Updating . .   

Skateboarding superstar charged with hosting COVID-19 superspreader party in L.A. -- Nyjah Huston, a four-time world skateboarding champion, and Edward Essa, the owner of a home in the Fairfax District where authorities say parties have been repeatedly shut down by police since last fall, are among those charged. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/20/21

More problems slow COVID-19 vaccine distribution in Los Angeles -- Los Angeles continued to struggle with COVID-19 vaccine distribution due to a variety of factors Friday as officials pushed forward with efforts to get underserved Black and Latino communities inoculated. Luke Money, Alex Wigglesworth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/20/21

Vaccination rates rise in nursing homes, but when will families be able to visit? -- Melissa Traub hasn’t hugged her 92-year-old mom since March. Like countless others locked out of a family member’s nursing home because of COVID-19, she has spent nearly a year listening helplessly on the phone as her aging mom struggles to comprehend her isolation. Jack Dolan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/20/21

Coronavirus: California’s case and hospitalization numbers keep improving; nearly 7 million vaccines administered -- COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to decline in California after a massive winter surge sent the state back into some of the strictest lockdown orders of the pandemic. Meanwhile, almost 7 million vaccine doses have been administered in the state after one of the slowest starts in the nation. Leonardo Castañeda in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/20/21

New optimism that COVID-19 is finally dwindling as L.A. gains some herd immunity -- As coronavirus cases plummet nationwide and vaccinations total 1.7 million Americans a day and rising, health experts are increasingly striking a new tone in their pandemic assessments: optimism. Soumya Karlamangla, Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/20/21

Two new outbreaks reported in skilled nursing facilities as rate of new cases decrease -- Active outbreaks in San Diego County skilled nursing facilities continued to fall this week, even as new cases among residents and staff increased and two new outbreaks were announced. Lauren J. Mapp in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 2/20/21

Arellano: ‘Distanced in body but close in spirit’: this California church embraced remote worship -- The main hall at Tapestry, a Unitarian Universalist congregation in Lake Forest, stood empty on Valentine’s Day. A padded blanket covered the piano from where music director Melissa Sky-Eagle typically leads everyone in song. Nametags that members wear whenever they gather — customary for the religion as a way to welcome visitors — hung unused near the entrance. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/20/21

Policy & Politics 

L.A. council president threatens to sever ties to water agency under fire over sexual harassment allegations -- The president of the Los Angeles City Council has threatened to sever the city’s relationship with the agency that supplies much of the city’s water over allegations that women working for the organization faced systemic sexual harassment. Adam Elmahrek in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/20/21

Bubble Watch: California housing has hottest month in 17 years -- The housing fervor was created by a trifecta of pandemic forces: Low interest rates, house hunters seeking more living space and few owners interested in selling. And “FOMO” momentum — that’s the “fear of missing out” on a trend — created bidding wars, pushing prices upward. Jonathan Lansner in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/20/21

A century-old fight for tribal recognition simmers over the eastern Sierra Nevada’s Mono Lake -- In a fevered bid for wealth, white ranchers and gold miners began pouring into the remote Mono Lake Basin east of Yosemite in the 1850s, taking over the ancestral lands of Native Americans who had existed there from time immemorial. Louis Sahagún in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/20/21

Ella Emhoff, Kamala Harris’ stepdaughter, is a new kind of style icon -- America got to know Ella Emhoff, the 21-year-old fashion student, when she attended the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who is her stepmother. Martha Ross in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/20/21

In California, disparity in suspending Black boys is widest in early grades, report says -- California’s Black students, Black boys in particular, are far more likely than their peers to be suspended or expelled throughout their school career, especially during kindergarten through third grade, a recent study by San Diego State University professors found. Kristen Taketa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 2/20/21

Lopez: For both the housed and unhoused in this Hollywood neighborhood, help is urgently needed -- For the last year or so, the growing homeless encampments near the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Berendo Street have served as an example of how local government is failing two groups of people: Those living in the tents, and those living in nearby houses and apartments. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/20/21

