In California: A coronavirus death and a state of emergency
The state's first coronavirus death and growing number of diagnoses prompts Newsom to declare a state of emergency. And a $15 billion bond measure appears headed for failure — its author blames the title. Plus, will a 13,000-home East Bay development suffer a typical California defeat?
It's Arlene Martínez, with news for a post-election Wednesday.
But first, Finn from "Star Wars" wants you to know how he really feels about his 6-day-a-week Hollywood workouts.
In California brings you daily news, features and interviews from across USA TODAY Network newsrooms and beyond. Click here to get this straight to your inbox.
Super Tuesday: Two runoffs for Katie Hill's SoCal seat, Prop. 13 + other elex news
Fifteen people lined up to take the congressional seat of Katie Hill after she resigned amid allegations of inappropriate relationships with staffers and her estranged husband leaked nude pictures of her.
Hill, a Democrat, flipped a district that for at least a generation had been Republican, and the GOP wants it back. They didn't get it back, but the Democrats didn't keep it either.
Read our story to find out more about this crowded race, which included Democrat Cenk Uygur, founder of "The Young Turks" online news show and network, and convicted former Donald Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos.
More headlines out of Super Tuesday:
How did I end up with vote-by-mail status? We've got answers.
Could a Californian join Joe Biden on the presidential ticket? VP contenders, explored.
Assemblyman Patrick O'Donnell tweeted that he hopes to retire No. 13 from ballot measures to avoid "voter confusion" in the future. O'Donnell co-authored the $15 billion school bond measure, Prop. 13, that's currently losing.
We know Bernie won the Golden State, but how will the 415 delegates be divvied up between him and second-place finisher Joe Biden?
A San Diego measure put on the ballot by an upscale spa to oppose a 2,135-home development has passed. The no vote overturned the San Diego County Board of Supervisors' previous approval. Who needs housing?
Coronavirus claims first Californian; LAX screener tests positive
Health officials in Northern California say an elderly man, who had other health conditions, died Wednesday from the coronavirus at a hospital in Roseville where he was in isolation. Officials said the 71-year-old man was "likely exposed" to the illness while traveling on a Princess Cruise ship last month.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating a “small cluster” of coronavirus patients in Northern California who were passengers on that ship.
Also Wednesday: California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a statewide emergency following the man's death, which increased the U.S. death toll to 11. Newsom said the pronouncement could help procure supplies quickly. Los Angeles officials, who earlier in the day had declared a state of emergency, made similar statements.
A contract medical screener at LAX tested positive for coronavirus, the Department of Homeland Security said. The worker, whose last shift at the airport was on Feb. 21, is self-quarantined at home under medical supervision with mild symptoms, DHS said. The worker's immediate family is also quarantined.
More than 150 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed across the nation, including 29 in California as of Wednesday afternoon.
Related info:
Elbow bumps and (short) high-fives: Suggested greetings in a coronavirus world.
Track the number of coronavirus cases in this interactive map, updated daily.
I'm planning a trip to Europe. Should I stay or should I go? Yes.
DIY: Hand sanitizer you can make.
Boys and girls can like the same toys and wear the same clothes
Yes, it's true and soon, department store offerings across California could be required to reflect that. Assemblymember Evan Low of Campbell last month introduced a proposal that would have stores set out toys and clothes in gender-neutral spaces, rather than the boys' and girls' sections you typically see now.
Low said children should feel free to wear what they want and play with any toy at all.
“Clothing and toys sections of department stores that are separated along gender lines pigeonhole children,” Low said in a statement. “No child should feel stigmatized for wearing a dinosaur shirt or playing with a Barbie doll.”
13,000-unit developer in S.F. area may cancel
The plan in Concord, about 40 minutes northeast of San Francisco, calls for 13,000 housing units to be built near major highways and two BART stops. A quarter of them would be affordable units—that's 3,250 units in an area where nearby rent can easily top $3,500.
Retail and office would join a youth sports complex and a community college campus.
But now, the developer's threatening to walk away.
Why though: Labor unions want all construction on the project done with union labor. That would happen by adding project labor agreements (PLAs) to the terms of the deal.
What's wrong with that: It'll add a half-billion dollars to the project, the city's own economists found in an independent analysis. The developer says adding PLAs make the deal unfeasible.
What happens next: The deadline looms for the sides to decide whether the project can move forward without the PLA. It could be hard for elected officials to allow that though — unions are big campaign contributors (at least four labor groups gave $$$ to City Councilwoman Carlyn Obringer in the last six months of 2019, as an example). It's hard to bite the hand that feeds you.
Where have I heard about PLAs before: Prop. 13, the $15 billion school bond that appears to have failed, would have given put projects that used union labor at the front of the line when it came to doling out money.
Illicit quid pro quo in Palm Springs?
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Riverside County prosecutors called the corruption scheme the "oldest in the book" — wealthy real estate developers put a politician on their payroll and in exchange, they received “favorable treatment, inside access, and large contracts."
That's some of what was inside 800 pages of grand jury transcripts revealed Wednesday in the bribery case against then-Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet and developers John Wessman and Richard Meaney.
Over the course of the relationship, Pougnet got $375,000 in return for his approval of their development projects, authorities allege.
The trial in the case is expected to start later this year.
In California is a roundup of news from across USA TODAY Network newsrooms. Also contributing: Route 50, City News Service, East Bay Times, Mission Local, Sacramento Bee, KPBS, KQED.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus, Katie Hill, Prop 13, quid pro quo, LAX, Sanders: Wed news
