Good morning. It’s Tuesday, July 16.
- Getting to know the California wife of J.D. Vance.
- Elon Musk support could play major role in election.
- And North Bay homes embrace natural swimming pools.
Statewide
1.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill on Monday that makes California the first state to prohibit school districts from requiring staff to notify parents of their child’s gender-identity changes. After years of passionate debates at local school boards, Newsom spokesman Brandon Richards framed the measure as protecting both students and parents by preventing schools “from inappropriately intervening in family matters.” Assemblymember James Gallagher, a Republican, said the law relied on a flawed premise: teachers are safe and parents are not. Courthouse News | A.P.
2.
The prison-guard union in California is very powerful, and it’s stayed that way by donating generously to non-prison causes. The top beneficiary of its largesse: Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has taken $2.9 million from the labor group since he was elected governor. The union has gotten good deals for its members, negotiating a $1 billion raise with Newsom’s administration last year. The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office found “no evidence” to justify the pay increase. CalMatters
3.
Jonathan Martin reported that Rep. Nancy Pelosi has become convinced President Biden will lose in November:
“The extent of Pelosi’s behind-the-scenes role hasn’t been fully revealed and may never be if the former speaker has her way. But I’m told by people familiar with the exchanges that she’s stage-managed phone calls to [Minority Leader Hakeem] Jeffries, plotted strategy with the biggest names in Democratic politics and told one former elected official bluntly that Biden’s legacy can’t be destroying their party.” Politico Magazine
4.
Usha Vance, the wife of Donald Trump running mate J.D. Vance, is a daughter of Indian immigrants who was raised in a suburb of San Diego. She attended Yale Law School, where she met J.D., and has worked as a litigator for Munger, Tolles & Olson, a California law firm known for a “radically progressive” culture. She retired on Monday, she said. She was a registered Democrat as recently as 2014, and colleagues described her as a liberal or moderate. N.Y. Times (2022) | Axios
5.
Other 2024 election developments:
- The California rockers Jack Black and Kyle Gass, of the band Tenacious D, came under fire Monday after video circulated of Gass making a dark birthday wish during a performance in Sydney: “Don’t miss Trump next time,” he said. The band postponed their next show, while an Australian senator called for them to be deported. News.com.au | The Guardian
- Elon Musk pledged to commit around $45 million a month to a pro-Donald Trump political group, an extraordinary sum that would flood the campaign with money through the November election, sources said. Wall Street Journal
- New polls found Vice President Kamala Harris outperforming President Biden in Pennsylvania and Virginia. N.Y. Times
6.
The annual Perseid meteor shower, when up to 100 meteors per hour streak across the night sky, began Sunday and will peak on Aug. 12 before winding down at the end of that month. So you should find a weekend to head out to one of California’s darkest regions, among them Lassen Volcanic National Park, Big Sur, and Mojave National Preserve. The desert environmentalist Chris Clarke named the top 10 darkest places for stargazing in California. PBS SoCal
- California’s darkest places, mapped. 👉 Lightpollutionmap.info
7.
Escaramuza is an all-female Mexican rodeo sport that predates America’s cowboy culture. Riding teams perform intricate maneuvers at a full gallop in a sort of equestrian ballet — all while riding side saddle. The photographer Constance Jaeggi spent 2023 visiting escaramuza teams across the American West. The result, titled “Escaramuza, The Poetics of Home,” has been getting warm receptions at photo competitions and gallery showings. See selections. 👉 Escaramuzathepoeticsofhome.com | Lens Culture
Northern California
8.
“Summer of the shark.”
A Monterey Bay cove just south of Santa Cruz was nicknamed “shark park” after juvenile white sharks began migrating there over the past decade. But the numbers this year have reached new heights. In years past, researchers in helicopters would typically count 20 or so sharks during surveys. One count this year found more than 60, said Salvador Jorgensen, a marine ecologist. “We have to be aware that we’re entering into, basically, a wild place that is intact with its top predators,” he said. Santa Cruz Sentinel
9.
San Francisco’s newest public artwork is a 9-foot-tall ultra-realistic bronze sculpture of an athlete at rest along the historic Embarcadero waterfront. The artist, Thomas J. Price, is a celebrated British sculptor. But for many passersby who pause to gaze at the statue, the artistry has been a secondary factor. “A statue of a Black woman is rarely seen in this city,” said Kat Leblanc. S.F. Chronicle
10.
Homeowners in the North Bay are adding swimming ponds in their backyards that use no chlorine, relying instead on plants, good bacteria, and ultraviolet lights to self-clean. Known as natural swimming pools, they have been popular in parts of Europe since the 1980s. Gary McDonald, a pool builder in Sonoma County, is one of only a few contractors in the U.S who install them, creating jungle-lagoon-like pools in the region’s lush backyards. He’s built 40 since the early 2010s. Press Democrat
Southern California
11.
On Aug. 4, 2022, a nurse named Nicole Linton drove her Mercedes through a red light in Windsor Hills at 131 mph, slamming into cross traffic. The crash killed five people, including a pregnant woman and a baby. Linton survived. Evidence of her mental state is now being aired in preliminary hearings for a potential murder trial. Days before the crash Linton searched the internet for “Why do I feel like death is near?” A psychiatrist testified that she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder but had not taken medication for years. L.A. Times
12.
Last year, the board president of a suburban San Diego school board suggested that the middle school sex-ed curriculum be made “more palatable and proper for our community.” So in the spring, the Cajon Valley district introduced a study plan that scrubbed all references to same-sex relationships, transgenderism, and anti-LGBTQ discrimination. Following a complaint, education officials have now informed the district that it is in violation of state law. S.D. Union-Tribune | NBC 7
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