Good morning. It’s Wednesday, Nov. 20.

• California voters reject minimum wage increase.
• North State braces for powerful atmospheric river.
• And L.A. declares itself a “sanctuary” for migrants.

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Statewide

1.

California voters narrowly rejected a ballot initiative that would have lifted the minimum wage to $18 an hour, up from $16. After two weeks of uncertainty, the Associated Press called the race for Proposition 32 Tuesday evening, with 50.8% of voters opposed. While Californians have historically supported efforts to lift wages, opponents said inflation fatigue weighed heavily on minds this time around. “Voters know who pays for wage mandates like Proposition 32 — they do,” said Jot Condie, a restaurant industry spokesman. CalMatters | L.A. Times

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2.

California played an outsize role in the election as a symbol of liberal ideas that push the boundaries for moderate voters. As Gov. Gavin Newsom fashions himself again as a leader of the Democratic resistance to President-elect Donald Trump, outgoing Sen. Laphonza Butler offered some advice:

“I don’t believe Gov. Newsom was elected to be the governor of the resistance… I hope that the lesson from any of this is a reminder for all of us that we are public servants, that we are here to serve the people who send us, and the governor of California has to be the governor of all of California.” L.A. Times

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3.

In 2018, Newsom announced that he would become the first governor to release his taxes every year while in office, drawing high praise from good-governance advocates. But he last disclosed a tax return nearly three years ago. The finances of the governor, who owns a wine and entertainment empire, came under renewed scrutiny after recent reports that he bought a $9 million mansion in Marin County, from which he plans to commute to Sacramento. Reached by a reporter, a spokesman for Newsom declined to provide any of his latest tax returns. CalMatters

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4.

Two of the country’s biggest carrot growers are in the valley surrounding New Cuyama, just over the mountains from Santa Barbara, where they account for nearly 70% of the arid area’s total water use. The growers are draining both the groundwater and the tiny farming town’s budget in a costly legal battle over their right to pump. Heather Williams, an expert on water issues at Pomona College, noted that the growers can move on, unlike New Cuyama’s residents. “These are their homes, their small farms. If the well goes dry, it’s worth basically nothing,” she said. “They can’t pay lawyers for ten years of litigation.” Forbes (See editor’s note below)

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Northern California

5.

A so-called bomb cyclone intensified off the West Coast late Tuesday as it prepared to deliver a dayslong onslaught of drenching rain, heavy snow, and powerful winds across Northern California. Reports of toppled trees began to mount late Tuesday along the North Coast as gusts topped out at roughly 80 mph, the National Weather Service said. James White, a meteorologist in the service’s Eureka office, warned residents to stay home through Wednesday. “Just don’t travel unless you really, really need to,” he said. Eureka Times-Standard | Accuweather

• See satellite view of the cyclone approaching the Pacific Northwest. 👉 @US_Stormwatch
• See a live wind visualization. 👉 Earth.nullschool.net

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6.

After a week of intensifying pressure on San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus to step down, county supervisors took a dramatic step on Tuesday, scheduling a public vote that would allow the board to fire the elected sheriff. Supervisor Noelia Corzo called the measure “absolutely necessary.” “Let me be clear. Public safety is at stake now,” he said. Corpus, who has been accused of fostering a climate of intimidation and dysfunction in her office, has refused to leave. “This is an attack,” she told KGO on Monday. “It’s a coup.” S.F. Chronicle | Mercury News

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7.

The journalist J.B. MacKinnon wrote an empathetic deep dive on “the other side” of the Klamath River dam removals.

“I find myself holding two realities in mind that seem hardly able, these days, to share the same space. The first is that the dams have amounted to an ongoing assault on Indigenous communities and rights, and on the many fish that move between fresh water and the sea. … The second is that the identities of many people here — their memories, ways of life, worldviews, sense of purpose, idea of home — are bound up in the dammed landscape and even the dams themselves.” Hakai Magazine

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8.

For years, Bay Area prosecutors excluded Black and Jewish jurors on the grounds that they were less likely to deliver death sentences, evidence showed. The practice may have remained hidden if not for John Quatman, a former prosecutor who faced becoming a traitor in the eyes of his former colleagues. His wife put it bluntly: “You have a moral duty to tell the truth,” she told him. It made Quatman sick to his stomach. The New Yorker gave a remarkable account of misplaced ethics in the Alameda County prosecutor’s office.

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9.

Tech companies have shed nearly 150,000 workers in 2024, according to the job-loss tracker Layoffs.fyi. The layoffs have bred despondency among many former workers. Then there are those like Sandy McClenahan, who pivoted to making hats. “I’ve amazed myself with what I’ve learned to do — I shock myself constantly,” she said. “This was all sitting within me, dormant, shoved underneath too many emails and work meetings and not being able to turn myself off.” SF Standard

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10.

“I’ll tell you, [Humboldt] has a hold on me.”
— Ken Jarvela, artist

“We have people that think differently.”
— Brett McFarland, musician

“The loggers have gotten a bad rap.”
— Eric Hollenbeck, woodworker

Peter Santenello, a popular YouTuber who specializes in unseen corners of America, visited the characters of Humboldt County for his latest video: “The California no one knows.” Local journalists gave the effort high marks. YouTube (~70 mins)

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Southern California

11.

Los Angeles’ City Council declared the city a “sanctuary” for migrants in a unanimous vote on Tuesday, prohibiting the use of city resources on immigration enforcement. The law does not prevent the Trump administration from carrying out mass deportations in Los Angeles, as it has vowed to do. But it signaled the city’s resolve to stand with its unauthorized immigrants. “We know that there is a target on our back from this president-elect, and what we are doing here is we are hardening our defenses,” said Councilmember Bob Blumenfield. L.A. Times | A.P.

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12.

There used to be more than 700 Disneyland-obsessed social clubs in California with names such as Walt’s Most Wanted, The Neverland Mermaids, and Main Street Elite. Their members, known as “Disney adults,” were a near-constant weekend presence at Disney’s two Anaheim theme parks, where they roamed in packs and staged “ride takeovers.” But soaring ticket prices and a strict online reservation system has now driven many of them to bowling and mini golf instead. “The scene is just not what it used to be,” Jake Fite, a 48-year-old member of the White Rabbits Social Club. “It’s really sad.” Wall Street Journal

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Editor’s note:

This newsletter mistakenly included a 2023 Forbes article about a water fight in New Cuyama that is presented as if it were newly published. No corrections are necessary, but you can find more recent reporting here.

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The California Sun is written by Mike McPhate, a former California correspondent for the New York Times.

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