SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom has asked people to not gather in large numbers and generally stay inside during the coronavirus outbreak, and so far most are obeying. Schools and businesses have closed, sports leagues have suspended their seasons and Disneyland has shuttered. But what happens if, weeks from now,...
Walters: California Also Faces Economic Hit
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s engaged, steady-hand-at the-tiller approach to managing California’s slice of the global coronavirus pandemic is winning well-deserved plaudits. Newsom has slowly but steadily ramped up restrictions on Californians’ potentially dangerous social interactions in hopes of slowing the spread of the deadly virus, while dipping into the state’s financial...
Newsom Prepares for Worst-Case Scenarios as Virus Spreads
While urging Californians to stay united and promising “we will get back to the life that we have lived,” Gov. Gavin Newsom acknowledged on Tuesday that much is unknown and so the state is preparing for frightening worst-case scenarios. He put the California National Guard on alert for duties that...
What You Need to Know About California’s Lockdown of Seniors and the Chronically Ill
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday called for seniors and people with chronic conditions to isolate themselves during the coronavirus pandemic, raising questions about the state’s capacity to ensure delivery of food, medicine and services to some of its most vulnerable residents. Newsom pledged that his office would address specific...
Newsom Says Few, If Any, Schools Likely to Reopen This School Year Due to Virus
Most California schools will likely remain closed for the rest of the school year because of the new coronavirus, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday. Nearly all the state’s schools have already shut down as the most populous state tries to stop the spread of the virus, and the rest will...
California Adds Online Triage for Coronavirus to Help With Test Shortages
California still does not have enough capacity to test for coronavirus, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Sunday, despite furious efforts by private, university and government laboratories to scale up to handle thousands of more patients. To help triage the crush of Californians in the Bay Area who want to be tested for...
Is Newsom Striking Right Balance in Coronavirus Response?
As the coronavirus spreads through California, the restrictions placed on the state's 40 million residents have varied by county and community, the result of Gov. Gavin Newsom's early decision to largely allow local governments to set their own rules. After initially setting statewide guidance to keep crowds under 250 people,...
PG&E's $23B Bankruptcy Financing Package Approved by Court
BERKELEY — Pacific Gas & Electric on Monday won court approval to raise $23 billion to help pay its bills over destructive California wildfires after Gov. Gavin Newsom dropped his opposition to a financing package designed to help the nation's largest utility get out of bankruptcy. The milestone reached during...
California's Rainy Day Fund Is Ready For Its Coronavirus Close-Up
By THE RAINY DAY FUND, as told to JOE MATHEWS I’m ready for my close-up, Ms. Gerwig! OK, as a budget fund without acting credits, I shouldn’t expect Greta Gerwig to put me in her next film—even if both she and I are Sacramento natives. But the time is coming—quite...
Judge OKs More DNA Tests From Alleged Golden State Killer
SACRAMENTO — A Northern California judge on Thursday approved prosecutors’ request to take more DNA samples from a man charged with being the infamous "Golden State Killer" who eluded arrest for decades. Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Steve White also told prosecutors to informally decide who is empowered to consider...