California and other Western states support 'critical' COVID booster shots
AIDIN VAZIRI, Chronicle: "California’s health department and the scientific review panel that also represents three other western states recommended Monday that individuals whose immune systems are compromised get an additional vaccine dose “to ensure extra protection from COVID-19.”
“As California continues to see an increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, it is critical we take action to protect immunocompromised people who are most vulnerable to severe disease,” Dr. Tomas Aragón, director of the California Department of Public Health, said in a statement.
Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized a third dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine for people with weakened immune systems, to better protect them as the highly infectious delta variant of the coronavirus continues to surge."
California sees signs Delta surge is slowing, but a new challenge looms
LUKE MONEY, RONG-GONG LIN II, LA Times: "California enters a crucial phase in its battle against the Delta variant this week — the reopening of schools — with some hopeful signs: The number of people being infected and falling seriously ill with COVID-19 is no longer accelerating at dramatic rates and even beginning to flatten in some areas.
Many experts are optimistic over the progress, but some officials stressed it’s too early to know definitively whether the surge caused by the highly contagious strain is peaking.
California is now reporting about 11,800 new coronavirus cases a day over the last week, up 7% from the previous week, according to a Los Angeles Times analysis. That’s a far slower pace of increase than in the previous week, when there was a 30% jump in daily cases, and much better than in early July, when there was an 86% week-over-week increase. Daily cases remain far below the pandemic peak of nearly 45,000 new cases a day."
California Assembly employees must get vaccinated to keep their jobs, top Democrat says
Sacramento Bee, HANNAH WILEY: "California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Lakewood, is requiring all Assembly employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or face termination, according to a memo sent to employees on Monday.
Workers have until Sept. 1 to start their vaccination process, unless they have a medical or religious reason to skip the shots. Rendon said that will give his house nearly two weeks to begin working toward greater levels of immunity before the Legislature adjourns for the year on Sept. 10.
The requirement will help provide “additional protection for anyone entering the Capitol,” Rendon said, and he made the decision with “the support of Assemblymembers.”
GOP recall candidates vow to roll back Newsom mask, vaccine rules. But can they?
PHIL WILLON, LA Times: "Republicans hoping to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom after the Sept. 14 recall election have vowed to rescind a series of statewide COVID-19 vaccination and mask mandates, and, given the broad executive authority granted to California governors, they almost certainly could make good on those promises if elected.
Should Newsom lose the election and a Republican take his place, GOP lawmakers and activists who have condemned the Democratic governor’s use of his sweeping powers would be poised to have a political ally in office who could wield those very same powers to implement their own policies.
A new Republican governor may decide to follow the lead of those in Texas and Florida and issue executive orders banning mask mandates in defiance of masking requirements enacted by counties, cities and school districts. But any attempt to do so could be blocked by the Democrats who control the California Legislature and challenged in court, as is currently happening in those two states."
Susanville residents told to 'be alert' as Dixie Fire creeps closer
Sacramento Bee, MICHAEL MCGOUGH: "Major wildfires continue to burn actively in California, as forecasters warn gusty winds this week could produce yet another round of critical fire weather.
Thousands of fire personnel continue to battle the month-old Dixie Fire, which is burning primarily in Butte and Plumas counties. The blaze has burned 569,707 acres (890 square miles), with containment stalled at 31%, Cal Fire reported in a Monday morning update. It is California’s second-largest wildfire ever recorded.
The Dixie Fire has destroyed close to 1,200 buildings, at least 625 of which were homes, according to Cal Fire. It largely leveled the town of Greenville earlier this month."
US to recommend COVID vaccine @ 8 mos.
AP, ZEKE MILLER: "U.S. experts are expected to recommend COVID-19 vaccine boosters for all Americans, regardless of age, eight months after they received their second dose of the shot, to ensure lasting protection against the coronavirus as the delta variant spreads across the country.
Federal health officials have been actively looking at whether extra shots for the vaccinated would be needed as early as this fall, reviewing case numbers in the U.S. as well as the situation in other countries such as Israel, where preliminary studies suggest the vaccine’s protection against serious illness dropped among those vaccinated in January.
An announcement on the U.S. booster recommendation was expected as soon as this week, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations."
READ MORE VAXX-MANDATE NEWS --- Sacramento considers vaccine mandate for indoor acftivities. Here's what would be covered -- Sacramento Bee, THERESA CLIFT;
San Diego County recommends employers require proof of vaccination or regular testing -- JONATHAN WOSEN and MIKE FREEMAN, U-T.
Longtime Chamber of Commerce CEO to retire after 23 years lobbying for California business
Sacramento Bee, JEONG PARK: "Allan Zaremberg, California Chamber of Commerce’s president and CEO, will retire at the end of the year after 23 years on the job, the organization announced Monday.
