Updating . .   

California parents demand answers on school security, but there are no ironclad guarantees -- The Texas school shooting has prompted questions among Los Angeles area parents about school security measures that could prevent similar violence on their children’s campuses. School officials tried to be reassuring — explaining how they work to keep children safe. But they could not make ironclad pledges. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/22

After Texas shooting: A call to ‘advance our resolve’ -- Buffalo. Boulder. Aurora. Las Vegas. Orlando. San Bernardino. Sutherland Springs. Poway. Parkland. Sandy Hook. At a press conference on Wednesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom rattled off a list of towns that have become tragic metonyms of our nation’s epidemic of gun violence. Ben Christopher CalMatters -- 5/26/22

Skelton: America’s gun violence problem won’t be solved until firearm owners finally understand it must be -- I’ve owned guns since age 13 and for many years was an avid hunter. I get the attraction and why they’re enjoyed. But there’s something I’ve never gotten. I’ve never gotten why they’re worshiped like pagan idols by so many. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/22

Family of VTA mass shooting victim files lawsuit saying authorities failed to protect workers -- A year after the worst mass shooting in Bay Area history, the family of one of nine men killed at a Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority rail yard is suing the VTA, its security service and the county sheriff, saying they should have known much earlier that the gunman was angry and dangerous. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/26/22

Wildfire  

California wants to force insurers to reward homeowners for fireproofing homes -- New rules proposed by California’s Department of Insurance would require insurers to take homeowners’ efforts to reduce wildfire risk into account when setting premiums. But they would still allow non-renewals. Grace Gedye CalMatters -- 5/26/22

As wildfire season commences, California senator pushes for more federal cost-sharing -- On Thursday, Sen. Alex Padilla will announce a pair of bills that would allow the Federal Emergency Management Agency to assume a larger share of costs to fight and recover from wildfires. Gillian Brassil in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/26/22

Water  

With a third year of drought, Southern California facing a hot, dry summer -- To start with, it will be dry. That’s not just because California’s Mediterranean climate means rain mostly falls during a few wet winter months, but because the state is in its third year of drought. Paul Duginski in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/22

Delta water crisis linked to California’s racist past, tribes and activists say -- Tribes and environmental groups are challenging how the state manages water in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, a major source for much of California, arguing the deterioration of the aquatic ecosystem has links to the state’s troubled legacy of racism and oppression of Native people. Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/22

Policy and Politics  

Knight: Facing recall, Chesa Boudin says he puts victims first. Advocates in his office dispute that -- San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin has made good on many of the plans he laid out in his campaign for office. He ended cash bail, put fewer people behind bars and helped divert more people into programs aimed at addressing underlying issues like drug addiction and mental illness. All laudable goals if done well. All promises seemingly fulfilled. Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/26/22

COVID  

Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 found in Santa Clara County’s wastewater as cases continue to climb -- Two highly contagious omicron subvariants that recently swept through South Africa and sparked a rapid rise in coronavirus cases in that country have been detected in Santa Clara County’s wastewater systems, according to public health officials. Gabriel Greschler in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/26/22

What if you get COVID during your summer trip? Here's how to minimize travel risks -- With Memorial Day approaching and many people in the Bay Area ramping up plans for summer travel, COVID continues to pose a threat, with highly transmissible omicron variants driving the latest surge. Kellie Hwang in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/26/22

Education  

Granada Hills Charter High bars unvaccinated students from in-person graduation -- Having attended Granada Hills Charter High School for four years, after months of remote learning due to COVID-19 school closures, Andrew Luna was finally looking forward to a more normal senior year to close out high school. Linh Tat in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/26/22

Texas shooting taxes students' mental health even more -- For many young people, Tuesday’s massacre at a Texas elementary school could not have come at a worse time. Emotional scars are lingering from the pandemic, and schools are closing for the summer, cutting off students from their routines and access to campus mental health services. Carolyn Jones EdSource -- 5/26/22

Also . . .   

