Good morning. It’s Tuesday, Feb. 20.
- Electric vehicle sales slump in California.
- An extremely rare lake forms in Death Valley.
- And tech leaders who fled San Francisco are returning.
Statewide
1.
After years of rapid expansion, electric vehicle sales in California dropped significantly in the last half of 2023. Even Tesla sales fell 10% in the final quarter of the year. Whether the declines are a blip or the beginning of a larger trend is unclear, but some analysts are worried. “It’s an interesting time for the automakers and consumers,” said Greg Bannon, director of automotive engineering at AAA. “The government and automakers have spent billions on something consumers may not want.” L.A. Times
2.
You can kayak right now in Death Valley.
An ephemeral lake has spread across Badwater Basin in an extremely rare phenomenon that park officials attributed to two tremendous bursts of rain: the remnants of Hurricane Hilary on Aug. 20 and an atmospheric river in the first week of February. As of Feb. 14, the lake stood 6 miles long, 3 miles wide, and about a foot deep, park officials said. NPS.gov
- “Shook me to my core.” Patrick Donnelly, an environmental advocate, shared video of his boat outing. 👉 @bitterwaterblue
3.
Other storm updates:
- An atmospheric river caused scattered mudslides, downed trees, and power outages across California Monday, but largely spared the state major damage. Santa Barbara’s airport closed after 10 inches of rain swamped the tarmac. People trapped by surging floodwaters required rescues in San Luis Obispo, El Dorado, and Sacramento counties. L.A. Times | A.P.
- Forecasters said the storm would linger through Wednesday, with another burst of intense rainfall on Tuesday that would pose significant risk of flooding across Los Angeles region, the Inland Empire, and Orange County. Accuweather | @NWSLosAngeles
4.
California has a new state mushroom. The California golden chanterelle bested rival fungi in a vote among mushroom aficionados who cited the species’ brilliant color, impressive size, and abundance in live-oak forests. They’re also edible. Alan Bergo, an award-winning chef, was prepared to be unimpressed when he tried a few for the first time last year. “But these were really good, AND really big,” he wrote. Bay Nature | Foragerchef.com
Northern California
5.
During the George Floyd protests of 2020, corporate America made big pronouncements about their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Now they’re pulling back. Two California companies, Zoom and Snap, were the latest to cut teams dedicated to DEI in recent weeks. Meta, Lyft, DoorDash, and X cut DEI teams by at least 50% in 2023, one analysis showed. The pullback has coincided with rising legal and political pressure over tactics that critics say amount to “racially discriminatory quotas and preferences.” Washington Post
6.
In 2020, venture capitalist Keith Rabois moved to Miami from San Francisco, which he called “miserable on every dimension.” But several startups he backed in Miami shifted their operations to the Bay Area and New York to be closer to engineering talent. Now Rabois plans to spend one week a month back in San Francisco. “During the pandemic, scores of Silicon Valley investors and executives such as Rabois decamped to sunnier American cities, criticizing San Francisco’s government as dysfunctional and the city’s relatively high cost of living,” wrote the Wall Street Journal. “Four years later, that bet hasn’t really worked out.”
7.
Aristeo Zambrano, an immigrant from Mexico, worked as a broccoli cutter in the Salinas Valley in the 1970s and 1980s. He later moved to Oakland, where he ran an auto repair shop for 33 years in a neighborhood plagued by crime. He was 68, nearing retirement, when he was shot and killed at the shop on Feb. 3. “Zambrano’s family described him as calm, collected, reserved and generous. He was married and had three daughters and six grandchildren,” the San Francisco Chronicle wrote.
8.
Duffel bags full of candy are selling in minutes in San Francisco’s open-air drug markets. Research has shown that opioid use is associated with a stronger preference for sugary foods, which are thought to activate the brain’s rewards centers in similar ways. On a recent night in San Francisco’s Tenderloin, people bartered for gummy worms and Cap’n Crunch cereal. One vendor lugged around a wheelbarrow full of pink and red homemade cakes. Another offered Kit Kats for a $1. “Some of this shit might get you higher than dope,” he said. SF Standard
9.
In winter, Northern California’s Mount Shasta transforms into a forbidding landscape of ice and snow. Yet high along the freezing slopes are peculiar patches of scalding hot earth. They are heated by hissing fumaroles, or vents for subterranean steam and gas, a reminder of Shasta’s volcanic birth story. While they can be dangerous to approach, the natural heaters were a godsend for two hikers who found themselves pinned down by a snow storm in April 1875. John Muir and a companion survived through the night by lying atop the fumaroles, the great environmentalist recounted in Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, “at once frozen and burned.”
- A hiker captured video of Shasta’s bubbling fumaroles. 👉 YouTube
Southern California
10.
In recent weeks, crews have added a novel anti-climbing feature atop the border wall between Tijuana and San Diego County. Some immigrant activists warned that the contraptions, shaped like awnings, would only increase the number of fall injuries along the border, which have already surged since taller barriers were installed. Journalist María José Durán lamented what she called the “militarization” of Friendship Park, a place that once symbolized connection between the two nations. “Now, it evokes a prison,” she wrote. Border Report | San Diego Magazine
11.
Beverly Hills is fighting back after a judge ordered it to approve affordable housing or face a moratorium on all home projects, including additions and kitchen remodels. Some have argued that the city just doesn’t have enough land. It’s a laughable claim, said Matt Gelfand, a lawyer for Californians for Homeownership: “Other cities may sort of have that argument — Beverly Hills definitely does not. There is plenty of interest and there are plenty of places to put it.” Hollywood Reporter
12.
The world’s tallest man and shortest woman posed for a photographer in Irvine on Monday, above. Sultan Kosen, 41, of Turkey, stands 8 feet 3 inches, a stature that resulted from a pituitary tumor. One of his shoes is nearly as big as Jyoti Amge, a 30-year-old actress from India who stands 2 feet and 3⁄4 inches tall. Her height was restricted by a genetic disorder called primordial dwarfism. A Turkish broadcaster said the pair was in town to meet with a producer in Los Angeles. The Telegraph
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