Drought emergency declared for all Southern California
LA Times, HAYLEY SMITH/IAN JAMES: "As California faces the prospect of a fourth consecutive dry year, officials with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California have declared a regional drought emergency and called on water agencies to immediately reduce their use of all imported supplies.
The decision from the MWD’s board came about eight months after officials declared a similar emergency for 7 million people who are dependent on supplies from the State Water Project, a vast network of reservoirs, canals and dams that convey water from Northern California. Residents reliant on California’s other major supply — the Colorado River — had not been included in that emergency declaration.
“Conditions on the Colorado River are growing increasingly dire,” MWD Chairwoman Gloria Gray said in a statement. “We simply cannot continue turning to that source to make up the difference in our limited state supplies. In addition, three years of California drought are drawing down our local storage.”"
As California cools, federal government poised to pass last-minute laws to address wildfires
Sac Bee, GILLIAN BRASSIL: "Congressional measures that could help California with wildfire prevention and mitigation are poised to become law in the final days of this legislative session.
One of those laws could get California more planes to fight fires, a change Gov. Gavin Newsom and California senators discussed with White House officials in July. Another would ensure the federal agency charged with responding to natural disasters treats wildfires with the same level of urgency as it does hurricanes."
Maps show where California’s Asian Americans live and how that’s changed over time
The Chronicle, NAMI SUMIDA: "California is home to more than 6 million Asian Americans. That’s roughly 1 in 6 residents (17%), which is the second-highest share among U.S. states behind Hawaii.
The population stretches across the entire state. In all but one county, Asian Americans comprise at least 1% of residents, with most counties having much larger representations. In four counties in the Bay Area — Santa Clara, San Francisco, Alameda and San Mateo — more than a third of residents identify as Asian American.
But the ethnic makeup of the group is wide-ranging. While the state’s Asian Americans are predominantly Chinese, Filipino, Indian or Vietnamese — they constitute about 75% — there are dozens of other Asian ethnicities with more than 1,000 residents in California."
Thousands of Californians could be eligible for retroactive unemployment benefits, EDD says
Sac Bee, DAVID LIGHTMAN: "COVID-related unemployment benefits ended 15 months ago—yet 100,000 Californians may still be eligible to get the money retroactively.
Because of changes in federal guidelines, certain people who were unemployed in 2020 and 2021 and did not meet initial eligibility requirements could now receive hundreds of dollars in weekly benefits.
Among those who may now qualify:"
New CA law removes crime of loitering to commit prostitution
Capitol Weekly, ALAN RIQUELMY: "Roxanne is used to being harassed by the police.
A trans woman, Roxanne – who uses only her first name – is an attorney. She owns two homes in San Jose about a mile apart and regularly walks from one to the other.
Years ago, while exercising, she was arrested across the street from one of her homes, she said."
Sunnyvale city council election decided after difference of just one vote
BANG*Mercury News, VANDANA RAVIKUMAR: "Sunnyvale’s newest councilmember squeaked through a tight race that ended with a difference of just one vote.
Murali Srinivasan, an engineer, finally emerged as the winner of District 3 last week after securing 2,813 votes. He became the first Indian councilmember elected in Sunnyvale and the first candidate chosen to represent District 3, which was formed in 2020 after the city voted to switch to a district-based electoral system, and drew six districts based on U.S. Census data.
His opponent, Justin Wang, finished the race with 2,812 votes. Srinivasan was declared the winner after the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters conducted an automatic recount of the votes and determined that the results hadn’t changed, according to City Clerk David Carnahan."
Former California union leader sentenced after pleading guilty to grand theft, tax fraud
Sac Bee, MAYA MILLER: "The former leader of California’s largest labor union must serve 300 hours of community service after pleading guilty last month to felony counts of embezzlement and tax fraud in Sacramento County Superior Court.
The state Attorney General’s Office originally charged Alma Hernández, former executive director of SEIU California, and her husband Jose Moscoso with 13 counts of tax fraud, embezzlement, perjury and failure to pay unemployment insurance taxes.
Hernández was a defendant in eight of the counts and pleaded guilty to two of them: one count of grand theft and a second tax offense. Prosecutors dropped the other six charges."
