California braces for Omicron wave amid grim forecasts, concerns for hospitals
LA Times, RONG-GONG LIN II and EMILY ALPERT REYES: "With officials Sunday painting a grim picture of a winter in which the Omicron variant spreads with devastating speed, California hospitals are trying to do what they can to prepare for the weeks and months ahead.
Public health officials are expecting some kind of wave of new infections to sweep through during the winter, and depending on how large it is, that could tax the hospital system in a way not seen since the summer Delta surge.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s chief medical advisor on the pandemic, said Sunday the nation should be prepared for big spikes in hospitalizations and deaths, especially in areas with low vaccination rates, because of the remarkable spread of Omicron."
Scientists didn't see omicron coming. And no one knows what's next
The Chronicle, CATHERINE HO: "In spring 2020, shortly after the pandemic began, many scientists predicted that the coronavirus would not evolve particularly fast.
But those predictions have been upended time and again — and never more so than with omicron, a variant with an astonishing number of mutations that is rampaging through Europe and South Africa. In New York, cases are suddenly soaring to record levels as holiday parties and sports games are canceled, and California officials are bracing for a similar crisis in the coming weeks.
Once again, uncertainty and worry are rising. No one knows what the next Greek letter variants will unleash."
Bay Area transit faces 'fiscal cliff' as ridership collapse endures
Mercury News, ELIYAHU KAMISHER: "With no end in sight to the pandemic-induced downturn in public transportation ridership, many Bay Area transit agencies are warily eyeing their operating budgets, which have been kept afloat by billions in federal relief money during the public health crisis.
Riders are not returning in force and without their ticketing revenue, transit operators are burning through federal funds with hundreds of millions in budget shortfalls on the horizon. That means transit agencies are looking for new cash and voters may be asked to foot the bill in the coming years if they want to avoid service cuts.
“Everybody is asking how long the runway might be for the federal money provided and nobody knows the answer to that,” said Seamus Murphy, the executive director of Water Emergency Transportation Authority, which runs the San Francisco Bay Ferry. “Our fiscal cliff is imminent. … It’s all dependent on how ridership returns.”"
Moderna says its booster shot provides good protection against Omicron
AP: "Moderna said Monday that a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine should offer protection against the rapidly spreading Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
Moderna said lab tests showed that the half-dose booster shot increased by 37 times the level of so-called neutralizing antibodies able to fight Omicron.
A full-dose booster was even stronger, triggering an 83-fold jump in antibody levels, although with an increase in the usual side effects, the company said. While half-dose shots are being used for most Moderna boosters, a full-dose third shot has been recommended for people with weakened immune systems."
‘Fuel for the next fire.’ Why California can’t unload the trees that worsen its wildfires
DALE KASLER, SacBee: "Niel Fischer’s company sits on an enormous stack of kindling — a staggering backlog of dead and dying trees that could catch fire again.
Collins Pine Co. was left with 30,000 acres of blackened pines and firs after the Dixie Fire ripped through the company’s private forest in Plumas County this past summer. There’s no way Collins’ lumber mill can process the trees quickly, and the same goes for neighboring lumber companies struggling with their own stock of burned, dried-out and combustible timber.
“Dead on the stump — I mean dead — we’re estimating 10 to 15 years of supply,” said Fischer, the resource manager at Collins. “They are at a high risk of burning again ... at a higher intensity level than would a green forest.”
Venus is about to do something really cool, and it will be easy to watch it unfold
JOHN MEYER, Mercury News: "Earth’s nearest planetary neighbor is about to show off, undergoing an intriguing transition that will be easy and fun to follow for novice sky gazers between now and early January.
This month, Venus has been sinking lower and lower toward the southwestern horizon every evening near sunset. It’s also getting closer to Earth every night, so it appears to be getting larger. With binoculars, you can see its crescent shape facing the sun, the same way sunlight illuminates a crescent moon. On Jan. 3, a faint crescent moon will appear just to the left of Venus.
Venus, the second-brightest object in the nighttime sky after the moon, will then disappear as it moves into inferior conjunction, meaning it will be moving between the sun and the Earth. On Jan. 8, it will be in a straight line between the Earth and the sun. A few days later, it will reappear in the morning sky around sunrise, rising later and later in subsequent mornings."
California likely to crack down on water waste with daily $500 fines
The Chronicle, KURTIS ALEXANDER: "After two years of drought, Gov. Gavin Newsom remains reluctant to put limits on statewide water use. His administration, however, is looking to take a first step.
