Good morning. It’s Monday, June 10.
- Animal rights battle heats up in Sonoma County.
- End of an era at Bay Area horse racing track.
- And Amboy struggles to survive along Route 66.
Statewide
1.
Last June, Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed a 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would harden federal gun control laws. The announcement was met with mockery from Republicans and skepticism from political analysts. But Newsom insisted it was possible. A year later, no other state has joined his cause. “The inability to advance the gun safety proposal beyond California, even in other Democratic-controlled states, suggests that — so far at least — Newsom’s plan was more flash than substance,” the L.A. Times wrote.
2.
In California, tough-on-crime rhetoric is resurgent, coming even from places where most residents are neither unsafe nor governed by overreaching progressives, such as Orange County. That could have something to do with the tenor of crime that Californians are seeing these days, wrote journalist Conor Friedersdorf: “It feels newly brazen, in your face, unapologetic.” Crucially, it’s being broadcast in video clips that are repeatedly going viral. The Atlantic
3.
In November, Californians will decide whether to repeal the state’s dormant Constitutional amendment barring same-sex marriage. In 2008, voters narrowly approved the ban known as Proposition 8 only to see it overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court five years later. Supporters of the new effort describe it as a hedge against future action by a conservative Supreme Court. But one thing is strangely missing from the debate in California: those who launched Prop 8 in the first place. “Even social conservatives aren’t putting up a fight,” wrote Politico Magazine.
4.
An Orange County Superior Court judge ordered a halt to the nearly three-week-old strike by UC academic workers on Friday after university lawyers argued the walkout was causing students “irreparable harm.” The union has said it is protesting the treatment of its members during Gaza protests. UC leaders say the strike is a political action, unrelated to working conditions, and therefore illegal. After the ruling, labor leader Rafael Jaime said the struggle is far from over: “UC academic workers are facing down an attack on our whole movement.” A.P. | L.A. Times
Northern California
5.
In November, voters could make Sonoma County the first in the U.S. to ban what activists call factory farms. The measure pitting people who shop at farmers markets against those who supply them has stirred up intense emotions in the rural region. Opponents are calling the proposed ban a “vegan mandate.” “At the end of the day, they want to burn down our farm and every other farm in Sonoma County,” said Mike Weber, whose family has produced eggs in the area since 1912. Politico
6.
“End of an era.”
The last major horse track in Northern California, Golden Gate Fields, held its final race before packed stands on Sunday, ending an 83-year run on the edge of San Francisco Bay. Like other tracks that have closed in recent years, Golden Gate Fields faced rising competition from other gaming and waning public appetite for the sport. Animal rights activists, who have condemned horse deaths at the track, were in celebration mode. Local officials have discussed options for the prime real estate that include open space, housing, and a hospital. S.F. Chronicle | KGO
- “You can imagine the anxiety for this workforce.” The outlook is uncertain for hundreds of workers who live in a barn area at the track. Berkeleyside
7.
One of the men charged with murder in an April 2022 shooting rampage in downtown Sacramento was found dead in his jail cell on Saturday, his lawyer told several outlets. Prosecutors said the suspect, 29-year-old Smiley Martin, and others opened fire as part of a feud between rival gangs; six died, including three female bystanders. Details on how Martin died were unclear. His lawyer said he had been “fighting to defend his innocence.” KCRA | A.P.
8.
Stanford University announced Friday that it would once again require undergraduate applicants to take either the SAT or the ACT, becoming the latest university to go back to standardized testing after abandoning it during the pandemic. Both of California’s public university systems — comprising 33 campuses — have resisted the trend toward reinstating the tests on the theory that they hurt diversity. In a statement, Stanford said standardized tests were “an important predictor” of student success. S.F. Chronicle | Mercury News
9.
While Nicole Shanahan has brought energy and financial support to the presidential ticket for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the most significant consequence of her rise to the national political stage could be the mainstreaming of autism pseudoscience, WIRED reported. “Other than Robert F. Kennedy Jr., I have never heard any candidate for major office speak with such clarity, candor, and courage about autism and chronic disease,” wrote John Gilmore, of the Autism Action Network, a group that blames vaccines for autism. He added, “Nicole Shanahan is one of us.”
Southern California
10.
O.J. Simpson lived in Las Vegas in the seven years before he died in April. There, he found acceptance from an unlikely group of friends, the New York Times reported:
“A little-known golf crew called In the Cup.
“Its 40 or so members are neither wealthy nor powerful. They play at public courses, not lush country clubs. They are military veterans, retired police officers, small business owners, airport security workers.
“Most are Black. And none of them cared about Mr. Simpson’s past.”
11.
Amboy, a slice of Americana along Route 66 in the Mojave Desert, is struggling to survive. Aside from a couple salt mines just outside of town, its only operational business is Roy’s gas station, which offers cold drinks, souvenirs, and gas from three mechanical pumps. Jan Kuzelka, a travel guide who visits often, puts Amboy on par with Yosemite and the Grand Canyon. “You sink into the ’60s here,” he said. “It’s like a live museum.” L.A. Times
12.
There’s a suspension bridge in San Diego that wouldn’t seem out of place in a Latin American jungle. Built in 1912, Spruce Street Suspension Bridge is a hidden treasure in a little park just a couple miles north of downtown — but it’s not for the faint of heart. Its entire 375-foot length, floating above a deep canyon, is secured by two steel cables embedded in concrete slabs at either end. A modest breeze can make the footpath sway. A pair of travel vloggers paid a visit. 👉 YouTube (~5:30 mins)
Scheduling heads up:
I’ll be out this Thursday and Friday, June 13 and 14, returning the following Monday.
Thanks for reading!
The California Sun is written by Mike McPhate, a former California correspondent for the New York Times.
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