Good morning. It’s Friday, Sept. 6.
- San Francisco embraces deportation in fentanyl fight.
- Bay Area mathematician promotes DIY medicines.
- And three standout California homes hit the market.
Statewide
1.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that camping bans are constitutional, 12 California cities or counties have passed bans while another nine are considering them, according to the National Homelessness Law Center. Among them is Palm Springs, where the all-Democratic City Council took a step it long tried to avoid: it called the cops. Police Chief Andrew Mills said he advocates compassion up to a point: “We have to be able to say enough is enough as a community and as a country.” Reuters
2.
People priced out of Santa Barbara are migrating 50 miles up the coast to Lompoc, a sleepy community of roughly 40,000 souls known for its colorful flower fields. Lompoc has traditionally been a hub for farm workers and military personnel stationed at nearby Vandenberg. Remote workers who have discovered the city’s charms are now putting its real estate in higher demand, yet it remains a relative bargain. According to Redfin, the average Santa Barbara home is currently going for $2.1 million. In Lompoc, the figure is $585,000. SFGATE
3.
A brutalist gem in Rustic Canyon, an exemplar of organic architecture in Carmel, and a midcentury marvel along the Russian River. Here are three standout homes now on the market across California:
- The influential architect Ray Kappe designed this futuristic home made from concrete, steel, and glass along Rustic Canyon in Santa Monica. One balcony leads to a pair of hot tubs that hover in the trees. Yours for $5 million. Archinect
- The iconoclastic architect Mickey Muennig designed this home in Carmel with curving wood that blends into the natural surroundings. It has stained-glass windows that stream colors into the living spaces. Asking price: $3.75 million. Eichler Network
- This midcentury lodge-style home along the Russian River in Guerneville includes a giant skylight that lets the sun spill into the living room. A big wooden deck looks out to soaring redwoods. Yours for $1.25 million. Sonoma Magazine
Northern California
4.
San Francisco authorities have quietly embraced deportation as a tactic in their fight against fentanyl dealing, handing undocumented defendants over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “For people who are willing to sell poison that is killing people, there’s no protection for you,” said Mayor London Breed. “There’s no sanctuary for you.” Critics are calling the policy shift a betrayal of San Francisco’s progressive values. “Demonizing migrants is the oldest trick in the book,” said Supervisor Hillary Ronen. Bloomberg
5.
A 4-year-old girl was mauled to death by her family’s pit bull in her home in the Central Valley city of Visalia Wednesday night, police said. An investigation found no signs of criminal wrongdoing. “This heart-wrenching event is a tragedy, and our thoughts are with the family during this incredibly difficult time,” the Visalia police department said in a statement. KFSN
6.
A Bay Area mathematician has spent the last few years teaching people how to make DIY versions of patented pharmaceuticals at a fraction of the cost. Michael Laufer, founder of the anarchist group Four Thieves Vinegar Collective, shows a slide at talks that reads, “Isn’t this illegal? Yeah. Grow up.” In an interview, he acknowledged the trouble he is courting. “When the moment comes,” he said, “the list of things they can come after me with is very long because of how vaguely most of these laws are written.” 404 Media
Southern California
7.
In a surprise about-face, Hunter Biden on Thursday pleaded guilty to nine federal tax charges just as his trial was about to begin in Los Angeles. Biden said wanted to avoid subjecting his family to another round of humiliation after his gun trial in Delaware three months ago. “For all I have put them through over the years, I can spare them this,” he said. The plea was a unilateral decision, without the benefits of a deal with prosecutors. That means he is likely to end up serving significant time behind bars. N.Y. Times | L.A. Times
8.
After two battery facilities caught fire in San Diego County over the last year, county leaders this summer proposed a moratorium on new projects until they could craft new safeguards. That was before yet another blaze erupted on Thursday. The fire inside a San Diego Gas & Electric battery storage facility in Escondido spewed toxic fumes into the air, forcing the closures of surrounding schools and businesses. “Immediate threat to life,” read an alarming city notification. Voice of San Diego | NBC San Diego
9.
In August 2018, Fontana detectives coerced Tom Perez into falsely confessing to killing his father, who was not dead, driving him to such despair that he attempted to hang himself with his shoelaces in the interrogation room. Perez sued, winning a $900,000 settlement, but Fontana offered no apology and admitted no wrongdoing. Now CNN has obtained hours of interrogation videos from the case. They show detectives badgering Perez until he gave in. “I’m sorry dad,” he finally said. “I had no idea. I love you.” Then he threw up in a trash can. CNN
10.
Southern California’s most intense heat wave of the calendar year flirted with record highs in several areas on Thursday. San Diego County had its hottest day in four years. Burbank tied its all-time high of 114 degrees. And both Palm Springs and Indio hit 121, which was said to be the highest mark in the world for September 2024 — so far. Forecasters said the extreme heat would last through the weekend, with highs in the 90s near the coast and 110 or higher in inland valleys and deserts. Desert Sun | L.A. Times
- See heat risk map.
11.
On this week’s California Sun Podcast, host Jeff Schechtman talked with Los Angeles author Carol Mithers, whose new book, “Rethinking Rescue,” questions attitudes toward indigent pet owners. People tend to harshly judge pet owners whose animals end up in shelters, Mithers said. “You hear it in the rescue community all the time, you know, ‘I would rather sleep in the street before I gave up my dog,'” she said. “And I always think, ‘It’s really easy to say that if you’re not threatened with actually sleeping on the street.'”
In case you missed it
12.
Five items that got big views over the past week:
- A couple of weeks ago, a bear ambled through a campground in the Mammoth Lakes area and started eating steaks off a picnic table. A woman stood mere feet away while others held up cameras. When the bear registered her, he swiped her leg with his paw. That was enough for wildlife officials to shoot the animal dead. Outside magazine | S.F. Chronicle
- Watch the campsite confrontation. 👉 Facebook
- A San Francisco couple, both architects, bought a run-down property on the Russian River for $148,000 and replaced it with a compact modern house. Over time, what was intended as a second home became their primary residence. The New York Times has pictures.
- The Tahitian surfer Raimana Van Bastolaer has been winning online fans as an instructor at Kelly Slater’s surf ranch in the San Joaquin Valley. In a clip that earned millions of views, Bastolaer performed an incredible save after a collision toppled his young pupil. @raimanaworld
- Bob Garrison, 70, had been close with his son, Robert. But in Robert’s 30s, a switch seemed to get flipped. He heard voices. He became withdrawn. Then he vanished into the world of homelessness in California. Journalist Shawn Hubler told the heartbreaking story of a father’s quest to find his son. N.Y. Times
- Burning Man, the art party born on the beaches of San Francisco, wrapped up over the weekend in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. Here are a pair of picture galleries of the event’s larger-than-life sculptures, sunrise dance parties, and near-whiteout conditions caused by an epic dust storm. Reno Gazette Journal | SFGATE
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