Updating . .   

Tiger Woods hospitalized after serious rollover crash near Rancho Palos Verdes -- Woods was the sole occupant of a Genesis GV80 SUV that was traveling north on Hawthorne Boulevard at Blackhorse Road when he crashed just after 7 a.m., authorities said. The vehicle sustained major damage, and Woods had to be extricated from the wreckage by Los Angeles County firefighters and paramedics, sheriff’s officials said. Hayley Smith, Richard Winton, Faith E. Pinho, Sam Farmer in the Los Angeles Times$ Stefanie Dazio and Doug Ferguson Associated Press -- 2/23/21

HHS pick says pandemic is top job, but agenda is broader -- Health secretary nominee Xavier Becerra told senators Tuesday that confronting the coronavirus pandemic will be his first priority if confirmed, but he also pledged to expand health insurance, rein in prescription drug costs and reduce racial and ethnic disparities in medical care. Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar Associated Press -- 2/23/21

California’s coronavirus strain looks increasingly dangerous: ‘The devil is already here’ -- A coronavirus variant that emerged in mid-2020 and surged to become the dominant strain in California not only spreads more readily than its predecessors, but also evades antibodies generated by COVID-19 vaccines or prior infection and is associated with severe illness and death, researchers said. Melissa Healy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/23/21

LA County’s daily case count falls below 1,000 for first time since October -- For the first time since late October, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported fewer than 1,000 new coronavirus cases on Monday, Feb. 22, finding good news after a long and devastating winter surge. Bradley Bermont in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 2/23/21

More California restaurants, cinemas, gyms could reopen this week as COVID-19 cases drop -- Several counties could be eligible to open indoor operations at restaurant dining rooms, gyms, movie theaters, museums, zoos, aquariums and colleges as soon as Wednesday amid a dramatic improvement in the COVID-19 pandemic. Rong-Gong Lin II, Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/23/21

L.A. resumes COVID-19 vaccinations, with priority to those who lost appointments -- Los Angeles is resuming vaccination appointments after several days of postponements and delays driven by inclement weather. Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/23/21

Californians broadly back COVID-19 hazard pay, protections for farmworkers, poll finds -- Californians overwhelmingly support legislation that provides enhanced farmworker protections and gives hazard pay to essential workers, according to a poll released by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies. Erin B. Logan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/23/21

L.A. city report on grocery ‘hero pay’ warns of potential layoffs, price increases -- A new city report on the Los Angeles City Council’s proposal to require grocery store owners to temporarily boost the pay of their workers raises questions about how grocery chains will shoulder the additional cost. Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/23/21

These Californians are less worried about COVID-19, getting a vaccine or wearing a mask -- Fewer than half of California Republican voters are eager to get a COVID-19 vaccine, according to a recent survey gauging interest in the shots the promise to be the single best tool in ending the deadly pandemic. Hannah Wiley in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/23/21

Stimulus   

Gavin Newsom signs California stimulus laws -- Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation on Tuesday that will send state stimulus payments to low-income Californians and undocumented immigrants struggling financially amid the pandemic. That means Californians who earn below $30,000 annually and qualify to receive the California Earned Income Tax Credit will see one-time $600 stimulus payments soon under Newsom’s $9.5 billion Golden State Stimulus plan. Kim Bojórquez in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/23/21

How do I get California’s $600 COVID relief payment and how quickly will it come? -- Here is what to expect in the coming weeks, along with information about how to get the benefits: Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/23/21

School   

L.A. parents demand schools reopen, saying science and improved conditions are on their side -- When Los Angeles parent Cynthia Rojas heard that federal experts and local health authorities said elementary campuses could reopen, she was ecstatic. But then reality hit her: Campuses in the L.A. Unified School District would not reopen anytime soon. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/23/21

Coronavirus: School outbreak study ties spread to teachers -- Amid debate over reopening public schools closed for almost a year by the coronavirus pandemic, a new federal study Monday indicated that when there were outbreaks on campus, they were chiefly driven by infected teachers. John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/23/21

California is struggling to reopen schools. Could it spell trouble for Newsom in a recall? -- The final day of the California Republican Party convention last weekend opened with an advertisement. Images of Gov. Gavin Newsom flashed on the screen, criticizing him for sending his children to private schools while public schools remain closed. Lara Korte in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/23/21

Policy & Politics 

Xavier Becerra survives fireworks-free Senate confirmation hearing -- Republicans have called Xavier Becerra a radical leftist, but during his first Senate hearing on his nomination to run the federal Health and Human Services Department, the atmosphere was collegial. Tal Kopan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/23/21

