California Policy and Politics Friday Morning  

Study shows dramatic decline in effectiveness of all three COVID-19 vaccines over time -- As the Delta variant became the dominant strain of coronavirus across the United States, all three COVID-19 vaccines available to Americans lost some of their protective power, with vaccine efficacy among a large group of veterans dropping between 35% and 85%, according to a new study. Melissa Healy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/5/21

L.A. won’t immediately ticket businesses that violate strict vaccine mandate rules -- Los Angeles city officials are set to implement some of the nation’s strictest COVID-19 vaccine verification rules next week, but they don’t plan to immediately cite or fine those who run afoul of the new regulations. Luke Money, Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/5/21

Mask mandates in LA County are likely to continue until next year, Ferrer says -- Mask mandates in Los Angeles County are likely to continue until next year, according to Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer, spoke at a Thursday, Nov. 4, hearing about the region’s fight against a potential coronavirus surge this holiday season. Brennon Dixson in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 11/5/21

‘Get going quickly’: Will child COVID vaccines help Sacramento ward off winter surge? -- After coronavirus activity plateaued for most of October, Sacramento County health officials hope the rollout of vaccines to younger children can help put the region back on a declining trajectory — which may allow for some looser local restrictions. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/5/21

Kids doses, COVID vaccine side effects and California schools: Answers to your questions -- Here’s what we know so far about the Pfizer COVID vaccines for youngsters 5 to 11 years old: Hanh Truong in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/5/21

Newsom and guards challenge vaccine mandates at prisons, warning of staff departures -- With COVID-19 vaccine mandates growing across California, opponents in law enforcement are warning that their ranks would rather quit or retire than get their shots. And the state’s prison guards and staff have an unusual ally: Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has otherwise been a champion of vaccines. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/5/21

Union says hundreds of unvaccinated L.A. firefighters could lose their jobs if city doesn’t pay for COVID-19 testing -- If the city doesn’t cover the cost of testing unvaccinated employees, about 800 Los Angeles firefighters could be fired if they don’t pay for the tests themselves when an order mandating the COVID-19 jab for all city workers goes into effect Dec. 18, the firefighters’ union says. Eric Licas in the Orange County Register Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/5/21

Local Catholic Diocese: Students Can Evade COVID-19 Vaccine With Personal Belief Exemption -- A memo from Catholic leaders to local diocese schools obtained by Voice of San Diego explains how students at parochial schools across California can use a personal belief exemption to opt out of taking the COVID-19 vaccine, despite the state’s mandate for public and private schools. Personal belief exemptions are not available for other mandated vaccines. Will Huntsberry Voiceofsandiego.org -- 11/5/21

How will U.S. COVID vaccine mandate affect Bay Area, California? -- Several cities and counties in California already have enacted similar vaccine requirements for private employers, but the federal rules expand such requirements across the state. Here’s the latest on vaccine rules for private workers. John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/5/21

Policy and Politics  

California redistricting 101: What you need to know -- Some describe redistricting as a giant puzzle; others call it the world’s most difficult art project. Sameea Kamal CalMatters -- 11/5/21

Kevin McCarthy says Democrats in Biden-won seats are in danger. These Californians are on the list -- Several of California’s Democratic members of Congress sit in districts Where Biden won by 16 points or less. In total, McCarthy’s assessment would threaten six House Democrats: Gillian Brassil in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/5/21

Latinos are a majority in Fresno County. How new voting boundaries could limit their power -- The process to redraw Fresno County’s supervisor district boundaries is nearing its end, with the Board of Supervisors indicating this week they want to move forward with a new map that some say fails to provide the Latino community with the political representation it will need for the next decade. Nadia Lopez in the Fresno Bee$ -- 11/5/21

Smith: A fight for Ridley-Thomas is a fight for voting rights? Call it the MLK strategy -- In the 2014 film “Selma,” there’s a powerful scene in which Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., portrayed by David Oyelowo, rouses a church full of Black folks into fighting for their right to vote — or otherwise be rendered “voiceless.” Erika D. Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/5/21

Lawsuit briefly blocking California assisted death law ends -- An appeals court has formally ended a lawsuit that in 2018 temporarily suspended a California law that allows adults to obtain prescriptions for life-ending drugs, a gap that advocates blamed Thursday for a significant drop in its use that year. Don Thompson Associated Press -- 11/5/21

Wilma Chan remembered as a quietly effective leader, ‘fierce’ advocate for community -- A straight shooter. Tough. Candid. Super committed to young people. Those were some of the words that friends and colleagues used to describe Alameda County Supervisor Wilma Chan. Annie Sciacca in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/5/21

