Good morning. It’s Friday, April 12.
- Riverside County sheriff mulls run for governor.
- Shohei Ohtani translator accused of stealing $16 million.
- And “the gem of the Sierra” in Sequoia National Park.
Statewide
1.
Chad Bianco, the firebrand Riverside County sheriff who drew national headlines for his dalliance with the extremist Oath Keepers and defiance of coronavirus mandates, is considering a run for California governor in 2026, Politico reported. Bianco would be the most high-profile Republican in a field dominated by Democrats. “California has a lot of problems and they’re looking outside the Sacramento political class to bring the state back,” said a Bianco adviser, Nick Mirman. Politico
2.
State lawmakers pushing to ban homeless encampments have often held up the example of San Diego, which imposed a ban last summer and reported a subsequent drop in homelessness downtown. But a new report questioned that narrative: “While encampments are much less noticeable in some areas — such as downtown, in the city’s main park, and around certain schools — they’re just as prevalent, if not more so, near freeways and along the banks of the San Diego River.” CalMatters
3.
Both Caltech and Harvard announced Thursday that they would reinstate the SAT or ACT as requirements for admission, making them the latest in a growing number of elite schools to return to standardized testing. Caltech paused its testing requirement in 2020 in response to the pandemic. That same year, the University of California Board of Regents voted unanimously to scrap the SAT, with several members embracing the view that it amplifies racial disparities. They’re now facing pressure to bring it back. N.Y. Times | Washington Post
4.
The Sierra Nevada has many glorious meadows, but John Muir singled out one for special praise: Crescent Meadow in Sequoia National Park, he declared, is “the gem of the Sierra.” In warm months, the meadow is a feast of colors: lush green dotted by wildflowers and surrounded by red giant sequoias and mountain sky. From an adjacent parking lot, a mellow 1.5-mile loop hugs the meadow’s perimeter. Pause for a while and there’s a decent chance a bear will lumber into view. Modern Hiker | Outdoor Project
Northern California
5.
Oakland did it anyway.
Despite strident opposition from San Francisco, the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners voted unanimously on Thursday to change the name of the city’s airport to San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport, setting up a legal fight between the two neighbors. Oakland officials said the change would make passengers better aware of the city’s location within the Bay Area. “This is to boost Oakland,” said Danny Wan, the port director. Critics accused the board of trying to poach travelers en route to San Francisco. A.P. | SF Standard
Southern California
6.
Reactions to the death of O.J. Simpson:
- TV critic James Poniewozik: “What did people see when they looked at O.J. Simpson? A superstar, a killer, a hero, a liar, a victim, an abuser, an insider, a pariah — often many of these at once. In his fame and infamy, he was an example of what celebrity could make of a person and a symbol of what the media could make of a country.” N.Y. Times
- Columnist Mary McNamara: “O.J. Simpson, who died Wednesday at 76, was many things to many people. But for me he will always be the murder suspect who turned an already fragile and freaked-out Los Angeles into a perverse cabaret of trauma.” L.A. Times
- James Lance Taylor, a politics professor at the University of San Francisco: “The truth is many millions of Black people thought O.J. Simpson was probably guilty. There was just so much wrapped up in the O.J. case that was connected to the Black experience in America.” Washington Post
- Fred Goldman, the father of Ron Goldman: “There is nothing today that is more important than the loss of my son and the loss of Nicole.” People
● ●
Read obituaries by the New York Times and Washington Post.
And stream the excellent docuseries: “OJ: Made in America.”
7.
“It’s all over for me.”
Federal authorities on Thursday accused Shohei Ohtani’s longtime interpreter Ippei Mizuhara of stealing more than $16 million from the Dodgers star to cover gambling debts. U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said Mizuhara became Ohtani’s “de facto manager,” enabling him to secretly withdraw money to feed a wagering habit that averaged 25 bets per day. At times, authorities said, Mizuhara impersonated Ohtani to bank employees. “I want to emphasize this point: Mr. Ohtani is considered a victim in this case,” Estrada said. ESPN | L.A. Times
8.
With federal personnel too limited to keep up with the influx of migrants along the Southern California border, a 22-year-old named Peter Fink created a makeshift migrant camp on a barren mountain plateau. There are no aid tents, medical volunteers, or port-a-potties — just modest rations and a series of four-person tents. Asked whether his aid might encourage more people to come, Fink shook his head. “People do not spend their life savings and risk the lives of their children so they can taste these peanut butter and jelly sandwiches,” he said. N.Y. Times
9.
When the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures opened in Los Angeles in 2021, it made a point of honoring the contributions of women, artists of color, and people from other backgrounds. But across seven floors of exhibits, there was barely a mention of the Jewish immigrants who played a major role in founding the Hollywood studio system more than a century ago. After a backlash, the museum on Thursday announced a new permanent gallery called “Hollywoodland” that chronicles the industry’s Jewish pioneers. “We learned,” said Bill Kramer, the museum’s chief executive. N.Y. Times
10.
One UC San Diego scientist failed to submit his reports for two of his grants several years ago, and now the National Institutes of Health and two other federal agencies are withholding all of their grants from the entire university. Together, the agencies provide more $700 million in funding research to UC San Diego. After some sleuthing, a reporter reached out to retired neuroscience professor Jeffry S. Isaacson and asked if he was the derelict scientist: “Well, apparently,” he said. Read the story at The Chronicle of Higher Education, which allows you to read for free after providing your email.
11.
On this week’s California Sun Podcast, host Jeff Schechtman talked with Amy Wilentz, a writer and professor of literary journalism at UC Irvine. Wilentz is among the most prominent chroniclers of the security crisis gripping Haiti. Schechtman asked where the Caribbean nation may be headed if its marauding gangs are not brought to heel. “You just spiral into the abyss, and people die of disease and hunger and everybody looks on sort of unperturbed throughout the world,” she said.
In case you missed it
12.
Five items that got big views over the past week:
- Reporter Adam Reiner wrote about an open secret in food business circles: Trader Joe’s has a “blatant and aggressive copycat culture.” TASTE
- Beth Bourne is the chair of her local chapter of the right-wing group Moms for Liberty and the mother of a transgender college freshman who no longer speaks to her. “Maybe one day she’ll forgive me,” Bourne said of her child. “But, like, I can’t, I can’t just be quiet with what’s going on.” Sacramento Bee
- Ever wonder how stadiums transform overnight from basketball courts to concert venues with completely different flooring? A videographer captured a great time-lapse of the assembling of the Golden State Warriors’ flooring at San Francisco’s Chase Center. S.F. Chronicle/YouTube
- Andres Freund may have saved the internet. A software engineer for Microsoft in San Francisco, Freund was doing routine maintenance when he found malicious code hidden in a piece of software that is part of Linux, an operating system used by banks, governments, and Fortune 500 companies. N.Y. Times
- Here’s how the hack unfolded. 👉 The Intercept
- A research group did a neighborhood-by-neighborhood analysis of the U.S. that tallies data on factors such as tree canopy, open water, and noise pollution to create a single measure called NatureScore. Look up your city. 👉 Washington Post
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