Updating . .   

California’s secret weapon in COVID-19 success: We are not skeptical about the vaccine -- A number of factors have fueled California’s remarkable turnaround from national epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic to having one of the lowest case rates in the U.S. But one weapon in its arsenal has gone largely unnoticed: Californians’ general embrace of COVID-19 vaccines. Luke Money, Matt Stiles, Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/1/21

Eli Broad rose to service when L.A. was at a low point. His imprint is impossible to miss -- When Eli Broad flew into Los Angeles International Airport in 1963 with his wife, Edye, the 30-year-old self-made millionaire was not impressed. “The ground below us called to mind the old saying,” he would later write, “‘Los Angeles is 100 suburbs in search of a city.’” Maria L. La Ganga, Laurence Darmiento, Dakota Smith, Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/1/21

Policy & Politics 

How three political novices with turbulent pasts helped spark the Newsom recall -- It also was a personal victory for three unlikely political brothers, who share not just KABC microphones but turbulent pasts, a profound inexperience in statewide politics and a conviction that they can be the Davids who take out the state’s political Goliath. James Rainey, Faith E. Pinho in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/1/21

Hey, California taxpayers: Guess how much the Newsom recall election is going to cost you? -- Four-hundred million dollars. That’s one estimate for how much the election to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom could cost taxpayers this fall. Could the hefty price tag become the focus of voter backlash against the Republican-led effort to oust the Democratic governor just a year before he would otherwise face re-election? Emily DeRuy in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/1/21

Knight: He was high, homeless and in and out of jail in S.F. before Pelosi, Breed and others hired him -- Most people who’ve interacted with the charismatic, upbeat Gary McCoy as he’s climbed San Francisco’s political ladder — working for then-Supervisors Scott Wiener and London Breed, as well as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — never would have guessed he nearly died on the city’s streets as his drug addiction ravaged his body. Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/1/21

Rampant racial disparities plagued how PPP loans were distributed in the U.S. -- Like other Black entrepreneurs in her Inglewood neighborhood, Annie Graham has struggled to keep her business afloat during the pandemic. Laura C. Morel, Mohamed Al Elew, Emily Harris, Alejandra Reyes-Velarde in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/1/21

Street  

Most states have a system for ousting bad cops. In California, legislation is struggling -- Despite weeks of street protests over the killing of George Floyd and California’s reputation for progressive politics, a series of major police reforms proposed in Sacramento largely fizzled in 2020. Anita Chabria in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/1/21

Lopez: Homeless and addicted, they hit bottom. Now they’re on the verge of breaking free -- The road to recovery at the small cluster of buildings on 52nd Street in South Los Angeles begins at rock bottom, winds through courthouses and jails, and passes through the rings of hell. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/1/21

Santa Rosa reaches $1.9 million settlement with protesters injured in 2020 -- The city of Santa Rosa announced it will pay $1.9 million, including attorneys’ fees, to end a lawsuit brought by people who said they were injured by tear gas and projectiles police used during protests last summer over police practices. The item is in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/1/21

Housing  

Palo Alto's housing debate is a battle over Silicon Valley segregation -- As the unofficial capital of Silicon Valley, Palo Alto has been defined in recent years by escalating bidding wars for Eichler homes and fierce development battles, like when the city fought off 60 affordable senior apartments only to approve a smattering of $5 million homes on the same land. Lauren Hepler in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/1/21

Also . . .   

A boy was swept into the ocean. His story reveals the hidden danger of California’s sneaker waves -- A tragic fact united the seven deaths: They occurred on days authorities had issued coastal hazard warnings. The National Weather Service alerted the public to perilous high tides, rip currents and sneaker waves on 41 days between November and February — twice as many as the same period a year earlier. Nora Mishanec in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/1/21

California Policy and P  olitics Saturday Morning  

Eli Broad, billionaire who poured wealth into reshaping L.A., dies at 87 -- Eli Broad made his billions building homes, and then he used that wealth — and the considerable collection of world-class modern art he assembled with his wife — to shape the city around him. Elaine Woo in the Los Angeles Times$ Chris Power in the Washington Post$ William Grimes in the New York Times$ Alex Veiga Associated Press -- 4/30/21

