Heat dome will cover entirety of California during Labor Day weekend. Will it spark new wildfires?
The Chronicle, GERRY DIAZ: “Bay Area residents aren’t the only ones traveling this holiday weekend. The big ol’ heat dome that’s setting off extreme heat in SoCal and Nevada will grow and cover the entire state of California between now and Labor Day.
Weather models continue to expand the time frame of the heat wave by another day — the event is now set to run through Labor Day before it finally winds down Tuesday night. Cities east of I-880 and up in the North Bay wineries can expect triple-digit heat to peak on Labor Day. Even the slightly cooler Santa Cruz mountains are looking to get their share of hot temps in the 90s, with a few of the higher peaks likely to reach the 100-degree mark Monday.
For communities along the S.F. Bay (excluding the city of San Francisco) there is a heat advisory in place from 11 a.m. Sunday to 8 p.m. Monday, while the National Weather Service implemented excessive heat warnings throughout the inland Bay Area regions. And with this days-long heat wave we can expect some additional weather risks.”
The science behind California’s worsening heat waves, explained
The Chronicle, JACK LEE/JOHN BLANCHARD: “A late-summer heat wave has nestled itself into the California-Nevada border, bringing potentially record-breaking temperatures across the state. Heat could reach dangerous levels in the Bay Area, with forecasts of triple-digit temperatures in some areas.
The cause? A heat dome. This atmospheric lid is trapping hot air over the Western U.S., triggering intense heat forecast to last for several days, with temperatures spiking in Northern California amid Labor Day weekend celebrations.
In the U.S., heat kills more people in an average year than other weather extremes — more than torrential floods, tornadoes and cold snaps.
Looking for a deal on a car? California may offer $1,000 tax break for not buying one
DALE KASLER, SacBee: "With 28 million vehicles on the road, California can rightfully call itself the unofficial capital of American car culture.
The Legislature, though, just passed a bill offering a $1,000 tax break to households that don’t have any. In an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change, both houses of the Legislature overwhelmingly passed SB 457 on Wednesday.
It was one of several climate bills lawmakers sent Gov. Gavin Newsom on the last day of the legislative session.
It’s a wrap: Nuke power, care for the mentally ill, abortion rights
Capitol Weekly, WILL SHUCK: “The final curtain fell early Thursday on a legislative session that coursed through a pandemic, bolstered reproductive rights, saw a speaker nearly dispatched by his own caucus and drew the national spotlight to a governor who had survived an effort to recall him from office.
Several legislators and staff wore masks during the marathon voting session. Some stood close and whispered in one another’s ear. Arms patted backs, and, as Washington prepared for another round of vaccines, many walked closely together past a sign taped to a Senate desk reminding members about social distancing. The Legislature, like most of the state, was ready to move on.
Outside the Capitol, California moved along in a familiar pattern: Torrid statewide temperatures, a deepening drought and a major wildfire near Castaic grabbed the public’s attention.
California Democrats fail to pass concealed carry bill responding to Supreme Court decision
LINDSAY HOLDEN, SacBee: "California lawmakers failed early Thursday to push through a set of rules shoring up the state’s concealed carry gun laws following a Supreme Court decision that weakened permitting restrictions.
The bill from Sen. Anthony Portantino, D-Burbank, would have created a new permitting process for people who want to carry guns in public. The U.S. Supreme Court in June struck down California’s restrictive concealed carry law, prompting a scramble to rewrite the rules.
As an urgency measure, Senate Bill 918 required 54 votes in the Assembly, rather than the usual 41. It fell two votes short on Tuesday night, and Portantino promised to push for reconsideration.
Dirty water, drying wells: Central Californians shoulder drought’s inequities
LAT, HAYLEY SMITH/BRIAN VAN DER BRUG: “On a hot morning in August, the pressure gauge on Jesús Benítez’s well read about 10 pounds per square inch — barely enough for a trickle.
The 74-year-old has been living just outside of Visalia, in the heart of California’s San Joaquin Valley, for about 14 years, ever since he decamped from Downey in search of bigger skies and more space. But the once-green three-acre property that was meant to be his retirement haven is now dry, brittle and brown.
Like a growing number of Central Californians, Benítez is bearing the brunt of the state’s punishing drought, which is evaporating the state’s surface water even as a frenzy of well drilling saps precious reserves underground. As a result, the number of dry wells in California has increased 70% since last year, while the number of Californians living with contaminated drinking water is at nearly 1 million.”
One by one, L.A. firefighters on front lines succumb to extreme heat, adding new danger to job
LAT, HAYLEY SMITH/BRITTNY MEJIA: “The first pager alert came Wednesday at 3:02 p.m.
It was 112 degrees beneath a cloudless sky, and a firefighter battling the still-nascent Route fire near Castaic was in need of medical assistance.
The next alert came five minutes later.”