Plans for an ‘oasis’-like S.F. parklet have stalled. This time, the red tape comes from the Fire Department -- Few things come easy in San Francisco’s Tenderloin — even when it involves something that everybody seems to want. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/26/22

Ray Liotta, ‘Goodfellas’ and ‘Field of Dreams’ star, dies -- The Hollywood Reporter and NBC News cited representatives for Liotta who said he died in his sleep Wednesday night. He was in the Dominican Republic to film a new movie. Lindsey Bahr and Martin Adames Associated Press -- 5/26/22

 

 

California Policy and Politics Thursday Morning  

Assumptions of school safety shattered after Saugus, Uvalde and other mass shootings nationwide -- School officials doubled down on active-shooter training and established measures to reach troubled students after gunfire shattered assumptions of safety at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita over two years ago, just as it did Tuesday, May 24 in Uvalde, Texas. Eric Licas, Steve Scauzillo and Olga Grigoryants in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/26/22

California Gov. Gavin Newsom rips federal judges over gun decisions. ‘These are extremists’ -- Newsom, gathered with legislative Democrats, called for an effort to fast-track gun control bills currently working their way through the Legislature so that he can sign them into law next month. But he saved his most pointed comments for two federal judges. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ Adam Beam and Don Thompson Associated Press -- 5/26/22

Texas massacre leads Newsom, Democrats to promise fast gun control action -- Gov. Gavin Newsom and top legislative Democrats pledged Wednesday to expedite legislation that would require school officials to investigate credible threats of a mass shooting, allow private citizens to sue firearm manufacturers and distributors and enact more than a dozen other policies intended to reduce gun violence in California following the violent attack on a school in Texas. Taryn Luna, Hannah Wiley in the Los Angeles Times$ Nicole Nixon Capital Public Radio -- 5/26/22

Arellano: A Latino-on-Latino mass shooting. What now? -- When I found out that the person who killed 19 fourth-graders and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas, was named Salvador Rolando Ramos, my stomach dropped. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/22

A year after VTA shooting, shattered families see little accountability -- As the nation reels from a new slew of horrific mass shootings, including Tuesday’s massacre in Uvalde, Texas, of 19 schoolchildren and two teachers, the Bay Area on Thursday marks the one-year anniversary of its deadliest instance of gun violence: the day when a VTA maintenance worker killed nine of his coworkers and then turned the weapon on himself. Eliyahu Kamisher in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/26/22

Guns  

Gun sales to Texas shooter would have been illegal in California — but those laws could be in jeopardy -- The rifles an 18-year-old used to kill 19 schoolchildren and a teacher in Texas could not have been legally sold to him in California, which has some of the nation's strongest gun-control laws. But the future of those laws is in question in the courts — particularly the U.S. Supreme Court. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/26/22

COVID  

With California hit by new coronavirus wave, time to start wearing masks? Limit gatherings? -- As California contends with another resurgence of the coronavirus, what should residents consider doing to protect themselves from infection? Luke Money, Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/22

Bay Area COVID cases surpass 2021 winter surge, but far fewer hospitalized -- Coronavirus cases in the Bay Area’s spring surge have surpassed the peaks of the devastating winter wave of early 2021, but high levels of vaccination and immunity in the community are keeping hospitalizations at more manageable levels so far, and deaths remain notably low throughout the region. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/26/22

COVID-19 cases continue to rise in California, but deaths and hospitalizations remain low -- COVID-19 cases in California are continuing to tick up as residents socialize with friends, head back into the office and travel for vacation, new state data released this week show. Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/26/22

Monkeypox  

Monkeypox isn't like COVID-19 — and that's a good thing -- But experts say that, while it's important for public health officials to be on the lookout for monkeypox, the virus is extremely unlikely to spin out into an uncontrolled worldwide pandemic in the same way that COVID-19 did. Becky Sullivan, Michaeleen Doucleff Capital Public Radio -- 5/26/22

