Updating . .
L.A., O.C. could significantly reopen economies in weeks. Here’s what needs to happen -- Both heavily populated counties are now on the cusp of potentially moving into the red tier, a more permissive category of the state’s reopening road map that would allow wider indoor business operations — including at restaurants and gyms — as well as the resumption of in-person classes for students in grades 7 through 12. Luke Money, Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/3/21
Newsom calls Texas 'absolutely reckless' for lifting Covid rules -- While Newsom did not specifically name Texas or its Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, it was clear Newsom’s rebuke was aimed at Abbott’s decision to lift a mask mandate and allow businesses to operate at full capacity. Earlier in the day, Newsom reacted to Abbott’s move by tweeting, “Absolutely reckless.” Jeremy B. White Politico Kellie Hwang, Susie Neilson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/3/21
Areas hardest hit by COVID-19 in LA County are least likely to be vaccinated -- In the push to inoculate as many people as possible with a limited supply of coronavirus vaccine, public health officials in Los Angeles County have noticed a disturbing trend they say is indicative of the coronavirus pandemic overall and the health care system in general. David Rosenfeld in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 3/3/21
Majority white areas got more PPP business loan money than Latino areas, UCLA study says -- Majority white areas of California received more money from the federal Paycheck Protection Program for small businesses than majority Latino areas did, according to a study by UCLA researchers. Alejandra Reyes-Velarde in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/3/21
School
Why there’s ‘a real feeling of hope’ Sacramento city schools could reopen next month -- District officials and the Sacramento City Teachers Association union have proposed the same reopening dates, beginning April 8, in a rare point of consensus between the sides as they work to return students back to campus for the first time in more than a year. Vincent Moleski and Sawsan Morrar in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/3/21
These two El Dorado County school districts are returning to a full schedule this month -- That means that by mid-March all 15 school districts will be open in El Dorado County. The only school that remains closed is South Tahoe High School, according to El Dorado County Office of Education communications director Dina Gentry. Sawsan Morrar in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/3/21
All San Diego outdoor high school sports cleared to start -- The numbers are finally working in San Diego’s favor with the COVID-19 case rate per 100,000 falling to a modified 10.8, well below the 14.0 needed to resume all youth outdoor sports, including full football practice. John Maffei in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/3/21
Policy & Politics
Newsom recall bankrolled by wealthy mega-donors, national Republicans - and retirees -- Of the nearly $4 million that recall organizers say they have raised, more than half has come from two dozen contributors — wealthy individuals, deep-pocketed companies and Republican groups. Large contributions poured in over the last three months as the recall effort became a statewide and national Republican cause célèbre, boosted by regular segments on Fox News and other conservative outlets. Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/3/21
Xavier Becerra’s cabinet nomination clears first hurdle in a tied vote. What happens next? -- The tie means Becerra’s nomination can still go forward, but it will require the added step of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, calling for a vote in the full Senate to discharge the nomination from committee. Kate Irby in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/3/21
California to pay for quarantine of refugees seeking asylum at Mexico border -- California plans to spend $28 million to aid asylum seekers entering the country through the U.S.-Mexico border at the San Ysidro Port of Entry to await their court dates. Kim Bojórquez in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/3/21
Who should pay for pension mistakes? California Legislature could make a change -- A proposal aimed at ending surprise pension reductions for California retirees is back, accompanied by old questions over who should be responsible for mistakes that lead to benefit recalculations. Wes Venteicher in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/3/21
Barabak: After Nancy Pelosi, who? San Francisco plays a guessing game -- In the past half-century, just three people have held the seat representing this lovely, boisterous city in Congress. Two of them — Phil Burton and Nancy Pelosi — account for all but a handful of those 57 years. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/3/21
Special election: Sydney Kamlager headed for victory in 30th State Senate seat -- Sydney Kamlager appeared be headed for a lopsided win in a crowded special election to represent the 30th Senate District, winning 67.67% of votes from ballots counted in semifinal returns late Tuesday night, March 2. If the results held, she would assume the state Senate seat vacated by Supervisor Holly Mitchell who is now on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. Bradley Bermont in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 3/3/21
Border Crash
Cause of crash that killed 13 still a mystery, as is why 25 people were packed into SUV -- A day after an SUV carrying 25 people crashed into a big rig truck, leaving 13 dead and the rest injured, investigators are beginning to piece together what brought the vehicles to the highway intersection Tuesday morning. Faith E. Pinho, Andrew J. Campa, Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/3/21