State lawmakers reject bill to curb farms’ water pumping
CALMatters, RACHEL BECKER: “California lawmakers punted on a proposal to rein in agricultural groundwater pumping as drought continues to grip California and more than a thousand domestic wells have run dry.
A bill by Assemblymember Steve Bennett, a Democrat from Santa Barbara, would have added hurdles to obtain a permit to drill an agricultural well. Though the bill cleared the Senate on Monday, Bennett elected to not bring it up for a final vote in the Assembly before the Legislative session timed out Wednesday night. He said California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office told him the bill was no longer viable because of changes made.
During one of the driest years in recent history, California legislators did not pass any new laws that would boost the water supply or protect groundwater from overpumping, although funds were included in the budget for groundwater management and programs like water recycling.”
California Legislature approves climate change steps, but one ambitious one fails
CALMatters, NADIA LOPEZ: “California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s last-minute legislative plan for tackling the climate crisis was largely victorious as lawmakers approved laws to set interim targets for 100% clean energy, regulate projects to remove carbon from the atmosphere and smokestacks, and end new oil drilling near communities.
One ambitious bill for tackling climate change, however, was shot down by the Assembly: AB 2133 – which would have ramped up goals for reducing greenhouse gases — failed at the last minute.
Five of the six climate and energy bills pushed by Newsom made it to his desk. He now has until Sept. 30 to sign or veto them.”
Some California power plants have already failed due to extreme heat. So how will the grid hold up this weekend?
The Chronicle, CLAIRE HO: “Will there be rolling blackouts in California this weekend? It depends on how hot it will get as well as how much Californians voluntarily cut back their power usage.
The blackouts, also known as rotating outages, “are a possibility but not an inevitability,” grid operator President and CEO Elliot Mainzer said at a Wednesday news briefing.
State officials have urged Californians to scale back electricity usage between the peak hours of 4 and 9 p.m. to ease the strain on the grid amid heavy air conditioning use prompted by the heat.”
100 in the truck, 120 on the roof: How workers are coping with California’s heat wave
LAT, SUHAUNA HUSSAIN/KIERA FELDMAN/HUGO MARTIN/SAMANTHA MASUNAGA: “A delivery driver relies on 15 bottles of water to get him through his route. A beekeeper keeps a portable fan under her veil. A construction worker starts as early as 6 a.m. but still ends the day with a sweat-soaked shirt.
This week’s triple-digit heat wave has pounded workers across Southern California, particularly those who labor primarily outdoors or whose workplaces, like many warehouses, lack air conditioning. It’s yet another way that climate change is contributing to inequality, and it is only going to get worse.
“We’re seeing temperatures increase, we’re seeing heat waves become more common,” said Amir Jina, an assistant professor at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy who researches how environmental change affects societal development. “This is really an effect less borne by the person in the high-paying job in an air-conditioned office” and more by people in lower-income jobs, such as warehouse workers and delivery drivers.”
OP-ED: Justice reform: Policymakers must follow the path defined by voters
Capitol Weekly, ANNE IRWIN: “Two weeks ago, another attempt to recall Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón failed decisively, with proponents unable to muster support from even 10 percent of voters despite spending over $8 million on this latest effort.
Like the June primary results, this failure reminds us that L.A. voters, like voters across California, continue to support meaningful justice reforms and candidates who embrace them.
Over the past decade, Californians have approved several changes to the criminal legal system, including course correcting laws that had driven up the state’s incarceration rates to unprecedented levels and led to widespread racial disparities throughout the justice system.”
CDC authorizes new omicron-specific booster shots against COVID
The Chronicle, ERIN ALLDAY: “Two redesigned COVID vaccines meant to improve protection against the currently circulating omicron viruses won approval from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday after a federal advisory panel voted to recommend updated boosters for Americans ages 12 and older who have finished their first round of shots.
The panel’s endorsement came as several members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices raised questions about the lack of data on the reformulated shots and how well they work in humans. The advisory vote was 13-1 in favor of recommending the boosters, and CDC Director Rochelle Walensky acted within hours to grant final authorization.
With formal CDC approval in hand, the shots could go into arms by the end of this week. Wide distribution is set to start after Labor Day. The Food and Drug Administration authorized both updated vaccines — made by Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech — on Wednesday, and the U.S. government already has ordered 170 million doses for a fall vaccination campaign.”
Judge: S.F. activists who bungled Amazon tax measure can likely pull it from the ballot
The Chronicle, MALLORY MOENCH: “A San Francisco judge issued a tentative ruling Thursday saying he is inclined to let proponents pull a measure meant to tax Amazon from the November ballot.
The request came from its backers after they realized the measure might not apply to the e-commerce giant and instead could ensnare hundreds of small businesses and reduce general city revenue.
A hearing will be held Friday and the judge will issue a final ruling by the end of the day Wednesday.”
