"Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the COVID-19 State of Emergency will end on February 28, 2023"
[Over in the D.C. Circuit, here's the latest revised protocols for in-person and hybrid oral arguments and revised mask policy]
Here's some nice language from a published opinion here about writ relief:
It is appropriate to review discovery orders via writ of mandate when “we are presented with a question of first impression which is of general importance to the trial courts and to the profession, and in conjunction with which general guidelines can be laid down for future cases.” (Rudnick v. Superior Court (1974) 11 Cal.3d 924, 928.)