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Southern California wastes a lot of water despite historic drought. But it can teach the Bay Area one big lesson -- When it comes to wasting water amid historic drought, Californians are good at pointing fingers. Kurtis Alexander, Yoohyun Jung in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/18/22

COVID  

COVID is still killing hundreds a day, even as society begins to move on -- Roshan Kalghatgi was shocked when his 73-year-old mother tested positive for the coronavirus in July, nearly 2½ years into the pandemic. “I thought it was a fluke,” the Redwood City resident said. “I made them do it again.” Emily Alpert Reyes, Aida Ylanan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/18/22

As California braces for severe flu season, doctors urge shots — with or without a COVID booster -- It’s more critical than ever to get a flu shot this year, say Bay Area infectious disease experts. Two-plus years of the COVID-19 pandemic have created conditions — including lower influenza vaccination rates and less natural immunity than in the pre-pandemic period — that could make the upcoming flu season one of the worst in recent years. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/18/22

Policy and Politics  

One demographic has the harshest views of S.F. institutions — and its influence is growing -- People of multiple races or ethnicities represent one of San Francisco’s fastest growing demographics. They also happen to be the most critical of the city’s government, education and policing institutions, according to the in-depth SFNext survey conducted for The Chronicle, signaling deep dissatisfaction in a group that is poised to grow more influential in the coming years. Justin Phillips in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/18/22

Bill to make vehicle owners fix illegal, noisy exhausts or face consequences on Gov. Newsom’s desk -- If supporters can get Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign it, they say a new law would provide law enforcement with a much-needed tool to stop excessive noise pollution caused by illegally modified exhausts on cars and motorcycles. Erika I. Ritchie in the Orange County Register -- 9/18/22

Climate  

Rare yellow-legged frogs are returned to drought-hammered San Gabriel Mountains -- Six biologists shouldered backpack coolers filled with 200 federally endangered frogs on Thursday morning and started trudging uphill across three miles of roadless wilderness on the northwestern flanks of the San Gabriel Mountains. Louis Sahagún, Brian Van Der Brug in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/18/22

Environment  

11,000 pounds of trash picked up in Orange County during Coastal Cleanup Day -- Orange County Coastkeeper, which coordinated the effort, saw more than 2,500 people help out on Saturday, Sept. 17, as part of California Coastal Cleanup Day, the group said. The item is in the Orange County Register -- 9/18/22

Education  

Students, faculty call for changes in CSU system during recent board meeting -- California State University students, faculty and staff – spurred by massive pay raises for CSU executives earlier this summer – confronted the policymakers for the 23-campus system during a recent public meeting to call for better on-campus facilities and salary investments. Kristy Hutchings in the Orange County Register -- 9/18/22

Also . . .   

Arellano: San Bernardino judge reenacts the 1944 case that let Mexicans use the swimming pool -- In 1944, two newspaper editors and a Catholic priest sued San Bernardino on behalf of its 8,000 Mexican American residents, who were only allowed to use the city’s sole swimming pool the day before the water was drained. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/18/22

She’s 86. She’s 28. They love their hang time as the wallpaper queens of Los Angeles -- Reita Green, a former dancer and actress, has become best friends with wallpapering partner Beverly Pate, who’s 58 years her junior. Deborah Netburn in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/18/22

California Policy and Politics Sunday   

Mosquito Fire is at 21% containment, but how will a shift in the weather affect the spread? -- Firefighters are looking to gain the upper hand on the Mosquito Fire in El Dorado and Placer counties ahead of an afternoon of stiff winds and possible rain Sunday. Dominique Williams in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/18/22

Northern California rainstorm could break records and help firefighters -- The storm, which is moving south from the Gulf of Alaska, is expected to bring record-breaking rainfall to some parts of the Bay Area and could also provide some relief to firefighters battling the Mosquito fire in Placer County — the largest wildfire in the state this year. Deborah Netburn in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/18/22

Policy and Politics  

Turns out S.F. doesn’t blame the tech bros for ruining the city, Chronicle poll finds -- Loathing tech workers seems ingrained in San Francisco culture, as much as mocking under-clad tourists in August. Except, it turns out, many San Franciscans don’t really hate the techies. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/18/22

Local Armenians protest U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan’s military forces -- More than 100 people gathered outside the Azerbaijani Consulate in Los Angeles on Saturday demanding an end to attacks by Azerbaijan forces in a disputed border region with Armenia and Artsakh, where an estimated 200 people were killed in the past week. Louis Sahagún in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/18/22

District attorney declines to file charges after sexual assault investigation into Democratic chair -- San Diego County prosecutors will not file sexual assault charges against Will Rodriguez-Kennedy, the chair of the San Diego County Democratic Party. Andrew Bowen KPBS -- 9/18/22

