California Today
Covid-19 vaccination rates for 5- to 11-year-olds alteration wide crossed California’s counties.
Dec. 7, 2021, 8:50 a.m. ET
Since Covid-19 shots became disposable to 5- to 11-year-olds a small implicit a period ago, much than 578,000 young children successful California person gotten astatine slightest 1 dose.
That astatine archetypal appears to beryllium a reasonably mean statistic: California has vaccinated 16.4 percent of its 5- to 11-year-olds, astir the aforesaid stock that has been vaccinated nationwide successful that property group.
But the section figures belie a analyzable reality. Vaccination rates for the youngest eligible Californians alteration wide crossed the authorities — and acold much than they bash for different property groups.
In San Francisco, 37 percent of 5- to 11-year-olds person gotten astatine slightest 1 dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, much than treble the complaint successful Los Angeles County, according to authorities data.
Even much extreme: In Marin County successful the Bay Area, much than 58 percent of 5- to 11-year-olds are partially oregon afloat vaccinated. In Kings County successful the San Joaquin Valley, that fig is little than 5 percent.
The numbers bespeak an existing disagreement successful Covid-19 vaccination rates and pandemic precautions crossed California, arsenic good arsenic parents’ heightened fears erstwhile it comes to vaccinating their youngest children.
Still, Californians who person sought retired vaccines for their 5- to 11-year-olds accidental they consciousness immense alleviation and an added furniture of information successful the vacation season. Here are immoderate stories you shared with maine astir your kids getting their shots:
“My 7-year-old, Paxton, precocious completed his 2nd Covid vaccination changeable astatine a retail pharmacy successful Napa. He was a small tentative astir getting a shot. Upon sitting down, helium asked the pharmacist, ‘Are you a professional?’ The benignant antheral replied with seriousness, ‘Yes, I am. And present is my process. …’
Of course, Paxton didn’t travel the pharmacist’s process and watched the needle spell into his arm. He said it wounded but shed nary tears.” — Leslie Wong, Napa
“My 6-year-old, Jackson, has been asking america for astir a twelvemonth to get the vaccine! Though we unrecorded successful sunny San Diego, Jackson loves to ski, and due to the fact that he’s present vaccinated we tin walk New Year’s skiing successful Aspen with his grandparents.” — Julia Pautz, San Diego
“My 11-year-old girl was vaccinated astatine a region vaccination halfway successful what utilized to beryllium a Victoria Secret’s store. I’m inactive laughing. Life tin beryllium hilarious. Thank goodness for that.” — Lisa Anderson Shaffer, Marin County
“With his parents and his grandma having had a booster changeable (plus his archetypal vaccine changeable done), my lad was capable to walk Thanksgiving with his grandma and older, afloat vaccinated cousins, adjacent though nary of the 3 households unrecorded successful the aforesaid city.” — Gabriela Hernandez-Lepe, Menlo Park
“The kids (and america too!) are excited to observe Christmas Eve arsenic they person each twelvemonth but past — a elephantine household enactment astatine their grandparents’ house.
Cousins are everywhere, Santa comes to visit, and there’s ever excessively overmuch food. Life moved connected passim the pandemic — babies were born, tweens became teenagers, determination were precocious schoolhouse and assemblage graduations, caller relationships blossomed, and we besides unluckily mislaid loved ones on the way. But we haven’t been capable to observe oregon grieve collectively arsenic we would person 2 years ago, and being vaccinated means that we tin person that again.”— Stephanie Setzer, Windsor
“My 5-year-old son, Zander, was the archetypal kid successful his kindergarten people to get vaccinated and helium was overjoyed.
Immediately aft getting his shot, helium told maine that his apical goals were to (1) spot friends that helium hasn’t seen since the opening of the pandemic, and (2) sojourn New York truthful that helium tin conscionable the Ninja Turtles (in existent life). I americium guessing that 1 of those goals volition beryllium a spot easier to recognize than the other.
Because of the vaccine, Zander was capable to walk Thanksgiving with his grandparents, aunt, uncles and cousins — thing helium hasn’t done since the opening of the Delta surge. I was hoping that this vaccine would let america to person a day enactment for Zander successful December and besides proceed to observe the wintertime holidays with extended family.
I americium hoping that Omicron doesn’t ruin the joyousness and state that Zander has truthful longed for and is connected the cusp of being capable to enjoy.” — Jennifer Stark, Berkeley
The remainder of the news
Class of caller astronauts: NASA inaugurated 10 caller astronaut candidates who could locomotion connected the satellite wrong the adjacent decade.
Housing crunch: Communities crossed California are trying to restrict improvement of multiunit lodging successful single-family zoning, The Los Angeles Times reports.
Medical parole: A caller argumentation could nonstop dozens of quadriplegic and paraplegic inmates from nursing homes backmost to authorities prisons, The Associated Press reports.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Inflation’s governmental impact: Rising prices successful a battleground legislature territory whitethorn hamper Democrats’ chances successful adjacent year’s midterm elections, The Washington Post reports.
Michael Mejia sentencing: A Southern California antheral who killed a constabulary serviceman successful 2017 was sentenced to beingness successful prison, The Associated News reports.
CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
Dangerous aerial quality: A conjugation is suing the Environmental Protection Agency for failing to intervene connected behalf of San Joaquin Valley residents, who respire immoderate of the astir polluted aerial successful the country, Capital & Main reports.
Plane crash: Four household members were killed successful a single-engine airplane crash, The Associated Press reports.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
On-duty officers: A San Francisco edifice apologized for asking 3 constabulary officers to leave.
Return to in-person learning: Many students astatine a San Francisco precocious schoolhouse are struggling to drawback up aft much than 18 months of distant learning, The Washington Post reports.
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For $1.5 million, homes successful Sacramento, San Francisco and Altadena.
Where we’re traveling
Today’s question extremity comes from Jim Van Buskirk, a scholar who lives successful San Francisco:
“I‘ve lived successful the Bay Area for implicit 50 years and had ne'er heard of Hakone Gardens.
Originally the backstage property of San Francisco philanthropists inspired by the Japanese exhibits astatine the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, it is present a nationalist parkland successful Saratoga. Its decorator was from a agelong enactment of Japanese imperial gardeners, and galore Japanese artisans utilized accepted materials and techniques to make the Moon Viewing Upper House, the Lower House and the koi pond.
Arguably little ostentatious than the Japanese Tea Garden successful Golden Gate Park (built arsenic portion of the California Midwinter International Exposition of 1894), this stately garden, present connected the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, is simply a hidden gem, lone a stone’s propulsion from shops and eateries of Historic Saratoga Village.”
Tell america astir your favourite places to sojourn successful California. Email your suggestions to CAtoday@nytimes.com. We’ll beryllium sharing much successful upcoming editions of the newsletter.
What we’re recommending
The champion movies of 2021, according to our critics.
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And earlier you go, immoderate bully news
A contented dating backmost astir 4 decades, the California International Marathon returned implicit the play aft it was canceled past twelvemonth due to the fact that of the pandemic.
On Sunday morning, much than 9,000 competitors ran 26.2 miles, from the shores of Folsom Lake into downtown Sacramento and to the decorativeness enactment successful beforehand of the State Capitol, The Sacramento Bee reported.
Many participants said they were grateful to erstwhile again tally amid a oversea of people.
“I’ve done different marathons but I ever privation to travel backmost present and bash it astatine home,” said Brendan Gregg, a Davis nonmigratory who finished archetypal — successful 2 hours, 11 minutes, 21 seconds — with the third-fastest clip ever recorded astatine the event.