Updating . .   

Evacuations underway, part of I-80 closed as new grass fire ignites in Placer County -- A new fire broke out Tuesday afternoon near the Placer County town of Dutch Flat, authorities said, prompting evacuations and shutting down a 27-mile stretch of Interstate 80 in both directions in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/13/22

‘Great strides’ in Mosquito Fire containment, as California blaze nears 50,000 acres -- Crews continue to make steady progress battling the Mosquito Fire burning in Placer and El Dorado counties, with officials reporting “great strides” in containment on some sections of the fire amid changing weather conditions. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/13/22

Check your home: Here’s a map of the Mosquito Fire’s destruction in El Dorado County -- The map as of Tuesday morning showed 22 houses destroyed: 17 on Volcanoville Road, plus five others on adjacent streets. All reported destruction was on the north side of Volcanoville Road. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/13/22

Rains, mudslides prompt Southern California evacuations -- Thousands of residents were under evacuation and shelter-in-place orders early Tuesday after heavy rains unleashed mudslides in a mountain area east of Los Angeles that burned two years ago, sending boulders and other debris across roads. Stefanie Dazio Associated Press Alexandra E. Petri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/13/22

Forest Service resumes prescribed fire program, but some fear new rules will delay projects -- The U.S. Forest Service is resuming its prescribed burning program with new rules that it says will minimize the risk of fires escaping control and damaging communities. The announcement comes after a 90-day pause prompted by a pair of escaped burns that merged into the largest wildfire in New Mexico history and destroyed hundreds of homes. Alex Wigglesworth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/13/22

Policy and Politics  

65% of San Franciscans say life in the city is worse now than when they moved here -- Of the 65% of respondents who said the city had gone downhill, the group reporting greatest dissatisfaction was people aged 50-65, with 78% saying things had worsened. Noah Arroyo in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/13/22

How unpopular is S.F. Mayor Breed? New S.F. Chronicle poll shows anger with city dysfunction -- Less than a quarter of San Franciscans believe Mayor London Breed has done an excellent or good job at improving the city, a new poll shows, an evaluation that reflects residents’ anger with government dysfunction during most of Breed’s four years in the city’s most powerful office. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/13/22

S.F. school board gets worst ratings among city’s elected officials, new Chronicle poll finds -- In the wake of an unprecedented recall, nearly half of San Francisco residents said the city’s controversy-plagued school board is doing an abysmal job, according to a new San Francisco Chronicle poll. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/13/22

Here’s how bad the job performance rating is for S.F. supervisors: Chronicle poll -- Few San Franciscans are happy with the city’s Board of Supervisors. Just 12% of respondents to a new Chronicle poll said the powerful and politically contentious governing board had done an excellent or a good job making the city a better place. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/13/22

In West L.A., two lawyers clash over an open City Council seat, encampments and policing -- Erin Darling and Traci Park are vying for the Westside City Council seat held by Mike Bonin. Venice encampments and police funding are top issues. James Rainey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/13/22

The new face of No on 30: Gavin Newsom -- The opponents of Proposition 30, a proposal to tax millionaires to fund electric car incentives and infrastructure, want California voters to keep one thing in mind when they decide how to vote on the measure: Gavin Newsom’s face. Ben Christopher CalMatters -- 9/13/22

Barabak: Is Oregon about to elect an anti-woke, pro-gun independent as governor? Or maybe, gasp, a Republican? -- A three-way race scrambles the math, making for a rare contest in the Democratic stronghold. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/13/22

Workplace   

Amazon to Fund Raises for Delivery Drivers Amid Tight Labor Market -- E-commerce giant looks to ensure sufficient staffing for peak holiday season. Dana Mattioli in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/13/22

Homeless

Chabria, Smith: Could extreme heat be just what California needs to finally solve homelessness? -- As the temperature edged past 110 one afternoon last week, the air inside L’aMaira Tyson’s sagging nylon tent felt like a blast from an open oven. “It’s hot out here,” she said with stoic understatement, reclining next to two jugs of bottled water near a freeway overpass and a busy street in Sacramento. “I get through it with God.” Anita Chabria, Erika D. Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/13/22