An ecologically crucial Sierra pine becomes one of few tree species protected by the feds under the Endangered Species Act
The Chronicle, JULIE JOHNSON: "The whitebark pine, a gnarled and ancient-looking conifer critical to life in high elevations across the Sierra Nevada and other Western U.S. mountain ranges, on Wednesday joined two other trees declared officially threatened due to climate change under the Endangered Species Act.
An invasive fungus called blister rust has been attacking these trees for more than a century, and climate change is expected to worsen other threats like mountain pine beetles, wildfires and rising temperatures, according to the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife.
A 2016 analysis by the U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station found that 51% of all standing whitebark pines across North America and Canada were dead."
Here's what December's stormy weather means for California's drought
The Chronicle, GERRY DIAZ/ANNIE VAINSHTEIN: "December’s parade of winter storms left a mark on California’s snowpack, with some substantial gains in the Sierra Nevada and Southern Cascades’ snowfall totals tallied in past days. The state has already seen an active wet season that began in September, but even with recent deluges, data shows that much more precipitation is needed to actually get out of multiyear drought.
Precipitation over the last week was helpful — particularly in building the snowpack. In the Northern and Central Sierra, current snowpack levels are at about 200% of the seasonal average. But the season is still early and consistent rains are needed to fill out the year, said Nathan Patrick, a hydrologist for the California Nevada River Forecast Center.
“Any one storm is not going to be sufficient enough to end drought conditions,” said Patrick. “We need to have a series of storms that last throughout the entire winter in order to improve the overall drought here in California.”"
COVID experts said ‘This is it,’ then omicron hit. How should you assess risk for the long term?
The Chronicle, KELLIE HWANG: "Over a year ago, COVID experts spoke to The Chronicle about the slow shift back to “normal.” Back then, UCSF’s chair of medicine Bob Wachter said that while he was still being careful, he also was confronting the likelihood of coexisting with the coronavirus for years to come: “It’s possible that this is it,” he said of the situation at that time.
That was before last winter’s omicron surge sent cases to record-high levels in California and the Bay Area, and before omicron began spinning off increasingly infectious and immune-evasive subvariants. However, it was also before the full rollout of multiple vaccines, including to children, before the bivalent booster and before the antiviral medications that are now widely available.
Now, “We have entered a phase in which mandates of any kind will be very unpopular, and people are making their own mask and vaccination choices, hopefully based on some kind of personal risk assessment,” said Anne Liu, an infectious disease doctor at Stanford."
Your risk of this debilitating heart condition goes up after getting COVID, study says
Sac Bee, JULIA MARNIN: "People may have a higher chance of developing a debilitating heart condition after a COVID-19 infection, a new study published Monday, Dec. 12, found.
The condition, POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome), is a nervous system disorder that causes a person’s heart to rapidly race in the 10 minutes after standing up, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. It is accompanied by symptoms that are known to get worse, including lightheadedness and fainting, and has been considered a potential long COVID condition, research noted.
The study also found that getting vaccinated against the coronavirus is linked to a greater chance of developing POTS but to a “lesser extent,” according to a news release on the work, which involved researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles."
California reparations task force to talk eligibility
AP, SOPHIE AUSTIN: "California’s committee to study reparations for African Americans will meet in Oakland on Wednesday to discuss what form reparations could take and eligibility requirements to receive possible payments.
The first-in-the-nation task force previously voted to limit reparations to Black California residents whose ancestors were living in the United States in the 19th century. This week, the group will talk about whether there could be additional eligibility requirements and what time frame reparations could hinge on.
The group will also discuss how the state may address the impact reparations may have on Black families whose property was seized through eminent domain, a topic that garnered renewed attention after lawmakers last year voted to allow the return of a beachfront property known as Bruce’s Beach in Manhattan Beach to descendants of Black residents from whom it was taken in the 20th century."
Paul Pelosi attack: What SFPD police body cam footage revealed
The Chronicle, ANNIE VAINSHTEIN/RACHEL SWAN: "A San Francisco Superior Court judge ruled Wednesday that prosecutors presented sufficient evidence to send their attempted murder case against David DePape, the 42-year-old man accused of bludgeoning U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband in October, to trial.
