Good morning. It’s Friday, Jan. 12.
- At least 30 Jewish families flee Oakland schools.
- Klamath River to flow free for first time in a century.
- And a script doctor who commands $300,000 a week.
Scheduling note: The newsletter will pause during the long MLK weekend. Back in your inbox Tuesday.
Statewide
1.
After a freak climbing accident left his legs paralyzed in 2015, Zuko Carrasco contemplated suicide. He had been a professional mountain guide for 10 years, leading clients on trips in some of the world’s most majestic settings. His recovery from depression was long and frustrating, but he found his way back to the mountains. Then came an audacious idea: to climb Yosemite’s El Capitan, one pull-up at a time. When the day arrived in September, he looked up at the nearly 3,000-foot wall and “wanted to puke,” he said. L.A. Times
Northern California
2.
At least 30 Jewish families have gotten permission to transfer their children out of Oakland schools since Oct. 7 over what they described as intolerable antisemitism. A galvanizing moment came three weeks after the Hamas attack in Israel, parents said, when Oakland’s teachers union issued a statement calling Israel a “genocidal and apartheid state.” Margot Nijsure said she had a difficult talk with her 11-year-old son about her decision to move him to a private Jewish school: “I’m responsible to keep you safe, and I don’t know that I can keep you safe in the Oakland school district.” Jewish News
3.
Another avalanche hit Palisades Tahoe on Thursday afternoon, one day after a major slide in another area of the resort killed a Bay Area man and injured three others. No one was injured, the resort said. Avalanches are uncommon on groomed ski trails, killing just six skiers and snowboarders across the U.S. in the last 10 years. Andrew Schwartz, manager of the Central Sierra Snow Lab, said the slow start to winter may have led “weak layers to develop in the snowpack.” S.F. Chronicle | L.A. Times
- Another storm is poised to sweep across the northern half of the state this weekend. The forecast 👉 Weather West
4.
Northern California’s Klamath River is about to be unshackled for the first time in a century. Last fall, workers removed one of four dams slated for removal along the mighty waterway. This month, crews will allow the reservoirs behind the remaining three to drain ahead of the full removal of the dams later this year. “We’re now pulling the plug and throwing it away,” said Frankie Myers, a Yurok tribal leader. “Not to get too mushy about it but being able to look at the river flow for the first time in more than 100 years, it’s incredibly important to us.” S.F. Chronicle
5.
Target stores in the Bay Area have begun putting even socks and underwear behind lock and key in response to rampant theft. Employees at the downtown San Francisco Target said the store was facing at least 10 thefts a day before the latest security measure. Pictures inside the Targets in San Francisco and Richmond showed what looked like whole aisles encased in cabinets, raising the prospect of shoppers needing an employee to relinquish everything from shampoo to beef jerky. SF Standard
6.
In 2020, the San Francisco photographer Barbara Boissevain flew in a helicopter over the San Francisco Bay’s salt ponds on the way to another project. Captivated by the brilliant colors, she returned repeatedly over the next decade, amassing a collection of thousands of images. Featured in the new volume “Salt of the Earth,” the photos could be mistaken for abstract paintings on a museum wall. CNN | NPR
Southern California
7.
In February 2022, a group of Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies met at a bowling alley to celebrate the promotion of a sergeant. In the parking lot, they picked a fight with a group of teenagers, according to sources cited by the L.A. Times. One deputy flashed a gun, a witness said. Another was said to punch a 19-year-old in the face. When the Sheriff’s Department investigated, another troubling detail emerged: Two of the men had matching tattoos officials linked to the Industry Indians, a deputy gang whose existence has not previously been made public. L.A. Times
8.
Eight Los Angeles County probation officers were placed on leave after they were accused of standing idly by while a group of young people pummeled another teen at a juvenile hall 10 miles southeast of downtown L.A. The victim suffered a broken nose and had to be hospitalized. Sources told the L.A. Times that camera footage showed the fight unfold in full view of the officers. The county’s juvenile detention system has been mired in scandal for years, including accusations of unsafe conditions and excessive force against juveniles. L.A. Times | L.A. Daily News
9.
Edin Enamorado, a self-styled voice of underserved communities, has attracted a large social media audience calling out law enforcement and perceived racists. Now he’s in jail. In early September, Enamorado urged his followers to help find a security guard who had attacked a group of street vendors in Pomona. Hours later, the guard was lying on the floor of a market, battered and blasted with pepper spray by a group led by Enamorado, prosecutors said. Supporters calling for group’s release have dubbed them “the Justice 8.” L.A. Times
10.
Scott Frank, one of Hollywood’s most successful screenwriters, was refreshingly candid in a New Yorker profile. A few takeaways:
- Frank has commanded a rate to touch up other people’s scripts — from “Saving Private Ryan” to “The Ring” — that he acknowledged is “insane”: $300,000 a week.
- On a few occasions, he said he declined to rewrite a script because there was nothing to improve — it was perfect. Asked their titles, he said, “Oh, they never got made.”
- It took him decades to work up the nerve to pursue his own projects. Netflix gave him the greenlight to do “The Queen’s Gambit,” which been in Hollywood purgatory for years. It became the No. 1 show in 62 countries and won 11 Emmys.
11.
On this week’s California Sun Podcast, host Jeff Schechtman talks with Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone’s chief television critic and author of the new book “Welcome to the O.C.” Sepinwall talked about how the teen drama of the aughts became an example of unpredictable success. The magic of the show, he argued, owed in part to its quirky soundtrack: “Everybody still talks about the music. You hear people say that their entire musical taste was shaped by that show.”
In case you missed it
12.
Five items that got big views over the past week:
- In 1987, an avant-garde amusement park debuted in Hamburg with rides designed by artists including Jean-Michel Basquiat, David Hockney, and Salvador Dalí. Now, in a staging costing nearly $100 million, the art carnival known as Luna Luna has been revived in a warehouse in Los Angeles. See photos. 👉 N.Y. Times
- An Australian architecture magazine took a video tour of what it called “the world’s best houseboat.” Situated in the historic bohemian houseboat community of Sausalito, the home is modern and airy with a 19–foot diameter circular opening. YouTube (~6 mins)
- Nestled along the banks of the Eel River, Scotia was founded in 1863 to house the lumberjacks who harvested the area’s redwood forests. The Pacific Lumber Company owned everything. About 15 years ago, after the company spiraled into debt, Scotia ended up in the hands of a New York hedge fund, which desperately wants to cash out. New Yorker
- John Griffith, a spokesman for California State Parks who exudes the enthusiasm of Jack Black, has a talent for creating hit videos on the wonders of California’s flora and fauna. In his latest viral video, he explains what happens when a redwood falls. @redwoodsrising
- Fadi Sckak, a student at San Jose State, could barely sleep knowing his mother was trapped in Gaza. In an act of desperation, he contacted the news media to make a public plea for help. The Washington Post reconstructed the extraordinary rescue operation that followed.
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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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