City of Lafayette, CA
10/05/2022 | News release | Distributed by Public on 10/05/2022 11:29
Almost Daily Briefing, October 5, 2022
The Almost Daily Briefing
Published news articles from local, regional, and national media on topics of interest to the #LoveLafayette Community
LOCAL NEWS
An infamous S.F. coyote named Carl was shot dead. The killing could lead to a coyote population boom - Carl, the alpha male coyote who swaggered for six years through San Francisco parks, died on a summer night in the city's Botanical Garden, at the hands of a federal sharpshooter. Authorities had made the agonizing decision to execute Carl after a series of transgressions in the spring of 2021, the year he seemed to shed any inhibition about human contact. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Citywide crime in S.F. is looking like it did pre-COVID - with one major exception - Starting in March 2020, when COVID-19 lockdowns began, crime patterns in the city went haywire. Reported assaults, larceny thefts and robberies declined, while burglaries and motor vehicle thefts soared […] As of the end of the third quarter of 2022, robberies and larcenies are still slightly below pre-pandemic rates, while assaults and burglaries are slightly above. These crime types are approaching the normal range of quarterly rates seen in 2018 and 2019, before the pandemic began. But motor vehicle thefts have stayed high. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Contra Costa Awarded $1.5M Federal Grant To Battle Community Violence - The U.S. Department of Justice sent a $1.5 million grant to Contra Costa Health Services to help develop public health strategies to reduce community violence, county officials announced Tuesday. The money will go to a program focusing on evidence-based application of social services in populations disproportionately affected by violent crime to improve outcomes, particularly in East and West County. (Patch)
Blue Angels Buzzing The Bay Area Friday, Saturday & Sunday For Fleet Week - Thousands of visitors and residents are expected to attend Fleet Week, which began Monday and runs through October 10. (Claycord)
COVID NEWS
BART, AC Transit drop mask mandates - As of Sunday, BART and AC Transit stopped requiring riders to wear masks on buses and trains. BART is strongly recommending that riders wear them, but masks are no longer mandatory. (Richmond Standard)
CDC changes what it means to be 'up to date' on COVID vaccines (San Francisco Chronicle)
OTHER NEWS
96-cent hike in two weeks: California gas prices shrouded in secrecy amid historic cost spike - Gas prices in California reached $6.41 a gallon on Tuesday - a dizzying 96-cent increase over the past two weeks - according to AAA. But the California Energy Commission, the state's main energy policy body, can't fully explain what is behind the punishing hike. (East Bay Times)
Gov. Newsom signs hundreds of new California laws. Here's what they cover - Gov. Gavin Newsom has finished approving new proposed laws for the year. The legislature sent him 1,166 bills to consider, he signed 997 and vetoed 169. Here is a look at what will become state law. (KCRA3)
This common item is on the way out at California grocery stores - Under a bill signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom late last week, California will become the first state in the nation to phase out single-use plastic produce bags in supermarkets. The bags, called "pre-checkout bags" in grocery store lingo, must be replaced no later than Jan. 1, 2025 with recycled paper bags, or bags made of compostable plastic. (East Bay Times)
The show goes on for small California theaters, who get a win after Gov. Newsom signs bill - The new law establishes the Equitable Payroll Fund (EPF), a grant program designed to support live performances, and workers directly, by reimbursing payroll expenses. (East Bay Times)
The American EV boom is about to begin. Does the US have the power to charge it? - The administration's target of 500,000 public charging units by 2030 is a far cry from the current count of nearly 50,000, according to the Department of Energy's estimate. And those new chargers will have to be fast - what's known as Level 2 or 3 charging - and functional in order to create a truly reliable system. Today, many are not. Last week, the White House approved plans for all 50 states, along with Washington DC, and Puerto Rico, to set up chargers along highways, unlocking $1.5bn in federal funding to that end. The money comes from the landmark infrastructure bill passed last year, which invests $7.5bn for EV charging in total. (The Guardian)
LOCAL HAPPENINGS
Indigenous Peoples' Day - City Administrative Offices will be closed
City Council Meeting - Note: meeting date is Tuesday, Oct. 11 due to Indigenous Peoples' Day Holiday on Monday
Lafayette Planning Applications Received
