Dianne Feinstein’s ‘significant medical expenses’ point to a harsh reality for everyone
The Chronicle, KELLIE HWANG: "A key argument by Sen. Dianne Feinstein in her bitter dispute over the vast estate of her late husband — including a multimillion-dollar Stinson Beach home — is that she needs the money to pay for “significant medical expenses.”
That claim by Feinstein, a high-ranking politician whose late husband was a billionaire and who is independently extremely wealthy, illustrates the harsh reality of the costs of in-home care, experts say."
Newsom, lawmakers ask state Supreme Court to pull tax measure from 2024 ballot
The Chronicle, BOB EGELKO: "Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders are asking the state Supreme Court to remove a measure from the November 2024 ballot that would require voter approval for any increase in state or local taxes.
The initiative, a state constitutional amendment supported by business groups, has collected enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. If approved, it would reduce legislative authority to raise revenue by increasing state taxes. In 1996, state voters approved comparable restrictions on local governments in Proposition 218, which required voter approval for any new city or county taxes, and a two-thirds majority vote for taxes that would raise money for specific programs."
‘Headline chasing’: S.F. mayoral candidate Daniel Lurie blasts Breed for drug-testing plan
The Chronicle, ALDO TOLEDO: "San Francisco mayoral candidate Daniel Lurie blasted Mayor London Breed’s proposal to drug test welfare recipients, calling it “headline chasing” policy that “will increase crime” in a scathing open letter Thursday.
Only two days after he announced his candidacy in Potrero Hill, Lurie in his letter lambasted the mayor’s plan to require that individuals with substance use disorder be screened for drugs if they want to receive county-funded cash assistance. The mayor introduced the idea earlier this week, as Lurie was announcing his candidacy, calling it a way to bring accountability to the city’s drug and homelessness crisis."
Even in lefty California, Trump has a firm grip on Republicans. Inside the strategy
LA Times, SEEMA MEHTA: "Despite being a bastion of liberalism and the home base to Democratic heavyweights including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Gov. Gavin Newsom, California is a political keystone for former President Trump and his 2024 campaign.
For most of the nation, California is an afterthought in the race for the Republican presidential nomination due to its overwhelmingly leftward leanings, but the state is critical to Trump’s effort to return to the White House."
READ MORE -- GOP candidates outlined sweeping anti-trans agenda at presidential debate -- LA Times, FAITH E. PINHO; Donald Trump is in California courting GOP voters. Can he help state Republicans rebound? -- Sacramento Bee, LINDSEY HOLDEN, DAVID LIGHTMAN
No Fleet Week? What will happen if Congress’ funding dispute starts shutting down the federal government
BANG*Mercury News, JOHN WOOLFOLK: "Fleet Week without the Blue Angels? Food aid running dry for impoverished mothers? Tax return processing on hold? Longer lines and flight delays at airports?
Those are some of the ways a federal government shutdown as early as Sunday could be felt in the Bay Area and around the country as Congress’ periodic game of chicken over spending approaches a critical end-of-September deadline with no deal in sight."
Is California’s wildfire season finally over? Don’t bet on it, experts say
LA Times, HAYLEY SMITH: "California has entered fall amid notably moist conditions that have left some wondering whether this year’s fire season has officially fizzled.
The state has seen about 276,000 acres burn so far this year — significantly less than the five-year average of 1,158,028 acres for the same year-to-date period, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection."
California wants to restore its rivers and San Francisco Bay to health. Here is its controversial plan
The Chronicle, KURTIS ALEXANDER: "California water regulators have teed up what promises to be one of the state’s biggest debates on water in years, releasing a long-anticipated proposal to revive dozens of rivers, creeks and wetlands by reining in the draws of cities and farms.
The goal is nothing short of ensuring that sufficient water is flowing from the High Sierra to San Francisco Bay, to nourish vast and diverse landscapes, support fish and wildlife and halt the decline of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the largest estuary on the West Coast and the hub of the state’s water supply."
READ MORE -- The Bay-Delta ecosystem is collapsing. California just unveiled rival rescue plans -- CALMatters, RACHEL BECKER
Rain is coming to California. This map shows the forecast near you
The Chronicle, JESSICA FLORES, GERRY DIAZ: "Light rain showers and wind gusts are on tap for the Bay Area this weekend.
