Leads:
- California students will soon be required to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Governor Gavin Newsom said Friday he will require all students to get the shots once full FDA approval for children is granted. Newsom says the mandate will happen in stages, starting with students in grades 7th-through-12th, and eventually grades K-through-6th. The Pfizer vaccine could be granted full approval for younger kids as early as next month.
- Californians could soon face mandatory water restrictions as the state wraps up its second driest year on record. Governor Newsom previously asked people to reduce their water use by 15% back in July. State officials say usage only decreased by 1.8% in the following weeks.
- When Newsom announced in July all state employees would need to show proof of vaccination or submit to regular COVID-19 testing, two unions, including SEIU Local 1000, filed formal complaints with the Public Employment Relations Board over the new requirement. The Newsom administration claimed it had the authority to skip the meetings due to emergency powers. However, CalHR has settled its case with SEIU Local 1000, agreeing to “suspend and conclude its vaccine verification program” and to bargain with the union over details of the state’s vaccine rules.
- Beaches in Huntington Beach could be shut down for several weeks to months as crews work to clean up a 126,000 gallons oil spill. Huntington Beach has closed all of its beaches indefinitely, and last night, nearby Laguna Beach did the same. The spill, which came from an offshore rig, has been capped. Since the spill was confirmed Saturday morning, 13-square-miles of ocean has been polluted between the Huntington Beach Pier and Newport Beach, and oil has started washing ashore. The company that operates the rig, Beta Offshore, believes a pipeline leak is the cause.
Extra Links:
- You may have spent the weekend helping your child apply to college, but how are you going to pay for it? Well, thankfully, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as the FAFSA, is offering $150 billion in federal student aid.
- Vice President Kamala Harris was in California over the weekend, but for reasons unknown.