Good morning. It’s Thursday, March 7.
- San Francisco is said to lose progressive identity.
- Armorer on “Rust” set is found guilty of manslaughter.
- And three eye-catching homes in the California desert.
Election 2024
1.
“San Francisco can no longer be called a progressive city.”
So concluded the San Francisco Chronicle on Wednesday, a day after voters resoundingly backed measures to loosen restrictions on the police and screen welfare recipients for drug use. Another measure to boost developers was poised to pass. “Progressives,” the newspaper wrote, “are looking at a thin bench of future leaders and staring down a deep-pocketed tech community that thinks their policies are destroying the city.” S.F. Chronicle
- Clara Jeffery, editor-in-chief of San Francisco-based Mother Jones, objected to the Chronicle’s framing: “Blocking housing and algebra for 8th graders is not progressive.” @ClaraJeffery
2.
Rep. Katie Porter rose to Democratic stardom by chastising pharmaceutical executives with a whiteboard on Capitol Hill. It’s unclear now where she will go after her loss in the U.S. Senate primary because she had to relinquish her House seat to run. By doing so, she created an opening for a potential Republican takeover of her battleground seat in Orange County. Katrina Foley, a local Democratic lawmaker, said she was reluctant to criticize Porter for following her ambition: “I am also cognizant of the timing of things. We are in a more vulnerable place because of the Senate race.” N.Y. Times
- Columnist George Skelton: Rep. Adam Schiff’s ploy to boost a weak challenger may have helped his campaign, but he cheapened himself in the process. L.A. Times
3.
Other election updates:
Shasta County shakeup
Two members of the hard-right majority on Shasta County’s Board of Supervisors appeared poised to lose their seats on Wednesday. Early votes showed support for recalling Supervisor Kevin Crye, and a political newcomer had a commanding lead over incumbent Patrick Jones. Jefferson Public Radio
Rightward turn in Surf City
Huntington Beach voters approved measures to require voter identification at the polls and effectively ban flying the pride flag at City Hall. The results are still unofficial, but the main opposition conceded defeat on Wednesday. Reuters
Big win for L.A. bikers
Los Angeles voters overwhelmingly endorsed an initiative that forces the city to add hundreds of miles of bike and bus lanes. “This says people in Los Angeles want change, they want safer streets, and they want the city to follow through on their promises,” said Michael Schneider, an advocate of the measure known as HLA. L.A. Times | NBC Los Angeles
- See latest House race results.
- See local results for San Diego County, Orange County, Los Angeles County, the Central Valley, the San Francisco Bay Area, and other Northern California counties.
Statewide
4.
The parties who negotiated California’s fast food minimum wage law signed nondisclosure agreements, multiple sources told KCRA. News of the legally binding shroud of secrecy comes as Gov. Gavin Newsom faces scrutiny over a Bloomberg report that he pushed for a carve-out that would benefit a longtime campaign donor. Chris Micheli, a lawmaking professor and Sacramento lobbyist, called the development “unprecedented.” “I’ve never heard of anyone using an NDA when it comes to legislative negotiations,” he said. Asked if he was aware of the agreements, Newsom’s office declined to respond. KCRA
5.
As big insurers flee California, a growing number of homeowners are obtaining coverage from a state-created “last resort” insurance program that provides protection where the private market won’t. But as California takes on more and more risk, it’s largely dodged the question of how they will absorb the cost of a truly major catastrophe. A reporting team produced an alarming project on “a hidden crisis in U.S. housing.” Bloomberg
6.
The seven states that draw from the Colorado River face new battle lines over how to divvy up the increasingly scarce water resource after current rules expire at the end of 2026. In short, the four upriver states, led by Colorado, argue that they face disproportionate scarcity during dry winters, so states in the lower basin should bear the brunt of cuts. Those states — California, Arizona, and Nevada — want the sacrifice to be shared more broadly. “Ultimately this will get resolved but not without some elbows and shoving,” said Brad Udall, a climate scientist. Reuters | Washington Post
Northern California
7.
In 2020, real estate investors bought a rent-controlled apartment building in San Francisco and then moved to evict its four tenants. But one of the renters, 94-year-old Helen Byrne, has lived in her unit for more than eight decades — and she intends to die there. The other residents have rallied around her, also refusing to leave. Cecilia Matias helps look after Byrne, who lives alone: “I told her, ‘You think you don’t have a family, but you have. It’s me. No matter what, I’ll take care of you.'” NBC Bay Area
8.
Last November, a hiker’s grainy iPhone picture of a rare pale-colored American badger in Point Reyes National Seashore made the rounds on news sites and social media. Now a wildlife photographer named Vishal Subramanyan has captured a series of National Geographic-worthy pictures of the creature, which is believed to be erythristic, caused by a genetic mutation that turns hair white and reddish. Subramanyan recounted his patient quest to find the badger in a photo essay for Bay Nature.
Forget NPR. People with style carry California Sun totes.
Offered now in magnificent black and tan.
9.
On Nov. 14, two mountain lions were found wandering below the Santa Cruz Mountains near Hillsborough after their mother was fatally struck on Interstate 280. They were about 2 months old, starving, and dehydrated. Rehabilitated by veterinarians, the sisters, dubbed Maple and Willow, are now plumped up and playful in an enclosure at the Oakland Zoo. You can peek in on them thanks to the zoo’s new CubCam. 👉 Oaklandzoo.org | KRON
Southern California
10.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on the “Rust” film set where a cinematographer was fatally shot, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter by a New Mexico jury on Wednesday. Prosecutors argued that Gutierrez-Reed, 26, exhibited a pattern of negligence, leaving her prop cart in disarray and failing to promptly secure weapons. Her defenders said she was a scapegoat for a production rife with safety issues. She faces 18 months in prison. Alec Baldwin, who was holding the gun when it went off, also faced a charge of involuntary manslaughter. Hollywood Reporter | L.A. Times
- See the reading of the verdict. 👉 YouTube
11.
In the 1930s, Chinese immigrants Lloyd and Margaret Dong were unable to find housing in Coronado because of racist restrictions. A Black entrepreneurial couple, Gus and Emma Thompson, allowed the Dong family to rent and eventually buy their Coronado property when nobody else would. More than 80 years later, the Dongs’ children are now using proceeds from selling the home to donate $5 million to Black college students. Lloyd Dong Jr. said the Thompsons made their lives possible. “Without them, we would not have the education and everything else.” NBC News
12.
Here are three eye-catching homes on the market in the Southern California desert — one historic, another fanciful, and a third off the grid.
- In Palm Springs, newly listed midcentury-modern comes with glass walls, a pool, and a classic butterfly roof. Built in 1957, it was designed by William Krisel, a pioneer of desert modernism. Asking price: $2.5 million. N.Y. Times
- A home in Palm Desert caught the attention of Zillow Gone Wild, which highlights zany homes. Built in 1974, it includes a dining room platform that rises into an open-air “glass turret” with 360-degree views of the Coachella Valley. Yours for $1.2 million. KTLA | @zillowgonewild
- A minimalist home in Pioneertown, pictured above, sits on a 10-acre lot scattered with Joshua trees and massive boulders. The backyard opens onto a magnificent volcanic mesa called Black Lava Butte. Asking: $4.2 million. The Spaces
I count on word of mouth to grow the California Sun. Please consider sharing it with a friend. Send them here.
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.