Gov. Gavin Newsom may be easing up on pandemic restrictions, but powerful state legislators are forging ahead with a slate of Covid-19 bills that would make California an outlier among states. They include measures that would punish doctors who share “misinformation” and would require vaccines for all employees and schoolchildren. “The virus is not going away,” said state Sen. Richard Pan. “So, it’s not just about temporary measures, but we need ongoing measures to keep this virus under control.” Critics called the bills oppressive. CalMatters

“It could happen tomorrow.”

Scientists don’t know when the Big One will come, but they know it’s coming. In an attempt to prepare, researchers have drafted painstakingly detailed disaster scenarios. Keith Porter, who has analyzed potential effects of a quake along the Bay Area’s Hayward Fault, said it’s the elevators that most worry him. With the electricity off and first responders overwhelmed, help could take too long to arrive. “That means people are dead in those elevators,” he said. USA Today

Thomas Knapp, 55, was born and raised in the Bay Area. Five months ago, he moved to Kyiv, Ukraine, to start a global marketing company. Now he’s carrying an AK-47 as part of a civilian territorial defense battalion. He’s come to love his new home, he said, and he’s prepared to die for it: “I’m emotionally spent, I’m physically spent, I’m spiritually spent. I’m so angry words can’t even describe.” SFGATE

“If you drew a line due east from my front porch, it wouldn’t hit a town for over 400 miles. Bears, mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes and deer are regular visitors here, and keep an eye out for rattlesnakes. The wolves are coming back too.”

The celebrated photographer Bruce Haley captured the moody and unforgiving landscape of Modoc County, in California’s northeast corner, for a new book. The Guardian published a selection of 14 images.

“A bright shining light for so many.”

Katie Meyer, a goalkeeper and captain of the Stanford women’s soccer team, has died. She was 22. Campus officials said Meyer was found dead in her dorm room Tuesday morning, but they disclosed no cause of death. “We can all help by checking in on friends and loved ones,” they said. A Southern California native, Meyer is survived by her parents and two sisters. Stanford Daily | Washington Post

Meyer made key saves to help Stanford win a national championship in 2019. Her celebration for the camera went viral. 👉 @ESPNFC

A Fresno police sergeant was arrested Tuesday after he crashed his patrol car while high on methamphetamine that he stole from a suspect, the authorities said. Sgt. Donald Dinell, a veteran of nearly 20 years, had responded by himself to a drug-related call earlier on the day of the Dec. 30 crash. His superiors later learned that he had filed no report and left his body camera off. “That’s what first made me suspicious,” said Police Chief Paco Balderrama. Fresno Bee

“I just liked being around her.”

Last Wednesday, a woman died in a fire under a San Francisco overpass, the latest in a widening crisis of deaths among the homeless. Zarina Pimshin, 40, was a mother of three who held a master’s degree in mathematics and computer science from Moscow State University. She was evicted from her apartment in 2018 and fell into addiction and erratic behavior. Friends described her as warm-hearted, well read, and a dancer. She adored her children. It was 40 degrees out the night of the fire. KQED

After more than 1,300 drug deaths in two years in San Francisco, the debate over solutions is shifting. Currently, the city follows a “harm reduction” model, which lets people shed addictions mostly at their own pace with help from medications. But some city leaders and nonprofits now say it’s time to try a get-tough abstinence approach that has been largely rejected as less effective. “We see such extreme despair on the streets, we should be open to trying new things,” Supervisor Ahsha Safaí said. S.F. Chronicle

Mexican smugglers have sawed through segments of the border wall built during Donald Trump’s presidency 3,272 times over the past three years, records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act showed. That’s an average of roughly three times a day. Gangs typically use power tools to cut the bollards near the ground, making them easy to push open. “No structure is impenetrable,” a border official acknowledged. Washington Post

Under a policy adopted this week, Los Angeles police officers can no longer use minor violations as a pretext to investigate motorists, bicyclists, or pedestrians for more serious crimes. And when they do make stops, they have to state on their body-worn cameras why they suspect a more serious crime. Officials said the rules were designed to address disproportionate targeting of people of color. The police union said the policy poses a threat to public safety. L.A. Times | LAist

A year after Dr. Seuss Enterprises pulled six books from circulation for racist and insensitive imagery, the company announced plans for a new series of books by a group of creators from diverse backgrounds. The San Diego company said the books would draw inspiration from unpublished sketches by Dr. Seuss, such as colorful, smiling hummingbirds and a cat-like creature with enormous ears. N.Y. Times | A.P.

San Diego enjoys an embarrassment of natural riches: miles of exquisite coast, a luxuriant urban park, year-round summer. The downtown skyline, crafted over the last century along the edge of a tranquil bay, adds one more jewel. Each night it transforms into an accidental artist, painting the harbor with streaks of color.

A few pictures. 👇