California tops 50,000 virus deaths, including 806 in L.A.
BRIAN MELLEY, AP: " Los Angeles County on Wednesday reported another 806 deaths from coronavirus during the winter surge, pushing California’s toll above 50,000, or about one-tenth of the U.S. total from the pandemic.
The county, which has a quarter of the state’s 40 million residents, said the deaths mainly occurred between Dec. 3 and Feb. 3. The Department of Public Health identified them after going through death records that were backlogged by the sheer volume of the surge’s toll.
“It is heartbreaking to report on this large number of additional deaths associated with COVID-19 and a devastating reminder of the terrible toll the winter surge has taken on so many families across the county,” Barbara Ferrer, Los Angeles County’s health director, said in a statement."
READ MORE on pandemic: LA County discovers 806 additional deaths missing in first record of winter surge -- DAVID ROSENFELD, LA Daily News; The ‘nightmare scenario’ for California’s coronavirus strain: Here is what we know -- MELISSA HEALY LATimes; West Covina City Council votes to quit L.A. County health department over COVID rules -- KEVIN RECTOR, LA Times; 3 Bay Area counties halt COVID vaccine supply to One Medical, saying it let people cut the line -- SUSIE NEILSON and MEGHAN BOBROWSKY, Chronicle; LA County unveils plan to vaccinate teachers, other essential workers, starting March 1 -- DAVID ROSENFELD, LA Daily News
Sacramento now has a $96 million fund to help struggling renters, landlords. How to apply
TONY BIZJAK, SacBee: "As part of a national effort to save low-income renters from eviction, Sacramento city and county officials on Thursday will make nearly $100 million in free rent assistance grants available to help pay for past-due rent and utility bills during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Sacramento Emergency Rental Assistance program taps federal and state funds to help renters in Sacramento County who are financially under water. Both renters and landlords can apply for funds to cover a portion of rents owed back to April of last year, and rents that will come due between now and June of this year.
The fund has nearly $96 million in it, $31.7 million of it via the city of Sacramento from its federal and state grants, and $64 million from the County of Sacramento via federal and state grants."
Newsom, lawmakers agree to pay pro-Biden firm for California voter education contract
JOHN MYERS, LA Times: "California officials have agreed to pay the balance on a $35-million contract for voter outreach due last fall, after months of wrangling over the payment details and Republican criticism of the company that did the work for its close ties to President Biden.
The contract is also the subject of a lawsuit filed last year by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn., which alleges the office of then-Secretary of State Alex Padilla violated state regulations by allowing only a small number of “partisan political consulting firms” to bid on the work.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation Tuesday affirming that the contract, awarded last year to SKDKnickerbocker for a statewide voter education campaign, can be paid from a combination of state and federal funds. Legislators added the provision last week to one of the bills related to a broad COVID-19 stimulus package aimed at helping low-income Californians and providing relief assistance for small businesses."
California moves ahead to pursue flexibility waivers for standardized tests this year
SYDNEY JOHNSON, EdSource: "The State Board of Education in California voted unanimously to prepare to apply for more flexible standardized testing options this year as nearly 80% of students across the state continue with distance learning.
States are required to conduct standardized tests every year in math, English language arts and science, according to both state laws and the federal Every Student Succeeds Act. When schools shut their buildings in March last year due to the pandemic, however, state officials said districts did not have to administer the tests, pending getting a waiver from the U.S. Department of Education under then-Secretary Betsy DeVos. The department quickly granted waivers to all states relieving them of their testing obligations.
On Monday, the Biden administration said that states must resume testing this year. But it also invited states to apply for waivers from some testing requirements and to allow them to implement more flexible testing options, such as extending the time allowed to administer the tests into summer or even fall, shortening the exams and administering them remotely."
False claims in texts, emails led to misuse of vaccine codes intended for those in need
JULIA WICK, LAURA J. NELSON and MAYA LAU: "In Los Angeles, the rumor spread like wildfire through group texts and email chains: The government was testing the appointment system at a new COVID-19 vaccination site at Cal State L.A., and you could help by using a special access code to sign up for a shot.
In the Bay Area, the gossip took a slightly different form: Doses at the Oakland Coliseum were about to expire, and you could do your part by making an appointment, again, with a special access code.
The problem, of course, was that none of this was true. There were no expiring doses at the Oakland Coliseum earmarked for use with special codes, and the Cal State L.A. site had no appointment testing program."