Vaccine  

Almost half of San Diego’s military now fully vaccinated against virus, Navy says -- The local vaccine numbers, which the Navy had previously declined to provide, show that vaccination rates among local service members are higher than those among active-duty troop across all branches. Andrew Dyer in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 4/30/21

Walk-ins welcome as Rite Aid expands COVID shots to all stores -- As April comes to an end, three-fifths of California adults are now at least partially vaccinated against COVID-19, state health officials reported Friday. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/30/21

California has given 30 million COVID-19 vaccinations, but demand may be dropping -- Providers throughout California have now administered 30 million total doses of COVID-19 vaccine — a milestone that, though promising, comes amid rising concerns that interest in the shots may be starting to wane. Luke Money, Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/30/21

COVID-19 surges in Oregon, sickening younger adults and forcing a return to restrictions -- For months, Susannah Sbragia waited her turn for a COVID-19 vaccination while Oregon’s teachers, older adults and others with higher priority got theirs. Richard Read in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/30/21

New COVID outbreaks are walloping Oregon and Washington. Should the Bay Area be worried? -- With rapidly falling case counts and hospitalizations, California may be speeding toward its June 15 reopening target date. But the story is different in the Pacific Northwest, where Oregon and Washington are being walloped by a fourth surge of the pandemic. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/30/21

An S.F. scientist working on COVID just lost his mother in India to the virus. He's not alone -- When Rahul Suryawanshi started his job as a research scientist at San Francisco’s Gladstone Institutes in early January, the pandemic was raging in the Bay Area. The situation was much brighter back in India, where his family had been locked down for months. Erin Allday in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/30/21

Steady stream of bad news hits San Diego’s Indian community -- It’s an unending ache in San Diego’s thriving Indian community as a deadly coronavirus variant with two concerning mutations continues to overwhelm the subcontinent’s medical resources, driving President Joe Biden to announce Friday that the United States will suspend travel early next week. Paul Sisson, Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 4/30/21

School  

LAUSD teachers oppose adding 10 days to school year, union says -- 75% of United Teachers Los Angeles members who responded to a survey the union conducted said they don’t want the work year extended, UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz said. Linh Tat in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/1/21

Open  

These Sacramento Venues Reinvented Operations During Pandemic Closures -- While most public venues have struggled through pandemic closures, two large Sacramento attractions will emerge from the closures with shiny new buildings. Ed Fletcher Capital Public Radio -- 4/30/21

Covid Stressed Hospitals  

California hospital leaders seek legislative reprieve for industry ‘broken’ by COVID-19 -- The COVID-19 pandemic has “left a majority of California’s hospitals financially challenged, unstable and in some cases, broken,” while proposed and existing state regulations are pushing them -- 5/1/21 further over the brink, said the CEO of California’s top hospital trade group. Cathie Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/30/21

Kaiser plans 200 layoffs in Northern CA; union says unexpected move terrified members -- Kaiser Permanente will lay off 200 workers from its workforce in Northern California as it changes up how some departments will operate, resulting in the need for fewer staff in some positions, according to a statement the company sent The Sacramento Bee Friday evening. Cathie Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ Emily DeRuy in the San Jose Mercury$ Lauren Hernández in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/30/21

Policy & Politics 

The Case For California: Why Stories About The Golden State’s Demise Are Overblown -- Here are the hard facts about why the Golden State will continue to reign supreme in technology, entertainment, agriculture and other vital industries. Angel Au-Yeung, Jeffrey Taylor Forbes -- 4/30/21

California consumer confidence nears all-time high -- California consumers' view of current conditions — took its largest one-month jump ever. Jonathan Lansner in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/30/21

California’s flavored tobacco ban up in the air as Biden moves to prohibit menthol cigarettes -- The move by President Joe Biden’s administration to ban the sale of menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars is unlikely to disrupt California’s upcoming referendum on a state law prohibiting sales of those and other tobacco products. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/30/21

