Good morning. It’s Friday, June 28.
- Presidential debate puts spotlight on Gavin Newsom.
- The state powers itself without fossil fuels.
- And the town that is pure California perfection.
Statewide
1.
After President Biden’s fumbling performance in the presidential debate Thursday, panicked Democrats began to broach a once-unspeakable prospect: replacing him on the ticket. Reporters mobbed Gov. Gavin Newsom, a potential successor, who had come to Atlanta to defend Biden in the spin room. But he batted away talk of a potential swap. “You don’t turn your back because of one performance,” he said during an MSNBC TV interview. “What kind of party does that?” Sacramento Bee | S.F. Chronicle
2.
Other debate reactions from Californians:
- “It was a slow start,” Vice President Kamala Harris acknowledged. “That’s obvious to everyone. I’m not going to debate that.” A.P.
- Trump lied with typical abandon, wrote columnist Mark Z. Barabak. But Biden, he added, “looked stricken when he didn’t appear vacant or lost. … His papery voice trailed into silence or incoherence.” L.A. Times
- Erika D. Smith, Bloomberg columnist from Los Angeles: “Newsom is arguably best equipped … to step up in an emergency. And this is, by all indications, an emergency.” Bloomberg
- Mark Buell, a prominent Democratic donor from San Francisco, wondered if there was time to replace Biden. “Democracy is at stake here and we’re all nervous,” he said. N.Y. Times
3.
On Thursday, a state Assembly debate over a bill that would ban schools from requiring teachers to notify parents when their child has identified as transgender featured tears, shouting, and the restraining of one agitated lawmaker. Corey Jackson, a Democrat, was held back by colleagues when he moved to physically confront Bill Essayli, a Republican, after trading words. Jackson later apologized, saying, “I went blank.” The chamber went on to approve the measure 60-15, sending it to Newsom’s desk. Sacramento Bee | KCRA
4.
Newsom signed an agreement Thursday that will make personal financial literacy a required semester-long course to graduate high school, avoiding a ballot-box verdict on the proposed requirement. Critics acknowledged the importance of the topic, but wondered how students would fit another course into already crammed schedules. ”What is it that one is going to subtract to create time for financial literacy?” said Austin Beutner, former superintendent of Los Angeles schools. L.A. Times
5.
Toni Atkins, a powerful former legislative leader running for California governor, paid $22,500 in campaign funds to a for-profit company owned by her spouse. In a disclosure filing, Atkins said the money covered expenses to attend to a housing seminar in Vienna in 2022. Ann Ravel, a former campaign finance watchdog, said the payment was illegal. Politico
6.
For part of almost every day this spring, California produced more electricity than it needed from renewable sources. On some afternoons, solar alone produced more power than the state uses. At night, utility-scale batteries often supplied the largest source of supply to the grid. The environmentalist and author Bill McKibben wrote about how years of construction and political leadership has led to “something approaching a miracle” in California. New Yorker
7.
On this week’s California Sun Podcast, host Jeff Schechtman chatted with Jose Vadi, author of “Chipped: Writing from a Skateboarder’s Lens.” Vadi talked about how skateboarding was much more than a form of rebellion to him as a kid. There was a sense, he said, “that you as an individual have the power to change who you are and what you can do and what you can be.” That realization, he added, “was really powerful, this relationship between body and mind, however hippie that might sound.”
Northern California
8.
California lawmakers on Wednesday approved a bill that exempts a $1.1-billion renovation of the state Capitol from review under CEQA, the signature environmental law that critics say has been abused by the forces of NIMBYism. But unlike developers, lawmakers have the power to craft a work-around. Assemblymember James Gallagher, a Republican, called it hypocritical. “Let’s do CEQA exemptions across the board instead of just one-offs for state office buildings for ourselves,” he said. L.A. Times
Southern California
9.
LeBron James and his son are now poised to become the first father-and-son duo to play in the same NBA game after the Lakers selected Bronny James in the 55th pick of the draft Thursday. It would be a dream come true for LeBron, 39, who has talked about his hope to play with one of his sons. Bronny, 19, spent one year playing for USC, where he suffered cardiac arrest and averaged just 4.8 points a game. If he were not Lebron’s son, he might have taken more time to develop in the NCAA. Instead, he chose to go pro. ESPN | L.A. Times
- It’s heartwarming, wrote sports columnist Bill Plaschke. “But it’s not very smart.” L.A. Times
10.
In a long read on Alec Baldwin’s upcoming manslaughter trial, journalist Jonathan Mahler examined the politics surrounding the case:
“Nearly 30 years before ‘Rust,’ an eerily similar incident unfolded on the North Carolina set of ‘The Crow,’ killing Bruce Lee’s son, Brandon. No criminal charges were filed, and the actor who pulled the trigger, Michael Massee, was treated by the media as a victim himself. But these are very different times. And this was Alec Baldwin.” N.Y. Times Magazine
11.
“The town that is pure California perfection.”
Travel editors at CNN included San Luis Obispo in a ranking of “America’s best towns to visit.” In a write-up on the college town, local journalist Danielle Ames highlighted its retro treasures, “Santa Maria-style” barbecue, world-class farmer’s market, quaint downtown streets, and proximity to vineyards and beaches. CNN
In case you missed it
12.
Five items that got big views over the past week:
- A turreted mansion in Santa Barbara wine country, a pink palace in San Luis Obispo, and a relic of the Atomic Age in Santa Rosa. National Geographic gave its picks for five of California’s best retro motels.
- A Yuba City nurse named Dee Arata was driving to work Tuesday when a small plane crashed into her pickup truck. Miraculously, both she and the pilot were unhurt. “I said out loud, ‘Oh God, I’m going to get hit,’” she recalled. KCRA
- Carlos Castaneda oversaw a cult in L.A. where a group of women changed their names, disowned their families, and had sex with him. After his death in 1998, six of those women disappeared. Rumors have swirled for years that they took their own lives in a suicide pact. Alta
- “Linda Vista, Beautiful View. Chula Vista, Pretty View.” A San Diego realtor posted a pair of fun TikTok videos translating city names across the region from Spanish to English. Part 1 | Part 2
- LIFE.com combed its photo archive for a fantastic gallery on the infectious joy of baseball legend Willie Mays, who died June 18 at the age of 93.
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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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