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California lobbyist found dead; Placer County deputies shot suspect at her home -- Authorities are investigating the deaths of a California lobbyist and her boyfriend in connection with an hours-long standoff at the lobbyist’s Loomis home in which Placer County sheriff’s deputies shot an armed suspect. The Golden State Bail Agents Association said it was “shocked and saddened” to learn of the deaths of its lobbyist Kathryn Lynch and her boyfriend, Jerry Upholt. Rosalio Ahumada in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/29/22

Suspect shot dead by Fresno police at headquarters. He attacked a detective, chief says -- During a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Police Chief Paco Balderrama said it was not immediately clear how the man got past the locked gates and passcodes to enter the building, but that he wasn’t supposed to be there. Joshua Tehee and Thaddeus Miller in the Fresno Bee$ -- 3/29/22

Infectious Omicron BA.2 now dominant in U.S., with coronavirus spring rise likely -- How big that potential upswing might prove to be remains the subject of much debate. Some officials and experts believe California is well-armored against another significant surge — largely because the vast majority of residents have either been vaccinated or likely have some natural immunity left over from a recent infection. Luke Money, Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/29/22

FDA approves Pfizer and Moderna second booster shot for people 50+ -- A second booster shot of either the Pfizer or the Moderna COVID-19 vaccines was authorized for people 50 or older and certain immunocompromised individuals, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday. This is the fourth dose of Pfizer and Moderna vaccine approved by the FDA for people 50 and older. Jessica Flores in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/29/22

Should I get a second COVID booster vaccine? -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will soon offer official advice. But experts such as Dr. Eric Topol, founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Jolla, offered these recommendations: Lisa M. Krieger in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/29/22

Policy and Politics  

California Hopes to Balance Legislation From Conservative States -- State leaders are drafting laws to make California a sanctuary for people seeking abortions and for transgender youth. Soumya Karlamangla in the New York Times$ -- 3/29/22

Black reparations panel could decide who gets compensation -- California’s first-in-the-nation task force on reparations is at a crossroads, with members divided on which Black Americans should be eligible for compensation as atonement for a slave system that officially ended with the Civil War but reverberates to this day. Janie Har Associated Press -- 3/29/22

Antitrust Bill Targeting Amazon, Google, Apple Gets Support From DOJ -- The Justice Department Monday endorsed legislation forbidding large digital platforms such as Amazon and Google from favoring their own products and services over competitors’, marking the Biden administration’s first full-throated support of the antitrust measure. Ryan Tracy in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 3/29/22

Save Mart   

California grocery store chain with Sacramento locations sold to private equity firm -- Modesto-born Save Mart Supermarkets has been bought by a Los Angeles-based private equity firm, ending 70 years of Central Valley ownership of the popular grocery chain. Marijke Rowland in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/29/22

Workplace   

Many California state workers prefer remote work in Sacramento, survey results show -- A total of 1,114 state workers responded to the question about in-person work requirements, with an even 50/50 split on whether they were asked to return to the office by last week. However, roughly 70% said they prefer remote work. Noor Adatia in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/29/22

California teacher pay is not keeping up with inflation -- Average teacher pay in California public schools rose to $85,856 in the 2020-21 school year, an increase of 1.6% from 2019-20, new state data show. By comparison, inflation rose by about 5% from May 2020 to May 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, meaning that California teachers typically saw their real wages drop. Phillip Reese in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/29/22

Street  

‘If I were 25, I wouldn’t come to San Francisco’: Yet, after thieves took $100,000 of bikes, store owner says he’s staying -- Kash, who goes by the one name, has seen and heard and smelled it all: the incessant fentanyl dealing, the daily overdoses, the scams, the screams, the stench, the pop-up marketplaces of hot goods. Recently, an encampment popped up next to his shop and a guy was barbecuing and selling stolen meat. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/29/22

Facing discipline after text message review, Northern California sergeant, captain retire -- Facing discipline stemming from a yearlong investigation into a text message scandal, a Northern California police captain and sergeant have both retired from the Eureka Police Department. City officials on Monday announced Sgt. Rodrigo Reyna-Sanchez and Captain Patrick O’Neill left the department as of Friday. Jason Pohl in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/29/22

Staying Afloat  

Most renters can’t afford to live in Sacramento. These common jobs just don’t pay enough -- To afford the fair market rent for a two-bedroom home in Sacramento County without becoming rent burdened, a person would need to earn more than $28 an hour — almost double the state’s minimum wage of $15 an hour, or roughly $58,302 a year — according to a 2021 analysis by the National Low Income Housing Coalition. Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/29/22

