Updating . .   

California’s population shrank, in 2020, but don’t call it an exodus -- The number of Californians declined in 2020 for the first year since at least 1900. But state officials blame the pandemic and insist it’s not an exodus. Ben Christopher CalMatters Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Kim Bojórquez in the Sacramento Bee$ MacKenzie Mays Politico Adam Beam Associated Press -- 5/7/21

Workplace Scramble  

‘It’s like a war,’ San Diego restaurateur says of struggle to find workers -- Across the hospitality industry, businesses that once were partially shut down by the pandemic are so desperate for workers they’re offering signing bonuses and one-upping competitors’ offers. Lori Weisberg in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/7/21

‘I don’t know how I can survive.’ Women have been hit hardest by COVID’s economic toll -- Alejandra Siciliano was terrified of catching COVID-19 while working as a hotel housekeeper. Laid off in March, now she prays for any job to pay the bills. Margot Roosevelt in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/7/21

Vaccine  

Disneyland offers COVID-19 vaccinations to employees at two onsite locations -- Disneyland will offer COVID-19 vaccinations to more than 15,000 employees at two onsite locations as the Anaheim theme parks continue a phased reopening following a 13-month coronavirus closure. Brady MacDonald in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/7/21

Some big COVID-19 vaccination sites are shutting down as demand flags and focus shifts -- With demand for COVID-19 vaccines waning, California officials are closing some mass vaccination sites while doubling down on efforts to get the reluctant inoculated. Rong-Gong Lin II, Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/7/21

Pediatricians can bypass MyTurn as they vaccinate children -- In an effort to accelerate vaccination of teens, California health officials say they will allow pediatricians to obtain doses without going through the state’s problematic registration site. Children ages 12 to 15 may become eligible for COVID-19 vaccines next week. Barbara Feder Ostrov CalMatters -- 5/7/21

How Newsom’s Reliance on Big Tech in Pandemic Undermines Public Health System -- Current and former public health officials say Newsom has entrusted the essential work of government to private-sector health and tech allies, hurting the ability of the state and local health departments to respond to the coronavirus pandemic and prepare for future threats. Angela Hart California Healthline -- 5/7/21

Arellano: A COVID vaccine with your tacos? Just a day’s work for this Muslim activist -- The sun was setting on the Islamic Center of Santa Ana on a recent weekend day as Rida Hamida posed in front of a taco truck. In her hands were the menu items for the evening: halal tacos — and the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/7/21

Smith: He went to pick up his daughter. He ended up debating anti-maskers -- But that was before the mild-mannered professor arrived at his daughter’s school in Santa Monica one afternoon this week and found a group of anti-maskers waving signs and shouting conspiracy theories at parents and students. Erika D. Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/7/21

Policy & Politics 

Burned by the Lincoln Project, exiled by the GOP. What’s next for this California Republican? -- In November 2019, California GOP strategist Mike Madrid got the national opportunity he’d waited two decades to put on his résumé when he joined a group of anti-Trump Republicans known as the Lincoln Project. Hannah Wiley in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/7/21

LA City Council President Nury Martinez giving ‘serious thought’ to a run for mayor -- The question of whether Martinez is considering seeking the mayor’s seat is being asked as rumors percolate around Mayor Eric Garcetti stepping down early to take a role in the Biden administration, potentially as an ambassador to India. Elizabeth Chou in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/7/21

Lopez: Column: Get ready for California’s $400-million recall election circus -- In the fall of 2003, I drove to the Orange County fairgrounds in Costa Mesa and watched Arnold Schwarzenegger campaign to replace Gov. Gray Davis with a spectacular stunt. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/7/21

This California Republican voted to impeach Trump. Now he’s helping others who voted same way -- A month after Rep. David Valadao was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach President Donald Trump, his political action committee gave $1,000 to each of eight of his fellow GOP members of Congress who voted his way, Federal Election Commission records show. David Lightman in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/7/21

Caitlyn  

Caitlyn Jenner struggles to go from OMG moment to a campaign for California governor -- Caitlyn Jenner found out this week that running for governor is trickier than appearing on reality television. Maria L. La Ganga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/7/21

