Updating . .   

California coronavirus cases keep ‘falling like a rock’ despite surges in Oregon, Washington -- Even as Oregon and Washington face new COVID-19 surges, there is growing optimism that California remains in recovery mode as coronavirus cases continued to fall dramatically along with related deaths. Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/3/21

L.A. expands operations at COVID-19 vaccine sites, aims to deliver most weekly shots ever -- COVID-19 vaccine sites run by the city of Los Angeles will be open six days this week as part of a wider effort to expand access amid declining local demand for the doses. Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/3/21

As thousands of vaccine slots go unfilled, Sacramento allows drive-ups without appointments -- In what Sacramento County health officials call an “unprecedented” drop-off in COVID-19 vaccine interest, several thousand inoculation appointment slots remain unfilled for this week at the county’s two mass drive-in clinics. Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/3/21

Scientists scramble to see why, in rare cases, even the vaccinated can get COVID-19 -- Carey Alexander Washington, 80, a practicing clinical psychologist, called his daughter in January as soon as he received his first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Maura Dolan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/3/21

Death on this scale makes survivors of us all: 61,000 dead in California and counting -- Each day Lois Jones walks past 119 strangers who died last year of COVID-19. Thomas Curwen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/3/21

Open  

In L.A. and San Francisco, Schools Reopen but Classrooms Are Near-Empty -- When Siniya Longino arrived for her first day of in-person eighth grade in San Francisco last week, there was only one other student in the classroom. Everyone else was remote, as were all of her teachers. Siniya logs into Zoom on her laptop from her desk to see them. Alejandro Lazo, Ian Lovett, Roger Kisby in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 5/3/21

LAUSD reopens playgrounds, but even swings and slides are complicated amid COVID-19 -- Los Angeles Unified on Monday reopened its playground equipment, following the lead of many other school districts and local city and county parks. Access will be limited to one class of students at a time and the equipment will be sanitized regularly. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/3/21

PPP  

Businesses In San Diego’s Majority White Communities Received By Far The Most PPP Loans -- A half a trillion in federal dollars were distributed through PPP loans, but relatively few ended up in the pockets of business owners in underserved places like Imperial Beach, where the population is 70% non-white and the median family income is almost $25,000 lower than the countywide median. Claire Trageser KPBS -- 5/3/21

Policy & Politics 

California state worker union backs Newsom anti-recall effort in sign of labor’s support -- The Professional Engineers in California Government, which represents about 11,000 state engineers, recently contributed $250,000 to the main campaign committee supporting Newsom. Wes Venteicher in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/3/21

California keeps millions in child support while parents drown in debt -- Half of Stacy Estes’ pay disappears every month before it hits his bank account. Each check is about $500 lighter than it should be, intercepted in the name of child support — which he wouldn’t have a problem with, if it were going to his kids. Kate Cimini CalMatters -- 5/3/21

Skelton: California’s population growth has slowed. Blame the exorbitant housing costs -- California’s population mix is being reshuffled. People are leaving and fewer are arriving from other states. But who are they? You might be surprised. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/3/21

Money for California's electric-car rebates is gone. Will Newsom restore it? -- California’s main rebate program to coax more drivers to buy electric cars has run out of money — and there’s no guarantee that buyers on the waiting list will get checks later. Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/3/21

Morain: Op-Ed: Forget the recall. Conservatives should focus on the California attorney general race -- Last week, when Californians got the news that the state would lose a congressional seat and the recall vote to remove Gov. Gavin Newsom qualified on the ballot, an intriguing and important political story unfolded apart from those headlines. Dan Morain in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/3/21

Fire  

Wildfires flare up in SF Bay Area as California gets red flag warnings -- Is wildfire season already here? The season is now year-round in California, but there are signs it's starting to pick up. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/3/21

School  

West Contra Costa schools to open for full-time instruction in the fall -- That means teachers will be required to return to school sites — until now, faculty members were allowed to remain home if they wished, and hybrid learning was organized around “instructional hubs” guided by available faculty and staff. Shomik Mukherjee in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/3/21

Education  

Cal State San Marcos will hold in-person commencement in May -- Like a growing number of colleges nationwide, Cal State San Marcos will hold a traditional in-person commencement this spring but will limit attendance due to the pandemic. Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/3/21

Ransomeware Attack  

Scripps Health targeted by cyberattack -- A ransomware attack on Scripps Health’s computer network over the weekend significantly disrupted care, forcing the giant healthcare provider to stop patient access to its online portal, postpone appointments set for Monday and divert some critical care patients to other hospitals. Greg Moran, Paul Sisson in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/3/21

Street  

Oakland, S.F. see spike in untraceable ghost guns: 'Anybody can get these' -- It was probably a wrong turn that led Brandi Barnes to the corner of Courtland and San Carlos avenues in East Oakland in the dead of night on Dec. 14, 2019. But the mistake would prove fatal. Megan Cassidy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/3/21