Tiger Woods accident sparks new drive to improve safety on road known for dangers
HAYLEY SMITH, RICHARD WINTON and FAITH E. PINHO: "There is a new push to examine safety issues on Hawthorne Boulevard on the Palos Verdes Peninsula after Tiger Woods was seriously hurt in a rollover crash Tuesday.
On Wednesday, L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn said she has directed the county Department of Public Works to conduct a safety review of the stretch of road where the accident occurred, which lies in her district.
Hawthorne Boulevard, with a speed limit of 45 mph, is one of the main routes out of the peninsula. The combination of the steep grade, curves and wide lanes often leads to accidents. Residents called it a “dangerous stretch of road” and said there are collisions there all the time."
Berkeley to end single-family residential zoning, citing racist ties
ANGELA RUGGIERO, Mercury News: "The same city that was the birthplace of single-family zoning in the early 1900s has now voted to eliminate it by December 2022.
The Berkeley City Council took the first step early Wednesday morning in a unanimous vote to undo “exclusionary zoning,” which would eliminate single-family residential zoning and allow for other types of housing such as apartments, duplexes and triplexes. Single-family residential zoning has roots that led to racial and economic segregation, according to city officials.
Changing the zoning would allow, for example, an existing house, if large enough, to be turned into a duplex or even a triplex. It also would allow the construction of new buildings such as apartments or condos in neighborhoods where previously, only houses were allowed."
Fry’s Electronics closes permanently, shuttering Sacramento and Roseville stores
MICHAEL McGOUGH, SacBee: "Fry’s Electronics closed for good Tuesday night, shuttering all 31 of its locations, including its distinctive Sacramento and Roseville stores.
The closure was announced on the Fry’s website, where a message says the company “has made the difficult decision to shut down its operations and close its business permanently as a result of changes in the retail industry and the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.”
“The Company ceased regular operations and began the wind-down process” on Wednesday."
Mayor Breed, S.F. police and DA Boudin unveil new public safety push in wake of recent violence
TRISHA THADANI and MEGAN CASSIDY, Chronicle: "Following intense scrutiny of two fatal crashes and a spate of recent shootings, Mayor London Breed and San Francisco’s law enforcement agencies said Wednesday they’ll improve communication about repeat offenders and gun violence.
The proposals include a commitment from the police to notify the district attorney when people have been arrested repeatedly for crimes like residential burglaries and car break-ins. The city will also receive a $1.5 million state grant to beef up a violence intervention program.
“To confront the public safety challenges we face in San Francisco, we all need to acknowledge where we are falling short and where we can work together to do more,” Breed said in a joint statement, with Sheriff Paul Miyamoto, police Chief Bill Scott, District Attorney Chesa Boudin and Adult Probation Chief Karen Fletcher."
CDC study shows 68% of a gym's patrons infected during indoor classes
AIDIN VAZIRI, SF Chronicle: "Public health experts reiterated the need for people to wear face coverings and maintain at least six feet of physical distance while working out indoors, citing an outbreak at a Chicago gym over the summer that infected at least 68% of those attending high-intensity fitness classes.
At least 55 out of 81 individuals who attended classes at the gym between Aug. 24 and Sept. 1 tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a report published Wednesday by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Among that group infected with COVID-19, at least 24 reported serious symptoms, and two were hospitalized, said the report, which was conducted with the assistance of the Chicago Department of Public Health."
Santa Ana cop admits taking $128,000 in bribes to protect illegal businesses in city
MICHAEL FINNEGAN: "A Santa Ana police officer pleaded guilty Wednesday to accepting $128,000 in bribes to protect illegal businesses operating in the city.
Officer Steven Lopez, 29, admitted he took the money from an unnamed crime figure in return for a promise to keep law enforcement officers from inspecting, searching or shutting down the businesses.
The man who made the payoffs was seeking protection for Vietnamese gambling operations, according to a person familiar with the matter. It was unclear whether Lopez, who joined Santa Ana’s police force in 2016, was in a position to provide such protection."
Biden aims to distribute masks to millions in ‘equity’ push
ZEKE MILLER and DARLENE SUERVILLE: "President Joe Biden plans to distribute millions of face masks to Americans in communities hard-hit by the coronavirus beginning next month as part of his efforts to ensure “equity” in the government’s response to the pandemic.
Biden, who like Donald Trump’s administration considered sending masks to all Americans, is instead adopting a more conservative approach, aiming to reach underserved communities and those bearing the brunt of the outbreak. Trump’s administration shelved the plans entirely.
Biden’s plan will distribute masks not through the mail, but instead through Federally Qualified Community Health Centers and the nation’s food bank and food pantry systems, the White House announced Wednesday."
