Good morning. It’s Thursday, Dec. 12.
- Former Fresno congressman to plead guilty to fraud.
- Chico’s historic Bidwell Mansion is lost to fire.
- And Meta donates $1 million to Trump inaugural fund.
Statewide
1.
TJ Cox, a former Democratic congressman from the San Joaquin Valley, agreed to plead guilty to two counts of fraud, his lawyer said on Wednesday. Cox had earlier portrayed himself as a target of a politically motivated prosecution after he faced allegations of multiple financial schemes, including stealing money from companies with which he was affiliated, lying to a mortgage lender, and arranging “straw” donors to illegally donate to his campaign. Under the plea deal, he agreed to pay $3.5 million in restitution and face possible prison time. San Joaquin Valley Sun | Sacramento Bee
2.
Less than 24 hours after a judge blocked a merger between Kroger and Albertsons over monopoly concerns, the two companies went from partners to legal foes. On Wednesday, Albertsons formally exited the merger and filed a lawsuit accusing Kroger of failing to do enough to win regulatory approval for what would have been the largest supermarket merger in history. It wants a $600 million termination fee as well as billions of dollars in legal fees and lost value. Kroger, in turn, accused Albertsons of repeatedly breaching the merger agreement. A.P. | L.A. Times
3.
The idea of the California exodus has been a recurring media narrative for decades. It was said to have happened in the early 1990s and again during the “dot-com bust” of the early 2000s. The latest round of exodus talk started during the pandemic. Yet California has never lost more than 1% of its population, according to the Department of Finance. The demographer Dowell Myers detected a motive beneath the fascination with California’s population. “They don’t like that California has this romantic image,” he said. “They’d really like to see it go up in flames.” SFGATE
4.
In 2023, the geographer Nat Henry created an interactive map that visualizes the walkability of Seattle neighborhoods to parks, libraries, supermarkets, restaurants, and more than a dozen other amenities. The project went viral, and over time some people began using it to choose their next apartment. Now Henry has released a version of his map for the entire United States. Bloomberg
- Look up your city. 👉 Close.city
Northern California
5.
“Chico’s heart is broken.”
Chico’s historic Bidwell Mansion went up in flames on Wednesday. Built in 1868 by the city’s founding family, the pink Victorian-era mansion served was a symbol of Chico and an elegant gateway to the downtown university campus. At the time of the fire, the property was closed while undergoing a $2.3 million renovation. The cause of the blaze was under investigation. Sacramento Bee | KRCR
- A rebuilding fund had already collected $50,000. Action News Now
6.
Meta donated $1 million to president-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural fund, in the latest example of Silicon Valley figures courting favor with the incoming president. The contribution came after an election campaign in which Trump threatened to punish Mark Zuckerberg if he tried to influence the election against him. Zuckerberg had dinner with Trump in Mar-a-Lago in November, bearing a gift of Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses. Privately, Zuckerberg is said to have told other business leaders he’s optimistic about Trump’s presidency. Wall Street Journal | N.Y. Times
- Marc Benioff’s cheerleading for Trump has horrified liberals. S.F. Chronicle
7.
In 2015, Netflix made headlines when it announced the most generous parental-leave benefits in America, pledging unlimited time off in the first year after a child’s birth. Nearly a decade later, the Los Gatos streamer has learned that it was a promise it couldn’t keep. The policy had reflected the company’s belief that employees can be trusted to set their own boundaries, the Wall Street Journal wrote: “But more staffers than expected took full advantage of the benefit, and Netflix ultimately found it unsustainable.”
8.
June Mountain is smaller, quieter, and less snowy than its neighbor, Mammoth Mountain, the premier ski resort in the Eastern Sierra. But the crowds are thin and scenery is breathtaking, earning the village the nickname “Little Switzerland of the Sierra.” AFAR magazine included June Mountain in a feature on “6 underrated ways to experience California without the crowds.”
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Southern California
9.
Nearly seven years after California became a “sanctuary state,” some local officials are now pushing back against the policy that bars cooperation with immigration officials as President-elect Trump prepares to return to office. After San Diego County voted to harden its sanctuary policies on Tuesday, the sheriff issued a pointed statement: “The board of supervisors does not set policy for the sheriff’s office,” it read. In another border jurisdiction, El Cajon, Mayor Bill Wells vowed to help Trump’s deportation effort. “The country was very clear on this issue,” he said. A.P. | inewsource
- The immigration surge of the past few years has been the largest in U.S. history, a New York Times analysis found.
10.
A fast-moving brush fire continued to burn out of control in Malibu on Wednesday, two days after igniting late Monday, as strong winds fanned the blaze across steep, rugged terrain. As of late Wednesday, the Franklin fire had scorched more than 6 square miles, destroying at least seven homes and forcing more than 6,300 evacuations. Rich Leo, who has lived in Malibu for more than 40 years, said he has been through destructive fires before. “This one was bad,” he said. “It kept jumping, and wherever I looked, I saw fire last night.” L.A. Times | A.P.
11.
People are making $100 an hour scratching backs. Professional scratchers drag their nails across clients’ backs, legs, and arms, eliciting a level of relaxation that they say is beyond the reach of a spouse or wooden spoon. Julie Luther quit her six-figure job as a pattern maker this summer and now makes better money running the Soft Touch ASMR spa in Pasadena. “It’s just like this very pure touch that’s purely for pleasure and nothing else, but not in a sexual way,” she said. Wall Street Journal
12.
You don’t need to travel to the planet Arrakis to experience the landscapes conjured in the science fiction universe of “Dune.” Roughly 100 miles east of San Diego is the Algodones Dunefield, California’s largest dune ecosystem spread across an area of roughly 45 miles by 6 miles. San Diego photographer Cole Parker captured some great “Dune”-inspired drone views. 👉 @colepark.er
- In winter, when temperatures are tolerable, the southern part of the Algodones is overrun by off-road enthusiasts. But campers can stake tents pretty much anywhere across the northern section, where the sand is soft and the stars are plentiful. Just remember to walk without rhythm. Outdoor Project
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The California Sun is written by Mike McPhate, a former California correspondent for the New York Times.
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