Newsom pushes private seawater desalting plant over local and environmental opposition -- When Gov. Gavin Newsom was photographed dining at an opulent Napa Valley restaurant during a surge in coronavirus cases, many Californians saw it as hypocrisy. For opponents of a planned $1-billion desalination plant along the Orange County coast, however, the optics were menacing. Bettina Boxall in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/23/21

Following Biden’s lead, California Democrats want to strike illegal ‘alien’ from state laws -- California Democrats introduced a bill last week that seeks to eliminate the term “alien” from state laws, an immigration classification used to describe undocumented immigrants and foreign-born individuals. Kim Bojórquez in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/23/21

Street  

Berkeley to consider sweeping police reforms including taking cops off routine traffic stops -- As anti-police brutality protests swept the Bay Area last summer, Berkeley and other cities vowed to address racial disparities in police departments. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/23/21

Carbon Goal   

California will fail to meet carbon reduction goals, scathing audit of state predicts -- The state auditor criticized California’s air-pollution agency for mishandling some of its climate-change programs Tuesday, saying the state is in danger of failing to meet the Legislature’s targets for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/23/21

California's electricity prices are so high that researchers worry people won't ditch fossil fuel -- The state’s electric rates are now two to three times what it costs to provide power, a paper released by the energy institute at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and the nonprofit think tank Next 10 reported. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/23/21

Cal Grant  

Major expansion of Cal Grant financial aid proposed for state’s college students -- Nearly 200,000 more California college students could receive state assistance for tuition and living expenses under one of the largest expansions of the Cal Grant financial aid program ever proposed, according to details released Tuesday. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/23/21

Also . . .   

Lawrence Ferlinghetti, poet and founder of City Lights, dead at 101 -- Lawrence Ferlinghetti, poet, publisher, painter and pivotal figure to the Beats and about every other counterculture literary movement in San Francisco, has died at 101. Sam Whiting in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Elaine Woo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/23/21

Tiger Woods hospitalized after roll-over crash near Rancho Palos Verdes -- Woods was the sole occupant of the car, which was traveling north on Hawthorne Boulevard at Blackhorse Road when he crashed just after 7 a.m. The vehicle sustained major damage, and Woods had to be extricated from the wreckage with the Jaws of Life by Los Angeles County firefighters and paramedics, sheriff’s officials said. Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/23/21

California Policy and P  olitics Tuesday Morning  

California legislators approve $7.6-billion COVID-19 package, including $600 stimulus checks -- Californians who qualify for a $600 state stimulus payment could see the money arrive as soon as a month after filing their tax returns under a $7.6-billion COVID-19 economic relief package approved Monday by the state Legislature. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ Adam Beam Associated Press Nicole Nixon Capital Public Radio -- 2/23/21

Newsom touts Long Beach as model for COVID-19 vaccinations, schools reopening -- Despite wavering supplies and glaring racial and geographic inequities plaguing Los Angeles County’s COVID-19 vaccination rollout, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday praised the region’s distribution efforts and touted the city of Long Beach as a model for the rest of the state. Hayley Smith, Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/23/21

‘Not Enough’: Newsom Says More Vaccine Doses Needed, As State Transitions to New Centralized System -- On a visit to Long Beach Monday morning, Gov. Gavin Newsom said the only thing holding back the state's COVID-19 vaccination plan is the limited capacity of manufacturers. KQED -- 2/23/21

My Turn website ‘glitch’ sent people to California clinics that denied them COVID vaccine -- A “glitch” in California’s COVID-19 vaccine registration website incorrectly allowed anyone in the state to register for shots in Kings County, a top public health official there said. Carmen George in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/23/21

Vaccine access codes for Black, Latino communities improperly used in affluent L.A. areas -- A California program intended to improve COVID-19 vaccine availability to people in hard-hit communities of color is being misused by outsiders who are grabbing appointments reserved for residents of underserved Black and Latino areas. Julia Wick in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/23/21

Sacramento got no COVID vaccines last week due to storms. What it means for appointments -- Sacramento County health officials on Monday revealed the county did not get any of its expected vaccine doses last week due to storms that interrupted the nation’s vaccine supply chain, forcing clinics to cancel thousands of appointments over the weekend. Michael McGough and Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/23/21