California Policy and P  olitics Saturday Morning  

LAUSD teachers’ union contemplating a refusal to return to in-person work -- Faced with mounting pressure by some elected officials, parents and others who want schools to reopen, the union representing Los Angeles Unified School District teachers announced Friday, Feb. 19, that its members will soon take a vote on whether they should refuse to return to campus if in-person instruction becomes mandatory. Linh Tat in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 2/20/21

L.A. is expanding mobile vaccination clinics in communities hit hardest by pandemic, mayor says -- The city will increase to 10 its number of so-called mobile equity sites: vehicles that go into high-density, low-income communities, staffed to provide vaccinations, Garcetti said. The goal is to have all 10 in the field by the end of March, the city said in a news release. Alex Wigglesworth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/20/21

Orange County will expand vaccination eligibility to educators, food and agriculture sectors next week -- But short-term plans will be at the mercy of recent extreme winter weather, which has frozen supply lines of an already logistically scarce vaccine. Ian Wheeler, Dan Albano in the Orange County Register -- 2/20/21

Sutter, Kaiser among Bay Area providers affected by massive vaccine shipment delays from storms -- About 702,000 of California’s vaccine doses have been delayed due to a winter storm crippling the Midwest, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/20/21

Black and Latino residents in L.A. County lag behind in getting COVID-19 vaccine -- The COVID-19 vaccination rate for seniors in Los Angeles County increased dramatically in the past 10 days, but disparities continue to mar the vaccine rollout as Latino and Black residents receive vaccinations at a significantly lower level than whites and Asian Americans, according to county health data released Friday. Jaclyn Cosgrove, Soumya Karlamangla, Colleen Shalby, Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/20/21

How to get your first and second COVID-19 doses in Santa Barbara County -- Santa Barbara County residents 65 and older and who work in healthcare are currently eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19. But supply of the two vaccines authorized for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is limited, making securing an appointment challenging. Matthew Ballinger in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/20/21

At least 436 people in Alameda County’s long-term care centers died from COVID-19, records show -- Superior Court Judge Evelio Grillo last month ordered that information to be released to this news organization after the county refused its request for the data under the California Public Records Act. Records turned over by the county this week are even more comprehensive than what the state has published so far. Annie Sciacca in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/20/21

COVID-19 Testing In California Dropped By Over 30% In Recent Weeks. That Could Be A Good Sign -- Public health experts say the decline in testing makes sense — and is actually a good sign. The number of positive cases have steadily declined since the surge over the holidays, and test positivity rates are also way down. Scott Rodd Capital Public Radio -- 2/20/21

‘Promotoras’ playing role in vaccine outreach for Latino communities -- A group of community health workers, or promotoras, is taking information about the COVID-19 vaccine directly to Latino communities. Alexandra Mendoza in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 2/20/21

Policy & Politics 

Newsom recall effort moves closer toward making the ballot, submitting 1.1 million signatures -- Almost 1.1 million signatures have been submitted in support of a recall election against Gov. Gavin Newsom, state elections officials reported Friday, though supporters said a sizable number of voter petitions have yet to be reviewed as the effort approaches next month’s official deadline. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Jeremy B. White Politico -- 2/20/21

Newsom recall has less than half of needed signatures verified so far, state report says -- With less than a month left until the deadline, county officials have verified just over 668,000 valid signatures supporting the effort to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom, according to a report released by the Secretary of State on Friday. Lara Korte in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/20/21

It looks like Elon Musk isn’t moving Tesla out of California after all -- Late last year Elon Musk kissed California goodbye. The Tesla chief executive sold his Bel-Air mansions and said he’d moved to Texas. But while he also threatened to close the electric-car maker’s California factory in Fremont, those threats now look like bluster. Russ Mitchell in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/20/21

Judge tosses Nunes' libel suit against CNN -- A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit Rep. Devin Nunes filed in 2019 claiming he was libeled by CNN in reports alleging he was involved in an effort to dig up Ukraine-related dirt on Joe Biden. Josh Gerstein Politico -- 2/20/21

