As California storms abate, here are the projections for mosquitoes
The Chronicle, DANIELLE ECHEVERRIA: "Besides flooding, fallen trees and full reservoirs, California’s wet winter — which isn’t quite over — might have another, less obvious impact: a problematic mosquito season.
“We’re definitely concerned about the record rainfall and snowpack,” said Joel Buettner, district manager for the Placer County Mosquito and Vector Control District, which includes South Lake Tahoe. “More water and high temperatures mean more mosquitoes, and that’s not good.”"
California will slash incentives for new rooftop solar arrays this week. Here’s what it means for the Bay Area
The Chronicle, JULIE JOHNSON: "The financial incentives that helped spur more than 1.6 million Californians to put solar panels on their homes will end this week.
A rush to go solar leading up to the April 14 deadline has sent installation companies and utilities into overdrive. But many in the industry expect this boom will be followed by a more sluggish era for rooftop solar in California."
Explosions, crushed buildings and flood fears. Mammoth Lakes thrown into chaos by snowfall
LA Times, LOUIS SAHAGUN, GINA FERAZZI, WALLY SKALIJ: "Worry and fear are running high in this snowbound Sierra Nevada ski town.
Buildings groan and crack under the strain of accumulated snowpack, forcing occupants to flee. Slabs of snow and ice plummet from rooftops with the force of falling pianos. Columns of smoke rise from homes whose gas lines have become fouled by snow, causing them to explode.
“We’re afraid of all the ways we could die here on any given day,” lamented Stacy Bardfield, a broker at Mammoth Sierra Properties and local resident of 47 years. “Will it be a roof caving in? A propane line blast? Fallen electric transmission lines?”"
SoCal’s big superbloom is here. See breathtaking photos and a map of where to go
LA Times, TERRY CASTLEMAN: "The arrival of spring after an unusually wet winter brings with it a superbloom.
Some meccas for flower tourism, including Lake Elsinore with its golden poppies, were harmed enough by crowds in 2019 that visitors have been warned to stay away this year.
On the other hand, some naturalists think that closing parks to visitors defeats their purpose: to foster connection between residents and wildlife and encourage conservation."
What can California do about abortion pill ruling? Not much
CALMatters, KRISTEN HWANG: "California’s Democratic lawmakers have spent the past year enacting legislation to protect abortion rights in the wake of Roe v. Wade’s reversal, but a ruling today by a Texas federal judge is one thing they can’t touch.
U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk suspended the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of mifepristone more than 20 years ago, arguing that it was flawed and invalid. Kacsmaryk issued a temporary stay on his ruling for seven days to allow the Biden Justice Department to appeal, which it quickly did. The ruling is likely to pull the drug from pharmacy shelves unless a higher court intervenes while the case moves through the appeal process.
But soon after the ruling in Texas, a district judge in Washington state issued a conflicting ruling in a separate case, prohibiting the FDA from taking the drug off the market in 17 Democratic-led states (not including California). Despite the confusion caused by these dueling decisions, legal experts say even the threat of a legal gray area is likely to cause providers to stop distributing the drug."
California must commit to making caregiving a career for the future (OP-ED)
Capitol Weekly, CARMEN ROBERTS: "Caregiving became my second career the way it does for many women my age; my aging father needed my help. I had recently retired from the corporate world and my family had been relying on my care since we lost my mother at a young age. I chose caregiving out of love. Now, having seen so many of my fellow home care providers working around the clock and still stuck in poverty, I’ve come to understand that what our profession needs is respect.
The expectation that women – especially women of color – do backbreaking and emotionally taxing care work for sub-livable wages is a relic of our nation’s unconscionable era of slavery. Yet it is an idea that is very much alive today, perpetuated by laws and institutions that intentionally devalue our work. The landmark labor laws of the New Deal – the 40 hour work week, overtime pay, and minimum wage – purposefully excluded domestic and farm work. In other words, the labor done by Black and Brown people, particularly women, was left open to legal exploitation.
Three generations later, workers who provide care for elderly people and people with disabilities through the state’s In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program earn the minimum wage or just above it in most parts of California. It’s no coincidence that these workers are 80% women, 74% people of color, and 47% immigrants."
Young people like government, but not for work
Capitol Weekly, CLAIRE MCCARVILLE: "The inevitable end of the dominance of Baby Boomers is fast approaching, with the last of the generation reaching age 65 by 2030. Whether that is a good or bad thing depends on who you ask, but there is one thing everyone can agree on: younger generations are far less interested in working in government and public service than Boomers have been.
Per a recent Axios study, only 14% of young people want to spend their career in the government or in nonprofit work. This makes the government by far the least enticing employer to Gen Z, who overwhelmingly responded that they would rather work at any size company instead.
The study aimed to show what careers and priorities were front of mind for young people, using a sample of Americans aged 18-29."
Column: Bravos for Mark Ridley-Thomas, boos for Kevin de León. A double standard?
LA Times, GUSTAVO ARELLANO: "On Tuesday, I did something I hadn’t done in a while: I went party hopping.
The occasion: primary night in the San Fernando Valley, with seven first-time candidates facing off in a special election to replace Nury Martinez. She’s the former L.A. City Council president who resigned in October after the release of a recording that caught her and other Latino politicos spewing racist things, trashing enemies and plotting to increase Latino power at the expense of Black power.
I heard all sorts of chisme about Martinez and other Valley Latino political players at La Corona Bar and Grill in Van Nuys, where supporters of Marco Santana had gathered to pound micheladas and snack on a good buffet while cheering on their man."
Here’s why no progressives have stepped up to challenge San Francisco Mayor London Breed — yet
The Chronicle, JOE GAROFOLI: "San Francisco progressives have a lot of problems with moderate Mayor London Breed, so why haven’t any of them stepped up to run for mayor?
