All of the must-read news about the Golden State in one place.
Hi, I’m Mike McPhate, a former California correspondent for the New York Times. I survey more than 100 news and social media sites daily, then send you a tightly crafted email with only the most informative and delightful bits.
Each weekday at about 6 a.m., you’ll get an email like this.
Good morning. It’s Thursday, April 24.
- More controversy over bungled state bar exam.
- California is now the world’s fourth-largest economy.
- And police arrest an alleged “serial cat killer.”
Statewide
1.
In February, the State Bar of California botched the rollout of a new bar exam as technical glitches left many unable to complete the test. Lawsuits were filed. On Wednesday, the agency triggered a new furor when it acknowledged using artificial intelligence to help develop a portion of the exam. Katie Moran, an associate professor at the University of San Francisco School of Law, called it “a staggering admission.” Mary Basick, an assistant dean at UC Irvine Law School, called it unthinkable. “I’m almost speechless,” she said. L.A. Times | Ars Technica
2.
If it were a nation, California would now be the fourth-largest economy in the world, according to new figures from the International Monetary Fund that showed the state surpassing Japan. In 2024, California had a nominal gross domestic product of $4.1 trillion, behind only the U.S., China, and Germany. That year, the state’s economic growth rate of 6% outpaced all three of those countries. Gov. Gavin Newsom cited the data on Wednesday to underscore the threat posed by trade wars. “California’s economy powers the nation,” he said. S.F. Chronicle
Northern California
3.
A developer trying to get a housing project approved in the Bay Area city of Antioch last summer handed a city councilman a travel mug filled with $5,000 in cash, according to a federal indictment. What David Sanson, 60, didn’t know was that the lawmaker had tipped off the FBI before the meeting, which was recorded with clandestine cameras. Prosecutors this week announced bribery charges against Sanson and his son. Sanson’s lawyer, Winston Chan, said he is a respected businessman whose name “is being dragged through the mud.” KQED
4.
When Elon Musk was preparing to buy Twitter in 2022, he vowed to make it a citadel of free speech, saying he planned to steward an open marketplace of ideas that would be “important to the future of civilization.” But a new analysis found that people who criticize Musk are finding their accounts mysteriously suppressed. Three users saw their reach “practically vanish overnight,” the New York Times wrote.
5.
The economics analyst Rachel Dec wrote a skeptical piece about the visions of abundance embraced in the tech world of San Francisco:
“At parties fuelled by high-end champagne, White Claw and McNuggets, any number of evangelists will offer prophecies of prosperity. But are we heading for fully-automated luxury communism or the Depression-era Hooverville version? No one here can really tell me, but still they sprint full-speed ahead.” Dispatch
6.
On Wednesday, YouTube celebrated 20 years since its first video was uploaded on April 23, 2005, a grainy 19-second clip of a man at the San Diego Zoo. “All right, so here we are in front of the elephants,” he says. Since that unassuming start, more than 20 billion videos have been uploaded to YouTube, the Bay Area company said. The New York Times and Engadget curated the biggest moments, from “Lazy Sunday” and Rebecca Black to “Kony 2012” and “Where the Hell is Matt?”
7.
A few Saturdays ago, a massive rabbit went viral online after a television broadcast captured it enjoying a Giants game at San Francisco’s Oracle Park. His name is Alex The Great, a 28-pound rabbit rescued from a kill farm in Modesto that is now an in-demand therapy bunny. According to his owner Josh Row, Alex attends about 15 Giants games every season. Over the years, the fluffy animal has taught Row so much, he said: “The more important things are just to chill out and take care of yourself. That’s what he does every day.” Washington Post
Southern California
8.
Between 2020 and 2023, Riverside County jails had the highest homicide rate among large jails in California. Murders, overdoses, and other deaths made the jail system the second-deadliest in the nation during that period. In 2022, the worst year, 19 inmates died. A journalism investigation found that a pattern of security failures by inexperienced staff had contributed to homicides. Riverside County’s sheriff, Chad Bianco, who is running for governor, declined to respond to requests for comment. N.Y. Times/Desert Sun
9.
The authorities on Tuesday arrested a 45-year-old man with a lengthy criminal record in connection with the mass felling of trees in downtown Los Angeles late last week. Police sources said Samuel Groft was in possession of a chainsaw when he was arrested. He was living on the streets and had been previously convicted of assault with a deadly weapon, vandalism, and a hit-and-run. Social media accounts under Groft’s name show him ranting conspiratorially about weaponized tech putting voices in people’s heads. L.A. Times
10.
Santa Ana police arrested a man on Wednesday whom they described as a “serial cat killer.” The local authorities said that for weeks people had been making reports of suspected animal abuse and cats gone missing from loving homes. Alejandro Acosta, 45, was seen using cat food to lure cats, some residents said. During a search of his residence on Wednesday, police found evidence of “dozens” of dead cats, they said. A law enforcement source said that Acosta had confessed. KTLA | Fox 11 | Patch
11.
“Lucha libre was lucha libre before Hulk Hogan was Hulk Hogan.”
At wrestling rings across Los Angeles, masked wrestlers are elbow-smashing and body-slamming one another in front of rapturous crowds as part of the pastime known as lucha libre, the Mexican version of professional wrestling. The New York Times published a fantastic photo essay.
12.
First-time visitors to Los Angeles are known, at times, to react with surprise to the rolling hills and mountains that encircle it. One of the finest ways to fill an afternoon in the city is to hike up Mount Hollywood, the premier peak in Griffith Park. After a 1.5-mile ascent that starts from the Griffith Observatory parking lot, hikers reach an overlook with a manicured garden, picnic tables, and spectacular views of the entire L.A. basin. Mark Garcia captured a flowery view along the trail last Saturday, pictured above. Outdoor Project | SoCal Hiker
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