Patagonia offers $100 to customers who help others plan to vote

• September 22, 2026

Patagonia is offering customers a financial incentive to encourage friends and family to make a plan to vote in the midterm elections.

The outdoor apparel company said it would give up to 112,000 customers a $100 discount on Patagonia merchandise if they enroll three people in a program to encourage registered voters to cast a ballot in the midterms. The initiative begins Saturday.

Support for the environment has been a core part of Patagonia’s brand for decades, yet the move is an extraordinary step in corporate activism. The company, based in Ventura, California, previously bought political ads, campaigned against the oil and gas industry and endorsed candidates who ran against lawmakers who rejected the scientific consensus on climate change.

Ryan Gellert, CEO of Patagonia, said he was concerned that many Americans had become disengaged with politics and environmental issues since President Donald Trump returned to the White House last year. Company executives want to “get people off the sidelines,” he said.

“A lot of people are feeling a sense of hopelessness,” Gellert said in an interview. “We’re trying to cut through the apathy.”

The people Patagonia customers refer are sent to a third-party website where they can check their voter registration, and find out if they can vote early and whether they need to show identification at their polling site. They must then develop a plan to cast their ballot — by voting early, by mail or in person on Election Day.

Customers who made the referrals can choose to receive a $100 credit on their next order from Patagonia or make a donation of the same amount to the League of Conservation Voters, an environmental advocacy group.

Patagonia said that its goal was to reach more than 300,000 people with its campaign and that it had committed up to $11.2 million to the initiative. The company reported nearly $1.5 billion in revenue during its last fiscal year. More than 60% of its sales come from customers in the United States.

Patagonia’s founder, Yvon Chouinard, has been a staunch activist since he began selling rock-climbing equipment in the 1950s, and the company has pledged 1% of sales to environmental groups for more than 40 years.

“We’ve never seen a government attack on nature — on public lands, on biodiversity and in climate — like we’re seeing right now,” Gellert said. “The stakes are more acute than we’ve ever seen.”

Both political parties have poured money into campaigns across the country in the final midterm stretch, with Republicans holding the financial edge. Trump has also proposed sending a $5,000 check to every American adult if the Republicans retain control of the House and Senate.

Patagonia has been at odds with Trump during both of his terms, primarily over the protection of public lands.

In July, Trump shrank the size of two national monuments in Utah to less than 10% of their former dimensions, citing “critical minerals,” such as silver, copper and zinc, within their boundaries. Mining companies were quick to pounce, with at least nine new claims staked on land that had lost its protections from development.

This month, Patagonia joined a conservation group and a Native American-led nonprofit organization to sue Trump in an effort to overturn his cuts to Bears Ears National Monument, one of the affected areas.

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Trump signs US-Denmark-Greenland agreement to bolster Arctic security

• September 22, 2026

By FARNOUSH AMIRI and JAMEY KEATEN

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — President Donald Trump has signed an agreement with Denmark and Greenland aimed at strengthening Arctic and North Atlantic security, easing tensions over his repeated calls for Greenland to become part of the United States.

The signing Tuesday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York comes days after Trump announced the deal to bolster U.S. military presence on the vast, icy island but keep it under Danish control. The governments provided few details of the agreement before the signing.

For months, Trump has expressed his desire for Greenland to become part of the United States and issued threats to seize the semiautonomous territory from Denmark, a NATO ally.

The US has had a presence in Greenland for many years

Officials from the U.S., Greenland and Denmark negotiated for months behind the scenes, searching for solutions to address some of Trump’s security concerns about the mineral-rich island.

Trump’s designs on Greenland strained relations within NATO, with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warning a U.S. takeover would amount to the end of the Atlantic alliance.

The standoff unsettled many of Greenland’s roughly 56,000 people and drove a wedge between the U.S. and Denmark and its European Union partners, who stepped up security exercises on and monetary support for the island.

Trade and hopes for a resource grab have all factored into concerns about Greenland’s future: About two-thirds of its territory sits inside the Arctic Circle, where melting sea ice has opened additional shipping routes

The United States was prominent in Greenland for decades but, since 1945, the U.S. military presence in Greenland has decreased from thousands of soldiers on 17 bases and installations to roughly 200 soldiers on the remote Pituffik Space Base in the northwest. The base supports missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance operations for the U.S. and NATO.

