change — that probability could soar to a 10% chance per year as soon as 2050."
Bay Area will see a Spare the Air alert Friday
The Chronicle, JULIE JOHNSON: "High levels of wood smoke pollution were expected to make air quality unhealthy Friday, leading regional air quality officials to ban most fires.
The Spare the Air Alert prohibits using fireplaces, wood stoves, pellet stoves, outdoor fire pits, chimneys or other wood-burning devices. The ban doesn’t apply to households with no other heat source.
Wood smoke accounts for about one-third of fine particulate matter pollution in the Bay Are during winter months, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District."
Bay Area weather: Rain is coming, here’s when and how much
BANG*Mercury News, PAUL ROGERS/AUSTIN TURNER: "The Bay Area weather forecast for Thanksgiving weekend sums up why many people live in California — sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s — even as other parts of the country, from the Great Lakes to New York, are bracing for snow or digging out from recent snow storms.
But soon after Turkey Day and Black Friday fade in the rearview mirror, the first new rain and snow in three weeks is expected to hit Northern California on Monday.
“For Thanksgiving Day, it should be a really nice and pleasant day,” said meteorologist Sarah McCorkle with the National Weather Service in Monterey. “We’re seeing a little bit of a warm-up. Thanksgiving should be the warmest day of the week.”"
Pandemic impact continues at Cal State with fall 2022 enrollment decline
EdSource, ASHLEY A SMITH: "Undergraduate enrollment in California State Universities continues to suffer from a pandemic-induced drop as fewer transfer students arrive from the state’s community colleges.
Despite first-time freshman numbers rebounding to their pre-coronavirus pandemic levels, the decreases in transfer are having an impact on the 23 Cal State campuses.
“We now face a challenge that requires our collective and immediate attention, as well as the resolve to be nimble and creative in our adaptations,” interim Chancellor Jolene Koester recently told trustees about the system’s enrollment challenge."
UC Berkeley student groups’ refusal to invite Zionist speakers draws civil rights complaint
The Chronicle, CHRISTIAN MARTINEZ: "A federal civil rights complaint accuses UC Berkeley of an “act of discrimination against the Jewish community” by allowing law school student groups to adopt bylaws refusing to invite speakers who support Zionism.
The complaint filed last week by attorneys Gabriel Groisman and Arsen Ostrovsky equates anti-Zionism, which challenges the state of Israel’s right to exist in the region of Palestine, with antisemitism.
Supporters of Palestinian rights say their opposition is targeted not at the Jewish people but at the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians."
Parents of Katie Meyer file wrongful death lawsuit against Stanford
The Chronicle, MARISA INGEMI: "The family of Katie Meyer on Wednesday filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Santa Clara County Superior Court against Stanford University. The soccer star died by suicide earlier this year.
The lawsuit targets the school and several administrators, alleging actions around a disciplinary action caused Meyer “to suffer an acute stress reaction that impulsively led to her suicide.”
Meyer led the Cardinal to a 2019 national title as its starting goalkeeper, and would have been entering her senior season this year. She was found dead in her dorm room in March."
Ex-CSU chancellor Castro’s teaching job stirs controversy over ‘retreat rights’
CALMatters, ODEN TAYLOR: "Backlash is growing to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s granting of a teaching position to former Cal State chancellor Joseph Castro, who resigned in the wake of allegations he mishandled sexual harassment complaints against another administrator.
The controversy over the appointment of Castro as a professor of leadership and public policy in the university’s Orfalea College of Business revolves around a provision in some Cal State executives’ contracts that allows them to ‘retreat’ into the faculty once they leave their roles. Those ‘retreat rights’ have come under increased scrutiny since figuring in a February USA Today investigation that documented the sexual harassment allegations against former Fresno State administrator Frank Lamas and Castro’s response. The university’s board of trustees last week passed the second of two measures restricting their use.
Castro plans to start work at Cal Poly in the spring of 2023. On Nov. 8, the university’s Academic Senate, which represents its faculty, published a resolution calling on Castro to turn down his appointment as professor, arguing that his presence at Cal Poly “will generate a chilling effect on our campus and classroom climate.”"
Elon Musk says Twitter will start reinstating banned accounts next week
The Chronicle, MEGAN CASSIDY: "Elon Musk plans to begin reinstating suspended accounts on the platform next week.
Musk said on Twitter Thursday that a poll he conducted on the social media site were the grounds for his decision.
