In California:  Virus spread is slowest in the Golden State. And is glamping eco-friendly?

In California: Virus spread is slowest in the Golden State. And is glamping eco-friendly?

Plus: Is glamping eco-friendly? Long Beach Convention Center to take in migrants. And the veep returns to her home state and bucks up the governor. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 
usatoday.com

In California
 
Monday, April 5
A rendering of AutoCamp Joshua Tree's planned Airstream resort in California's high desert, which is slated to open in fall 2021.
Virus spread is slowest in the Golden State
Plus: Is glamping eco-friendly? Long Beach Convention Center to take in migrants. And the veep returns to her home state and bucks up the governor.

In California brings you top Golden State stories and commentary from across the USA TODAY Network and beyond. Get it free, straight to your inbox. I'm Julie Makinen, California editor for the USA Today Network, bringing you Tuesday's key headlines.

COVID-19 good news/bad news

A patient receives a shot of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at a CVS Pharmacy branch in Los Angeles.
A patient receives a shot of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at a CVS Pharmacy branch in Los Angeles.
Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP Images

How are we doing in the war on COVID-19? First, the good news: California reported far fewer coronavirus cases in the week ending Sunday, adding 14,559 new cases. That's down 22.7% from the previous week's toll of 18,837 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19. Best of all, California ranked 50th among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows.

Across the country, 25 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.

In other good news, COVID-19 has nearly disappeared from California's nursing homes after a devastating sweep that killed more than 9,000 residents and workers, CalMatters reports.

At the height of the winter surge, more than 80 residents of nursing facilities died every day from COVID-19. In March, however, fewer than 15 new cases were reported each day, and deaths dropped to between one and six people daily, according to the California Department of Public Health. Health experts credit a massive nationwide campaign to vaccinate elderly and frail residents and their caregivers. About 87% of the 85,000 people who live in California's skilled nursing facilities have been fully vaccinated, according to the state health agency.

But what appears to be a fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has struck Michigan, the New York region and New England, and experts are uncertain whether it will remain contained. And COVID infections are rising in the Bay Area, says the San Francisco Chronicle. What is the likelihood of another surge — or a milder "swell" — hitting California? The L.A. Times says that will depend on vaccine supply and the behavior of residents.

More counties are expanding vaccine eligibility to everyone 16 and over. Riverside County — the fourth most populous in the state — made the move on Monday.

Long Beach Convention Center to take in 1,000 migrant kids

San Diego Convention Center
San Diego Convention Center
Steve Breen

First San Diego, now Long Beach. The Long Beach Convention Center is poised to become the second temporary facility in California to hold migrant children who traveled to the southern U.S. border without their parents or legal guardians, the L.A. Times reported.

Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia said in an interview Monday that migrant children could begin arriving within a week. The San Diego Convention Center, famous as the home to Comic-Con, started taking in migrant children late last month. Federal authorities also have requested to use Camp Roberts, a California Army National Guard base along the Central Coast.

The contract still must be approved by the Long Beach City Council, which will hold a special meeting Tuesday to decide whether to move forward. The plan is not expected to face opposition.

Veep returns to Golden State, praises Newsom, touts infrastructure plan

Vice President Kamala Harris, with California Gov. Gavin Newsom, visits the Upper San Leandro Water Treatment Plant in Oakland, Calif., Monday, April 5, 2021.
Vice President Kamala Harris, with California Gov. Gavin Newsom, visits the Upper San Leandro Water Treatment Plant in Oakland, Calif., Monday, April 5, 2021.
Jacquelyn Martin, AP

Vice President Kamala Harris is back in the Golden State and on Monday gave a boost to Gov. Gavin Newsom's efforts to stave off a recall election while pushing the Biden administration's $2-trillion infrastructure plan.

Newsom appeared alongside Harris in Oakland for a tour of a water-treatment plant — the kind of facility that could benefit from the proposed infrastructure plan President Joe Biden unveiled last week. The eight-year package has drawn fire from Republicans and objections from some Democrats.  

Harris didn't miss a chance to praise Newsom, calling him "a champion about what we need to do around our environment." She expanded on that support in an interview with the L.A. Times.

"He has been a real champion in California and outside of California on California priorities," she said of Newsom, with whom she began her political career in San Francisco. "You know, I've known him for a long time. He's been invested in these kinds of issues that really are issues that are not only challenging California as a state, that are national in scope. So there's a lot of good work being done, and I think that there's no question that there are other priorities that I think he is handling well. And for that reason, I'm supporting him."

Glamping company brings Airstreams to Joshua Tree. Can development and nature coexist?

A new glamping development featuring Airstream trailers broke ground up the road from Joshua Tree National Park's main entrance in late January. Renderings from the company behind the project, AutoCamp, show a beautiful scene where cactuses and other plants surround a hip-looking campus.

