Good morning. It’s Monday, Sept. 30.
- Gov. Gavin Newsom blocks artificial intelligence bill.
- Americans smuggle fentanyl across U.S.-Mexico border.
- And a photo tour of this year’s corn maze designs.
Statewide
1.
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday blocked a sweeping artificial intelligence safety bill that won broad support in the Legislature but was fiercely opposed in Silicon Valley. The bill would have required companies to test AI systems before releasing them to the public and made them liable if the technology was used to harm people. In his veto letter, Newsom argued that the regulations were too onerous and threatened innovation. State Senator Scott Wiener, the bill’s author, said the governor has left Californians vulnerable to real danger. “It’s not science fiction at all,” he said. KQED | Reuters
2.
Newsom has decided the fates of numerous bills in recent days as he faces a midnight Monday deadline to act on legislation advanced by state lawmakers. Notable bills that got his signature:
- a requirement that large health insurers cover in vitro fertilization
- a ban on food dyes in school cafeterias
- tougher penalties for those who harass patients entering abortion clinics
- a prohibition against voter identification laws by local governments
- limits on new warehouses near homes, schools, and hospitals
Bills that he vetoed:
- a requirement that new cars include speeding alerts
- stronger protections for farmworkers laboring in extreme heat
- mandated labels on gas stoves warning of health risks
3.
“meltingly tender, jiggly brisket”
“spot-on vibes and energetic dishes”
“a perfect California fine-dining restaurant”
The New York Times included five California locations — two in Los Angeles and three in the Bay Area — in its annual list of the 50 best restaurants in America.
4.
The Los Angeles artist Darren Pearson is a practitioner of what’s known as light painting. He conjures fanciful creatures by waving LED lights in front a camera that captures a long exposure. His settings include some of California’s prettiest places: among them Big Sur, Trona Pinnacles, Joshua Tree, and Lake Tahoe. He shared a great video revisiting some of his finest works. 👉 @dariustwin
Northern California
5.
Kris Kristofferson, the country singer and songwriter whose hits included “Me and Bobby McGee” and “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” died on Saturday at his home in Maui. He was 88. Kristofferson was born in Brownsville, Texas, but grew up in San Mateo and attended Pomona College. He earned a Rhodes scholarship, flew helicopters in the Army, and was offered a prestigious teaching position at West Point. When he decided instead to pursue music, his mother disowned him, calling him a “tremendous disappointment.” Kristofferson went on to become, Rolling Stone wrote, “one of the greatest songwriters of all time.” N.Y. Times | Washington Post
6.
The San Jose State women’s volleyball program has become the latest flashpoint in the debate over transgender athletes in sports. Last week, OutKick reported that one of the team’s players, Brooke Slusser, had joined a lawsuit that accuses the NCAA of discriminating against women, alleging that one of her teammates is transgender. In her complaint, Slusser said she had never seen a woman hit a ball so hard. In recent weeks, two schools have declined to play scheduled games against the San Jose team without offering specific reasons. Mercury News | S.F. Chronicle
7.
While the mighty banana slug gets all the attention — feted as a university mascot and an official state symbol — California is home to more than 200 native species of mollusks, each one weirder than the last. Leopard slugs eat other slugs and “mate while dangling from a rope of slime.” The reticulate taildropper can self-amputate its own tail, a diversion technique used to escape predators. The illustrator John Muir Laws answered your Bay Area slug questions. 👉 Bay Nature
Southern California
8.
The amount of fentanyl crossing the U.S.-Mexico border has increased tenfold in the past five years. But the drug couriers are not primarily unauthorized immigrants: More than 80% of the people sentenced for fentanyl trafficking at the southern border are U.S. citizens, federal data shows. “Officials say those numbers point to a new and alarming strategy: Mexican drug cartels are turning thousands of Americans into fentanyl mules, deploying a torrent of couriers who can easily cross back and forth into their own country,” the New York Times wrote.
9.
Three mansions on Los Angeles’ tony Westside have been covered in graffiti after being abandoned by their owners. Two of the homes, located in the Hollywood Hills, belong to John Powers Middleton, a film producer and the son of a Philadelphia Phillies co-owner. The third home, in Bel Air, is partly owned by a half-brother of Osama bin Laden. A broker said it has been vacant for more than two decades. “It’s just insane,” one neighbor told the L.A. Times. “There was once a gorgeous home there. I mean, who does that?” CBS News | L.A. Times
10.
Laura La Rue, a single 32-year-old mom, bought an old school bus and converted it into a home on a piece of property in Ojai. It includes a composting toilet, a shower, a propane-powered stovetop, and a nook for her 6-month-old daughter, Lasca. They live primarily outside, along with a cat and dog, where La Rue grows all her own produce and creates clothing for her tie-dye business. It’s nontraditional, she acknowledged: “This is what I wanted — a safe haven where I can have people over and enjoy the bare necessities.” L.A. Times
11.
There’s a Michelin-starred restaurant in Culver City where tall people eat free. Before you get too excited, Lustig defines tall as taller than the restaurant’s 6-foot-8 chef, Bernhard Mairinger, which rules out NBA players such as Luka Doncic or Kawhi Leonard. “Verification is serious,” wrote the Westside Current, “with a height line and designated shoe spot by the entrance.” Westside Current | SFGATE
California seasons
12.
Autumn is well upon us, which means California’s pumpkin patches have been unveiling their 2024 corn maze designs. Once a small farmer’s side hustle, pumpkin patches have become big business, reflected in the proliferation of offerings — including carnival rides, apple cannons, zip lines, live music, and increasingly elaborate corn mazes.
Below, see a quick photo tour of some of this year’s designs.
Brookshire Farms in San Luis Obispo chose a “Peanuts” theme.
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Cool Patch Pumpkins in Dixon went patriotic.
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Fantozzi Farms in Patterson paid tribute to a local auto dealership.
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Los Rios Rancho in Oak Glen carved out a true maze.
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Underwood Family Farms in Moorpark created an elegant pattern.
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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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