AP Exclusive: SUV in crash came through hole in border fence -- Gregory Bovino, the agency’s El Centro sector chief, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that surveillance video showed a Ford Expedition and Chevrolet Suburban drive through the opening early Tuesday. It’s believed they were part of a migrant smuggling operation. Elliot Spagat Associated Press -- 3/3/21
EDD Fraud
Feds indict inmate, Fresno man in latest California unemployment fraud prosecution -- Federal prosecutors have indicted a California prison inmate in yet another case involving the state’s massive unemployment insurance fraud scandal. Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip Talbert announced the indictment of Jason Vertz, 51, of Fresno and Alana Powers, 45, an inmate at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/3/21
Cable Cars
Mayor Breed says SF's most beloved tourist attraction will return this year -- After Breed's announcement, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Association released a statement saying it will phase in the F Market and Wharves Line in May. The F runs along Market and the Embarcadero with historic street cars. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/3/21
Street
‘Just a beginning’: Black Lives Matter sign to be installed in Sacramento’s Oak Park -- A wooden structure spelling the words “Black Lives Matter,” the movement and global rallying cry for racial justice, will be installed at McClatchy Park, located in one of Sacramento’s historically Black neighborhoods. Unanimously approved by the City Council during its Tuesday meeting, the sign is covered in hundreds of names memorializing unarmed Black people killed by law enforcement. Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/3/21
California’s ‘I-5 Strangler’ Roger Kibbe was strangled to death, coroner says -- On Tuesday, the Amador County Sheriff’s Office released the results of an autopsy on Roger Reece Kibbe, an 81-year-old convicted murderer from Citrus Heights who was serving consecutive life sentences for raping and strangling seven women across Northern California in the 1970s and ’80s. Ryan Sabalow in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/3/21
California Policy and P olitics Wednesday Morning
How California's COVID numbers compare to Texas, which is lifting mask mandate and '100%' of restrictions -- According to data from Johns Hopkins University, Texas’s positive test rate is nearly six times higher, at 13.5%, compared to 2.3% in California. Texas has a daily new case rate per 100,000 population of more than one and a half times that of California, at 26.8 versus 16.8. Kellie Hwang, Susie Neilson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/3/21
San Francisco, Santa Clara, Napa Counties Move to Less Restrictive Reopening Tier -- Indoor dining, movie theaters, gyms and museums can reopen — with strict limitations — within 24 hours in San Francisco, Mayor London Breed triumphantly proclaimed on Tuesday, as she announced the county's move into the red, less-restrictive, reopening tier. Janie Har Associated Press -- 3/3/21
Four Bay Area counties are stuck in the purple tier. Here's when they might move to red -- Alameda, Contra Costa, Solano and Sonoma did not meet the state requirements necessary to emerge from the purple tier, the most restrictive category. Indoor shopping will continue to be permitted in those areas at 25% capacity, but most other business operations will continue to be outdoor only. Nora Mishanec in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/3/21
San Diego still in the purple tier as seven peers go to less-restrictive red -- San Diego County once again found itself outside the select group of California counties promoted to the less-restrictive red tier Tuesday. Paul Sisson, Jonathan Wosen in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/3/21
Orange County’s coronavirus case rate misses red tier status by a fraction -- Orange County barely missed the mark this week that would have started its transition to the more relaxed red tier of the state’s four-level pandemic tracking system, meaning it remains in the most-restrictive purple tier that limits a lot of indoor activities. Ian Wheeler in the Orange County Register -- 3/3/21
Small, maskless gatherings of vaccinated people will soon be allowed by CDC -- People who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 may soon be cleared to gather in small groups without masks, according to federal officials. Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/3/21
‘We’re born Indian and we die white’: California Indigenous fear COVID deaths undercounted -- California Native American leaders fear the deaths that have shadowed their communities this past year have been undercounted. Kate Cimini CalMatters -- 3/3/21
Reopen School
Gov. Newsom pitches school reopening in Palo Alto -- Gov. Gavin Newsom read to kids in a Palo Alto elementary classroom Tuesday where he pitched the plan he and legislative leaders hatched a day earlier to speed reopening of other public schools whose students have been stuck in online-only distance learning for months. John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/3/21
This Sacramento school district announces date to get students and staff back to campuses -- The San Juan Unified School District announced its reopening dates on Tuesday afternoon, with hopes to bring students back in person in early April. Sawsan Morrar in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/3/21
