Good morning. It’s Monday, Dec. 18.
- Environmentalist lawmakers put their money in Big Oil.
- Harrowing account of a hiker pinned under a boulder.
- And a 95-year-old teaches students from experience.
Statewide
1.
Reporters checked California lawmakers’ stock portfolios and found environmentalists invested in Big Oil, an ardent social media critic with at least $100,000 in Meta, and union-backed Democrats making money from companies whose worker policies they denounced. Assemblymember Gail Pellerin, a Democrat from Santa Cruz, for instance, was endorsed by green groups for her commitment to ending the state’s dependence on fossil fuels. She holds stock in Exxon Mobil, Chevron, and Shell. She’s also the only California lawmaker to invest in Philip Morris. L.A. Times
2.
“The time to act is now.”
Sick kids are filling up California’s hospital beds as rising rates of respiratory illnesses hit especially hard among people under 18. According to the latest CDC figures for California, 69% of pediatric inpatient beds and 72% intensive-care beds were occupied as of Dec. 9. The agency gave the state a rating of “high” viral illness activity, among the worst designations in the country. Health officials urged residents to get vaccinated against influenza, Covid-19, and RSV before holiday gatherings. S.F. Chronicle | L.A. Times
3.
While campaigning to be California’s insurance commissioner, Ricardo Lara warned about the threat of climate change. But when insurance companies sought to raise their rates, Lara blocked them. Several top insurers have now fled the state and put Lara in the middle of “the biggest insurance crisis in the country,” reporter Jean Eaglesham wrote. “With his pledge to ‘defend all Californians from the threat of climate change’ seemingly in tatters, the 49-year-old regulator is trying to make deals to bring insurers back to the state.” Wall Street Journal
4.
Hours after a five-ton boulder rolled onto Kevin DePaolo’s right leg in the Inyo Mountains, the 26-year-old was delirious with pain. The New York Times recounted how DePaolo came to believe the end was near after the accident on Dec. 5:
“At his lowest, he asked his friend, who was by his side, to call his mother and tell her: ‘This is it. I’m going to die up here. There’s no way I’m going to make it through.’
“But his friend refused.”
5.
Hidden within a horseshoe-shaped rock at Carrizo Plain National Monument is a collection of colorful artworks more than a thousand years older than the founding of Rome. The imagery of Painted Rock, including animal-like figures and colorful patterns, is believed to be associated with shamanic rituals that took place as long as 4,000 years ago. Few people go to the trouble to visit the remote outcropping, but those who have describe it as enthralling. A travel vlogger gave a nice tour of Painted Rock this year. 👉 YouTube (~5:30 mins)
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Northern California
6.
A UC Berkeley graduate left his role as a legislative aide to U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin following allegations that he appeared in a video showing two men having sex in a Capitol Hill hearing room, reports said. On Friday, the conservative outlet The Daily Caller published portions of the video, which it said had been shared “in a private group for gay men in politics.” Aidan Maese-Czeropski posted a statement on LinkedIn in which he acknowledged showing poor judgement in the past, but said he was being “attacked for who I love to pursue a political agenda.” CNN | S.F. Chronicle
7.
Apple shares surged to an all-time high last week, making its market value nearly as high as the combined value of every company listed on the French stock market. At the close of trading Friday, the iPhone maker had a valuation of nearly $3.1 trillion; the Paris market hovers around $3.2 trillion. Apple stock has surged 55% this year, adding roughly $1 trillion in market value. Business Insider
- Things you could buy for $1 trillion: All of the major American sports leagues; the college tab for more than 7 million students; a settlement on Mars; and a $1-million-a-day spending budget for more than 2,700 years.
8.
The winemaker Mike Grgich died at his home in Calistoga on Dec. 13. In 1976, a contest was held in Paris between the finest French wines and unknown bottles from Napa Valley. The outcome was considered a foregone conclusion. But when the scores by nine French judges were tallied, their top white was a 1973 chardonnay crafted by Grgich. Another Napa winemaker took the prize for the top red. The upset became known as the Judgment of Paris and marked a turning point for Napa Valley’s reputation. Grgich was 100 years old. N.Y. Times | Press Democrat
Southern California
9.
“It has been said by the defendants in this case, and the court has to agree, that the conduct by the government in this case can only be described as outrageous.”
U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino
A Malaysian contractor known as “Fat Leonard” defrauded the U.S. Navy out of millions of dollars. After his arrest in San Diego in 2013, he helped prosecutors target nine top Navy officers he said helped him. He ended up fooling everybody. The Wall Street Journal told the story of the government’s “disastrous” handling of one of the biggest military corruption cases in U.S. history.
10.
It’s been nearly 20 years since the last major film was released on VHS. Yet a growing group of enthusiasts — some of whom call themselves “tapeheads” — are fueling a video tape renaissance in Los Angeles that has included the reemergence of brick-and-mortar shops. Reporter Reis Thebault wrote a delightful piece on the movement, which he attributed to a mix of nostalgia, fatigue with subscription services, and “disillusionment with the algorithms that mediate so much of modern life.” Washington Post
11.
On a recent day at a middle school in Rancho Cucamonga, substitute teacher Gene Arnold talked to students about the Great Depression — drawing on personal experience. Arnold is 95 years old, a veteran of World War II. “We didn’t have the cafeteria like you do now,” he said. “Kids either brought their lunch, or they didn’t eat.” Asked if he’s thought about retiring, Arnold said ominously that he knows what would happen if he did. “I’m tired. I really am,” he said. “Kids keep me going.” KABC
12.
An outdoor museum of post-apocalyptic sculptures.
A straw-bale concert hall with enchantingly warm sound.
And a bar with vegan tacos and full-size motorcycle decor.
The New York Times gave Joshua Tree the “36 Hours in …” treatment.
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