In addition to attempted murder, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office also charged DePape with assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, residential burglary, false imprisonment and threatening the life of or causing serious bodily harm to a public official."
Paul Pelosi’s alleged attacker also targeted Tom Hanks, Hunter Biden, Gavin Newsom, investigator says
LA Times, SUMMER LIN/TERRY CASTLEMAN: "The case against David DePape, the man accused of attacking Paul Pelosi with a hammer in Pelosi’s San Francisco home, will go to trial, a San Francisco Superior Court judge ruled Wednesday.
DePape will be arraigned Dec. 28 on charges including attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, false imprisonment of an elder, first-degree burglary and threatening the family member of a public official. He pleaded not guilty to all charges. DePape could face a life sentence if convicted.
The judge ruled at Wednesday’s preliminary hearing that prosecutors had presented sufficient evidence to move forward with a trial — evidence that included body camera footage, as well as testimony from an officer who first responded to the 911 call and an investigator who said DePape had a “hit list” that included actor Tom Hanks, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Biden’s son Hunter Biden."
Accused Pelosi attacker will proceed to trial, judge rules
BANG*Mercury News, JAKOB RODGERS: "The Richmond man accused of bludgeoning House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband with a hammer in late October also planned to target Hunter Biden, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and actor Tom Hanks as part of a wide-ranging suicide mission, according to testimony aired by prosecutors in a San Francisco court.
The new allegations were unveiled through gripping 911 tapes, body-camera footage and a recorded interrogation presented at a key evidentiary hearing Wednesday — which ended with the judge ordering David DePape to stand trial on a slew of state charges in the Oct. 28 attack on Pelosi. Viewed together, the testimony and subsequent ruling offered the clearest window yet into an attack that shook the nation ahead of the November midterm elections and stoked concerns of politically-motivated violence.
In ordering DePape’s case to proceed, Judge Stephen M. Murphy cited DePape’s repeated statements to Paul Pelosi and to investigators that he had no intention of surrendering during his quest to “take out” a list of high-profile politicians and celebrities. DePape faces charges of attempted murder and false imprisonment, along with a slew of other felony counts."
More than 5,000 PG&E customers lose power in Berkeley, Oakland
The Chronicle, STAFF: "PG&E crews were investigating the cause of a power outage Wednesday night that has left 5,066 Berkeley and Oakland customers in the dark.
Power went out at 9:59 p.m. All but 335 of the customers are in Berkeley."
Chico State Academic Senate calls on CSU trustees to investigate handling of student affair, violent threats
EdSource, THOMAS PEELE/MICHAEL WEBER: "Chico State’s Academic Senate voted 34-1 Wednesday to ask California State University trustees to conduct an independent investigation of their campus leadership’s handling of suspended professor David Stachura’s sexual affair with a student and alleged threats to shoot colleagues.
A Senate committee also voted to ask campus President Gayle Hutchinson to revoke Stachura’s “Outstanding Professor” award for the 2000-2001 academic year. Hutchinson quickly did so late Wednesday, her spokesperson said.
The decision to ask for an investigation left the Senate scrambling to schedule a second vote for Friday to make the resolution final before winter break. Senate members said they wanted to give students an immediate and clear message that action was being taken and to hear their input before a second vote."
UC Regents vote to allow UCLA to leave Pac-12 for Big Ten; subsidy could come later
BANG*Mercury News, JON WILNER/MICHAEL NOWELS: "The UC Board of Regents voted 11-5 Wednesday to allow UCLA to leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten in the summer of 2024 but reserved the right to later require the Bruins to subsidize Cal, their sister school that remains in the Pac-12.
The subsidy issue will be determined after the Pac-12 finalizes its coming media rights deal, and the board vote stipulated that the subsidy, if imposed, would be between $2 million and $10 million.
The decision, rendered in a meeting on UCLA’s campus, comes after months of deliberation by the regents following the bombshell June 30 news, broken by the Pac-12 Hotline, that UCLA and USC planned to depart from the only conference either has ever known."
