Good morning. It’s Tuesday, June 6.
- Gavin Newsom calls Ron DeSantis a “small, pathetic man.”
- Apple announces its first major product in a decade.
- And disruptions at ports poised to stretch into fifth day.
Statewide
1.
Another chartered jet carrying unauthorized migrants landed in Sacramento on Monday in what officials have depicted as a cruel stunt orchestrated by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ahead of a June 19 fundraising swing in California. Twenty migrants arrived in the capital city after 16 were flown there Friday. On Twitter, Gov. Gavin Newsom called DeSantis a “small, pathetic man” and suggested he could face kidnapping charges. DeSantis has remained silent. A.P. | Bloomberg
2.
Not terribly long ago, California was a red state. Then in 1992, Bill Clinton became the first Democratic presidential candidate in nearly three decades to carry the state. In an eye-opening column, Mark Z. Barabak recounted how the former Arkansas governor lavished attention on a state that was used to being ignored by the East Coast power axes. Ultimately, he wrote, Clinton’s relentless courtship “helped color California a lasting shade of blue and dramatically reshaped the fight for the White House.” L.A. Times
3.
Buying a home in California was already hard. With both State Farm and Allstate halting new insurance policies in the state over wildfire dangers and construction costs, it’s going to get even harder. Agents say the insurance crunch is already causing some deals to collapse, even in areas where wildfire risk is low. “We have a lot of people going naked, which means they have no insurance,” said Bill Dodd, a Democrat state senator in Northern California. “What my constituents want is insurance.” Bloomberg | S.F. Chronicle
4.
There’s a place in Humboldt County where the Eel River forms a near loop beside the Avenue of the Giants, the famed corridor of towering ancient redwoods. There, in a clearing surrounded by dense forest, a private campground offers cabins and cottages for nature lovers seeking a more luxurious experience. Giant Redwoods RV & Cabin Destination was included in a list of the 25 best campgrounds in the Pacific region, based on user reviews at the camping website The Dyrt.
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Northern California
5.
After graduating from Stanford in 2009, David Breaux embraced the idea of selflessness, giving away his belongings. He became a fixture at the intersection of Third and C Streets in Davis, where he invited passersby to share their definition of compassion. He became known as “the Compassion Guy,” the reporter Corina Knoll wrote in a profile: “someone whose presence was both treasured and ordinary.” Breaux was one of two people stabbed to death this spring in a spasm of violence that rocked the quiet college town. N.Y. Times
6.
Apple on Monday announced its first major product in a decade: $3,500 goggles that portend a post-iPhone world where the internet can be wired onto our very retinas. With the Vision Pro, people use their hands and voice to interact with media in a more immersive way, projecting imagery, apps, and games into their living environment. Early reviews were warm, but analysts doubted the device would garner mainstream appeal — for now. Wall Street Journal | Washington Post
7.
In April, Elon Musk asserted that “almost all advertisers have come back” to Twitter. But internal documents revealed that the platform’s U.S. ad revenue for the five weeks beginning on April 1 was down 59% from a year earlier. Company analysts projected sales would continue to fall. Musk bought Twitter in October for $44 billion. Fidelity recently valued it at $15 billion. N.Y. Times | Ars Technica
8.
At low tide along the Mendocino coast, what looks like rows upon rows of massive bowling balls emerge from the surf. Scientists say the spheres of Bowling Ball Beach began as concretions, or hard masses of sedimentary rock, embedded in the beach’s sandstone cliffs. Over millions of years of pounding waves and erosion, they became smoothed, dislodged, and arrayed in an otherworldly configuration along the shore. The travel reporter John Bartell paid a visit. YouTube/ABC10
Southern California
9.
More than 60 years ago, Los Angeles police officers would routinely harass gay and transgender people who gathered at Cooper Do-nuts, a seedy 24-hour hangout. Then one day in 1959, they pushed back, barraging officers with hot coffee and pastries. Arrests were made. The melee took its place in history as a precursor to the 1969 Stonewall Inn riot in New York City. The Los Angeles City Council is now planning to erect a street sign commemorating the Cooper Do-nuts riot. One problem: There is little evidence it ever happened. N.Y. Times
10.
A landslide was discovered Monday morning along the coastal rail line in San Clemente, forcing a halt to commuter and freight trains between San Diego and Orange counties. Service had only restarted a week ago after work was done to stabilize the same hillside after a slide in April. Geologists see the disruptions as an inevitable outcome of hastening erosion along the western edge of the continent. O.C. Register | S.D. Union-Tribune
11.
Dispatches from the labor front:
- Disruptions at ports in Long Beach, Los Angeles, and Oakland were poised to stretch into a fifth day Tuesday as dockworkers have throttled operations in a bid for leverage in negotiations over a new contract. The White House has been asked to intervene. Wall Street Journal | Reuters
- Five weeks after Hollywood writers walked off the job, actors are now threatening to join them. Nearly 98% of the members of SAG-AFTRA, a union representing about 160,000 performers, voted to authorize a strike. Labor leaders hope that will be enough to pressure studios into a favorable contract deal. Washington Post | Hollywood Reporter
- Hollywood workers are striking over pay. An analysis found that their bosses’ compensation ballooned 50% during the pandemic. L.A. Times
12.
In March, 126 homes priced above $5 million sold in Los Angeles. In April, the figure was two. The plunging sales came after a measure known as the “mansion tax” went into effect on April 1: a new 5.5% charge on sales of properties above $10 million, and 4% on those over $5 million. Many luxury homeowners now say they are waiting it out as two lawsuits seek to get the tax thrown out. Robb Report
- Celebrities scrambled to sell their properties before L.A.’s “mansion tax” took effect. L.A. Times
Thanks for reading!
The California Sun is written by Mike McPhate, a former California correspondent for the New York Times.
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