Good morning. It’s Thursday, Feb. 20.
- President Trump halts funds to San Francisco’s Presidio.
- Rep. Robert Garcia faces inquiry over “weapons” remark.
- And almond orchard blossoms open up in Central Valley.
Statewide
1.
As of Wednesday, the size of California’s Sierra snowpack was 94% of normal for the date, according to electronic readings from across the range. If we see a wet March — and there are reasons to be hopeful — the vital source of the state’s water supply will surpass 100% of normal on April 1, when snow levels are typically deepest. As the weather analysts Colin McCarthy recently noted, it would mark the third straight season of above-average Sierra snow, a run that has occurred only three times since official statewide records began in 1950.
- The state’s major reservoirs are also in good shape.
- Peek in on the snowy Yosemite Valley via live video.
2.
The Trump administration’s ultimatum to educational institutions to eliminate diversity initiatives or risk losing federal funding has California’s school leaders scrambling to come into compliance. John Rogers, an education professor at UCLA, warned that the threat would result in a drain on labor and money as superintendents turn to lawyers for counsel. The memo’s vague language means no one really knows what to do, he said: “Yet they’re being given two weeks to either take dramatic action or not, of which they have really no sense of what that would mean.” EdSource
3.
When voters approved funding in 2008 for California’s high-speed rail line between Los Angeles and San Francisco, the project was supposed to cost $33 billion and start running by 2020. According to the latest estimates, it will cost $135 billion, and a starter segment in the San Joaquin Valley won’t start accepting passengers until at least 2033. Yet despite the setbacks, most Californians want to press on. A new poll by Emerson College found that 54% of residents think the project is a good use of state funds, a result consistent with earlier surveys. KTLA
4.
Yosemite National Park has hundreds of locked buildings and gates. Sometimes visitors get locked inside a toilet. Other times, workers get locked out of their houses. On Friday, the Trump administration fired the park’s locksmith, Nate Vince. “We have endless things that need to be secured in various forms, and I’m the sole keeper of those keys, the one that makes the keys, the one that fixes the locks, installs the locks, and has all that knowledge of the security behind the park,” he said. “And so it’s a critical role.” The Washington Post wrote about the chaos caused by firings at national parks.
Northern California
5.
A Santa Cruz jury on Wednesday blocked the release of convicted murderer Adrian Gonzalez, who had avoided the potential for life in prison after a controversial 2018 law prohibited juveniles from being prosecuted as adults. In 2015, Gonzalez, then 15, lured his 8-year-old neighbor, Maddy Middleton, into his apartment with the promise of ice cream. He then raped and killed her. He was supposed to be freed when he turned 25 last October, but a judge scheduled an unusual jury trial to decide whether he poses too great a danger. As the verdict was read, Middleton’s mother gasped and shed tears. KRON | KSBW
6.
President Trump moved Wednesday night to eliminate the federal agency that runs San Francisco’s Presidio park, the historic landmark that was established in 1776 as a Spanish military fortress. In what the White House labeled an “ECEXUTIVE (sic) ORDER,” Trump halted all federal funding to the Presidio Trust, which was created by a Republican-led Congress in 1996. He declared it “unnecessary.” State Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco called the order illegal and vowed to fight it. “We won’t go quietly,” he said. S.F. Chronicle | SFGATE
7.
In the Central Valley, early signs of spring come in the form of what looks like a dusting of snow on the valley floor. Closer inspection reveals the white and pale pink flowers of almond orchards that stretch in neat rows as far as the eye can see. Business leaders have sought to lure visitors during the bloom with self-driving tours — including routes through Fresno, Modesto, and Merced counties — that include farm stands, vineyards, and opportunities to venture into the orchards on foot. The bloom peaks between February and March.
- The Bakersfield Californian shared a gallery of Kern County blossoms photographed this week.
Southern California
8.
“Hi. Is there a reason you called the mayor of Malibu and not the county?”
“What you have done is create more chaos not less.”
“I don’t know what’s going on over there.”
The Los Angeles Times obtained text messages between county Supervisor Lindsey Horvath and Mayor Karen Bass in the weeks after wildfires erupted in early January. They revealed Horvath’s deep frustration with Bass as the two politicians navigated what could be the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. L.A. Times
9.
Oct. 26, 2020, the Silverado fire barreled toward a master-planned community, propelled by 80 mph winds across a landscape left parched after a bone-dry summer. Residents fled, and firefighters deployed, the Los Angeles Times reported:
“The firefight was an unequivocal victory — a product of the meticulous planning of the neighborhood, the design of its homes and the painstaking plan set in place by the city. As L.A. looks to fortify itself against future fires, Orchard Hills could serve as the road map to get there.”
10.
Ed Martin, the top federal prosecutor in D.C., sent a letter of inquiry to Rep. Robert Garcia, a Democrat from Long Beach, asking him to clarify comments he made during a Feb. 12 appearance on CNN. Referring to Elon Musk, Garcia said then: “What the American public wants is for us to bring actual weapons to this bar fight.” Martin, a firebrand Trump loyalist, said the comment sounded like a threat: “We take threats against public officials very seriously.” Washington Post | N.Y. Times
11.
Huntington Beach’s proposal to install a plaque with an ode to the MAGA movement at its central library took a raucous turn late Tuesday when the retired NFL punter Chris Kluwe was arrested during a City Council meeting. Kluwe, 43, a longtime local resident, told the council that the word “MAGA” stands for corruption and Nazism, among other ills. He then declared, “I will now engage in the time-honored American tradition of peaceful civil disobedience,” approaching the dais before being tackled by police. The council members unanimously approved the MAGA plaque. KTLA | KABC
12.
The Los Angeles-based artist Lachlan Turczan works with water, light, and sound to create ephemeral works in natural settings across California and beyond. He has described his practice as a form of exploration — “literally shining a light on the world and seeing what the world has to reveal.” In the work above, steam from thermal springs drifts through light in the Mojave Desert. This Is Colossal
- See more of Turczan’s artworks. 👉 @lachlanturczan
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