Addressing the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday morning, Trump provided a small window into details of the deal.

“We will immediately begin the process of developing a large military presence in the appropriate locations,” he said, including “building two very major military bases.”

Denmark’s parliament approved a bill last year to allow U.S. military bases on Danish soil, widening a 2023 military agreement made with the Biden administration that gave U.S. troops broad access to air bases in Denmark.

Trump previously insisted the U.S. needed to “take Greenland,” to prevent Russia or China from doing the same. Though Trump said he would rather “ make a deal ” for the territory, he added: “one way or the other, we’re going to have Greenland.”

All parties present the agreement as a positive move

Mikkel Runge Olesen, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute of International Studies, said Greenland and Denmark come away from the deal with the possibility of “ending the crisis without compromising on sovereignty,” while the U.S. gets a “somewhat more favorable” deal than under the existing defense treaty.

But relations overall between the U.S., Denmark and Greenland “are likely to be haunted by this long after Trump leaves office, and the crisis is likely to have significant and lasting negative impact on transatlantic relations more generally,” he said. “The lost trust will take decades to rebuild.”

In a social media post on Saturday, Trump wrote that the emerging agreement “gives the United States permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland, completely addressing ALL of our many U.S. concerns.”

In a Danish government statement updated late Monday, Frederiksen said her country was about to “make a great announcement” for Greenland, Denmark and the United States.

She said the deal “recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom and the Greenlandic people’s right to self-determination.”

Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Greenland’s prime minister, said the deal recognizes Greenland’s interests and will strengthen the security of Greenland, Denmark, the United States “and the Western alliance.”

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Kamala Harris seeks to boost progressive Abdul El-Sayed in key Michigan Senate race

• September 22, 2026

By JACQUELINE GANUN, Associated Press/Report for America

DETROIT (AP) — Former Vice President Kamala Harris will campaign on Tuesday in Michigan in an effort to rally Democratic voters behind progressive Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed in a swing state that will help determine control of the Senate.

Harris, the first Black person to serve as vice president, is appearing at events in Detroit aimed at building support among Black voters. She will attend a roundtable on Black maternal health with El-Sayed and appear separately at an event hosted by the Detroit chapter of the NAACP, according to her spokesperson.

Her visit comes at a pivotal time in the closely watched Senate race between El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressman. If Democrats hold Michigan’s Senate seat, they’d still need to win four more currently held by the GOP if they are to win control of the 100-member chamber in November. If Rogers wins, their challenge would be even greater.

Rogers has been campaigning in Detroit, a predominantly Black city where his campaign is optimistic he can pick up support from voters hesitant to support El-Sayed. Voters in Wayne County, home to Detroit, supported Rep. Haley Stevens over El-Sayed in the August Democratic primary, favoring the more establishment-aligned Democrat who worked in President Barack Obama’s administration. The stops with Harris, who made history as the nation’s first Black woman to be a major-party presidential nominee, come as El-Sayed is trying to win over voters in the Democratic stronghold.

The race is also seen as a referendum on the viability of a progressive platform on a national level. El-Sayed is running to the left of the Democratic Party establishment, including advocating for universal healthcare and opposing U.S. arms sales to Israel.

Harris’ own relationship with the progressive wing of her party has been strained in the past, particularly as she courted moderate Republican voters during her last presidential campaign, against Republican Donald Trump. Some within her party objected to her support for Israel during the war in Gaza, an issue that has divided Democrats and contributed to Harris’ 2024 loss in Michigan, which has a sizable Arab American population.

El-Sayed is an outspoken critic of Israel who has described the war as a genocide against Palestinians, an accusation rejected by Israel. Some Democratic Jewish voters are supporting Rogers because of El-Sayed’s stance. He has apologized for some past controversial comments and said he is committed to Jewish safety.

Harris’ visit to Michigan also comes as questions swirl about her intentions to run for president in 2028. Harris has not commented on her plans but is also stopping in Nevada and Georgia, two other important states on the political map. Michigan will be the fifth state to vote in the Democratic presidential primary.