Some Dublin schools to reopen soon for in-person learning after year-long closure -- The Dublin Unified School District board has agreed to allow children in grades preschool, developmental kindergarten and kindergarten to return to in-person instruction on March 18. The district is planning a phased return to school, with first through third grades returning March 22, and grades four and five returning March 25. Angela Ruggiero in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/3/21
Vaccine
San Diego Court workers, judges, lawyers now can get vaccine under change made quietly by county last week -- Judges, some criminal defense lawyers and court employees can now get the COVID-19 vaccine in San Diego County after county health officials quietly included them late last week in the recent expansion of those eligible to get the shot. Greg Moran in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/3/21
New federal COVID vaccine site in East Oakland opens for underserved community -- Nearly 500 vaccinated in two days at mobile Eastmont Town Center site, which will be open from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. through Friday March 5. Dylan Bouscher in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/3/21
Sutter to cancel up to 95,000 vaccine appointments in Northern California -- Sutter Health is canceling up to 95,000 vaccine appointments at mass vaccine sites across Northern California because of ongoing supply issues and insufficient vaccine allocation over the past few weeks, the health care provider said in a statement Tuesday. Of those, 90,000 are for second doses and 5,000 are first doses. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/3/21
S.F. school district doesn't get needed state codes to prioritize teachers for vaccines -- San Francisco did not receive the expected state codes Tuesday for educators to get priority for vaccines because the city’s city’s high-volume vaccination site was already fully booked, state officials said. Nora Mishanec in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/3/21
Congress is investigating One Medical over its vaccine distribution in San Francisco and other cities -- The investigation follows reports by NPR and Forbes that One Medical vaccinated ineligible people, including friends and family members of the company’s executives. Susie Neilson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/3/21
Good Samaritan Hospital CEO resigns after teacher vaccine scandal -- The head of Good Samaritan Hospital has resigned weeks after the San Jose medical center came under fire for allowing Los Gatos teachers to receive coronavirus vaccines before educators were eligible. Emily DeRuy in the San Jose Mercury$ Lauren Hernández in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/3/21
Covid and Jobs
San Diego extends law requiring hotels to rehire veteran workers laid off during pandemic -- Laid-off hotel workers in San Diego got a boost Tuesday when the City Council extended for one year an ordinance that requires them to be re-hired based on seniority. David Garrick in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/3/21
Policy & Politics
Newsom slams Texas for dropping mask mandate. ‘We’re a little more mindful and sober’ -- The same day he toured a vaccination clinic sporting a black mask with the California state flag, Gov. Gavin Newsom had a few strong words for one state’s decision to stop wearing them. Kaytlyn Leslie and Lindsey Holden in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/3/21
California prisons secretary on the hot seat over underused misconduct investigations -- California Corrections Secretary Kathleen Allison faced tough questions from a group of a Democratic lawmakers over a report charging that state prison wardens neglected to use a new system created to handle inmate complaints against guards. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/3/21
‘Pelosi’s subway’: BART to San Jose funding pulled from COVID stimulus, report says -- A provision in the latest COVID stimulus package giving an estimated $141 million to the project extending BART service through downtown San Jose — which Republicans misleadingly tied to the House Speaker as they painted the $1.9 trillion package as being stuffed with pork — has been removed from the bill, CNN reported Tuesday. Nico Savidge in the San Jose Mercury$ Mallory Moench, Tal Kopan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/3/21
Council overrides Garcetti veto, then they agree on funds to aid communities of color -- For months, L.A. politicians have wrestled with how to spend tens of millions of dollars cut from the city’s Police Department budget after protests erupted over George Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis last May. Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/3/21
Where 'Saturday Night Live' got Gavin Newsom wrong -- The bad news for Gov. Gavin Newsom heading into a possible recall is that he’s become a national punch line, a politician whose troubles are so widely known that he can be parodied on “Saturday Night Live.” Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/3/21
Special election for state Senate seat in Los Angeles County draws crowded field -- Voters in a state Senate district of Los Angeles County that stretches from Century City to South L.A. will head to the polls Tuesday for a special election for the successor of a seat previously held by Supervisor Holly Mitchell. Jaclyn Cosgrove in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/3/21
L.A. council candidate takes heat for Facebook handgun post -- A Los Angeles City Council candidate posted an image of a handgun on his Facebook page last week while describing a dispute involving local Democratic Party activists, prompting one state lawmaker to call for him to drop out of the race. David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/3/21
Street
