January 2, 2021

Trump caravan travels usual Rose Parade on Colorado Boulevard

More than 1,000 vehicles with thousands of Trump supporters caravanned New Year’s Day, Friday, Jan. 1, along the famed Rose Parade route on Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena.

The iconic parade was canceled this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, though a television special aired. The Rose Bowl football game was moved to Texas.

The group began gathering at the empty Rose Bowl parking lot in the shadow of the San Gabriel Mountains between noon and 1 p.m. Participants were dressed in red, white and blue. Some were draped in Trump/Pence flags and many wore Make America Great Again hats. The caravan was dubbed Patriots’ Rose Parade.

Cars, trucks, SUVs and some older military vehicles were decorated with Make America Great Again signs, Old Glory and “Don’t Tread on Me” flags. Some were covered with roses. The group included various ages, from young children to senior citizens. Those in the caravan were honking loudly, playing the national anthem and “Proud to Be an American” by Lee Greenwood.

Read more: https://www.dailynews.com/2021/01/01/trump-caravan-travels-usual-rose-parade-on-colorado-boulevard/
(Los Angeles Daily News)

January 2, 2021

How can an island be growing in lava lake atop Hawaii volcano? Scientists have ideas

One of the most intensely watched elements of the ongoing eruption of Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano is an island that mysteriously formed early on in the crater’s fiery lava lake.

It’s about seven acres in size and drifting like a raft.

The U.S. Geological Survey has been monitoring this deadly oasis since the start of the eruption on Dec. 20, noting its growth and mystifying movements. On Thursday, the island measured 820 feet long and 440 feet wide and stood about 26 feet above the lava lake’s surface, officials wrote on Facebook.

This defies logic for most people, who understand molten lava to be something that melts, well, just about everything.

And that’s not wrong. The USGS says the magma still squirting from a fissure in Kilauea’s crater wall is somewhere between 1,830 and 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit.

Read more and view video: https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article248206265.html

January 2, 2021

New California workplace laws for 2021 tackle COVID outbreaks, family leave, gender pay gap

California workers and businesses have a new slate of laws to become familiar with the start of the new year.

Cal/OSHA now has the ability to shut down a workplace if it exposes workers to an “imminent hazard” related to COVID-19. Workers in smaller companies have access to job-protected family leave. Workers have more time to file a labor complaint to the state. Companies by March will have to provide information to the state about how much they are paying their workers.

Here’s what to know about those laws and more:

Workplace protection against COVID exposure

Cal/OSHA in November passed emergency rules aimed at stemming the spread of the coronavirus at workplaces. A new law gives more teeth to those rules, allowing Cal/OSHA to issue an order shutting down a worksite that exposes workers to an “imminent hazard” related to COVID-19.

Read more: https://www.fresnobee.com/news/california/article248202510.html

January 2, 2021

'Slap on the Wrist': Chevron Settles Multiple Refinery Violations, Including One That Sent Odor to

'Slap on the Wrist': Chevron Settles Multiple Refinery Violations, Including One That Sent Odor to SF


Chevron, one of the largest energy companies on the planet, has agreed to pay less than $150,000 to settle more than two dozen violations at its Richmond refinery over a two-year period.

The agreement with local air regulators includes one penalty, an odor nuisance, tied to an incident that sent toxic gas into the air that's believed to have traveled miles away to San Francisco.

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District announced Monday that Chevron settled 29 violations associated with the refinery between 2016 and 2018. Several violations stem from flaring operations, where typically there is some sort of problem at the refinery and the facility needs to send gas to its flares.

Twice in late December 2016, dozens of San Francisco residents complained of a rotten egg smell shortly after elevated concentrations of hydrogen sulfide were detected in Point Richmond, developments that were revealed by KQED in the days afterward.

Read more: https://www.kqed.org/news/11852923/slap-on-the-wrist-chevron-settles-multiple-refinery-violations-including-one-that-sent-odor-to-sf

January 2, 2021

Make Universal Vote by Mail 'Permanent,' Says California Secretary of State Nominee Shirley Weber

Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, D-San Diego, is poised to assume the management of California's elections at a crucial juncture as the state continues a yearslong shift in the way voters cast their ballots.

In an interview with KQED, the nominee for California secretary of state said she hopes to continue reforms that led to historic levels of voter participation in this year's election, where over 80% of registered voters in the state cast a ballot.

Those reforms include mailing every voter a ballot by default, which was piloted this year in order to prevent crowding at the polls during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Weber said she supports making that change permanent.

Read more: https://www.kqed.org/news/11853252/make-universal-vote-by-mail-permanent-says-california-secretary-of-state-nominee-shirley-weber

January 1, 2021

Greg Abbott and Ken Paxton tell Austin restaurants to defy COVID-19 order banning overnight dine-in

Greg Abbott and Ken Paxton tell Austin restaurants to defy COVID-19 order banning overnight dine-in services

by Juan Pablo Garnham and Abby Livingston


Gov. Greg Abbott directed restaurants to ignore local curfews — specifically in Travis County — that were implemented to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus on New Year's Eve.