Policy and Politics  

Caruso vs Katzenberg: L.A. titans bicker over ‘lying,’ bullying as election nears -- In recent days, the Los Angeles mayor’s race has seemingly devolved into a rhetorical brawl between two of the city’s richest men. Benjamin Oreskes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/22

San Francisco might make a big change to its election dates. Here’s what it could mean for Mayor Breed -- San Francisco Mayor London Breed’s current term could be extended by one year if a newly proposed ballot measure that would shake up the city’s local election schedule succeeds this fall. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/26/22

Disabled Kids   

Racial disparities persist at California regional centers for disabled kids, report says -- Racial and ethnic gaps in spending on services for California children and teens with developmental disabilities have persisted, despite California investing tens of millions of dollars in efforts to address such disparities, a new report has found. Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/22

Street  

How do you survive a mass shooting? We asked experts for advice -- So although mass shootings are much rarer than other forms of gun violence, they are once again occupying the news and our fears. Experts stress that being prepared and conscious of your surroundings is key if you find yourself in an active-shooter situation. Madalyn Amato in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/22

D.A. Chesa Boudin launches new Asian American Pacific Islander victims services unit -- Boudin said that the new unit’s director, Paul Lam, will “ensure all AAPI victims of crime receive the services and support they need,” adding that district attorney’s officials acknowledge the broader Asian American Pacific Islander community has been historically underserved in the city. Lauren Hernández in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/26/22

Anaheim Baseball  

What’s next for baseball in Anaheim after Angel Stadium sale canceled? -- The biggest question after Anaheim officials’ decision Tuesday night to void the Angel Stadium sale: Now what? Will the Angels move away? Will the city look for other ways to develop the stadium property? Will the two sides start talking again, at least after they sort out whether they’re going to sue each other? Alicia Robinson in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/26/22

Housing   

Alameda residents fight housing plan to create 5,000 homes: ‘We are fearful paradise will go away’ -- The fight over state housing mandates playing out throughout the Bay Area hit the city of Alameda this week, with neighbors yelling at officials during a chaotic public meeting about where to build homes. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/26/22

Sacramento renters have to earn twice the state’s minimum wage to afford average apartment, report finds -- Last year, renters would have to make at least $31.25 per hour, up from nearly $27 per hour in 2020, according to the Sacramento County Housing Need Report 2022 published on Tuesday by the nonprofit California Housing Partnership. Chris Nichols Capital Public Radio -- 5/26/22

Water  

L.A. City Council approves twice-a-week outdoor watering limits in emergency drought plan -- Customers with street addresses ending in odd numbers can water on Mondays and Fridays before 9 a.m. or after 4 p.m., according to the utility. Customers with even-numbered addresses can water Thursdays and Sundays at the same times of day. Gregory Yee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/22

Major Bay Area water supplier will enforce conservation for the first time ever amid drought crisis -- For the first time ever, a major water supplier in Santa Clara County will be sending water inspectors into the streets to make sure homes and businesses aren’t wasting water as California’s drought deepens. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/26/22

Flush less. Bathe less. L.A. Times readers’ tips for saving water in the drought -- Are you watching your lawn slowly crisp and turn brown? Are you positioning buckets under your spigots to catch every spare drop of water? Are you trying not to break a sweat because you’ve cut your showers to two a week? (Yikes!) Matthew Ballinger in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/22

As Bay Area faces prolonged drought, recycling and desalination are the only two real options -- Despite being surrounded by water, Bay Area residents are routinely told during dry years to take shorter showers, let lawns brown and slow the rush of water from their taps. But as climate change prolongs drought and challenges local water supply, state and local water managers are warning that none of those actions will be enough. Jessica Wolfrom in the San Francisco Examiner -- 5/26/22

Wildfire  

Fire restrictions start a month early amid high danger in San Bernardino National Forest -- Dry conditions and warming temperatures have forced San Bernardino National Forest officials to institute campfire and hunting restrictions a month earlier than usual. The rules go into effect Wednesday. Nathan Solis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/22

Education  

LAUSD school police debate renews after Texas shooting -- This week’s mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, has once again stirred up debate about the merit of having officers on campus and whether a police presence would help deter a similar incident from occurring in Los Angeles. Linh Tat in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/26/22

Lincoln High memorial to Texas victims helps S.F. students: ‘We had to do something more than just talk’ -- The atmosphere at San Francisco’s Abraham Lincoln High School was somber Wednesday as students and teachers gathered around an impromptu memorial to grieve and reflect on Tuesday’s school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Andres Picon in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/26/22

Cal women’s swim coach placed on leave following allegations of bullying student athletes -- Teri McKeever, the renowned UC Berkeley women’s swim coach, was placed on paid administrative leave Wednesday following accusations from more than two dozen people that she created a toxic environment by bullying student athletes. Andres Picon in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/26/22

San Jose: Union School District to pay $7.5 million to men abused by teacher over 40 years ago -- A South San Jose school district will pay $7.5 million to five men to settle a lawsuit alleging the district allowed a predatory teacher to sexually abuse them in the late 1970s and early 1980s, failing to intervene even in the face of ample evidence of the wrongdoing — even as the teacher seemingly took no steps to conceal his actions. Robert Salonga in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/26/22

SFUSD drops the word ‘chief’ from job titles to avoid connotation with Native Americans -- The word “chief” will no longer be used in reference to job titles in the San Francisco Unified School District in an effort, school officials said, to avoid the word’s connotation with Native Americans. Sam Whiting in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/26/22

Transit  

Caltrain seeks $260 million to complete electrification -- Caltrain is on the cusp of completing its most significant upgrade since the rail line debuted in 1863. By converting its power source from fossil fuels to electricity, trains travelling between San Francisco and San Jose will be faster, more frequent and far less polluting. Up and down the corridor, catenary poles for overhead electrical wires already are visible, and new electric trains are undergoing testing at Caltrain’s maintenance facility. Benjamin Schneider in the San Francisco Examiner -- 5/26/22

Also . . .   

Twitter to pay $150-million penalty over alleged failures to protect user data -- From May 2013 to September 2019, Twitter told users that it was collecting their phone numbers and email addresses for purposes of account security. But it failed to disclose that it also would use the information to enable companies to send targeted online ads to users on the platform, the government alleged. Marcy Gordon Associated Press -- 5/26/22

 

Wednesday Updates   

California advances gun control bills amid Texas school massacre -- As news traveled around the country Tuesday of a mass shooting at a Texas elementary school that left at least 22 dead — including 19 children, two teachers and the 18-year-old gunman — California lawmakers were advancing a package of gun control bills, including one sponsored by Gov. Gavin Newsom that co-opts the structure of Texas’ abortion ban to crack down on illegal firearms. Ben Christopher CalMatters -- 5/25/22

Second-grade student in south Sacramento brings gun, ammo to school, district officials say -- The incident took place Tuesday at Edward Kemble Elementary School in the Meadowview neighborhood, the same day an 18-year-old shot and killed 19 school children and two adults at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. Sawsan Morrar in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/25/22

Barabak: Texas school shooting was ‘incomprehensible’? No, it’s just another day in America -- Just another day in America. Mass shootings have become so common — along with the reflexive partisan response — we now assign them to specific subcategories: The ones that targeted Blacks, Latinos, Jews or people of Asian descent. The ones on college campuses. The ones in office buildings. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/25/22

U.S. gun laws are getting looser, not stronger, despite more mass shootings -- By this summer, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to hand down a decision undoing a long-standing New York law that forbids individuals from carrying guns in public without first demonstrating a “special need” for self-defense. Depending on how narrowly the court tailors its decision, the ruling could have sweeping implications for similar concealed carry restrictions all across the country and especially in liberal states like California, Miller and other 2nd Amendment scholars said. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/25/22

Water  

California just adopted new, tougher water restrictions: What you need to know -- California water regulators strengthened the state’s drought rules this week, ordering local suppliers to take steps to reduce water usage to stretch limited supplies this summer. Gov. Gavin Newsom warned that more stringent statewide water restrictions could come if the state doesn’t make more progress on conservation soon. Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/25/22

