In CA: Newsom's latest reopening plan draws criticism
This is Megan Diskin with the Ventura County Star bringing you all the news on Taco Tuesday. Guac is extra.
In California brings you top Golden State stories and commentary from across the USA TODAY Network and beyond. Get it free, straight to your inbox.
'It's not better, it's worse'
Coachella Valley leaders have concerns about Gov. Gavin Newsom's new four-tiered, color-coded process for reopening based on a county's testing positivity rate and growth of cases.
"This is all new and it's not better, it's worse," Indian Wells Mayor Ty Peabody said in a meeting of local leaders on Monday. "It's not helping anybody and it's certainly not helping the businesses in this valley or anywhere else in California."
In a Desert Sun story, Peabody questioned why the guidelines allow some businesses like salons to open but not tattoo and piercing parlors.
There are also concerns about why some businesses can reopen with limited capacity indoors and others are relegated to outdoor operations.
Reporters from the Visalia-Times Delta and Redding Record Searchlight talked to residents relieved about restaurants moving inside. A raging heat wave and smoke from dozens of fires across the state have not made dining al fresco appealing.
Indoor shopping malls, barbershops, hair salons and restaurants can start working within four walls. Under Newsom's new guidelines, manicurists at nail salons are still not authorized for that.
"It makes no sense to us," said Mike Vo, board chairman of the Pro Nails Association, an industry group.
Renters get eviction reprieve
All eyes were on lawmakers Monday, the last night of California's 2020 legislative session. Millions of renters were holding their breath to see what kind of break they might get as they face evictions due to the economic downturn prompted by the pandemic.
A CalMatters analysis dove into how renters, landlords and banks fared in the bill signed into law late Monday night. Renters can't be evicted for payments missed from March through Aug. 31. If they can produce 25% of their rent from September to Jan. 31 they'll also be protected from eviction. Eviction rules go back to normal Feb. 1.
The CalMatters crew also gave a highlight reel of the virtual legislative session marked by fogged-up masks, muted profanities and technical glitches.
Police reform has also been top of mind for California legislators and their constituents. The Los Angeles Times reported some bills aimed at police reform were passed Monday night but most didn't make it.
Senate Bill 776 by state Sen. Nancy Skinner failed. It would have built upon a landmark police personnel records law known as Senate Bill 1421, signed into law in 2018. It made certain use of force, dishonesty and sexual misconduct records open to the public. Skinner's follow-up bill, SB 776, would have expanded the information to be disclosed under the law.
Many Californians have taken to the streets calling for police transparency and accountability in the wake of George Floyd's death. Assembly Bill 1185 was successfully passed this session. It clarifies how county board of supervisors can create oversight commissions for sheriffs.
Lightning fire close to containment?
The San Francisco Chronicle has reported the SCU Lightning Complex fire, one of three major blazes started by lightning strikes, could be be contained by Thursday.
It was 70% contained and more than 390,000 acres Tuesday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
“Containment efforts are going very well and we’re making very good progress,” Cal Fire spokeswoman Lynne Tolmachoff told the newspaper Monday.
Higher temperatures are expected over Labor Day weekend and firefighters say it could cause problems for containment efforts. The other two major blazes, the CZU Lightning Complex and LNU Lightning Complex, could be contained by Sept. 8.
In the Mendocino National Forest north of San Francisco, a firefighter battling another lightning-sparked blaze was killed Monday.
There have been eight deaths and more than 2,800 structures destroyed since hundreds of fires ignited in an Aug. 15 lightning storm. Many of those structures were homes.
Conception boat fire report coming next month
The National Transportation Safety Board announced Monday that a meeting will be held Oct. 20 about the investigative report on the Conception dive boat fire. The blaze killed 34 people near Santa Cruz Island off the Ventura County coast Sept. 2, 2019.
The California Public Utilities Commission, the regulatory agency of the state's utility companies, fired its executive director Monday. The ouster of Alice Stebbins in a 5-0 vote came amid complaints over Stebbins' hiring practices.
A support group for survivors of Northern California wildfires is gaining new members as dozens of blazes rage on in the state.
Ventura County music businesses are some of 1,000 in the country expected to turn on a red light Tuesday night to call awareness to the struggling industry.
In California is a roundup of news from across USA TODAY Network newsrooms. Also contributing: CalMatters, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Associated Press, Ventura County Star, San Diego Union-Tribune and Mercury News.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Newsom's reopening plan draws criticism from businesses, officials
