The Washington Post: Hospitals Being Hit In Coordinated, Targeted Ransomware Attack From Russian-Speaking Criminals
Russian-speaking cybercriminals in recent days have launched a coordinated attack targeting U.S. hospitals already stressed by the coronavirus pandemic with ransomware that analysts worry could lead to fatalities. In the space of 24 hours beginning Monday, six hospitals from California to New York have been hit by the Ryuk ransomware, which encrypts data on computer systems, forcing the hospitals in some cases to disrupt patient care and cancel noncritical surgeries, analysts said. The criminals have demanded a ransom ranging upward of $1 million to unlock the system, and some hospitals have paid, they said. (Nakashima and Greene, 10/28)

Santa Rosa Press Democrat: Sonoma County Officials Sound Alarm Over ‛Dire’ Need For Help Keeping COVID-19 Out Of Local Assisted Living Facilities
In the wake of a devastating coronavirus outbreak at a Santa Rosa assisted living facility, Sonoma County officials are now pleading for state help in stopping the spread of the coronavirus. At least three residents of St. Francis Assisted Living in southwest Santa Rosa have died in recent days. (Espinoza, 10/29)

Los Angeles Times: Unhappy With Rules For Reopening, Riverside County Looks To Pressure Sacramento
Frustrated with the state’s process for allowing businesses, schools and other facilities to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic, leaders in Riverside County are looking to join forces with officials in other Southern California counties to press Sacramento for changes to its strategy. The Riverside County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a report that called on the county “to work in a collaborative fashion with our colleagues in other Southern California counties to engage the state in a truly meaningful conversation of the devastating impacts that the state tier system, as currently configured, is having on our counties.” (Money, 10/28)

San Francisco Chronicle: ‘Huge, Inappropriate Gatherings’ In Solano County Drove A Coronavirus Surge That May Reverse Reopening 
Solano County could slide backward into California’s most restrictive reopening tier as soon as next week — a first for any county in the Bay Area, where coronavirus restrictions in many places continued to loosen this week. Several “huge inappropriate gatherings” by county residents in recent weeks are largely to blame, said Solano County Health Officer Dr. Bela Matyas. (Hwang and Buchmann, 10/28)

Orange County Register: Orange County Sets Up $5 Million Coronavirus Fund For Local Child Care Providers 
A $3,500 grant may not sound like a lot of money, but it could prevent Raissa Lee from having to close the child care business she’s run out of her Irvine home since 2015. The money would come from $5 million in emergency CARES Act funds that the Orange County Board of Supervisors recently earmarked for child care providers who have been hurt by the coronavirus pandemic. Potential recipients range from small home-based operations like Lee’s to large child care centers and afterschool programs. (Walker, 10/27)

Orange County Register: Study Finds 12% Of Orange County Residents Had Coronavirus By Summer 
A carefully designed study of blood samples from Orange County residents found that 12% had coronavirus antibodies — meaning their immune systems had fought the virus at some point — an infection rate more than seven times higher than official case counts suggest. That means at least 371,000 people in Orange County have had COVID-19, researchers found. (Wheeler and Sforza, 10/28)

The Bakersfield Californian: Dignity Health And Latino COVID-19 Task Force Hosting Free COVID-19 Testing And Flu Vaccines 
Dignity Health and the Kern County Latino COVID-19 Task Force are partnering on Thursday to host a free mobile COVID-19 testing site as well as a limited number of flu vaccines. According to a news release from the task force, the mobile site will be taking place at Greenfield Family Resource Center, 5400 Monitor Street, from 1-4 p.m. Walk-ins are encouraged, as there is no pre-registration requirements, the news release states. (10/28)

LA Daily News: Disneyland Installs 23,000+ Coronavirus Safety Measures To Prepare For Reopening 
Disneyland plans to install more than 23,000 coronavirus health and safety measures to prepare for the eventual reopening of the Anaheim theme park resort now that California has issued guidelines for the state’s major tourist destinations to return to full operation. Disney will roll out thousands of COVID-19 sanitization stations, protective barriers and warning signs by the time Disneyland, Disney California Adventure and Disney’s three Anaheim hotels fully reopen alongside Downtown Disney. (MacDonald, 10/28)

Los Angeles Times: Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk To Reopen Amusement Park 
Santa Cruz’s flagship amusement park will soon be filled again with the sounds of shrieks and laughter, albeit muted by masks and with thinner crowds than usual. Santa Cruz County’s declining coronavirus numbers placed it in the less restrictive orange tier of the state’s reopening guidelines Tuesday, meaning the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk can reopen for up to 500 people. (Pinho, 10/28)

Sacramento Bee: 24 Hour Fitness Wants California To Ease COVID Restrictions 
24 Hour Fitness Chief Operating Officer Karl Sanft gave state and local officials a guided tour of the chain’s downtown Sacramento location Wednesday, highlighting the facility’s COVID-19 provisions while asking policymakers to consider easing capacity restrictions. Mayor Darrell Steinberg asked questions of Sanft and his staff as they made their way through the 48,000-square-foot facility, which is next to Golden 1 Center in the Downtown Commons. City Council members Angelique Ashby and Eric Guerra, Assemblyman Jim Cooper and Danielle Stumpf from the California Department of Health and Human Services also participated in the tour. (Anderson, 10/28)

