AP: Sources: US To Recommend COVID Vaccine Boosters At 8 Months
U.S. experts are expected to recommend COVID-19 vaccine boosters for all Americans, regardless of age, eight months after they received their second dose of the shot, to ensure lasting protection against the coronavirus as the delta variant spreads across the country. Federal health officials have been actively looking at whether extra shots for the vaccinated would be needed as early as this fall, reviewing case numbers in the U.S. as well as the situation in other countries such as Israel, where preliminary studies suggest the vaccine’s protection against serious illness dropped among those vaccinated in January. (Miller, 8/17)

The New York Times: US To Advise Booster Shots For Most Americans 8 Months After Vaccination 
Officials said they expect that recipients of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which was authorized as a one-dose regimen, will also require an additional dose. But they are waiting for the results of that firm’s two-dose clinical trial, expected later this month. (LaFraniere, 8/16)

San Francisco Chronicle: California And Other Western States Support 'Critical' COVID Booster Shots
California’s health department and the scientific review panel that also represents three other western states recommended Monday that individuals whose immune systems are compromised get an additional vaccine dose “to ensure extra protection from COVID-19.” “As California continues to see an increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, it is critical we take action to protect immunocompromised people who are most vulnerable to severe disease,” Dr. Tomas Aragón, director of the California Department of Public Health, said in a statement. (Vaziri, 8/16)

Modesto Bee: Stanislaus Clinics To Give 3rd COVID Shots To The Eligible
Stanislaus County’s vaccine clinics will administer third doses of coronavirus vaccine to immunocompromised people. But county public health officials encouraged the eligible people to talk with their physicians about the need for an extra dose and the best timing. (Carlson, 8/16)

CalMatters: At 86%, Imperial County Has One Of Best Vaccine Rates In CA
Imperial County, tucked into the southeast corner of California, learned early on what it meant to be a COVID-19 hotspot. The virus bulldozed through the agricultural county last spring, then again in the winter. About one in six residents has been infected, and 745 people have died. But Imperial County has one statistic that is giving local health officials hope: 86% of its eligible population has been vaccinated with at least one dose. It’s one of the best vaccination rates in California, eclipsed only by Marin and Santa Clara counties and tied with San Francisco. Statewide the rate is 74%. (Ibarra, 8/16)

Sacramento Bee: Newsom Recommends Private Employers Require COVID Vaccines 
California officials are calling on private employers to require their employees to be vaccinated against the coronavirus or be subject to regular testing. The move is a recommendation, not a requirement. The new guidance comes as California sees increases in workplace coronavirus outbreaks spurred by the highly infectious delta variant. (Park, 8/17)

San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego County To Employers: Get Proof Your Workers Have COVID-19 Shots Or Test Them Weekly 
San Diego County officials on Monday called on local employers to verify that all of their workers have been vaccinated against the coronavirus or require them to get a weekly COVID-19 test. The recommendation would apply to public and private employers as well as nonprofits, and it’s the latest step local officials have taken to combat a wave of infections and hospitalizations driven by the fast-spreading Delta variant of the coronavirus. (Wosen and Freeman, 8/16)

Bay Area News Group: Mountain Winery, Warfield Join Venues That Will Require Vaccine Proof 
Concert heavyweight AEG Presents has announced it will soon begin requiring music fans to show proof of full vaccination in order to enter its many venues and festivals. The presenter joins Live Nation and Another Planet Entertainment in demanding that ticketholders submit proof of vaccination or negative COVID test. Although some of the specifics in each policy might differ, those who plan to attend concerts this summer and fall should know that at most venues they will almost certainly be asked to prove they have gotten a full vaccination or tested negative for COVID in the last two or three days. (Harrington, 8/16)

Long Beach Press-Telegram: OC Sheriff’s Department, Fire Authority Unions Oppose Coronavirus Vaccine Mandate 
The unions representing Orange County Sheriff’s Department and Fire Authority personnel are opposed to a coronavirus vaccine mandate for their workers, their leaders announced last week amid a statewide order for health care workers and those who work in high-risk settings to be vaccinated. About 1,500 of the Sheriff’s Department’s 3,800 employees fall under the state’s category for high-risk workers, who include those who work in jails and detention facilities in courthouses, agency spokeswoman Carrie Braun said Monday, Aug. 16. Those employees will either have to provide proof of vaccination or get tested for the virus every week, she said. (Rasmussen, Robinson and Percy, 8/16)

