Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

3 days ago

Trump Says He’s Willing to Let Migrant Farm Laborers Stay in US

3 days ago

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

3 days ago

Eyeing Arctic Dominance, Trump Bill Earmarks $8.6 Billion for US Coast Guard Icebreakers

3 days ago

Trump’s Sweeping Tax-Cut and Spending Bill Wins Congressional Approval

3 days ago

Americans Celebrate Their Independence With Record-Breaking Travel Numbers

4 days ago

US Supreme Court to Decide Legality of Transgender School Sports Bans

4 days ago

Nvidia Set to Become the World’s Most Valuable Company in History

4 days ago

Poll: 41% in US ‘Extremely Proud’ to Be American, Near Historic Low

4 days ago
Buckle Up: A Big Day for California
gvw_calmatters
By CalMatters
Published 4 years ago on
August 16, 2021

Share

Today is a big day for California.

First, it’s the deadline for local elections offices to start sending mail-in ballots for the Sept. 14 recall election of Gov. Gavin Newsom. Ballots have already started hitting mailboxes in many parts of the state, prompting Newsom and his leading challengers to turbocharge their campaigns over the weekend.

Emily Hoeven

CalMatters

The governor, attempting to rally apathetic Democratic voters who appear largely unaffected by his blitz of TV ads, pivoted to in-person events in San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego. He appealed to organized labor and Latino voters while pinpointing conservative talk show host Larry Elder, whom he described as “more extreme” than former President Donald Trump, as his biggest threat.

Elder, who has consistently led other recall candidates in the polls — including one from CBS/You Gov released Sunday — hosted his campaign’s first virtual press conference on Friday, focusing on state policies that he said adversely impacted Asian Americans. Meanwhile, the California Democratic Party on Saturday filed an ethics complaint against Elder, citing a Los Angeles Times investigation that found he appeared to have not properly disclosed his business holdings — obscuring potential conflicts of interest.

SF and LA Unified Return to Campus Full-Time

Also today, students in San Francisco and Los Angeles Unified will return to campus for full-time in-person instruction — a milestone complicated by the challenges and uncertainties ahead. Los Angeles is scrambling to fill thousands of vacancies for teachers, counselors, special education instructors, nurses and mental health specialists. The district, which on Friday mandated vaccines for all staff — a stricter stance than the state’s — also said more than 12,500 students plan to pursue online independent study, up from around 1,300 before the pandemic. In San Francisco, there aren’t enough spots for all the families who want to enroll their kids in independent study.

“I’d rather have my kids be stupid, without an education, rather than die. That represents what many, many parents are saying.”

– Shurrin Ho, San Francisco parent

If California had kept its color-coded reopening system governed by COVID rates, 19 counties — including Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and Sacramento — would be blocked from reopening schools. But coronavirus isn’t the only challenge: Some Northern California rural schools have delayed their reopening plans as wildfires ravage the region.

Finally, state lawmakers return to Sacramento today after their summer recess. To prevent further Capitol coronavirus outbreaks, lawmakers, key legislative staff and journalists must submit to a strict testing regimen, regardless of vaccination status.

Lawmakers have until Sept. 10 to pass or kill hundreds of bills and decide the final details of California’s $263 billion budget — meaning we’re in for a frenzied four weeks.

Vaccine Fight Heats Up; Hospitals Stretched

Among the bills that will likely face intense scrutiny: one that would block protesters from getting within 30 feet of people entering vaccination sites, which some First Amendment experts are already declaring unconstitutional. It’s the latest chapter in the Golden State’s fierce vaccine wars, which took a violent turn on Saturday when a man was stabbed and a reporter attacked during an anti-vaccination rally in front of Los Angeles City Hall.

“We’re really reaching a kind of pinnacle of all aspects flooding in at one time.”

– Paul Larimore, ER manager at La Mesa’s Sharp Grossmont Hospital

Meanwhile, state worker unions representing firefighters and maintenance employees filed unfair labor practice charges against Newsom’s recent directive that they either get vaccinated or tested weekly, just days after California’s largest state worker union did the same. The state’s correctional officer union on Friday pledged to fight an order that it says would mandate vaccinations for health care workers in its prisons. And hundreds of San Francisco employees are seeking exemptions from a city vaccination mandate, with some sheriff’s deputies threatening to resign over the policy.

