Newsletter: Essential California Week in Review: Fewer cases, higher toll

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It is Saturday, Feb. 27.

Here’s a look at the top stories of the last week:

New milestone. Even as new cases drop, COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. surpassed 500,000 this week. Among them are more than 50,000 in California — including more than 20,000 in Los Angeles County, after a winter surge that proved deadlier than previously thought — as fears grow over a homegrown strain. And the county’s Latinos are still dying at far higher rates.

School reopening dilemma. Gov. Gavin Newsom offered a plan to vaccinate school staff more quickly, but with vaccines in short supply, the state is prioritizing those already working on-site and those who serve students in disadvantaged communities. In L.A., reopening is contingent on full staff vaccinations, and a date remains uncertain. The county is reserving 40% of available shots for L.A. Unified School District to prioritize schools in the hardest-hit areas.

New relief. Californians who qualify for a $600 state stimulus payment could see the money arrive as soon as a month after filing their tax returns, under a $7.6-billion COVID-19 economic relief package passed by state lawmakers Monday and signed into law Tuesday. On the federal level, the House passed a $1.9-trillion COVID-19 relief package, pushing forward the aid millions of Americans have waited for.

“Hero pay” in L.A. A day after the L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted to approve a similar mandate for unincorporated parts of the county, the L.A. City Council passed a measure requiring grocers to pay workers an extra $5 an hour for roughly the next four months. Similar policies have been approved elsewhere, despite pushback from grocery chains.

Prosecution protections. The state’s highest court ruled that a 2018 law that barred suspects under 16 years old from being tried for crimes as adults meets constitutional muster and may be enforced.

Tarnished Golden Globes. A Times investigation raised fresh questions about accusations of self-dealing and ethical lapses among the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., which doles out the awards. The group has also vowed to “bring in Black members” after revelations that it did not have any.

Tiger Woods crash. The golf legend survived a serious crash Tuesday near Rancho Palos Verdes, but he faces a long recovery. The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department determined the crash to be “purely an accident,” casting new scrutiny on a stretch of road known for crashes. Woods was moved to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after his surgery at Harbor UCLA.

Bullet train setback. A Times investigation found that despite assurance from a contractor, a 65-mile section of California’s bullet train has racked up $800 million in overruns and delays, becoming another troubling and costly chapter for the project.

Becerra moves ahead. California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra appeared headed toward confirmation as the nation’s first Latino secretary of Health and Human Services after a pivotal hearing passed Wednesday with few fireworks. Republicans had hoped to derail his nomination.

Vaccine codes spread. Amid a rocky vaccine rollout, a program intended to reserve appointments for people in the state’s hardest-hit communities will undergo changes. The Times found that its special appointment access codes spread far from their intended recipients to more affluent residents, many of whom were unaware they were doing anything wrong.

We need your help with future vaccine reporting. If you or someone you know has paid for access to the vaccine, or paid for help making an appointment, we’d like to talk to you. Please reach out.

This week’s most popular links in Essential California

1. “The world is a beautiful place” by Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Poets.org

2. I’m fully vaccinated. Can I hug a friend? Eat indoors? See a movie? Here are answers. Los Angeles Times

3. A relatable moment between a dad and the dog he hadn’t wanted. TikTok

4. Remember that iconic Windows XP wallpaper with a blue sky and rolling hill? It’s a real place and it’s in California. SFGATE

5. Stanford researchers studied why Zoom meetings can wipe you out. Mercury News

ICYMI, here are this week’s great reads

The pandemic’s toll on San Francisco has created a scenario long unthinkable in the Bay Area. “For some renters — mostly middle- and upper-income earners — it’s now more affordable to live in the famously expensive city than in its bluer-collar neighbor, Oakland.” Los Angeles Times

“The lies Hollywood tells about little girls.” Former child star Mara Wilson writes that she and Britney Spears learned the same lesson growing up: “When you’re young and famous, there is no such thing as control.” New York Times

Inside a battle over race, class and power at Smith College: A nuanced look at a complicated story. New York Times

Poem of the week: “Night Walk” by Franz Wright. A Poem a Day

Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints, ideas and unrelated book recommendations to Julia Wick. Follow her on Twitter @Sherlyholmes. (And a giant thanks to the legendary Laura Blasey for all her help on the Saturday edition.)