Policy and Politics  

Banks: The ‘older, whiter Valley’ no longer exists. Where do new suburban voters go for mayor? -- As someone who has lived in the San Fernando Valley for more than 40 years, there’s a question I’ve been asked a lot lately by people who live “over the hill”: “How do you think the Valley is going to vote in Los Angeles’ mayoral race?” Sandy Banks in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/25/22

Border   

99% of L.A. asylum seekers, many of them kids, face deportation, report says -- After drug traffickers killed his little brother, William and his 6-year-old son, Santiago, fled Colombia last September to seek asylum in the United States. Cindy Carcamo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/25/22

Angel Stadium   

Why the Anaheim City Council nixed the Angel Stadium sale -- It took more than two years to put the deal together, but it collapsed in a matter of days when it became public that Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu – who resigned from office Monday – is under federal investigation for alleged corruption, part of it in connection with the stadium negotiations he spearheaded. Alicia Robinson in the Orange County Register -- 5/25/22

Homeless  

Mayor Breed proposes $67 million investment in homeless housing, following Chronicle investigation -- Mayor London Breed wants to invest $67.4 million to increase wages, boost staffing and make upgrades within San Francisco’s beleaguered permanent supportive housing system, following a Chronicle investigation that detailed understaffing and squalid conditions in the city’s housing for its homeless. Joaquin Palomino, Trisha Thadani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/25/22

Housing   

Mold, plumbing problems persist at South L.A. apartment complex as city pledges action -- Problems with mold and vermin, broken tubs and showers and other slum-like conditions continue to mount at a massive South Los Angeles apartment complex even as politicians, housing and public health officials are pledging to hold the landlord accountable. Liam Dillon, Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/25/22

Sacramento area remains a national real estate hot spot. This suburb is especially popular -- A new report from real estate firm Redfin listed Sacramento as the fourth most popular destination for those looking to buy a home, trailing only Miami, Phoenix and Tampa, Florida. The net inflow of people looking to relocate here over those looking to leave was more than 6,500 in April. Ryan Lillis in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/25/22

Street  

Villanueva calls for stepped up homeless enforcement on L.A. County transit -- Pointing to several recent high-profile assaults on the Los Angeles County transit system, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Tuesday that his department would ramp up enforcement against homeless riders who attack and harass fellow passengers. Libor Jany in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/25/22

Sixth man comes forward to allege abuse by former Capital Christian School teacher -- Zach Steele says he is “victim number one” of Dave Arnold, the former Capital Christian School teacher accused of tying up five of his students in his apartment 40 years ago for his own sexual gratification. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/25/22

Education  

New data shows shift at Lowell High School: more students given failing grades after admissions change -- Teachers at San Francisco’s Lowell High gave freshman students significantly more D and F grades this past fall, the first semester after the school board eliminated the merit-based admissions it had relied on for decades. Ricardo Cano, Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/25/22

San Jose: Union School District to pay $7.5 million to men abused by teacher over 40 years ago -- A South San Jose school district will pay $7.5 million to five men to settle a lawsuit alleging the district allowed a predatory teacher to sexually abuse them in the late 1970s and early 1980s, failing to intervene even in the face of ample evidence of the wrongdoing — even as the teacher seemingly took no steps to conceal his actions. Robert Salonga in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/25/22

Monkeypox  

Sex, rashes and outbreaks: A rational guide to the moneypox risk in California -- With case counts in the U.S. relatively low, why are officials paying close attention to this outbreak? And why are they less concerned about monkeypox than about COVID-19? Rong-Gong Lin II, Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/25/22

Gas wells  

Gas wells leak explosive levels of methane in Bakersfield -- State and regional inspectors found concentrations of methane in the air around some of the wells at levels considered potentially explosive and environmental activists in the region are worried that other chemicals may also be leaking from the wells that could pose a threat to public health. Drew Costley Associated Press -- 5/25/22