Q&A: Caitlyn Jenner, running to unseat Gov. Gavin Newsom, on campaigning, vaccinations and more -- During her first big campaign week since announcing she would run to unseat Gov. Gavin Newsom in the coming recall election, Caitlyn Jenner talked to Times staff about who she thinks is her natural political base and how she might fix some of California’s problems if she prevails in her historic run for office. Maria L. La Ganga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/7/21

Water  

Drought hits second year, but experts say the state is better prepared -- Northern California is getting hardest hit so far, with Southern California reservoirs at usual levels. Martin Wisckol in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/7/21

San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo opposes $2.5 billion dam project in Santa Clara County -- San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo announced Thursday that he will oppose plans to construct a 319-foot tall dam and new reservoir in southern Santa Clara County near Pacheco Pass, saying the price tag is too high for ratepayers and that water officials have better, cheaper options to boost Silicon Valley’s water supplies in the years ahead. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/7/21

Street  

Californians are finally acknowledging Asians are ‘frequently’ discriminated against, survey shows -- In a sign of shifting views on the Asian American experience in California, state residents are more willing to acknowledge that Asian Americans encounter discrimination, and Asian Americans are increasingly fearful of being victims of a hate crime, even more so than Black or Latino residents, according to a new statewide poll. Priscella Vega in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/7/21

Report shows breadth of anti-Asian racism with attacks from Alhambra to Michigan, in schools, restaurants -- At a store in Alhambra, a worker refused to ring up Asian American customers, hurling a racial insult at one. At a school in Texas, students picked on Asian American classmates, saying they had the coronavirus and everyone should stay away from them. Anh Do in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/7/21

Sacramento PD documents describe secret investigation that led to cop’s arrest -- It started last July with Sacramento police stopping to talk to a young Black motorist who suddenly pulled off the road near Discovery Park and into a gas station. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/7/21

‘Reprehensible, egregious’: Policing experts not surprised by Sacramento officer’s arrest -- News of an extensive internal investigation that led to the arrest of a Sacramento police officer charged with two felony counts of filing a false police report was not surprising to some law enforcement experts. Rosalio Ahumada in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/7/21

Woman shoved by Sacramento police officer while filming neck restraint sues city, county -- A woman who was shoved by a Sacramento police officer while filming another officer with his arm around a teenager’s neck last year has sued the city and county. Theresa Clift in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/7/21

Homeless  

Could a San Francisco experiment be an answer to L.A.’s sprawling street encampments? -- Cities up and down the West Coast, including Seattle, Sacramento and San Francisco, confronted by the high cost and slow progress of building housing for homeless people, have turned to these permitted tent encampments. Benjamin Oreskes, Carolyn Cole in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/7/21

Border  

Separated at the U.S.-Canada border: For a father and son, 90 miles is a distance too far -- In 2019, federal agents took Carlos Rivera away in handcuffs when he strayed across the U.S.-Canada border, even though he says they could see his 7-year-old son waiting for him with a friend on the Canadian side. Richard Read in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/7/21

School  

Sacramento parents have a new school option: Virtual academies for kids who want to stay home -- The pandemic sent thousands of public school students in the Sacramento region home. And some will choose to stay there in the fall, even as schools prepare for more robust in-person instruction. Sawsan Morrar in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/7/21

Graduation  

Grad walks, stage moments, no guests. Graduation 2021 is definitely not cutting it for many -- It all seemed so promising a month ago when Cal State L.A. announced its plans for graduation. An event at the landmark Rose Bowl, not only for the class of 2021, but also the forgotten class of 2020. Speeches. Music. Congratulations galore from family and friends. Maybe even some jumbotron action. Nina Agrawal in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/7/21

Google  

Google selling users’ personal data despite promise, federal court lawsuit claims -- The purported sales of data occur “continually and surreptitiously” via the Mountain View technology giant’s “real-time bidding” system for digital advertising spots, according to the suit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in San Jose by three Google users, who are seeking class-action status. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/7/21

Also . . .   

