Good morning. It’s Wednesday, June 5.
- Police agencies rely on junk science investigative tool.
- Padres player is banned from baseball for gambling.
- And Latinos bring swagger to Zoot Suit commemoration.
Statewide
1.
“It’s like saying a Ouija board or an astrological chart is an investigative tool.”
For decades, California prison officials have been using something called a Computer Voice Stress Analyzer to detect whether inmates are lying during investigations. But the device has been shown to be no better than a coin flip. When the San Francisco Chronicle sought an explanation, corrections department spokesperson Mary Xjimenez denied that the device has been used to discredit anyone. (It has, the Chronicle found). Then she said the agency would stop using it. S.F. Chronicle
2.
San Diego is once again the top entry point for illegal border crossings into United States, surpassing Arizona and Texas, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Many are being turned away from overwhelmed shelters; others are camping out at the airport for days. “The situation is becoming more and more unrealistic,” said Catalina Torres, a volunteer for the nonprofit Al Otro Lado. “I don’t know how they expect us to keep doing this.” N.Y. Times
3.
In a dramatic shift, President Biden on Tuesday signed a order that prevents asylum requests when border crossings surge. The reaction from California lawmakers revealed a split among Democrats over the once-bedrock belief that migrant-friendly policies are crucial to securing Latino votes. While the chair of the state’s Latino Caucus said the order was akin to “Trump-era immigration policies,” three House Democrats from California attended Biden’s signing ceremony. One of them, Rep. Salud Carbajal, praised the president for “taking decisive, commonsense action.” Politico
4.
A former Gold Rush bank, the ranch at America’s kitschiest hotel, and a town where Buffalo Soldiers were garrisoned during World War II — here are three properties on the market that played roles in the history of California:
- The Wells Fargo office in French Corral was built in the 1850s to hold the gold dust pried from the surrounding Sierra foothills. The iron-doored brick structure still stands as the star of what is now a sleepy ghost town. It’s yours for $235,000. Atlas Obscura | NoeHill
- The rolling green ranchland surrounding San Luis Obispo’s fabulously pink Madonna Inn has been in the Madonna family for decades. The property’s $8 million listing has raised worries about what developers might do. There’s also talk of making it into a land conservancy. SFGATE
- Campo, a rural hamlet on the southern border that once hosted the African-American Cavalry unit known as the Buffalo Soldiers, retains the feel of California’s Old West. A developer is selling nearly the entire town for $6.6 million. Fortune | NBC 7
Northern California
5.
A group of OpenAI insiders is accusing the company of fostering a culture of recklessness as it races to build the world’s most powerful AI systems. Daniel Kokotajlo, who quit OpenAI in April after losing faith in its ability to act responsibly, put the probability that advanced AI will catastrophically harm humanity at 70%. As he left the company, he was told to sign nondisparagement paperwork or risk losing equity worth about $1.7 million, the vast majority of his net worth. He refused, saying he was prepared to forfeit all of it. N.Y. Times
6.
The popular image of homelessness in San Francisco is encampments crowding city sidewalks. But another sect of the homeless population has carved out a place of solitude in Golden Gate Park. Hidden along side trails and obscured by trees and thick brush, the campers can be hard to find. Mike, 44, who works for UberEats and has been homeless for two weeks, said he sleeps in the park because he is ashamed. “People freak me out,” he said. “They give me anxiety.” SF Standard
7.
At 13, the Bay Area child prodigy Evan O’Dorney won the Scripps National Spelling Bee. A few years later, he won gold at the International Math Olympiad, and a year after that he solved a math problem that had stumped Stanford professors, earning a prestigious $100,000 award. O’Dorney is now 30. The reporter Jill Tucker, who interviewed O’Dorney as a child, wondered what had happened to him. “I certainly see myself as an artist, more so than a scientist,” he told her. S.F. Chronicle
8.
The renowned rock climber Charles Barrett was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday after he was convicted of sexually assaulting a woman in Yosemite National Park in 2016. Barrett, who was born in Santa Rosa, had faced years of accusations that he used his notoriety in the climbing community to prey on multiple women, some of whom addressed the court. “It is time to put a definitive end to Barrett’s reign of terror,” one victim said before his sentencing. Barrett’s lawyers called the sentence excessive and vowed to appeal. Outside | Fresno Bee
Southern California
9.
Tucupita Marcano, a 24-year-old infielder for the San Diego Padres, was permanently banned from baseball on Tuesday because he bet on the sport. The Venezuelan native joined San Diego as a teenager in 2016 on a $320,000 contract — life-changing money at the time — and made his major league debut in 2021. His bets on baseball totaled more than $150,000, the league said. Marcano’s downfall came after an investigation triggered by a tipoff in March. Four other players were also implicated, including Oakland A’s pitcher Michael Kelly, who was suspended for one year. A.P. | S.D. Union-Tribune
10.
“I’m basically giving myself an oil change.”
Every few weeks a wealthy investor named Peter Diamandis goes to a doctor’s office in Santa Monica to have a therapeutic plasma exchange, which involves the removal and replacement of a patient’s blood plasma. It takes three hours and costs him about $120,000 a year. But Diamandis, 62, is in excellent health. He is part of a growing cohort of rich biohackers who are trying to conquer death. L.A. Times
11.
The Los Angeles City Council rejected a donation of police dogs on Tuesday because they came from a dog training facility in Jurupa Valley that shares a name with the Nazi hideout used by Adolf Hitler. “I can’t support doing business with a company that’s glorifying Hitler’s bunker,” said Councilman Bob Blumenfield. Michael Reaver, president of Adlerhorst International, forcefully rejected the accusation, noting that Adlerhorst, which means eagle’s nest, appears on businesses and features all over Germany. “In Germany, it’s not a name that is associated with the Nazi Party whatsoever,” he said. L.A. Times | City News Service
12.
In June 1943, mobs of white sailors attacked Mexican-Americans in Los Angeles, targeting those dressed in the pachuco style — known for its zoot suit with broad shoulders, narrow waist, and poofy pants. It became known as the Zoot Suit Riots. Every year a caravan of vintage cars cruise through L.A. to commemorate what happened. The photographer Oscar Rodriguez Zapata captured a fantastic series of photos from the 81st Zoot Suit Riots Memorial Cruise on Sunday. Reddit
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