Good morning. It’s Monday, Oct. 28.
- Assemblymember from L.A. County has never voted no.
- Report says Elon Musk worked illegally in Bay Area.
- And Caltech alum finds largest known prime number.
Statewide
1.
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday proposed more than doubling the tax credits offered to the state’s film and television industry to $750 million, up from $330 million. Hollywood has failed to rebound since last year’s dual strikes by writers and actors while productions have been lured by more generous rebates from places such as Georgia, Canada, and Britain. “We’re in a position where we can afford this, and we need to do this,” Newsom said. “It’s about recognizing the world we invented is now competing against us.” Bloomberg | L.A. Times
2.
Since joining the state Legislature in early 2022, Assemblymember Mike Fong has never cast a “no” vote, an analysis found. Fong, a Democrat from the San Gabriel Valley, is alone among California’s 120 state lawmakers in having approved every single committee and floor vote that came his way. All told, that’s 9,389 yeses. Fong ignored an interview request. “He just casts his basic vote without knowing what the bill is, without knowing what the bill is about,” said his Republican challenger, Long Liu. “I mean, just that’s scary.“ CalMatters
3.
California membership in the Sierra Club has dropped by roughly 32,000 members, or 19%, since 2019, as the storied environmental organization has been convulsed by bitter internal debate over its direction. Some blame the slide on a loss of focus on wilderness areas. “Instead of fighting for nature, you’re doing social justice issues, which are fine,” said Richard Halsey, 69, who left the group in 2022. “But that’s not what the club’s about.” Others want the group to advocate harder for low-income minority neighborhoods that bear the brunt of pollution. L.A. Times
4.
A 2008 proposal to build a bullet train from Los Angeles to San Francisco was supposed to be done in 2020 on a budget of $33 billion. Sixteen years later, construction crews are working on only a segment of the line in the Central Valley that is targeted to open by 2033 at a projected cost of roughly $35 billion. Finishing the whole route would be an additional $100 billion, with a deadline that’s anyone’s guess. But there has been progress. In August, the aviation YouTuber Bryan Keith took to the skies to see for himself, recording a fantastic view of much of the proposed route. YouTube (~17 mins)
5.
While ordinary trees luxuriate in rich soil, the rock-bound trees of the Sierra Nevada seem to defy the laws of nature. Hardy pines, oaks, and junipers rise from nearly seamless granite, their roots inching into tiny crevices in search of nutrients while slowly prying the rock apart. In a strikingly lyrical essay on the process, the National Park Service reflected on the inextricable relationship between life and the lifeless in Yosemite:
“Actions captivate. Motion enthralls, and those that sculpted Yosemite have been a long time going but are by no means separate from life’s concerns. The influence goes both ways.” NPS/Facebook
Northern California
6.
Elon Musk, who frequently laments the perils of a flood of “illegals” into the U.S., worked illegally while on a student visa after he arrived to Palo Alto in 1995 ostensibly to study at Stanford, a Washington Post investigation found. But Musk never enrolled in classes, working instead to launch a startup, the Post said in an article that cited investors who worried about their “founder being deported.” Musk denied the report after President Joe Biden accused him of hypocrisy during a campaign stop in Pittsburgh on Saturday. Washington Post
- An analysis of more than 53,000 posts sent by Musk found that he is now “X’s biggest promoter of anti-immigrant conspiracies.” Bloomberg
7.
A Fresno police sergeant was shot multiple times as he sat in his patrol vehicle after being “ambushed” by a gunman Saturday night, said the city’s police chief, Mindy Casto. The sergeant, whose name was not disclosed, had been investigating a homicide along with other officers when a man pulled up and unleashed a volley of gunshots, according to police and surveillance video. A short chase and shootout left the man dead. The sergeant was said to be in stable condition. Fresno Bee | KFSN
8.
Luke Durant, a Caltech graduate and former Nvidia engineer, just discovered the largest known prime number — and it cost him $2 million and nearly a year of effort. The number is two to the 136,279,841st power minus one and has 41,024,320 decimal digits. Durant, 36, used a home-built supercomputer while acquiring computing power from multiple companies to juice his calculations. Mathematicians say the number serves no practical applications, but that could be said for a lot of discoveries. New Scientist | Washington Post
Southern California
9.
As national Republicans make opposition to noncitizen voting a central campaign issue, Santa Ana residents are getting ready to decide on Nov. 5 whether to grant noncitizens the right to vote in local elections. Both sides in the Orange County city talk about the stakes of Measure DD in national terms. Supporters argue that anyone who pays taxes deserves a say in local government. Opponents say DD might as well stand for “Devalues Democracy.” It “works against the whole notion of pride in being a U.S. citizen,” said Republican activist James Lacy. Politico
10.
The turmoil at the Los Angeles Times over owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong’s decision to block an endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris got messier over the weekend. A recap:
- In a statement on Saturday that shocked the newsroom, the owner’s daughter, Nika Soon-Shiong, a 31-year-old progressive political activist, told the New York Times that the family made a “joint decision” to block the editorial over Harris’ support for Israel in its war in Gaza.
- Patrick Soon-Shiong promptly denied that claim. “She is not involved,” the 72-year-old biotech billionaire told the L.A. Times.
- As of late Sunday, three Times editorial writers had quit in protest, several thousand readers had dropped their subscriptions, and nearly 200 staff members had signed a letter demanding an explanation. N.Y. Times | L.A. Times
● ●
Nancy Gibbs, who runs Harvard’s media program, said there are compelling reasons to stop endorsing presidential candidates, but that’s not the issue here. “Announcing a sudden change in policy so close to the election suggests cowardice more than conviction, however much airbrushing the apologists do.” N.Y. Times
11.
Laguna Niguel’s federal Ziggurat building is now set to come tumbling down after an auction led to a winning $177 million bid, far surpassing the opening price of $70 million. Bidding was supposed to close on July 31, but the deadline was extended as competing investors ran up the price. Built in the late 1960s, the structure has housed various federal agencies. Some had hoped to see it preserved, but the buyer, who was not identified, is almost certain to bulldoze it. “The real value here is the size of the site and its location,” said Scott Wild, a homebuilding expert. Bloomberg | Real Deal
12.
Shohei Ohtani mania has gripped Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo with the Dodgers now up two games to zero against the Yankees in the World Series. A towering Ohtani mural adorns the side of the neighborhood’s Miyako Hotel. The confectionery Fugetsu-Do is selling “Sho-mochi,” Dodger-blue wrapping filled with white chocolate and ganache. And at the Far Bar, patrons get a free shot of sake every time Ohtani hits a homer. It hasn’t been cheap, acknowledged owner Don Tahara. But he said it’s money well spent for a Dodger fan. The Guardian
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