Church shooting in Sacramento | Chico plaza protest | PG&E back-up generator program

By Sarah Bohannon,

Published March 1, 2022 at 8:35 AM PST

The latest North State and California news on our airwaves for Tuesday, March, 1.

Man kills his 3 children, their chaperone and himself in Sacramento church shooting

A man shot and killed his three children, all under the age of 15, one other person, and then himself at a Sacramento church in Arden-Arcade Monday evening, authorities said. All five were pronounced dead at the scene.

Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. Rod Grassmann said in an interview with KRCA that the office received a call at 5:07 p.m. from a worker who heard shots upstairs at the church, known as the Church in Sacramento.

“They heard a shot and then more shots, left the building and then called us,” he said.

Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones said at a press conference the shooting took place during a supervised visit: the children’s mother — currently out of town, now on her way to the scene — had an active restraining order against their father, who was at the church to see his children. According to Jones, the other victim was the person supervising the visit.

“It’s very upsetting,” he said. “I would just encourage any person that’s in a volatile relationship, you can’t fully comprehend what someone is capable of, but if you’re in danger, then get out and get some help, and talk to someone you trust.”

Jones said that while there are no outstanding suspects, it is still “very early in the investigation.” Read the full story.

— CapRadio Staff

Homeless advocates protest closures of Chico City Plaza

Demonstrators gathered downtown at the Chico City Plaza over the weekend to protest its several extended closures over the last year.

Patrick Newman of Chico Friends on the Street – an advocacy group for people experiencing homelessness – says the city uses repeated closures of the plaza to displace homeless citizens.

The plaza and its public restrooms remain fenced off, preventing public access. A city spokesperson told NSPR the plaza remains closed for maintenance and repairs. No date for the fence's removal was given.

Demonstrators protest Chico City Plaza’s several extended closures on Saturday in Chico, Calif. Andre Byik, NSPR

“Violent criminals, any class of people you want to talk about, has 24-hour access to a toilet,” Newman said. “The homeless don’t. So, we’ve been fighting for 24-hour toilet access for a long time.”

NSPR’s Andre Byik also spoke with the Chico street minister, Reverend Father Grant Vaughn, who is unhoused. Listen to the interview with Vaughn in today’s Headlines.

— Andre Byik, NSPR

Butte County makes changes to its COVID-19 dashboard

As of Monday, the Butte County COVID-19 Dashboard will now be updated on Mondays and Thursdays by 4 p.m., instead of every weekday and contain fewer data points.

The dashboard will no longer show how many people are in isolation with the virus, differentiate where cases have been reported in the county or report the vaccination status of confirmed cases – including deaths.

In an email Monday, Lisa Almauger, communications manager for the Butte County Public Health Department (BCPH), said the need for the daily updates on the dashboard has diminished for many reasons. She said more is now known about how to control the virus, much of the data is now available elsewhere and some of the data points – such as case numbers – are becoming less accurate as people choose not to test or use home test kits.

“With all of that said, BCPH will always keep the public informed if there are any significant changes, new variants, treatments, etc.,” Almaguer wrote. “This does not change our commitment to keeping the community informed.”

The changes come as COVID cases continue to decline in the county, but even so, health officials say the case rate still remains high.

— Sarah Bohannon, NSPR

California to end mask requirements for schools, unvaccinated people

California is loosening its masking requirements in schools and most indoor public settings. Governor Gavin Newsom said unvaccinated people won’t have to wear face coverings beginning today. Also students and educators can shed their masks after March 11.

For months, mask mandates have caused contention at school board meetings with some parents pushing California to let their kids remove masks in class. But state health secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly says the extra time is necessary.

“If we can cut transmission rates by 25 or even 50% more in the next 11 or so days, that creates an even lower risk of individuals, masked or unmasked, from getting infected in schools, which are really essential places,” Ghaly said.

A recent poll from UC Berkeley shows 61% of parents actually support school mask requirements. Read the full story.

— CapRadio Staff

PG&E creates safer back-up generator program for customers in high-fire threat areas

PG&E has implemented a new program to make it safer and more convenient for its customers to generate their own electricity during Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS).

PG&E spokesman Paul Moreno said connecting a generator to a home while it’s still connected to the grid can create safety issues for both customers and company workers. He says PG&E has engineered new smart meters which are now available to qualifying customers at no cost.

To participate Moreno said you must live in a high-fire threat area and either need to rely on well water, be a medical baseline customer or be a critical business.

— Ken Devol, NSPR

Bill would require community colleges and CSU to help students get CalFresh assistance

Last week, a datapoint uncovered by the non-partisan California Policy Lab showed a minority of college students take advantage of the food benefits program CalFresh. One reason could be low student awareness.

Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula has introduced a bill in the California Assembly that would require the CSU and community college systems to inform students they're eligible and offer help enrolling. Arambula said ensuring knowledge of CalFresh benefits and providing assistance in signing up for the program is just one part of what the state owes students.

"Make sure that we're recognizing and acknowledging the hard work that students have in achieving a higher education,” Arambula said. “And our ability to meet their basic needs will go a long way toward empowering the future generations to do a better job."

There's a similar bill being introduced in the state Senate.