The California County Where MAGA Took Control -- Times are grim in the cowboy far north of California. Wildfires rage. Covid-19 lingers. Drought has stripped most of the snow from Mount Shasta and shrunk Shasta Lake. But other business has consumed the Shasta County Board of Supervisors meetings. Shawn Hubler in the New York Times$ -- 9/18/22

Walters: COVID-19 school closures undermined learning -- The closure of California’s public schools during the COVID-19 pandemic had a hugely negative impact on children’s educations that will reverberate for decades. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 9/18/22

Workplace   

S.F.’s highest-paid employee makes over $550K. Here’s what every city worker gets paid -- The government of San Francisco employs tens of thousands of workers across its 50 city and county departments. Last year, full-time S.F. government employees made anywhere between $39,000 and $578,000, with the median at $126,000, which includes overtime. Nami Sumida in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/18/22

Economy  

Is Silicon Valley’s golden era coming to an end? -- Huge layoffs at Snapchat, dramatic valuation drops at Meta and Apple, and hiring freezes at other Big Tech firms have given new fuel to an increasingly common question: Is Silicon Valley’s golden era coming to an end? Kari Paul The Guardian -- 9/18/22

San Diego company creates partnership to mine lithium for battery powered cars -- The future of battery-powered cars depends on lithium. And now San Diego-based EnergySource Minerals has partnered with Compass Minerals to extract the metal from supplies of brine water in Utah. Thomas Fudge KPBS -- 9/18/22

COVID  

California lifts vaccine mandate for school staff -- Teachers and other school staff who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19 will no longer have to be tested weekly to remain on campuses after this week. Diana Lambert, EdSource Capital Public Radio -- 9/18/22

Experimental COVID-19 vaccine could outsmart future coronavirus variants -- The new COVID-19 booster shots going into arms across the country are prized for their ability to recognize the distinctive spike protein shared by BA.4 and BA.5, the Omicron strains that currently account for nearly 90% of coronavirus specimens now circulating in the U.S. Corinne Purtill in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/18/22

Housing 

Lack of adequate housing is a mortal danger for cancer patients -- Among the many social and economic factors that can affect our health, the UC San Diego School of Medicine has found that housing insecurity is the one most strongly linked to death among cancer patients. Thomas Fudge KPBS -- 9/18/22

Climate  

This climate-friendly farming approach could also make better-tasting wine -- In Paso Robles, one winegrower wants to prove that regenerative farming isn’t merely the right thing for the planet. He believes that this ecological philosophy can also make better-tasting wine. Esther Mobley in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/18/22

Environment  

Nearly 40,000 pounds of trash cleared from American River parkway during cleanup -- More than 1,200 volunteers on Saturday gathered to pick up trash on the American River parkway, from Discovery Park in Sacramento to Black Miner’s Bar in Folsom. The annual Great American River Cleanup is organized by the American River Parkway Foundation, a nonprofit founded in 1983. Jenavieve Hatch in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/18/22

As Dead Fish Pile Up, the Economic and Environmental Impact of the Red Tide Becomes Apparent -- Thousands of dead fish have washed up on shores across the Bay Area in recent weeks. A red tide is killing everything from anchovies to sharks. Preventing a similar disaster may cost the region billions of dollars. Lesley McClurg KQED -- 9/18/22

Also . . .   

Vicente Fernández, king of ranchera music, is honored with Boyle Heights street naming -- On Mexican Independence Day, Boyle Heights honored “El Rey.” Tricolored Mexican flags and festive green, white and red papel picado decorations adorned Mariachi Plaza, where a crowd of roughly 300 visitors was serenaded by live musicians and on loudspeakers. Andrew J. Campa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/18/22

She Fought Racism in Early Hollywood. Now She'll Be the First Asian American on US Currency -- Picture this: It’s the 1910s in Los Angeles, and the motion picture industry has just relocated from New York to its new home: Hollywood. A young Chinese American girl, enamored by the glitz and glamor of the big screen, starts skipping school to sneak onto film sets. Jessica Kariisa KQED -- 9/18/22

Chinese community in S.F.’s Richmond District celebrates resilience at Moon Festival -- On a rare sunny morning in San Francisco’s Richmond neighborhood, hundreds of people filled San Francisco’s Clement Street between Seventh and 10th Avenues to celebrate the Autumn Moon Festival, a celebration of thanksgiving and abundant food — including, of course, the ever-popular mooncake. Danielle Echeverria in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/18/22

Can we ride all 27 Bay Area transit agencies in one day? Experts doubt it, but #TotalTransit2022 hopes to find out -- Everything in life, it seems, has gotten more serious, more complicated and more difficult in the past few years — even all-day transit adventures that only the nuttiest journalists would attempt. Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/18/22

Unanswered questions remain in USS Bonhomme Richard fire -- A Navy arson trial is about to get underway, more than two years after fire destroyed the USS Bonhomme Richard. The trial comes as the Navy continues to unravel why the fire became one of the worst peace-time disasters in Navy history. Steve Walsh KPBS -- 9/18/22