Modesto Bee: National Park Service Requires Masks In Buildings, Crowds
If you’re planning a visit to a national park, you’ll need to pack a mask — even if you’ve been vaccinated against COVID-19. The National Park Service said Monday all tourists and employees will be required to wear masks where they are crowds — both indoors and outdoors. (Capron, 8/16)

San Diego Union-Tribune: NAACP Calls For Investigation Into Anti-Vaccine, Anti-Mask Post On San Diego Police Union Website 
The NAACP San Diego Branch is calling for an FBI investigation after a San Diego police officer purportedly took to an online forum to urge fellow officers to take a stand against COVID-19 vaccine and mask mandates. Screenshots of the post show it was written on an online forum for members of the San Diego Police Officers Association. Mayor Todd Gloria has announced the city intends to make vaccines mandatory for employees when the Food and Drug Administration gives the vaccine its full approval, according to the mayor’s office. The FDA has only granted emergency-use approval of the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. (Hernandez, 8/16)

Sacramento Bee: Rural CA Counties See Record-High COVID Hospital Totals 
Seven small California counties have recently broken their all-time records for COVID-19 patients in hospital beds, as cases of the delta variant are growing explosively in rural parts of the state. Del Norte, Humboldt, Tuolumne, Nevada, Mendocino, Lake and Amador counties each since the start of this month have recorded their highest daily total for hospitalized COVID-19 patients, state health data show. (McGough, 8/17)

Southern California News: Coronavirus Cases Among Pregnant Women Triple, LA County Reports 
Los Angeles County expressed concern over a recent tripling of weekly coronavirus cases among pregnant women, while also reporting than 2,400 new COVID-19 infections on Monday, Aug. 16, a day when new cases are typically lower due to weekend reporting lags. (8/16)

San Francisco Chronicle: More COVID Cases. More Symptoms. More Conspiracy Theories. Here's What Bay Area Pediatricians Are Seeing As Kids Head Back To School
The start of school for tens of thousands of Bay Area children comes as more people — including kids — are getting infected with COVID-19, a rise fueled by the delta variant of the coronavirus that medical experts say is nearly as contagious as chickenpox, and can leave some kids gasping for breath. In Contra Costa County, for example, the case rate — new cases per day per 100,000 residents — more than quadrupled for 0-11-year-olds between July 2 and Aug. 2, and more than quintupled for 12-18-year-olds. (Johnson, 8/16)

San Francisco Chronicle: Bay Briefing: The COVID Trends Pediatricians Are Seeing As Schools Reopen
Pediatricians at top Bay Area hospitals and private practices are seeing more children testing positive for the coronavirus than at any other time in the pandemic and said they expect more children will test positive in the coming weeks. They are cautioning parents to maintain safety practices, such as masking and choosing outdoor over indoor activities for their kids. But they do not expect the Bay Area to experience the kind of illness surges occurring elsewhere. Julie Johnson reports on what Bay Area pediatricians are seeing as kids head back to school. (Brown, 8/16)

San Francisco Chronicle: San Francisco To Reopen Mass Coronavirus Testing Site Amid Delta Surge
San Francisco will reopen a mass coronavirus testing site in SoMa on Wednesday amid a troubling rise in cases — mostly among the unvaccinated — and a surge in demand for tests. The site at Seventh and Brannan streets will be able to administer 500 tests per day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week by appointment only. That brings San Francisco’s total test capacity to about 5,000 a day, as schools reopen and people continue mingling indoors despite the surge in cases. (Thadani, 8/16)

Los Angeles Times: California Sees Signs Delta Surge Is Slowing 
California enters a crucial phase in its battle against the Delta variant this week — the reopening of schools — with some hopeful signs: The number of people being infected and falling seriously ill with COVID-19 is no longer accelerating at dramatic rates and even beginning to flatten in some areas. Many experts are optimistic over the progress, but some officials stressed it’s too early to know definitively whether the surge caused by the highly contagious strain is peaking. (Money and Lin II, 8/17)

Orange County Register: L.A. County Reported 2,426 New Cases And Five New Deaths, Aug. 16
Los Angeles County public health officials reported 2,426 new cases of the coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases to 1,352,791 as of Monday, Aug. 16. The total number of cases represents 13.3% of Los Angeles County’s population. Officials reported 19 new deaths linked to the coronavirus, for a total 24,905 deaths since tracking began. The total number of deaths represents 0.25% of Los Angeles County’s population. (Goetzen, 8/16)

The Bakersfield Californian: 2 New COVID Deaths, 924 New Cases Reported By Public Health 
The Kern County Department of Public Health Services reported on Monday two new coronavirus deaths and 924 new cases. This brings the total number of COVID-19 deaths in Kern County since the beginning of the pandemic to 1,436, while the total number of confirmed cases rises to 118,025. (8/16)

