Updating . .   

California’s Delta COVID surge would vault a dozen or more counties to widespread purple tier -- At least three Bay Area counties have new infection rates that would have been enough to close some businesses. John Woolfolk, Harriet Blair Rowan in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/19/21

Four more counties in the greater Bay Area recommend masks indoors -- Health officers from Napa, Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties issued a joint statement advising people use masks in public indoor spaces “out of an abundance of caution,” as cases climb and the highly infectious delta variant begins to dominate. Erin Allday in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/19/21

PG&E’s equipment may have sparked Dixie fire, growing near burn scar of deadly Camp fire -- Utility equipment from Pacific Gas & Electric Co. may have sparked the Dixie fire, which has scorched more than 18,000 acres in Butte and Plumas counties over the past week, according to a report the utility company filed Sunday. Faith E. Pinho in the Los Angeles Times$ Michael McGough and Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ Dominic Fracassa, Matthias Gafni in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/19/21

Tamarack Fire south of Lake Tahoe grows to more than 23,000 acres overnight -- The fast-moving Tamarack Fire in Alpine County south of Lake Tahoe grew considerably overnight, with no containment reported as of Monday morning. Annie Vainshtein, Julie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/19/21

Virus  

L.A. County coronavirus spike hits alarming levels, with 10,000 infected in a week, as Delta variant spreads -- Los Angeles County is now recording more than 10,000 coronavirus cases a week — a pace not seen since March — an alarming sign of the dangers the Delta variant poses to people who have not been vaccinated and heightening pressure on health officials to reverse the trend. Rong-Gong Lin II, Sean Greene, Thomas Suh Lauder in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/21

Wastewater virus levels shed light on intensity of Sacramento’s current COVID surge -- Levels of the virus that causes COVID-19 detected in human wastewater have grown substantially since about the start of June, according to sewershed data analyzed by a Stanford-based research team. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/19/21

Vaccines are incredibly effective against Delta variant. So why do we need to wear masks indoors? -- Health experts agree the COVID-19 vaccines have proved to be extremely effective against the virus, including providing protection from the highly contagious Delta variant. Rong-Gong Lin II, Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/21

Keep wearing masks indoors? Many Sacramento residents, businesses seem to support the idea -- Residents and tourists walked around mostly maskless in midtown Sacramento over the weekend, and popular venues like Zócalo and Paesanos were packed with guests. But, based on a small sampling of people interviewed in the area, many appear to support the idea of wearing masks indoors when possible. Zaeem Shaikh in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/19/21

Who is the coronavirus surge impacting in San Francisco? -- Our analysis found that from July 1 through 10, ZIP codes in which at least 20% of residents identify as Black or Latino had an average of 7.9 new cases per 10,000 residents, compared with just 4.7 per 10,000 in ZIP codes where less than 10% identified as Black or Latino. Susie Neilson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/19/21

Policy & Politics 

California recall roster rundown -- By 5 p.m. Friday, would-be candidates to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom were asked to put up — in the form of filing fees or signatures and five years worth of tax returns that were posted Sunday — or shut up. According to the list published Saturday night by the Secretary of State, 41 have put up. Ben Christopher CalMatters -- 7/19/21

California's 41 recall candidates come from all walks of life, tax returns show -- The 41 California recall candidates represent a panoply of career interests, from retail worker to reality TV star, and their tax returns reflect a field that's largely middle- or working class, based on an initial review of records released Sunday afternoon. Kevin Yamamura Politico -- 7/19/21

Skelton: Where the Republicans running to replace Newsom in the recall say they stand on the issues -- All the major candidates trying to oust Gov. Gavin Newsom and replace him are Republicans, but some wear different stripes. There’s a variety to choose from. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/21

Law enforcement unions donate to California Democrats ahead of police reform vote -- California law enforcement unions are contributing tens of thousands of dollars to influential Democratic lawmakers as the Legislature advances a controversial police reform bill that would allow departments to strip badges from officers with serious misconduct records. Hannah Wiley in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/19/21

Newsom promised big on California health care. Where do his bold plans stand now? -- He vowed to target rising prescription drug costs and find a way for the state to pay for care for all Californians, a key campaign promise. He also set a goal of creating a blueprint to better serve the Golden State’s growing population of seniors. Ana B. Ibarra CalMatters -- 7/19/21

