Good morning. It’s Friday, Dec. 6.
- North Coast cleans up after powerful earthquake.
- La Jolla seeks to break off from San Diego.
- And L.A. Times owner plans “bias meter” on articles.
Statewide
1.
During a visit to the southern border Thursday, Gov. Gavin Newsom denounced President-elect Donald Trump’s plans for mass deportation and tariffs, which he said would amount to “one of the biggest tax increases in U.S. history.” “Don’t think for a second this won’t impact you,” he said. Newsom’s emphasis on pocketbook issues surrounding the border provided a preview of how he is likely to frame California’s resistance after Trump’s election sweep of swing states. Sacramento Bee | Washington Post
2.
In California, where more than 40% of residents use a language other than English at home, accent marks are banned on birth certificates and marriage licenses. The rule dates to 1986, when voters approved a proposition making English the official state language. Ever since, officials have interpreted the measure as banning diacritical marks such as tildes and umlauts. This week, a state lawmaker introduced legislation that would finally allow people to spell their names correctly. Sacramento Bee
3.
In 1973, an environmentalist in Point Reyes named John Francis took a vow of silence that lasted 17 years. On this week’s California Sun Podcast, host Jeff Schechtman talked to Francis along with Nadia and Dominic Gill, the directors of a new short film about his life. Francis recalled his decision to give up motorized transport before falling quiet some months later. “I realized that we only have this moment, right now. … And I just kept walking,” he said.
Northern California
4.
While a tsunami warning along the Northern California coast did not result in a monster wave early Thursday, the 7.0 earthquake that triggered it was so strong some people were nearly knocked off their feet. North Coast cities near the epicenter appeared to be spared major damage, according to reports. But trees fell, bottles flew from shelves, and water sloshed out of swimming pools. John Kreitzer estimated the damage to his grocery store in Ferndale at $50,000. “Every aisle is full of jams and jellies and soaps and soup mixes. It’s a mess. It’s a big mess,” he said. Record Searchlight | L.A. Times
- See more photos of the messes along the North Coast. 👉 Press Democrat
5.
The gunman who shot two kindergartners at a religious elementary school in Butte County on Wednesday was mentally ill and believed he was acting on behalf of a paramilitary organization, Sheriff Kory Honea said Thursday. In writings, Glenn Litton, 56, called himself a “lieutenant” and said “child executions” were imposed in response to “America’s involvements in genocide and oppression of Palestinians” and attacks in Yemen, officials said. Sacramento Bee | S.F. Chronicle
- The boys, Roman Mendez, 6, and Elias Wolford, 5, have a “very long road ahead of them,” the sheriff said. KCRA
6.
Anthony Becker, the vice mayor of Santa Clara, was convicted of perjury on Thursday, paving the way for a sentence of up to four years in prison. Prosecutors accused Becker, 39, of leaking a sensitive document to the San Francisco 49ers organization, which is based in Santa Clara and helped bankroll his campaign. When investigators asked him about it, he lied, the jury found. Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen said the case was a reminder that “sometimes the cover-up is worse than the crime.” S.F. Chronicle | KQED
7.
Mark McAfee, the CEO of a Fresno County raw milk producer linked to a salmonella outbreak and bird flu-related product recalls, said Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asked him to apply for a position at the Food and Drug Administration. He did so, putting his name up for “FDA advisor on raw milk policy and standards development.” McAfee said Kennedy is a raw milk drinker and a customer of his Raw Farm, the largest producer of raw milk in the nation. L.A. Times | SiliconValley.com
- Trump on Thursday named David Sacks, a conservative Silicon Valley investor, as a White House czar focused on artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency. N.Y. Times
8.
On Black Friday, the San Francisco Standard published a shopping guide highlighting the deals to be found at an illegal outdoor market in the Mission district. “Granted, much of it might be stolen, but it is possible to start your holiday shopping on the sidewalk,” it read. The piece triggered a fierce backlash, prompting editors to append a note acknowledging that it “crossed a line.” Asked for comment, Executive Editor Jon Steinberg said, “We won’t try to defend the story other than to say that it didn’t meet The Standard’s expectations.” Voice of San Francisco
Southern California
9.
In Imperial County, a heavily Latino agricultural region wedged into California’s southeastern corner, registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than two to one. Its residents haven’t favored a Republican for president since George H. W. Bush in 1988. In 2016, just 26% of voters chose Donald Trump. Yet this time around, Trump clinched a razor-thin victory, earning 49.12% of the Imperial County vote to Kamala Harris’s 48.27%. Local analysts cited the high cost of living and unease over transgender school policies. Desert Sun
10.
A group of La Jolla residents pushing to detach the neighborhood from San Diego announced that they had collected enough signatures to bring the matter before a planning agency that oversees the incorporation of cities. La Jolla’s secessionists have tried this before — many times. “At the root of the schism lies both tangible infrastructure complaints and a more vibes-based sense that the neighborhood is just different,” wrote Voice of San Diego. The problem: San Diego is very unlikely to give up the wealthy enclave’s tax dollars without a fight. Voice of San Diego | CBS8
11.
Weeks after publicly accusing his journalists of allowing opinion to seep into their reporting, Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong said he would introduce a “bias meter” on their articles. Speaking on the “Flyover Country” podcast Wednesday, Soon-Shiong said the artificial-intelligence-powered feature would allow readers to press a button “and get both sides of that exact same story.” The Times union issued a statement Thursday: “We will firmly guard against any effort to improperly or unfairly alter our reporting,” it said in part. The Wrap | Hollywood Reporter
- Harry Litman, an op-ed contributor, became the latest to quit the Times: “I don’t want to continue to work for a paper that is appeasing Trump and facilitating his assault on democratic rule for craven reasons.”
In case you missed it
12.
Five items that got big views over the past week:
- Three surviving members of the Grateful Dead are set to receive Kennedy Center Honors this month. The Washington Post surveyed the long, strange trip of the Bay Area rock band.
- In 2017, a seminary in Compton invited an urban farming nonprofit, Alma Backyard Farms, to put an empty lot on its property to use. Seven years later, it’s now a lush garden that doubles as a work program for former inmates. The New York Times published a fantastic photo essay on the project.
- Visit California, the state’s tourism arm, rounded up the best holiday light displays in dozens of cities across California.
- A new glamping retreat outside Sequoia National Park’s southern entrance offers four mirrored cabins. The vibe at Paradise Ranch is geared toward wellness, with cedar hot tubs, a sauna, and redwood “yoga decks.” dwell | Condé Nast Traveler
- The California food writer Mona Holmes named 15 restaurants along the Central Coast that are so good they’re worth taking a road trip to get there. Eater
Thanks for reading!
The California Sun is written by Mike McPhate, a former California correspondent for the New York Times.
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