Good morning. It’s Wednesday, Feb. 7.
- Rep. Tom McClintock helps scuttle impeachment effort.
- AT&T seeks to get out of the landline business.
- And Gina Carano sues Disney over “Mandalorian” firing.
Statewide
1.
In a stunning setback, House Republicans on Tuesday failed to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the U.S-Mexico border after three G.O.P. lawmakers voted with Democrats. The final tally: 216 to 214. Among those defecting was Rep. Tom McClintock, of Elk Grove, who accused his colleagues of trying to make crimes out of what amounted to policy disagreements. “Do Republicans really wish to establish an expansive view of impeachment that will surely be turned against conservatives on the Supreme Court or a future Republican president if Congress changes hands?” he asked. Sacramento Bee
2.
Last fall, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill to decriminalize possession of psychedelics but signaled his readiness to allow therapeutic use. Now a bipartisan pair of lawmakers has taken him up on that prospect, introducing a bill on Tuesday that would allow people over the age of 21 to consume psilocybin mushrooms, MDMA, DMT, and mescaline under professional supervision. Oregon enacted a similar measure last year and waitlists at 20 licensed centers grew into the thousands. CalMatters | A.P.
3.
Developments from California’s storms:
- As rains eased on Tuesday, the toll came into sharper focus: at least 9 people killed; 475 mudslides and 390 fallen trees across Los Angeles; as much as $11 billion in damages. L.A. Times | KABC | Accuweather
- Homes teetered on the edge of a cliff in Isla Vista after the hillside below gave way. See drone video. 👉 Fox Weather
- On Jan. 22, an extraordinary deluge unleashed floods across San Diego. Only now is the full devastation becoming apparent. At least 1,000 people were displaced from their homes, according to an analysis by Voice of San Diego.
4.
“Please don’t let them drop us!”
AT&T wants to get out of the landline business in California. The Dallas-based telecommunications giant recently asked state regulators to release it from its landline obligations given the widespread availability of cell service. Landlines, the company wrote, are “fast becoming a historical curiosity.” The proposal has rattled many landline users, especially in rural and tribal territories where cell coverage is unreliable. Ars Technica | Mercury News
5.
The nation’s largest solar and energy-storage project became fully operational last month in the Mojave Desert. Stretching across more than 7 square miles in Kern County, the Edwards Sanborn Solar and Energy Storage project includes nearly 2 million solar panels and more than 120,000 batteries. With 3,300 megawatt-hours of capacity, it is the largest battery storage system in the world. (The second largest is in Monterey County). NASA’s Earth Observatory shared a satellite image of the Mojave installation.
Northern California
6.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday that he was sending 120 additional California Highway Patrol officers to Oakland and the surrounding region, a ninefold increase aimed at restoring safety in the city. In 2023, reports of violent crime rose 3% in San Francisco and fell 3% in Los Angeles. In Oakland, the figure soared 21%. Mayor Sheng Thao, who is facing a recall effort, welcomed the CHP deployment. “The surge of crime and violence that we are seeing in our streets is completely unacceptable,” she said. Mercury News | KTVU
- Oakland’s sole Denny’s became the latest business to close over crime concerns. S.F. Chronicle
7.
In a podcast interview released on Tuesday, the mayor of Las Vegas, Carolyn Goodman, unexpectedly criticized the plan to relocate the Oakland A’s to her city, saying it “does not make sense.” Team owner John Fisher, she said, needs to listen to Oaklanders: “It’s their team.” Goodman’s remarks ricocheted across the sports world, delighting A’s fans. “We’re kind of surprised because we’re used to politicians saying, ‘C’mon down to our town,'” said Jorge Leon, leader of the fan group Oakland 68’s. “So it’s a breath of fresh air.” S.F. Chronicle | ESPN
8.
Tracy Chapman’s duet with Luke Combs at the Grammys on Sunday drew rapturous applause and sent her song “Fast Car” to No. 1 on iTunes. Amid the burst of renewed attention toward Chapman, 59, many San Franciscans were surprised to learn that she lives in their city. “She’s not part of the socialite scene or involved in politics, and she seems to mostly avoid major events,” wrote reporter Heather Knight. N.Y. Times
Give something they’ll open every day.
Give the gift of the California Sun.
9.
Just up the coast from Sonoma County’s historic Russian settlement of Fort Ross, a collection of ornate structures topped with onion-shaped domes peeks through the redwood trees. Built in the 1970s, Gualala’s St. Orres Inn pays tribute to the region’s Russian heritage. Visitors have described the ambience, including clear views of the misty coast, as impossibly romantic. The travel reporter John Bartell paid a visit. ABC10
- When Russia settled California. California Sun
Southern California
10.
The actress Gina Carano filed a wrongful-termination lawsuit against Disney on Tuesday — and Elon Musk is helping foot the bill. Carano was fired from “The Mandalorian” in 2021 amid a fan backlash that erupted after she implied that holding conservative-leaning views is akin to being Jewish during the Holocaust. Her lawsuit, arguing discrimination, notes that Pedro Pascal, the “Mandalorian” lead, has repeatedly compared former President Trump and his supporters to Nazis. Wall Street Journal | Deadline
11.
After Cary Grant married actress Virginia Cherrill in 1934, the couple stayed with a roommate at the Algonquin Hotel: Grant’s friend and fellow actor Randolph Scott. “The three of us get along so well,” Cherrill explained to a reporter at the time. The men lived together off and on for more than a decade in a bond that outlasted multiple failed marriages between them. In a fascinating piece, reporter David Canfield depicted the relationship between Scott and Hollywood’s most debonair leading man as a same-sex romance stifled under the gaze of old Hollywood. Vanity Fair
12.
Since its opening in 1998, a 100-foot-tall black cube that appears to be balancing on one of its points has become one of Santa Ana’s most recognizable landmarks. At night, the edges of the children’s museum known as the Discovery Cube are illuminated by colorful LED lights. The photographer Ryan Torres recently captured a fantastic time-lapse. @ryantorresphotography
- A new temporary exhibit at the Cube lets visitors wander among a giant large-scale model of the solar system. NBC Los Angeles
Get your California Sun T-shirts, phone cases, hoodies, mugs, and hats!
Thanks for reading!
The California Sun is written by Mike McPhate, a former California correspondent for the New York Times.
Make a one-time contribution to the California Sun.
Give a subscription as a gift.
Get a California Sun mug, T-shirt, phone case, hat, or hoodie.
Forward this email to a friend.
Click here to stop delivery, and here to update your billing information. To change your email address please email me: mike@californiasun.co. (Note: Unsubscribing here does not cancel payments. To do that click here.)
The California Sun, PO Box 6868, Los Osos, CA 93412
Wake up to must-read news from around the Golden State delivered to your inbox each morning.