Updating . .   

‘Pretty violent’: Magnitude 6.4 earthquake causes widespread damage in Northern California -- A magnitude 6.4 earthquake rattled Northern California early Tuesday morning, causing widespread damage and leaving tens of thousands without power in Humboldt County. The quake was reported at 2:34 a.m., about 7½ miles southwest of Ferndale, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. No tsunami was expected, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office said on Twitter, but the agency advised residents to prepare for aftershocks. Alexandra E. Petri, Hannah Wiley, Summer Lin in the Los Angeles Times$, Associated Press Anna Buchmann, Jessica Flores, Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Jakob Rodgers, Shomik Mukherjee, George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ Jon Kamp and Jim Carlton in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 12/20/22

Judge strikes down California gun law modeled on Texas abortion measure -- The injunction from Judge Roger Benitez sets California’s law, which enables private citizens to sue manufacturers of illegal guns, on a potential path to the U.S. Supreme Court. That could set up a test of both laws — an outcome that California Gov. Gavin Newsom has sought. Jeremy B. White Politico -- 12/20/22

Wildfire  

Why California’s 2022 Wildfire Season Was Unexpectedly Quiet -- This year’s relatively mild wildfire season doesn’t mean that the landscape was much less vulnerable, that the forests were in better condition or that climate change had less of an effect on the intensity and behavior of wildfires than in previous years, Ms. Quinn-Davidson said. Instead, a combination of well-timed precipitation and favorable wind conditions seemed to play the biggest role. Elena Shao in the New York Times$ -- 12/20/22

Homeless

California accounts for 30% of nation’s homeless, feds say -- The numbers are in, and they’re grim. Emily Hoeven CalMatters -- 12/20/22

What would it take to end homelessness in California? $8 billion a year for 12 years -- California could eliminate homelessness by 2035 — if it’s willing to spend $8.1 billion a year for the next dozen years, according to a first-of-its kind report that highlights the yawning gap between what the state is contributing to the crisis and what it needs. Marisa Kendall in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/20/22

As L.A. County’s mental health workers burn out, some weigh options -- The county faces an acute shortage of mental health workers, which has led to serious understaffing at county-run clinics and other facilities at a time of rising demand. But filling vacant spots has proven to be a major challenge. Sarah Parvini in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/20/22

Housing rescued her from years of jail and homelessness. Now a Bay Area county is poised to give others a ‘fair chance’ -- Katie Dixon remembers walking into her rent-controlled basement apartment for the first time in November 2020, and feeling a rush of relief, safety and success. The Oakland unit was the first home of Dixon’s adult life, after spending more than two decades in and out of jail and homelessness. Shwanika Narayan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/20/22

Staying Afloat  

$24 billion projected budget deficit may test California’s resolve to grow safety net amid recession -- California faces a projected deficit next year even if the U.S. avoids a recession. Despite the expected shortfall, policymakers say they’ll maintain spending on social programs though advocates are calling for more. Alejandro Lazo, Jeanne Kuang CalMatters -- 12/20/22

Street  

Criminal justice panel says California should pay restitution to victims, ban some traffic stops -- California should set up a taxpayer-funded restitution system for crime victims, curtail the use of money bail and limit when cops can make traffic stops that disproportionately affect Black and Latino drivers, according to recommendations from a criminal justice panel that advises state lawmakers. Hannah Wiley in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/20/22

Climate  

This little-known bottleneck is blocking clean energy for millions -- Energy developers want to build a ton of wind and solar — they just can’t get it connected to the grid. Shannon Osaka in the Washington Post$ -- 12/20/22

Also . . .   

Now hiring: $140,000 job comes with San Francisco waterfront views, room and board — but there’s a catch -- Can you ferry a boat, sling delicious hors d’oeuvres, tidy up bedsheets and make guests feel at home in a five-room inn in the middle of San Pablo Bay? If so, the picturesque East Brother Light Station may have a job for you. Katie Lauer in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/20/22

California Policy and Politics Tuesday  

Harvey Weinstein convicted of rape in Los Angeles -- The decision all but assures that Weinstein, who is 70, in poor health and serving a 23-year prison sentence in New York for other rapes, will spend the rest of his life behind bars. James Queally, Noah Goldberg, Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/20/22

Jury unable to reach verdict on Jennifer Siebel Newsom charges against Harvey Weinstein -- A Los Angeles jury on Monday found former movie producer Harvey Weinstein guilty of raping a woman, but failed to reach a decision on accusations brought by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, California’s first partner. Maggie Angst in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/20/22

‘No surprises’ so far in recount of Sunnyvale council election determined by one vote -- A hand-tallied recount in a Sunnyvale city council race decided by a single vote began Monday under the watchful eyes of candidates, supporters and election officials. Vandana Ravikumar in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/20/22

Walters: California’s water conundrum hinges on Delta -- The most important piece of California’s water puzzle is the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the 1,100-square-mile estuary where the state’s two most important rivers meet. Dan Walters in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/20/22

Twitter Workplace   

Elon Musk Keeps Silent After Twitter Users Say He Should Quit as Boss -- The billionaire had asked his Twitter users on Sunday whether he should step down as the leader of the social media site. More than 17 million votes were cast and delivered a clear verdict: 57.5 percent said he should quit, in a Twitter “poll” that closed after 12 hours on Monday. Eshe Nelson in the New York Times$ Matt O'brien, Kelvin Chan, Tom Krisher Associated Press Faiz Siddiqui, Cat Zakrzewski and Rachel Lerman in the Washington Post$ -- 12/20/22

