California Policy and Politics Monday Morning  

State officials open investigation into whether Larry Elder failed to disclose income sources -- California regulators have launched an investigation into whether recall election gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder failed to properly disclose his income sources, a spokesman with the Fair Political Practices Commission confirmed on Sunday. Adam Elmahrek in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/23/21

Recall candidate Larry Elder wins over Fresno rally with call to end mask mandate and more -- Larry Elder, the conservative talk radio host and leading challenger in the state’s race to recall California Gov. Gavin Newsom, hit all of his talking points at a packed rally Sunday at the Paul Shaghoian Performing Arts Center in Fresno. Robert Kuwada in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/23/21

Fire  

Caldor Fire jumps north of Highway 50 amid red-flag winds, nearly topping 100,000 acres -- The Caldor Fire burning in El Dorado County jumped Highway 50 on a day of high winds and red-flag fire conditions and continues to head northeast Sunday. Vincent Moleski in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/23/21

Man in Dixie Fire evacuation zone arrested. He allegedly set piles on fire, refused to leave -- A homeowner was arrested near Taylorsville on Sunday morning on suspicion of refusing to leave despite mandatory evacuation orders put in place due to the nearby Dixie Fire and for allegedly setting fires on his property. Vincent Moleski in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/23/21

COVID School  

Coronavirus testing expected to resume for LA County high school teams in some sports, including football -- The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health made updates to its guidance for youth sports on Friday that indicate that weekly testing will be required for high school sports in the “moderate” and “high risk” categories. Fred Robledo in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 8/23/21

Policy & Politics 

Elder shakes up recall campaign team -- Amid increasing scrutiny over his treatment of women and calls for his withdrawal from the race, California Republican gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder is shaking up his campaign team and hired a new campaign manager, Politico has learned. Carla Marinucci Politico -- 8/23/21

Audit report provides ammo for Newsom recall -- State Auditor Elaine Howle periodically issues a list of “high risk” state agencies and programs, essentially warnings to governors and state legislators about festering problems needing attention. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 8/23/21

Street  

A driver may have intentionally hit a COVID-19 vaccine worker in Newhall, Sheriff’s officials say -- A driver hit a worker at a COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Newhall on Sunday, and appeared to do so intentionally, law enforcement officials said. A motive for the apparent attack, which involved the driver hitting the worker with the car’s side mirror at the clinic at a Los Angeles County facility on Market Street at around 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, was not clear. Josh Cain in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 8/23/21

Coronavirus pandemic blamed as key factor in LA’s spiking homicide rate -- Psychological strain and economic hardship stemming from the coronavirus pandemic contributed to an increase in killings recorded not just in Los Angeles, but across California and in cities and suburbs nationwide, according to a report from the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice released in June. Eric Licas in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 8/23/21

Education  

Many small districts complain California shorted their funding during the pandemic -- Ayear ago, the Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom promised school districts they would be held harmless financially for the 2020-21 school year for a drop in student attendance. Lawmakers recognized the havoc that the pandemic would create in tracking student daily attendance, the basis for their funding, as schools went in and out of distance learning. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 8/23/21

SDSU investigating raucous parties in College Area on eve of fall semester -- The last weekend before the start of San Diego State University’s fall semester erupted into raucous parties in the College Area, with bottles and beer cans left in the street, fireworks and fire crackers set off, and a clash that ended in a shooting that injured a teenage boy late Saturday night, San Diego police and community members said. Gary Robbins, David Hernandez in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 8/23/21

California universities reopen in person; will delta variant push students back to Zoom? -- Uncertainty is the new reality tens of thousands of students face this fall as campuses repopulate residential halls, classrooms and other facilities while the coronavirus pandemic rages for yet another academic year. At any point, campuses could shift back to remote learning, if that’s what public health authorities recommend or if a significant outbreak of Covid-19 spreads. Ashley A. Smith and Michael Burke EdSource -- 8/23/21

Sunday Updates   

Caldor Fire closes in on 100,000 acres after jumping Highway 50 -- Firefighters were eyeing the weather as the Caldor Fire continued to rip through vegetation Sunday on its way to charring 100,000 acres, while the Dixie Fire to the northwest brought more evacuations. Rick Hurd, Aldo Toledo in the San Jose Mercury$ Alex Wigglesworth, Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times$ Vincent Moleski in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/22/21

What happens when a national park needs to be evacuated because of wildfire? -- Before the Dixie Fire ignited forestland in California’s northeast in July, Lassen Volcanic National Park had been on pace to hit its highest number of annual visitors. Gregory Thomas in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/22/21