Even during record heat, surprisingly few people go to L.A. cooling centers. Why? -- Homelessness advocates and politicians said that lack of need isn’t the reason why cooling centers aren’t being frequented enough. Rather, they say, there aren’t enough centers or ways for people to get to them. Summer Lin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/13/22

Street  

Killings, robberies, extortion. California can’t stop its booming illegal cannabis -- The continuing success of illegal cannabis shops and the struggles of legal ones in the heart of L.A.’s Eastside offer a stark illustration of how California’s legalization of marijuana has gone wrong. Matthew Ormseth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/13/22

Retired LA County Sheriff’s chief sues, claiming retaliation and discrimination -- A retired Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department chief on Monday sued the county and Sheriff Alex Villanueva, the latest of several department members to claim Villanueva directed a coverup of a video of a deputy with his knee on the head of a man in custody for three minutes. The item is in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 9/13/22

Prosecutors want California’s Sherri Papini to serve 8 months for admitted kidnapping hoax -- Federal prosecutors are asking a judge to send Sherri Papini to prison for eight months as punishment for her kidnapping hoax, writing in court files that the Northern California mom continues to tell people she actually was kidnapped and rejecting a proposal by probation officials that she serve only one month. Sam Stanton and Ryan Sabalow in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/13/22

Water  

California’s drought touches everyone, but water restrictions play out unevenly across communities -- ‘Whether you live in a luxury house or in an apartment, we all have to reduce water consumption,’ says UC Davis professor Samuel Sandoval Solís. Soudi Jiménez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/13/22

Transit  

$343 a trip: San Francisco ferry costs led nation despite slashed service. Can they stay afloat? -- When Alexis Nelson hitches a ride to work on a 450-passenger boat heading from San Francisco to Marin County, she is arguably getting the best deal in Bay Area travel: Nearly private ocean views for $8.50. Eliyahu Kamisher in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/13/22

Education  

Problems plague California school district data system, putting funding at risk -- California’s education department updated its statewide data system in the spring but the rollout resulted in thousands of errors. Key information about special education students and other high-needs groups was missing or miscalculated. Joe Hong CalMatters -- 9/13/22

Environment  

A wealthy O.C. insider fenced off public land in Newport Beach’s back bay, sparking battle -- Sloping down a dusty hill toward the Upper Newport Bay, where recreational enthusiasts share a path that runs alongside the marshy water, is a chain-link fence that separates public land from a sprawling bay-view property. Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/13/22

Also . . .   

Oprah picks California death row inmate’s autobiography for book club -- The move was sure to bring immense attention to — and spur sales of — Jarvis Jay Masters’ book, “That Bird Has My Wings: The Autobiography of an Innocent Man on Death Row,” which was first published in 2009 and recounts Masters’ traumatic childhood, his life in prison and his discovery of Buddhism behind bars. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/13/22

Tim Rutten, longtime Times columnist and editor with a flair for original thinking, dies -- During a 40-year career, Rutten moved seamlessly across The Times’ newsroom — city bureau chief, metro reporter, editorial writer, assistant national editor, book critic and columnist. He was part of The Times’ team of journalists that won the Pulitzer Prize for the paper’s coverage of the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Steve Marble in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/13/22

California Policy and Politics Tuesday   

California governor opposes tax on rich in statewide TV ad -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants voters to reject a new tax on rich people that would pay for more electric vehicles in the nation’s most populous state, warning in a new statewide TV ad that a measure on the ballot this November won’t help the environment but is instead “one company’s cynical scheme to grab a huge taxpayer subsidy.” Adam Beam Associated Press -- 9/13/22

Disentangling the ads on gambling props, homelessness and California tribes -- The ballot showdown to legalize sports gambling in California already is the most-expensive set of propositions in state history, with all sides poised to eclipse $400 million in campaign contributions, setting off a dizzying barrage of campaign ads that will only pick up between now and Election Day in November. Harriet Blair Rowan in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/13/22