Hate crimes against Asian Americans rose in L.A. in 2020, mirroring national trend -- Hate crimes against Asian Americans and other members of the Asian and Pacific Islander communities in Los Angeles rose sharply in 2020, mirroring a national trend and causing concern among police and local advocacy organizations. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/3/21
LAPD: Hate crimes against Asian Americans increased in 2020, but more are likely going unreported -- Los Angeles law enforcement leaders are trying to respond quicker to a surge in hate crimes against Asian Americans that has continued throughout the coronavirus pandemic, Los Angeles Police Department officials said Tuesday, but they fear many attacks based on hatred and racism are going unreported. Josh Cain in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 3/3/21
Antioch police chief pushes back against Angelo Quinto family’s claims -- Dispatcher calls, pathologists' findings provided in incident that saw 30-year-old man die while in police custody. George Kelly in the San Jose Mercury$ Lauren Hernández in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/3/21
LAPD’s SMART teams responding to more calls after deployment change, commander says -- The specially trained unit of Los Angeles Police Department officers charged with de-escalating encounters with people with mental illnesses is asking for more officers as the city tries to change the way police respond to such incidents. Josh Cain in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 3/3/21
Homeland Security agent took bribes from organized crime, prosecutors charge -- A former agent in the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security was arrested Tuesday on charges he took at least $122,000 in bribes from an organized crime figure in return for help evading authorities. Michael Finnegan, Matthew Ormseth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/3/21
Sacramento Leaders Speak Out As Asian And Pacific Islander Hate Crimes Continue In City -- Kelly Shum, owner of the Mad Butcher Meat Company in South Sacramento, remembers the incident clearly: A white man wearing a “Stand With The Flag” shirt came into her shop, made a purchase, and then, upon exiting, threw a dead cat into the parking lot right outside the store. Sarah Mizes-Tan Capital Public Radio -- 3/3/21
Lethal explosives found, disabled at Sacramento elementary school before children arrived, officials say -- Around 8:30 a.m., a proctor discovered what turned out to be a pipe bomb and a homemade gun, known as a zip gun, at the northeast corner of Ethel I. Baker Elementary, “literally where kids walk onto the grounds,” said Sgt. Rod Grassmann, spokesman for the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. Lila Seidman in the Los Angeles Times$ Rosalio Ahumada in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/3/21
Water
Sierra snowpack at 61% as new drought looms for California this summer -- Highlighting the second dry winter in a row, the Sierra Nevada snowpack on Tuesday was just 61% of its historical average for this date, the latest signal that California appears headed toward summer drought conditions, with water restrictions possible in some areas for the first time in five years. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ Erin B. Logan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/3/21
Transfer Tax
Yes, San Francisco may charge higher taxes on sales of higher-priced properties, court affirms -- A state appeals court has upheld San Francisco’s property transfer tax, an assessment on real estate transactions that charges higher rates to owners who sell more expensive properties. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/3/21
Education
Berkeley officials call out viral teacher video as ‘stalking,’ ‘harassment’ -- Public officials are calling out a video shared online of the teachers union president dropping his child off at a school as “stalking” and “harassment.” Angela Ruggiero in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/3/21
Should kindergarten be mandatory in California? -- Long before the first day of school in first grade, some children may be far behind their peers. That was true even before the pandemic, but a heightened awareness of learning loss has added a sense of urgency to the matter of how to close achievement gaps in the early grades. Karen D'Souza EdSource -- 3/3/21
Homeless
San Francisco offered permanent housing to homeless people staying in hotels, but 70% said no -- As San Francisco expands a shelter-in-place hotel program that leases rooms for vulnerable homeless people during the pandemic, the city has run into a roadblock: Some residents find where they’re staying more appealing than another permanent option. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/3/21
S.F. to move more than 500 additional people off streets into hotels - but where they go next is uncertain -- In the latest push to keep people off San Francisco’s streets, the Board of Supervisors unanimously passed an emergency ordinance to move 560 more homeless people into shelter-in-place hotels over the next two months. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/3/21
Housing
Southern California house prices beat three-year highs in January -- Southern California house prices continued rising in January as buyers high on low mortgage rates continue to bid up the cost of homes, especially in the Inland Empire, according to CoreLogic’s latest Home Price Index, released Tuesday, March 2. Jeff Collins in the Orange County Register -- 3/3/21
Inmates
San Diego County to make inmate phone calls free -- Because a portion of the fees associated with those calls goes to the San Diego County Sheriff’s department for inmate services — roughly $2.8 million a year — the vote also asks county staff to identify funding to replace the lost revenue. Kelly Davis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/3/21
Also . . .