City of Lafayette Major Development Projects Map
Current Lafayette Construction Projects
Lafayette Community Information & Emergency Radio AM 1670
HOUSING, TRANSPORTATION AND CITY PLANNING
Palo Alto shoots for carbon neutrality by 2030 - Seeking to make the city a model in the global battle against climate change, the Palo Alto City Council adopted on Monday night an ambitious goal of making the city carbon neutral by 2030. The new target, which the council approved by a unanimous vote, builds on the city's existing goal of cutting carbon emissions by 80% by 2030, with 1990 as the baseline. So far, Palo Alto has reduced its emissions by about 50.6%, thanks in large part to its switch in 2013 to a fully carbon-free electricity portfolio. (Palo Alto Online)
Bay Area transportation agency adopts landmark policy to promote housing, commercial development near transit stations - The newly adopted policy applies specifically to transit priority areas within a half-mile of BART, Caltrain, SMART, Capitol Corridor and ACE stations; Muni and VTA light-rail stations; Muni and AC Transit bus rapid transit stops; and ferry terminals. Studies show people are more likely to ride transit if they live within half a mile of a rail station, ferry terminal or bus line. And jobs that are within a quarter-mile of transit often are more attractive to the Bay Area's workforce. The TOC Policy is the update to MTC's 2005 Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Policy. That set minimums for the average number of housing units (both existing and/or permitted housing units) within a half-mile of each new rail station funded through Regional Measure 2. However, according to MTC spokesperson Rebecca Long the new policy applies to any all existing and future transit priority areas. (Contra Costa Herald)
Understanding What California's New 'Jaywalking' Bill Really Does (And Doesn't Do) -
AB 2147 states that police officers should not stop and cite a crossing pedestrian "unless a reasonably careful person would realize there is an immediate danger of a collision with a moving vehicle or other device moving exclusively by human power" (such as a bicycle).
"It's still technically illegal to cross the street in the middle of the street," Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), one of the bill's authors, explained to LAist. "But we're directing law enforcement not to cite people, unless there's an immediate hazard." (LAist)
Huntington Beach, Irvine and Buena Park Are Moving to 100% Renewable Energy - Starting Oct. 1, homes in Irvine, Huntington Beach, Buena Park will be automatically enrolled in a 100% renewable power plan from a new community choice energy provider, the Orange County Power Authority (OCPA). Fullerton residents will be automatically enrolled in a 69% renewable energy plan offered by the OCPA. (LAist)
PENSIONHow small businesses are coping with California's expanded worker retirement savings requirement - Nearly all companies in California have incrementally been a part of their employees' retirement planning either by offering workers a retirement savings plan or by participating in the state-run CalSavers program. And as of June 30, the law expanded to those with at least five employees. Some North Bay companies have opted to go with CalSavers, while others have had 401(k) plans as a longstanding benefit. (North Bay Business Journal)
MIXTAPE
How the Bay Area crushed the monkeypox curve
How will California weather a recession compared to other states? See 'stress test' rankings
Record gas prices, electricity woes show California's worsening energy vulnerabilities
Bird flu spreads to Southern California, infecting chickens, wild birds and other animals,
'Best Before' labels scrutinized as food waste concerns grow
Allowing Hybrid And Remote Work May Cost Companies Their Tax Incentives
MEANWHILE IN ANOTHER LAFAYETTE Lafayette Ranks 15th In The U.S. For New Businesses Per Capita and elsewhere, Lafayette's Tacos Aya Yay makes list of 100 best taco spots in the US
AND FINALLY…
Bay Area physicist and pioneer in quantum physics just won a Nobel Prize - John Clauser of Walnut Creek proved that nature can send signals faster than the speed of light.
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The Almost Daily Briefing (ADB) is an aggregation of links to news articles from local and regional newspapers, magazines, websites, and other news sources. Its purpose is to alert readers to current issues and affairs that may impact Lafayette. The ADB does not promote, favor, disfavor, support, reject, or endorse any position, candidate, campaign, or proposition, and nothing about the ADB, including the selection, presentation, arrangement, or content of the links presented should be construed as an advocacy position.
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