Hanging over the heads of California’s newly sworn-in state legislators — and likely to be top of mind when they return to Sacramento next month — are the state’s intertwined housing and homelessness crises.
That became clear Tuesday, when Democratic state senator Scott Wiener of San Francisco introduced a bill for the third time to make it easier for religious organizations and nonprofit colleges to build 100% affordable housing on their property. The proposal — part of the YIGBY, or Yes In God’s Back Yard, movement — would allow those groups to bypass local zoning and California’s signature environmental assessment process, both of which could delay projects for years and add millions of dollars in additional costs. .
(The state itself ended up on the losing side of an environmental assessment lawsuit Tuesday, when a California appeals court ruled that the state Department of General Services should not limit the environmental impacts of its more than $1 billion project to renovate the nearly 70-year-old Capitol annex. with offices for Governor Gavin Newsom, legislators and their staff. The ruling is likely to lead to project delays.)
The high-profile announcement of the bill came on the same day that police searched Wiener’s home after he received a bomb threat from a person accusing him of being a pedophile and grooming children. Wiener, who received a similar death threat in June, attributed the threats to “my work to end discrimination against LGBTQ people in the criminal justice system and my work to ensure the safety of transgender children and their families.” next to “homophobe”. tweets from Republican U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene and “MAGA Activist” Charlie Kirk.
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1 A legal labyrinth of labor laws
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court will begin hearing oral arguments in a case that could profoundly change the process of drawing congressional districts in California and the rest of the country — but the Golden State is still facing a June ruling of the country’s highest court. court that limited the use of PAGA, a unique state labor law that allows workers to collectively sue their employers for labor violations on behalf of the state.
PAGA was also one of the main culprits in a Tuesday report from the American Tort Reform Foundation that labeled California the country’s third worst “judicial hell.” The report says that PAGA has resulted in a mountain of “frivolous” lawsuits and that while “the original goal was to protect workers … the plaintiffs’ bar has been the real beneficiary.” Bonta said in a statement, “PAGA remains a critical tool for advocating workers’ rights” and all Californians “benefit when the state has more mechanisms to ensure robust enforcement of our labor laws.”
2 Flu now circulating at high levels in CA
From health reporter Kristen Hwang of CalMatters: In the past 10 days, flu activity across California has risen from “moderate” to “high” or “very high,” with hospitals in some regions of the state reporting that less than 12% of pediatric intensive care unit beds are available, the health ministry said on Tuesday. The seasonal virus spikes early this year in tandem with rising COVID-19 cases, and officials fear the dual strain on the state’s hospital system “will rival some of the pandemic’s most difficult moments.”
Even as cases of respiratory syncytial virus — commonly known as RSV — plateau, Ghaly said hospitalizations for COVID and flu are approaching numbers not seen since last winter’s rise in the Omicron variant. About 6,100 flu and COVID patients are currently hospitalized, a number expected to reach 10,000 by the end of the month, Ghaly said. (Flu season typically lasts through February in California.) More than 15,000 COVID patients were hospitalized during the height of the Omicron surge in January.
Despite the numbers, Ghaly said the state is not considering reinstating a mask mandate. Instead, Ghaly said the state will continue to emphasize the benefits of masking up, getting a flu shot and seeking antiviral treatment if you get the flu or COVID.
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The California court’s decision increases the likelihood that school pack taxes will be passed on. // EdSource
Palo Alto leaders are urging Stanford to pay more taxes and build new homes. // Mercury news
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L.A. Teachers Union seeks 20% increase in new contract, saying they are stressed and overpriced. //Los Angeles Times
Kaiser’s nurses in Northern California vote for four-year contracts with big pay raises. // Sacramento bee
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SF officials investigating alleged illegal bedrooms at Twitter headquarters. // San Francisco Chronicle
Technology layoffs are on the rise: Intel is cutting hundreds of jobs in Northern California. // Mercury news
This former California tech helps change laws for people who are laid off. // CNN
Former Capitol Police Chief hired as the next UC Berkeley Police Chief. // San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Police Robot Killing Policy Halted After Backlash // San Francisco Chronicle
Michael Avenatti sentenced to 14 years in California fraud case. // Associated press
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A minnow sacred to some California Native Americans is in danger of extinction. //Los Angeles Times
California snowpack is off to a promising start, but drought concerns remain. // Washington Post