Updating . .   

Walt Disney Co. to get $580-million tax break for moving California jobs to Florida -- The Burbank-based media giant applied for and was approved to receive an estimated $578 million in credits from the state of Florida over the next 19 years, according to documents obtained from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. The credits are for building and operating a regional campus near Lake Nona to house the roughly 2,000 workers. Hugo Martín in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/23/21

COVID-19 explodes in San Diego with more than 1,200 cases in a day -- In a week where coronavirus cases were already on the rise, the situation grew more ominous Friday with the county health department announcing that it received notification of 1,264 new cases, the biggest single-day bump since Feb. 5 when the winter’s holiday surge was still filling local hospitals. Paul Sisson in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/23/21

Bay Area health officials urge employers to require workers to be vaccinated -- As COVID-19 case rates mount, Bay Area health officials are now asking private employers to take a larger role in countering the spread of the Delta variant by recommending that they begin requiring employees to be vaccinated. Faith E. Pinho in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/23/21

As more workers fall ill, Bay Area restaurateurs weigh a dramatic step: banning the unvaccinated -- Bay Area restaurants are seeing reservations drop, with diners citing the highly contagious delta variant as their reason for canceling. Fully vaccinated employees are getting sick, forcing temporary closures at a rate that hasn’t been seen since early in the pandemic. Now, owners are debating what to do next. Janelle Bitker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/23/21

Montclair city workers must wear COVID-19 vaccine stickers if they don’t wear masks -- The city of Montclair will require employees to wear stickers proving they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 if they don’t want to wear a mask while working. Starting Monday, city workers who choose to shed their masks will be required to wear a sticker showing they’ve received a COVID-19 vaccine, officials said. Melissa Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/23/21

Vaccinated people can get ‘breakthrough’ infections: How worried should we be? -- With coronavirus cases spreading rapidly throughout California and the nation, reports of infections among those who are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 are increasingly drawing attention. Rong-Gong Lin II, Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/23/21

Fire  

Dixie Fire now California’s largest wildfire of the season -- Ten days after it broke out in remote Butte County, the Dixie Fire is now California’s largest wildfire of the season — and the fight to contain it is only expected to get more difficult. As of Friday morning, the fire had scorched 142,940 acres — up nearly 30,000 acres overnight — and was about 18% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Fiona Kelliher, Jason Green in the San Jose Mercury$ Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/23/21

Technology has growing role in corralling US West wildfires -- As drought- and wind-driven wildfires have become more dangerous across the American West in recent years, firefighters have tried to become smarter in how they prepare. Don Thompson Associated Press -- 7/23/21

Policy & Politics 

Support for recalling Gov. Newsom may be growing, new poll suggests -- The upcoming recall election could be a closer battle than originally predicted. Asked whether Gov. Gavin Newsom should be recalled, 43% of voters in a new Emerson College/Nexstar Media poll said yes. Just 48% said they would vote to keep him in office, and 9% said they weren’t sure. Emily DeRuy in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/23/21

Street  

For a Black LAPD officer, police reckoning brings pressure from protesters and fellow cops -- Los Angeles Police Officer Michael Silva stood stoically on the steps of LAPD headquarters one night last fall as several young protesters, two in horror masks, taunted him with racial slurs and flashed the middle finger in his face. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/23/21

Staying Aloat

Where is California poverty most severe? Report shows 1 in 3 households struggle to pay bills -- The high cost of housing and childcare and the slow growth of workers’ incomes pushed nearly one-third of California households into situations where they struggled to pay for their basic needs, according to a report published Wednesday by United Ways of California. Jeong Park in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/23/21

Housing  

Sacramento’s real estate market is like an ‘action movie.’ How buyers are adjusting -- Sacramento continued to be one of the hottest home sales markets in the country in June as buyers bid against each other to land a limited number of houses amid fast-rising and record-high prices. Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/23/21

Relief to residents: FAA announces $20.5 million to soundproof homes near LAX -- Thursday morning in Lennox began quietly: birds chirping, the soft brush of a woman sweeping the pavement, cars whooshing by. And then, a roar. A minute or two later, another one. Faith E. Pinho in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/23/21

Good luck getting a state rebate on your new electric car -- Sam Dudley of Encino knows that California government has gone all in on zero-emission vehicles. So has he. He’s all about cutting back on greenhouse gases. In May, Dudley splurged on a new electric car, a metallic black Chevy Bolt EV LT. He loves it. Russ Mitchell in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/23/21

Also . . .   