Gov. Newsom quashes bill to provide more funding for Black students
EdSource, JOHN FENSTERWALD: “The sponsor of legislation that would have provided $400 million in additional funding to raise the academic achievement of Black students pulled the proposal hours before likely passage Wednesday, after Gov. Gavin Newsom raised objections.
Newsom advisers did not say what those objections were, although four years ago, in a similar bill, Assembly legislative analysts suggested that the legislation would violate Proposition 209, a 1996 constitutional amendment. It bars preferential treatment by state and local governments in areas of public employment, education, and contracting based on sex, race and ethnicity. Two years ago, California voters reaffirmed Prop. 209 by voting down an initiative to rescind it.
Both the 2018 legislation and Assembly Bill 2774, sponsored by Assemblywoman Akilah Weber, D-San Diego, would have added funding for the first time for students in the lowest performing student group, which for decades has been Black students. Because the bill focused on student performance, not race, Weber and proponents said the bill would not violate Prop. 209. The bill moved through the Legislature with nearly unanimous approval, without a mention of Prop. 209. Faced with similar opposition from then-Gov. Jerry Brown, the 2018 bill, although popular, also stalled before reaching Brown’s desk.”
Citing ‘escalating tension in modern politics,’ USC pulled out of hosting mayoral debate
LAT, BRIAN ORESKES: “As the Los Angeles mayoral race heads into its frantic final months, debate organizers have been caught up in bickering between the candidates’ camps as well as scheduling snafus and last-minute cancellations.
Two debates — a televised debate Sept. 21 on Fox 11 with The Times, Univision, KPCC and Loyola Marymount University as partners, and a KNX radio debate Oct. 6 — will be the first of the general election season between Rep. Karen Bass and businessman Rick Caruso.
The TV debate, which will also feature a debate between the candidates for L.A. County sheriff beforehand and include a live audience, will take place at the Skirball Cultural Center after the University of Southern California pulled out last month, according to interviews and emails obtained by The Times.”
U.S. added 315,000 jobs in August despite inflation, rising interest rates
AP, CHRISTOPHER RUGABER: “America’s employers slowed their hiring in August in the face of rising interest rates, high inflation and sluggish consumer spending but still added 315,000 jobs.
The government reported Friday that last month’s job gain was down from 526,000 in July and below the average gain of the previous three months. The unemployment rate rose to 3.7%, from a half-century low of 3.5% in July, as more Americans came off the sidelines to look for jobs.
Even though the job gain declined from July, the report still pointed to a resilient labor market and an economy that is not near recession. The number of people looking for work jumped last month, which boosted the unemployment rate because not all of them found jobs immediately. The influx of job seekers should help employers fill a near-record number of openings in the coming months.”
Millennials can’t afford to pay rent in these California cities because of the renter wage gap
LAT, SUMMER LIN: “Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and three other California cities have some of the biggest millennial renter wage gaps in the country — the gap being the difference between what the typical worker can afford versus the average rental costs.
Of the California cities, L.A. has the biggest rent wage gap for millennials, followed by San Diego in third place, San Francisco in fifth, San Jose in seventh, Riverside in eighth and Sacramento in 12th, according to an analysis by Filterbuy using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample.
In L.A., the millennial wage gap was minus 49.5% in 2020, with millennial renters making a median wage of $36,649, according to the analysis. However, renters needed an average wage of $72,560 to pay for a one-bedroom rental. The median rent for a one-bedroom was about $1,814; about 35.6% of millennials in the city were renters.”
This Bay Area city saw the biggest pandemic rent declines in the U.S. — and still hasn’t fully recovered
The Chronicle, KELLIE HWANG: “Most major cities across the U.S. have seen apartment rental prices bounce back above pre-pandemic levels - but San Francisco and Oakland remain among the very few exceptions, new data shows.
In all but three of the country’s 50 biggest cities, the price of a one-bedroom rental in August 2022 exceeded the price in March 2020, according to data from real estate listings site Apartment List.
Two of those three are in the Bay Area: Oakland’s median one-bedroom rent in August was 9.5% below March 2020 — the lowest growth rate of the 50 cities included in the data. San Francisco followed with an 8.5% drop over the same time period.”
The case for ‘Frisco’: History weighs in on S.F.’s controversial nickname
The Chronicle, PETER HARTLAUB: “The most San Francisco tweet in history was written in 1928.
That was the year of the first great Frisco war, when more than 20 Chronicle readers spent three weeks intensely debating whether locals should ever use the word on the paper’s letters to the editor pages.
“It is extremely offensive to me … to hear San Francisco called ‘Frisco,’” Joan Woodbury wrote on Oct. 4, 1928. “If I had my way, we would have an electric sign over the Ferry Building saying, ‘This is San Francisco — Not Frisco,’ so that the newcomer would be duly reprimanded when he entered our portals.””