Modesto Bee: Stanislaus Reaches 1,108 Deaths, 62,520 Positive Tests 
Deaths to COVID-19 rose by two in Stanislaus County to 1,108 residents as of Monday, and the number of hospitalized patients eclipsed 200, the Health Services Agency reported. The county added 740 positive tests over the weekend, for a total of 62,520 since the pandemic emerged in March 2020. Stanislaus also has 732,060 negative test results and 59,298 people who are presumed recovered. (Holland, 8/17)

Modesto Bee: California Fines Modesto Businesses For COVID-19 Violations 
California’s workplace safety agency fined five Stanislaus County businesses in the past six months for allegedly violating COVID-19 prevention rules including maintaining negative pressure in hospital isolation rooms. A Modesto frozen dessert manufacturer and a Patterson farm labor contractor faced the highest proposed penalties: about $50,000 and $10,000 respectively, records show. (Lam, 8/17)

Sacramento Bee: CA Launches Job Training Grants For Workers Laid Off In COVID 
California will soon pay up to $2,500 in grants for workers laid off during the coronavirus pandemic to help them go to college or train for a new job. Using money from the federal COVID-19 relief package, Gov. Gavin Newsom and lawmakers set aside $500 million in this year’s state budget to make it easier for hundreds of thousands of workers to get the education necessary for a career transition, state officials said. (Park, 8/17)

San Diego Union-Tribune: Some San Diego County Schools Are Breaking The State's K-12 Mask Mandate 
At least one San Diego County school district and one local private school network are defying the state’s K-12 school mask mandate — and there’s no clear sign that state or local officials will force them to comply. Last week the Ramona Unified School Board voted 3-2 to let students opt out of wearing masks in school. The board is allowing students to skip masks without needing a medical exemption. Ramona Unified is a school district of about 5,000 students in far northeast San Diego County, east of Escondido and Poway. (Taketa, 8/16)

Bay Area News Group: COVID-19 Outbreaks Close Two Oakland Classes
COVID-19 outbreaks have closed two Oakland classrooms since kids returned to school a week ago for the fall term, raising concerns among some parents about whether the highly contagious delta variant of the virus can be kept in check on campuses as cases rise across the country and more Bay Area schools start this week. Oakland Unified School District, which welcomed students back for the fall term Aug. 9, reported on Monday 16 student and staff cases at Oakland High and five at Montclair Elementary, resulting in one classroom at each school in full at-home quarantine. The district reported cases among a total of 58 students and 10 staff members districtwide. (Woolfolk, 8/16)

Los Angeles Times: LAUSD Admits To Delays With COVID-19 Health Check System 
Los Angeles school officials said Monday that the health check-in process for getting students into schools was slow, but they hoped to see improvements in the coming days. LAUSD Supt. Megan Reilly said she believed that the vast number of people trying to access the Daily Pass app before the start of the school day may have caused the slowdown. (Shalby, 8/16)

Los Angeles Daily News: With School Back And Coronavirus Surging, LAUSD Launches Website To Track Cases At Campuses 
With in-person learning starting up Monday at campuses throughout Los Angeles, and parents a bit unsettled about the safety of their children, the L.A. Unified School launched an online school site “Report Card” that will post updated information on cases and the status of reopenings. (Carter, 8/16)

Orange County Register: OC Schools In The Time Of COVID: This Year Really Is New 
Beginning this month, students and teachers throughout Orange County are kicking off their third academic year of studying during a pandemic. They face rapidly evolving health rules, including state requirements that everybody wear face masks while indoors and all school employees be vaccinated or undergo weekly testing for COVID-19. While many seem to be OK with those measures, there’s some push back, including lawsuits and at least one student who refused to wear a mask on his first day of school in Tustin – a move that was followed by two days of anti-mask rallies outside the school. (Kopetman, 8/16)

Modesto Bee: Stanislaus Students’ Mental Health Clubs Help Selves, Peers 
Nearly the entire first year of Dzifa Ackuayi’s high school experience was through distance learning. Transitioning to in-person classes, the Modesto High sophomore said, has been stressful, overwhelming and “a bit awkward.” It hasn’t been easy, either, for students who started high school traditionally, were thrust into learning from home because of the COVID-19 pandemic and now are returning to campuses. On top of upended routines, students report feeling nervous they’re behind academically and apprehensive about their safety because of the spread of the delta variant. After a more than a year of trauma and stress provoked by distance learning, the adjustment back to school can take a further toll on students’ mental health. (Isaacman, 8/17)