Juliette Paskowitz, matriarch of the ‘first family of surfing,’ dies at 89 -- It was the life any kid could only dream of, bounding across the country in an over-stuffed camper — from San Clemente to Pensacola to the shoreline of Venezuela, always searching for the perfect wave. Steve Marble in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/7/21

California Policy and P  olitics Friday Morning  

Should California allow distance learning in fall? Lawmakers, educators battle over how education should work -- Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers, both Democrats and Republicans, have been emphatic that public schools in California must reopen for full-time, in-person learning this fall. Dustin Gardiner, Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/7/21

Bay Area employers more likely to require vaccinations against coronavirus than other U.S. regions -- While nationally only about 3% of businesses surveyed required employees to show proof of having been vaccinated, that number was more than double, at 7.5%, in the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley metropolitan statistical area, or MSA. Chase Difeliciantonio, Yoohyun Jung in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/7/21

Largest convention booked in SF for 2021 gets canceled -- The American College of Rheumatology canceled its in-person convention that was scheduled to take place at San Francisco's Moscone Center with 16,000 attendees in November 2021. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 5/7/21

Muni services are ramping up for the June 15 reopening. Will cable cars be included? -- By the time California’s economy is set to reopen this summer, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency will have restored more of the transit services it cut during the pandemic. Ricardo Cano in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/7/21

Why the Bay Area still hasn’t spent $1.7B in COVID stimulus money -- Nearly two months after President Joe Biden signed a COVID stimulus bill directing $1.7 billion in relief funds to the Bay Area’s public transportation agencies, that money has not yet been spent — even as many transit systems keep pandemic-related service cuts in place. Nico Savidge in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/7/21

Bar owner charged with selling fake coronavirus vaccine cards in one of the first cases of its kind -- The Old Corner Saloon fashions itself as a small-town institution. Sitting on a historic plot of land in California’s Central Valley, the bar offers free pool, weekend karaoke and a regular “Ladies Night” — “the place where old friends return,” its website says. Reis Thebault in the Washington Post$ Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/7/21

Vaccine  

Young Latino and Black people have the lowest rate of COVID-19 vaccination in L.A. County, new data show -- Young Latino and Black people have the lowest rate of COVID-19 vaccination among any other age, racial and ethnic group in Los Angeles County — and officials say they need to do more to make the shots easy and convenient for more people. Hayley Smith, Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/7/21

Orange County and other California sites to close mass COVID-19 vaccination centers -- Officials in Orange County and elsewhere in California are preparing to close a number of COVID-19 mass vaccination sites as bookings for appointments continue to drop dramatically and authorities look to shift doses to mobile vaccine clinics, pharmacies and doctor’s offices. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/7/21

3 million coronavirus vaccine doses down, but many more still to go in San Diego -- But while the milestone underscores the region’s progress, officials caution that many more shots will need to go into arms to dramatically slow the spread of the virus and avoid future surges. Jonathan Wosen in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/7/21

Virus  

‘Trading people for profits’: California sues nursing home chain where hundreds have been sickened with COVID-19 -- The state and four district attorneys have sued the operator of 19 nursing homes, including several in the Bay Area where dozens of patients and employees died of COVID-19, accusing it of “trading people for profits at every turn.” Annie Sciacca in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/7/21

Open  

In California, vaccinations are priority but testing matters -- Los Angeles and San Francisco were able to enter California’s least restrictive coronavirus tier Thursday even though they have more infections per capita than some other populous counties. Amy Taxin and Stefanie Dazio Associated Press -- 5/7/21

Sacramento’s stagnating COVID-19 case rate could hold off further opening until June -- As Sacramento County remains mired in the state health department’s red tier of coronavirus restrictions, attention is shifting away from tier promotions and toward June 15, the date Gov. Gavin Newsom has said California plans to fully reopen its economy. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/7/21

Policy & Politics 

No, California Gov. Newsom Did Not ‘Just Let 76,000 Inmates Out Of Jail,’ As Recall Candidate John Cox Falsely Claimed -- But Cox also made a wild — and beastly — falsehood: He claimed Newsom had just released tens of thousands of inmates onto the streets. That’s simply not the case. Chris Nichols Capital Public Radio -- 5/7/21

