Good morning. It’s Friday, March 24.
- Environmentalists root for the revival of phantom lake.
- Oakland judge rejects progressive prosecutor’s plea offer.
- And street vendors’ trip to Disneyland delights internet.
Please note: The newsletter will pause next week for spring break. Back in your inbox Monday, April 3.
Statewide
1.
As water rises in the footprint of the San Joaquin Valley’s phantom Tulare Lake, some environmentalists are rooting for the lake’s revival a century after farmers choked off its tributaries. Mark Arax, an author who has written about the valley’s agricultural history, suggested it was foolish to think the waters could be held back forever. “No land has been more reshaped than the Tulare Lake basin by dint of canal, ditch, dam and pumps that made the rivers run backward,” he said. “It’s an immense act of hubris. Fresno Bee
- Models suggested that the next storm to hit California could deliver another round of heavy precipitation and strong winds early next week. SFGATE | @CW3E_Scripps
2.
California’s population exodus has commonly been described as a phenomenon confined to lower- and middle-income residents squeezed out by the high cost of living. In 2021, the columnist George Skelton wrote, “Political spin about wealthy people abandoning California is fake news.” On Thursday, he offered a mea culpa after a study revealed that the number of high-income Californians leaving the state increased dramatically between 2019 and 2021. “I plead guilty,” he wrote. L.A. Times
3.
One bill in particular has been causing consternation online since it was introduced last month: a proposed ban on chemicals used in candies that have been linked to health concerns. It would effectively ban Skittles in their current form. But the measure’s author, Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, said that is not his goal. “I love Skittles,” he said. “What we’re really trying to get them to do is to change their recipes. All of these are nonessential ingredients.” L.A. Times | Washington Post
Northern California
4.
On Oct. 6, a video appeared online that showed a scantily clad woman exiting a firetruck and walking toward the entrance of a strip club in San Jose. Mayor Sam Liccardo said at the time that if wrongdoing is uncovered, “heads must roll.” Five months later, Fire Chief Robert Sapien has now quietly informed city leaders that an investigation has been completed, but there will be no explanation. “It is important to note,” he wrote, “that employees’ personnel information is confidential.” A firefighter, speaking anonymously, told KRON: “We are in the dark about it too.” Mercury News
5.
A judge in Oakland on Thursday rejected a plea deal offered by Alameda County’s progressive district attorney that would have given a reputed gang member accused of a triple murder 15 years in prison. Judge Mark McCannon said he had “many sleepless nights” before arriving at his decision, which stunned the packed courtroom. “I can’t accept a plea to voluntary manslaughter for 15 years for an offense that involves the loss of three lives,” he said. “I am not here to do what is popular, but what I believe is right and supported by the law.” Berkeley Scanner | Mercury News
6.
The school board in Meta’s home county sued the company this month, accusing it of purposely addicting students and worsening a crisis of depression and suicidal behavior. San Mateo County Board of Education, which also named other social media giants, said it was directing “unprecedented resources” to children damaged by excessive screen time. “Every day, schools are dealing with the fallout,” said Superintendent Nancy Magee. Bloomberg | KPIX
7.
On this week’s California Sun Podcast, host Jeff Schechtman talks with Eric Porter, the author of “A People’s History of SFO.” Porter discussed how airports tend to reflect the commitments of their surrounding region. In San Francisco that has included multiculturalism, progressivism, and the arts. “The public displays, cultural displays, the artistic displays really make it stand out,” he said.
Southern California
8.
Scientists have discovered that DDT waste dumped off Catalina Island decades ago never broke down, remaining in its most potent form in startlingly high concentrations. They also found that the waste was not contained to one or two hot spots, but spread across a wide swath of seafloor larger than the entire city of San Francisco. “This is, after all, what it truly means to live with a ‘forever’ chemical,” the L.A. Times wrote.
9.
Cricket is booming in Southern California, galvanized in part by the arrival of tech workers from South Asia, where cricket is something just shy of religion. This month, Irvine advanced a plan to build the region’s first cricket stadium, with seating for up to 7,000 fans. Major League Cricket has already raised more than $100 million. “I got goosebumps, that’s how excited I am,” said Pulkit Khare, a local player. O.C. Register
10.
“Quick question: Have you guys ever gone to Disneyland?”
A Los Angeles man named Jesús Morales has gained popularity on TikTok by crowdfunding donations and surprising immigrant street vendors with free cash. In a video posted last week, he bought up a pair of fruit vendors’ entire stock, then took them to Disneyland for their first time. It’s hard to watch without smiling. @juixxe
11.
The images look like an abstract painting, the surface of violent planet, a river of blood. Captured by the aerial photographer David Maisel, they are actually pictures of Owens Lake, the Eastern Sierra reservoir drained of its water to quench the thirst of Los Angeles in the early 1900s. The removal of water exposed vast white salt flats and concentrations of colorful minerals and bacteria. In the photos by Maisel, who has described the work as an autopsy, the vistas are disturbing and strangely beautiful. Take a look. 👉 DavidMaisel.com
In case you missed it
12.
Five items that got big views over the past week:
- Turn down a dirt road off U.S. 395 in the Eastern Sierra and you’ll find a natural hot spring in the shape of a heart, surrounded in all directions by mountains. Thrillist included Wild Willy’s Hot Springs in a list of California’s 15 most beautiful hidden places to visit this spring.
- There have been skirmishes over cars in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park for nearly as long as there have been cars. But since the pandemic, the no-car contingent has become ascendant. The Washington Post produced a great feature on the movement to remake America’s city streets.
- When Snoop Dogg, currently on a tour of Europe, stepped onto the tarmac at Glasgow’s airport last week, he was greeted by a kilted bagpiper playing his and Dr. Dre’s classic “Still D.R.E.” Video of Snoop dancing was shared widely on social media.
- Halfway between downtown Los Angeles and the beach, a former aerospace manufacturing district has been reimagined as a place of architectural experimentation. The latest creation, called the (W)rapper, has elicited passionate opinions. The Guardian
- Long before the 5 Freeway, the main entry into the Los Angeles Basin from north of the Santa Susana range was a 90-foot deep gash in the mountains known as Beale’s Cut. See a great collection of old photos. 👉 Elsmerecanyon.com
Correction
An earlier version of this newsletter misstated when Owens Lake was drained. It was the early 1900s, not 1990s.
Thanks for reading!
The California Sun is written by Mike McPhate, a former California correspondent for the New York Times.
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