Good morning. It’s Thursday, April 11.
- California state workers are ordered back to the office.
- Agitation over eclipse cited in L.A. murder-suicide.
- And Calexico’s transgender mayor faces recall campaign.
Statewide
1.
Nearly 70% of State Farm property policy holders in Los Angeles’ Pacific Palisades neighborhood are about to lose their insurance, amounting to more than 1,600 nonrenewals, according to the insurer’s filings. That makes the affluent enclave surrounded by the Santa Monica Mountains the hardest hit by the overhaul at State Farm, which plans drop 72,000 policies across California this summer. Other cancellations are clustered in Sonoma County, the Sierra foothills, and the Santa Cruz Mountains. S.F. Chronicle | L.A. Times
- The Chronicle mapped where State Farm will drop policies.
2.
More than a year after formally ending California’s coronavirus emergency, Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered state employees back to the office, according to a memo issued on Wednesday. Until now, the state’s roughly 150 agencies had set their own office policies, with some allowing full-time remote work. Under Newsom’s directive, all 240,000 state employees will have to show up at the office at least two days a week starting in June. Labor leaders have denounced the loss of flexibility, calling it “arbitrary.” Sacramento Bee | Politico
3.
Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy said on Tuesday that he lost his speakership because he refused to end an ethics investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct against the Florida Republican who spearheaded his ouster: Rep. Matt Gaetz. Speaking during an event at Georgetown University, the Bakersfield Republican said, “I’ll give you the truth why I’m not speaker. It’s because one person, a member of Congress, wanted me to stop an ethics complaint because he slept with a 17-year-old.” Gaetz responded: “Kevin is a liar. Which, actually, is why he isn’t speaker.” Politico | Axios
- See video of McCarthy’s remarks. 👉 @HowardMortman
4.
Studies have shown that people who spend more time in nature live longer and experience lower rates of mental and physical ailments. A research group has now done a neighborhood-by-neighborhood analysis of the U.S. that tallies data on factors such as tree canopy, open water, and noise pollution to create a single measure of health-supporting nature called NatureScore. New York City scores better than Los Angeles, even though its population is far denser. San Francisco beats both cities. Look up your city. 👉 Washington Post
Northern California
5.
What was meant to be a celebratory dinner for graduating law students at the home of UC Berkeley’s law school dean, Erwin Chemerinsky, devolved into an angry confrontation when a student rose to give a speech about Gaza. In a moment captured on video, Chemerinsky’s wife, law professor Catherine Fisk, tussled with the student, Malak Afaneh, grabbing her microphone. Afaneh accused Fisk of assault. The Tuesday incident came a week after a group led by Afaneh circulated a cartoon that depicted Chemerinsky, who is Jewish, holding a bloody fork and knife, captioned “No Dinner With Zionist Chem While Gaza Starves!” S.F. Chronicle | Bloomberg
6.
The Silicon Valley congressional primary race that resulted in a tie for the second runoff spot appeared to be headed for a recount because of a voter’s request, a right afforded under California law. The voter, as it happens, is an ally of former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, the first-place finisher in the primary, who may have a better chance of prevailing in the general election against a single opponent rather than two. One of the second-place primary finishers, Evan Low, accused Liccardo of “dirty tricks.” “There’s zero doubt that Sam Liccardo orchestrated this recount,” a spokesman said. Mercury News | S.F. Chronicle
7.
After San Francisco permanently closed a road through Golden Gate Park in 2022, strange objects began to emerge along the route. Part of a public art project called the Golden Mile, they have included a statue of a dog-headed man in a suit, giant kaleidoscopic triangles, and magnificent humpback whale that appears to be breaching the pavement. The goal was to transform what was once one of San Francisco’s most dangerous roads into an oasis of art and whimsy. It’s been a hit.
- Explore a map of the Golden Mile artworks.
Southern California
8.
Danielle Johnson — the Los Angeles woman who authorities say fatally stabbed her partner on Monday, then pushed her daughters out of a moving vehicle and sped into tree — was an astrology influencer who was agitated by the solar eclipse. In a post on X last week, Johnson said the upcoming astronomical event was “the epitome of spiritual warfare,” urging her more than 100,000 followers to “WAKE UP THE APOCALYPSE IS HERE.” Investigators said they found tarot cards and black feathers laying about the Woodland Hills apartment where her partner, Jaelen Chaney, was found dead. L.A. Times | A.P.
9.
On Wednesday, presidential candidate Cornel West named his running mate: Melina Abdullah, a Cal State Los Angeles professor and Black Lives Matter activist. The choice creates a novel ticket featuring two Black scholars focused on racial justice. Abdullah said she would bring an agenda of “ending state-sanctioned violence” and “building a world where our children and our people can live and walk freely.” The Democratic Party has accused West, who has garnered 1 or 2% of voters in polls, of being a potential spoiler for President Biden’s campaign. N.Y. Times | L.A. Times
10.
Calexico, an almost entirely Latino town on the California border with Mexico, has a transgender mayor. Raúl Ureña, 26, rose to elected office in 2020 as a changemaker in a city afflicted by corruption and poverty, earning 70% of the vote. Two years later, Ureña came out as transgender and began wearing dresses and makeup at public events. Insults followed, at times vulgar and threatening. Last year, recall papers were filed by a group that insisted the campaign had nothing to do with Ureña’s gender. L.A. Times
11.
Ippei Mizuhara, the former translator for the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, is in negotiations to plead guilty to federal charges after being accused of stealing from the baseball star to cover gambling debts, the New York Times reported. A guilty plea could confirm the account given by Ohtani, in which he said he knew nothing of what happened to the money. “In particular, the authorities think they have evidence that Mizuhara was able to change the settings on Ohtani’s bank account so Ohtani would not receive alerts and confirmations about transactions, the three people said.” N.Y. Times
12.
Thieves have stolen nearly a dozen 1920s-era bronze light poles in Pasadena since late March, police said on Tuesday. In one incident, a local resident witnessed a thief trying to pull up a pole with a large chain attached to a truck. Bronze and copper are prized by thieves for their scrap value. In recent years, police have responded to rising thefts that have targeted train wiring, plaques, and grave markers. L.A. Times | Pasadena Now
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