Good morning. It’s Thursday, March 9.
- Three officers wounded, suspect dead in L.A. shootout.
- Official says 12 dead in Southern California mountains.
- And epic rain forecast for Big Sur and Santa Cruz coasts.
California storms
1.
The San Bernardino County sheriff, Shannon Dicus, said Wednesday that at least 12 people had died since staggering amounts of snow fell in the San Bernardino Mountains. Officials declined to offer many details, citing ongoing investigations. But mountain residents — whose neighbors have been left stranded and without power — said they had little doubt about the role of the storms. “I don’t think people know how dire it is right now,” said Michelle Hake, whose sister was found dead in her Big Bear home. L.A. Times
2.
Nearly a foot of rain along the Big Sur and Santa Cruz coasts.
Several feet of new snow on top of the already buried Sierra.
Flood-level flows along Russian, Salinas, Cosumnes, and other rivers.
Forecasters said California’s latest atmospheric river was set to make landfall early Thursday, strengthen to peak intensity Friday, then taper off throughout the day on Saturday. See the timing. 👉 Accuweather | Weather Channel
Statewide
3.
California’s water predicament is bound up in two imbalances: Most people live in the state’s drier south, and roughly half of the annual precipitation typically falls on just 15 days, if not fewer. For years, officials have debated a solution: a tunnel that could send water southward from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. During this year’s run of atmospheric rivers, such a tunnel could have captured a year’s supply of water for more than 2 million people. Here’s a good piece on why the idea is so divisive. 👉 Washington Post
4.
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday withdrew a planned $54 million contract with Walgreens after the pharmacy chain said it would halt sales of an abortion pill in states where Republican leaders threatened legal action. “This is an attempt to call the question ‘Which side are you on?” Newsom said. A Walgreens spokesman, Fraser Engerman, accused Newsom of falling for false information. “Walgreens is facing the same circumstances as all retail pharmacies, and no other pharmacies have said that they would approach this situation differently,” he said. Politico | A.P.
5.
Nitrogen dioxide, a product of burning fossil fuels, has been linked to lung cancer and heart disease. Using data collected by sensitive instruments in 2018 and 2019, the NASA Earth Observatory just published a map, above, showing nitrogen dioxide levels in California down to the neighborhood level. It offers a powerful illustration of the hazard posed to residents of urban centers particularly in Los Angeles. NASA Earth Observatory
6.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is now 75 and he still pumps iron at Gold’s Gym in Venice. The former Mr. Universe, Terminator, barbarian, and governor of California rides there on his bicycle, helmetless, as drivers yell out to him in a flash of recognition. In a great profile, the aging Schwarzenegger said he is unafraid to die — he just really wishes he could live forever. “If you have the kind of life that I’ve had — that I have — it is so spectacular,” he said. The Atlantic
See 20 rarely seen photos from Schwarzenegger’s “Pumping Iron” days. 👉 Vanity Fair
Northern California
7.
Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI and one of Silicon Valley’s most influential voices, invested $180 million in a San Francisco startup that is trying to delay death. Retro Biosciences is experimenting with reprogramming cells in a quest to add 10 years to the average human life span. Altman, 37, said he “basically” put his entire liquid net worth into Retro and a second company working on another seemingly implausible quest: limitless energy. “It’s a lot,” he said. MIT Technology Review
Southern California
8.
Three Los Angeles police officers were shot Wednesday evening during a shootout with a wanted parolee who was confirmed dead several hours later. Police said officers had fired a “chemical agent” to force the suspect to exit a locked shed after he refused commands to surrender. Then he burst out firing, they said. Mayor Karen Bass visited with the wounded officers, who were all expected to survive. “They weren’t concerned about themselves,” she said. L.A. Times | A.P.
9.
A man with a history of mental illness was arrested Wednesday in the fatal stabbing of a 17-year-old boy in Los Angeles last week. David Zapata barricaded himself in the Alhambra home where he lived with his grandmother before surrendering, police said. Neighbors said Zapata gave them an uneasy feeling. City Councilman Kevin de León, whose district includes the site of the attack, said the streets of L.A. had become “the largest psychiatric ward in the United States.” L.A. Times | San Gabriel Valley Tribune
10.
Los Angeles County Undersheriff April Tardy, the sheriff’s department’s No. 2 in command, has a tattoo signifying membership in a so-called deputy gang, a report said. The tattoo, on Tardy’s ankle, is associated with the V Boys, which was said to operate out of a station in the San Gabriel Valley where Tardy worked in the 1990s. Tardy denied any affiliation with the group, saying the inking was an innocent tribute to her former workplace. Last week, an oversight panel said deputy gangs still operate throughout the department. Capital & Main
11.
In 2017, the PBS radio personality Tavis Smiley was seemingly exiled from the industry after several women accused him of sexual harassment. Now he is back. Over the last two years, Smiley has become the majority owner and morning host on KBLA 1580 in Los Angeles, drawing support from numerous public figures, including Mayor Karen Bass and Rep. Adam B. Schiff. “On this side of the PBS drama,” he said, “what you hear in my voice is a sincere depth of gratitude to be back in the game, back in the business, to be in this space.” L.A. Times
12.
Edwin Castro, who came forward last month to claim a $2 billion Powerball jackpot, wasted little time upgrading his living situation. Castro, who opted for a lump sum payout of $998 million, just spent $25.5 million on a house in a Hollywood Hills neighborhood shared with Ariana Grande, Dakota Johnson, and Jimmy Kimmel. The five-bedroom mansion has walls of glass, a rooftop deck, movie theater, and outdoor kitchen. See photos. 👉 Dirt
Have you seen a video, photo essay, or article that could be good for the newsletter? Let me know: mike@californiasun.co
Past reader recommendations have included: Oakland barber cinemagraphs, a Half Dome snowboarder, and gorgeous photos of Fossil Falls.
Thanks for reading!
The California Sun is written by Mike McPhate, a former California correspondent for the New York Times.
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