Education  

Land Park and East Sacramento schools get substitutes when they call. It’s a crisis elsewhere -- Alair won’t request a substitute teacher, even for part of the day, because she knows what it will mean for her AP World History students: they will likely be corralled into the school auditorium and monitored by a teacher who is on their prep period with little to no instruction. Sawsan Morrar in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/29/22

Sacramento schools offer bonuses worth thousands of dollars, to be paid with COVID funding -- Sacramento schools received about $289 million in federal COVID relief funds over the last two years, giving the Sacramento City Unified School District a financial cushion to navigate the pandemic. David Lightman in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/29/22

Climate  

California oil hub Kern County working with Biden energy agency on transition to green industry -- Local leaders are hoping that, with the help of the United States Department of Energy, they can devise plans that ease the region’s shift from relying on fossil fuels jobs to clean energy ones. Gillian Brassil and Francesca Chambers in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/29/22

Ukraine  

Lopez: From Kyiv to Palisades Charter High, a 14-year-old refugee starts over -- Not that long ago, says 14-year-old Illia, “I woke up with the sound of rockets.” His father is still home in Ukraine, defending his country against the Russian invasion. His mother and little brother fled to Romania. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/29/22

A Ukraine soldier’s story: In the face of Russian bombs, ‘It’s my country. It’s my city’ -- In a war that has upended millions of lives, killed thousands of people and unleashed almost unfathomable destruction across Ukraine, a country of 44 million, he’s only one soldier. One man, in one particular place — a place that was bombed three separate times. Marcus Yam, Laura King in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/29/22

Oil  

State serves warrant on South L.A. oil drilling facility for overdue site inspection -- State regulators said they had been trying to arrange a site inspection of a problem-plagued oil drilling site in South Los Angeles for months, to no avail. On Monday, they dropped the niceties and arrived at the Allenco Energy facility armed with an inspection warrant, a locksmith and bolt-cutters. Nathan Solis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/29/22

Also . . .   

It’s a ‘sad and scary time’ for LGBTQ students and their families -- Paria Hassouri feels fortunate that her family lives in California and not Texas, where the Republican governor recently issued a directive to investigate parents who seek “gender-transitioning procedures” for their minors. Tyrone Beason in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/29/22

Orange County creates suicide data dashboard to help raise awareness -- Orange County officials are hoping a new online resource with data on suicides will help public agencies, health providers and nonprofits fight the stigma around mental health struggles and prevent deaths. Alicia Robinson in the Orange County Register -- 3/29/22

California Policy and Politics Tuesday Morning  

California wildfire smoke may rise to practically unbearable levels in next decades -- The unrelenting wildfire smoke that’s etched in the memories — and lungs — of many Californians after several difficult fire seasons is expected to worsen in coming years. The extent of the uptick, though, may be far greater than previously thought. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/29/22

Gas  

Breaking Down California's "Mystery" High Gas Prices -- Why Californians are paying $6 per gallon for gasoline while Texans pay less than $4. Allysia Finley in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 3/29/22

Policy and Politics  

California considers letting election workers hide addresses -- Elections in the U.S. have become so polarizing that California is considering treating poll workers with the same caution as domestic violence victims by letting them keep their addresses hidden from public records. Adam Beam Associated Press -- 3/29/22

Who should receive reparations in California for slavery? Answers raise more questions -- Antoinette Harrell has spent nearly three decades of her life verifying cases of slavery in the South before and after emancipation. Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/29/22

Walters: Newsom’s upbeat job picture vs. reality -- A little ritual plays itself out each month after federal and state governments release the latest data about employment. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 3/29/22

Workplace   

California’s economy is recovering. Are workers? -- On the surface, California’s economic recovery from the pandemic is looking rosier and rosier — but underneath, worker discontent is brewing. Emily Hoeven CalMatters -- 3/29/22

Farmworker leader: ‘Why won’t Gov. Newsom meet with us?’ -- United Farm Workers President Teresa Romero did not mince words in questioning by Gov. Gavin Newsom will not meet with farmworker representatives on the birthday of the farmworker movement’s founder. Romero, speaking at a March 24 ceremony at Fresno State’s Peace Garden to honor César E. Chávez, said the governor vetoed the Agricultural Relations Voting Choice Act last year. Juan Esparza Loera in the Fresno Bee -- 3/29/22

Street  

LAPD was right not to investigate Will Smith for ‘slap heard around the world,’ experts say -- By the time Will Smith made it back to his seat after smacking Chris Rock across the face in front of a stunned Oscars audience, armchair legal scholars had taken to social media with their hot takes on whether the theatrical slap amounted to a crime. Libor Jany in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/28/22

Is Will Smith’s Oscars slap considered assault or battery under California law? -- While debate rages on Twitter over whether Will Smith was justified in storming onstage at the Oscars ceremony and slapping comedian Chris Rock, current and former prosecutors said under California law, the slap was clearly a misdemeanor. But charging Smith for battery would be a waste of time and resources, argued several experts who spoke to The Chronicle Monday. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/29/22

Deadly highways: Fewer crashes, but more fatalities -- The pandemic-prompted shift to at-home work dramatically reduced the number of cars on the road, so people drove faster, drank more, paid less attention and got lazy about their seatbelts, all of which contributed to the highest rate of fatal accidents in more than a decade. Will Shuck Capitol Weekly -- 3/29/22

Firefighters rescue woman, man and dog from rain-swollen L.A. River -- Crews used a rope system to lower a firefighter to the woman and her dog, firefighters said. They got a rescue ring to the woman, but she abandoned the device as she tried to keep hold of her dog. Gregory Yee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/29/22

Border  

Judge halts deporting refugee to Iraq, citing torture fears -- A U.S. immigration judge in California has halted the deportation of an Iraqi refugee for fear he could be tortured if he were returned to Iraq to face allegations he killed a police officer on behalf of the Islamic State group. Don Thompson Associated Press Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/29/22

After officials bulldozed a Tijuana tent camp, migrants ended up in shelters, apartments and more tents -- Ever since she and hundreds of other asylum-seekers were forced from a camp outside the San Ysidro Port of Entry in Tijuana, Vanessa has worked two jobs — attendant at both a laundromat and a parking lot — to pay for the dilapidated apartment that her family shares with two other families. Kate Morrissey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/29/22

Education  

Why conservative Christians want to take over southwest Riverside County school boards -- It’s part of a national trend that’s turned public schools into political battlefields over COVID-19 mandates, LGBTQ acceptance and what children should learn about race. Jeff Horseman in the Riverside Press Enterprise$ -- 3/29/22

Parents’ guide to 504 plans and IEPs: What they are and how they're different -- Each year, a greater percentage of students in California qualify for special education. Last year, about 13% of students in California’s K-12 public schools received individualized services for special needs, up from about 10% in the early 2000s. Carolyn Jones EdSource -- 3/29/22

Water  

Newsom imposes new California water restrictions — leaves details to locals -- As a dry summer looms, California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered water suppliers across California to step up their local drought responses, but fell short of requiring water rationing or setting a statewide conservation target.Rachel Becker CalMatters Dale Kasler and Ryan Sabalow in the Sacramento Bee$ Rachel Becker CalMatters Hayley Smith, Jonah Valdez in the Los Angeles Times$ Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press -- 3/29/22

Uber

Uber Close to Deal for Partnership With San Francisco Taxi Outfit -- The company is close to completing an agreement with a San Francisco partner, Flywheel Technologies, to allow Uber passengers in the city to call a taxi through the Uber app, according to four people familiar with the matter and a video presentation by the city’s transportation agency that was viewed by The New York Times. Kellen Browning in the New York Times$ -- 3/29/22

Environment  

State bill calls for Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility to close in 2027 -- Former Gov. Jerry Brown and current Gov. Gavin Newsom have expressed support for closing the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility, in the wake of the massive 2015 gas leak at the site. But despite the publicly stated support dating back to 2017 to close the facility within 10 years, there is currently no requirement to close the facility by a set date. Elizabeth Chou in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/29/22

NRC didn’t properly inspect Diablo Canyon equipment ahead of leak, report finds -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission did not properly inspect equipment at Diablo Canyon, just months before a leak in its once-through cooling system shut down the nuclear power plant, according to a new report. Kaytlyn Leslie in the San Luis Obispo Tribune -- 3/29/22

Also . . .   

Smith: Will Smith’s Oscars slap of Chris Rock settles it. We’re done with Black hair jokes -- Protect Black women. It’s a dignified mantra that, during the most raucous days of 2020, became an unapologetic command shouted at almost every protest and every march for racial justice in Los Angeles. Erika D. Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/28/22

He hacked into government computers to ‘peacefully’ protest treatment of homeless people. How should he be punished? -- On the evening of June 11, 2021, Mexican immigration authorities entered Christopher Doyon’s home in Mexico City and put him in handcuffs. Andres Picon in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/29/22