In CA: A grim COVID-19 situation in rural SoCal, and a fight over a cute bird

Filling in for Arlene Martinez, I'm Shad Powers, the sports and entertainment columnist at The Desert Sun in Palm Springs. Let's jump into the weekend with the latest roundup of what's going on in California.

But first, the Golden State, like most of the U.S., is seeing a surge in coronavirus cases, particularly among younger people. The Salinas Californian had a compelling interview with 24-year-old Dakota Sandoval who shared his harrowing experience battling COVID-19, including a five-day stint in the hospital. 

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

Newsom urges Imperial County to reinstate its stay-at-home order

Gov. Gavin Newsom is urging Imperial County to "pull back" and reinstate its stay-at-home order amid a surge in positive coronavirus tests there and through much of the state. Here's just some of the concerning data: 

• About 23% of people tested in the Southern California county, which borders the Mexican state of Baja California, are positive for COVID-19, according to Dr. Sonia Angell, director of the California Department of Public Health and state health officer.
• The severity of Imperial County's outbreak skyrocketed in mid-May, according to data from the California Department of Public Health. Since May 15, its number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has risen 664%, while its number of related deaths rose 387%. As of Thursday, the county of about 182,000 people had 5,192 cases and 73 deaths.
• The two hospitals in Imperial County, an agricultural region, were already filling up. The facilities diverted ambulances transporting COVID-19 patients to other hospitals outside the county for at least one night. More than 500 patients have been transferred out of Imperial County in the last five weeks, Newsom said.
• The county is missing the mark on every state-imposed reopening metric except for the availability of ventilators. Its rate of positive tests is by far the worst in the state, even though it is also testing by far the highest percentage of its residents. 

Meanwhile, San Francisco hit the brakes on its reopening plan. City officials said Friday that the city was delaying plans to allow certain businesses — including hair salons, museums and outdoor bars — to reopen Monday following a spate of new COVID-19 cases.

Lawmakers find $54 billion in cuts

The California Legislature on Friday finished work on a state spending plan that closes a historic $54.3 billion deficit by temporarily raising taxes on businesses, cutting funding to courts, colleges and state worker salaries, and delaying billions of dollars in payments to public schools.

The $202.1 billion budget marks an incredible reversal for the country's most populous state, which just six months ago was preparing a spending plan that included a multibillion-dollar surplus. Lawmakers avoided painful cuts to public schools and health care programs in part by temporarily raising taxes on businesses with more than $1 million in annual revenue, borrowing from funds restricted for things like cleaning up oil spills and helping AIDS patients buy medication, and delaying billions of dollars in expenses to future years.

Is this bird endangered? Let's go to court

Conservationists are headed back to court to try to force the Trump administration to protect a rare game bird along the California-Nevada border as the government keeps changing its mind about whether to list the cousin of the greater sage grouse as threatened or endangered. Three groups have filed formal notice of their intent to sue after the Fish and Wildlife Service reversed course in March and abandoned its 2018 proposal to list the bi-state grouse under the Endangered Species Act. 

The hen-sized bird is similar but separate from the greater sage grouse, which lives in a dozen Western states and is at the center of a dispute over the government's efforts to roll back protections adopted under President Barack Obama. 

Big rigs, less smog? New ‘Clean Truck’ rules OK’d

The California Air Resources Board on Thursday approved a first-of-its-kind rule that mandates all new trucks sold in the state by 2045 must be zero-emission. The highly anticipated vote on the Advanced Clean Truck regulation will begin the transition to electric trucks in 2024, with increasing percentages of sales in various classes of trucks required to come from electric vehicles each year. The rule also comes with reporting requirements to help the state better understand the makeup of fleets operating in the state.

Could racially motivated 911 calls become hate crimes?

As racial tensions continue to flare as the nation protests the death of George Floyd and others, a California lawmaker plans to introduce legislation that would make discriminatory 911 calls hate crimes, joining a handful of states in pushing to criminalize emergency calls. Three states — New York, Oregon and Washington — have recently enacted new laws.

California’s proposal “would provide multiple pathways for justice for victims of racially weaponized 911 calls,” said Assemblyman Rob Bonta, an Alameda Democrat and the bill’s author.

No to ‘predictive policing’

Santa Cruz becomes first U.S. city to ban predictive policing. In a unanimous decision Tuesday, the City Council banned the use of data to predict where crimes may occur and barred the city from using facial recognition software. Predictive policing uses algorithms that encourage officers to patrol locations identified as high-crime based on victim reports. The software “replicates and supercharges bias in policing by sending police to places that they’ve policed before — that is often going to be Black and brown communities,” said Matt Cagle, a technology and civil liberties attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California.

In San Diego, one particular bus line has remained a necessary mode of transportation for many residents, who rely on the bus, even with the dangers of coronavirus lurking around every seat and handrail. While most bus lines in the city have seen 70% to 90% drop in riders, the Route 7 bus continues to provide a vital lifeline for a diverse neighborhood. A compelling look at life on the Route 7 bus.

And finally, have you ever wanted to smell like The Grateful Dead? Hmm, I don't see any hands up. Well, it's now a possibility. The band has released a line of vegan deodorant. 

That's all for today. Sorry to end the week with a handful of bummers, but I have confidence that California will bounce back. Stay masked. Stay safe. And we'll be back on Monday.

In California is a roundup of news from across Paste BN Network newsrooms. Also contributing: The Associated Press, CalMatters, L.A. Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, The Mercury News.