AstraZeneca close to restarting Covid-19 vaccine trial in U.S.

By Zachary Brennan 10/21/2020 11:27 AM EDT AstraZeneca is likely to restart its late-stage U.S. coronavirus vaccine trial “very soon,” possibly later this week, according to one of the researchers leading the study. Ann Falsey, an infectious disease doctor at the University of Rochester School of Medicine, said that the Food and Drug Administration and […]

Newsom redirects $200M to child care, food banks after legislative dispute

By Mackenzie Mays 10/20/2020 07:29 PM EDT Updated: 10/20/2020 07:35 PM EDT SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom has redirected $200 million in federal coronavirus relief to assist child care providers and food banks after frustrated state lawmakers demanded more say in how the money is spent. The reallocation of the funding this week represents a […]

Silicon Valley faces a world of trouble

By Leah Nylen10/21/2020 06:12 PM EDT Probes of the big four U.S. tech companies have sprouted across the United States and Europe as authorities investigate accusations of antitrust abuses, privacy violations and other misconduct. These are among the most important: Google U.S. — The search giant faces an antitrust suit by the Justice Department and 11 state […]

Newsom’s top climate adviser opens door for carbon capture role in California

By Colby Bermel 10/22/2020 06:39 PM EDT Gov. Gavin Newsom’s top climate adviser voiced support Thursday for carbon capture and storage but stopped short of a commitment to further expanding the technology’s application toward California’s ambitious climate targets. Impact: The remarks by Kate Gordon, director of the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research, are nevertheless a […]

Senate Judiciary approves subpoenas for Twitter, Facebook CEOs over bias charges

By Cristiano Lima10/22/2020 10:25 AM EDT Updated: 10/22/2020 10:49 AM EDT The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday voted to subpoena Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to testify about allegations of anti-conservative bias, ratcheting up GOP pressure on the social media companies’ content policies before the November elections. How the vote went […]

California split-roll, affirmative action measures struggle to gain traction

By Carla Marinucci 10/22/2020 12:01 AM EDT OAKLAND — Despite support from Gov. Gavin Newsom and organizations aligned with Democrats, ballot measures that would increase commercial property taxes and reinstate affirmative action are struggling to gain traction as time runs short before Election Day. Californians remain sharply divided on Prop 15, a ballot measure that […]

California theme parks call Newsom rules ‘offensive,’ say litigation possible

By Victoria Colliver 10/21/2020 06:13 PM EDT OAKLAND — California theme park operators said Wednesday they’re not ruling out the possibility of filing a lawsuit over the state’s newly issued reopening guidance, which they believe could keep large parks closed indefinitely. Executives from the state’s largest theme parks — including Disneyland, Universal Studios and Legoland California […]

California’s $100M dialysis battle comes with ancillary benefits for labor union

By Victoria Colliver10/19/2020 08:01 AM EDT Updated: 10/19/2020 02:04 PM EDT OAKLAND — In initiative-happy California, one set of ads stands out — those involving dialysis clinics, an industry that’s historically been a lower-profile player in politics. The ads are unusual not only because of their unlikely topic but their volume, which is high because […]

The next economic crisis: Empty retail space

By Katy O’Donnell 10/16/2020 08:01 PM EDT WASHINGTON — Commercial real estate is in trouble, and turbulence in the $15 trillion market is threatening to bleed over into the broader financial system just as the U.S. struggles to emerge from a recession. The longer the pandemic paralyzes hotels, retailers and office buildings, the more difficult […]

CTA says too soon to reopen schools, California big city mayors say otherwise

By Mackenzie Mays 10/15/2020 09:08 PM EDT SACRAMENTO — The California Teachers Association on Thursday reiterated its belief that schools should remain closed despite more counties being allowed to reopen campuses — and just as big city mayors called on Gov. Gavin Newsom and state schools chief Tony Thurmond to bring students back across the […]