Quick Take:
As offices re-open and traffic worsens, an innovative program called GO Santa Cruz offers a more sustainable way to...
Hello, everyone — this is the first issue of Lookout PM, which still has a healthy dose of COVID in it thanks to the Delta variant and a few other developments.
But the goal is to give you a wider PM look every weekday around the state and region as well.
To the headlines of the day we go…
State still highly segregated by race despite growing diversity
New research shows: Although the Los Angeles area has become more diverse in the past 30 years, it is barely more integrated today than it was then, and it remains the sixth-most segregated metro region of 221 studied. More from the LA Times here.
Summer dreams dry up on the Russian River
A paradise whipsawed by drought, flood and fire: This part of the Sonoma wine country has endured fire, flood, intense heat and lightning bolts the last five years. Now it faces ever-more severe water restrictions. More from the Times on that here.
An entire California town was without running water — in a heat wave
What happened? A rural Central Valley community is without running water during a heat wave, prompting authorities to haul in bottles and jugs of water to more than 700 people in Teviston. More from CalMatters here.
Now more than ever, a day at Disneyland feels like a journey to another world
The skinny from D-Land: The reservation system is daunting and without FastPasses, there will be lines. But surviving a day at the Disney parks has always been part of the fun. More from the Times here.
The new ‘Delta-plus’ coronavirus variant has been identified
What does that mean? It’s unclear whether Delta-plus is more transmissible than the original, highly transmissible Delta variant. Without more research, it shouldn’t yet be cause for alarm, experts say. More on that from the Times.
‘Long COVID’ is a risk for the unvaccinated
What you need to know: Long COVID is one name for a puzzling syndrome that can afflict people who have been infected with the coronavirus. The symptoms can vary and come and go without warning, and long COVID can be “severely debilitating” for those affected, the CDC director said. More from the Times here.
Strange code on your COVID vaccine record doesn’t scan?
California did that on purpose: QR codes on Californians’ digital vaccine records can only be scanned with a compatible device or app. It’s a security measure, officials say. More from the Times here.
I’ll be heading off the grid for a week, but my friends here at Lookout will have you covered.
Mark Conley
Deputy Managing Editor