Good morning. It’s Monday, Nov. 4.
- “Panic” grips many Californians ahead of Election Day.
- Self-appointed election observers roam Shasta County.
- And a deadly year in the Riverside County jail system.
Election 2024
1.
With Kamala Harris and Donald Trump apparently deadlocked entering Election Day on Tuesday, the tension among voters is palpable. Some California Democrats are so mortified by the prospect of another Trump presidency they’ve saved money for plane tickets. Some conservatives are convinced that Harris, if elected, would impose stifling socialism. “People are taking this very seriously — they’re worried about everything,” said Charles Garcia, who teaches classes on emergency “prepping” in Richmond. “I’ve had phone calls from all across the nation. The thing I hear most about is being afraid of civil war.” S.F. Chronicle | Mercury News
2.
Roughly half of California’s agricultural workforce is made up of people in the country illegally, according to government estimates. That makes Trump’s pledge to carry out the largest deportation program in American history a point of concern for some Central Valley farmers who might otherwise be inclined to vote Republican. “I don’t know if he understands that it’s not just the people who came across three or four years ago,” said Joe Del Bosque, a Fresno Country farmer. “We have people who have been living in the United States for years, who have families, who harvest our crops for us to eat.” Fresno Bee | KVPR
3.
In Shasta County, where many have embraced conspiracy theories of voter fraud, election workers sifting through early ballots have had company inside the registrar’s office. Self-appointed observers peer through windows, hover over computer screens, and try to follow workers around. Tanner Johnson, who signed up to be an account clerk out of a sense of civic duty, quit last week after becoming fed up with the observers. “I make $19.64 an hour,” he said. “I’m not going to be a martyr for $19.60 an hour.” CalMatters
4.
Other election headlines:
- Daniel Lurie has spent more than $8 million of his own money on his bid to unseat Mayor London Breed of San Francisco. Polls suggest he’s poised to succeed. “She has a compelling story, but we are not here to talk about her story,” Lurie said. “We’re here to talk about the future of our city.” N.Y. Times
- In 2020, roughly 75% of Latino and Asian American voters in California supported Joe Biden. The latest polling shows that both groups are now backing Harris by only around 56%, a worrying sign for Harris’ chances in battleground states. S.F. Chronicle | L.A. Times
- In 2020, California voters resoundingly rejected a ballot initiative to strengthen criminal penalties. Four years later, polling shows support for a similar proposal as high as 73%. “Things have reached a tipping point in California,” said Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig. Politico
5.
Some things to know ahead of Election Day:
- It’s not too late to register. In California, you can register through Election Day. The votes still count, but they are processed only after officials confirm eligibility. Confirm your status here; if needed, register at your polling place.
- See what’s on your ballot.
- Find your polling location and ballot drop-off locations.
- Track when your ballot is mailed, received, and counted.
- And consult local voter guides: San Diego County | Orange County | Los Angeles County | San Joaquin Valley | San Francisco Bay Area | Sacramento County
Northern California
6.
The U.S. Coast Guard suspended a massive search for four missing boaters late Sunday after a boat carrying three adults and three children on a crabbing expedition near Bodega Bay capsized on Saturday. Officials rescued an 11-year-old boy and recovered the body of a teenager, while three adults and one child remained missing. “The decision to suspend a search is always difficult to make and never done lightly,” said Chief Warrant Officer Michael L. Zapawa. Press Democrat | S.F. Chronicle
- Video recorded from the shore gave a sense of the rough seas and scale of the search area. 👉 YouTube/Press Democrat
7.
A man slashed the throat of a 54-year-old Asian woman in an “unprovoked attack” on a BART train in San Francisco early Saturday, authorities said. A day after the attack, police arrested suspect Jovany Portades, 34, a Vallejo resident with a history of criminal convictions. The victim remained in serious condition, hospital officials said. S.F. Chronicle | SF Standard
8.
An assistant head coach of San Jose State’s women’s volleyball team, Melissa Batie-Smoose, said she was suspended Saturday after filing a Title IX complaint accusing the school of mishandling the presence of a transgender player on its roster. San Jose has found itself at the center of a national debate over trans women in sports after five opponents forfeited matches. In an article published Friday in Quillette, Batie-Smoose said the program was gripped by a climate of fear and self-censorship in which players skip practice and coaches are no longer on speaking terms. Mercury News
9.
In 2022, Shasta County officials seized a 9-year-old girl’s pet goat, which was later slaughtered, in a case that drew national outrage. Now the county’s taxpayers are on the hook for $300,000. According to court documents made public Friday, Shasta County agreed to pay the sum to settle a lawsuit brought by the girl’s mother. Additional litigation remains ongoing. Courthouse News | L.A. Times
Southern California
10.
In 2022, 19 people died in the custody of Riverside County jails, making it the deadliest year in decades in one of America’s deadliest jail systems. Multiple suicides pointed to deep institutional problems, a joint investigation by the New York Times and Desert Sun found. In one case, a woman pressed an alert button in her cell. “What is your emergency?” a voice responded. “It’s not an emergency, but —” she began, but the deputy cut off the call before she could finish. She picked up a white bedsheet and said, “It’s time to hang myself.” She was found, limp, 20 minutes later. N.Y. Times/Desert Sun
11.
In late August, the mayor of Imperial Beach, Paloma Aguirre, found herself in the emergency room after experiencing what she said felt like a heart attack. She cited the sewage flowing across the Mexican border into her city via the Tijuana River, a problem that has been allowed to languish for decades. “I am being woken up by the smell,” Aguirre said. “It smells like your bedroom is a Porta-Potty — like you’re inside a Porta-Potty.” Politico
12.
Los Angeles’ newest mural depicts Dodger great Fernando Valenzuela, who died on Oct. 22, performing his famous windup on the side of a building in Boyle Heights. At the unveiling on Sunday, mariachi musicians played, a crowd cheered, and dignitaries gave speeches. The artist, Robert Vargas, also painted the Shohei Ohtani mural that has become a centerpiece of Little Tokyo. L.A. Daily News | LAist
- Valenzuela jerseys abounded during the Dodgers’ World Series victory parade on Friday. See pictures.
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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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