Updating . .   

California’s budget surplus surges to $97 billion, Gov. Gavin Newsom announces -- Much of the surplus will go to education and other dedicated funds, while the rest, about $49.2 billion, can be spent at the discretion of the Democratic governor and state lawmakers. It’s California’s largest budget surplus ever. Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Lindsey Holden in the Sacramento Bee$ John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ Adam Beam Associated Press -- 5/13/22

Wildfire  

Why Laguna Niguel fire was so destructive: Flying hot embers, huge homes, dry brush -- The weather conditions were unremarkable for coastal Orange County, and even a bit pleasant: Mild temperatures, relatively moist air and a seasonal onshore breeze. But when firefighters struggled to contain a 50-by-50-foot brush fire on a sere hillside in Laguna Niguel on Wednesday afternoon, officials grew concerned. Tony Briscoe, Alex Wigglesworth, Hannah Fry, Paul Duginski in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/13/22

Water  

Arellano: Heed the warnings of this palm tree, a 200-year-old drought survivor -- About 200 years ago, a palm tree was planted in downtown Los Angeles. The fan palm was originally from the Southern California desert, a newcomer to the city like so many who would arrive later. And like so many who settled here, this young migrant prospered while adapting to the changing times. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/13/22

Policy and Politics  

Smith: How a ‘defamatory’ TV ad attacking Karen Bass could help her be L.A.'s next mayor -- It wasn’t very long ago that Melina Abdullah and Patrisse Cullors, two of the earliest leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement, had some harsh words for their friend and fellow Angeleno Rep. Karen Bass. Erika D. Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/13/22

Myers: Gambling, taxes will dominate November’s ballot -- Statewide primary ballots may have arrived in mailboxes, but the big political money is aimed at November. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/13/22

Workplace   

Facebook, Twitter Are Pulling Back on Hiring—Will Others Follow? -- The shift by these technology giants raises questions about the direction of the overall U.S. job market and comes during a period of volatility in the stock market amid concerns over rising interest rates. Chip Cutter in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 5/13/22

Street  

Fencing suspect at S.F. boba tea shop was charged with similar crimes three years ago. What happened? -- Three years before Quoc Le was arrested for running an alleged international fencing operation behind a Tenderloin boba tea shop, he was accused of similar crimes, after Walnut Creek and San Francisco police officers allegedly found him in possession of property that had been swiped from cars. Megan Cassidy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/13/22

Cannabis  

Sacramento fourth-grader shared cannabis edibles in Skittles-like packaging, district says -- The incident happened Wednesday at Michael J. Castori Elementary School in East Del Paso Heights, Twin Rivers spokesperson Zenobia Gerald confirmed in an emailed statement. A student brought the edibles, which were in packaging resembling a bag of Skittles, according to the statement. Multiple students ate some of the candies, but it was not clear how many students did so. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/13/22

Housing   

More Sacramento renters are looking to leave the region. Here’s where they’re ending up -- After years of huge rent increases, more Sacramento apartment hunters have had enough. Roughly 42% of Sacramento renters looking for an apartment are focusing their searches on cities outside the region, according to new data from online rental company Apartment List. Ryan Lillis in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/13/22

Education  

Cal Poly Humboldt has seen declining enrollment for years. Is the name change helping? -- What’s in a name? When it comes to Cal Poly Humboldt, which rebranded to include the polytechnic designation earlier this year, university officials are hoping the answer is “More students.” Thus far, it looks like they might be right. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/13/22

Environment  

Signs of success in California campaign to keep monarch butterflies from disappearing -- Three biologists crouched among the milkweed plants, combing through the thin green leaves as if braiding hair. They were looking for tiny white eggs or chubby, yellow-striped caterpillars: signs of the Western monarch butterfly. Tara Duggan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/13/22

COVID  

Younger residents leading the way as COVID rate in LA County rises -- The daily number of COVID-19 cases reported in Los Angeles County continued growing on Thursday, May 12, prompting renewed warnings that younger residents are most likely to become infected and unvaccinated residents are most likely to become severely ill. The item is in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/13/22

Wealthy L.A. County communities seeing fastest rise in coronavirus cases -- As Los Angeles County’s coronavirus cases continue to climb, infections are rising fastest among wealthier residents, a likely echo of previous waves in which a greater rate of higher-income people became infected with the virus first. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/13/22

This antiviral pill paired with COVID vaccines offers the hope of ‘zero COVID deaths,’ officials say -- When Martha Smith came down with a cough that turned out to be COVID in late April, she figured she’d be able to get Paxlovid, the antiviral pill that’s now in increasingly ample supply at many pharmacies, pretty quickly. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/13/22

Can I get COVID-19 again? What to know in California during latest rise in cases -- COVID-19 cases are on the rise in California again, and the increase isn’t sparing those who’ve already had the virus. “COVID is not over,” said Dr. Lekshmi Santhosh, medical director of University of California, San Francisco’s Post-COVID Optimal Clinic. Hanh Truong in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/13/22

Also . . .   