PG&E   

PG&E wildfire and catastrophe proposal may trigger higher monthly bills -- Higher monthly bills might jolt PG&E customers due to the utility’s request that state regulators allow the company to collect more revenue for its spending linked to wildfires and catastrophes. PG&E wants to recover costs that arose from its expenditures for the mitigation of wildfires and dealing with certain catastrophes, according to recent state and regulatory filings. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/20/22

Develop   

Shvo: Why I’m betting big on San Francisco -- The first time I came to America, I was 6 years old. I was born and raised in Israel but my parents received teaching fellowships at Stanford and Yale universities, so we spent two years living on both coasts of the country. Michael Shvo in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/20/22

Homeless

S.F.’s Fillmore district is the latest neighborhood in revolt over homelessness and drugs -- Leaders in San Francisco’s Fillmore neighborhood are pressuring city officials to intervene with what they say is an uptick in homeless encampments, public drug use and crime. At a meeting Monday at Third Baptist Church in the Fillmore, leaders, residents and businesses described untenable conditions and the need for a plan. Joel Umanzor, Sam Whiting in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/20/22

COVID+  

Is the ‘tripledemic’ putting more masks on Bay Area faces? Here’s what our survey found -- There are so many reasons to wear a mask now — rising COVID-19 cases amid colder weather and holiday gatherings and shopping, a “tripledemic” that includes severe flu and respiratory syncytial virus outbreaks, and strong recommendations from public health officials. Michael Cabanatuan, Sarah Ravani, Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/20/22

Street  

Nazi symbols carved into Beverly Hills menorah on first night of Hanukkah -- The suspect, identified Monday as 47-year-old Dallas resident Eric Brian King, was captured on surveillance video that showed him throwing objects at the menorah, police said. Sunday was the first night of Hanukkah. Gregory Yee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/20/22

La Habra officer was justified in fatal shooting outside police station, prosecutors say -- The Orange County district attorney’s office found “no evidence of criminal culpability” for Officer Abigail Fox, according to a Nov. 18 letter from prosecutors to Police Chief Adam Foster, which was released Monday. Gregory Yee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/20/22

Attorney and former CHP sergeant with child porn conviction disbarred in California -- The State Bar of California on Nov. 11 disbarred Eric Curtis Lund, an attorney based in Chico, who was convicted in October 2018 of possessing more than 600 child porn images. Rosalio Ahumada in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/20/22

Education  

Massive 72,000 kids show up at LAUSD to reverse their years of learning loss -- Roughly 72,000 LAUSD students signed up for the acceleration classes scheduled for Monday and Tuesday at about 300 campuses across the district. Two more acceleration days are scheduled during the district’s spring break. The item is in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 12/20/22

Teaching young children how to read: What California parents need to know -- Like most of us, I don’t remember very much about learning how to read. I just remember loving it. I read in the car, I read while walking down stairs, which drove my parents crazy, and I frequently had to be chided to put the book down and go outside and play. Karen D'Souza EdSource -- 12/20/22

Los Angeles Unified to move forward with changes to instructional calendar -- The Los Angeles Unified school board unanimously voted Tuesday to move the district’s additional acceleration days to school breaks, despite pushback from one of its labor partners. The new plan to shift the acceleration days comes after pressure from the teacher’s union to reconsider its plans. Kate Sequeira EdSource -- 12/20/22

East Bay university to shut down after 154 years, citing challenges from COVID-19 -- Holy Names University issued advance warnings of possible mass layoffs Dec. 1, while also handing notices to 32 employees the institution expects to lay off at the end of January or in early February. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/20/22

Also . . .   

What I learned from my identity theft nightmare. Your questions answered -- My name is Jessica Roy, and I’m an editor on the utility journalism team at the L.A. Times. In 2018, my wallet was stolen out of my purse at a bar. A few weeks later, I found out I was the victim of a ring of persistent serial identity thieves — and that banks, credit bureaus and police weren’t going to do anything to help me. Jessica Roy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/20/22

‘Long live the king’: L.A. Times readers remember and mourn P-22 -- What was it about P-22 that touched us humans so deeply? Javier Panzar in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/20/22

Rose Bowl floats aren’t immune to inflation, leaving builders scrambling for new ideas -- For years, Kay Sappington has carefully measured out how many seeds and petals she needs to cover every square foot of Sierra Madre’s float for Pasadena’s annual Rose Parade. As a float builder, she knows that every dollar saved is a dollar set aside for next year’s project. But this year everything is just more expensive — up to 20% more. Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/20/22

B-2 Stealth Bomber is grounded for Rose Parade; Here’s Plan B (1) -- The prestigious B-2 Stealth Bomber, which annually signifies the start of the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game on New Year’s Day, will not participate in the upcoming Rose Parade or Rose Bowl Game flyovers scheduled for Jan. 2. Instead, Missouri-based Whiteman Air Force Base officials announced Friday, Dec. 16, B-1B Lancer Bombers from Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota will flyover to mark the moment. Brennon Dixson in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 12/20/22