A rendering of AutoCamp Joshua Tree's planned Airstream resort in California's high desert, which is slated to open in fall 2021.
A rendering of AutoCamp Joshua Tree's planned Airstream resort in California's high desert, which is slated to open in fall 2021.
Courtesy AutoCamp

"Relax in the mid-century modern Quonset Hut Clubhouse before grabbing a cocktail at the outdoor bar and exploring the local artist installations around the property," AutoCamp's website says of its upcoming high desert attraction. "In the warmer months, dive right in with a refreshing dip in our large plunge pool (turned hot tub in the winter months)."

Local environmentalists have expressed optimism that the 55-unit development might provide a model for coexisting with the environment and keeping out larger hotel chains.  "We have to get real about the fact that visitation will continue to increase, and nothing can be done about that," said Miriam Seger, a high desert environmental advocate and real estate investor. "AutoCamp is about the most interesting lodging model we could hope for."

Steve Bardwell, president of the board of directors of the Morongo Basin Conservation Association points out a bird's nest in a massive cholla cactus living just outside the construction fence of a new AutoCamp site in Joshua Tree, March 25, 2021.
Steve Bardwell, president of the board of directors of the Morongo Basin Conservation Association points out a bird's nest in a massive cholla cactus living just outside the construction fence of a new AutoCamp site in Joshua Tree, March 25, 2021.
Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun

Yet, when she accompanied members of local environmental nonprofit Morongo Basin Conservation Association on a March site visit of AutoCamp's  property, Seger said she felt "a bit shocked to see how complete the disturbance is after being prepared to defend the project."  The company says it has met with local business owners, artists/art organizers, and an environmental group for recommendations and comments, that were worked into the design. "Our project has a variety of water- and energy-saving measures that go above and beyond the building code," Ryan Miller, the company's co-founder and chief brand officer, said.

Happiness in Palo Alto, dejection in Westwood

Congrats to the Cardinal. Stanford's women's basketball team won its third NCAA national title on Sunday night, and first in 29 years, by beating Pac-12 rival Arizona 54-53. It was the Cardinal's third win over Arizona this season, but far more competitive than the previous two, decided by a combined 41 points.

Stanford players celebrate after defeating Arizona to win the 2021 NCAA women's basketball tournament.
Stanford players celebrate after defeating Arizona to win the 2021 NCAA women's basketball tournament.
Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports

The championship capped a grueling year for top-seeded Stanford, which spent the entire season on the road because of local COVID-19 restrictions. The title also came the same year as coach Tara VanDerveer became the all-time winningest women's coach, now with 1,125 victories. VanDerveer also has the largest gap between titles, men or women.

Fifteen schools have won the NCAA women's basketball tournament since it began in 1982, but Stanford's near-three-decade title drought was the fifth-longest in Division I. Only Southern California (1984), Old Dominion (1985), Texas (1986) and Louisiana Tech (1988) had gone longer without winning another title. Stanford was also the last Pac-12 school to win a national championship.

Condolences to the Bruins.  On the men's side, the UCLA Bruins showed mettle in this NCAA Tournament, beating No. 1 seeded Michigan and No. 2 Alabama in the East Region before nearly ousting a Gonzaga team that ranks as one of the best offensive teams in the last decade. 

Gonzaga's Jalen Suggs celebrates after his buzzer-beater three beat UCLA in overtime.
Gonzaga's Jalen Suggs celebrates after his buzzer-beater three beat UCLA in overtime.
Robert Scheer, IndyStar-USA TODAY Sports

It was a dramatic OT finish on Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. UCLA fans were on their feet as star Johnny Juzang scored a game-tying basket with three seconds left against undefeated and heavily favored Gonzaga in the Final Four.  "Another overtime," a Bruins fan shouted. "We got 'em." 

Then Jalen Suggs' buzzer-beater – and table-topping celebration – became the gut punch that made UCLA the No. 11 seeded team that almost made NCAA Tournament history. Gonzaga won 93-90 in overtime.

UCLA fans are still smarting over a controversial charge call with one second remaining in regulation. Juzang was driving to the lane with the score tied at 81 and appeared to draw contact from Gonzaga defenders, but big man Drew Timme drew a charge call.

Replays showed Timme to be moving but still set when he collided with Juzang and fell backward.

"These guys, they deserved a better ending," second-year coach Mick Cronin told reporters after the game Saturday night. "I just told them they've got to let the last shot go. And as much as (the players) want to be beat down right now and gutted and miserable, they've got to let it go because they're winners." 

Short bits of news of note

San Francisco has lost its status as the country's most expensive office rental market, with asking rents falling below Manhattan for the first time in five years, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Salesforce, headquartered in some of that pricey San Francisco office space, paid no federal income tax in 2020 despite $2.6 billion in profit.
And just for fun, watch a "super pod" of dolphins put on a show off the California coast.

In California is a roundup of news from across USA Today network newsrooms. Also contributing: L.A. Times, San Francisco Chronicle, CalMatters.

Julie Makinen is California editor for the USA Today Network. Follow her on Twitter at @Julie_Makinen

click here
 
FOLLOW US
FB TW IG

Problem viewing email? View in browser

Unsubscribe Manage Newsletters Terms of Service Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights Privacy Notice Do Not Sell My Info/Cookie Policy Feedback