Policy & Politics 

California recall reality: Newsom could be replaced by candidate with far fewer votes -- For weeks, legal scholars have debated whether the recall election of Gov. Gavin Newsom could be found unconstitutional if Newsom failed to realize a “no recall” majority of the ballots cast and was ousted by a candidate who received fewer votes than he did. Maura Dolan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/22/21

Larry Elder is out of step with California on many issues - and he could be governor -- Conservative talk show host Larry Elder is out of step with most Californians when it comes to abortion, the minimum wage, fracking, climate change and women in the workplace. Nevertheless, Californians could be calling him “Gov. Elder” on Sept. 14, as the Republican could be elected in the state’s recall election with far less than 50% of the vote. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/22/21

Larry Elder is leader among California recall candidates. That might help Gavin Newsom -- Gov. Gavin Newsom talks about Larry Elder everywhere he goes. During a conversation with Planned Parenthood on Wednesday, Newsom blasted the conservative talk show host for opposing abortion. On Monday, at a campaign event in San Jose, Newsom warned Democratic supporters that an Elder victory in the recall could result in a Republican takeover of Congress. Sophia Bollag in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/22/21

Volunteers campaign door-to-door to fight Newsom recall as polls show a tight race -- Lupe Smith and Sherry Williams walked up to the 21st house on the street in Sacramento’s North Natomas neighborhood, prepared with a spiel about how Gov. Gavin Newsom has been good to home care workers like themselves. The woman who answered didn’t need convincing. Sophia Bollag in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/22/21

Protestors rally for gubernatorial recall, against COVID-19 mandates -- Demonstrators urged the recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom and rejection of mask and vaccine mandates at a rally that drew about 150 people to Waterfront Park Saturday. Deborah Sullivan Brennan in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 8/22/21

Pulpit Persuasion   

Some Southern California church leaders pushing political extremes -- Church and politics often mix. But Christian nationalism and conspiracy theories may be new elements in local sermons. Brooke Staggs, Deepa Bharath in the Orange County Register -- 8/22/21

Financial Misery  

These Southern California cities are at high risk of financial misery, auditor says -- Disneyland is open. Hotels are buzzing. But the home of the Happiest Place on Earth is now on California’s high-risk watchlist nonetheless. The “high-risk” designation — equivalent to a municipal Scarlet Letter — means that these cities have “high risk for the potential of waste, fraud, abuse, or mismanagement, or that have major challenges associated with their economy, efficiency, or effectiveness,” according to the California State Auditor. Teri Sforza, Jason Henry in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 8/22/21

Vaccine  

These 3 communities have some of the lowest vaccination rates in the Bay Area. Why? -- Many unvaccinated residents shared a distrust in the government and medical establishment and a desire not to be rushed or forced into getting the vaccine. Some repeated misinformation about the vaccine that they saw on social media, read on the internet or heard from a friend or family member. Others were simply unsure how or whether to make the vaccine a priority in their busy lives. Julie Johnson, Nanette Asimov, Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/22/21

Street  

Oakland police chief has been on the job for six months. Has he delivered on his promises? -- When Mayor Libby Schaaf swore in Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong in February, she said he had “the hardest job in America” as he faced escalating homicides amid a fierce debate about how to stop the violence. Now, more than six months into the job, Armstrong candidly described his role as the city’s top cop as “tough.” Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/22/21

San Diego sheriff’s sergeant got plaque for deploying Taser 25 times -- After Sgt. Shawn Silva recorded his 25th shooting of an electronic stun gun, his friends and co-workers in the San Diego Sheriff’s Department presented him with a custom-made plaque featuring a replica Taser and tally marks denoting each incident. Jeff McDonald in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 8/22/21

Climate  

Wildfires, drought and blackouts: California’s climate change nightmare is already here -- After last year’s historic wildfire season, two nights of blackouts and a dry winter that raised alarm bells about another drought, California knew a difficult summer lay head. Then things really turned bad. Dale Kasler and Margo Rosenbaum in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/22/21

Afghanistan  

Veterans try to reconcile rout of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. ‘The cost of war is people’ -- Jeff Le went to Afghanistan twice as a civilian to hire locals to work with the United States. Watching the Taliban’s swift takeover has left him consumed with remorse over promises unkept in the country. “I feel tremendous guilt in the pit of my stomach,” Le said. “I hired them — I was making significant pitches about making a better world. I’m directly involved with them having a target on their back.” Phil Diehl, Andrew Dyer, Tammy Murga, Karen Pearlman, Gary Warth in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 8/22/21

Homeless  

Homeless lawsuit survives against San Diego city and county, though most claims were dismissed -- Plaintiffs vow to press on with discrimination claims, said they were denied hotel rooms amid COVID-19 pandemic Jeff McDonald in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 8/22/21