In California: Stay-at-home extended, tennis must wait, and a city goes to the birds

Greetings from Palm Springs. I’m Robert Hopwood, online producer for The Desert Sun, bringing you a daily roundup of the top news from across California.

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.

Stay-at-home order extended

California's stay-at-home order has been extended in Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley for another three weeks as COVID-19 cases continue to overwhelm hospitals. Both regions have 0% available intensive care unit capacity across their hospital systems, according to the state.

The Greater Sacramento area and the Bay Area are still under the original order with 19.1% and 10.4% available ICU capacity, respectively. The earliest the order could be lifted — or extended — for those regions is Jan. 1 and Jan. 8, respectively, because they received the closure orders after Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley.

Once either region hits the three-week mark, it will be eligible to move out of restrictions if ICU capacity rises above 15%. On the first day a region moves above 15%, it can move out of restrictions immediately with assessments conducted daily.

Northern California remains outside of restrictions with 27.9% ICU capacity. 

Originally set for three weeks, the state-mandated shutdown in Southern California was set to expire Monday, according to the California Department of Public Health.

Statewide, ICU admissions have increased by 35.1% over the past two weeks.  Additionally, officials expect to see a spike in cases in the coming weeks as a result of holiday transmission. 

• RUNNING LOW ON OXYGEN: Hospitals overwhelmed by COVID-19 have another thing to worry about: their supply of oxygen. Officials are having problems with getting the oxygen they need to treat patients, the L.A. Times reports. They're also struggling with having enough canisters available to send home with patients and with aging pipes used to transport the gas around hospitals breaking down.
• THE BREAKING POINT LOOKS LIKE THIS: Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center had no beds available Sunday night for at least 30 patients who needed intensive or intermediate levels of care, and it closed its doors to ambulance traffic for 12 hours the L.A Times reported. Community Hospital of Huntington Park was forced to close its front entrance to the public Monday. Memorial Hospital of Gardena — running at 140% of capacity — asked for a four-hour suspension of new ambulance calls Monday so it could move patients. And other hospitals in Los Angles County are reportedly putting patients in conference rooms and gift shops.

Churches want relief from restrictions

Churches in Riverside and San Bernardino counties want relief from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s COVID-19 guidelines on indoor worship.

Attorneys for James Moffatt of Church Unlimited in Indio, Brenda Wood of Word of Life Ministries International Inc. in Riverside, and pastors in San Bernardino County have filed an emergency bid with the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Newsom’s orders regarding places of worship. The plaintiffs filed a lawsuit on April 13 in Riverside federal court challenging Newsom's stay-at-home order.

The following day, the plaintiffs filed for a preliminary injunction seeking immediate relief. The district court denied the motion just before Christmas and the case is on appeal at the Ninth Circuit.

Marijuana grant money

Nearly $27 million in grant funds will go toward helping local communities combat impaired driving, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The grant money comes from Proposition 64, which created a tax on the cultivation and sale of cannabis and cannabis products sold in California since January 2018.

The proposition, which legalized recreational marijuana use in the state, provided cannabis tax funding to the CHP to administer local grants for education, prevention, and enforcement programs regarding impaired driving.

For the current grant cycle, the CHP’s Cannabis Tax Fund Grant Program will award grants based on a competitive process to California law enforcement agencies and local toxicology laboratories. Grant applications will be accepted Jan. 7 through Feb. 23, for programs beginning in July.

BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament delayed

The 2021 BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament in Indian Wells, scheduled to be held March 8-21, has been postponed and organizers are hoping the event can be played later in the year, after the scorching summer months.  

"The tournament is proactively working with the ATP and WTA Tours as well as title sponsor BNP Paribas to confirm dates later in the year to hold the event. Details will be released in the near future as plans are finalized," according to a statement released by the tournament Tuesday.  "This decision was made after thorough consultation with state and local health authorities and tournament owner Larry Ellison."

The postponement comes after the 2020 event was canceled entirely due to coronavirus concerns.

Gone to the birds

Albany has gone to the birds — literally. The Bay Area city is home to an unruly gang of turkeys, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The birds clog traffic, hang out at McDonald’s or Starbucks, venture into people’s yards, fly onto roofs, perch on fences, and roost in trees and gardens.

Yet, somehow, the birds have managed to endear themselves to many of the city’s residents and visitors.

“They plunk down on the mulch between my succulents and make themselves right at home,” said Albany resident Belle Adler. “Sometimes they dig up dirt and mulch and strew it all on the sidewalk, making quite a mess. Still, it’s nice to have a little wildlife around.”

They’re the city’s unofficial mascot. There are photos of them on Albany’s website, and a local brewery plans to name a beer after the birds.

“I’ve only heard nice things about the turkeys,” said Mayor Nick Pilch. “Maybe I don’t hear the complaints of people in their cars. They do stop traffic on some of our busiest streets. But I think people appreciate the turkeys more than they’re bothered by them.”

That's all for this Tuesday. We'll be back in your inbox tomorrow with more headlines from the Golden State. 

In California is a roundup of news from across USA Today network newsrooms. Also contributing: the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle.