• Much of the Bay Area is now in the CDC 'moderate' tier for COVID transmission. As of Wednesday, Alameda, Marin, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Sonoma counties are in the yellow or 'moderate' tier, while Contra Costa, Napa, San Francisco and Solano are still in the orange tier. [Chronicle]
• Drag queens Donna Sachet, Juanita MORE!, and Sister Roma all threw their weight behind the developers of the Grubstake replacement project and the 21 units to be built above it at a rally Monday. Residents of the next-door condo building are appealing the project at the Board of Supervisors next week, and there was a rally opposing their appeal. [Chronicle]
• Amid very low COVID infections and hospitalizations, Santa Cruz County has just dropped its indoor mask mandate, effective immediately. [ABC 7]
• A 38-year-old Pacifica man with a domestic violence restraining order against him was arrested Tuesday near the home of a woman who'd filed the restraining order, in possession of a ghost gun, ammunition, and narcotics. [CBS SF]
• An infestation of fleas has shut down two Oakland elementary schools. [KRON4]
• A former personal assistant to Elizabeth Holmes and Sunny Balwani testified at trial that the couple was very private — and Holmes sought to hide the fact that she was vegan for a time — and seemed very loving with each other, i.e. not abusive as the defense is trying to claim Balwani was. [Mercury News]
• There are now four candidates in the race for mayor of San Jose, including a county supervisor and several city councilmembers. [Hoodline]
• You can still celebrate Oktoberfest in San Francisco and elsewhere around the Bay. [Hoodline]
• China is planning a very restrictive, "closed-loop bubble" for athletes and coaches at the Winter Olympics. [New York Times]
• ... And Britney Spears's dad has been suspended from her conservatorship. [KQED]

Photo: Diane Bentley Raymond/Getty Images