Good morning. It’s Monday, Jan. 22.
- In-N-Out to close only Oakland location over crime.
- Claremont Institute stokes the anti-D.E.I. movement.
- And the 15 most popular state park campgrounds in 2023.
Statewide
1.
The first debate in California’s U.S. Senate race this evening will feature three Democrats with formidable résumés in politics and the law. Then there’s Steve Garvey. In a profile, reporter Lara Korte struggled to extract specific policy positions from the former L.A. Dodger. On homelessness, Garvey wants to “get real” and “make a difference,” he says. “My position is, once elected, I think I’ll have a fresh voice with fresh ideas.” Pressed for details, he says, “Once we get through the primary, we’ll start a deeper dive into that.” Politico Magazine
- The debate kicks off at 6pm. Stream it on FOX 11.
2.
In a major update to its analysis of active faults, the U.S. Geological Survey shared a new map, above, that depicts earthquake risk across the country. It shows much of California — including the Bay Area and Los Angeles regions — with more than a 95% chance of experiencing a damaging earthquake in the next century. Greg Beroza, a geophysicist, noted that it’s been a long time since a major quake hit an urban area, referring to San Francisco in 1906. So much has changed, he said, “that the next such earthquake is likely to bring some unanticipated consequences.” Washington Post
3.
Fear of civil unrest and foreign wars has a growing number of people preparing for the worst. In California, a group of civilians recently gathered for an an intensive weekend-long survival course. Sarah Beth Riess, a masseuse from Mendocino County whose face was slathered with earth-colored paint, explained her reasons for signing up. “It seems to me it’s just logical,” she said. “I’m sure it is only a matter of time before conflicts are in our faces — and not just on the news.” N.Y. Times
4.
Reporters analyzed a trove of booking data to determine the 15 most popular state park campgrounds. All but two of them are perched by the sea, with both of the outliers located in the Tahoe region — Donner Memorial State Park and Tahoe State Recreation Area. A few superstar campgrounds maintained booking rates above 90% yea r-round, including the off season. One was Pismo State Beach, adjacent to magnificent coastal dunes, pictured above. S.F. Chronicle
Northern California
5.
In-N-Out Burger announced that it was shutting its only location in Oakland, citing the risks posed by crime. In a statement, the burger chain said customers and employees at the restaurant, a popular pit stop for nearly two decades, have been “regularly victimized by car break-ins, property damage, theft, and armed robberies.” Since 2019, police logged 1,335 incidents in the vicinity of the diner, the Chronicle reported. The situation grew so dire that the restaurant hung placards warning diners to secure their valuables. KGO | S.F. Chronicle
- In the same area, a Shell gas station faces “nonstop” burglaries as thieves target the luggage of travelers near the Oakland airport. SFGATE | SF Standard
6.
The Silicon Valley billionaires who are trying to build a new city in the farmlands of Solano County are counting on a shifting mood in California, where residents and politicians have grown frustrated with punishing housing costs. But first they have to get the farmers to sell their land. Reporter Conor Dougherty told the story of families who have farmed their land for generations and are refusing to sell. Don’t miss the twist at the end. N.Y. Times
7.
Tara VanDerveer became the winningest coach in college basketball history on Sunday when the Stanford women beat Oregon State, 65-56, for her 1,203rd victory, surpassing the mark set by former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. VanDerveer, 70, has been a head coach since age 24, picking up three NCAA Championships along the way. Dozens of alumni were on hand to witness her latest accomplishment as she was showered with gold confetti and chants of “Tara! Tara!” Mercury News | A.P.
8.
San Francisco is closing some pickleball courts after complaints spearheaded by a nearby resident, Holly Peterson, whose $29 million mansion has its own pickleball court. “The endless racket threatens the fragile ecosystem and our community’s prestige,” she alleged in a petition. After an acoustics study, the parks department said it would remove six of the playground’s 12 pickleball courts. In a protest Friday, about 50 pickleballers carried signs with messages such as “More pickleball, less fentanyl.” “This is pickle disobedience!” an organizer shouted. Wall Street Journal | SF Standard
9.
The story of a 2015 Vallejo kidnapping that police dismissed as a hoax is drawing renewed attention thanks to a Netflix docuseries on the case, “American Nightmare.” On March 23, 2015, an intruder tied up Aaron Quinn and Denise Huskins in the couple’s home, then took Huskins to a residence in South Lake Tahoe where he held her for two days and raped her twice. Within hours of her release, the Vallejo police, having never spoken to Huskins, assembled a news conference and called her a liar. A few months later, the kidnapper struck again. Reviewers called the series “gripping,” “jaw-dropping,” and “infuriating.” Wall Street Journal | Daily Beast
10.
One of California’s greatest bike rides is a meandering 10 miles through old-growth redwoods in Humboldt County. Some regulars say that the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway, in Prairie Creek State Park, is even more spectacular than its famous cousin, the Avenue of the Giants. Vehicles are banished from the parkway on the first Saturday of each month from fall through spring, transforming it into a haven for joggers and bicyclists. Pack a lunch for a break near the Big Tree, a mesmerizingly huge redwood in a little clearing with benches. NPS | Redwood Hikes
Southern California
11.
A wealthy businessman named Rodney Masri is planning to build a six-story tower in downtown San Diego with a total occupancy of one. According to the plans, the ground floor will be reserved for retail, while Masri himself will use all of the others. The proposal has sailed through the approvals process even while raising eyebrows in a city suffering from a massive housing shortage. “There’s no law that stops somebody from building their own building and living in it — even if it is a prime location,” the S.D. Union-Tribune reported.
12.
As diversity, equity, and inclusion programs face a growing backlash across the U.S., reporter Nicholas Confessore investigated one group stoking the anti-D.E.I. movement: Southern California’s Claremont Institute. D.E.I., as it’s now practiced, has critics across the political spectrum, Confessore noted. But Claremont is not so much bothered by the idea of universities instilling orthodoxy — it just wants to instill a different orthodoxy. “The Right argues that we want nonpolitical education,” Thomas D. Klingenstein, Claremont’s chairman, wrote in 2021. “No we don’t. We want our politics.” N.Y. Times
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