Good morning. It’s Tuesday, Feb. 21.
- Frigid cold and snow to plunge into California.
- The oldest Black church in Oakland destroyed by fire.
- And a man is arrested in killing of beloved L.A. bishop.
Statewide
1.
A new drug is gaining a foothold in California’s street drug supply, with ghastly effects. Xylazine, commonly known as “tranq,” is used by veterinarians to tranquilize animals. But since as early as the 2000s, it’s been mixed with opioids to heighten their effects, inducing a blackout stupor for hours. For injection users, it can cause wounds so severe that some result in amputation. At least four people who died in San Francisco late last year had tranq in their systems, officials said. S.F. Chronicle | L.A. Times
2.
“The coldest storm of the season, and possibly of the last several years.”
— NWS Los Angeles
Stormy weather diving south into California Wednesday through Friday is expected to deliver powerful winds and exceptionally cold air as far south as San Diego. Some weather models hinted that snow flurries could fall at sea level. The UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain downplayed that prospect beyond perhaps the North Coast. But he said the snowline could drop as low as 1,000 feet, meaning nearly every Californian will be able to see snow if they look in the right direction. Accuweather | S.F. Chronicle
3.
“I have everything to make me glad I am alive. I am filled with dreams and mysteries. I am all sun and air and sparkle. I am vitalized, organic.”
There’s something therapeutic about the beauty of California’s countryside, as Jack London once attested in an essay written from his ranch in Sonoma County, quoted above. After the January rains, the state’s valleys and sculpted hills are as inviting as ever right now, everywhere covered in brilliant green. Three views captured in recent weeks. 👇
Northern California
4.
The oldest Black church in Oakland was destroyed by a fire late Sunday. The cause of the blaze at First African Methodist Episcopal Church, which was empty, is under investigation. A witness told reporters he saw someone with the sort of lighter commonly used by drug users on the church’s porch shortly before it went up in flames. The church, known as FAME Oakland, opened in 1858 and remained the only Black church in Oakland for decades. S.F. Chronicle | KGO
5.
In an article in the Stanford Daily, a student newspaper, four former Genentech scientists said data in a 2009 study co-authored by Stanford University President Marc Tessier-Lavigne had been falsified. The study, published in the journal Nature, identified a molecule that could explain neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s patients, a finding described as the “miracle result.” But it fell apart upon scrutiny, according to the report by Theo Baker, a Stanford freshman. Tessier-Lavigne called the story “replete with falsehoods.” Stanford Daily | S.F. Chronicle
6.
Remote work is costing San Francisco roughly $3 billion a year. The estimate comes from new research showing that the city’s workforce is spending roughly a third fewer days in the office than they did before the pandemic. That’s resulted in the average San Francisco worker spending roughly $3,567 less per year on meals, shopping, and entertainment near their offices. SF Standard
7.
There’s a restaurant along Monterey Bay reached by a cable car that slides up and down a steep canyon. Opened in 1947, Shadowbrook Restaurant is nestled along the cliffside of Soquel Creek in Capitola. Before the funicular was added, patrons arrived via an old World War II amphibious vehicle. The travel reporter John Bartell paid a visit. YouTube/ABC10 (~2 mins)
Southern California
8.
On Monday, two days after the killing of a beloved Los Angeles Catholic bishop, the authorities said they had arrested the husband of a woman who worked as a housekeeper for the cleric. Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell, 69, was fatally shot Saturday in his home in Hacienda Heights. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said investigators linked Carlos Medina, 65, to the crime after finding surveillance video that showed his SUV in the driveway at the time of the killing. The motive remained unclear. L.A. Times | Vacaville Reporter
9.
Culver City High School eliminated honors English classes for its freshmen and sophomores this year to try to improve racial equity. School officials cited data showing that Asian American students made up a far higher share of honors English classes than they did of the school population. For Latino students, the imbalance was flipped. A group of parents is fighting the change. “I just don’t see how removing something from some kids all of a sudden helps other kids learn faster,” said Scott Peters, an education researcher. Wall Street Journal
10.
Federally funded Section 8 vouchers were designed to help low-income residents keep a roof over their heads. But in Los Angeles, where rents are high and vacancies are low, finding a place to live with a housing voucher can feel ultimately impossible. “Los Angeles is the capital of housing voucher discrimination,” said Aaron Carr, a housing rights watchdog. “It lacks enforcement, and it lacks housing, which is a death sentence for many voucher holders.” N.Y. Times
11.
“Say it ain’t so.”
The return of an oceanfront property to its former Black owners in Manhattan Beach last summer was hailed as a reparations milestone. In 1924, the owners of Bruce’s Beach, Charles and Willa Bruce, were driven from town by disgruntled white neighbors. It took nearly a century, thousands of lawyer hours, and legislation to correct the injustice. Then, in January, the Bruce heirs sold the land back to the county for $20 million. The decision has disappointed some activists. N.Y. Times
12.
“If your axle is a-saggin’, go see Cal.
Maybe you need a station wagon, go see Cal.
If your wife has started naggin’, and your tail pipe is a-draggin’
Go see Cal, go see Cal, go see Cal.”
Cal Worthington, who died in 2013, built an empire of 27 car dealerships in Southern California with relentless off-the-wall commercials that made him a household name in the 1970s and 1980s. Now his family has announced the sale of the last dealership to bear the pitchman’s name, marking the end of an era. L.A. Times | KABC
Correction
An earlier version of this newsletter misspelled the name of a church in Los Angeles. It is St. Frances X. Cabrini Catholic Church, not St. Francis X. Cabrini Catholic Church.
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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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