Next month, the State Water Resources Control Board is expected to adopt temporary prohibitions on outdoor water practices, including hosing down driveways, filling up decorative fountains and watering lawns within 48 hours of rain.
A violation of these rules would carry the threat of a $500-a-day fine."
Mayor Breed is leaning into a crackdown on crimme and drugs. What happens if she can't deliver on her promises?
The Chronicle, RACHEL SWAN/MALLORY MOENCH: "Pressured by an overdose crisis, a struggling downtown and hostile national headlines, Mayor London Breed started making aggressive moves this month. She filled Union Square with police, promised to open a supervised drug-use site and announced a crackdown on both street-level dealers and open-air drug users in the Tenderloin, measures she accelerated Friday by declaring a local state of emergency.
But the reaction to the mayor’s calls to get tougher in the core of San Francisco — in her words, to be “less tolerant of all the bulls— that has destroyed our city” — showed the rugged terrain she is trying to navigate as the city fiercely debates how to approach homelessness, drug addiction and brazen theft.
Some residents, merchants and cops cheered Breed. Meanwhile, some progressive leaders — who favor the drug-use site but not the police crackdown announced Tuesday — said the city’s conservative critics had succeeded in whipping up fear and wrongly blaming police reform for lawlessness in the Tenderloin."
Storms headed to Northern California. Here’s how much rain is expected in Sacramento
VINCENT MOLESKI, SacBee: "Weather forecasters are predicting several inches of rain in Sacramento and other areas in Northern California this week, as a series of storms are expected to hit the region, in addition to several feet of snow over the Sierra Nevada.
The National Weather Service’s Sacramento office said Sunday that after rainstorms move in late Monday, Sacramento could see 3 to 4 inches of rain between Tuesday and Saturday.
More stormy weather is possible through to the end of the year, and snow on mountain passes could pose a hazard to holiday travel plans.
Placer County has new supervisor district boundaries. See where you’ll vote in 2022
Sac Bee, MOLLY SULLIVAN: "The Placer County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to adopt a new district boundary map Tuesday that was created by members of the public and widely supported by county residents.
The map, known as “Hybrid 2.0, Option 1,” makes a few significant changes to the county’s district boundaries, including uniting Rocklin within one district, adding the entirety of Granite Bay to another district, and adding Auburn and North Auburn to District 5.
The county grew by nearly 57,000 people in the past decade, with the largest areas of growth in Roseville, Rocklin, Lincoln and other parts of the western county. To compensate for all the western growth, the new district map had to increase the size of the eastern districts, according to meeting documents."
California Dems trying to do both: reform policing and call for more cops
The Chronicle, JOE GAROFOLI: "Last year, in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, top California Democrats said reforming policing was among their top priorities.
This week, a bunch of them dialed 911 — or at least the political equivalent.
It was a reminder that the political road to redefining police responses is not going to be easy, quick or direct, even in the most liberal cities. And when confronted with a rise in crime — and a lot of public pressure to do something, dammit — the natural instinct of even the most progressive political leaders is to break glass and pull the alarm. Still."
LA accuses LAPD academy gun store of negligence, breach of contract as scandal widens
LA Times, KEVIN RECTOR: "The city of Los Angeles has accused the operator of a gun store located within the Los Angeles Police Academy of negligence in its operations and breach of contract, the latest twists in a widening scandal involving stolen firearms landing in the hands of LAPD officers.
The claims, made in multiple court cases in the last week, mark the first time since the broader scandal broke last year that the city has taken direct aim at the Los Angeles Police Revolver and Athletic Club, or LAPRAAC, a nonprofit organization and gun store with which the city has maintained a relationship for more than 85 years.
The city accused the store of sloppy management and record keeping, of breaching its lease agreement by failing to obtain the proper insurance for the store, and of negligence in its hiring, training and supervision not just of Archi Duenas, the store manager who was convicted of gun theft in the case, but also of at least four other employees, including general manager Ruben Crane."
Sen. Warren tests positive for COVID
NY Daily News: "Sen. Elizabeth Warren tested positive for COVID on Sunday, the Massachusetts Democrat shared in a tweet.
“I regularly test for COVID & while I tested negative earlier this week, today I tested positive with a breakthrough case,” the progressive former presidential candidate said.
“Thankfully, I am only experiencing mild symptoms & am grateful for the protection provided against serious illness that comes from being vaccinated & boosted.”