How the Bay Area is coping with storm-driven vaccine delays -- San Francisco announced Monday it would resume appointments at two of its mass vaccination sites this week, while other counties forged ahead by opening new clinics for teachers and emergency responders. Maggie Angst in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/23/21

Newsom pledges more vaccines for Central Valley farmworkers -- The multi-county region, which includes the cities of Fresno and Bakersfield, will get significantly more vaccines this week dedicated to farmworkers. The shifting allocation comes as California moves to inoculate others beyond health care employees in other essential jobs, including food and farm workers and teachers. Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press -- 2/23/21

Farmworkers get COVID-19 vaccines in Ventura County; teachers are next -- Ventura County is now vaccinating farmworkers as part of a pilot program geared toward the region’s large agricultural sector. Lila Seidman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/23/21

Modified COVID-19 vaccines may get nod from FDA without repeating full trials -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued new guidance Monday that streamlines the vetting process for COVID-19 vaccines that are modified to target new coronavirus variants. Amina Khan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/23/21

‘Partial herd immunity’ emerging, but some challenge the value of that status -- Local health officials say there may be less people to become infected now that so many have caught the virus, and vaccinations are building. But it’s a race against the variants, and time. Ryan Carter in the Orange County Register -- 2/23/21

California inspectors find ‘deficiencies’ at virus test lab -- Inspectors found “significant deficiencies” at California’s new coronavirus testing laboratory, problems that state officials on Monday partly blamed on the rapid ramp-up they required from the lab’s private operator under terms of a $1.4 billion contract. Don Thompson Associated Press -- 2/23/21

School  

Rising tensions, heated words add pressure to reach a deal soon on reopening California schools -- Assembly Budget Committee Chairman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, ended a hearing Monday as he started it, lashing out at school districts for criticizing a bill he and other legislative leaders are proposing that would condition $2 billion in incentive funding on reopening schools, starting April 15. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 2/23/21

Families demand wider school reopening as LAUSD moves toward limited in-person instruction -- Los Angeles schools will resume some services next week for a small percentage of students with special needs, Supt. Austin Beutner announced Monday. However, the measures fall far short of demands from parents who rallied on the Westside to push for a broader reopening of schools. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/23/21

LAUSD superintendent believes April 9 reopening still feasible for elementary schools -- But that will depend on vaccine access for staff, Beutner says, as the district plans to resume some in-person services for high-needs students as well as athletic conditioning next week. Linh Tat in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 2/23/21

San Diego Unified expected to release reopening timeline, updated plans Tuesday -- Amid changing school reopening guidance and delays in getting COVID-19 vaccines to school staff, San Diego Unified is expected to release a new reopening timeline and other details of a revised reopening plan at its school board meeting Tuesday. Kristen Taketa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 2/23/21

LAUSD to launch COVID-tracking app that generates a code for students to enter campus -- The Los Angeles school district says it’s ready to launch a Microsoft-supported “Daily Pass” app when campuses reopen, enabling officials to quickly isolate anyone at a school who has symptoms of COVID-19 or has contracted the virus, an important component to safely reopening schools, Supt. Austin Beutner said Monday. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/23/21

Sacramento City Unified’s Youngest Students Could Return To School In April -- If all goes according to the Sacramento City Unified School District’s plan, some of the area’s youngest students could be back in classrooms in early April. The district put forth its plan to reopen campuses for in-person learning through a phased-in approach. Kris Hooks Capital Public Radio -- 2/23/21

Policy & Politics 

Q&A: What you need to know about the attempt to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom -- Every California governor in modern history has faced recall attempts to oust them from office. All but one have failed, but there is an active effort aimed at Gov. Gavin Newsom that appears to be gaining momentum amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/23/21

Speculation swirls over Becerra’s replacement -- It’s a time-honored habit around the Capitol: Fevered speculation about who may be appointed to fill an empty and important statewide office. Chuck McFadden Capitol Weekly -- 2/23/21

Walters: School reopening row nears climax -- California’s management of the COVID-19 pandemic has been, to say the least, erratic with ever-changing state decrees on business openings and closings and personal conduct and, most recently, a chaotic rollout of vaccinations. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 2/23/21

California passes bill allocating $1.4 million to track anti-Asian bias and hate crimes -- The money will be used to support Stop AAPI Hate’s research and help the organization track anti-Asian incidents, which have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ashley Wong in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/23/21

Asian American man beaten with own cane at Rosemead bus stop in ‘violent, random crime’ -- The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has finished its investigation into the attack of an Asian American man at a bus stop in Rosemead this month and has filed a case for consideration with the district attorney’s office, authorities said Monday. Sarah Parvini, Matthew Ormseth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/23/21