When Jerry Met Charles -- The Californian and the Englishman had more in common than might have seemed apparent. Both were young scions of political dynasties. Their early interest in the environment would blossom over time into urgent climate-change evangelism. Jeremy B. White Politico -- 9/13/22

Former Long-Time Republican, Now Democrat and Candidate for San Francisco City College Board, in Hot Water Over Tweet Opposing Critical Race Theory -- The revelation on Twitter of a prior comment by board trustee candidate Marie Hurabiell is now prompting a Democratic club in the city to reopen discussions on their endorsement for her, the club’s president told KQED. Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez KQED -- 9/13/22

Walters: California’s fast food regulation headed to ballot -- It’s becoming a trend. The California Legislature, at times dominated by progressive Democrats, and Gov. Gavin Newsom enact legislation that targets specific industries and the industries respond with ballot measures to overturn or modify what the politicians have wrought. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 9/13/22

Wildfire  

Mosquito Fire update: 25 homes destroyed, containment grows to 16% -- Firefighters battling the Mosquito Fire, burning in sparsely developed parts of Placer and El Dorado counties, expanded their containment of the blaze to 16% by Monday evening, after making progress during cooler weather over the weekend, fire officials said. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/13/22

Map: Mountain Fire jumps control line, sudden evacuation order issued -- The Mountain Fire, which had stayed within its footprint for almost a week, jumped a control line over the weekend, and evacuations were again ordered in the area west of Weed. The item is in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/13/22

Calmer Weather Helped California Firefighters Battle Wildfires — but Also Led to Flash Floods -- Calmer weather in Northern California helped firefighters battle a smoky wildfire threatening thousands of mountain homes on Monday, while remnants of last week's Pacific hurricane continued to produce thunderstorms that caused flash flooding in the southern part of the state, where crews made headway against another huge blaze. KQED -- 9/13/22

Mosquito Fire: How a new weather system may impact the fire fight -- The Mosquito Fire exploded in size last week, in part due to California’s record-breaking heatwave which brought temperatures well over 100 degrees to much of the Sacramento valley and Tahoe basin. With cooler temperatures forecast this week, fire officials are hoping to gain better control over the blaze. Vicki Gonzalez, Manola Secaira, Claire Morgan Capital Public Radio -- 9/13/22

Economy  

Bay Area hotel purchases slump amid inflation, price uncertainty -- “Interest rates and inflation are increasing, which makes it harder to complete deals,” said Alan Reay, president of Atlas Hospitality, which tracks the California lodging market. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/13/22

Homeless  

L.A. County will boost services under agreement to settle federal homelessness lawsuit -- Back in April, the city of Los Angeles agreed to settle a sprawling federal lawsuit over the treatment of homeless people, promising to build potentially thousands of new beds and housing units. Benjamin Oreskes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/13/22

A record 199 unhoused Sacramento County residents died in 2021, report finds -- Advocates said the findings in the Sacramento County 2022 Homeless Deaths Report should be a call to action for greater housing and health care options for the thousands of people countywide who live in tents, vehicles, shelters or on sidewalks and face a greater risk of premature death due to a lack of permanent housing. Chris Nichols Capital Public Radio -- 9/13/22

‘These people do heroic work.’ Outreach workers refuse to give up on the homeless -- It’s a Friday morning along Pacific Highway, just north of Old Town. Alejandro Pulido is rummaging through the trunk of his black Ford C-Max, filling up a backpack with bottled water and ziplock bags containing personal hygiene items. Kelly Davis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/13/22

Housing 

California Doubles Down on Its Housing Laws -- As California’s legislative session drew to a close last month, lawmakers approved two major bills aimed at transforming malls, office buildings and parking lots into housing. Affordable housing advocates cheered the measures, which could result in millions more homes in the Golden State. Soumya Karlamangla in the New York Times$ -- 9/13/22

