CALIFORNIA
COVID worsening in some regions
Californians gathered across the state on Monday for in-person Memorial Day ceremonies, the latest sign things are approaching normalcy as the state prepares to fully reopen and drop its mask mandate in two weeks. With a record-low statewide coronavirus positivity rate of 0.7% and more than half of eligible Californians fully vaccinated, conditions have never looked better. But in some areas, numbers are heading in the wrong direction, prompting some public health officials to warn the state should proceed with caution. In rural Shasta County, for example, more residents are hospitalized for COVID-19 now than in March — and nearly 20% of Siskiyou County’s COVID-19-related deaths since the onset of the pandemic have occurred since May 6, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The surges appear to be due partly to vaccine hesitancy — also a major concern in Sacramento County, which is one of only eight counties stuck in the state’s second-most restrictive reopening tier.
Jamie White, Sacramento County’s epidemiology program manager: “If it were a single answer, then we would have a simple solution. It can be access issues. It can be hesitancy issues. It can be people feel there may not be an incentive.”
We’ll be keeping track of whether Newsom’s massive vaccine incentive program prompts a noticeable uptick in inoculations.
—CALMatters
Rooftop solar battle heats up
Just two weeks after California lawmakers killed more than 200 bills in a rapid-fire and often mysterious procedure known as the suspense file, another critical deadline looms: For bills to stand a chance of making it to Newsom’s desk, they have to be passed by the house where they were introduced by June 4 in order to be considered by the other chamber. We’ll be keeping an eye on which controversial proposals meet their doom — and noting which undergo significant changes in order to stay alive. One particularly contentious bill to reform the state’s solar panel subsidy program was already amended on Friday, in part to mollify critics who argue that slashing financial incentives for rooftop solar panels — and potentially charging monthly fees to have them — will impede California’s ability to meet its climate goals.
- Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez, the San Diego Democrat who wrote the bill: “If you’re complaining about (my bill) and don’t or won’t recognize that working & middle class ratepayers are subsidizing rooftop solar… much of which goes into the pocket of Elon Musk… then you aren’t being honest.”
- Bernadette Del Chiaro, executive director of the California Solar & Storage Association: The bill “moves us to a time at which only the extremely wealthy can afford to go solar. It moves us back in every possible way: climate change, equity, grid reliability, wildfire abatement.”
—Submitted
SACRAMENTO
Gov. Newsom announces appointments
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the following appointment this week:
Moisés Moreno-Rivera, 30, of Sacramento, has been appointed Assistant Secretary for Equity and Environmental Justice at the California Natural Resources Agency. Moreno-Rivera has been Assistant Tribal Liaison for the State Water Resources Control Board since 2019, where he served as an Environmental Justice Specialist from 2018 to 2019. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $132,000. Moreno-Rivera is a Democrat.
Jennifer “Jen” Benedet, 38, of Anderson, has been appointed Assistant Deputy Director for Communications, Education and Outreach at the Department of Fish and Wildlife, where she has served as a Statewide R3 Coordinator and Marketing Specialist since 2018. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $117,000. Benedet is registered without party preference.
Wendy L. Bogdan, 52, of Sacramento, has been reappointed General Counsel at the Department of Fish and Wildlife, where she served in that position since 2015 and was Assistant Chief Counsel from 2012 to 2015. Bogdan was a Partner at Downey Brand LLP from 2007 to 2011, where she was an Associate from 2000 to 2007. She was a Staff Attorney at Legal Services of Northern California from 1998 to 2000. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $181,800. Bogdan is a Democrat.
Jordan Traverso, 45, of Sacramento, has been reappointed Deputy Director of Communications at the Department of Fish and Wildlife, where she has served since 2008. Traverso was Communications Director at Consumer Attorneys of California from 2007 to 2008, Director of Communications at the California Restaurant Association from 2004 to 2007, Director of Public Liaison for California State Treasurer Phil Angelides from 2003 to 2004 and Assistant Press Secretary in the Office of Governor Gray Davis from 2000 to 2003. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $128,856. Traverso is registered without party preference.
William Liu, 60, of Sacramento, has been appointed to the California Gambling Control Commission. Liu has been a Member of the Gaming Policy Advisory Committee for the California Gambling Control Commission since 2017. He was Chief Fiscal Officer at the California Department of Technology from 2009 to 2015, Branch Chief for the California Department of Health Services from 2006 to 2009 and Audit Manager for the California Earthquake Authority from 1997 to 2006. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $159,068. Liu is registered without party preference.
Lisa Silverman, 54, of Pilot Hill, has been reappointed Executive Officer for the Office of Public School Construction at the Department of General Services, where she served in that position since 2012. Silverman was Deputy Executive Officer at the Office of Public Instruction from 2010 to 2012. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $141,432. Silverman is a Democrat.
Kristin “Chach” Sikes, 46, of Los Angeles, has been appointed Senior Engineer at the Office of Digital Innovation, where she has served as Full-Stack Web Developer since 2020. Sikes was Lead Engineer for the Marketing Department at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 2017 to 2020. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $147,576. Sikes is a Democrat.
Rana H. Banankhah, 16, of Modesto, has been appointed to the State Board of Education. Banankhah has been a Fellow Organizer at Josh Harder for Congress since 2020. She is vice president of San Joaquin Valley Writers, associate director of operations of Generation Up and a member of the California Scholarship Federation. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Banankhah is not registered to vote.
—Submitted
—Compiled by Ariel Carmona Jr.