Warriors will pay city, county $1.2M in legal fees after battle over arena debt -- Two months after the California Supreme Court rejected the Golden State Warriors’ appeal of a ruling ordering the team to pay Oakland and Alameda County millions of dollars in debt from its arena renovations, the team must also shell out $1.2 million in legal fees, according to Oakland City Attorney Barbara Parker. Annie Sciacca in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/20/21

Texas Froze. California Baked. The Power Failed Because Both States Failed to Plan -- A few weeks after California’s rolling power outages last summer, Republican Congressman Dan Crenshaw of Texas pulled out his iPhone and tapped out a political dig at the Golden State. Kevin Stark KQED -- 2/20/21

LA Times  

Patrick Soon-Shiong affirms commitment to the Los Angeles Times -- Soon-Shiong made the statement shortly after the Wall Street Journal published an article saying Soon-Shiong was exploring a sale of the Los Angeles Times and the San Diego Union-Tribune less than three years after he purchased the beleaguered news organizations from Chicago-based Tribune Publishing. “WSJ article inaccurate. We are committed to the @LATimes,” Soon-Shiong wrote on Twitter. Meg James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/20/21

EDD Fraud  

Sacramento EDD fraud bust turns up guns, $550,000 fraud, authorities say -- Sacramento officials announced the arrests Friday of a gang member and his girlfriend in connection with a $550,000 unemployment fraud case involving dozens of victims and the seizure of several assault weapons. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/20/21

Street  

L.A. County sheriff searches offices of LA Metro, oversight board member in criminal probe -- Los Angeles County sheriff’s detectives this week searched the headquarters of L.A. Metro and the offices of a nonprofit run by a civilian oversight commissioner critical of the department’s leadership, sheriff’s officials announced Friday. Jason Henry in the Orange County Register -- 2/20/21

D.A. Gascón seeks information on officers with histories of misconduct in latest reform move -- Dist. Atty. George Gascón has requested that law enforcement agencies across Los Angeles County provide his office with the names of deputies and officers who have histories of misconduct that might affect their credibility in court. Alene Tchekmedyian, James Queally, Ben Poston in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/20/21

‘(Keith Judd) got his brains beat in’: After 41 years, arrest made in brutal killing, robbery of Bay Area bar owner -- Police here have made an arrest in a homicide and robbery of a bar owner that occurred more than 41 years ago, after a detective discovered fingerprint evidence that had somehow been overlooked by previous investigators, authorities announced this week. Nate Gartrell in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/20/21

Only 59% of San Jose sworn police officers report getting COVID-19 vaccine -- San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said that there is “absolutely no good reason why every emergency responder should not be vaccinated.” Maggie Angst in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/20/21

Stanford researcher charged with destroying evidence of her affiliation with China's military -- A Chinese woman who is a visiting medical researcher at Stanford University has been charged with destroying evidence to conceal her affiliation with China’s armed forces. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/20/21

Back to Campus  

USC announces plan for ‘full return’ to campus in fall and a vaccination plan -- A return of faculty, staff and students to campus would be accompanied by “multiple protective measures,” including a campus vaccination operation that will be able to vaccinate 1,200 people a week, a testing program running twice weekly for all undergraduates, and physical distancing measures and classroom reconfigurations, Folt said. Nina Agrawal in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/20/21

Unneeded Classes  

Tens of thousands of community college students still taking unnecessary remedial classes -- A 2017 law started to phase out remedial courses at community colleges, but while there’s been progress, many students still end up taking classes experts say they don’t need. Mikhail Zinshteyn CalMatters -- 2/20/21

Education 

Entire Oakley school board resigns over embarrassing hot mic moment during public meeting -- It started with profanity, jokes about parents just wanting a babysitter or to smoke pot in their homes, and then came the horrible realization by the elected officials making these remarks that they were on a live video stream being broadcast to the public. Nate Gartrell, Judith Prieve in the San Jose Mercury$ Michael Williams, Lauren Hernández in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/20/21

School   

Confusion over S.F. public schools' fall return underscores parents' anxiety -- For months, anxious parents of San Francisco public school students have been wondering what a return to classrooms might look like in the fall. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/20/21