'This is a dangerous intersection': Death of Wilma Chan raises tensions over traffic safety in Alameda -- The death of Alameda County Supervisor Wilma Chan, who was hit Wednesday by a motorist at a waterfront intersection in the town of Alameda, escalated an already-tense public conversation over street safety in the island city. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/5/21

Supply Chain  

New cargo tariff appears to be bringing some early compliance at the Port of LA -- A pending tariff that will charge ocean carriers for containers left too long on terminal property appears to be motivating faster movement of cargo before any fines have even been assessed. Donna Littlejohn in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 11/5/21

Workplace   

More than 30,000 Kaiser healthcare workers prepare to strike -- Union leaders representing more than 30,000 Kaiser Permanente workers, including nearly 27,000 in Southern California, have given management a 10-day notice of their intent to strike beginning Monday, Nov. 15 over what they claim are proposed wage cuts for new and existing employees. Kevin Smith in the Orange County Register -- 11/5/21

Street  

We obtained never-before-seen data on how Chesa Boudin is prosecuting cases. Here's what it shows -- A review of charging rates for specific crime types, which allows a more accurate assessment of what Boudin’s administration has done differently, shows that charging rates have increased for rape and drug cases under his watch, while they have decreased for theft and other lower-level offenses. Susie Neilson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/5/21

Border  

Advocates ask San Diego district attorney to charge Border Patrol agents in alleged cover up -- The groups said agents tampered with evidence, obstructed justice in the case of the killing of Anastasio Hernandez Rojas Kate Morrissey in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/5/21

Housing  

Tension over state vs. local control in California housing policy could get even worse next year -- Growing tension over state intervention in local housing policy is likely to further escalate in the coming year as state officials ramp up their enforcement of laws that aim to boost production while opponents pursue a constitutional amendment to wrest back authority. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/5/21

San Diego Economy  

San Diego tops nearly every other US county for defense spending -- A new report by the Department of Defense Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation shows that more money flows into the local economy than is spent in 37 states. Steve Walsh, Roland Lizarondo KPBS -- 11/5/21

Education  

California Tries to Close the Gap in Math, but Sets Off a Backlash -- Proposed guidelines in the state would de-emphasize calculus, reject the idea that some children are naturally gifted and build a connection to social justice. Critics say math shouldn’t be political. Jacey Fortin in the New York Times$ -- 11/5/21

Academy of Art University in San Francisco settles fraud case alleging it dangled Hawaii trips, pay hikes to recruiters -- The Academy of Art University in San Francisco has settled a 12-year-old federal fraud lawsuit with four former recruiters whose case had threatened to cripple the huge for-profit school if it had lost in court. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/5/21

‘Broken promises’: SJSU students chide university leaders for the housing crisis on campus -- Nearly two years have passed since San Jose State President Mary Papazian and other top university administrators vowed to address housing insecurity on campus and ensure that every student had a safe and secure place to live. Maggie Angst in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/5/21

Is new support the key to success for formerly incarcerated community college students? -- The first time Danny Muñoz went to jail, he was only 14. He was in and out of the justice system for the next few decades, starting with minor offenses like fighting before moving on to more serious charges as an adult. Emily Forschen CalMatters -- 11/5/21

How six California community college districts became targets of scammers -- At least six California community college districts suspect they have given out financial aid to fake students who have enrolled at their colleges this year. Michael Burke EdSource -- 11/5/21

Environment  

Bay Area company replacing plastic bags with compostable versions made from seaweed -- The bags are biodegradable, designed to break down quickly in a backyard compost, and stronger than the plastic they mimic, said Sway CEO Julia Marsh. Tara Duggan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/5/21

Also . . .   

Berkeley has bird’s-eye view of peregrine falcons’ love triangle -- A scandal is unfolding at UC Berkeley, and at its center are the flirtations of an interloper and a wounded mate. Nathan Solis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/5/21

'I really, truly should be dead': Bay Area woman mauled by bear in Tahoe while fighting cancer -- Laurel-Rose Von Hoffmann-Curzi, of Orinda, knew something was wrong early Saturday morning when she heard large "thunk" noises coming from the kitchen of her North Lake Tahoe vacation home. Michelle Robertson in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/5/21

Stephen Sweeney, N.J. Senate President, Loses to Republican Truck Driver -- For nearly a decade, Stephen M. Sweeney, the second most powerful lawmaker in New Jersey, seemed truly unassailable. Nick Corasaniti and Tracey Tully in the New York Times$ -- 11/5/21

Ginny Mancini dies; big-band singer, L.A. philanthropist and widow of composer Henry Mancini -- Ginny Mancini, a jazz singer in the heyday of the big-band era who became a generous benefactor to the concert halls of L.A. as well as the city’s small and often struggling music academies for children, has died at her home in Malibu. One of Hollywood’s leading philanthropists, Mancini died Oct. 25. She was 97. Steve Marble in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/5/21