How to help protect your school from ransomware attacks -- Cybersecurity advice is often scattered and difficult to understand if you’re not a tech expert — it can be brutal out there for school administrators, educators and parents trying to figure out how to protect their schools from cyberattacks. CalMatters spoke with over a dozen cybersecurity experts to help you out. Zayna Syed CalMatters -- 7/23/21

Sutter Health antitrust deal nearly done. But did California officials leak probe info? -- State officials figured they were going to finalize a landmark $575 million legal settlement Thursday designed to overhaul the way hospital giant Sutter Health deals with employers and health insurers. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/23/21

Encino man created 8 fake businesses, filed for $27 million in bogus COVID-19 loans, feds say -- An Encino man was arrested Thursday for attempting to bilk the federal Paycheck Protection Program, created last year to prop up business struggling during the coronavirus pandemic, out of about $27 million in loans to a handful of fake companies he created, prosecutors say. Josh Cain in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 7/23/21

California Policy and Politics This Morning  

20% of L.A. County’s coronavirus cases in June were among the vaccinated. Why that’s not surprising -- In June, 20% of Los Angeles County’s coronavirus cases were among fully vaccinated residents. That’s up from May, when 11% of coronavirus cases were among that group. Rong-Gong Lin II, Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/23/21

Even the vaccinated must take precautions as L.A. coronavirus surge worsens, officials say -- With coronavirus cases reaching levels in Los Angeles County not seen since the waning days of the winter surge, public health officials said Thursday that even those who have been vaccinated should take precautions, given how widely the virus is now circulating. Luke Money, Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/23/21

Bay Area counties urge employers to require vaccinations; Santa Clara will mandate for 22,000 county workers -- Santa Clara, Contra Costa and San Francisco county health officials Thursday urged employers to require their workers to get vaccinated as soon as possible as the Bay Area sees a surge in COVID-19, chiefly among those who’ve not been inoculated. And Santa Clara County said late Thursday afternoon it intends to lead by example by requiring all 22,000 of its employees to become vaccinated. John Woolfolk, Leonardo Castañeda in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/23/21

Thirsty Goat closed after workers get COVID-19. Woodland bar says unvaccinated to blame -- According to the Thirsty Goat, two guests informed the staff that they had tested positive and hadn’t received a vaccine, and had not worn a mask during their visit to the bar. A manager and another worker were infected despite being fully vaccinated. Christine Delianne in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/23/21

Southern California would be back in purple, red tiers if old color-coded system still existed -- Case rates have risen enough in recent weeks that if the state’s old four-color tier system were still in place, Los Angeles County could have just moved into the most restrictive purple tier, where Southern California spent the darkest days of the pandemic, while Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties would likely now be in the second-most restrictive red tier, according to state data updated Thursday, July 22. Nikie Johnson, Ryan Carter in the Orange County Register -- 7/23/21

Misinformation is killing people. Here’s the truth about COVID vaccines -- U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued his first formal health advisory last week, warning Americans that misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines poses an “imminent and insidious threat to our nation’s health.” Such advisories are typically used to flag the dangers of tobacco use or the opioid epidemic. Murthy’s was the first to target vaccine disinformation. Amina Khan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/23/21

Parent groups sue state over school mask mandate -- Two parent groups filed a lawsuit against Governor Gavin Newsom and state health officials Thursday over rules requiring all California’s school kids to wear face masks for protection against COVID-19 when they return to class in the fall term that begins next month. John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury$ Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/23/21