Hollywood is in flux but these executives sound an optimistic note on the future of streaming, movies
LA Times, RYAN FAUGHNDER/ANOUSHA SAKOUI: "Hollywood’s awards season is meant to be a celebration of the best in film and television. But these days, it often takes place against the backdrop of turmoil and anxiety in the entertainment industry, which is facing an uncertain economic climate and a business model that is in a dramatic state of flux.
Subscription-based streaming video, once the north star for media companies wanting to stay relevant in the age of Netflix, has come under question as Wall Street demands to see profits, not just subscriber growth at all costs. TV ratings are falling, cord-cutting is accelerating, and many analysts fear that the COVID-19 pandemic left a “permanent scar” on the theatrical movie business, as Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Bob Iger recently put it.
Studios and streamers continue to spend billions of dollars on movies and TV shows for all formats, but worries about inflation and a possible recession have triggered a slowdown in the advertising market and rounds of layoffs and cost-cutting at many companies."
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ won’t save movie theaters. But here’s how it can help
LA Times, RYAN FAUGHNDER: "How much pressure is there on “Avatar: The Way of Water” to perform at the box office as it arrives in movie theaters this weekend?
Think of what James Cameron’s submarine endured while exploring the Mariana Trench in 2012. In other words, a lot.
For the Oscar-winning director, the new film hitting theaters Thursday is the realization of five years of production — much of it underwater — and special effects work, coming 13 years after the first “Avatar” set a new standard for blockbusters. For the Walt Disney Co., it’s a revival of what the Burbank entertainment titan hopes will be a long-lasting blockbuster franchise."
Tenderloin merchants demand S.F. refund taxes, citing drugs and homelessness in the neighborhood
The Chronicle, MICHAEL CABANATUAN: "Another group of San Francisco merchants is arguing it shouldn’t have to pay taxes given the homelessness and drug use rampant on city streets.
In August, Castro merchants threatened to withhold paying taxes if their demands for better street conditions weren’t met.
Now, some Tenderloin neighborhood merchants are petitioning the city to refund their taxes and launch a crackdown on the illicit drug trade they say has driven frightened customers from neighborhood businesses and left the area “on the verge of collapse.”"
Accused of illegally evicting Black and Latino renters, SoCal city, sheriff to pay $1 million
LA Times, LIAM DILLON/BEN POSTON: "A Mojave Desert community and sheriff’s department will be forced to spend nearly $1 million to settle a civil rights lawsuit alleging they discriminated against Black and Latino renters, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday.
Federal prosecutors hailed the case against the city of Hesperia and San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department as a landmark effort to combat policies popular in California and across the country that encourage landlords to evict or exclude tenants with criminal histories or brushes with law enforcement.
Investigations by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and The Times have shown so-called “crime-free housing” laws have disproportionately affected Black and Latino residents, making it harder for them to rent apartments and leaving them at greater risk of eviction."
‘Catastrophic staffing shortage’ hits California’s rural police first, and hardest
CALMatters, NIGEL DUARA: "Under a low, heavy sky threatening sleet or snow, State Route 36 twists and turns along tree-topped ridges. In many spots, there’s no guardrail — just a spit of dirt between a driver and a thousand-foot drop.
This is a county where people are expected to take care of themselves, and in the last month, Tehama County itself has been operating without its own guardrail: Outgoing Sheriff Dave Hencratt said last month that deputies would no longer patrol during the day.
“This added reduction of services is necessary to manage a catastrophic staffing shortage throughout the agency,” Hencratt said in a Nov. 8 press release."
627 days, just for the permit: This data shows the staggering timeline to build homes in S.F.
The Chronicle, DUSTIN GARDINER/SUSIE NEILSON: "When housing advocates and developers talk about how long it takes to get permits to build housing in San Francisco, they don’t speak in increments of days, weeks or months. They speak in years.
And they’re not exaggerating, according to a new Chronicle analysis of permit-approval data from the city’s Department of Building Inspection.
The typical applicant currently waits a staggering 627 calendar days before obtaining a full building permit from the city to construct a multifamily housing project, and 861 days before gaining the same approval for a single-family residence, the analysis found."
