Good morning. It’s Tuesday, Jan. 28.
- Nvidia’s stock plunge is largest in market history.
- Storied theater struggles to survive in Willits.
- And Pacific Palisades residents are allowed to return.
Statewide
1.
Late Monday, President Trump posted a jarring message on Truth Social claiming that the military had entered California under emergency powers and “TURNED ON THE WATER flowing abundantly from the Pacific Northwest.” The state’s water agency quickly responded. The military did not enter California, it said. “The federal government restarted federal water pumps after they were offline for maintenance for three days.” For weeks, Trump has claimed that Los Angeles’ wildfire problems could be solved by releasing water “pouring down” from the Pacific Northwest and Canada. No such conveyance exists. L.A. Times | KCRA
2.
While California’s congressional Democrats have roundly condemned ongoing calls by House Speaker Mike Johnson and others to attach assorted conditions to federal wildfire relief, members of the state’s Republican caucus have largely avoided taking a public stand. Doug Ose, a former Republican congressman from California explained why: “There’s just an enormous amount of dislike for the political vibe that comes out of California. There’s just too much political gain to be had by demanding Gavin Newsom’s scalp on this.” CalMatters
3.
Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep come equipped with spongy pads on the bottoms of their hooves — nature’s equivalent to the grippy rubber of a climbing shoe. The adaptation, along with powerful muscles and a low center of gravity, allows them to glide improbably up and down steep rocky terrain in the upper reaches of the Sierra. John Muir once recounted “the most startling feat of mountaineering” he ever saw: a group of bighorn sheep casually leaping up an icy slope in the Eastern Sierra. “My astonishment could hardly have been greater had they displayed wings and taken to flight,” he wrote.
- Numbering only about 600, Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep are rarely seen. Yosemite National Park once released a video with some fantastic shots of the animals in motion. 👉 YouTube (~9 mins)
Northern California
4.
Big Tech stocks plummeted on Monday after a little-known Chinese startup, DeepSeek, unveiled a new artificial intelligence model that performs on par with those of Silicon Valley giants at a fraction of the cost. Nvidia, the Santa Clara company whose chips have powered the AI boom, was hit especially hard, plunging 17% and losing roughly $600 billion in market value. The fall was the largest one-day loss in market value for any public company. In all, the stock market lost $1 trillion. Wall Street Journal | N.Y. Times
5.
A Paris-based group focused on animal diseases reported America’s first outbreak of a rare strain of bird flu, known as H5N9, on a commercial duck farm in Merced County. Angela Rasmussen, a virologist, warned that the discovery suggests two viruses may have mingled to create a new strain, a process known as reassortment. “This is bad news … Reassortment makes pandemics,” she said on X. The case wasn’t announced by U.S. health officials, as the Trump administration paused communications on health topics pending a political review. S.F. Chronicle | Bloomberg
6.
A few years ago, the New York Times published an article that posited the decline of San Francisco’s art sector at a time of rising housing costs and social disorder. “The region is increasingly being overshadowed by the vibrant scene in Los Angeles,” it reported. Some in the art world are now pushing back on that portrayal, citing a rush of museums and artists into emptied out spaces in the city’s downtown. Recently, an analysis found that the San Francisco peninsula was the country’s most “arts-vibrant” large community in 2024. Hyperallergic
- Last fall, the Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco moved into a former bank, pictured above. It’s free. Now on display: artworks made entirely of found and discarded objects. ICASF.org
7.
The Noyo Theatre, a storied Art Deco movie house that opened in the heart of Mendocino County in 1940, is clinging to life. For decades, the theater was a hub of cultural life in picturesque Willits. When Jim Devine and Michelle Hutchins took ownership last July, the husband and wife brimmed with optimism that they could breath life into the historic gem, post-pandemic. Reality kicked in quick. They blamed costly maintenance and competition from streaming. “We paid $650,000 for the theater,” Hutchins said. “Right now, we’re losing about $9,000 a month.” SFGATE
Southern California
8.
Pacific Palisades fully reopened to residents displaced by wildfire for the first time on Monday, bringing relief for many who had grown increasingly frustrated after weeks of waiting. Hundreds showed up, waiting for hours to collect entry passes that limit access to residents only. “At least they can go back and see for themselves what’s happened to the neighborhood,” said Quentin Fleming, a member of the Pacific Palisades Community Council. “Now the process of healing can begin.” L.A. Times | L.A. Daily News
9.
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday accused the California Coastal Commission of providing “legally erroneous guidance” after the agency told Pacific Palisades residents seeking to rebuild that they may be subject to local permitting rules. In a strongly worded executive order, he reaffirmed that California’s environmental laws would be suspended for wildfire victims, telling the commissioners, in effect, to stay out of the post-fire discussion. Since the fires, the state agency has faced heightened anger from critics who accuse it of overzealous regulation. Sacramento Bee | L.A. Daily News
10.
Los Angeles’ wildfires wiped out a rich collection of architecturally significant buildings. As conversations have turned to rebuilding, architects and historians are advocating for a thoughtful approach to the design choices. “How do we bring that back while adhering to codes that require things like sprinkler systems, vinyl windows and LED lights, that don’t exactly scream ‘soul?’” said Benjamin Kahle, a local realtor who specializes in historic properties. Wall Street Journal
11.
An analysis found that rents rose 20% across Los Angeles County after the Los Angeles wildfires. Communities in close proximity to the Palisades and Eaton blazes saw far more extreme increases. In Rosemead, six miles south of Altadena, median rents surged more than 160%. In parts of Sherman Oaks and Valley Village, they tripled. When a reporter called a real estate firm to ask about a property that saw a 40% price hike, the person who answered said, “Do yourself a favor and jump in the lake,” followed by an expletive. Washington Post
12.
Other wildfire developments:
- Los Angeles avoided serious mudslides after the first significant storm of the season brought rain and snow. Ryan Kittell, a meteorologist, said fire danger remained despite the precipitation. “It’s not quite where we’d be comfortable to say we’d be good for the season, but certainly providing relief for the next couple weeks.” L.A. Times | A.P.
- Black Angelenos built something remarkable in Altadena, a community of firsts that thrived against all odds. The Los Angeles Times took a deep look at what was lost.
- While many homeowners are eager to rebuild as quickly as possible, some urban planners want Los Angeles to pause and think it over. “You’re going to build and you’re going to burn,” Char Miller, an environmental historian at Pomona College. The Guardian
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