KQED Political Breakdown -- Then, former California Air Resources Board chair Mary Nichols joins to discuss how she arrived in California, working for Jerry Brown and Arnold Schwarzenegger, how Joe Biden has followed California's lead on climate policy and the potential for ongoing collaboration with China on lowering emissions. Scott Shafer, Marisa Lagos KQED -- 5/7/21

The Trailer: California Republicans lose the bear – and some momentum for the Gavin Newsom recall election -- The bear did not make it to the Central Valley. John Cox, a Republican candidate for governor in the state's upcoming recall election, had relaunched his campaign on Tuesday with a “Meet the Beast Bus Tour,” joined by Tag, a 9-year old bear with acting experience. David Weigel in the Washington Post$ -- 5/7/21

Arnold Schwarzenegger Explains It All -- On his personal politics: “I operate with a European mind, and I also operate with an American mind. That’s why no one can figure me out. It has nothing to do with ‘Republican versus Democrat.’ I never paid attention to any of this political stuff, period, because I think that both are full of crap.” Shawn Hubler and Jill Cowan in the New York Times$ -- 5/7/21

Cyclists could roll through stop signs under plan moving through California Capitol -- For bicyclists, there are few places more dangerous than an intersection. Nearly a third of bicycle-related fatalities occur at one, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/7/21

Caitlyn  

Jenner has hangar pains after Hannity interview -- Move over French Laundry, there's a new social media obsession: Hangar Guy. Carla Marinucci Politico Teo Armus in the Washington Post$ -- 5/7/21

Why is Caitlyn Jenner running this particular campaign? -- With 1.6 million state residents signing a petition in support of the effort, Californians will have the opportunity later this year to go to the polls and decide whether Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) keeps his job. The polling — Newsom’s approval numbers, views of the trajectory of the state, opinions of the recall effort itself — suggests a highly likely outcome: Newsom will stay governor. Philip Bump in the Washington Post$ -- 5/7/21

Street  

S.F. man accused of stabbing two older Asian women charged with attempted murder -- The man accused of stabbing two older women in San Francisco on Tuesday has been charged with two counts of premeditated attempted murder and various other felonies, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday. Megan Cassidy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Matthew Green KQED -- 5/7/21

Sacramento cop arrested — she’s accused of filing false police report in July traffic stop -- Sacramento police arrested one of their officers Thursday on two felony counts of filing a false police report, part of a massive internal investigation that began last July at a gas station near Discovery Park. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/7/21

Daly City to buy police body cameras after fatal shooting of Roger Allen -- The decision comes after Allen, 44, was fatally shot in the chest by Daly City police during a traffic stop on Apr. 7. According to a police account of the shooting, officers opened fire during a struggle over what they thought was a firearm on Allen’s lap. The weapon turned out to be a BB gun. Nora Mishanec in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/7/21

Workplace  

CalSavers state pension plan survives challenge by Jarvis taxpayers group -- CalSavers, the employee-funded, state-managed retirement system for millions of Californians whose employers have no retirement plan, is a valid program that does not conflict with federal pension laws, a U.S. appeals court ruled Thursday, rejecting a conservative group’s challenge. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Maura Dolan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/7/21

Homeless  

Sanitation workers collect 35 tons of trash while preparing to reopen Echo Park Lake -- This comes more than a month after the city cleared a large homeless encampment of more than 170 tents from the park amid large protests by activists in the community. The timing of the park’s closure was kept secret by city officials until the last minute. Benjamin Oreskes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/7/21

Homeless people told to leave Oceanside hotel -- After three weeks in rooms funded by city’s voucher program, several are back on the street but most are still in rooms at the hotel. Gary Warth in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/7/21

Housing  

Mayor Breed grew up in S.F. public housing the city is struggling to fix. Some tenants plan to sue -- Ever since a fire ignited in her kitchen four years ago, what used to be the fan over Linda Thomas’ stove has been a scorched metal hole. The window above the sink has been broken for six years, she said. A corner of the living room ceiling has bulged for three years, strained by sewage that sometimes enters the house, she added. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/7/21

