It could all come down to California // A movement to ban rodeos

Good morning. It’s Monday, Nov. 14.

The battle for the House hinges on California.
UC academic workers set to strike on Monday.
And a growing movement to ban rodeos in the state.

Statewide

1.

Democrat Rudy Salas, right, has cut into the lead of Republican David Valadao in the Central Valley. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call/Rich Pedroncelli/A.P.)

With Democrats having clinched the U.S. Senate, the battle for the House remains on a knife’s edge — Politico’s tally has Republicans holding 212 seats to Democrats’ 203, with 218 needed for a majority — and it could all come down to California. Half of the races that remain to be called are in the Golden State. On Saturday, the political analyst Nate Cohn said current trends pointed to a narrow Republican advantage. But Democrats’ hopes survived for one reason: “They generally appear to be faring better in the post-Election Day count in California — where millions of votes remain to be counted — than they did on election night.” N.Y. Times | Politico

Track live House results. 👉 Politico

2.

Nearly 48,000 academic workers at the University of California plan to strike for better pay across all 10 of the system’s campuses on Monday, disrupting classes weeks before final exams. A union survey found that 92% of UC graduate student workers now spend more than 30% of their pay on rent in college towns where housing costs have soared. Some live out of their cars. They have demanded more than a doubling of their pay, from about $24,000 a year to a minimum of $54,000. KTVU | The Guardian

3.

A wrestler brought down a steer at the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Rodeo in Devore on Sept. 23. (Will Lester/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin via Getty Images)

There’s a growing movement to ban rodeos in California. Activists scored a recent victory in the Bay Area, where one county prohibited what’s known as “wild cow milking.” Susanne Rust offered this description of the event, which begins by bringing a lactating cow from the fields to an arena:

“There, she is separated from her calf, tossed into a rodeo ring, and attacked by three or four men who rope her, pull her tail, wrestle her to the ground and try to hold her still while one of them grabs her teats and milks her.” L.A. Times

4.

Joan Didion, circa 1977. (CSU Archives/Everett Collection)

The personal objects of Joan Didion are going up for auction on Wednesday, and it’s created quite a stir among fans who felt a connection with the late California author. Though she may have bristled at the label, Didion was a style icon, which could explain how the pre-bidding on her tortoiseshell sunglasses had hit $4,500 as of late Sunday. The cheapest auction item was expected to be some blank notebooks she never used. Current bid: $2,800. CNN | N.Y. Times

Northern California

5.

Ranchers diverted water from Shasta River, a tributary of Klamath River. (Cavan Images)

Environmentalists and tribal leaders were infuriated earlier this month when California proposed a $4,000 fine for an agricultural district that drained a river in far Northern California in defiance of drought restrictions over the summer. The reporter Ryan Sabalow did some simple math on what the penalty means for each farmer. “California now knows the cost of the farmers’ blatant defiance: Less than $50 per farmer,” he wrote. Sacramento Bee

6.

Dan O’Dowd, a Santa Barbara software magnate, has been spending millions of dollars to get Tesla’s self-driving software off the roads: “If Tesla gets away with this and ships this product and I can’t convince the public that a self-driving car that drives like a drunken, suicidal 13-year-old shouldn’t be on the road, I’m going to fail,” he said. Washington Post

7.

A pair of armed robbers were captured on video attacking a wedding photographer in broad daylight last Wednesday near San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts, a popular place for proposals and weddings. The bride sobbed as the suspects barged into the couple’s engagement photo session and pistol-whipped the photographer, who refused to let go of his camera bag. It was the second attack on a photographer at the Palace of Fine Arts that day. KGO | SFist

8.

One day in February 1885, a city councilman in the Northern California town of Eureka was killed by a stray bullet during a shootout between two Chinese men. A white mob formed, erected a gallows on the edge of the city’s Chinatown, and gave the area’s residents 24 hours to leave — or else. Before the expulsion, Eureka’s Chinatown was not much smaller than that of San Francisco. Hailey Branson-Potts wrote about what became known as the “Eureka method,” copied in towns across California. L.A. Times

Southern California

9.

Rachel Castillo went missing on Nov. 10. (Simi Valley Police Department)

The disappearance of Rachel Castillo, a 25-year-old mother of two boys, set off a frantic search last Thursday after her sister discovered a large amount of blood at Castillo’s home in Simi Valley. On Sunday, officials said they found Castillo’s remains in a remote area of Antelope Valley and arrested her ex-husband, Zarbab Ali, 25, as the main suspect. L.A. Times | KABC

10.

San Diego County’s early flu season has become so dire that several hospitals have have begun using overflow tents to ease the pressure on their emergency departments. As of Friday, Scripps hospitals and doctor’s offices had reported 1,695 positive flu tests since Sept. 1, up from 471 in the same period from last year. “The real question is whether it’s shooting to an early peak or whether it’s going to be a sustained rise,” said Dr. Cameron Kaiser, a public health official. A.P. | S.D. Union-Tribune

L.A. County public health officials said they may “strongly recommend” masks indoors amid signs of a possible winter surge in coronavirus cases. CBSLA | City News Service

11.

Last year, San Francisco banned right turns at red lights in the Tenderloin as part of a pilot test, with plans to expand the prohibition across other parts of the city. Now, Berkeley is moving to ban rights on reds citywide, a move almost certain to provoke outrage. Calfiornians tend to think of turning at red lights as a birthright, wrote Robin Abcarian. They’re wrong, she said, and with pedestrian deaths rising, she urged Los Angeles to follow Berkeley’s lead. L.A. Times

12.

“It’s a Small World” dolls in wheelchairs were unveiled Friday. (Christian Thom/Disneyland Resort)

Disneyland just added two new animatronic characters to its iconic “It’s a Small World” ride, and they are both sitting in wheelchairs, a first for any attraction at the 67-year-old park. Erin Quintanilla, manager of accessibility for the Disneyland Resort, said the park tried to be accurate, including details such as push rims on the wheelchairs. Quintanilla, who uses a wheelchair, said she teared up when she first saw the characters. CNN | A.P.

Thanks for reading!

The California Sun is written by Mike McPhate, a former California correspondent for the New York Times.

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