COVID Economy  

Unpaid utility bills? California will pay off $2 billion to avoid shutoffs -- Lawmakers have agreed to pay off $2 billion of Californians’ utilities debt, but haven’t extended the shutoff moratoria past Sept. 30. One family’s experience of surviving a heat wave without water or power reveals what’s at stake. Jackie Botts CalMatters -- 7/19/21

Education  

California Community Colleges chancellor to take temporary job with Biden administration -- California Community Colleges Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley will join the Biden administration in a temporary role advising U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on higher education policy, the system announced Monday. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ Emma Talley in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/19/21

UC admits largest, most diverse class ever, but it was harder to get accepted -- The University of California admitted its largest, most diverse undergraduate class ever for fall 2021 — but it was harder to get in as a record-shattering number of applicants vied for access to the renowned public research system, according to UC data released Monday. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/21

Caltech says it regrets drilling holes in sacred Native American petroglyph site -- Inside federal Ranger Chris Mason’s patrol truck, the radio crackled with alarming news: People were seen lugging bags of heavy equipment into a protected site containing prehistoric rock carvings. Louis Sahagún in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/21

Q&A: My conversation with U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona -- As I shook hands with U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona this week, I felt a sense of familiarity reminiscent of what I imagine students feel when they come across an educator with a shared background. Anne Vasquez EdSource -- 7/19/21

California Policy and Politics Monday Morning  

Massive Sugar fire and two other blazes sweep Northern California, fed by dry, gusty conditions -- Fueled by a trifecta of dangerous weather conditions — strong winds, low humidity and high temperatures — a series of wildfires, including a so-called megafire that has already charred more than 100,000 acres, continue to burn huge swaths of drought-dried vegetation in Northern California. Marisa Gerber in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/21

Gusting winds fan explosive Tamarack Fire; new evacuations ordered for Dixie Fire -- Strong, gusting winds and gathering storm systems fanned two major wildfires burning in the drought-stricken Sierra Nevada on Sunday — dangerous weather conditions predicted to complicate the firefights. Jessica Flores, Julie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/19/21

Virus  

Wary and Weary, Los Angeles Largely Accepts Restored Mask Mandate -- As the sun began to burn through the morning marine layer, patrons of the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, Calif., were still adjusting to the new normal, which was pretty much the old normal — an order from Los Angeles County to wear masks indoors in businesses and public places. Matt Craig and Livia Albeck-Ripka in the New York Times$ -- 7/19/21

Policy & Politics 

Who’s in? California recall candidate list draws confusion -- The official list of who’s running in California’s recall election of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom remained unsettled Sunday, with conservative talk radio host Larry Elder maintaining he should be included but state officials saying he submitted incomplete tax returns, a requirement to run. Michael R. Blood and Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press -- 7/19/21

4 wealthy donors fuel overhaul of California's criminal justice system -- Four wealthy activists intent on reshaping California's criminal justice system are gearing up for their biggest test yet against police and prosecutor groups. Jeremy B. White Politico -- 7/19/21

Walters: Will California get tough on housing quotas? -- Having more or less completed work on the state budget, legislators abandoned the Capitol last week for their annual summer vacation. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 7/19/21

Tito Ortiz backers want similar mindset to replace him on HB City Council -- Ever-colorful Tito Ortiz may be gone from the Huntington Beach City Council, but he was not forgotten on Sunday – at least not by a small group of his fans. Susan Christian Goulding, Tess Sheets in the Orange County Register -- 7/19/21

Also . . .   

61-year-old champion runner goes missing during hike at Yosemite National Park -- Fred Zalokar, a world-traveled ultramarathon runner from Reno, has gone missing during a day hike at Yosemite National Park, the park said Sunday night. Greg Keraghosian in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 7/19/21

San Jose VTA: Relatives and coworkers remember victims killed in mass shooting, lash out at agency -- Shooting survivor and union president John Courtney wasn’t expected to speak at the memorial for the nine VTA employees gunned down by a co-worker in May. He wasn’t even listed in the program. Julia Prodis Sulek in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/19/21