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Good morning. It’s Monday, Dec. 9.

  • Motorcycle officer crashes at Palm Springs parade.
  • The lonely life of an innkeeper in San Francisco Bay.
  • And Balboa Park’s Botanical Building gets a makeover.

Statewide

1.

Gov. Gavin Newsom gathered with other Democratic governors at a luxury Beverly Hills hotel on Friday and Saturday for a series of meetings with donors, interest groups, and advocacy organizations. Officially, the Democratic Governors Association meeting was meant to chart a way forward under President-elect Donald Trump. But there was another purpose: “You’re witnessing the kickoff to the 2028 presidential primary, live and in-person,” one advisor said. Politico | Washington Post

2.
(Andrea Fulton Productions)

After a five-year hiatus, the Bracebridge Dinner is returning to Yosemite’s historic Ahwahnee Hotel. “The world’s premier Christmas dinner,” as one food critic called it, dates to the 1920s, when Ansel Adams played the part of the jester. Guests enjoy a lavish feast inside the hotel’s soaring dining hall as performers in Tudor-style costumes sing and act. Over the years, the production has grown increasingly elaborate. “We have over 100 people that are working on this show … it is just massive,” said stage director Sarah Coykendall. SFGATE

Northern California

3.

City leaders unveiled a plan to slash police services in Oakland, where frustration over surging crime factored in the recent recalls of the mayor and county district attorney. The report, which also calls for shuttering up to six fire stations, called the moves “essential” to help close a $129 million budget deficit. Huy Nguyen, Oakland’s police union president, warned that the cuts “will deal a devastating blow to a city already reeling from crime.” S.F. Chronicle | Oaklandside

4.
(Wikimedia Commons)

Desiree Heveroh spent more than a year serving as innkeeper for the East Brother Light Station, a bed-and-breakfast located on a tiny island in the northern San Francisco Bay. The unusual job includes free rent but requires living full-time on the rock in near isolation. Heveroh recently gave a vlogger a tour. Riding out on the boat, she choked back tears as the island came into view. “My god, it was so lucky,” she said of the experience. YouTube (~30 mins)

  • East Brother is currently seeking a couple to run the inn. Richmond Standard
5.

James Heard met Carol Lockhart when they were both teenagers working at a car wash in Santa Rosa. They later married and had a daughter named Margaret Marie. He found steady work as a carpenter. It was a good life. After 52 years of marriage, Carol died in 2020. On a recent Thursday, James, now 80, hunched over a synopsis of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” at the Sonoma County Library. He is finally following through on a promise he made to Carol many years ago: he is learning to read. Press Democrat

6.

Jason Feng is perhaps the last newsstand operator in San Francisco, selling newspapers seven days a week on a corner near Chinatown. He sells mostly the San Francisco Chronicle and Sing Tao Daily to a dwindling cohort of people almost entirely over 60 years old, he said. “Usually if a regular doesn’t come for a few days, the probability is that they have passed away,” he said. He added a grim observation: “It’s winter now, older adults pass away more easily.” Mission Local

7.
(Carmel Realty)

Here are three eye-catching properties now on the market across Northern California — situated on the Pacific, beside a lake, and in the mountains:

  • An old converted schoolhouse in Big Sur includes just one bedroom. But the property is unbeatable, including some of California’s most stunning coastline, pictured above. Asking price: $4.5 million. Notleyslanding.com | Zillow
  • A minimalist glass house offers off-the-grid living on 65 acres just beyond the western shore of Clear Lake. The architect has specialized in bringing high design to remote locations. Yours for $886,000. dwell
  • This historic Victorian is just a few blocks from downtown Nevada City, one of the prettiest mountain towns in the West. Among the vintage features: a cast-iron stove and original hardwood floors. Yours for $829,000. N.Y. Times

Southern California

8.

A police officer riding a motorcyle in the annual Palm Springs holiday parade Saturday evening plowed into the crowd, injuring at least 10 people, including a child, officials said. The officer appeared to be trying to pop a wheelie when he lost control, witnesses said. None of the injuries were life-threatening, but witnesses said one of the officer’s hands was “nearly completely severed.” Police Chief Andy Mills issued an apology, saying he feels “terrible about the accident and injuries to the very people we protect.” Desert Sun | KESQ

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9.

In the summer of 2023, Navy Capt. Jake Rosales ended his life alone on a beach near San Diego. He was one of three experienced F/A-18 Super Hornet pilots to die by suicide in the past 18 months. According to their families, all had symptoms consistent with brain injuries. The Navy denies that there is a problem. But current and former Navy fighter-crew members say years of catapult launches from aircraft carriers and high-speed maneuvers takes a cumulative toll. N.Y. Times

10.
(via @sugarthesurfingdog)

☝️ Meet Sugar, the latest inductee in the Surfers’ Hall of Fame in Huntington Beach.

Rescued as a pup from the streets of Oakland, Sugar became a five-time world dog surf champion while warming the hearts of countless beachgoers. During a ceremony last Thursday attended by Huntington Beach’s mayor and the entire City Council, Sugar pressed his paws into a slab of wet cement, immortalizing his legacy alongside legends such as Duke Kahanamoku and Kelly Slater. The Inertia | NBC Los Angeles

  • See Sugar in action. 👉 @sugarthesurfingdog
11.

Every November, just because, a group gathers on the beach in Venice and reads “Moby-Dick” aloud over two very long days. It takes them about 24 hours to get through 600-plus pages filled with a dizzying number of facts about whales. “It’s a very intimate and artistic way of being at the beach,” said Tim Rudnick, 81, who started the “Moby-Dick” marathon in 1995. Late on the second day of this year’s reading, the air grew cold. Some readers left. In the darkness, the last diehards held lights above each other’s heads to illuminate the pages. The Guardian

12.
(City of San Diego)

The Botanical Building, known as the crown jewel of San Diego’s lush Balboa Park, reopened to the public on Friday after a three-year, $26.5 million restoration. Built for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition, the open-air structure was designed to demonstrate to visitors how easily plants grow in San Diego’s sunny climate. Crews replaced the entire redwood lath, restored arched windows that had been removed, and incorporated modern touches including a misting system and LED lights. The pictures look fantastic. S.D. Union-Tribune | NBC San Diego

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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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