Amid this pushback, the successes of Imperial County are all the more impressive. Despite the county’s remoteness and high poverty, 86% of its eligible residents have received at least one dose — one of the highest vaccination rates in California, CalMatters’ Ana Ibarra reports.

But, health officials warn, the battle isn’t over yet. COVID patients have doubled in California hospitals, prompting some facilities to postpone elective procedures. At the same time, emergency rooms are seeing an unprecedented surge in non-COVID patients, stretching space and staff to their limits.

A Complex Unemployment Picture

California’s unemployment situation is looking iffy. Even as desperate businesses beef up benefits to attract workers — offering everything from yoga classes to therapy to 401(k)s — nearly 69,000 Californians filed new jobless claims for the week ending Aug. 7, federal data show.

“I have an MBA, a BA and 10 years experience in my field, and I can’t even get a temporary position. … I would take an administrative assistant job, but no one’s going back to the office.”

– Mary Robinson, Oakland resident laid off from her job as a procurement analyst at an insurance company

That’s an increase of more than 6,000 from the week before and the state’s highest total in nearly three months — a stark contrast from the nation overall, which saw new claims drop by 12,000. And although California’s problem-plagued Employment Development Department is making progress on its claims backlog, more than 216,000 claims had been stuck in the logjam for at least three weeks as of Aug. 7.

Further complicating matters, the federal $300 weekly unemployment supplement and a host of other federal jobless programs are slated to expireon Sept. 4, throwing millions of Californians into limbo. Experts say this could push some low-wage workers to reenter the job market, though opportunities in other sectors remain scarce.

Fire and Drought Hit Northern California

The numbers quantifying the destruction of the Dixie Fire, now the second-largest in California history, are staggering: 553,000 acres charred, 29,000 people forced to evacuate, 15,000 homes threatened, 1,120 buildings destroyed and another 74 damaged. More than 6,500 personnel are assigned to the blaze — representing nearly 25% of firefighters attacking large uncontained fires nationwide.

“There’s that fear in the back of all our minds there is going to be a time when we don’t have water at all.”

– Julian Lopez, owner of Cafe Beaujolais in Mendocino

And the Dixie Fire is only expected to grow: Thunderstorms and dry, gusty winds were predicted Sunday along the Sierra Nevada mountains, meaning Bay Area residents will likely spend their fifth day in a row under smoky skies. PG&E warned Sunday night that it may shut off power for portions of the Bay Area close to the Dixie Fire. Meanwhile, another fire ignited late Saturday in El Dorado County, forcing more evacuations.

In addition to the flames, Northern California is also getting hit hard by drought — which Southern California is much more prepared to handle. In Mendocino, for example, water is so scarce that restaurants have closed their restrooms to diners, instead directing them to portable toilets on the sidewalk. Today, the state could start issuing formal orders blocking thousands of farmers, landowners and others from diverting water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta watershed.

About the Author

Emily Hoeven writes the daily WhatMatters newsletter for CalMatters. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in English and French and studied English at the University of Cambridge, England as a Thouron Summer Prize fellow. CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters.

[activecampaign form=27]

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

How Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Will Make China Great Again

DON'T MISS

What’s Caitlin Clark Worth to the WNBA? A Lot More Than Her $78,066 Salary.

DON'T MISS

Trump to Sign Tax-Cut and Spending Bill in July 4 Ceremony

DON'T MISS

Madre Fire Spurs Evacuations Across 3 Counties, Grows to More Than 70,000 Acres

DON'T MISS

Clovis, Sanger, Madera, and Bass Lake Will Light the Sky With Fireworks Shows Tonight

DON'T MISS

Oil Dips Ahead of Expected OPEC+ Output Increase

DON'T MISS

613 Killed at Gaza Aid Distribution Sites, Near Humanitarian Covoys, Says UN

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Authorities Investigating Suspicious Death of Transient Man

