Newsom policing advisers support legislative effort requiring officers to intervene
By Jeremy B. White 10/13/2020 03:55 PM EDT Gov. Gavin Newsom’s policing advisers say California legislators should take up bills compelling peace officers to intervene or report on fellow officers who use excessive force. As protests over police violence and racial inequality engulfed the country this year, Newsom enlisted former East Palo Alto police chief […]
Trump reverses FEMA denial of emergency aid for California fires
By Debra Kahn 10/16/2020 02:59 PM EDT Updated: 10/16/2020 04:42 PM EDT President Donald Trump has agreed to reverse his administration’s decision to deny federal cleanup funding for six California wildfires, including the largest single fire in state history located in the Republican-heavy Central Valley, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday. Impact: The reversal comes after Republican […]
SCOTUS seeks DOJ’s views on interstate coal terminal dispute
By Annie Snider 10/05/2020 12:21 PM EDT Supreme Court justices asked the federal government to weigh in as they contemplate whether to take up an interstate dispute over a proposed massive coal export terminal — a sign justices could be interested in the case. The details: On the first day of its new term, the Supreme Court invited […]
CDC says coronavirus is airborne, but weakens language from earlier warning
By Brianna Ehley 10/05/2020 02:51 PM EDT The CDC on Monday confirmed that the coronavirus is airborne and may be able to infect people who are more than six feet apart, especially indoors with poor ventilation. The agency first said last month that the virus spreads mainly through “aerosols, produced when an infected person coughs, […]
Newsom appoints first openly gay justice — and 3rd African American man — to California Supreme Court
By Carla Marinucci 10/05/2020 03:01 PM EDT OAKLAND — California Gov. Gavin Newsom is appointing Martin Jenkins to the California Supreme Court, the first openly gay justice and third African American man nominated for the state’s highest court. Jenkins, 66, currently serves as Newsom’s judicial appointments secretary. A native of San Francisco and the son […]
California has first million-acre megafire as devastating season sets new records
By Colby Bermel 10/05/2020 05:06 PM EDT SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The August Complex of wildfires surpassed the grim milestone Monday of over 1 million acres burned, the first blaze in recorded California history to reach seven figures of acreage. The update by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection on the August Complex in […]
Trump campaign looks to small victories on trade to win the farmer vote
By Ximena Bustillo , Sabrina Rodriguez10/04/2020 07:00 AM EDT Updated: 10/04/2020 07:31 AM EDT President Donald Trump has notched few big wins on trade, but he has scored some incremental victories that help key swing-state constituencies — from Maine lobstermen to Wisconsin dairy farmers and Florida produce growers. And with the election just a month […]
SoCalGas charged customer account to stymie efficiency standards, new document shows
By Colby Bermel 10/02/2020 08:07 PM EDT Southern California Gas charged a ratepayer account from 2014 through 2017 to pay for lobbying work against stronger energy efficiency standards, according to a new document published Friday. Impact: A joint statement of stipulated facts was posted by the company, environmentalists and state consumer watchdogs but is not an admission of […]
Mnuchin: Administration will simplify small business loan forgiveness
By Zachary Warmbrodt 10/02/2020 04:27 PM EDT The Trump administration will streamline the process for converting coronavirus payroll protection loans into grants, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Friday, amid growing concern about the small business rescue. In a virtual fireside chat hosted by Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.), Mnuchin said officials were “working on a solution” for Paycheck Protection Program […]
Census Bureau says count will continue through end of October
By Zach Montellaro 10/02/2020 08:35 PM EDT The Census Bureau said Friday that its count will continue through Oct. 31, yielding after a back-and-forth battle with a federal judge in California. Late last month, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh ruled that the decennial count must continue, ordering that the schedule the Census Bureau’s attempt to wrap […]