The region is expected to see between one-tenth to three-tenths of an inch of rain starting about 6 p.m. Friday through 6 a.m. Saturday, said National Weather Service meteorologist Dalton Behringer. Winds up to 30 mph will arrive Friday afternoon and die down once it starts to rain, weather officials said."
As heat waves warm the Pacific Ocean, effects on marine life remain murky
LA Times, SUSANNE RUST: "Scientists are pretty good at recognizing marine heat waves: A global network of thousands of oceanic buoys and orbiting satellites allow them to see, in real time, ocean surface temperatures, changing currents and storm systems as they develop, move or stall from the Antarctic to the North Pole.
What’s harder to see is what’s happening to the marine ecosystems below — to the fish, invertebrates, plants and mammals."
Because of inequitable maternity care, I was afraid (OP-ED)
Capitol Weekly, STEPHANIE BROWN, M.D.: "When I delivered my children in 2016 and 2018, I was afraid. I was there as a patient, but as a physician, I knew the data.
Nearly 7 in 10 Black Californians (69%) experienced negative interactions during healthcare visits, compared to 54% of Californians overall. And Black birthing people are four to six times more likely to die from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth. Although we represent only 5.5% of California’s birthing population, we account for 40% of the state’s maternal deaths."
Child care has long been ‘broken.’ Things may get worse this weekend
LA Times, JENNY GOLD: "Sirens are sounding for American families that on Saturday the nation will fall off a “child-care cliff.”
That’s when $37 billion in child-care pandemic relief from the federal government will expire. Across the nation, providers have used that money to pay their teachers more, buy cleaning supplies and food amid rising inflation, and keep their doors open despite low enrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic emergency. An additional $15 billion in federal child-care relief is set to expire in September 2024."
Fresno Unified teachers very likely to strike. Here are the issues
EdSource, LASHERICA THORNTON: "The state’s third-largest school district, Fresno Unified, and its teachers union have tried since November to agree on a contract that invests in teachers.
The Fresno Teachers Association says its proposals are classroom-centered ideas to improve public education, including bettering teachers’ working environment, adding academic and social-emotional student support and increasing pay and benefits."
Gavin Newsom signs law boosting minimum wage for fast-food workers. Is $20 enough?
CALMatters, ALEJANDRA REYES-VELARDE: "Earning $17 an hour at a Los Angeles Jack-in-the-Box, Anneisha Williams has struggled for years to keep up with rent and bills. The Inglewood native is facing eviction, she said.
She teared up describing how Assembly Bill 1228, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law in Los Angeles on Thursday, will affect her life by raising her hourly minimum wage to $20 in April."
Tech companies slash hundreds of Bay Area jobs as layoffs worsen
BANG*Mercury News, GEORGE AVALOS: "Fresh waves of layoffs have battered the Bay Area job market after several tech companies revealed plans to slash well over 400 more jobs in the nine-county region, official state documents show.
TTM Technologies, Clari, Wolfspeed, BlackLine Systems and Robinhood Markets are the latest high-tech companies to disclose their decisions to eliminate jobs in the Bay Area, according to new WARN notices filed with the state Employment Development Department."
Tesla ignored racist harassment of Black workers, federal agency says in lawsuit
The Chronicle, BOB EGELKO: "A federal civil rights agency sued Tesla on Thursday for its treatment of Black workers at its Fremont assembly plant, saying Elon Musk’s electric car company has ignored longstanding and well-documented complaints of racist name-calling, harassment and retaliation.
Since at least May 2015, Tesla has subjected Black employees to “a hostile work environment because of their race,” the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said in a filing in San Francisco federal court."
Gas prices surge above $6 a gallon in some Bay Area cities — why?
BANG*Mercury News, ETHAN BARON: "Hold your horsepower! The average price for a gallon of gas in California surged past the $6 mark Thursday, with drivers in San Mateo, San Francisco and Marin counties seeing some of the most painful spikes in the Bay Area.
The state’s average price of $6.03 per gallon represented a 19-cent jump over Tuesday, marking the first time since last fall that the cost has topped $6, according to AAA data."
READ MORE -- California gas prices could jump 15 to 35 cents per gallon soon, expert says. Here’s why -- Sacramento Bee, JACQUELINE PINEDO
