Good morning. It’s Thursday, Jan. 18.
- Arnold Schwarzenegger detained at German airport.
- Tech billionaires press their campaign for a new city.
- And Warriors assistant coach dies of heart attack.
Statewide
1.
In October, the state’s water board released a proposal to sharply curtail urban water use by setting tailored conservation targets enforced by the threat of fines. Two monitors — the Public Policy Institute of California and the Legislative Analyst’s Office — have since drawn strikingly similar conclusions about the framework, calling it onerous, costly, convoluted, and inequitable. It’s not that water conservation is an unworthy aim, said Sonja Petek, an analyst: “But it also needs to be feasible.” L.A. Times | Sacramento Bee
2.
The editorial boards of the L.A. Times and California’s McClatchy newspapers revealed their endorsements in the race for the U.S. Senate seat that was held by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Choosing Adam Schiff, the Times praised the Burbank Democrat as “a battle-tested and thoughtful leader who has demonstrated he can rise to the moment.” The McClatchy board chose Barbara Lee, a Democrat from Oakland, citing her reputation as a truth-teller. “Her independence, her perseverance in fighting for the underdog, and her life experiences set her apart,” it wrote. L.A. Times | McClatchy
3.
Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was detained at a German airport on Wednesday for failing to declare a luxury watch at customs. A spokesperson said “criminal tax proceedings” were initiated. Schwarzenegger said he explained that the $21,000 timepiece was to be auctioned at a charity event, the German tabloid Bild reported. “This is the problem that Germany is suffering from,” he said. “You can no longer see the forest for the trees.” A customs spokesperson told Sueddeutsche Zeitung that the rules apply to everyone, “whether their name is Schwarzenegger or Müller, Meier, Huber.” The Guardian
Northern California
4.
The billionaire-led group that aims to build a new city in the farmlands northeast of San Francisco made a suite of pledges Wednesday in hopes of blunting opposition. They promised $400 million in home-buying aid, at least 15,000 new jobs, and a walkable and sustainable design that would make urban planners swoon. Outside the press event at a hall in Rio Vista, local residents grumbled. It’s all “pie in the sky,” said Bill Guggemos, adding, “We are going to be a suburb of that thing — the identity we have now, goes bye-bye.” S.F. Chronicle | A.P.
5.
Dejan Milojević, an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors and former star player in his native Serbia, died Wednesday after suffering a heart attack in Salt Lake City. He was 46. The team was devastated, Coach Steve Kerr said: “Dejan was one of the most positive and beautiful human beings I have ever known.” Rookie Brandin Podziemski said Milojević changed his life. “The most important thing you ever told me was to just smile!” he wrote on X. “Your joy and laughs will forever be missed.” The Athletic | A.P.
6.
The commercial Dungeness crab season has now opened along the California coast after months of delays meant to prevent migrating whales from becoming entangled in fishing lines. The wait posed a hardship for the crab industry, one of California’s major fisheries, which missed out on traditional holiday demand for crab. Photographer Matt Filar crawled out of bed at an ungodly hour Monday morning to document a crew of Humboldt crabbers getting their traps back in the water. Lost Coast Outpost
7.
The San Francisco Centre mall, in the heart of the city’s downtown, has lost a staggering 75% of its value in seven years, according to the research firm Morningstar. A December appraisal put the mall’s value at $290 million, down from $1.2 billion in 2016. Plunging foot traffic in San Francisco’s beleaguered downtown has driven a wave of exits from the mall, including Nordstrom, Adidas, J. Crew, Hollister, the Lego Store, and Aldo. Real Deal | SFGATE
8.
The granite spires of Castle Crags reach toward the sky from a forest just off I-5 in Shasta County. Few people explore the little-known but stunningly beautiful state park, commonly leaving campsites available even on holiday weekends. As snow fell last week, the photographer Nate Bova got a magnificent drone video of the whitened crags. @natebovaphoto
Southern California
9.
San Diego is in the middle of a $29 million restoration of Balboa Park’s century-old Botanical Building. Built for 1915 Panama-California Exposition, the open-air lath structure was designed to demonstrate to visitors how easily plants grow in San Diego’s sunny climate. On Wednesday, in a milestone, workers returned the original 1-ton copper cupola atop the building dome. S.D. Union-Tribune | KPBS
10.
“People love the ship.”
The Queen Mary, a graceful old ship parked in Long Beach as a museum and hotel, was at risk of capsizing and half a billion dollars in debt when the city took over its operation in 2021. Three years and numerous repairs later, the Mary has experienced a remarkable turnaround. It has begun hosting special events and welcoming guests back to the hotel. In 2023, it actually turned a profit. LAist | Long Beach Business Journal
11.
In a new tell-all memoir, Crystal Hefner recounts her life as a Playboy model and the last wife of Hugh Hefner. Crystal, now 37, and other girlfriends who lived in the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles were paid $1,000 a week and were expected to cater to the aging pornographer sexually. Back then, she said, it felt like her destiny. She’s still processing the objectification and misogyny she experienced, she said: “I must’ve been brainwashed or something.” N.Y. Times
12.
In case there was any doubt, Los Angeles County is officially the capital of Mexican restaurants in the U.S. — by raw numbers at least. A Pew survey found that L.A. County has 5,484 Mexican restaurants, roughly 30% of the total for all of California. Harris County, Texas, home to 2,362 Mexican restaurants, had the second highest total, followed by San Diego County, with 1,712. A per capita ranking of those counties, however, shuffles the order, with L.A. still on top, but San Diego at No. 2. Pew
- A definitive guide to the best burritos in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego. 👉 Eater
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The California Sun is written by Mike McPhate, a former California correspondent for the New York Times.
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