Climate  

Twitter’s data center knocked out by extreme heat in California -- While Twitter avoided a shutdown on Sept. 5 by leaning on its other data centers in Portland, Ore., and Atlanta during the outage to keep its systems running, a company executive warned that if another center were lost, some users would have been unable to access the social media platform, according to an internal memo obtained by CNN. Jonah Valdez in the Los Angeles Times$ Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/13/22

Heat waves are getting worse. When will L.A. get around to offering bus riders more shade? -- It was 103 degrees on a Friday afternoon as Ken Willis waited for the 152 Metro bus under a thick tree canopy in North Hollywood. Rachel Uranga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/13/22

California will soon rank heat waves like hurricanes -- The bill's text says the system — which would be the first in the nation for heat waves — should be modeled after "red flag" warnings for wildfires, as well as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's naming and ranking system for hurricanes and tropical storms. Eric Ting in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 9/13/22

MPX  

L.A. County reports nation’s first confirmed MPX death -- Officials first publicly reported the death Thursday but said the precise cause was still being probed at that point. Further investigation from the county Department of Public Health and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention determined the death was from MPX, also known as monkeypox, according to a statement. Luke Money, Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/13/22

Street  

Woman whose rape DNA led to her arrest sues San Francisco -- A rape victim whose DNA from her sexual assault case was used by San Francisco police to arrest her in an unrelated property crime on Monday filed a lawsuit against the city. Olga R. Rodriguez Associated Press -- 9/13/22

‘Right out of “Macbeth”’: A woman’s killing shines light on Mexican Mafia power struggle in Inland Empire -- Carmen Rodriguez was the victim of an assassination ordered by others in the Mexican Mafia and carried out by her husband’s underlings. Matthew Ormseth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/13/22

Rapper PnB Rock fatally shot during robbery at Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles -- PnB Rock, the Philadelphia rapper best known for his 2016 hit “Selfish,” was fatally shot during a robbery at the Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles restaurant in South Los Angeles on Monday afternoon, law enforcement sources told The Times. Kenan Draughorne, Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/13/22

Rapper says he was shot, robbed in North Hollywood for flaunting money and jewelry on social media -- Wakko the Kidd and his sound engineer were shot in a follow-home robbery after a recording session on Sept. 1, according to the LAPD. Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/13/22

Man charged in San Carlos woman’s beheading to undergo competency exam -- A man charged with beheading the mother of his infant child in the middle of a San Carlos street last week must undergo a mental competency exam before authorities can prosecute him in connection with the vicious killing, a judge ruled Monday. Robert Salonga in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/13/22

Judge denies hospital release for nurse in deadly Windsor Hills crash: ‘She stole 6 innocent lives’ -- The decision issued by Judge Victoria Wilson came after Nicole Linton’s attorneys argued that their client — who is charged with six counts of murder — should be moved to UCLA Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital, where they said she could be further evaluated for mental health issues and possible epilepsy. Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/13/22

S.F. street vending crackdown: City to seize goods from vendors without permits -- Three months after San Francisco created a new law to crack down on illegal street vending, the city is about to fully enforce it. But it’s unclear if the new rules will meaningfully address the problem or instead create a game of cat and mouse between vendors and city workers. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/13/22

Education  

Teachers and students both learned from this intensive summer English class -- More than 100 students in Lodi Unified School District spent part of the summer running relays and braiding jump-ropes from plastic bags, all while learning more complex writing and reading skills in English. Zaidee Stavely EdSource -- 9/13/22

Also . . .   

About that $90,000 parking space for sale in S.F. — how common are such listings? -- A parking spot priced at $90,000 in San Francisco’s South Beach neighborhood made national headlines last week, with the listing agent touting the space for its proximity to Oracle Park — just one block away and its availability to any buyer, not just residents of the condo building where it’s located. Jessica Flores in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/13/22

L.A.’s Central Avenue was a Black jazz mecca. Jefferson High and Muse/ique aim to rekindle the flame -- For a couple of hours Friday afternoon, the clocks at Jefferson High School swept backward to an era of old-school glamour, when the 20th century was in its high-spirited adolescence, and Black folks from the Deep South were fleeing Jim Crow by the tens of thousands for the California Promised Land. Reed Johnson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/13/22