The must-have Disneyland annual passholder souvenir that won’t cost you a dime -- Expect the line to be long for the new legacy passholder magnets and buttons that will be distributed when A Touch of Disney begins March 18 at Disney California Adventure. Brady MacDonald in the Orange County Register -- 3/3/21
SkyStar Wheel ready to soar again in Golden Gate Park -- The 150-foot-tall observation wheel, which has been shut down for more than three months due to a surge in COVID-19 cases, is set to reopen at noon March 4 in the Music Concourse of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Jim Harrington in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/3/21
S.F. is compromising on a partly car-free Twin Peaks: 'Hardly visionary' -- The steep stretch of road that swoops its way to the north end of the Twin Peaks overlook has starred in many car commercials. But it will be off-limits to drivers — perhaps permanently — as part of a plan to keep the scenic viewpoint a safe place for bike riders and pedestrians while accommodating cars and tour buses. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/3/21
-- Tuesday Updates
15 killed in crash involving big rig and SUV carrying 27 people near U.S.-Mexico border -- A collision between a semitruck and an SUV carrying more than two dozen people near the U.S.-Mexico border Tuesday morning has left 15 dead and several others injured, officials said. Faith E. Pinho in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/2/21
Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore hospitalized but ‘in great spirits’ -- Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore was hospitalized Monday night after “not feeling well” and transporting himself to a hospital, police confirmed to The Times on Tuesday. Kevin Rector, Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/2/21
Californians need higher wages and better jobs, Newsom commission says -- California’s high poverty rate, low wages and frayed public safety net require a new “social compact” between workers, business and government, according to a report by a blue-ribbon commission that highlights the state’s widening inequality. Margot Roosevelt in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/2/21
School
Firm teachers union stance means LAUSD will be slower to reopen than other parts of state -- A huge boost in the number of vaccines targeted exclusively for the Los Angeles Unified School District could lead to in-person classes in the current academic year, but the district won’t bring students back to campus for at least six weeks — a return that also depends on the continued decline of coronavirus infection rates. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/2/21
Bay Area parents worry that classrooms won't reopen full time in the fall. When will normal return? -- It’s been nearly a year since the vast majority of California’s 6 million students have experienced a normal school day, playing kickball at recess, huddling at a table to discuss Shakespeare, or cutting up frogs in science class, and the hope for even a partial return to classrooms before summer is fading fast. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/2/21
Reopenings
California poised to allow more business reopenings despite new COVID-19 fears -- More parts of California may be allowed to further reopen their economies this week amid both growing optimism as the last coronavirus wave continues to recede, and swirling concern that new strains of the virus threaten to imperil that progress. Luke Money, Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/2/21
Indoor dining, movies and museums can reopen Wednesday in San Francisco -- Indoor dining and other activities that have been shuttered or severely curtailed for more than three months will resume in San Francisco Wednesday morning, as coronavirus cases continue to drop and the city moves into a less restrictive tier in the state’s pandemic reopening plan. Trisha Thadani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Janie Har Associated Press -- 3/2/21
El Dorado moves to red tier as COVID rates improve across California, Sacramento area -- El Dorado is the second county in the Sacramento area to depart tight purple-tier restrictions, following Yolo County last week. Elsewhere in the state, Lassen, Modoc, Napa, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo and Santa Clara moved from purple to red this week. Michael McGough and Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/2/21
Game on: Sacramento County youth sports get the green light from state to play games -- Play ball. Those are the sweet words for Sacramento County youth sports teams Tuesday as the county’s rate of coronavirus cases dropped low enough to allow sports to begin practices and games for the first time in a year. James Patrick in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/2/21
Vaccine
COVID: Sutter cancelling 90,000 vaccine appointments because of supply shortage -- Sutter Health has had to cancel or postpone about 90,000 coronavirus vaccine appointments across its system because it has not received enough supply, a company spokeswoman said Tuesday. Emily DeRuy in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/2/21
COVID-19 vaccination sites pop up in San Fernando Valley -- A pop-up COVID-19 vaccination effort kicked off Tuesday in the northeast San Fernando Valley, with the first of three sites opening in Pacoima, officials said. Lila Seidman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/2/21