Black Lives Matter Sacramento sued over racist posts using businesswoman’s name -- Karra Crowley doesn’t post much on Facebook, but she learned the power of social media last Monday when an assistant called her and told her she had a big problem. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/3/21

Story behind Contra Costa jail death finally revealed: Oakland man died on operating table after being beaten during free time -- A 32-year-old Oakland man who died on an operating table at a Contra Costa hospital after suffering a broken jaw at the county jail had lungs full of fluid, but his death was ruled a homicide, according to testimony of the forensic pathologist who conducted the autopsy. Nate Gartrell in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/3/21

Feds use informant wearing a wire to bust two Bay Area black market gun dealers -- wo men have been sentenced in connection with a federal investigation into illegal firearms trafficking in the Bay Area, according to recently-filed court records. Nate Gartrell in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/3/21

Education  

Here’s what UC says about the chances of being plucked from massive waitlists -- Anika Madan, a senior at Sunny Hills High in Fullerton, had a loaded school resume when she applied to six University of California campuses for admission this fall: a 4.6 GPA, 11 college-level courses, student leadership positions and community service building robotic hands for people with disabilities. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/3/21

Workplace  

How workplace investigations have pivoted amid #WFH pandemic -- Ann Fromholz, founder and owner of The Fromholz Firm, a Pasadena-based law firm that specializes in workplace issues related to sexual harassment, retaliation, fraud, racial discrimination and a host of other issues, has seen investigations pivot to the digital world. Kevin Smith in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/3/21

Also . . .   

ESPN’s Kevin Merida named L.A. Times executive editor -- The Los Angeles Times has named veteran journalist Kevin Merida as its top editor and tasked him with transforming the storied 139-year-old newspaper into a digital powerhouse that thrives for decades to come. Meg James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/3/21

Pet telemedicine took hold in the pandemic. A lawsuit wants to make it permanent -- A group of veterinarians and pet owners in California is asking the state to permit more telemedicine for animals even after the pandemic ends. Maura Dolan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/3/21

California Policy and P  olitics Monday Morning  

Los Angeles County reports no new COVID-19 deaths -- Los Angeles County public health authorities on Sunday reported no new deaths related to COVID-19. Although officials cautioned that the figure was probably an undercount because of reporting delays on weekends, it still marked a bright spot, capping several months of progress in the fight against the coronavirus. Alex Wigglesworth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/3/21

Open  

Vax Live concert at SoFi Stadium celebrates first responders with Jennifer Lopez, Prince Harry, H.E.R. and more -- With celebrity appearances and videos from Pope Francis and President Biden, the concert represents the first large public event in California since the state locked down. Peter Larsen in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/3/21

Policy & Politics 

California Democrats stay on message in opposing Newsom recall -- Count one advantage for Gov. Gavin Newsom as the recall campaign against him is ramping up: The Democratic Party is closing ranks around him. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/3/21

A congressional seat disappears, setting the stage for fights -- California’s impending loss of a congressional seat may set off vicious intraparty fights not seen in California for nearly a decade. Chuck McFadden Capitol Weekly -- 5/2/21

Walters: Pending bill opens door to pension corruption at CalPERS -- Assembly Bill 386 sailed through the Assembly Judiciary Committee last week on a unanimous vote with virtually no discussion about its provisions. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 5/3/21

California Native Americans won health care settlement. Federal government hasn’t delivered -- Today, despite a 1979 federal court-ordered settlement that would have pumped millions of dollars into California for Native American health care, the state’s share remains stunningly underfunded by the Indian Health Service, Native leaders say. Yesenia Amaro in the Fresno Bee -- 5/3/21

Border  

At least three dead, dozens hurt when suspected smuggling boat crashes, breaks apart off Point Loma -- At least three people were killed and more than two dozen were injured Sunday when an overloaded boat crashed into a reef and broke apart in rough water off Point Loma in what authorities said was a human smuggling attempt. David Hernandez, Karen Kucher in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/3/21

Fire  

Red flag warning in May? Fire season arrives early in Northern California -- Last year’s devastating wildfire season was barely in the rear-view mirror when the red flag warning hit Sunday for a large swath of Northern California. Elliott Almond in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/3/21

Southern fire near Shelter Valley grows to 5,200 acres -- A brush fire that began Saturday evening on the western edge of the Anza-Borrego desert more than doubled in size overnight and had charred an estimated 5,200 acres by Sunday afternoon. Kristen Taketa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/3/21

Also . . .   

Amid Signs of Trouble, Can MOCA Find Its Footing? -- The last year was bumpy for this Los Angeles museum, with Covid-19, questions about diversity and a reorganization. But its director, Klaus Biesenbach, says, “every day is a chance to improve.” Robin Pogrebin in the New York Times$ -- 5/3/21