GaNun is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

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What to know about USAID and the deadly impacts of US foreign aid cuts

• September 22, 2026

By KRISTEN GELINEAU

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — The foreign aid landscape has changed dramatically since U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration dissolved the United States Agency for International Development, once the world’s largest humanitarian donor.

Here’s a quick look at USAID, the impacts of its dissolution and what foreign aid looks like today:

USAID’s roots and purpose

U.S. President John F. Kennedy and Congress started USAID in the early 1960s. Beyond the belief that the U.S. has a moral obligation to help the world’s most desperate, supporters of USAID say the agency was a crucial tool of soft power diplomacy. Supporters say USAID directly benefited the country by engendering immense global goodwill toward the U.S., helping prevent the spread of diseases that could threaten American lives and providing stability in foreign countries that could otherwise pose a threat to U.S. security. The U.S. typically spent around 1% of its federal budget on U.S. foreign assistance.

A study published in The Lancet credited USAID programs with preventing 91 million deaths — including 30 million deaths of children under age 5 — in the first two decades of this century alone.

Critics of the agency, including Trump, say it was wasteful and poorly run.

US foreign aid cuts affect communities worldwide

The U.S. foreign aid cuts have been devastating for millions of the world’s most vulnerable people. The Associated Press has documented widespread severe hunger, shortages of lifesaving medicine and spikes in child marriage, kidnapping and trafficking of children — consequences that are all linked to the funding cuts. Experts say the true impact won’t be measurable for years, because the repercussions of issues like malnutrition and untreated diseases take time to manifest. And the full extent of the damage may never be known, in part because the funding cuts eliminated the jobs of scores of front line workers who collected mortality data.

Deaths linked to US foreign aid cuts

Despite the U.S. government’s repeated insistence that no one has died as a result of its dissolution of USAID, the AP has documented deaths across the world linked to the funding cuts. In Nepal, the AP found that cuts to programs that ensured uneducated, impoverished pregnant women got proper nutrition and prenatal care have led to more babies and pregnant women dying. The AP also found that children in Myanmar, Nigeria and Somalia have died after cuts to food rations and nutrition programs.

Because of global cuts to foreign aid, the Gates Foundation has predicted that 2025 will be the first year this century where child deaths will increase.

US defends its decision

In a statement to the AP, the U.S. State Department said the Trump administration had reinvigorated its assistance programs to focus on efficiency, effectiveness and partnership. The department also said the U.S. spends more on health and humanitarian assistance than any other country.

“The rest of the world needs to contribute more and share the burden,” the department said.

US foreign aid today

The Trump administration’s new foreign aid strategy is more limited and is targeted toward initiatives that government officials say will further the United States’ interests. With health aid, for example, the U.S. is increasingly bypassing NGOs in favor of bilateral agreements with foreign countries. This means the money goes directly to foreign governments in exchange for concessions to the U.S., such as access to a country’s health data, which could be used to help detect outbreaks of infectious diseases. The U.S. says this model is more efficient. But some countries have pushed back, particularly over privacy concerns for their citizens’ medical records.

​ Orange County Register 

Amateur archaeologist finds Germany’s biggest hoard of ancient Roman silver coins

• September 22, 2026

By KIRSTEN GRIESHABER

BERLIN (AP) — An amateur archaeologist who discovered several Roman silver coins in a field in western Germany realized he had stumbled upon something bigger when his metal detector kept beeping.

Oliver Riedl called the authorities for help and a group of experts who began digging immediately discovered a total of 934 Roman silver denarii. It is the biggest coin treasure ever found in Germany from the time of Roman Emperor Hadrian, the local office in charge of archaeological monuments said Tuesday.

“It was clear to me that there was something bigger buried here,” Riedl said, describing how his metal detector continued signaling even after he had found several coins near Wesseling, south of Cologne a year ago.

The hoard of coins, which weighs 3.1 kilograms (6.8 pounds), went on display at the LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn on Tuesday.

The collection of coins was probably buried deliberately in the second quarter of the second century A.D., according to the LVR Office for the Preservation of Archaeological Monuments in the Rhineland.

“Of course, we can only speculate about the motives, but it’s very likely that someone wanted to keep this money safe. After all, banks didn’t exist back then,” said Erich Classen, state archaeologist and the director of the office.

