In California: Condors are feared lost in wildfires. Newsom's plan to conserve 30% of land

I'm Winston Gieseke, philanthropy and special sections editor for The Desert Sun in Palm Springs. It's Oct. 7, and on this day in 2003, actor Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected governor of California. According to the History Channel, he was one of 135 candidates on the ballot, which included career politicians, other actors and an adult-film star.

And here are some of today's headlines in this great state of ours.

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.

Newsom order aims to protect 30% of California's land and coastal waters by 2030

In environmental news, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Wednesday calling for 30% of the state's land area and near-shore marine habitat to be protected in the name of conservation by 2030.

The idea stems from a "30 by 30" movement that asks the United States and nations around the globe to set aside nearly a third of their land and water in the next decade in the hopes of stymieing the widespread biodiversity loss spurred by human development and by a rapidly warming climate.

While the order itself does not directly protect anything, it directs the California Natural Resources Agency to work with the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the California Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies to create the California Biodiversity Collaborative, which will hopefully work with the federal government, Native American tribes and various stakeholders around the state to figure out how to fulfill the conservation benchmark within the next 10 years.

According to Newsom, California has a total area of roughly 104.8 million acres. Of those, approximately 53% of that land is public and much of it is owned by the federal government. “We’re here with purpose and intention," Newsom said, "and that’s to build on California’s legacy of open space, to build on California’s legacy of environmental stewardship, to build on California’s leadership as it relates to biodiversity.”

Endangered California condors missing, feared dead in wildfire

In other conservation news, at least two California condor chicks are confirmed dead and nine other condors are still missing as a result of the Dolan Fire, which ignited Aug. 18 about a mile south of the Big Sur Condor Sanctuary in Monterey County. As of this week, it had burned nearly 125,000 acres and was 91% contained.

If none of the missing condors survive, the Central California flock will have lost 10% of its population in the wildfire.

For decades, agencies have been working to keep the species alive. The birds — known for their wide wingspan, bald heads and black feathers — had all but disappeared in the wild by the early 1980s. At the time, the population in the wild had dropped to just 22 birds.

Wildfires have not been the biggest threat to the condor population, according to wildlife officials; since the early 1990s, more than 90 have died from lead poisoning, the result of the birds feeding on carcasses containing bullet fragments.

Fingers crossed that some of these birds have survived.

Governor's staff member tests positive for COVID-19

Newsom's office released a statement Wednesday saying a staff member had tested positive for COVID-19 this week and contact tracing had begun. Reportedly, the staff member had not had physical contact with Newsom or any staff member that routinely interacts with the governor.

Another state employee who works in a space shared with some of the governor's staff also tested positive for COVID-19 but this person had also not interacted with the governor or his close staff.

Newsom said Monday that he has tested negative for the virus multiple times and would make an announcement if and when that changed.

California counties look to diminish jail deaths

According to data from Open Justice, the number of preventable deaths of incarcerated persons in California correctional facilities reached an all-time high in 2019. The report shows that 157 people — 80% of whom had not been convicted of a crime — died while in custody. Experts have blamed a lack of resources and leadership in local jails, leading to thin staffing, inadequate medical care and oversight.

But there is hope. Some California counties have made significant progress in bringing down death rates of the people in their care. One is San Francisco County, which reported 13 jail deaths from 2010 to 2012 and four from 2017 to 2019.

Some may argue that these numbers are lower due to fewer bookings, but Sheriff Paul Miyamoto says a "seminal event" that occurred in 2013 — in which a woman went missing and was found dead in a stairwell 17 days later — "led philosophically to a change" in the department. "[It] changed our perspective and refocused us on making sure that we increased rounds, that we increased keeping track of people [and] didn’t take for granted that people slept through the night.”

Constantly checking in with inmates, Miyamoto says, "is really important because it values the person and it actually leads to a reduction in suicide attempts or people being in crisis."

You can check your county's stats here.

Unemployment backlog to last until January

Still waiting for your unemployment money? You're not alone. The state's Employment Development Department (EDD) says it has cleared about 246,000 of its more than 1.6 million backlogged claims following a two-week "reset" in order to improve technology. Despite the progress, however, the agency said it wouldn't be able to clear the backlog until January.

Sharon Hilliard, EDD's executive director, said some people have been waiting as long as five months for their unemployment benefits.

California has paid more than $93.8 billion in unemployment benefits and processed more than 13.6 million claims since March, when Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered most businesses to close in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus. But the volume has overwhelmed the state agency responsible for processing and paying those claims.  

While some are not convinced the state is making real progress, Hilliard said it was too early to say whether the new system was meeting expectations.

'Hollywood' Trump sign taken down, California colleges experience COVID outbreaks, Newsom's supreme court pick discusses coming out

A "Hollywood sign"-style Trump glyph that appeared Monday in the Los Angeles hills has been taken down, according to the New York Post. A Caltrans spokesperson said the sign "was a life and safety issue because there were concerns about distracted driving." While the large five letters could not be removed because they were on private property, officials were able to lay the letters down to remove the distraction to drivers.

While the Golden State has tried to keep COVID-19 away from its campuses by implementing online classes, on-campus isolation rooms and restrictions on the number of students allowed in dorms and on campus, the Los Angeles Times reports that officials weren't prepared for the amount of off-campus socializing, which has fueled COVID-19 outbreaks at several California institutions of higher education.

Martin Jenkins, 66, who is slated to become the first openly gay justice on the California Supreme Court, began the coming out process four to five years ago, according to the Los Angeles Times. When asked if it was ironic that someone who remained elusive about his sexual orientation for so many years would become the first openly gay justice, Jenkins replied: "I don’t see any irony ... What I feel and think is that people have to come to their own resolution and self-acceptance in their own time."

And last but certainly not least — as they prepare to go head-to-head in tonight's debate, here's how Vice President Mike Pence and California Sen. Kamala Harris stack up against each other.

In California is a roundup of news from across USA Today network newsrooms. Also contributing: The Los Angeles Times, New York Post