‘My child, my choice.’ Clovis parents, school leaders protest classroom mask requirement -- Echoing the sentiments of many of the dozens of protesters outside Wednesday’s Clovis Unified School Board meeting, board members expressed frustration over the recently announced face-mask requirement in schools. Isabel Sophia Dieppa in the Fresno Bee -- 7/23/21

Klobuchar takes aim at online COVID lies with Section 230 bill -- Sen. Amy Klobuchar introduced a bill Thursday to make online platforms like Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. legally liable for misinformation about health issues such as COVID-19. Anna Edgerton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/23/21

Fire  

Dixie fire burns more than 100,000 acres while Tamarack fire crosses state lines -- The Dixie fire burning in Butte and Plumas counties mushroomed to more than 100,000 acres Thursday, becoming the second California blaze this year to surpass that acreage milestone. Hayley Smith, Matthew Ormseth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/23/21

Why It Took PG&E 9.5 Hours to Get to the Scene Where Dixie Fire Started -- With PG&E's announcement earlier this week that one of its power lines is under investigation as the cause of yet another destructive Northern California wildfire, attention has focused on the company's account that nine and a half hours elapsed after the first indication of trouble in the Feather River Canyon before one of the company's field workers reached the spot where a small fire was beginning to spread. Dan Brekke KQED -- 7/23/21

Next 3 days are critical in battle against 113,000-acre Dixie Fire, firefighters say -- During a Dixie Fire virtual incident update on Thursday evening, incident commander Shannon Prather,said that “This fire is outpacing us at moments.” “It’s a very difficult, large encompassing area to really get ahead of this fire right now in the conditions that it’s burning,” Prather said. Lauren Hernández in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/23/21

Policy & Politics 

Newsom's biggest challenger in the recall election may be himself -- Facing a diffuse field of challengers in a highly polarized political environment, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s fate in the upcoming recall election rests primarily in his own hands. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/23/21

Facing Recall Anger From Shop Owners, Newsom Touts Small Business Roots -- Moments after Gavin Newsom was sworn into a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in February of 1997, he promised that his experience running a small business would be the north star for his new life in politics. Guy Marzorati KQED -- 7/23/21

Audit finds former mayor and staff misrepresented Ash Street facts, withheld key details from City Council -- Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and his staff withheld information from the City Council and misrepresented facts about multiple properties acquired by the city in public reports or presentations, an independent audit released Thursday concludes. The study issued by the City Auditor’s Office also found that the Faulconer administration failed to conduct proper due diligence before entering real estate deals worth more than $230 million. Jeff McDonald in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/23/21

Half of San Diego’s new appointees are women, 70% are people of color on boards, commissions -- Mayor Todd Gloria announced about half the volunteers he appointed to the city’s more than 45 board and commissions are women and 70 percent are people of color. Andrea Lopez-Villafaña in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/23/21 -- 7/23/21

Kiley focuses on school vouchers in California recall campaign -- Republican Assemblymember Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin) is making school vouchers and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s handling of schools during the pandemic a centerpiece of his recall campaign, trying to tap into parent frustration over Covid-19 closures. Mackenzie Mays Politico -- 7/23/21

High Speed Rail  

Democrats in California and D.C. clash over how state’s high-speed rail should be powered -- A key block of California lawmakers is feuding with the Biden administration over the state’s high-speed rail endeavor, arguing that conditions of a restored federal grant lock the project into what it sees as an outdated technology for powering the bullet train. Ralph Vartabedian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/23/21

Staying Aloat

San Francisco families need to earn $127,000 just to make ends meet, study finds -- Twenty-five percent of San Franciscans do not earn enough income to meet their basic needs, according to a new study. United Ways of California released the study that looks at a factor called the Real Cost Measure, which estimates the amount of income one needs to make ends meet in the California. Michelle Robertson in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 7/23/21