"To Texas restaurants. A formal statement. 'The Governor’s statewide executive order allows food establishments to be open for in-person dining on New Years Eve as authorized by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. They should remain open. Happy New Year!' Cheers!" Abbott wrote on Twitter at 7:39 p.m., within three hours before the Austin-area curfew was to go into effect.

"I'm not a lawyer, but... This appears to me to be a response to @KenPaxtonTX’s latest court defeat and it appears our Governor, who is a former AG and Supreme Court Justice, is telling the public to defy the ruling of a Texas District Judge. *Please* tell me I’m wrong," wrote Democratic state Rep. Chris Turner of Grand Prairie on Twitter.

In a statement issued within an hour of Abbott's tweet, Austin Mayor Steve Adler noted the city was "experiencing uncontrolled spread of the virus" and that individuals should "celebrate at home, order out and tip generously."

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2020/12/31/austin-texas-new-year-restaurants-bars/

January 1, 2021

Oregon State Hospital leaders willfully disobeyed court orders, Appeals Court affirms

The Oregon Court of Appeals affirmed Wednesday that Oregon State Hospital leaders “willfully” violated court orders when they did not promptly admit a criminal defendant with severe mental illness for treatment so he could aid in his own legal defense.

A three-judge panel unanimously upheld a June 2019 lower court ruling declaring the state psychiatric hospital in contempt of court for forcing the Washington County man, Carlos Zamora-Skarr, then 26, to stay locked in the county jail for more than six weeks as his mental state deteriorated.

Under a 2002 federal court order, Oregon must admit any defendants within seven days who are deemed unable to aid and assist in their own defense.

Zamora-Skarr was arrested and jailed in November 2018 on charges he burglarized a home. The next month, his attorney petitioned the court to have him treated, writing that he was “undergoing as severe a mental health crisis as a person could ever undergo” and was completely out of touch with reality, including not knowing who he was.

Read more: https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2020/12/oregon-state-hospital-leaders-willfully-disobeyed-court-orders-appeals-court-affirms.html

January 1, 2021

Salem protest against coronavirus restrictions flares at Capitol, governor's mansion

Roughly 200 people gathered at the Capitol in Salem to protest government-ordered coronavirus lockdown measures they say violate their liberty, and speakers urged steps including purposefully spreading the virus to achieve herd immunity and using guns to defend restaurants that defy state orders to offer takeout meals only.

Many in the crowd didn’t wear masks. Some waved flags decrying far-left group antifa or reading “We the people.” Chants of “USA! USA! USA” rang out as U.S. flags flapped noisily in the brisk wind.

After more than an hour of speeches on the Capitol steps and as a hard rain fell, the group began to march the nearly two miles to Mahonia Hall, the home to Oregon governors, to continue the protest there. They chanted “Whose streets? Our streets!” and “USA!” as their walk got underway.

A helicopter hovered overhead as they marched, and a message played from a Salem police car advised being in the roadway is unlawful and to get out of the street. But the warnings were barely loud enough to be audible in the crowd.

Read more: https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2021/01/protest-against-coronavirus-restrictions-underway-in-salem.html

January 1, 2021

Sen. Ron Wyden plans to seek reelection in 2022

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden says he’s seeking reelection in 2022, ending speculation that Oregon’s senior senator might retire and pave the way for a crowded lineup of potential replacements.

Wyden, 71, told Oregon Public Broadcasting that he believes he has more work to do in Washington D.C.

“Of course I’m running,” the Democrat said. “There’s so much to do for Oregonians, and I’d very much like to have the honor of representing Oregonians again.”

Wyden holds several key positions in Congress, including on the Senate Intelligence Committee. Should Democrats regain control of the Senate this month, Wyden is in line to chair the powerful Senate Finance Committee.

Read more: https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/politics/2021/01/01/sen-ron-wyden-plans-seek-reelection-2022/4109343001/
(Salem Statesman Journal)

January 1, 2021

Police agencies brace for multiple protests in Salem on New Year's Day

Salem and state police are preparing for a series of events in Oregon’s capital city on New Year’s Day and are advising residents to stay away from the Capitol, Mahonia Hall and Bush’s Pasture Park.

Lt. Treven Upkes, Salem police spokesman, said no street closures are currently planned. But police have a contingency plan if that becomes necessary.

Among the events include live wrestling, a demonstration against fascism, a protest regarding government documents and a rally against Covid restrictions.

Salem police said in a news release Wednesday evening that the agency’s primary goal is to prevent or stop violence and property damage while respecting the right to free speech and assembly.

Read more: https://www.salemreporter.com/posts/3356/police-agencies-brace-for-multiple-protests-in-salem-on-new-years-day