Classen said it wasn’t clear why the treasure was never recovered before, adding that “perhaps the owner died before that could happen, without being able to pass on the knowledge about the coins.”

Treasure troves from ancient Roman times or other distant eras are not uncommon. However, few from the second century are as extensive as the one found in Wesseling, the archaeological office said, adding that it was difficult to estimate the coins’ value at the time.

However, the pay of Roman legionaries, which is well documented in written sources, provides a point of reference.

“At that time, an ordinary soldier in the legion earned 300 denarii a year. However, about half of that was withheld for food and equipment,” said Rahel Otte, a research associate at the archaeological office.

“A legionary would therefore have had to save all of his disposable income for about six years to amass the Wesseling hoard,” Otte said. She added that it remains unclear exactly who ultimately amassed this considerable fortune.

The Cologne area was under Roman control roughly from 39 BC to AD 459. The Romans established a presence in the region under General Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa to secure their empire’s border along the Rhine River, setting up a military outpost which later became Colonia Agrippina — today’s Cologne.

​ Orange County Register 

20 arrested during Mongols motorcycle club gathering in Cathedral City

• September 22, 2026

Cathedral City police arrested 20 people on suspicion of various offenses in connection with a Mongols Motorcycle Club gathering over the weekend, authorities said.

“When an event brings approximately 1,500 people into our community, it is our responsibility to plan appropriately and ensure we have the resources necessary to protect our residents, businesses, visitors and those attending the event,” Cathedral City Police Chief Rick Sanchez said in a statement Monday. “The increased law enforcement presence was about preparedness and prevention. Our goal was not to create confrontation — it was to prevent it.”

Police, in partnership with other local law enforcement agencies, conducted a “high-visibility enforcement operation” from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Sept. 18 and 19, throughout the region, according to the Cathedral City Police Department.

The department stated that assistance from additional law enforcement personnel was crucial to the operation as the department does not have sufficient staff to handle an event of that size.

The Mongols’ meeting took place Friday through Sunday, Sept 18-20, at Double Tree by Hilton Golf Resort Palm Springs, 67967 Vista Chino.

The operation yielded 15 arrests on suspicion of narcotics violations, weapons violations, possession of stolen property and driving on suspended licenses and warrants on Friday. Additionally, officers recovered three handguns, and issued 42 citations, and five vehicles were stored and/or impounded.

The following day yielded five arrests on suspicion of weapons offenses, and three handguns were seized. Officers issued 35 citations and nine vehicles were stored and/or impounded.

The U.S. Department of Justice has identified the Mongols as an outlaw motorcycle gang.

“This is a documented outlaw motorcycle gang, and we are treating it that way,” Sanchez said in a statement last week.

Other agencies that took part in the operation included the California Highway Patrol, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, Desert Hot Springs Police Department, Palm Springs Police Department, Indio Police Department and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Parole Agents.

“We are very please with how this weekend concluded. A relatively quiet weekend involving an event of this size is exactly what we hoped to achieve,” Sanchez added.

Anyone with additional information regarding the rally was asked to call the department at 760-770-0300, or report tips anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 760-341-7867.

​ Orange County Register 

Betty Liu’s Sesame-Cumin Chicken is double-fried for flavor and crispiness

• September 22, 2026

By BETTY LIU, Voracious

Deep-fry (zhà), a well-known technique where the food is fried in a pool of hot oil, which both cooks it and creates a crispy exterior, is used throughout the “Frying” chapter in my cookbook “The Chinese Way.”

When deep-frying, I use a thermometer, aiming for 350°F to 375°F. Another way to gauge the temperature is to stick a wooden chopstick in the oil, and if tiny bubbles float rapidly up around it the heat is adequate.

Deep-frying often involves a double-fry technique. That method has been traditionally used in Shanghai for shrimp and fish steaks, and it works especially well for chicken. An initial fry at a low temperature seals in the juices and sets the exterior, creating a light coating. Then a second fry at a higher temperature cooks the chicken through and amps up the crispiness.

The coating here is seasoned with cumin and gets the texture from crushed sesame seeds.