Street  

OC Sheriff’s deputies could start wearing body cameras in August -- The county’s largest law enforcement agency has been looking into using the technology for years, Barnes said during a live stream video on Tuesday, July 20. The sheriff said he hopes the body cameras will help improve transparency. Emily Rasmussen in the Orange County Register -- 7/23/21

Walgreens  

An East Oakland Walgreens' last stand gets personal -- The signs announced plans to close the store on July 29, stripping a low-income neighborhood of its only pharmacy. “We’re begging Walgreens to give us a little time,” Stevens told reporters in the store parking lot Thursday morning. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/23/21

COVID Economy  

S.F. economy: New data gives glimpse of city's recovery so far -- Employment, hotel occupancy and BART ridership in San Francisco are still well below their pre-pandemic levels, but all of them have picked up in the wake of relaxed COVID-19 restrictions, according to newly released city data. Steve Rubenstein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/23/21

Workplace  

Black S.F. employees file federal complaint alleging 'rampant' discrimination and harm -- A coalition of Black city workers in San Francisco filed a complaint with a federal agency this week alleging “rampant” discrimination and harm, particularly in racially disproportionate discipline of employees. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/23/21

EDD  

California EDD to stop freezing unemployment benefits and adopt 'pay now' policy -- Now EDD, under pressure by consumer advocates, will stop freezing benefits for people whose existing claims have eligibility questions. Instead, EDD said Thursday, it is implementing a “pay now” policy to issue conditional payments while it investigates problems, rather than subjecting claimants to lengthy waits to get money flowing again. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/23/21

Homeless  

City backlash against homeless encampment is coming to a boil in Marin County -- Novato officials say they’re fighting back after an advocacy group and residents of homeless encampment filed a lawsuit and a federal judge temporarily blocked enforcement of the city’s new limits on homeless camping. Annie Vainshtein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/23/21

Education  

UC raises tuition despite student outcry, touting more financial aid and budget stability -- University of California regents, citing the need for financial stability and more grant aid, approved a tuition increase Thursday following widespread student protests and two years of debate. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ Katherine Swartz in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/23/21

Stanford reports seven COVID cases in vaccinated students -- Seven vaccinated Stanford students tested positive for the coronavirus this week, the university announced on Thursday, days after it loosened COVID testing requirements for inoculated students and staff living on campus. Kate Selig in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/23/21

California K-12 Covid safety practices for the new school year | Q&A -- State health officials say schools are ready to open for in-person instruction now that vaccines have been widely distributed, but districts face two major challenges: Children younger than 12 are still not eligible for Covid vaccines, and cases have begun to surge again a month after the state dropped most of its Covid restrictions. Ali Tadayon EdSource -- 7/23/21

Dismiss  

On eve of trial, feds ask to drop yearlong prosecution of UC Davis Chinese researcher -- The motion filed in federal court in Sacramento asks U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez to dismiss the remaining count against Dr. Juan Tang, a prominent cancer researcher who came to the United States in December 2019 to conduct research at UC Davis. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/23/21

Water  

Public officials scrambling for solutions amid water emergency on the Mendocino Coast -- Water trucks are becoming almost as common as tourists in the coastal village of Mendocino this summer, as two years of critically low rainfall have taken a toll on the town’s groundwater wells and left public officials scrambling to find new supplies. Mary Callahan in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat -- 7/23/21

Guns  

New federal strike force aims to cut inflow of guns to L.A. and target ‘ghost gun’ sellers -- A new federal strike force launched by the U.S. Justice Department on Thursday will focus on disrupting the illegal flow of weapons into Los Angeles from neighboring states while also going after makers of local “ghost guns,” according to local and federal authorities. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/23/21

Also . . .   

Remains of 17-year-old missing in 2018 Montecito mudslide have been found, mother says -- The remains were recovered in May within 1,000 feet of where the family’s home once stood, his mother, Kim Cantin, told KYET-TV. A lab analysis confirmed the remains as Jack Cantin’s, she said. Matthew Ormseth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/23/21