Fresno Bee: New Restaurants In Fresno Open During COVID-19 Pandemic 
It may seem counter-intuitive to talk about restaurants opening in the middle of a coronavirus pandemic. Some have shut their doors for good. But still others have opened in Fresno area, with about 30 opening since the COVID-19 pandemic started. (Clough, 10/29)

San Diego Union-Tribune: Day Of The Dead Memorial Planned For COVID-19 Victims
The names and photos of local residents who died of COVID-19 this year will be displayed in a Dia de los Muertos memorial that will be dedicated Sunday in downtown San Diego. Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is observed Nov. 1 and 2 and is a traditional Mexican celebration in memory of loved ones who have died. In San Diego County, about 880 people have died after contracting COVID-19. (Warth, 10/28)

Fresno Bee: Fresno State Pauses Basketball Practices After Team Members Test Positive For COVID-19
Fresno State has paused all in-person activities after two members of the program tested positive for COVID-19. (Kuwada, 10/29)

LA Daily News: Frustrated By Continued School Closures, Health Officials Have Few Answers Other Than Patience 
Los Angeles City Councilman Bob Blumenfield called two of the county’s most influential people related to public health and schools before the City Council on Wednesday to answer questions he’s received from many constituents confused and frustrated that schools are still not open. The answers provided from Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer and Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Austin Beutner differed little from the consistent message both have put forward since campuses first closed back in March: The decisions would be guided by science. (Rosenfeld, 10/28)

San Diego Union-Tribune: County Delivers Words Of Caution With Halloween Three Days Away 
With coronavirus still spreading inside and outside of San Diego County, Halloween will be scary enough this year without the normal habits and haunts. That was the message of Dr. Wilma Wooten, San Diego County’s public health officer, in her weekly COVID-19 update Wednesday. “Please note that many traditional Halloween celebrations such as parties and in-person, door-to-door trick-or-treating pose a significantly high risk of spreading COVID-19 and are strongly discouraged,” Wooten said. (Sisson, 10/28)

The Bakersfield Californian: Clinica Sierra Vista Offering Flu Vaccines Amid The 2020-21 Flu Season 
Clinica Sierra Vista is offering flu vaccines in an effort to prevent a rush of flu cases during an overlap of the COVID-19 period and flu season. According to a news release from Clinica, appointments can be made by calling 833-278-4584. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending that individuals get their annual flu shot by the end of October, the news release states. (10/28)

Los Angeles Times: MLB Says Justin Turner Broke Rules By Returning To Field After Positive Coronavirus Test
Major League Baseball in a statement Wednesday said Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner refused to adhere to rules when he returned to the field to celebrate the Dodgers winning the World Series on Tuesday after his positive coronavirus test. The league stated that officials received word of Turner’s positive test during the game, which prompted them to order the Dodgers to remove Turner. The team was informed during the seventh inning and Turner was officially replaced at third base in the eighth. Turner wasn’t on the field for the Dodgers’ trophy presentation but later emerged to celebrate with the team. (Castillo and Shaikin, 10/28)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. City Council Delays Vote On Homeless Camping Ban 
A divided Los Angeles City Council backed off Wednesday from voting on a proposal that would have allowed the removal of homeless encampments anywhere in the city — if shelter is first offered to those living in them. Facing intense opposition from the public and some of their colleagues, the seven council members who pressed for the amendments to the city’s anti-camping ordinance were unable to muster a majority to move it to a quick adoption. (Oreskes and Smith, 10/28)

San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. Will Begin Moving More Than 500 Homeless People Out Of Hotels Soon. Where Will They Go? 
San Francisco will begin gradually moving more than 500 homeless people out of hotel rooms Monday, but there’s still no clear plan on where they will live next. Over the next few weeks, case managers will begin working with people who live in seven different hotels to figure out their options, according to the city’s Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. But word that several hotels are closing by the end of the year — without a detailed plan to house them — has prompted fear and frustration among advocates, city supervisors and hotel residents, who are concerned that many will end up back in shelters or on the streets. (Thadani, 10/28)

Santa Rosa Press Democrat: SRJC Foundation Board Will Reconsider $20,000 Gift To Mental Health Tax Campaign
A $20,000 contribution from the Santa Rosa Junior College Foundation to the campaign for a local tax measure funding mental health and homeless services will be reconsidered Friday at a meeting of the nonprofit’s board of directors. (Schmitt, 10/28)

Sacramento Bee: Sacramento Slow To Build Tiny Home Shelters For Homeless 
In January 2018, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg announced during his State of the Downtown address that he wanted the city to build 1,000 tiny homes – small structures used by cities around the country to shelter homeless individuals. This summer, Steinberg called for the city to buy 500 tiny homes to place temporary “Safe Ground” encampments scattered across the city. Nearly three years after that first call to action, there are few tiny homes being used by the city to shelter the homeless; there are, however, 10 structures the city received from a Seattle area-based company sitting unused in a city lot. And a proposed ordinance that would have allowed small shelters to be established in some parts of the city was abruptly pulled from this week’s City Council agenda. (Clift, 10/28)