“The people have spoken,” Musk tweeted on Thanksgiving, less than a month after completing the purchase of Twitter for $44 billion. “Amnesty begins next week. Vox Populi, Vox Dei.”"
Unemployment at 4.1 percent in Tehama County
Red Bluff Daily News: "The unemployment rate for Tehama County was 4.1 percent during October, a decrease from the 4.5 percent of August, the last time these numbers were provided.
According to the preliminary numbers released by the California Employment Development Department, Tehama County continues to rank 37th among the 58 counties in the state for the unemployment rate.
Construction jobs saw the most significant increase from October 2021 to 2022, increasing to 12.6 percent, while the mining and logging field decreased by 8.3 percent."
As shoppers hunt for Black Friday deals, inflation means bogus bargains are everywhere
AP, ANNE D'INNOCENZIO/CORA LEWIS: "Consumers holding out for big deals — and some much-needed relief from soaring costs on just about everything — may be disappointed as they head into the busiest shopping season of the year.
Although retailers are advertising sales of up to 70% off clothing, TVs and other products, many items will still cost more than they did last year because of inflation, meaning that finding a true bargain may prove to be a challenge.
In September and October, shoppers paid roughly 18% more for furniture and appliances than they did a year earlier, according to analytics company DataWeave, which tracks prices for hundreds of thousands of items across roughly three dozen retailers including Amazon and Target. For toys, they paid approximately 2% more."
More Bay Area residents than ever will be relying on food assistance this Thanksgiving
The Chronicle, ADRIANA REZAL: "Holiday meals will be unusually expensive this year, with food prices in the San Francisco area up 10% from last year, according to October data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. At the same time, enrollment for the state’s largest food assistance program is at an all-time high.
More Bay Area residents will be relying on financial aid from CalFresh — California’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — this holiday season than in previous years. September data shows enrollment reached over 600,000 people in Bay Area counties, a nearly 50% increase from September 2019.
Toward the beginning of the pandemic, the government made CalFresh more generous, which is one of the reasons why many more people signed up to receive food assistance. As of January 2022, the average participant receives an average of $262 in monthly food assistance, according to a report from the Public Policy Institute of California. This is an increase from $141 in monthly payments in 2019. CalFresh expects to continue paying out unusually large allotments as long as the country remains in a state of public health emergency."
Study of LAPD’s civilian disciplinary boards offers critical look into how they operate
VTA worker who allegedly threatened “shooting” to get thousands in monthly pension
BANG*Mercury News, GABRIEL GRESCHLER/ELIYAHU KAMISHER: "A Valley Transportation Authority bus driver who had a history of allegedly threatening to shoot up his workplace and avoided the threat of termination by quietly retiring will end up receiving thousands of dollars in monthly pension payments, according to his benefits plan.
A heavily redacted document obtained through a public records request shows that Douglas Lofstrom, 64, will get monthly installments of $4,163. The plan was approved on consent during a Nov. 8 pension board meeting. Though administrators gave Lofstrom the choice between being fired or retiring on his own accord, transit agency employees receive their pension no matter what the terms of separation are, according to VTA spokesperson Sandra Bermudez.
Lofstrom did not respond to a request for comment. John Courtney, president of the union that represents VTA workers, declined to comment."
Epidemic of ACL injuries in women’s soccer brings a mental-health reckoning
The Chronicle, MARISA INGEMI: "Marlee Nicolos had thought it to be almost a forgone conclusion that she would someday tear an ACL. It seemed to happen to everyone, and someday it would for her too.
That didn’t soften the blow when the Santa Clara women’s soccer goalie suffered the knee injury at the end of her freshman season. Then, when she tore it again in September 2021, it just seemed cruel.
“It’s a club I didn’t want to be a part of,” she said. “But now that I’m here, I’m so proud of everyone who has been through it.”"
Bombed, not beaten: Ukraine’s capital flips to survival mode
AP: "Residents of Ukraine’s bombed capital clutched empty bottles in search of water and crowded into cafés for power and warmth Thursday, switching defiantly into survival mode after new Russian missile strikes a day earlier plunged the city and much of the country into the dark.
In scenes hard to believe in a sophisticated city of 3 million, some Kyiv residents resorted to collecting rainwater from drainpipes, as repair teams labored to reconnect supplies.
Friends and family members exchanged messages to find out who had electricity and water back. Some had one but not the other. The previous day’s aerial onslaught on Ukraine’s power grid left many with neither."
