In CA: Newsom signs last-minute bills, says there could be a million-acre wildfire

What. A. Week. 

It's Megan Diskin with the Ventura County Star, welcoming you to October with another round of news.  

In California brings you top Golden State stories and commentary from across the Paste BN Network and beyond. Get it free, straight to your inbox.

Bills, bills, bills

Wednesday was the last day for Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign or veto bills that passed in the Legislature this session. CalMatters has been tracking Newsom's decisions with each new pen stroke.

Among the bills signed into law during the last-minute blitz  were Assembly Bill 1506 and AB 1196. This legislation was introduced in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. The bills ban the use of choke holds and neck restraints by law enforcement and require the state attorney general to investigate fatal police shootings of unarmed civilians. 

“None of these bills are easy,” Newsom said as he signed both bills during a Sept. 30 Zoom ceremony with lawmakers and advocates. “But I think under the circumstances, the fact that we were able to get this far is a big deal.”

One of the bills that didn't make the cut was AB 1845. It would have created a "homelessness czar" or secretary of homelessness to administer the dozens of state homelessness programs. The secretary would have been appointed by the governor. 

A recent poll showed voters were not satisfied with the work Newsom has done to address homelessness and housing in the state. 

CalMatters reports: 

In his veto message, Newsom wrote that while he sincerely appreciates the “intent of this bill, I do not support this particular vision of organizational restructuring at this time.” The veto marks a near complete reversal of his rather innocuous sounding campaign pledge. Newsom argued in his veto message that a multitude of senior administration officials negated the need for a centralized position.

Some counties get new COVID metric

State officials unveiled the latest metric for counties to reopen their economies amid the coronavirus pandemic. The equity metric applies to counties with more than 106,000 residents to reduce infections in areas where certain minority groups and poor people live. 

The requirement also means counties must invest in testing, contact tracing, outreach and services that provide isolation for those in these communities. The new requirement takes effect Oct. 6 and the Los Angeles Times reports it could keep these counties from opening quickly. 

Another COVID-related mandate was announced this week. The Desert Sun reports that Newsom signed a bill into law requiring additional staffing and reporting requirements in nursing homes.

Nursing home residents and staff have been vulnerable due to close-quarters environment. The new law also means skilled nursing facilities cannot prevent a long-term care ombudsman from entering a facility. 

Poll watchers showed up here in 1988

Many Americans are reeling from the first presidential debate. One of the standout moments everyone is talking about is President Donald Trump's call for his supporters to head to the polls and keep an eye on things. 

It's reminiscent of the general election in 1988 in Orange County, according to a CalMatters story. A Republican assemblyman and the county GOP hired uniformed guards to go to polling places in the Latino neighborhoods of Santa Ana to monitor illegal voting. They held signs in English and Spanish reminding people that only citizens could vote. 

The chair of the county's Republican party said after the election that this effort was  undertaken because there were rumors Democrats were going to bus in undocumented immigrants to flip the assembly. 

The next day, 12 governors, including Newsom, signed a joint statement  assuring citizens that every valid vote would be counted. 

“Any efforts to throw out ballots or refuse a peaceful transfer of power are nothing less than an assault on democracy,” the governors wrote. “There is absolutely no excuse for promoting the intimidation or harassment of voters. These are all blatant attempts to deny our constituents the right to have their voices heard, as guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution, and to know the will of the people will be carried out.”

Will we get a 1 million-acre wildfire? Maybe.

Yeah, you read that right. The incident commander of the recently ignited Zogg Fire near Redding said the blaze could merge with the August Complex Fire, which is the biggest inferno in state history in terms of acres. 

If the fires team up, the blaze  could set a whopping record of more than 1 million acres in size. (This seems fitting for a year like 2020.)

The Redding Record Searchlight reports the south end of the Zogg Fire already stretches from Shasta County into Tehama County but hadn't gone past crucial Highway 36. The fire was about 9 miles away from the August Complex as of Wednesday morning, the incident commander said.

World War II vet gets medal 

• World War II veteran Eldon Knuth, 95, of Thousand Oaks received a Bronze Medal this week. The award came nearly 76 years after he was trapped behind enemy lines. 
• Another virus to worry about? West Nile virus infections have been found in Tulare County. 
• See why a ranger station in the Sequoia National Forest is being called a "big baked potato." 
• Check out the latest musings from the Nevada County police blotter in The Union newspaper. It features a Satanic cult and some pesky roaming goats. 
• On the heels of Disneyland layoff news, another theme park is announcing some bad news. The parent company of Knott's Berry Farm reports a $1 billion drop in revenue during pandemic. 

In California is a roundup of news from across USA Today network newsrooms. Also contributing: CalMatters, Los Angeles Times, Fresno Bee, The Union, Orange County Register