3 arrested in South Bay for allegedly conducting an exorcism that killed 3-year-old -- San Jose police have arrested three people accused of performing an exorcism-like ritual that caused the death of a 3-year-old child in a tiny church, police said Friday. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Summer Lin in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/13/22

Remember the woman charged $10,000 for a cab ride? These other outrageous stories hold a key lesson -- After a quick trip in a San Francisco taxi, the passenger handed a credit card to the driver to swipe, then hopped out of the cab. Soon, a gargantuan charge — thousands of dollars — appeared on the passenger’s credit card bill for the ride. Despite months of pleading, the bank insisted the passenger owed the money and only relented after being contacted by a reporter. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/13/22

California Policy and Politics Friday Morning  

California Coastal Commission rejects plan for Poseidon desalination plant -- Despite worsening drought and repeated calls from Gov. Gavin Newsom to tap the Pacific Ocean as a source of drinking water, commissioners voted unanimously against the plan Thursday night. The decision, which was recommended by the commission‘s staff, may end the company’s plans for the $1.4-billion plant. Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/13/22

COVID  

Is Paxlovid, the COVID-19 pill, reaching those most in need? The government won’t say -- As the nation largely abandons mask mandates, physical distancing and other COVID-19 prevention strategies, elected officials and health departments alike are now championing antiviral pills. Hannah Recht Kaiser Health News in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/13/22

When will the surge in COVID cases peak? Here’s why the BA.2 curve will be harder to predict -- For much of the pandemic, the trajectories of the Bay Area’s COVID-19 surges have been just behind those of other major areas like New York and the United Kingdom — helping medical experts predict when cases would reach a height before coming back down. Danielle Echeverria in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/13/22

Workplace   

California’s minimum wage will rise to $15.50, triggered by soaring inflation -- California’s minimum wage for all employers will rise to $15.50 an hour in January, advisors to Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday, the first time that rising inflation has triggered a provision of a 6-year-old state law governing automatic pay increases. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ Eliyahu Kamisher in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/13/22

Policy and Politics  

Gov. Gavin Newsom unveils plan to use California budget surplus to counteract inflation -- Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday unveiled a plan to use a massive budget surplus to counteract inflation’s toll on Californians, including with new funding for rent relief, child care, health insurance premiums and utilities. Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Lindsey Holden in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/13/22

Joe Buscaino drops out of L.A. mayor’s race, endorses Rick Caruso -- Buscaino, a former L.A. police officer and one of the contest’s earliest entrants, saw the message he planned to run on — homelessness and public safety — seized by Caruso after he entered the race. Benjamin Oreskes, David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ Elizabeth Chou and Donna Littlejohn in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/13/22

Sonoma County sheriff candidate’s vandalized sign being investigated as hate crime -- Eddie Engram, a Sonoma County assistant sheriff running for the sheriff position, spent the morning of Mother’s Day scrubbing the words “Uncle Tom” off of one of his campaign signs in Monte Rio, he said. The epithet was scrawled on both sides of the sign in red spray-paint. Andres Picon in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/13/22

Street  

Oakland police department to enter into 1-year probationary period of federal oversight -- The Oakland Police Department could be done with federal oversight in one year — marking a significant moment in the department’s history after nearly 20 years of monitoring. Sarah Ravani in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/13/22

San Jose: Liccardo calls for improved screening, background checks after slew of police misconduct allegations -- After a series of misconduct allegations against multiple San Jose police officers in recent weeks, Mayor Sam Liccardo on Thursday called for improved screening and background checks for police academy recruits and further investigation of current officers. Summer Lin in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/13/22

San Jose police officer arrested over allegation he masturbated in a family’s home -- Officer Matthew Dominguez, 32, was arrested Thursday and will be arraigned on a misdemeanor indecent exposure charge on June 22 at 9 a.m. in the Hall of Justice, according to a Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office news release. If convicted, Dominguez could face a year in jail and be placed on the sexual offender list for a decade. Summer Lin in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/13/22

Homeless  

Ambitious S.F. plan to shelter all unhoused homeless people hits resistance -- Opponents felt the plan would encourage encampment sweeps that clear the streets of tents without advancing longer-term solutions to homelessness. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/13/22

Housing   

This wealthy Bay Area city wants to build townhomes for the first time in its history. Residents aren’t happy -- The town of Atherton will consider allowing the construction of townhomes for the first time in the 99-year history of the exclusive Peninsula commuter community as it struggles to meet a state mandate to add housing. Sam Whiting in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/13/22

Wildfire  

Laguna Niguel residents return to ruins: ‘30 years’ worth of memories’ consumed by fire -- Lynn Morey stood in disbelief Thursday outside the home that she and her husband have rented for nearly a decade. The once luxurious five-bedroom house with sweeping views of the Saddleback Mountains had been completely engulfed by flames a day earlier. The frame was still standing, but the charred rubble inside signaled that everything had been lost. Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/13/22

Coastal fire: ‘One signature away’ from sold, 10,000-square-foot mansion among 20 homes destroyed -- Prices for the fire-damaged homes along Coronado Pointe ranged from $2.85 million to $9.61 million, and averaged just under $4 million. Jeff Collins and Sandra Barrera in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/13/22

California’s AI-Powered Wildfire Prevention Efforts Contend With Data Challenge -- California-based utility companies are increasingly investing in artificial intelligence for wildfire mitigation but say they are struggling to collect enough data to train the AI. Isabelle Bousquette in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 5/13/22

Education  

UC, CSU and community colleges set to get big funding boost — with big expectations -- California’s three systems of public higher education are set to get a big funding boost — but in exchange will need to meet comprehensive targets to improve access, affordability and equity under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s revised budget proposal set to be unveiled Friday. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/13/22

Students sue Mills College, accusing school of misleading them about Northeastern takeover -- Mills College in Oakland, which will end its 170-year run as a school for women this summer, bungled its merger with an East Coast university and illegally misled hundreds of students — costing them money and delaying their education, a new class-action lawsuit claims. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/13/22

California Covid cases rising as school year ends with few renewed restrictions -- As the first school year back on campus comes to a close, Covid infection rates in California again are on the rise, but with one distinct difference: Few districts are tightening up masking and other restrictions that were in place at the start of the year, even for large gatherings like graduations and proms. Diana Lambert EdSource