Good morning. It’s Thursday, Oct. 18.
- California Republicans line up behind Jim Jordan.
- Huntington Beach moves to review public library books.
- And a campaign in San Diego to remove aggressive coyotes.
Statewide
1.
Rep. Jim Jordan, of Ohio, was a key figure in the campaign to overturn the 2020 president election. To this day, he does not acknowledge that former President Trump lost. Even so, 11 of California’s 12 Republican House members voted on Tuesday to make Jordan the next House speaker, second in line to the presidency. He lost, but another vote is planned for Wednesday. Sacramento Bee | N.Y. Times
- Columnist Mark Z. Barabak: “Come 2024, remember the names and misplaced loyalties of those California lawmakers who voted to install an insurrection-backing, integrity-lacking Trump toady as head of the body that calls itself the People’s House.” L.A. Times
2.
An unknown climber named Nick Ehman just set a new solo speed record on El Capitan’s most popular route, beating a record held by Alex Honnold, one of the sport’s greatest athletes, since 2010. Ehman ascended the 3,000-foot route known as the Nose in 4 hours and 39 minutes; Honnold, who drew national fame for his ropeless ascent of another El Cap route, did it in 5 hours, 50 minutes. Born in Indiana, Ehman has worked on a search-and-rescue crew in Yosemite Valley since 2020. Outside magazine | S.F. Chronicle
3.
Meet California’s new state bat. The official distinction for the pallid bat was included among the raft of bills recently signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom. While some may find the pig-snouted creatures terrifying, they are invaluable agents of pest control, devouring beetles, cockroaches, moths, mosquitoes, wasps, and flies. State Sen. Caroline Menjivar, who introduced the bill, noted that the pallid bat has a golden coat — “perfect for the Golden State.” Sacramento Bee
4.
Three eye-catching homes on the market right now, in the mountains, city, and desert:
- A renowned Japanese architecture firm built a modern cabin on the outskirts of Nevada City, one of the prettiest mountain towns in the West. It has an “open roof” deck that covers the entire footprint of the house. Yours for $3.3 million. Sacramento Bee | designboom
- In 1928, a wealthy Nebraskan built a Spanish Colonial Revival on 350 acres of citrus and walnut orchards in the San Fernando Valley. Nearly a century later, the property has shrunk to one acre, but the home remains one of the most distinctive in the valley. Asking: $5 million. N.Y. Times | Robb Report
- In the 1950s, the architect Charles DuBois built a collection of homes with dramatic A-frame roofs in Palm Springs’ Vista Las Palmas neighborhood, a haven for quintessential midcentury-modern architecture. Known as Swiss Miss houses, one was just listed for $2.5 million. Redfin
Northern California
5.
Two bicyclists riding along the shoulder of a scenic two-lane route through Napa Valley were killed early Tuesday when they were hit by lumber protruding from a flatbed truck, police said. The victims were identified only as a 50-year-old man and a 45-year-old woman. Vince Pompliano, a CHP spokesman, said the lumber shifted for unknown reasons, but never fell off the truck. Press Democrat | CBS Bay Area
6.
Police said they caught a prolific graffiti vandal who has tagged “Goer” on thousands of storefronts and walls around San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood. Brian Wabl, 41, was arrested Sunday morning after a witness directed officers to stop him. The neighborhood has been so plagued by graffiti that the local community board employs employs a full-time graffiti remover. “For years, we’ve been cleaning up after this guy, years upon years,” said Adam Mesnick, the owner of a sandwich shop. SF Standard
7.
At Pinnacles National Park, boulders the size of RVs are strewn amid the spires as though tossed by some bored giant. In reality, they were broken off of the clifftops by the erosive power of wind and water, then became wedged in the narrow canyons below. Hikers along trails through the park’s matrix of caves, spires, and chasms are known to quicken their pace when passing beneath the giant monoliths. National Park Service
- The best hikes at Pinnacles. 👉 The Outbound
Southern California
8.
“Zach Mullins was used to walking into rooms filled with White faces. But he was taken aback when, at an air show last year in San Diego, a man approached to ask: ‘Did you know that you’re the only Black fighter pilot in the Marine Corps?'”
Mullins is in fact one of five Black Marines who fly, down from an all-time high of 15 in 2000. They represent not even 1% of the Corps’ 580 fighter pilots. It’s the military’s worst such disparity. Washington Post
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9.
The Huntington Beach City Council voted during a contentious meeting late Tuesday to establish a community board that will screen children’s books for sexual content at the public libraries. Supporters said it would ensure that adult materials are not included in children’s sections. Councilwoman Natalie Moser, who opposed the measure, said voters look to them for solutions to issues like housing shortages and homelessness. “I want to understand why members of this council majority keep attempting to fix what is not broken,” she said. @mjszabo | YouTube
10.
There’s a growing campaign in San Diego to compel wildlife agencies to remove coyotes from neighborhoods where some say the animals are behaving aggressively. “They’re coming into the yard and acting like they own it,” said resident Cuauhtemoc KishKish. Critics say removal makes no sense for a creature living in its natural habitat: the canyons nestled among the city’s neighborhoods. They will either come back or others will move in, said Ken Paglia, a state wildlife official. And coyotes reproduce quickly. S.D. Union-Tribune
11.
In July 2022, doctors diagnosed Chad Vanags with terminal Stage 4 lung cancer. Eight months later, his wife Stacie, in search of a sanctuary, planted 1,100 flower seeds in their Ventura backyard. The garden exploded with color after this year’s unusually wet spring. “It was like nature was telling me, ‘You’re going to need this,’” she said. “I can leave my tears in the garden.” L.A. Times
12.
Dwight Manley, an Orange County real estate developer, lost more than $2 million playing blackjack in Las Vegas in a single afternoon in late 2021. Now he is suing MGM Grand Resort and Casino, alleging that someone spiked his cocktail with ketamine as he gambled. As a consequence, he argues, he “lacked capacity” to request more credit, which he did repeatedly. Las Vegas Review-Journal | O.C. Register
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