San Francisco Chronicle: Newsom Advisers Urge Changes In Policing At California Protests 
California should restrict the use of rubber bullets and tear gas at protests, clarify when police can declare an unlawful assembly to disperse crowds and require officers to intervene when their colleagues are using excessive force, advisers to Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday. Newsom, who convened the advisers to recommend standards for crowd control and use of force in June after protests over police brutality erupted statewide, encouraged the Legislature to adopt the changes. Lawmakers rejected several bills with similar aims during their most recent session. (Koseff, 10/13)

LA Daily News: L.A. County Will Assess Needs Of Coronavirus ‘Long-Haulers’
Highlighting concerns about COVID-19 “long-haulers,” the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Oct. 13, directed health and mental health officials to assess the needs of patients who may struggle with the effects of the virus for months. Supervisor Hilda Solis recommended that the county also consider collecting data on long-term symptoms. “Unfortunately, there is mounting evidence that the effects of COVID-19 can last weeks to months among survivors, with many often unable to return to their daily lives,” Solis said. “Across the globe, even those with initially mild illness are reporting continued issues. The impact of these long-term COVID-19 symptoms, popularly termed Long-Haul COVID, is substantial —sometimes more severe than the initial illness itself.” (10/13)

Bay Area News Group: New Coronavirus Testing Site In Bay Point Gets Positive Reviews
In its continuing battle to curb the spread of COVID-19, Contra Costa County officials are hoping the Bay Point testing center that just opened Saturday will prompt more residents to regularly check if they have the coronavirus. The Bay Point Family Health Center site near Pittsburg, now open on weekends, adds to a large number of testing centers that have opened up in recent months. The county has given an average of 3,200 tests in its latest seven-day period, a number that health officials would like to see move closer to 4,500 in coming weeks. (Mukherjee, 10/14)

The Bakersfield Californian: Kern County Moves To Red After Meeting State Coronavirus Benchmarks, Allowing More Business Activity 
After meeting state coronavirus metrics for two weeks straight, Kern County is seeing red. The county has moved from the most restrictive purple tier on the state's four-tiered system into the red tier. The classification allows restaurants to begin serving customers indoors, and it means movie theaters, churches, personal care services and gyms can now reopen with COVID-19 prevention measures. Also, schools can reopen in two weeks if the county remains in the red tier. (Morgen, 10/13)

LA Daily News: Coronavirus State Tracker: Here Are The Tiers Counties Across California Landed In On Oct. 13
More California counties moved on Tuesday, Oct. 13, into less-restrictive tiers of the state’s coronavirus tracking system, opening the door for more business and public sectors to reopen or expand their indoor capacity. Counties are assigned to a tier based on metrics showing the speed and the spread of the virus and every Tuesday the state updates their status. At a minimum, counties have to remain in a tier for three weeks before they can progress on, and they have to meet the next tier’s criteria for at least two consecutive weeks before making a move. They can also backtrack if their performance on the metrics reverses course. (Snibbe, 10/13)

Bay Area News Group: Santa Clara, Alameda Counties Reach ‘Orange’ Coronavirus Tier: Here’s When Indoor Dining Could Resume 
South Bay restaurants could start serving diners indoors and movie theaters could welcome back limited audiences this week after Santa Clara County advanced to a looser tier of coronavirus restrictions on Tuesday. Alameda County will move more slowly to reopen those businesses, but it too has now graduated to the “orange” tier of the state’s COVID reopening plan, which indicates spread of the deadly illness in the county is at “moderate” levels. State authorities on Tuesday also issued new guidance for how to reduce the risk of spreading coronavirus during Halloween — an attempt to blunt the potential surge of new cases that many fear could emerge if people gather in large numbers for holidays through the end of the year. (Savidge and Zavoral, 10/13)

Santa Rosa Press Democrat: Sonoma County To Bolster Coronavirus Strategies; Looks To Successes Of Other Bay Area Counties
Concerned about the lack of progress in controlling the spread of COVID-19 in Sonoma County, local officials are considering a multi-pronged strategy to slow transmission rates, including trying to replicate some of the successes of other Bay Area counties. (Espinoza, 10/13)

The Desert Sun: Riverside County Avoids Business Closures Despite Missing COVID-19 Metrics
Riverside County will remain in the red tier this week despite the fact that its COVID-19 metrics continued to worsen for the second week in a row and, under the state's rules, qualified for a move back to the most strict level of California's reopening plan. (Hayden, 10/13)

