Good morning. It’s Tuesday, Aug. 29.
- California sues over transgender notification policy.
- L.A. politician sentenced to three years in prison.
- And El Segundo celebrates Little League champs.
Statewide
1.
California sued the Chino school district over its policy requiring schools to notify parents if their children change their gender identity. Attorney General Rob Bonta said it amounted to the “forced outing” of transgender students, exposing them to “imminent, irreparable harm.” Chino’s school board president said they would stand their ground. At least three other California districts have adopted similar notification measures in recent months, and on Monday a parent group announced a ballot proposal for 2024 that would extend the policy statewide. L.A. Times | EdSource
2.
The California Senate will get its first new leader in five years after Democrats on Monday tapped Mike McGuire, a moderate North Coast lawmaker, to take over for Senate President Toni Atkins, who is terming out of office. McGuire is known as a sharp critic of Pacific Gas & Electric over its record of sparking wildfires. In 2019, he targeted Donald Trump with legislation requiring that candidates disclose their tax returns to appear on ballots in California. The law was largely struck down, but it still applies to candidates for governor. A.P. | Politico
3.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy has told colleagues he’s serious about plans to pursue an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden and wants to start in September. But critics say the California Republican doesn’t have the votes — or evidence. As one GOP lawmaker, granted anonymity to speak more freely, put it: “There’s no evidence that Joe Biden got money, or that Joe Biden, you know, agreed to do something so that Hunter could get money. There’s just no evidence of that. And they can’t impeach without that evidence.” CNN
Northern California
4.
Earlier this summer, a mysterious event listing appeared for a “Downtown Doom Loop Walking Tour” in San Francisco led by “a card-carrying City Commissioner.” As speculation mounted over the identity of the official, the event was canceled at the last moment. Now he has been unmasked: He is Alex Ludlum, a San Francisco land use commissioner. He resigned Monday in a letter to Mayor London Breed. “I regret that my attempt to bring attention to the deplorable street conditions & rampant criminality in my neighborhood has been misconstrued as a mockery of suffering individuals,” Ludlum wrote. S.F. Chronicle | SFist
5.
Hundreds of people who competed in an obstacle course race that involved wading through copious amounts of mud in the Sonoma Mountains came down with what appears to be a bacterial infection. “Most affected persons have pustular rash, fever, myalgias, and headache,” county officials said in a health advisory. Some of the competitors in the Tough Mudder challenge, held Aug. 19 and 20, have reported positive tests for Aeromonas, a serious bacterial infection. “Anywhere on my body that touched the ground had red spots,” Chris Palakos said. KTVU | KQED
6.
More than 100 people have jumped to their deaths from Foresthill Bridge since its opening in 1973. Straddling the north fork of the American River near Auburn, it’s California’s tallest bridge, clearing the water below by about 730 feet, more than triple the distance of the Golden Gate Bridge. For years, hundreds of little laminated notes have lined Foresthill’s railing. “You matter,” says one. “You’re not alone,” reads another. KCRA profiled members of the community group behind a project they described as “a last line of defense.” YouTube (~2:45 mins)
7.
Renegade weavers have been installing secret nets high up in the woods of Marin County’s Mount Tamalpais. The so-called tree nets involve intricate knots and resemble a cross between a trampoline a hammock. Sean Campbell, a net-maker, said he had located about 17 of the nets around Mount Tam since 2012, though he refused to divulge any coordinates. The views are said to be dazzling, including vistas of fog rolling into the San Francisco bay. SF Standard
Southern California
8.
“Give me all your money or I’ll kill your friend.”
This summer, at least 20 street food vendors have been targeted by armed robbers in Los Angeles. The police department has responded by assigning elite officers to what Deputy Chief Kris Pitcher called an “emerging crime trend.” Saul Martinez said the robbery of his stall, Tacos Los Chemas, recalled the sort of violence his father faced selling tacos in the Mexican state of Jalisco. “We came here to get away from that kind of violence, only to end up experiencing the same thing here,” he said. L.A. Times
9.
Mark Ridley-Thomas, once among the most powerful politicians in Los Angeles, is going to prison. A federal judge on Monday sentenced the former City Council member and county supervisor to more than three years behind bars after he was convicted for bribery, conspiracy, and fraud in a scheme to extract benefits from USC in exchange for political favors. Ahead of sentencing, a roster of prominent Los Angeles figures hailed Ridley-Thomas as a warrior for social justice. The portrayal stood in contrast to the allegations of prosecutors, who said Ridley-Thomas “lied, cheated, and deceived, repeatedly” to enrich his family. L.A. Times | LAist
10.
The columnist Jennifer Rubin obtained a damning legal opinion submitted in the disbarment trial of John Eastman, the California lawyer who sought to subvert the 2020 presidential election. “[Legal expert Matthew A.] Seligman reviewed the 12th Amendment, the Electoral Count Act of 1887 and ‘centuries-long practice by Congress’ to find that the Eastman positions were so devoid of support that ‘no reasonable attorney exercising appropriate diligence in the circumstances would adopt them,'” Rubin wrote. The implications of the report, she added, could extend well beyond Eastman’s law license. Washington Post
11.
Marliss Myers, 83, met cashier Sharon Hechler at the Albertsons in Arcadia a decade ago. Their friendly encounters became a spark of joy in her week. On a trip to the store soon after her husband died, Myers slipped Hechler a copy of the eulogy she read at his funeral, a gesture that brought the cashier to tears. “I treasure it,” Hechler said. The reporter Marisa Gerber wrote a moving story about connections in the checkout line during an epidemic of loneliness. L.A. Times
12.
The newly crowned Little League world champions returned to a heroes’ welcome in California on Monday. The cheering began as they exited their plane at LAX, then picked up in their hometown of El Segundo, where the boys were escorted down Main Street by police and fire vehicles as hundreds of jubilant supporters screamed and threw confetti.
The photographer Allen J. Schaben captured the scene:
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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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