Good morning. It’s Friday, Aug. 23.
- Kamala Harris delivers the biggest speech of her career.
- School district spends $315,000 on “energy healer.”
- And the FBI raids Orange County supervisor’s home.
Statewide
1.
In the biggest speech of her political career, Kamala Harris vowed on Thursday to unite Americans behind a “new way forward” as she accepted the Democratic presidential nomination at the party’s convention in Chicago. A few takeaways:
- She painted former President Trump as a dangerous and “unserious” man: “Consider not only the chaos and calamity when he was in office, but the gravity of what has happened since he lost the last election. Donald Trump tried to throw away your votes.” N.Y. Times
- She reintroduced her biography, portraying it as a classic American story that took her from humble beginnings in Oakland to the White House. She recalled her Indian mother’s advice: “‘Never do anything half-assed’ — and that is a direct quote.” Politico
- She invoked her prosecutor’s background. “When I had a case, I charged it not in the name of the victim, but in the name of the people,” she said. “For a simple reason: In our system of justice, a harm against any one of us is a harm against all of us.” S.F. Chronicle
- And she made her most extended remarks yet on the war in Gaza, reiterating her call for a cease-fire and the release of hostages. “Let me be clear: I will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself,” she said, before adding that “what has happened in Gaza over the past 10 months is devastating.” Washington Post
2.
State lawmakers quietly advanced a bill this week that would allow bars to stay open an extra two hours until 4 a.m. — but only under certain conditions. The sales must occur within a “private area” no larger than 2,500 square feet; that area must be located within a “fully enclosed arena” with at least 18,000 seats; and that arena must be in Inglewood. As it happens, just one place meets those criteria: the luxury suites inside Intuit Dome, the new home of the L.A. Clippers. The Clippers are owned by Steve Ballmer, the former Microsoft CEO and generous political donor. L.A. Times | KCRA
3.
On this week’s California Sun Podcast, host Jeff Schechtman talked with Roger BelAir and Dan Ostroff about their upcoming documentary “Pickleball in Prison.” BelAir, a former banker who fell in love with the paddle sport in retirement, was watching “60 Minutes” at his home in Rancho Mirage one evening in 2017 when a segment showed inmates sitting around a prison. “They should be playing pickleball,” he said to his wife. BelAir and Ostroff, a documentary producer, told the story of how that idea led BelAir to bring pickleball — and its lessons for life — to prisons across the country.
Northern California
4.
At least 5,000 birds have died this summer in a network of wetlands along the California-Oregon border, a die-off that biologists suspect resulted from a dual outbreak of botulism and bird flu. Botulism, which paralyzes birds and causes them to drown, has thrived in the stagnant pools caused by dams and extreme heat. Four years ago, an outbreak killed 60,000 birds at the refuges, which are a major stop along the Pacific Flyway. “Any of us that had been here in 2020 were like, ‘Oh my god; I don’t want to deal with this again,’” said John Vradenburg, a biologist at the refuge complex. The Oregonian | Jefferson Public Radio
5.
A Silicon Valley school district spent $315,000 over three years for an “energy healer” to lead district leaders in guided meditation sessions. On her website, Alycia Diggs-Chavis says she uses “sacred geometry” for “chakra” alignment and stones and crystals for “energy clearing.” The Mountain View district, which has significant achievement gap problems, said the meditations could bring greater ability to focus, team bonding, and other benefits. When a group of parents learned about the spending, they were livid. “It’s mind-boggling,” one said. S.F. Chronicle
6.
Humboldt County officials took exception when they learned that their rural county was among the top destinations for homeless people being bused by San Francisco out of the city. Without access to support services, they wrote in a draft letter, the relocation effort “simply shifts the person to another county.” But Humboldt has its own homeless busing program. One of its destinations: San Francisco. SF Standard
7.
A Santa Cruz teenager is taking the sport of “bike surfing” to new levels. When Brock Johnson, 19, learned that the Guinness World Record for the longest distance covered on an athletics track while standing atop a bike was 80 meters, he was unimpressed. With cameras rolling last Friday, he attempted to beat the record on the track at Santa Cruz High School: he went for more than 200 meters. KSBW
Southern California
8.
Federal agents on Thursday raided the homes of an Orange County supervisor and his daughter, who has been accused of stealing millions of dollars in food aid that the supervisor funneled to her nonprofit. Last week, the county sued 23-year-old Rhiannon Do, the daughter of Supervisor Andrew Do, and others associated with the group Viet America Society, accusing them of pocketing more than $10 million in taxpayer funds and buying at least six homes. Andrew Do, who has declined to comment for months, is facing increasing calls to resign. LAist | Voice of OC
9.
Carlsbad just became the first city in San Diego County to ban people from smoking inside their own apartments. Under the ordinance approved Tuesday, smoking and vaping is expressly banned in all multifamily residential buildings in the beach city. Supporters argued that secondhand smoke poses an unacceptable risk to neighbors. “This is more than an annoyance,” resident Katrina Preece told the City Council. “This is a painful and alarming health hazard.” Times of San Diego | L.A. Times
10.
In the 1950s, with memories of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki still fresh, an eccentric sculptor named Antone Martin came to believe humanity was doomed unless religious believers stepped up. So he tried to inspire a religious revival by creating 40 larger-than-life statues of biblical figures on the edge of Yucca Valley. Desert Christ Park has survived for more than seven decades through earthquakes, erosion, vandalism, and legal battles. The Desert Sun included the park’s rock chapel in a feature on the “handmade, weird, and wonderful” structures hidden in the Coachella Valley.
- See pictures of Desert Christ Park.
11.
In the 1940s, Lucille Ball was known as the “Queen of the B’s” for her many roles in subpar films. She spent two decades kicking around Hollywood before rocketing to stardom in the pioneering sitcom “I Love Lucy,” which first aired in October of 1951. She was 40 years old. LIFE.com published a photo retrospective on Ball’s varied career in Hollywood that highlighted a surprisingly sultry side of the one-time model.
In case you missed it
12.
Five items that got big views over the past week:
- UC Berkeley has a new $300 million dormitory that is being described as perhaps the most luxurious residential building in the city. The Anchor House includes a serenity studio, massive fitness center, and a 13-story courtyard draped with vertical gardens, pictured above. S.F. Chronicle
- The New York Times Style Magazine published a photo spread on a gorgeous Los Angeles bungalow built in 1956 by Cliff May. The couple that owns it has been so committed to preserving “the soul” of the house they’ve refused to tear up the terra-cotta tiles to fix the heating.
- Not long ago, the exurbs east of San Francisco were a symbol of the financial crisis as housing tracts sat vacant. Now demand is so strong that builders maintain waiting lists. The photographer Ryan McIntosh chronicled the creation of Tracy Hills, where fields have been covered with more than 7,000 homes. LENSCRATCH | RyanMcintosh.co
- When Petaluma leaders proposed a public art project in 2018 that would feature bathtubs atop stilts along the city’s waterfront, they faced a wave of backlash. Six years later, “Fine Balance” by the sculptor Brian Goggin is now finally coming to life. The Argus-Courier has photos.
- David Remnick asked Nancy Pelosi to elaborate on her role in President Biden’s exit from the presidential race. She sat looking at him “past the boundary of awkward,” he wrote, then finally opened up. “I’ve never been that impressed with his political operation,” she said. New Yorker
Get your California Sun T-shirts, phone cases, hoodies, hats, and totes!
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.