Fresno Bee: Fresno Businesses Fined For Being Open Against COVID-19 Orders
Six Fresno businesses have gotten the most recent $1,000 fines for operating against state coronavirus orders, according to records. The tickets were issued between May 4 and Sept. 2 — and half went to salons that opened weeks before they were given permission under state orders. Some of those citations came as salon owners asked leaders to let them resume business. (Miller, 10/13)

Fresno Bee: Fresno’s Patrick James Blames COVID For Bankruptcy, Closures 
The coronavirus pandemic has caused Patrick James, the Fresno-based men’s clothing retailer, to file for bankruptcy with plans to close stores. The company has sold upscale men’s clothing – like Tommy Bahama and its own line of shirts and jackets – since 1962. It has 11 stores in California, Nevada and Arizona, plus a temporary pop-up store in River Park near Ruth’s Chris Steak House through the end of the month. (Clough, 10/12)

Bay Area News Group: Coronavirus: What California Health Officials Are Recommending For Halloween, Trick-Or-Treating 
California health officials on Tuesday stopped short of banning any Halloween activities outright but rather encouraged would-be partygoers and trick-or-treaters to engage in less risky behavior during the upcoming holiday. Dr. Mark Ghaly, the state’s secretary of health and human services, said those activities “pose a high risk of spreading COVID and are therefore discouraged,” and presented alternative ways to celebrate Halloween, as well as Dia de los Muertos. (Webeck, 10/13)

LA Daily News: About 60 Schools In L.A. County Have Applied For Reopening Waivers 
About 60 schools in Los Angeles County have applied for waivers to provide in-person instruction to students in transitional kindergarten through the second grade, though very few have submitted the necessary letters of support from staff, parents or administrators for their applications to move forward, according to the county’s public health director. (Tat, 10/13)

LA Daily News: Disneyland Reaches Return To Work Agreements With 11 Employee Unions
Disneyland has reached return to work agreements with 11 employee unions that will allow Disney’s Anaheim theme parks to bring back their workers with a host of new COVID-19 health and safety measures in place. To date, 11 unions representing the vast majority of Disneyland cast members have signed agreements including health and safety measures that will allow Disneyland to responsibly bring back staff as soon as possible, according to Disney officials. (MacDonald, 10/14)

The Bakersfield Californian: McCarthy Commends Advancement Of Valley Fever Research Center Proposal
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, on Tuesday applauded a decision to move forward with setting up valley fever research teams. According to a statement from his office, McCarthy responded to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ notice of funding opportunity to establish a Coccidioidomycosis Collaborative Research Centers program to create research teams. (10/13)

Bay Area News Group: Annual Binational Health Week Addresses Latinx Health Disparities Amid Pandemic 
Despite the coronavirus pandemic, Santa Clara County all this month is keeping alive its annual effort to help address health disparities experienced by Latinx people in the region. The 16th annual Binational Health Week features a series of in-person events with safety precautions and online informational sessions that include drive-up resource fairs and webinars on checking and controlling blood pressure. There was also a free COVID-19 testing and face covering giveaway at the Children’s Discovery Museum in San Jose over the weekend. (Geha and Chu, 10/13)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. Fire Department's Robot Goes Where Firefighters Can't
With its bright-yellow armored body, grippy tank-like treads, plow nose and water cannon, the Los Angeles Fire Department’s latest piece of equipment looks more like a Star Wars sidekick than a firefighting assistant. But this mini robot tanker is an inferno buster that packs a powerful punch of water or foam and can go where firefighters otherwise can’t. The LAFD on Tuesday became the first fire department in the nation to acquire the Robotics Systems 3, a droid on steroids. LAFD Chief Ralph Terrazas said firefighters put their lives on the line when battling blazes. This year, 11 LAFD crew members were severely injured when a fireball engulfed four downtown buildings after a massive explosion that was ignited by hazardous materials. (Winton, 10/13)

Los Angeles Times: Even Champion Lakers Felt Strains Of Life In The NBA Bubble 
Lakers guard Danny Green bounced down the hallway that led to the team’s locker room, the start of a long night of partying after the team won the 2020 NBA championship Sunday. “Free. We’re free,” he said, his voice echoing off the walls. “Freedom. I’m f— free.” The NBA leaves the bubble behind, the experience a major success. The league has finished its season, helping satisfy its obligations to television partners. It has finished its season, crowning a champion without losing a single game to a COVID-19 outbreak. And it’s provided players the opportunity to try to better the world by speaking out about injustice. (Woike, 10/14)