Family of Oscar Grant plans recall campaign against Alameda County DA -- The announcement came after Grant’s mother, Wanda Johnson, and several supporters met with District Attorney Nancy O’Malley on Thursday afternoon, in a second-floor conference room of Oakland’s Renee C. Davidson Courthouse. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/30/21

Huntington Beach Mayor Pro Tem Tito Ortiz filed for unemployment even as city checks kept coming -- Two months into his first term as a council member, and with his city checks still coming, Huntington Beach Mayor Pro Tem Tito Ortiz filed an unemployment claim with the California Employment Development Department. Susan Christian Goulding in the Orange County Register -- 5/1/21

Street  

Brother of police shooting victim says video shows excessive force -- After watching a newly released video that shows his brother being shot six times by an Escondido police officer, Michael Olson said the April 21 killing was an unnecessary and excessive use of force. Gary Warth in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 4/30/21

Attorney For Family Of Man Who Died In MTS Custody Says SDPD Officers Were Involved -- The family of Angel Hernandez, who died while in Metropolitan Transit System's custody, is seeking justice against the San Diego Police Department for its alleged role in Angel's death. Alexandra Rangel KPBS -- 4/30/21

‘We Will Not Be Afraid’: After Attack, President of Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce Resolves to 'Stay Strong' -- After Carl Chan was assaulted on Tuesday on his way to assist a crime victim, he said he’s now even more determined to prevent crimes against people in Oakland. Kate Wolffe KQED -- 4/30/21

FBI: A San Diego man’s phone leads to extremist group and Georgia sheriff’s deputy -- When the FBI began scrolling through the cellphone of a San Diego man arrested on weapons charges last summer, they stumbled onto a violent extremist group and a Georgia sheriff’s deputy at its center, according to federal authorities. Andrew Dyer, Kristina Davis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 4/30/21

41 years after Anaheim woman’s killing, DNA evidence leads to arrest -- A man has been arrested and charged on suspicion of killing and sexually assaulting a 79-year-old Anaheim woman who was found dead in her apartment 41 years ago. Leila Miller in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/30/21

Homeless  

San Diego County nurses hit the streets, work at pop-up clinic to vaccinate homeless from COVID-19 -- Anthony Romero said he already has contracted COVID-19 and believes he may be immune, but he wasn’t about to pass up a vaccination for the disease. “ Gary Warth in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 4/30/21

‘Nuisance crimes’ by homeless anger Sacramento business owners. Why little has been done -- As hurried drivers snaked into the parking lot of the Honey Baked Ham store on Fulton Avenue last November, she spotted a homeless camp that had formed only a few paces away next to the manicured hedges and a shady tree. Bicycles, shopping carts, bedding and backpacks. And garbage — lots of garbage. Michael Finch II in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/30/21

Education  

The wires may be there, but the dollars aren’t: Analysis shows why millions of California students lack broadband -- Depending on a student’s access to reliable internet, the last year of virtual school has ranged from enriching to impossibly discouraging. Jackie Botts and Ricardo Cano CalMatters -- 4/30/21

Aliso Canyon  

Residents, activists express no confidence in L.A. County’s Aliso Canyon gas leak health study -- A long-anticipated study into health impacts from the massive 2015 gas leak at Aliso Canyon is facing a bumpy start. Olga Grigoryants in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/1/21

Also . . .   

Berkeley's beloved but crumbling pier is still closed - and at least 5 more years and $55 million from reopening -- Berkeley’s beloved recreational pier, which reaches more than half a mile into the bay, has been closed for nearly six years after it was deemed unsafe, leaving the once bustling pier fenced off and deserted and the fishers and walkers who used it day and night cast off to other locations. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/30/21

Torrance home invaded by more than 800 birds -- It was like a scene out of a Hitchcock movie: Hundreds of migrating birds swarmed a house in Torrance before swooping down the chimney — and driving the residents to a hotel. Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/30/21