Thank you, Texas, for taking Elon Musk off our hands. It may seem strange for California to not care as the world’s fourth-richest person relocates from L.A. to Austin. But we’re sanguine for two reasons: we recognize the hazards of living amongst the very rich, and we know this billionaire...
A Bumpy Ride for California Amtrak as Pandemic Surges
Gabriella Choe has been a regular Amtrak passenger for the past four years, traveling from Oakland to Sacramento to see her parents. Before the pandemic, she rode the train nearly every other weekend. But as the pandemic worsens, her visits are now infrequent, and she doesn’t plan on traveling for...
Judge Says Restaurants in San Diego Can Reopen in Setback for Newsom
A California judge said Thursday that all restaurants in San Diego County can resume on-site dining with safety protocols, marking a setback to the governor’s stay-at-home order to slow the spread of the coronavirus. San Diego Superior Court Judge Joel Wohlfeil said his ruling Wednesday that also protected two strip...
Hot Spot: California Hospitals Buckle as Virus Cases Surge
LOS ANGELES — Hospitals across California have all but run out of intensive care beds for COVID-19 patients, ambulances are backing up outside emergency rooms, and tents for triaging the sick are going up as the nation’s most populous state emerges as the latest epicenter of the U.S. outbreak. On...
California’s Growth Rate at Record Low as More People Leave
California saw its slowest growth rate on record for the nation’s most populous state, adding just 21,200 people during the year that ended in July, state officials said Wednesday. For the second straight year, more people left California than moved to the state, resulting in a net migration loss of...
As Virus Surges, Fresno Hospital Adds Beds. State Has Makeshift Morgues Standing By.
Hospitals are filling up so fast in California that officials are rolling out mobile field facilities and scrambling to hire more doctors and nurses to prepare for an expected surge in coronavirus patients. Fresno's Community Regional Medical Center is rushing 50 beds into a building near the hospital and bringing...
Can California Protect COVID-19 Vaccine From Cheaters and Fraudsters?
What seemed like a Herculean task just months ago is now here: the COVID-19 vaccine. For the next several weeks, vaccines will be available in limited amounts in California and across the nation — and only to high-risk individuals, with supply expected to ramp up in the months to come....
California Cop Took Bribes While in Uniform, in Marked Car, Say Prosecutors
SANTA ANA — Federal prosecutors charged a Southern California police officer Tuesday with accepting $128,000 in bribes and expect he will plead guilty in the next few weeks, officials said. Steven Lopez, 28, of Chino, is currently on administrative leave from the Santa Ana Police Department, where he has worked since April 2016....
Opinion: How to Create an Easier Path to Climate Goals Through Electric Vehicles
California has led America’s climate fight by pioneering solutions here at home like cap-and-trade and tailpipe pollution reduction targets that the federal government and other states have adopted. We can once again play this role, paving the way for President-elect Joe Biden’s goal of building 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations,...
Opinion: Wildfire Prevention Deserves Long-Term, Dedicated, Continuous Funding
With every passing year, California continues to shatter records with devastating fire seasons, and 2020 is no exception. This year, the state has lost 4.2 million acres, approximately 9,000 structures, 31 lives, and fire season has not even ended. Gov. Gavin Newsom attributes these wildfires to what he calls “a climate damn...