CVS, Walgreens challenge Newsom’s comments about unused doses in California -- Gov. Gavin Newsom stood in front of local government leaders and lawmakers in Fresno on Friday and told Californians the state had taken swift action to reallocate thousands of COVID-19 vaccine doses from a provider who “was not administering the vaccines quickly enough.” Melody Gutierrez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/2/21
COVID-19 vaccine rates in Brentwood, Santa Monica twice as high as poorer L.A. County areas -- New data continue to show that areas of Los Angeles County hardest hit by the pandemic have low rates of COVID-19 vaccinations, while inoculations are the highest in neighborhoods that have been relatively spared the worst of the coronavirus’ devastation. Rong-Gong Lin II, Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/2/21
Congress is investigating One Medical over its vaccine distribution in San Francisco and other cities -- Congress has launched an investigation into San Francisco-based health care provider One Medical following reports that it disregarded vaccine eligibility requirements in multiple cities, including at least three Bay Area counties. Susie Neilson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/2/21
Street
City Council has a new plan for spending $88 million on L.A. communities of color -- For months, L.A. politicians have wrestled with how to spend tens of millions of dollars cut from the city’s Police Department budget after protests erupted over George Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis last May. Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/2/21
An Asian American family in O.C. was being harassed. Now their neighbors stand guard -- Every night, the neighbors converge on the Si family’s two-story home, which has large windows and an expansive porch adorned with columns. Some sit in camping chairs in front of the driveway. Others keep watch from their cars or patrol the nearby parks. Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/2/21
Two California residents charged with operating online ‘child pornography group,’ allegedly required new members to submit videos -- Two California residents have been indicted on conspiracy charges in connection with what prosecutors describe as an online group they allegedly created to spread and receive child sexual abuse material, court records show. Nate Gartrell in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/2/21
Homeless
Homeless people exposed to coronavirus were put in hotels. For hospitals, the move paid off -- San Francisco researchers have found an effective way to help homeless residents suffering from mild to moderate cases of COVID-19: House them in hotel rooms, thus lowering the burden on hospitals deluged with more seriously ill patients. Amina Khan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/2/21
Oakland’s top homelessness official steps down, as city struggles with ongoing crisis -- Oakland is losing its top official tasked with managing homelessness, at a time when the city is struggling with an ongoing crisis of unhoused residents living in cars, RVs and sprawling encampments. Marisa Kendall in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/2/21
S.F. could move more than 500 people off streets into hotels - but where they go next is uncertain -- In the latest push to keep people off San Francisco’s streets, the Board of Supervisors is poised to pass an emergency ordinance to move 560 more homeless people into shelter-in-place hotels over the next two months. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/2/21
EDD
California’s unemployment call center remains overwhelmed 1 year into COVID -- Trying to get through to the state’s unemployment agency call center remains a grueling, frustrating chore for many people — yet the Employment Development Department has been warned time and again that the system badly needed fixing. David Lightman in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/2/21
Before California’s current EDD scandal, two fraudsters ran their own mini version -- Before California’s $11 billion unemployment fraud scandal broke into the open late last year, Robert J. Maher and John Michael Herron II figured out their own angle to fleece the state of nearly half a million dollars. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/2/21
DMV Scam
Get a text asking for personal info for REAL ID? It’s a scam, California DMV says -- The California Department of Motor Vehicles has issued a warning about a new phishing scam related to REAL ID that seeks to get personal information, such as a driver’s license number, Social Security number or financial information. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/2/21
Sac Soccer
Sacramento still in running for Major League Soccer. But here’s what has to happen next -- Almost immediately after news broke Friday evening that business investor Ron Burkle had dropped plans to bring a Major League Soccer expansion franchise to Sacramento, the phone calls started to come into leaders of the local effort from potential new financiers. Finding that deep-pocketed investor is vital to Sacramento’s chances of getting back into the MLS picture. Tony Bizjak and Marcos Bretón in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/2/21
49ers
49ers tap team of experts for advice on returning to Levi's Stadium -- The 49ers are exploring ways to return safely to Levi’s Stadium, and announced Tuesday that the football team has assembled an advisory committee of medical experts to offer safety guidelines for its eventual homecoming to Santa Clara. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/2/21