Atmospheric river approaches California: Here’s a timeline of impacts
The Chronicle, GERRY DIAZ: "Sudden downpours of rain and hail have become a bit of a nuisance across the Bay Area this week, with every day hosting its share of thunderstorms. Wednesday’s thunderstorm cells will chip away at the dry high-pressure system sitting just off the coast, setting us up for days of heavy rain.
The high-pressure system will fall apart by Thursday afternoon. And like water bursting through a failing dam, a torrent of atmospheric moisture will spill into Northern California. This river of atmospheric moisture will then be absorbed by a storm system between Thursday and Friday, expanding in size and intensity as it uses the moisture to fuel its rain, snow, winds and hail.
The stage is set for Thursday and Friday to be chock full of severe weather. This forecast will serve as a timeline for what’s coming over the next three-day period."
‘A shameful situation’: Angry mountain residents trapped by snow ask why help took so long
LA Times, SUMMER LIN/NATHAN SOLIS/LUKE MONEY/GRACE TOOHEY: "Officials knew the San Bernardino County mountains were going to be hit by a bad storm days before an unprecedented blizzard rolled in.
But they found themselves unprepared for the historic amount of snow and the disruptions it would bring. More than 100 inches of snow fell in back-to-back storms over the course of a few days, shutting down most mountain roads and leaving multiple communities stranded, some for nearly two weeks since.
Some of the snowplows local officials had available proved no match for the massive accumulation of snow. And because much of California was also experiencing record-setting wintry weather, supplemental supplies from other counties were unavailable, officials said."
A new state agency could implement reparations in California. Here’s what’s proposed
Sacramento Bee, MARCUS D. SMITH: "California’s Reparations Task Force recently concluded its two-day public meeting geared toward compensating Black Americans affected by the legacy of slavery. But the nine-member body is a long way from the finish line.
The panel has until July 1 to submit its final report to the Legislature. In the meantime, it is focused on gathering feedback and working out the report’s moving parts.
One of the key discussions of the recent meeting was the creation of a new state agency — a “freedmen’s bureau” to be the authority should reparations become a reality."
What’s next for #wesaidenough?
Capitol Weekly, RICH EHISEN: "It has been over five years since more than 140 women in the California Capitol community signed a letter calling for an end to what they termed a “pervasive” atmosphere of sexual harassment and “dehumanizing behavior by men with power in our workplaces.”
A lot has happened since. In 2019, legislative leaders announced the creation of the Workplace Conduct Unit to investigate harassment claims under the auspices of the Office of Legislative Counsel. A handful of lawmakers have resigned. Dozens of staffers have been disciplined, including several who were fired.
But has there been any real change in the behavior that drove some of the most knowledgeable and experienced women in the Capitol to publicly speak out in the first place?"
Court rejects religious objection to COVID vaccine from mother of child in government custody
The Chronicle, BOB EGELKO: "Vaccinations against COVID-19 are recommended, but not required, for schoolchildren in California. When a judge orders vaccination for a youngster living in a group home, however, a state appeals court says the youth must comply despite a parent's religious objection.
In its decision Monday, the Second District Court of Appeal in Los Angeles quoted a 1944 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court on the limits of religious exemptions from secular laws: “The right to practice religion freely does not include liberty to expose the community or the child to communicable disease.”"
After COVID-19 school chaos, California lawmakers debate role of superintendent
LA Times, MACKENZIE MAYS: "When California children were stuck at home in distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and schools reopened unevenly across the state, raising equity concerns, frustrated parents demanded action from Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond.
But unlike other states, where superintendents were leading the charge, it was Gov. Gavin Newsom who steered the pandemic response in California, negotiating with teachers unions and setting guidelines for schools. Meanwhile, Thurmond was criticized for a lack of action.
Now, two years after the governor and legislative leaders devised a multibillion-dollar plan to safely reopen schools, lingering COVID-19 frustrations could add momentum to a decades-long debate about the role of California’s superintendent of public instruction."
Latino representation lags on Sacramento nonprofit leadership boards, study says
Sacramento Bee, MATHEW MIRANDA: "Sacramento’s non-profit sector lacks Latino leadership, despite the relatively diverse population of the River City.
That’s according to a six-month study from Latinos LEAD, a Los Angeles-based non-profit organization.
Research found that Latinos consist of 10% of the board members at 103 organizations spanning Sacramento, Roseville and Folsom. In nearly 40%, or 41, of the boards, there were no Latinos."
Antiabortion activists are coming to California
The Chronicle, ERIN ALLDAY: "When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last June, Melanie Salazar felt empowered to ramp up her fight against abortion. But her home state of Texas had already put in place laws to ban the procedure — her enthusiasm might be wasted there, she feared.
“I was thinking, ‘Should I go to New Mexico? Should I go to D.C.?’ ” said Salazar, 24. Her fellow antiabortion activists suggested a bolder move: California, a state where abortion protection is enshrined in the Constitution and the governor has promised to make it a sanctuary for people from other states where the procedure is now outlawed.