Sesame-Cumin Chicken

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 scallions, roughly chopped
• 3 large garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 2 teaspoons grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
• 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 ½ to 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• ¼ cup white sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• ¾ cup potato starch
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

CUMIN SALT:

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika

LEMON MAYONNAISE:

• ¼ cup Kewpie mayonnaise
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Neutral oil, for frying

Directions

Marinate the chicken: Cut the chicken into 1½ to 2-inch chunks. Combine the scallions, garlic, ginger, salt, white pepper, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil and soy sauce in a medium bowl. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.

An hour before cooking, remove the chicken from the fridge and bring to room temperature.

Meanwhile, make the breading: Crush the sesame seeds with the sugar with a mortar and pestle, or pulse in a food processor, until a coarse powder forms. Mix the sesame seed mixture with the potato starch and cumin in a shallow bowl. Set aside.

Make the cumin salt: Stir together and set aside.

Make the lemon mayo, if using: Combine the mayo, lemon juice and garlic in a small bowl. Refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.

Fry the chicken: Heat 2 inches neutral oil to 335°F in a large, deep, heavy pot. Set a wire cooling rack inside a baking sheet, and line a large plate with a few layers of paper towels. Prepare another one for after frying.

Working in batches, remove chicken from marinade, letting any liquid drip off each piece, and place the chicken in breading mix. Flip to coat thoroughly in the breading, then set on first prepared wire rack.

When oil reaches 335°F, gently coat the chicken with more breading mixture, then carefully slip it into the hot oil. Fry for 90 seconds or until the chicken is pale golden and slightly puffy, then transfer to the second wire rack using a slotted spoon.

Repeat the breading and frying process with the remaining chicken, allowing the oil to reach 335°F between batches and using a slotted spoon to remove any loose breading from the oil.

Once the initial frying is complete, increase the oil temperature to 350°F.

Fry each batch again for 3 to 5 minutes, gently turning occasionally, until the chicken is evenly golden brown and has an internal temperature of at least 165°F. Place the fried chicken on the paper towel-lined plate to drain, then sprinkle with the cumin salt.

Serve with the lemon mayonnaise if desired.

Betty Liu is a cookbook author, photographer and doctor completing her surgical residency. An avid home cook who writes about Chinese home cooking on her award-winning blog, she published her debut book, “My Shanghai,” in 2021, and it was named one of the best cookbooks of the year.

Excerpted from “The Chinese Way” by Betty Liu. Copyright (copyright) 2024 by Betty Liu.  Used with permission of Voracious, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company. New York, NY. All rights reserved.

https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/betty-liu/the-chinese-way/9780316485432/

​ Orange County Register 

‘Nearly 100% fatal’ disease on the rise across US. What are risks?

• September 22, 2026

By Gagandeep Singh, The Sacramento Bee

A “nearly 100% fatal” disease is the rise across the United States, prompting federal officials to issue a nationwide health alert.

Since July, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has seen a sharp increase in the number of people exposed to rabies.

How common is rabies and what are the health risks? What should you do if you’re bitten by a rabid animal?

Here’s what you should know:

What is rabies?

Rabies is a deadly but preventable viral disease that primarily affects the central nervous system, the CDC said.

Rabies is “nearly 100% fatal,” the federal health agency said, but can be prevented when “people who have been exposed receive appropriate administration of the rabies vaccine before symptoms begin.”

The disease, which spreads through bites and scratches from infected animals, is most commonly carried by bats, foxes, raccoons and skunks.

People whose jobs involve frequent contact with animals, including agricultural workers, animal control workers and veterinarians, face higher risks of rabies exposure, the CDC said.

How common is rabies in the US?

According to the CDC, an estimated 1.4 million people seek medical care after coming to contact with animals in the United States.

Approximately 100,000 people receive medical care for rabies annually following potential exposure, the CDC said.

In California, rabies is found in about 200 animals each year, most of them wild, according to the California Department of Public Health.

“Rabies infects very few humans in the United States and California,” the state Public Health Agency said.

What are common signs of rabies?

In humans, early rabies symptoms are “very similar to those of the flu,” the Mayo Clinic said.

According to the CDC, initial signs of rabies can include weakness or discomfort, fever or headache, as well as discomfort, prickling or an itching sensation at the site of the bite.