Landlords and Tenants  

California Eviction Moratorium Stays, Even as Judge Strikes Down Federal Ruling -- A federal judge has issued a sweeping ruling that would revoke a pandemic eviction moratorium put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a decision the Justice Department is appealing on behalf of the CDC. KQED -- 5/7/21

Education  

Marin County parents stopped a school closure, but district's funding challenges remain -- A Novato grade school has been spared the chopping block following a weeks-long campaign by parents who said their district violated its equity pledge by nominating three of its more diverse campuses for closure. Malavika Kannan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/7/21

International students heading to California colleges navigate vaccine, visa hurdles -- More California colleges are planning to require students to get COVID-19 vaccinations. For international students, that often means only vaccines approved by the World Health Organization will be accepted, even though not all students have access to those. Mikhail Zinshteyn, Charlotte West and Elena Shao CalMatters -- 5/7/21

Former star athlete’s lawsuit says Archbishop Mitty, Los Gatos High failed to stop sex abuse by coach -- Heather Hennessy alleges that schools either ignored or snuffed out her warnings about Chioke Robinson, who is currently being prosecuted for sexually abusing three of his track athletes. Robert Salonga in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/7/21

Calbright College once again faces opposition that seeks to shut it down -- Calbright College, the state’s online community college, stands on the edge of a precipice. As it has many times since it was established two years ago, the state’s only exclusively online college is once again fending off pressures from the Legislature to shut it down. Ashley A. Smith EdSource -- 5/7/21

Environment  

Three more whales wash up dead near San Francisco — eight total in five weeks -- Although the number of dead whales may seem alarming, the numbers are actually lower than they have been the last two years, said Michael Milstein, an NOAA spokesman. Susanne Rust in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/7/21

Border  

As immigrants seek refuge, America struggles to live up to its promise -- Some of the world’s most vulnerable people arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border every day. Tyrone Beason, Gary Coronado, Alejandro Tamayo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/7/21

Water  

Why this year's Folsom Lake super bloom is so amazingly rare - and troubling -- But this spring, experts say the super bloom that’s sprouted in the Sierra foothills reservoir 25 miles east of Sacramento is like nothing they’ve ever seen — and says a lot about the dire state of California’s deepening drought. Annie Vainshtein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/7/21

Fire  

Survivors Stuck In Limbo As PG&E Fire Victim Trust Pays Out $50 Million In Fees -- Like Cook, the vast majority of the 67,000 PG&E fire victims included in a December 2019 settlement with the company have yet to see a dime. That's as lawyers and administrators have been paid millions, with the money coming directly from funds set aside to help survivors like Cook. Lily Jamali KQED -- 5/7/21

Three teenagers arrested for allegedly starting Thousand Oaks brush fire -- Two 14-year-olds and a 15-year-old, whose names have not been released because they are minors, were arrested Tuesday and cited for taking an action that, through carelessness or negligence, may cause a fire. Leila Miller in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/7/21

Unstable Ground  

Magnitude-4.7 quake strikes California-Nevada border area -- A series of earthquakes — the largest with a preliminary magnitude of 4.7 — struck the California-Nevada border area Thursday night but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. Associated Press Lauren Hernández, Matthias Gafni in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/7/21

Also . . .   

Graduation day for first women to attend Marine boot camp in San Diego -- The company’s success is seen as key to the depot achieving full integration by 2028 as mandated by Congress. Andrew Dyer in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/7/21

California State Fair postponed to allow for more COVID-19 vaccinations at Cal Expo site -- The Sacramento-based facility, one of the largest vaccination sites in the state, will operate through September, officials said in a news release. Faith E. Pinho in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/7/21

‘Justice in Italy has worked’: Many in Rome applaud Californians’ life sentences in police killing -- The man knocking back an espresso outside a cafe in Rome had no doubt the two Californians had earned their life sentences in prison for the stabbing death of a police officer. Tom Kington in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/7/21