“It’s a game of offense now, not defense,” since Roe was overturned, Salazar said. “And I feel like California is the place to be.”"
COVID in California: Early coronavirus strains caused severe disease in kids most frequently
The Chronicle, AIDIN VAZIRI: "With official COVID emergencies coming to an end, a San Francisco supervisor seeks to make sure that tenant protections don't disappear without a "wind-down" period. And although COVID is not yet done with its destruction, experts say the increase in deaths among vaccinated people does not indicate that vaccines don't work. UCSF's Dr. Bob Wachter is worried about the political climate that could make a future pandemic even more devastating."
Are young boys of color set up to fail in early education?
EdSource, KAREN D'SOUZA: "Toddlers are famous for throwing tantrums, stomping their feet and screaming as tears roll down their chubby cheeks. It’s par for the course of life as a preschool teacher, child care worker or parent that you will have to cope with your fair share of developmentally-appropriate misbehavior, including hitting and biting.
And yet not all small children get the benefit of the doubt when they act up in class or on the playground. Some of them get kicked out of school, perhaps derailing their education.
That’s one of the unsettling truths exposed in the new report “Creating Equitable Early Learning Environments for Young Boys of Color: Disrupting Disproportionate Outcomes.” A 450-page collaboration between nonprofit research and policy organization WestEd and the California Department of Education that combines moving vignettes with practical tips and scholarly insights, the report aims to raise awareness of disparities in disciplinary practices in early learning and care programs. Since preschool suspensions and expulsions disproportionately impact children of color, research shows, particularly Black boys, this is fundamentally an issue of equity. Overall, Black preschoolers are 3.6 times more likely to be suspended than white preschoolers, according to federal data."
S.F.’s COVID eviction moratorium would get a 60-day extension under new proposal
The Chronicle, JD MORRIS: "San Francisco tenants who can’t pay their rent due to COVID-related hardship would be protected from eviction for another two months after the city ends its mayoral state of emergency under a new proposal from Supervisor Dean Preston.
Preston was to introduce legislation Tuesday to create a 60-day “wind-down period” for eviction protections the city put in place during the pandemic. Currently, San Francisco landlords are not allowed to evict tenants over COVID-related rent debt that accumulates between July 2022 and whenever Mayor London Breed’s pandemic emergency proclamation ends."
S.F. immigrant advocacy group criticizes Biden administration over detention centers
The Chronicle, JORDAN PARKER: "Carecen SF, a resource and advocacy organization focused on helping Latinos and immigrants, condemned the Biden administration Tuesday after the New York Times reported the administration is considering locking up families in detention centers at the U.S.-Mexico border.
In its statement, Carecen said it is “horrified” that Biden is considering the return of family detention, saying “a humanitarian crisis requires a humanitarian response.” The statement said that lawyers from Carecen SF provided legal help to families detained during the Trump and Obama administrations and saw children who were malnourished, emotionally scarred and crying in pain due to lack of medical attention."
Inside one woman’s fight to stave off homelessness as eviction cases flood courts
LA Times, PALOMA ESQUIVEL: "In her small studio apartment in Westlake, Leticia Graham stared at her tablet as the courtroom on her screen filled with people like her: renters facing eviction. With mounting panic, she realized she was supposed to have been there in person.
She had little saved for a new apartment, and knew losing her case would leave her homeless.
But like a majority of renters in eviction court, she did not have a lawyer, and the judge was explaining that she had made crucial mistakes as the clock ticked on her trial, which was scheduled for that day. It was her only shot at staying longer in her home."
Rupert Murdoch did not believe the 2020 election was ‘stolen,’ despite what you heard on Fox News
LA Times, STEPHEN BATTAGLIO: "While Fox News guests and anchors presented former President Trump’s false allegations that voter fraud led to his loss in the 2020 election, network boss Rupert Murdoch didn’t believe a word of it.
Deposition testimony released Tuesday showed Murdoch, the chairman of Fox Corp., did not buy into any of the theories pushed by Trump’s legal representatives and surrogates on his conservative news network.
Fox News is being sued by Dominion Voting Systems in a $1.6-billion defamation suit that alleges the network deliberately lied about fraud claims to boost its ratings. Murdoch was deposed in the case Jan. 19."
Sacramento Republican activist Jorge Riley pleads guilty in Capitol Riot plea deal
Sacramento Bee, SAM STANTON: "Sacramento Republican activist and Jan. 6 Capitol Riot defendant Jorge Aaron Riley pleaded guilty Tuesday to a single felony count of obstructing an official proceeding, making Riley the third of four area residents to accept plea deals related to the insurrection.
Riley, 45, had faced a five-count indictment that charged him with disorderly conduct, entering a restricted area and demonstrating in a Capitol building, stemming from his actions during the riot when he allegedly entered then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office.
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta set sentencing for Sept. 6."