Who is Xavier Becerra? What his California record reveals about Biden’s top health pick -- As his Senate confirmation hearings begin, a look at four different labels friends and foes apply to Becerra, the California attorney general nominated to head the nation’s sprawling network of public health and welfare agencies. Ben Christopher CalMatters -- 2/23/21

Santa Clara County is model for plan to give $1,000 a month to California foster youth -- Borrowing from a Santa Clara County program he proposed, state Sen. Dave Cortese has introduced legislation to provide $1,000 monthly cash payments for California’s foster care youth as they leave the child welfare system. Laurence Du Sault in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/23/21

Street  

Suspect’s plea deal in child-murder case marks latest battle over L.A. County D.A.’s policies -- A convicted child rapist who sexually abused and murdered two young boys in Southern California in the 1980s will spend the rest of his life in prison under a plea deal reached in a Pomona courtroom Monday, ending a case that had become the latest battleground over Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón’s reformist policies. James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/23/21

Education 

Is COVID-19 keeping California students from going to college? Here are the numbers -- As the University of California smashes freshman application records for the upcoming school year, a troubling trend has emerged at state and community colleges — fewer first-time students are applying for the fall semester. Ashleigh Panoo in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/23/21

California's Black students benefited greatly from college policy changes. Advocates have more ideas -- Changing California’s college placement rules has dramatically helped Black students — whose four-year college graduation rate has doubled in the past decade to 20% — and advocates have more ideas about how to push racial equity in higher education. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/23/21

Cal State to pay $39.5 million to student who suffered heatstroke during jogging exercise -- The California State University will pay out a settlement of $39.5 million to the family of a student who experienced heatstroke while participating in a jogging exercise at Cal State San Bernardino in September 2018 and requires round-the-clock care. Nina Agrawal in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/23/21

California teachers move to the front of the vaccine line in most counties -- Thousands of California teachers from urban and suburban school districts who had been waiting for Covid-19 vaccinations finally began receiving their first doses last week, with those numbers expected to climb as the state takes additional steps to prioritize teachers. Diana Lambert EdSource -- 2/23/21

California lawmakers propose Cal Grant reforms to help low-income students -- Hundreds of thousands of students attending California’s colleges and universities may soon become newly eligible for financial aid awards if lawmakers have their way with a proposal to reform how the state distributes that aid. Michael Burke EdSource -- 2/23/21

Border    

San Diego-area Border Patrol agents find $1M worth of cocaine in SUV -- Border Patrol agents found more than 83 pounds of cocaine worth more than $1 million during a traffic stop last week on Interstate 5 just north of San Diego County, officials said Monday. Alex Riggins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 2/23/21

Homeless  

Homeless people face relentless abuse in Lancaster, an ACLU report alleges -- A report released Monday by the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California alleges widespread abuse of homeless people in the Mojave Desert city of Lancaster. Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/23/21

Richmond wants to open a homeless RV site at a mostly vacant mall. Neighbors aren't happy -- Richmond is pushing to open a “safe” parking site with services for homeless people living in RVs at Hilltop Mall, a mostly vacant shopping center. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/23/21

Housing  

Southern California home prices, sales jump 13% in January -- Southern California home prices and sales jumped by double digits in January from a year earlier, as prospective buyers rushed to take advantage of rock-bottom mortgage rates. Andrew Khouri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/23/21

Also . . .   

Larry T. Baza, titan of San Diego arts, dies from COVID-19 at 76 -- A lifelong advocate of the arts, Baza served as chair of San Diego’s Commission for Arts and Culture before being appointed to the California Arts Council in 2016 by then-Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins Michael James Rocha in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 2/23/21

POTUS 46  

Biden mourns 500,000 dead, balancing nation’s grief and hope -- With sunset remarks and a national moment of silence, President Joe Biden on Monday confronted head-on the country’s once-unimaginable loss — half a million Americans in the COVID-19 pandemic — as he tried to strike a balance between mourning and hope. Jonathan Lemire and Josh Boak Associated Press -- 2/23/21

POTUS 45  

Supreme Court ends Trump’s bid to shield his tax returns and effort to challenge election losses -- Former president Donald Trump received a dual defeat Monday at the Supreme Court, a body he transformed with his appointments and one he had long hoped would be a last line of defense in his battles with Congress and liberal Democrats. Robert Barnes in the Washington Post$ -- 2/23/21