Half of Republicans say California "not really American" // Tragedy of the Great Sriracha Shortage

Good morning. It’s Wednesday, Feb. 14.

Half of Republicans say California “not really American.”
Palestine protesters defy call to disperse at Stanford.
And the tragic story of the Great Sriracha Shortage.

Statewide

1.

In 1967, the novelist Wallace Stegner memorably wrote: “Like the rest of America, California is unformed, innovative, ahistorical, hedonistic, acquisitive, and energetic — only more so.”

Yet in 2024, 48% of Republicans believe the state is “not really American,” according to a new poll. Rising partisanship could help explain dismal views of a state dominated by Democrats. Another result from the survey was more perplexing: Three in 10 Republicans said the home of Joshua Tree, Big Sur, and Yosemite has a worse natural environment than most other states. L.A. Times

2.

After House Republicans voted Tuesday to impeach Alejandro Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary, over his handling of the southern border, Rep. Judy Chu, a California Democrat, explained why she missed the vote. “Unfortunately, I recently tested positive for COVID-19 and am isolating in accordance with CDC guidelines,” she wrote on X. Her absence turned out to decisive: The impeachment vote was 214 to 213. San Gabriel Valley Tribune | The Hill

Rep. Tom McClintock of California was one of the few Republicans to oppose the measure — again. “The Constitution hasn’t changed since last week, so my vote is not going to change,” he said. NewsNation

3.

Meteorologists said two more rounds of rain and snow are on track to arrive this week — a minor system centered on Northern California Wednesday into Thursday followed by a powerful storm raking most of the state from Saturday through Tuesday. The weekend forecast has local officials preparing for a possible encore of damaging floods. “There is a growing risk for flooding, mudslides, mountain snow, and gusty winds,” the National Weather Service office in Los Angeles wrote. Accuweather | Fox Weather

See predicted timing and intensity:
- Northern California
- Southern California
New video showed mansions teetering atop an eroded cliff in Dana Point. 👉 FOX 11
Satellite images revealed the Sierra’s replenished snowpack. 👉 The Guardian

Northern California

4.

Mark Farrell served as interim mayor in 2018 after the death of Mayor Ed Lee. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Mark Farrell, a venture capitalist who filled in as mayor of San Francisco for part of 2018, announced that he is running to get his job back, joining a field of challengers who have vowed tough action on crime and homelessness. His first order of business if elected, Farrell said: fire the police chief. Clearing homeless encampments would come next. “I have watched San Francisco crumble over the last five years since I left City Hall,” he said. “People don’t feel safe.” SF Standard

5.

In 2023, the owners of Big Valley Market in rural Lassen County paid Pacific Gas & Electric nearly $40,000 for electricity, roughly two-thirds of the store’s total annual profit. This year, the rate will climb another 17%. “I called PG&E and I said ‘Are you trying to put us out of business? Are you trying to kill small town America?’” said owner Tammy Babcock. To keep the store afloat, the Babcocks have resorted to working outside jobs. CalMatters

6.

Protesting students have erected tents on Stanford’s campus. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Stanford students have been camping on a campus plaza for nearly four months in a demand to “stop genocide” in Gaza. Fed up, university leaders last Thursday ordered them to disperse or face disciplinary action. The students have refused. Late Monday, in response to the university’s ultimatum, hundreds of people waved banners in the plaza and chanted “Stanford, Stanford, you must divest.” NBC Bay Area | Stanford Daily

7.

Two teenagers died while “surfing” on top of BART trains in San Francisco in a span of two weeks. Daniel Baran, 19, a Skyline College student and aspiring lawyer, was last seen climbing out of a train on Jan. 29. He was later found dead on the tracks. On Feb. 11, an unidentified 15-year-old boy died along the same tracks. His mother recalled how he sought glory on social media for his stunts; a commenter on a video once called him “the next Tom Cruise.” “What 15-year-old wouldn’t want attention like that?” she said. SF Standard

8.

Jenny Cavnar is the Athletics’ new play-by-play announcer. (Sam Wasson/Getty Images)

“It is a dream come true.”

For the first time, a woman will serve as the full-time play-by-play announcer for a Major League Baseball team after the Oakland A’s announced the hiring of Jenny Cavnar on Tuesday. Cavnar’s most recent job was with the Colorado Rockies, where she filled in as the play-by-play announcer for a game in 2018, making her the second woman in the league to do so. Cavnar replaces Glen Kuiper, who was fired last year after uttering the n-word during a broadcast. ESPN | L.A. Times

The A’s could remain in Oakland for several more years after all. Officials are meeting Thursday to discuss using the Oakland Coliseum until the construction of a new home in Las Vegas is completed in 2028. S.F. Chronicle

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Southern California

9.

Two suspects went on what appeared to be “a random murder spree” across the Los Angeles region Sunday night and Monday morning that left four people dead, including a teenage boy, the authorities said on Tuesday. Gary Garcia Jr., 42, and Timberland McKneely, 20, who were both arrested, had suspected gang ties, according to investigators. Among the victims were two juveniles, shot in the small city of Cudahy shortly after midnight. Javier Pedraza Jr., 14, died on the spot, while the other is expected to survive. L.A. Times | KABC

10.

David Tran, the founder of Sriracha, broke ties with his pepper supplier. (Gina Ferazzi/L.A. Times via Getty Images)

One Southern California man has thousands of acres of peppers, but nobody to buy them. Another has a massive pepper factory, and not enough peppers to keep it running.

This, in short, is the crux of the Great Sriracha Shortage. In gripping prose, reporter Indrani Sen told the story of how the symbiotic relationship that produced one of America’s most beloved chili sauces fell apart. FORTUNE

11.

The sepsis deaths of bottlenose dolphins in San Diego may be linked to the Tijuana River sewage crisis, according to a new report from San Diego State University. Noting that more than 100 billion gallons of untreated sewage have flowed into Southern California’s Tijuana River Estuary in the past five years, the researchers said the dolphins are “sentinels” for what has grown into a “pressing public health crisis.” Coronado Times | S.D. Union-Tribune

12.

Now people are parachuting from downtown Los Angeles’ graffiti towers. Video posted online showed so-called BASE jumpers leaping from the top of a skyscraper in the vacant Oceanwide Plaza development, which taggers have covered in paint. Mayor Karen Bass said on Tuesday that enough is enough: “I guarantee you tragedy will take place there if that place is not boarded up quickly.” NBC Los Angeles | L.A. Times

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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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