Experts say signs of “advanced rabies” include:

•Anxiety

•Confusion

•Agitation

•Hallucinations

•Being very thirsty but panicked by fluids

•Having lots of saliva

•Aggressive behavior like thrashing and biting

“Nearly all people infected with rabies will go into a coma and die one to two weeks after the start of symptoms,” according to the California Department of Public Health.

Exposure to rabies, demand for vaccines increase in US

On Sept. 10, the CDC issued a Health Alert Network health advisory in response to “recent reports of increases in human exposures to rabid or possibly rabid animals” and as well as errors administering post-exposure medication.

Since July, the CDC said, multiple U.S. jurisdictions have reported “local increases” in people being exposed to rabies.

From July through August, the CDC said it received 17% more rabies-related inquiries than during the same period in 2025, including “reports of mass exposure events.”

During this time frame, at least eight state health departments reported increased use of rabies post-exposure prophylaxis as well as PEP administration errors.

As of Sept. 2, demand for two rabies vaccines had increased roughly 33% in 2026 compared to the same period the previous year, according to weekly pharmacy data tracked by the CDC.

Use of two rabies immunoglobulins, which are given immediately after exposure to prevent the virus from taking root, increased 76% year-over-year, the CDC said.

What should I do if I was exposed to rabies?

“Anyone who has been bitten, scratched or otherwise potentially exposed to a rabid animal should promptly contact a healthcare provider or public health department for guidance,” the CDC said in its health advisory.

Each year, about 100,000 people in the United States are inoculated with the rabies vaccine after being exposed to the disease, the CDC said.

People exposed to rabies receive four to five shots of the vaccine, which is nearly 100% effective at preventing the disease from developing.

The CDC said clinicians should “conduct careful, evidence-based rabies risk assessments” and follow current recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices when post-exposure vaccination or treatment is needed.

How can I prevent the spread of rabies?

According to the California Department of Public Health, you should be wary of animals exhibiting “strange or unnatural behavior.”

Wild animals with rabies may seem unusually tame or unafraid to approach people. Critters normally active at night may appear during the day.

You should also look out for pets that have trouble walking, eating or drinking, or show a personality change.

To protect yourself and your pets from animal bites, the state agency said, you should:

• Leave all wild animals alone. Do not approach, touch or feed any animals that you don’t know.
• Never adopt or bring wild animals into your home.
• Remove food that attracts wild animals by keeping garbage in closed, secure containers.
• Don’t leave pet food outside overnight.
• Seal holes or gaps in your home where bats and other animals could enter.
• Take extra care to avoid animals when traveling abroad.
• Always ask permission before you approach or try to pet another person’s dog that you don’t know.
• Keep pet cats indoors as much as possible.
• If you take your pets off your property, keep them on a leash and under your control at all time

Where are rabies cases being reported in California?

Multiple counties in California have reported rising numbers of animals testing positive for rabies so far in 2026.

In the Bay Area, five rabies-positive bats were found in residential and commercial neighbors in west and north Berkeley, the Berkeley Public Health Division confirmed Aug. 26.

The city has seen zero to two rabid bats annually from 2020 to 2025.

“No human rabies cases have been identified in the city of Berkeley,” officials said.

In June, Alameda County officials confirmed that a domestic cat in Pleasanton had tested positive for rabies.

A dead bat found floating in a Sutter swimming pool in July tested positive for rabies, according to Sutter County officials.

Sutter County health officials also confirmed a bat captured inside a Yuba City home in August was rabid, The Sacramento Bee previously reported.

It was the third rabid bat found in the area in recent months, The Sacramento Bee reported in early September.

Also in September, Yosemite National Park officials confirmed that a big brown bat found dead outside the Curry Village Showerhouse in May tested positive for rabies, The Fresno Bee reported.

As of Sept. 11, Los Angeles County had recorded 61 cases of rabid bat so far in 2026.

“Rabies in bats has increased in the past few years in Los Angeles County,” the Los Angeles County Public Health Department said on its website.” About 15% to 20% of bats tested locally have rabies, but less than 1% of healthy bats in the wild carry the virus.”

In San Diego County, 43 bats had tested positive for rabies as of March.

Neither CDC officials nor local officials have identified a single clear cause behind the uptick.

©2026 The Sacramento Bee. Visit sacbee.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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