Two Northern California congressmen are pushing a bill that would require the U.S. Forest Service to quickly put out all wildfires everywhere in the country. The proposal strikes at the heart of a debate over the role of fire in forest health. Many experts say a century of overly aggressive wildfire suppression has left the forests overgrown and prone to monster conflagrations. Rep. Tom McClintock, a Republican, said the idea of good wildfires was “dangerous nonsense” contrived by a “radical environmental movement.” S.F. Chronicle | Tahoe Daily Tribune

When Luz Puebla came to Los Angeles from Mexico, she had grand visions of what the U.S. could offer. For 10 years, she built the life of her dreams in her family’s two-bedroom apartment. But the rent inched higher, along with the price of gas. Her family’s debt skyrocketed to more than $25,000. So one day last fall they headed to Huron, a town of 6,000 in the San Jaoquin Valley, in hopes of another fresh start. L.A. Times

State agents entered three San Diego preschools in January, separated children from familiar adults, and asked them about masking. Parents are furious. The schools are operated by Aspen Leaf Preschool, which was open about its decision to not mask children. Social service workers are permitted by law to interview children in isolated settings, but parents said they believed such tactics were reserved for extreme cases, like suspected child abuse. Voice of San Diego

Other coronavirus developments:

“This is something that we can all agree on. Both sides of the aisle.”

Since the Russia invasion of Ukraine began, the Eiffel Tower, the Rome Colosseum, and the Sydney Opera House have lit up in blue and yellow, the colors of the Ukrainian flag. Now add Redding’s Sundial Bridge, pictured above, a harp-like landmark with a 217-foot mast above the Sacramento River. Record Searchlight

The Washington Post on the rise of the far right in Shasta County:

“The combination of California’s pandemic-prompted mask regulations and President Donald Trump’s reelection loss have fused together a conservative group of angry mothers, militia leaders and disaffected Republicans adrift in a blue state. Trumpists are voting out Trumpists. Veteran Republican politicians are seeing their terms cut short.”

A jury found a police officer not guilty in San Francisco’s first known criminal trial against an on-duty officer over excessive force. On Oct. 6, 2019, Officer Terrance Stangel and another officer responded to a 911 call about a man choking a woman. Within seconds of approaching Dacari Spiers, a Black man on a date with his girlfriend at Fisherman’s Wharf, Stangel was beating him with a baton, an encounter captured on video. Prosecutors said Spiers suffered blows as he was on the ground in the fetal position. Stangel testified that he was trying to bring a violent situation under control. S.F. Chronicle | A.P.

San Francisco opened its first tiny home village for homeless people. The cost to build each 64-square-foot unit is about $15,000, far cheaper than other alternatives. They are simple: a bed, desk, chair, artwork, and locking door. But Ryan Bauer, who has been homeless for 30 years, described his first few nights as a revelation. “I was cold last night and turned on the heater and wow,” he said. S.F. Chronicle

Along much of the California coast, cities where the typical home is at least $1 million are now the norm. Still, California earned a spot in a feature on “5 cool beach towns where you can still buy a house under $400K.” Eureka has stunning natural beauty, a nearby polytechnic university, a lively art scene, and Victorian charm. The median home value right now: $416,207. Marketwatch

By one measure, San Diego is the most unaffordable metropolis in America. It’s now driving a growing number of priced-out residents to move south of the Mexican border. Gustavo Chacon Aubanel, the owner of a Tijuana realty company, said he has a pitch ready to go when San Diegans call: “In National City, the average studio is $1,200,” he said. “Here, for the same amount, you can rent a house” — a three-bedroom house with two parking spaces. KPBS

Since being elected a decades ago, Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino has financed family trips to Hawaii, Italy, and elsewhere with nearly $65,000 from an account intended for office operations and constituent services, an analysis showed. He declined to answer questions from a reporter, but said in a statement that his travel allowed him to perform his duties “without depriving my young kids of time with their father.” Buscaino is now running for mayor. L.A. Times

In the heart of San Diego is a slice of the Australian rainforest. When Moreton Bay fig trees first arrived in California in the mid 1800s, few understood their propensity for aggressive growth, with enormous roots that spread like tentacles. Several were planted in Balboa Park, including the specimen pictured above, which has become a favorite of Instagrammers and wedding photographers. One fan named the tree Abbey, as in Westminster, for its gothic buttresses. KCET

☝️ Behold Antonio Coronel, one of Los Angeles’ most impressive former mayors.

Born in Mexico City in 1817, Coronel came to the frontier town of Los Angeles as a teenager during California’s Mexican period, working jobs as a schoolteacher, street commissioner, and justice of the peace.

In the 1840s, he prospected for gold in the northern Sierra foothills, encountering white miners he described as “foreigners” possessed by a “terrible fever to obtain gold.” Yet he would ultimately embrace his new nationality as an American after taking up arms on the losing side of the Mexican–American War.

Five years later, he was elected to a one-year term as mayor of Los Angeles, then served another 12 years on the city council, distinguishing himself as a man of unusual refinement. Coronel established the Department of Public Works, promoted civic beautification, and supported the pueblo’s horticultural and historical societies. He later served as California State Treasurer.

But as the state’s population ballooned with settlers, the era of Latino power in California faded abruptly. In the two decades following Coronel’s mayoralty, Los Angeles elected two more Latino mayors, then no others for more than 130 years. After his death in 1894, Los Angeles’ first elected Californio mayor was largely forgotten.