Good morning. It’s Monday, May 22.
- A granny flat craze spreads across the state.
- Two children are swept away by powerful Kings River.
- And a travel writer’s 10 favorite places in California.
Statewide
1.
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday sent letters to book publishers that may provide materials to California schools demanding to know if they had altered textbooks to meet Florida’s new curriculum standards. Florida announced earlier this month that it had rejected dozens of social studies textbooks and worked with publishers to edit dozens more. In his letter, Newsom wrote, “California will not be complicit in Florida’s attempt to whitewash history through laws and backroom deals.” Insider
2.
While multifamily homes are extremely hard to build in California’s major cities, it’s become easier to add accessory dwelling units — small detached houses in backyards and garages — thanks to legislative changes in recent years. The numbers tell the story: Last year, more than 23,000 ADU permits were issued in California. In 2017, the figure was fewer than 5,000. The granny flat craze is “busting out all over the state,” the Washington Post reported.
3.
A wonderland of boulders in the Southern California desert, a boisterous farmer’s market on the Central Coast, and California’s quintessential river.
Travel writer Christopher Reynolds named his 10 favorite places in California. “These are places I find myself recommending to newcomers, places where I always linger as long as possible,” he wrote. L.A. Times
4.
A circa 1895 Victorian in Los Angeles, a “desert Eichler” in Palm Desert, and a penthouse in the leaning tower of San Francisco — here is some daydreaming fodder from the California real estate market:
- A colorful Queen Anne Victorian in Los Angeles, above, was built when the main mode of transportation was horse and buggy. Many of the original features remain well preserved, including a wraparound porch and Douglas fir floors. Asking price: $889,000. N.Y. Times | Dirt
- A developer bought original blueprints by the midcentury architect Joseph Eichler and updated them to modern standards. His latest “desert Eichler” in Palm Desert has a swimming pool, a courtyard, and a mustard-colored front door. Yours for $1.6 million. @theatomicranch | Realtor
- San Francisco’s Millennium Tower became a symbol of excess when it was found to be tilting. After a $100 million engineering fix, the listing of the top-floor penthouse is being seen as a test of the tower’s comeback. Asking price: $14 million. S.F. Chronicle | Wall Street Journal
Northern California
5.
An 8-year-old girl was found dead and a 4-year-old boy was missing Sunday night after they were swept into the Kings River. The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said the children, their mother, and another adult were trying to reach a rock to climb on when the current, intensified by snowmelt, carried the children away. They were not wearing life vests. Sheriff’s Lt. Jake Jensen said the river had been closed to recreational users since March for a reason: “And it is to prevent tragedies like what happened today.” Fresno Bee | KSEE
- Fresno County Supervisor Nathan Magsig recently shared video showing the power of the Kings River. 👉 YouTube/KMPH
6.
When a motorist got out of his car in a Sacramento suburb to shepherd a family of ducks across a street last Thursday, witnesses gave him a round of applause. “Good job, good job,” one woman told the man. Right then, witnesses said, he was struck and killed by another motorist, a 17-year-old girl, as his children waited in the car. Police said the girl is not suspected of drunk driving and is not facing charges. KCRA | SFGATE
7.
Frustrated over the potholes in her Oakland neighborhood, Linda Zunas filled several of them with dirt and planted petunias and marigolds. The idea, she said, was to get officials’ attention. As she was busy filling one pothole, a police officer came by. “I shouldn’t say this, but this is brilliant,” he told her. Within hours, a crew came out and fixed the potholes. KTVU
8.
Tens of thousands of runners participated Sunday in San Francisco’s storied Bay to Breakers race, which is less of a competition than a street party. Among the costumes: UNO cards, Superman in a tutu, and the Golden Gate Bridge. Some outliers dressed as runners. Here are a couple photo galleries of the most creative costumes. 👉 SFGATE | SF Standard
Southern California
9.
Over the last few years, an area of the Mojave Desert stretching more than 230 square miles — equivalent to 10 Manhattans — has been carpeted by solar panels. Locals have watched with the encroachment with dismay. “We feel like we’ve been sacrificed,” said Mark Carrington, a retiree. “What was an oasis has become a little island in a dead solar sea.” The Guardian
- L.A. Times editorial: Why not put solar panels along highways and parking lots?
10.
Someone just bought one of the country’s best-preserved ghost towns on the edge of Joshua Tree National Park for $22.5 million. In its 1950s heyday, the iron mining community of Eagle Mountain was a typical American town, with eight churches, three schools, and a bowling alley. SFGATE suggested the mystery buyer’s plans may involve the trucking industry.
11.
Brittney Griner returned to professional basketball Friday night as her Phoenix Mercury took on the Los Angeles Sparks to open the 2023 WNBA season. After being imprisoned in Russia for 10 months, she did something fans hadn’t seen her do do in a long time: She stood for the national anthem. “Everything just means a little bit more to me now.” she said later. “I was literally in a cage … Just being able to hear my national anthem, see my flag, I definitely wanted to stand.” The Atlantic
12.
The New York Times feature “Read Your Way Around the World” operates on the premise that a city can be found in its books. In the latest edition, the journalist Héctor Tobar guided readers through the books and writers that capture Los Angeles, “a city of perpetual cultural mixing, where each day brings new encounters and struggles.” Included on his list: Joan Didion, Nathanael West, Mike Davis, and Wanda Coleman. N.Y. Times
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