Hello and welcome to Essential California bulletin. It is Tuesday March 2, and I write from Los Angeles.
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After weeks of negotiations and nearly a year of distance learning, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic legislative leaders on Monday announced a deal to offer schools $ 2 billion in incentives to reopen elementary campuses. The proposal is expected to be passed by the Legislature on Thursday. This does not go so far as to force schools to reopen, this decision ultimately remaining a local decision. Parents will also have the right to keep their children at home and learn virtually, if they choose to do so.
[Read the story: “Newsom, legislators strike deal to offer schools $2 billion in incentives to reopen campuses†in the Los Angeles Times]
Like my colleagues from Sacramento Report by Taryn Luna and John Myers, the plan would prioritize California’s youngest students first, with the goal of urging districts across the state to bring Kindergarten to Grade 2 students back into the classroom by April 1. These incentives would be offered in counties with fewer than 25 new confirmed cases of coronavirus per day per day. 100,000 residents – a threshold that nearly every county in California is currently reaching.
“We anticipate that all of our TK-to-2 classrooms will open by next month,†Newsom said on Monday. “We want to see more things beyond that,” the governor continued, saying the state’s red-level counties, with seven or fewer cases per 100,000 population, would be required to extend learning by class to all elementary school students and at least one grade. college or high school to access all available funds.
[Read more: “California’s $2-billion school reopening plan: What you need to know†in the Los Angeles Times]
What else to know
As Taryn and John report, the fiercest aspect of the reopening debate has focused on whether COVID-19 vaccinations would be necessary for educators before returning to class. This legislation does not make the vaccination of teachers and staff a prerequisite for reopening – something the teachers’ unions have fought for, and Newsom had balked. But the supply of vaccines for educators is still increasing significantly.
Starting this week, the state will reserve 10% of its weekly COVID-19 vaccine dose allocation for educators, as announced by Newsom last month. Public health officials said on Monday that the state was on track to exceed Newsom’s initial estimate of providing at least 75,000 doses of the vaccine weekly.
Here in Los Angeles, Austin Beutner – the superintendent of the nation’s second-largest school district – welcomed the increased doses available and praised Newsom for making school staff immunizations “a priority.” As a colleague education journalist Howard Blume Reports, state and local officials confirmed Monday morning that Los Angeles Unified will get the COVID-19 vaccines it needs by the end of next week to immunize staff and reopen its elementary school campuses.
But LAUSD officials have covered a previously announced target reopening date of April 9, moving to “mid-April” instead, which would likely be closer to when employees reach “maximum immunity” after their second dose. . Like Howard reports, a return to LAUSD campuses could also be significantly delayed by ongoing negotiations with employee unions.
[Read more: “Firm teachers union stance means LAUSD will be slower to reopen than other parts of state†in the Los Angeles Times]
And now, here’s what’s happening in California:
Although the state’s coronavirus count has dropped to levels not seen in months, Newsom acknowledged that “we are seeing a small plateau.” As the state moves forward with wider reopenings, the darker days of California’s winter coronavirus outbreak are fading in the rearview mirror, sparking new optimism – along with continued calls for vigilance. Los Angeles Times
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THE STORIES
Why not use buildings emptied by the pandemic as shelters for the homeless? A woman tries. Los Angeles Times
New lawsuit alleges LA, Santa Monica and Beverly Hills used curfews to crush legitimate protest: More than 40 people arrested in Los Angeles County for curfew violations during mass protests last summer allege in a retrial that curfews were an unconstitutional and coordinated tactic by county, several cities local authorities and their police forces to stifle legitimate political discourse against police violence. Los Angeles Times
How did a home built for the elderly of Japanese descent become the state’s deadliest nursing home? Kei-Ai Los Angeles in Lincoln Heights was one of 27 nursing homes participating in a low-profile county program that allows nursing facilities to volunteer to receive COVID patients from hospitals and other nursing facilities . Los Angeles Times
POLICY AND GOVERNMENT
Donations to Newsom’s recall campaign are coming in from across the country: “Someone from almost every state in the country made a donation to recall the Governor of California except Delaware, Iowa, North Dakota, Rhode Island, West Virginia and Wisconsin. The most frequent donations come from Texas, Nevada, Florida, Arizona and New York. Sacramento Bee
This small Californian town has been rocked by corruption scandals. Will the fees change Maywood? Los Angeles Times
CRIME AND COURTS
A Sacramento doctor appeared in traffic court via video call during surgery: “Yes, I’m in an operating room right now. Yes, I am available for a trial. Go ahead, â€the man told a courtroom clerk. Associated press
A collage from the Zoom lecture shows Dr Scott Green, top right, appearing from an operating room on Thursday for a trial in Sacramento County Superior Court, which was held virtually due to the pandemic of COVID-19.
(Associated press)
Blackface or acne medication? A pair of teens and their parents have filed a $ 20 million lawsuit against an exclusive Mountain View high school, claiming school officials forced the boys out last year over an alleged photo of blackface which they said actually showed green acne masks. Chronicle of San Francisco
HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT
Monterey Bay Aquarium’s ultra-low temperature research freezer is enlisted in the fight against vaccines: After several months on loan to a medical center in Salinas, the freezer was moved to a South Monterey County hospital, allowing that hospital to distribute the Pfizer vaccine for the first time. King City Thief
THE CULTURE OF CALIFORNIA
Oscar Wilde’s visit to San Francisco in 1882 plunged the city into a bitter and noisy frenzy. The city was split into two camps, “those who thought Wilde was an engaging speaker and quirky thinker, and those who believed he was the most pretentious fraud ever perpetrated against a grumbling public.” SF gate
From the annals of the suburban HOA scandals: An Orange County banker paid a prominent photorealistic artist $ 23,000 to repaint his garage doors to look like a patina of rusted steel. Suffice it to say that his association of owners was less than satisfied. Orange County Register
Put away your textbooks and take out your cell phones: Some of the best black history lessons take place on TikTok. Los Angeles Times
A poem to start your Tuesday: “Rhubarb” by Sheila Packa. The writer’s almanac
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ALMANAC OF CALIFORNIA
Los Angeles: sunny, 75. San Diego: sunny, 72. San Francisco: partly sunny, 61. San José: partly sunny, 70. Fresno: partly sunny, 73. Sacramento: partly sunny, 72.
AND FINALLY
today Californian memory just Ken Britten:
With the news of Fry’s disappearance, I remember my first visit to their Palo Alto location. I was a researcher in a new physiology lab at Stanford in 1987, and we did a lot of the wiring ourselves. It was a great store, had everything we needed and much more. But what struck me the most was the range of temptations on the checkout line. It featured porn snacks and magazines, capturing the eccentricities of Silicon Valley culture in a simple thumbnail.
If you have a memory or a story about the Golden State, share it with us. (Please limit your story to 100 words.)
Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints, ideas and unrelated book recommendations to Julia Wick. Follow her on twitter @Sherlyholmes.