School Sports   

Judge grants San Diego County youth athletes temporary restraining order to compete -- High school athletes in San Diego secured a second victory on Friday, Feb. 19 as a court granted a temporary restraining order requested by two football players seeking an immediate return to competition under the same coronavirus protocols as players in the college and professional ranks. Dan Albano in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/20/21

Youth sports can soon resume in California counties with low COVID-19 case rates -- Outdoor youth and recreational sports could be allowed again next week in California in 27 counties where coronavirus rates are lowest, under new guidelines from the California Department of Public Health announced Friday. Sophia Bollag and Joe Davidson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/20/21

Unpaid Biills  

Fresno residents owe $48 million to PG&E amid coronavirus pandemic. Is there any relief? -- Fresno residents have deferred utility payments that exceed $50 million through January, another example of the need for a federal COVID-19 relief package, Mayor Jerry Dyer said recently. Thaddeus Miller in the Fresno Bee -- 2/20/21

Rent   

Here's the latest Zillow data showing just how far S.F. rents have fallen -- Newly released rental market data has thrown San Francisco’s pandemic-driven rent decline into sharp relief, while showing the opposite trend in nearby Sacramento, as Northern Californians flee pricey urban regions for more affordable ones. Susie Neilson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/20/21

Prop 22   

Instacart is raising prices to help pay for Prop. 22 -- Instacart on Friday raised its prices in California because of Proposition 22, a ballot measure that gave gig workers some benefits and earnings guarantees, while keeping them as independent contractors rather than employees. It is the sixth major company to do so. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/20/21

Immigration / Border / ICE   

First ‘Remain in Mexico’ asylum seekers enter U.S. at San Ysidro -- Two years and 21 days after the first asylum seeker was walked back from San Diego to Tijuana under the Trump administration’s “Remain in Mexico” program, a small group of asylum seekers was escorted in the other direction to wait out immigration court cases in the United States. Kate Morrissey, Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Molly O’Toole in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/20/21

Environment  

Buildings like S.F.'s Millennium Tower are causing the Bay Area to sink under their weight -- It’s not just San Francisco’s Millennium Tower that’s sinking. The entire Bay Area is plunging downward under the weight of its own sprawl. And that’s a concern as sea levels rise and cities try to figure out how they’ll stay above water in the coming decades. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/20/21

Prominent redwood forest preserved in $24.7 million deal -- A vast redwood forest located 80 miles north of San Francisco and sprawling nearly as large as Big Basin Redwoods State Park has received permanent protection under a deal between a Bay Area environmental group and the property’s longtime owners. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/20/21

Also . . .   

Perseverance rover pays tribute to 2018 Camp fire victims -- The 2,260-pound rover, built at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, carried silicon chips inscribed with the names of nearly 11 million people from around the world, including the 85 who died in the 2018 Camp fire in Paradise, Calif. Jennifer Lu in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/20/21

Eunice Sato, first female and only Asian American mayor of Long Beach, dies at 99 -- When Long Beach Mayor Eunice Sato learned that a house shook whenever a city transit bus drove by, she invited herself into that home to experience it for herself. It turned out the homeowner wasn’t exaggerating. Priscella Vega in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/20/21

Former Modesto Mayor Whiteside, champion of valley and thoughtful growth, dies at 78 -- Carol Whiteside, a former Modesto mayor, founder of the Great Valley Center, and one of the region’s biggest champions has died. She was 78 years old. Kevin Valine in the Modesto Bee -- 2/20/21

A 139-year-old S.F. Victorian is getting moved this weekend. It's going to cost $400,000 -- A giant green house is about to do what few San Franciscans have ever done: travel the wrong way on Franklin Street. Steve Rubenstein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/20/21

POTUS 46  

Republicans Struggle to Derail Increasingly Popular Stimulus Package -- Polls show a $1.9 trillion rescue plan polls strongly across the country, including with many Republican voters, despite a scattershot series of attacks from congressional Republicans. Emily Cochrane and Jim Tankersley in the New York Times$ -- 2/20/21