DON'T MISS

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

DON'T MISS

Israeli Military Kills 20 in Gaza as Trump Awaits Hamas Reply to Truce Proposal

UP NEXT

Madre Fire Burns More Than 52,000 Acres in San Luis Obispo County

UP NEXT

San Luis Obispo’s Madre Fire Grows to 35,000 Acres, More Evacuations Ordered

UP NEXT

CHP Officer Dies in Line of Duty After Medical Emergency While on Patrol

UP NEXT

Downtown Housing Could Rise in Many California Cities, but Barriers Remain

UP NEXT

Trump Pulls Back 150 Guard Troops From Federal Duties in California

UP NEXT

California Republicans Send Message to Trump: Deport Criminals, Not Our Vital Workers

UP NEXT

CA Rolls Back Its Landmark Environmental Law to Speed Housing Construction

UP NEXT

California Seizes Over 600,000 Pounds of Illegal Fireworks. Newsom Calls for Safe Celebrations

UP NEXT

Buying a Home With Solar? Beware of CA Bill Written by Former Utility Co. Exec

UP NEXT

Trump Administration Sues Los Angeles Over Immigration Enforcement

Trump Calls Musk’s Formation of New Party “Ridiculous” and Confusing

6 hours ago

Fresno DUI Driver Slams Into CHP Motorcycle, Tow Truck on Highway 99

12 hours ago

Russia Downs 120 Ukrainian Drones Overnight, Defense Ministry Says

13 hours ago

Israel Sends Delegation to Qatar for Gaza Talks Ahead of Netanyahu Trip to US

13 hours ago

San Luis Obispo’s Madre Fire Grows to Nearly 80,000 Acres, 30% Contained

13 hours ago

Musk Announces Forming of ‘America Party’ in Further Break From Trump

13 hours ago

Death Toll From Texas Floods Reaches 59, Including 21 Children

13 hours ago

California’s Politics Drifts Right While New York’s Leans Left

13 hours ago

How Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Will Make China Great Again

2 days ago

What’s Caitlin Clark Worth to the WNBA? A Lot More Than Her $78,066 Salary.

2 days ago

TikTok Building New Version of App Ahead of Expected US Sale, the Information Reports

TikTok is building a new version of its app for users in the United States ahead of a planned sale of the app to a group of investors, The I...

6 hours ago

A logo is displayed over a door at the U.S. headquarters of the social media company TikTok in Culver City, California, U.S. January 17, 2025. (Reuters File)
6 hours ago

TikTok Building New Version of App Ahead of Expected US Sale, the Information Reports

Boxes of aid are stacked as Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said it has commenced operations to begin distribution of aid, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, May 26, 2025. (Reuters File)
6 hours ago

Hamas Government Office Rejects US Accusation of Involvement in Gaza Aid Site Attack

A volunteer searches for flood victims after deadly flooding in Kerr County, Texas, U.S., July 6, 2025. REUTERS/Sergio Flores
6 hours ago

Death Toll From Texas Floods Reaches 78, Trump Plans Visit

Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk listens as US President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with House Republicans at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Washington, DC, U.S. on November 13, 2024. (Reuters File)
6 hours ago

Trump Calls Musk’s Formation of New Party “Ridiculous” and Confusing

A 22-year-old suspected DUI driver crashed into a parked CHP motorcycle and tow truck on Highway 99 near Fresno, narrowly missing an officer and bystanders, CHP said Saturday, July 5, 2025. (CHP)
12 hours ago

Fresno DUI Driver Slams Into CHP Motorcycle, Tow Truck on Highway 99

A service member of a drone unit of the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after King Danylo of the Ukrainian Armed Forces controls a heavy combat drone while it flies over positions of Russian troops, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk Region, Ukraine June 12, 2025. (Reuters File)
13 hours ago

Russia Downs 120 Ukrainian Drones Overnight, Defense Ministry Says

An Israeli tank maneuvers in Gaza, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, July 6, 2025. (Reuters/Amir Cohen)
13 hours ago

Israel Sends Delegation to Qatar for Gaza Talks Ahead of Netanyahu Trip to US

The Madre Fire near New Cuyama has burned nearly 80,000 acres as of Sunday, July 6, 2025, morning, prompting widespread evacuation orders and warnings across three counties. (CalFire)
13 hours ago

San Luis Obispo’s Madre Fire Grows to Nearly 80,000 Acres, 30% Contained

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend