Good morning. It’s Monday, June 17.
- Brush fires blacken thousands of acres across state.
- Stanford University students walk out of graduation.
- And ranking California’s 10 most beloved campgrounds.
Statewide
1.
A wildfire that sprang to life Saturday afternoon along the Grapevine northwest of Los Angeles exploded to nearly 23 square miles by late Sunday, forcing roughly 1,200 people to flee a nearby recreation area, officials said. Dubbed the Post fire, it was only 2% contained and ranked as the largest wildfire in California so far this year. Strong winds hampered the firefighting effort, said Kenichi Haskett, a spokesman for the L.A. County Fire Department. Water dumped from planes, he said, “just sprays everywhere.” L.A. Times | N.Y. Times
- Wildfires aided by dry grasses and high winds erupted across the state over the weekend, including blazes in San Bernardino County, Riverside County, San Benito County, Butte County, Sacramento County, and Sonoma County.
- In Gold Rush country, the historic Hotel Marysville went up in flames. The cause was unknown. Sacramento Bee
2.
Several hundred Stanford University students walked out of their graduation ceremony on Sunday over what one protest group described as the university’s complicity in “Israel’s genocide against Palestine.” They left as outgoing President Richard Saller began to speak. “Don’t let your convictions shut out your ability to listen and learn,” he began. On a field outside the stadium, the protesters held a pop-up ceremony, chanting, “Free, free Palestine.” “Today, you are graduating with a head held high,” one speaker told the gathering. S.F. Chronicle | Mercury News
- During a weekend of graduations, similar disruptions unfolded at UCLA and UC San Diego. L.A. Times | KPBS
3.
Nicholas Kristof, a self-described West Coast liberal, argued that liberalism is not to blame for the homelessness, crime, and dysfunction plaguing blue cities from San Diego to Seattle. It’s West Coast liberalism:
“We are more likely to believe that ‘housing is a human right’ than conservatives in Florida or Texas, but less likely to actually get people housed. We accept a yawning gulf between our values and our outcomes.” N.Y. Times
4.
Ancient giant sequoias alongside a lush meadow. A sandy expanse at the foot of a sculptured volcanic mesa. And a rugged beach surrounded by dunes, wetlands, forest, and sea.
A ranking of California’s 10 most beloved campgrounds, based on data from Dyrt and Google, included some little-known gems. S.F. Chronicle
Northern California
5.
Vanlords are now a thing in San Francisco. Roughly 1,400 people in the city are living in parked cars, RVs, and other vehicles in a fragile existence just short of street homelessness. The community is so entrenched that a shadow market has emerged for housing on four wheels, with rents starting around $500 a month. Four men living in a 1997 Chevrolet motorhome said they were paying $2,500 a month to a vanlord who advertises on Facebook Marketplace. S.F. Standard
6.
“Blood streaks marked with paw prints crisscrossed the living room floor.”
California’s black bear population has grown from roughly 10,000 in 1982 to upward of 65,000 now. Reports of conflicts with humans have become increasingly common. When tragedy struck in the mountain town of Downieville on Nov. 8, it was a day some wildlife experts had anticipated for years. The San Francisco Chronicle investigated the circumstances surrounding the first fatal black bear attack in California history.
7.
Last week, the San Francisco Standard published extraordinary allegations that an innocence project lawyer named Paige Kaneb had pursued a romantic relationship with an inmate who served as a witness in a 2010 exoneration case. A new report has now introduced a twist: before going public, the inmate had tried to blackmail Kaneb. Pay $2 million, the inmate told her, or he’d release their racy text history and recant his testimony in the 2010 case, the report said. She refused, and he followed through. S.F. Chronicle
Southern California
8.
A star-studded Los Angeles fundraiser for President Biden Saturday night raised more than $30 million — the largest cash haul from a one-night event in Democratic history. Former President Obama, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, and Barbra Streisand were among the luminaries on hand as speakers warned about the dangers of a potential second Donald Trump term. “The idea that he’s actually threatened retribution,” Biden said. “This is the United States of America. Did you ever think you’d ever, ever, ever hear anything like this?” Washington Post | L.A. Times
9.
A mountain lion believed to have been hit by a vehicle was found dead on Highway 101 on Saturday, less than a mile from the construction site of a wildlife bridge in Agoura Hills. The $100 million Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, the world’s largest wildlife bridge, aims to connect cougar habitat across the highway by 2026. “It’s just not coming soon enough for this cat,” said Beth Pratt, who led the campaign for the overpass. LAist | L.A. Times
10.
In 1975, on a lark, Brennan’s bar in Marina Del Rey began staging turtle races. Nearly 50 years later, the races are a top attraction, held every other Thursday before a crowd of roaring patrons. Animal activists now say enough is enough. This year, they have held two protests and gathered nearly 12,000 signatures on a petition demanding a halt to the “inhumane” use of turtles “to amuse humans for cheap thrills.” Brennan’s has refused. LAist
11.
In February, San Diego revised its sidewalk ordinance in response to complaints that “rogue” vendors had gotten out of hand. But the legislation also restricted activities such as yoga classes in public parks. When park rangers started ticketing yoga instructors in May, it set off a fierce battle that is now playing out in the courts. “San Diego is the mecca of yoga, it’s the reason people move here,” said yoga instructor Kody Hetherington. “If you don’t allow people to take care of themselves in this healthy way outside, then what are people going to do?” Wall Street Journal
In case you missed it
12.
A quick catch-up on headlines from the last five days or so:
- Cal State Los Angeles’ president told pro-Palestinian protesters to vacate a campus encampment after activists trashed a building. “The encampment has crossed a line,” Berenecea Johnson Eanes said. City News Service
- California’s biggest water agency placed its general manager on leave over accusations that he created a hostile work culture. Some environmentalists see a conspiracy. Politico
- Jerry West, the architect of the Lakers’ “Showtime” era, died at the age of 86. Columnist Bill Plaschke lamented that the final legacy of the “greatest Laker” included estrangement from the team. L.A. Times
- Los Angeles’ 6th Street Bridge — dubbed the “Ribbon of Light” for its illuminated arches — has gone completely dark after thieves ripped out its copper wiring. L.A. Times | KABC
- A family that lost their pet donkey, Diesel, in a Northern California wilderness area five years ago got some good news. A trail camera captured video of Diesel living happily with a herd of elk. CBS Sacramento
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