Good morning. It’s Monday, May 20.
- Graduate students at UC Santa Cruz plan to strike.
- San Diego County becomes hotspot for border crossings.
- And a slackline stunt between notorious graffiti towers.
Statewide
1.
Graduate students at UC Santa Cruz planned to walk off the job Monday. The labor action would be the first of what is expected to be “rolling” strikes across the UC system over the crackdown on pro-Palestinian protesters. The administration filed a complaint with the state’s labor board on Friday that accused the academic workers’ union of authorizing an illegal strike unrelated to employment. “Instead … UAW strikes to support protest activity,” UC wrote. L.A. Times | KQED
- Students held up Palestinian flags and red-painted hands during Sonoma State’s commencement on Saturday. The protest capped a tumultuous week in which the university president agreed to a boycott of Israel, then abruptly retired. Press Democrat
2.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem identified what she said was the country’s real divide: “people who love America and people who are trying to destroy it.”
Lara Trump, Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law, warned about election rigging, saying “we can never repeat 2020 ever again.”
And Republican National Committeewoman Harmeet Dhillon offered a prayer “to reclaim this country from the malevolent forces of Marxism, nihilism, and godlessness that are throughout the land.”
At the California Republican Party’s spring convention in Burlingame over the weekend, the vibe was Trump-heavy and the vision was laden with fear. S.F. Chronicle | Mercury News
3.
The New Yorker on a perplexing crisis posed by “the new kind of tourist” in Big Sur:
“In the past decade, visitors have descended on a few photogenic spots in Big Sur: McWay Falls, Pfeiffer Beach, and—the place that came up the most often in conversation — Bixby Bridge. … When I looked up Bixby Bridge on Instagram, I saw dozens of iterations of the same photo: women in styled hair and leggings gazing out at the sea, the arch of the bridge curving behind them. Not usually pictured: the traffic.”
4.
Los Angeles → Ventura → Santa Barbara → Santa Maria → San Luis Obispo → Paso Robles → King City → Salinas → Watsonville → Santa Cruz → San Jose → San Francisco
On a lark, a reporter between jobs named Jeong Park decided to ride from Los Angeles to San Francisco using only municipal and regional buses and trains. It took 38 hours and cost $49.80. “Along the way, I got to see California with fresh eyes, from breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean to towns I would have never stepped foot inside if it weren’t for this journey,” he wrote. SFGATE | @JeongPark52
Northern California
5.
For years, complaints poured in to San Francisco’s parks agency about the mistreatment of horses at a stable operator in Golden Gate Park. Yet again and again the city renewed the operating permit for the company, Chaparral Corporation. This month, a pair of reporters reached out with questions about the complaints. In response, the agency said that “after careful consideration” it would revoke Chaparral’s permit after all. SF Standard
6.
Sonoma County farmworkers held a rally intended to tug the conscience of the wealthy clientele that consumes the products of their labor. As guests sampled offerings at Healdsburg Wine and Food Experience — where tickets were as high as $4,500 — more than 100 farmworkers and supporters marched nearby with signs calling for “dignified wages.” “It’s really important that workers’ voices are heard,” said Davida Sotelo Escobedo, an organizer. “Workers aren’t making enough in this industry.” Press Democrat
7.
New Census figures showed that the vast majority of the country’s fastest-growing cities are in Texas. But California is home to one exception: Lathrop. Since 2013, the suburban city about 10 miles south of Stockton has seen its population more than double to nearly 40,000 residents, driven by coastal Californians migrating inland for more affordable housing. Lathrop leaders, who anticipate no slowdown in demand, are working with developers to build entire neighborhoods of for-sale homes. S.F. Chronicle
Southern California
8.
San Diego County has become the most popular point of entry for migrants crossing illegally into the U.S., according to the latest government figures. Experts say a crackdown by Mexican authorities has impeded the route to Texas, making San Diego the path of least resistance. On a recent day near tiny Dulzura, a Turkish engineer had just crossed the border. “You might see me as an invader. … But I am coming to your country to commit no crime,” he said. “This — crossing the border illegally — is the only crime I have ever committed in my entire life.” L.A. Times
9.
An anesthesiologist at a Los Angeles County hospital worked an average of 94 hours a week in 2023, according to salary records. Dr. Sebo Amirkhanian Namagerdy earned $1.26 million, making him the county’s highest-paid employee. If he worked five days a week, that would average out to 19 hours a day. And that isn’t Namagerdy’s only gig: He also works part-time at a hospital in Orange County. A patient-safety expert said no one can work that much and do it safely. Namagerdy told a reporter that her inquiries amounted to harassment. L.A. Times
10.
Disneyland performers who entertain guests as Mickey Mouse, Elsa, Chewbacca and other characters voted to unionize with the Actors’ Equity Association on Saturday. “They say that Disneyland is ‘the place where dreams come true,’ and for the Disney cast members who have worked to organize a union, their dream came true today,” said Kate Shindle, the actor association’s president. Critics say Disney, which is worth nearly $190 billion, underpays workers who cannot afford basic living expenses. A.P. | Hollywood Reporter
11.
After CNN aired video of Sean Combs viciously attacking his then-girlfriend at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016, local prosecutors said they would not pursue charges against the hip-hop mogul known as Diddy. The L.A. County District Attorney’s Office said it found the images “extremely disturbing,” but the statute of limitations has passed. Casandra Ventura, the former girlfriend, filed a lawsuit against Combs and settled out of court. Combs apologized Sunday in a video posted on Instagram. L.A. Times | CNN
12.
Someone walked on a slackline between Los Angeles’ notorious graffiti towers. In a stunt recalling Philippe Petit’s 1974 high-wire walk between the World Trade Center towers, 28-year-old Benjamin Schneider described his balancing act 500 feet off the ground as an art piece. Its illegality was part of the magic, he said: “It would have been boring if we were allowed to do it.” One big difference from Petit: Schneider wore a safety harness. NBC4 News | L.A. Times
- See Schneider’s slackline walk. 👉 @nicksozonov
Correction
An earlier version of this newsletter misstated the location of the California Republican Party’s spring convention. It was in Burlingame, not Burlington.
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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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