Leading California’s main business advocacy organization through five governors, Zaremberg and his organization found success in both Democratic and Republican administrations.
Under Gov. Jerry Brown, CalChamber was a part of the successful campaign against repealing the state’s gas tax hike. Under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, CalChamber successfully pushed for sweeping changes to the state’s workers’ compensation system that cut costs for the employers."
READ MORE on Zaremberg retirement: Allan Zaremberg, Cal Chamber’s leader, announces retirement -- JOHN HOWARD, Capitol Weekly;
PG&E warns of safety blackouts in Northern California as hot, dry weather persists
Sacramento Bee, DALE KASLER: "With more critical wildfire weather looming, PG&E Corp. has warned it might shut off power to thousands of Northern Californians late Tuesday.
Pacific Gas and Electric Co., already under investigation in connection with the massive Dixie Fire, said it might impose a blackout Tuesday night to 39,000 homes and businesses in 16 counties stretching from Mendocino to Yolo.
About two-thirds of the affected customers would be in Butte and Shasta counties."
Map: See If You Could Be Affected By PG&E’s Potential Aug. 17 Shutoff
EMILY ZENTNER, Capital Public Radio: "Due to high fire risk weather, PG&E anticipates it may shut off power to about 39,000 customers in the Sierra Nevada foothills, North Coast, North Valley and North Bay mountains Tuesday night.
The counties that could be impacted include Butte, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Napa, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Solano, Sonoma, Tehama, Trinity, Yolo and Yuba counties. The majority of customers expected to lose power — about 27,000 — are in Butte and Shasta counties.
PG&E also expects that customers in the Berry Creek Rancheria, Mooretown Rancheria and Pit River Tribes may be affected."
PG&E inspected power lines two weeks before the Fly Fire started in Plumas County
JULIE JOHNSON, Chronicle: "PG&E crews inspected company equipment and vegetation near the site where the Fly Fire in the Sierra Nevada began in late July, but never made note of a white fir that later toppled onto utility lines, possibly igniting the blaze that merged with the Dixie Fire to become the second-largest wildfire in California history, papers filed in federal court showed Monday.
Six trees near the suspected origin of the Fly Fire were put on a nonurgent list marking them for trimming or removal because of their proximity to power lines, the court filings show. But the white fir that toppled onto utility lines on July 22 — a charred tree was later collected as evidence — was not among those mentioned in any report.
Pacific Gas and Electric lawyers on Monday reported the company’s inspection history in the Quincy area in response to a federal judge’s order demanding the utility detail what is known so far about its role starting the Dixie Fire, a massive blaze that has so far cost the U.S. Forest Service $217 million to fight and is only 31% contained. It has been burning since July 14 and has destroyed 1,173 structures."
California fishermen say a new air quality rule could put them out of business. Here's why
Sacramento Bee, MACKENZIE SHUMAN: "San Luis Obispo County sportfishing operators are sounding the alarm over proposed new California emissions standards they say would render their boats useless and put them out of business.
“If the current regulations are set to pass, then I’ll be shut down,” said owner and operator of Avila Beach’s Flying Fish Sportfishing Wayne Blicha. “I’ll have a worthless boat in California.”
In its mission to aim to clean up the air, protect public health and combat climate change, the California Air Resource Board (CARB) has proposed amendments to its commercial harbor craft emissions regulations that would require many boats to upgrade to cleaner, “tier 4” engines with diesel particulate filters between 2023 and 2030."
California drought takes toll on world’s top almond producer
TERENCE CHEA, AP: "As temperatures recently reached triple digits, farmer Joe Del Bosque inspected the almonds in his parched orchard in California’s agriculture-rich San Joaquin Valley, where a deepening drought threatens one of the state’s most profitable crops.
Del Bosque doesn’t have enough water to properly irrigate his almond orchards, so he’s practicing “deficit irrigation” — providing less water than the trees need. He left a third of his farmland unplanted to save water for the nuts. And he may pull out 100 of his 600 acres of almond trees after the late summer harvest — years earlier than planned.
“We may have to sacrifice one of them at the end of the year if we feel that we don’t have enough water next year,” said Del Bosque, who also grows melons, cherries and asparagus. “That means that our huge investment that we put in these trees is gone.”
President Biden's electric car order doesn't make it easier to buy one. Here's why
Sacramento Bee, GILLIAN BRASSIL: "President Joe Biden this month signed an executive order to encourage more sales of electric cars, aiming for half of new sales to be zero-emission vehicles by 2030. Alongside him, several automakers promised to increase manufacturing of battery electric, fuel cell and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
But buying those cars might not become any easier for the average car owner for some time, some experts and senators said.
Ford, GM and Stellantis (which owns Chrysler and Fiat) pledged that they would increase production to meet Biden’s 2030 goal."
