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California drought: Newsom orders tighter water conservation rules -- As drought worsens, Californians face most far-reaching water conservation rules since 2016. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/28/22

COVID: Do J&J vaccine recipients need a second booster? Doctors and CDC have different opinions -- Drug giants Pfizer and Moderna – makers of the country’s most widely used vaccines in the fight against COVID-19 – are now seeking approval for a second booster shot as immunity wanes and more contagious variants come ashore. Good news for some. John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/28/22

Only 30% of L.A. County kids are vaccinated, months after COVID shots became available -- As kids were spilling out of the gates at Helen Keller Elementary School in Lynwood, outreach worker Alma Aracen tried to talk to the parents crowded outside. “We’re offering COVID vaccines,” Aracen said in Spanish to one mother, gesturing to the mobile clinic and tables set up by St. John’s Community Health near the school. Emily Alpert Reyes, Phi Do in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/28/22

Policy and Politics  

Who should receive reparations in California for slavery? Answers raise more questions -- Antoinette Harrell has spent nearly three decades of her life verifying cases of slavery in the South before and after emancipation. Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/28/22

Barabak: Stop hounding Dianne Feinstein and let her finish her time in the Senate -- When Dianne Feinstein showed up last week for the mud-heaving spectacle that served as the Senate’s vetting of Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, several notable things did not happen. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/28/22

Supreme Court agrees to review California law on pork sales -- The case stems from a 2018 ballot measure where California voters approved the nation’s toughest living space standards for breeding pigs. Two agricultural associations challenging the law say almost no farms satisfy those conditions. Associated Press -- 3/28/22

Federal Judge Finds Trump Likely Committed Crimes Over 2020 Election -- “The illegality of the plan was obvious,” the judge wrote in a civil case, referring to the former president’s efforts to persuade Vice President Mike Pence to upend the certification of the Electoral College results. Luke Broadwater and Alan Feuer in the New York Times$ Farnoush Amiri Associated Press -- 3/28/22

Evict  

California lawmakers struck a deal on eviction protections. What does it mean for tenants? -- State lawmakers are rushing this week to extend California eviction protections for hundreds of thousands of tenants waiting for rent relief. But some advocacy groups for landlords and tenants alike are unhappy with the bill. Manuela Tobias CalMatters Lindsey Holden in the Sacramento Bee$ Louis Hansen in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/28/22

Gas  

California contradiction: Ban gas cars later, but cushion gas prices now? -- California has invested heavily in switching away from gas-powered cars to meet its climate goals. Now Gov. Newsom has proposed sending out checks to car owners to help with the price of gas. That move wouldn’t necessarily prop up demand for gas — economists say people may use the money to buy other things. Grace Gedye CalMatters -- 3/28/22

Street  

‘People don’t think clearly in crisis:’ California law enforcement turns to mental health clinicians on toughest 911 calls -- California law enforcement agencies are embracing new approaches to mental health crisis calls. But some activists still want a solution without police, including volunteers in Nevada County who came together after a fatal shooting. Alexei Koseff CalMatters -- 3/28/22

Develop  

‘A bet on downtown Los Angeles.’ Huge Angels Landing project wins key city OK -- Victor MacFarlane and R. Donahue Peebles have devoted years to Angels Landing, a $1.6-billion hotel-housing-retail complex that would change the city skyline. The Bunker Hill development’s highest tower at 63 stories would be among L.A.’ s tallest buildings. Roger Vincent in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/28/22

Also . . .   

Omar Ameen’s attorneys say judge has rejected efforts to return Sacramento man to Iraq -- Iraqi refugee Omar Ameen has won a ruling from a federal immigration judge that bars the government from sending him back to Iraq because of the possibility he could face torture there, but the Sacramento resident’s legal fight is continuing after nearly four years in custody. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/28/22

California Policy and Politics Monday Morning  

Cruise ship with coronavirus-infected passengers and crew docks in San Francisco -- The Ruby Princess returned to San Francisco from a 15-day Panama Canal cruise, and the tests were conducted enroute, the company said in the statement emailed to The Chronicle. All of the infected people were either asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, and were quarantined and isolated onboard while monitored by medical staff, the statement said. Ryce Stoughtenborough in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/28/22

There’s one big COVID rule still in place. Will we soon see isolation guidance change? -- California has rolled back most of its COVID-19 measures since the omicron surge died down, and Bay Area counties have followed suit, removing indoor mask mandates and loosening other precautions like vaccination mandates for indoor dining and gyms. Jessica Flores in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/28/22

Policy and Politics  

Politicians eager to send Californians cash for gas -- Californians face stubborn shortages of necessities — housing, water and perhaps electrical power — but in this election year, politicians are offering numerous plans to give them billions of dollars to offset a sharp increase in gas prices. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 3/28/22

Street  

LAPD says Chris Rock declined to file complaint against Will Smith over Oscar slap -- Oscar presenter Chris Rock has declined to file a police report over actor Will Smith’s slap during the live broadcast of the Academy Awards ceremony, the department said in a release Sunday night. Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ Mick LaSalle in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Peter Larsen in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 3/28/22

Inmate killed in attack at high-security California prison -- An inmate died after an attack by two other inmates in the recreation yard of a high-security prison in Northern California, officials said Sunday. Staff at California State Prison, Sacramento, deployed chemical agents to stop the brawl, which started on Saturday about 2:12 p.m., according to a news release. Rosanna Xia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/28/22

Ukraine  

Rally in support of Ukraine draws flags from many nations to San Francisco waterfront -- Amid hundreds of glum faces on a gray afternoon, Oksana Kozhemiakina could not stop smiling during Sunday’s Ukrainian peace rally at Crissy Field. One week ago she was driven to a drop zone for a 6.2-mile hike across the Polish border and a flight from Warsaw to Frankfort to Las Vegas to San Francisco where her niece met her. Sam Whiting in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/28/22

Education  

As California students take spring breaks, Newsom hails at-home COVID testing program -- California has sent more than 14 million at-home COVID tests to schools this month for use by students and staff, according to a weekend news release from the governor’s office. Noor Adatia in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/28/22

Dorms eyed for community colleges to ease California housing crunch -- At Sierra College just north of Sacramento, every semester brings at least one guarantee: a very long wait list for housing in the college’s residence hall. Michael Burke and Emma Gallegos EdSource -- 3/28/22

  Sac School Strike  

Schools to stay closed Monday as Sacramento district, teacher talks extend with no sign of resolution -- Sacramento City Unified School District officials continued twin talks with bargainers from the teachers and classified staff unions Sunday as negotiations on a new labor pact ground through the weekend. Classes in the 40,000-student district would remain closed Monday, the district said in a 9:30 p.m. update, marking the fourth day without instruction. Darrell Smith in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/28/22

Also . . .   

Sacramento’s Jessica Chastain wins Best Actress at the Oscars -- The Sacramento-born actress won Best Actress at the 94th Academy Awards on Sunday night in Hollywood for her portrayal of Tammy Faye Bakker in “The Eyes of Tammy Faye.” She also was a producer on the film about the televangelist, who died in 2007. Darrell Smith in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/28/22

Palisades Tahoe founder built High Camp to be a year-round destination. Now it's all but forgotten -- Alex Cushing, the founder of Palisades Tahoe, was known to be two things: visionary and determined. Julie Brown in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/28/22