The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: SRJC To Implement Vaccine Mandate
Santa Rosa Junior College will move to require all faculty, staff, students and volunteers who are working or attending class on campus to present proof of vaccination or submit to weekly testing, President Frank Chong announced Monday. The “soft mandate,” which will need to be approved by the SRJC Board of Trustees to go into effect, would provide another mitigation method against the spread of COVID-19, especially the highly contagious delta variant. (Tornay, 8/16)

Los Angeles Times: Some Congress Members Have Barely Voted In Person Amid Pandemic 
California’s congressional members rank among the most frequent users of a House proxy-voting rule that enables them to avoid travel during the pandemic and have a colleague vote on their behalf. More than 70% of California’s House members — 38 of 53, including four Republicans — have voted by proxy in the last year, compared with about 60% for all House members nationwide, according to data compiled by the Brookings Institution. A handful of Californians have voted by proxy more than 250 times since the pandemic began. (Wire, 8/17)

Los Angeles Times: GOP Recall Candidates Vow To Roll Back Newsom's COVID Rules 
Republicans hoping to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom after the Sept. 14 recall election have vowed to rescind a series of statewide COVID-19 vaccination and mask mandates, and, given the broad executive authority granted to California governors, they almost certainly could make good on those promises if elected. Should Newsom lose the election and a Republican take his place, GOP lawmakers and activists who have condemned the Democratic governor’s use of his sweeping powers would be poised to have a political ally in office who could wield those very same powers to implement their own policies. (Willon, 8/17)

Chico Enterprise-Record: New Evacuation Orders, Warnings In Lassen County Issued As Dixie Fire Continues To Grow
Several new mandatory evacuation orders were announced Monday evening as the Dixie Fire continues to grow. Operations section chief with Cal Fire incident management team four Jake Cable said that winds surfaced around noon Monday, bringing a large amount of fire activity in the fire’s east zone. Winds are expected until midnight Monday, when Cable said winds are expected to die down. (Couchot, 8/17)

San Francisco Chronicle: PG&E Says Power Shut-Offs Now 'Likely' As Heat, Gusting Winds Fan Dixie Fire
A menacing mix of low humidity and strong winds are expected to challenge Northern California firefighting efforts early this week while prompting likely power cuts from Pacific Gas and Electric Co. The dry wind forecast threatens to fan further growth of the major fires burning in the state, including the mammoth Dixie Fire raging around Lake Almanor in the northern Sierra Nevada. It also sets the stage for any new fires to take off explosively, prompting PG&E to prepare to turn off electricity in some places so its power lines don’t spark any more disasters. (Morris and Fracassa, 8/16)

CapRadio: Map: See If You Could Be Affected By PG&E’s Potential Aug. 17 Shutoff 
Due to high fire risk weather, PG&E anticipates it may shut off power to about 39,000 customers in the Sierra Nevada foothills, North Coast, North Valley and North Bay mountains Tuesday night. The counties that could be impacted include Butte, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Napa, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Solano, Sonoma, Tehama, Trinity, Yolo and Yuba counties. The majority of customers expected to lose power — about 27,000 — are in Butte and Shasta counties. (Zentner, 8/16)

Sacramento Bee: Sacramento CA Sheriff Won’t Tell Public About Jail Deaths 
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office didn’t tell the public about the Feb. 26 death of Deyyj Watts. The 40-year-old Elk Grove man had been locked in the downtown jail for about a week before a blood clot traveled to his lung and killed him. Ten days earlier, Sheriff Scott Jones’ staff also chose not to reveal that William Stevens had died after contracting COVID-19. They didn’t issue a press release about Jadmon Barrett’s death in April, or Karl Hutton’s jail death on Memorial Day weekend, either. (Pohl, 8/17)

Orange County Register: Addiction Rehab CEO, Indicted On Federal Conspiracy Charges, Dead At 51 
Just days before his death, a federal judge approved Tarek Greiss’s request to travel to Belize with his girlfriend so they could celebrate her grandfather’s 88th birthday in the fall. Last year, Greiss pleaded not guilty to federal charges of conspiracy and paying for patients at two addiction rehabs where was chief executive, South Coast Counseling and Elite Care Recovery in Costa Mesa. In approving the travel request, the government agreed to temporarily return his passport — a sign of official trust. But Greiss won’t make the trip. He died on Aug. 6 at age 51, said Sgt. Todd Hylton of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. The cause of death is pending. (Sforza, 8/16)