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Good morning. It’s Friday, May 31.
- First heat wave of the year is headed for California.
- Killing of bear ignites debate in South Lake Tahoe.
- And the strange popularity of the Silver Lake Reading Club.
Statewide
1.
California regulators dealt a fresh blow to the solar industry on Thursday, adopting utility-backed rules that critics say will crush community solar projects. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s appointees on the Public Utilities Commission rejected a proposal to incentivize the smaller projects because the costs would ultimately spread to non-solar ratepayers. Climate columnist Sammy Roth, who portrayed that concern as overblown, called the decision “the latest stain on the governor’s climate record.” Bloomberg | L.A. Times
2.
“This is the biggest heat event of the year.”
Right on time for the start of the meteorological summer — arriving Saturday — forecasters said the first heat wave of the year would bake the West next week. The warmup is expected to be relatively mild — sending temperatures into the 80s near the coast and triple digits in the Central Valley and deserts — but it could come as a jolt to many Californians acclimated to the cool spring. Mercury News | Axios
3.
A sampling of reactions to Donald Trump’s hush-money conviction:
- Adam Schiff, Democratic congressman from Burbank: “Despite his efforts to distract, delay, and deny — justice arrived for Donald Trump all the same. And the rule of law prevailed.”
- Mike McGuire, Democratic leader of the state Senate: “#34 is my new favorite number.”
- Kevin McCarthy, Republican former House speaker from Bakersfield: “President Trump’s only ‘crime’ is running against Joe Biden in 2024. The American people see right through this weaponization of the legal system.”
- Butte County GOP: “Today’s conviction goes far beyond slandering the leading candidate of the presidential race — it completely upends our justice system as we know it.”
- David Sacks, Silicon Valley investor: “A sham trial designed for one purpose: to brand Donald Trump as a ‘felon.'”
4.
As recently as two years ago, Donald Trump and Elon Musk were publicly trading insults. Now they have developed a friendly rapport, with Musk calling Trump directly on his cellphone and talking several times a month, sources told the Wall Street Journal. They’ve even discussed the possibility of an advisory role for Musk on issues of border security and the economy should the presumptive Republican nominee reclaim the White House. Wall Street Journal
Northern California
5.
Clear Lake, the largest freshwater body located entirely within California, has a reputation for being as clear as pea soup. Blue-green algae occurs in all freshwater, but it can grow toxic as nutrient levels become excessive, driven in part by fertilizers in runoff. These harmful blooms are becoming more frequent at Clear Lake — about 80 miles north of San Francisco — killing fish, polluting drinking water, and giving off a terrible odor. NASA released images captured this month that show the lake clouded by huge green swirls of algae. Earth Observatory | SFGATE
6.
A former criminology professor who specialized in social deviancy was sentenced to more than five years in prison on Thursday after he admitted to setting four fires in Northern California in 2021. Former students described Gary Maynard, who taught at Santa Clara University and researched the cult leader Jim Jones, as anxious and troubled. Around the time he set the fires near Mount Shasta and Lassen National Forest, Maynard was said to be despondent over a breakup with a girlfriend and living out of his vehicle, prosecutors said. N.Y. Times | Courthouse News
7.
On Memorial Day, a man was watching TV in his home near the edge of South Lake Tahoe when a young bear lumbered through an open door. The man yelled to scare the bear off, but it advanced toward him and his dog, he said. So he grabbed a rifle and shot the animal, then followed it into the yard and delivered a kill shot. “I put it out of its misery,” he said. “I don’t like things to suffer.” Wildlife officials concluded that he acted in self-defense, but the BEAR League, a local nonprofit, accused the man of “an obvious crime.” A furious debate has ensued. S.F. Chronicle | Tahoe Daily Tribune
8.
Tadich Grill, founded in San Francisco’s financial district in 1849, is California’s oldest continuously run restaurant. It’s a beloved institution. But the servers are rude and the food is mediocre, wrote critic MacKenzie Chung Fegan in a review that pulled no punches: “I cannot in good conscience recommend a restaurant that treats its customers with obvious contempt. Tadich is woven into the fabric of the city, and for that you love Tadich. But I don’t think it loves you back.” S.F. Chronicle
9.
On this week’s California Sun Podcast, host Jeff Schechtman talks with Cecilia Lunaparra, who was recently sworn in as Berkeley’s newest City Council member at the age of 22, making her the youngest to ever hold the office. Lunaparra represents District 7, a tract that is overwhelmingly populated by students. She talked about the passions surrounding the campus protests, which she called “revolutionary.” “I am so proud to be part of this generation that is willing to stand up against a genocide,” she said.
10.
The Sierra’s Hope Valley lacks the name recognition of California’s marquee natural destinations. But the high-country river corridor, just a few hours from the Bay Area, is a wonderland of grassy meadows, granite peaks, alpine lakes, and forests of pine and aspen. After a weekend getaway there, the travel writer Michelle Baran said she got lost from the world. “It has all the beauty of the Sierras that makes nearby Tahoe such a popular vacation destination, minus the masses,” she wrote. AFAR
Southern California
11.
Every Tuesday evening, people pay $17 to sit quietly in a Los Angeles cafe and read books. Several factors coalesced to inspire the Silver Lake Reading Club: a growing hunger for community, distaste for the chardonnay focus of other clubs, the digital world’s splintering of our attention. But even the club’s founder, Helen Bui, has been surprised by its popularity. “Even though we’re selling out every week at this point, I still can’t believe it has become a thing,” she said. “I’m in awe of it.” L.A. Times
In case you missed it
12.
Five items that got big views over the past couple weeks:
- LIFE.com published 18 rare photos of Marilyn Monroe reading poetry in Los Angeles’ Griffith Park in 1950, when she was 24 and largely unknown.
- The country’s largest Latino graduation at Fresno State turned into a dance party as a U.S. Marine Band struck up the brass sounds of “El Toro Mambo.” Video of the celebration attracted millions of views on social media. Fresno Bee
- The photographer Eri Morita explored the strangeness of the Southern California childhood in her photo series “In This Beautiful Bubble.” Erimorita.com | Lens Culture
- Turn toward the mountains from Highway 395 just outside of the city of Bishop and you’ll find yourself on the highest paved road in California. Rock Creek Road leads to one of the Sierra’s classic day hikes, meandering along a chain of eight dazzling lakes. California Through My Lens | AllTrails
- A photo tour of Little Lakes Valley. 👉 California Sun
- As California’s median home price surpassed $900,000 for the first time in April, the Sacramento Bee highlighted the counties with the lowest prices. Many boast exquisite natural beauty. Here are four counties where at least half of the homes went for less than $400,000. 👉 California Sun
Correction
An earlier version of this newsletter included a quote critical of Donald Trump that was misattributed to Steve Martin, the comedian. Its author was another Steve Martin, who identifies as a lawyer and banjo player on X.
Thanks for reading!
The California Sun is written by Mike McPhate, a former California correspondent for the New York Times.
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