Essential California

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Monday, Nov. 30, and here’s a quick look at the week ahead: President Trump’s census fight will be back before the Supreme Court on Monday, when oral arguments are heard in Trump vs. New York. The Trump administration wants to exclude noncitizens from the population count used for determining how many House seats each state gets. Noncitizens have been included in the count since the first census was conducted more than 200 years ago. Monday is also Cyber Monday, a term made up by marketers to encourage consumers to buy things online on the Monday after Thanksgiving. It’s also a great time to gift your friends and family with Los Angeles Times subscriptionsfor the holidays. Tuesday is Giving Tuesday, which is like Cyber Monday, but for charitable giving. If you’re looking for other ways to give back, our editorial board has some suggestions that go beyond the obvious monetary donations — including social enterprise nonprofits to purchase gifts from and ways to volunteer your time. Tuesday is also the first day of December, at which point there will be a mere 31 days (or 744 hours) left to survive of 2020. You’ve got this. Wednesday marks the 50th anniversary of the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency. The agency was created under the leadership of a Californian: then-President Nixon. The latest employment numbers will be released by the federal government on Friday, offering a snapshot of the toll the pandemic continues to take on the national economy. And now, here’s what’s happening across California: California has set a record for COVID-19 hospitalizations, with more people hospitalized with the disease than at any other time since the pandemic began. The numbers are particularly troubling for two reasons: First of all, hospitalization rates tend to reflect cases that were identified two to three weeks earlier — meaning the number of hospitalized Californians will almost certainly continue to increase for the next two to three weeks, given the recent case numbers. Officials have also warned of more virus spread after the long holiday weekend, meaning we could see an even greater surge in new cases ahead. All of this intensifies concerns about hospitals filling up in the coming weeks, which has been predicted as coronavirus cases surge to unprecedented levels across the state and, particularly, in Los Angeles County. Officials say that if conditions continue to deteriorate, it may be necessary to issue rules that are stricter than those going into effect Monday and that recall the stay-at-home orders imposed in the spring. Los Angeles Times [See also: “L.A.’s rising COVID-19 deaths point to a horrific December. Can the trend be reversed?” in the Los Angeles Times] COVID-19 continues to roil California prisons and jails as officials face new criticism. The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation reports more than 3,600 active cases of the virus, with six facilities across the state having outbreaks with over 100 cases among inmates. Los Angeles Times