It may seem weird that San Francisco — the progressive capital of America — doesn’t yet have a progressive running for mayor. San Francisco isn’t just progressive by reputation, it’s by results. According to a Chronicle analysis of November’s state propositions, San Francisco posted the most “progressive” results among the state’s 58 counties."
Has L.A. D.A. George Gascón delivered on his police accountability promises?
LA Times, JAMES QUEALLY: "Yatoya Toy stood outside the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office in February, pointing at images from a cellphone video showing her brother Anthony Lowe being fatally shot by Huntington Park police as he fled on the stumps of his amputated legs.
Lowe was a suspect in a stabbing and armed with a knife, but Toy had two questions: How could a man who used a wheelchair be a threat to police? And what was Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón going to do about his death?
“He said, ‘I’m gonna prosecute killer cops.’ He hasn’t done that,” Toy shouted during the February protest."
Alameda County youth are trying to lead a tough conversation around juvenile justice. We should listen
The Chronicle, JUSTIN PHILLIPS: "Felicia Tom is a tireless criminal justice reform activist in Oakland. She’s only 16 and she’s not alone.
Felicia was one of dozens of teens at a lively town hall Wednesday demanding reimagined juvenile justice in Alameda County, where elected leaders have spent decades failing to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline."
Bob Lee killing shows why perception of crime matters — and often contrasts with data
The Chronicle, SUSIE NEILSON: "The fatal stabbing of tech executive Bob Lee on Tuesday sent shockwaves through San Francisco and, as high-profile crimes often do, ignited fear that the city is becoming more dangerous.
The data tells us one thing: that while any level of violent crime is unacceptable, San Francisco, for all its other issues, does not have unusually high rates of homicide or other violent crimes when compared to cities of its size. The homicide rate is among the lowest of major cities in the U.S. And during the pandemic, overall reported violent crime fell to its lowest level since the 1960s."
‘This tragedy was avoidable’: New records show how Hayward police found 8-year-old Sophia’s Mason — but it was already too late
BANG*Mercury News, JAKOB RODGERS: "Newly-obtained documents in the killing of Sophia Mason show that Hayward police – after getting a missing person’s report about the 8-year-old in March 2022 – swiftly determined what Alameda County social workers had failed to see for more than a year: The girl was in danger and needed immediate help.
But by the time officers found Sophia just three days later, it was too late. She was already dead, decomposing in the bathtub of a house where her mother and the mother’s boyfriend had lived in Merced."
California expands college education for youth in juvenile detention centers
BANG*Mercury News, NELL BERNSTEIN, LILAH BURKE: "Bars are the backdrop for this College of San Mateo satellite classroom. There are no iPhones, backpacks or opportunities for side talk.
All eyes are on the instructor’s face, projecting charisma from a life-size image broadcast on the classroom’s whiteboard. Psychologist Shani Robins, who also teaches psychology at Stanford University, Foothill College and Santa Clara University, is leading a deep discussion on the nuances of anxiety when a hand pops up.
“I have a question, Shani,” asked the student, whose hand remained raised for most of the class. “Was teaching hard at the beginning? Was there social anxiety?”"
An Inglewood charter school looks to literacy to build success among its Black students
EdSource, KATE SEQUEIRA: "Marques and Stacey Gunn have seen their sixth grader daughter Brooklyn’s love for reading flourish since joining Wilder’s Preparatory Academy last school year.
She even lined her Christmas wishlist with several books recommended by her English teacher and quickly devoured them.
“Her interest in reading and research has grown so much since being at Wilder’s,” Stacey Gunn said. “It’s amazing to both of us.”"
H-1B court ruling: Work-ban cloud lifts for Bay Area spouses after years of fear
BANG*Mercury News, ETHAN BARON: "A recent court ruling upholding the employment rights of Bay Area residents who hold a special visa for spouses of skilled foreign workers has relieved long-standing uncertainty aggravated by the pandemic and the Trump administration.
Late last month, a federal court judge threw out a lawsuit that sought to strip work authorization from an estimated 90,000 visa holders. These H-4 visa holders, the spouses of those with H-1B work visas, are mostly women from India, with a large contingent in the Bay Area.
“When this case was going on,” said Pratima Joglekar, an assistant in an immigration-law firm, who lives in Fremont, “it was like a cloud hanging over our heads.”"
California has already run out of cash to help first-time home buyers. Here’s what happened
LA Times, KAREN GARCIA: "You may have seen the videos on TikTok promising something that sounds too good to be true: Free cash from the state of California to help you buy your first home. The good news is, that program actually exists! The bad news is, it’s already out of money.
The California Housing Finance Agency launched the California Dream for All Shared Appreciation loan program two weeks ago, offering qualified first-time buyers up to 20% of the purchase price of a house or condominium. The help was available only to households whose earnings were below CalHFA’s income limit, which is $180,000 in Los Angeles County and $235,000 in Orange County.
State lawmakers had set aside $500 million for the program as part of the 2022-23 budget. But a looming fiscal shortfall led Gov. Gavin Newsom to propose a 40% cut, so when CalHFA launched the program late last month, it was allocated only $300 million and expected to assist about 2,300 home buyers."
Montana Republicans aim to change election rules - for one key Senate race
The Hill, AL WEAVER: "Republicans in Montana are trying to change the rules for next year's Senate primary to make it easier to defeat Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and win back the Senate majority.
A bill moving through the statehouse in Helena would change the structure of the election from the party primary system currently in place to a jungle primary in which the top two vote-getters advance to the general election regardless of party. The move would essentially box out Libertarian candidates.
The thinking among Republicans is that this would, theoretically, push those would-be third-party voters toward the GOP candidate and give the party a leg up against Tester, the three-term Senate Democrat who they are pining to take down this year."
