Good morning. It’s Wednesday, Nov. 2.
- Republicans promote falsehoods about Paul Pelosi attack.
- At least five top executives quit Elon Musk’s Twitter.
- And an imposter student squats in Stanford dorms.
Statewide
1.
In 2017, Gavin Newsom campaigned on kickstarting construction of 3.5 million homes in California by 2025. He’s gotten nowhere close. In the nearly four years since Newsom took office, California cities are projected to have permitted about 452,000 homes — less than he pledged to build in one year alone. As Newsom coasts toward a second term as governor, the housing crisis is now worse than the one he inherited. CalMatters
2.
A new study estimated that blue whales swimming off California are ingesting roughly 10 million tiny pieces of plastic every day, the equivalent of 95 pounds of plastic. Stanford marine biologists made the estimate by tracking the foraging behavior of 126 blue whales, then factoring in the concentrations of microplastics along the coast. Every year, tens of millions of tons of plastic enter Earth’s oceans. Mercury News | Reuters
3.
Nearly a third of all conifer forests in the lower half of the Sierra Nevada were killed by wildfires, drought, and bark beetles in the last decade, a study found. Zachary Steel, a scientist with the U.S. Forest Service, said while fire and drought have always occurred in the Sierra, the new pace is alarming: “The declines are going so rapidly that the succession, or the regrowth, of these forests is not going to be able to keep up.” L.A. Times
4.
“We can’t continue this. It’s not sustainable for our community.”
Just weeks away from running out of water, the farming town of Coalinga in Fresno County turned to the open market, paying roughly $1.1 million dollars for 600 acre feet of water. That’s about $1,900 per acre foot, a far cry from the $130 the city normally pays. Some sellers were quoting $5,000 per acre foot. Fresno Bee | CNN
Northern California
5.
David DePape, the suspect in the hammer attack on Paul Pelosi, made his first court appearance in San Francisco on Tuesday. His lawyer entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. In a court filing, prosecutors said DePape, 42, was on a “suicide mission” and had a target list that included a local professor and several state and federal politicians. DePape told officers that he was “sick of the insane fucking level of lies coming out of Washington, D.C.,” the filing said. “I came to have a little chat with his wife.” S.F. Chronicle | N.Y. Times
6.
Most Republican leaders have condemned the attack on Paul Pelosi, but others have pushed conspiracy theories or made jokes. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said “democrat activists” were silencing Elon Musk after he amplified a baseless claim that Pelosi was fighting with a male prostitute. Donald Trump promoted another conspiracy theory: “The glass, it seems, was broken from the inside to the out — so it wasn’t a break-in, it was a break out.” His son, Donald Trump Jr., mocked the attack on Twitter. Washington Post | Politico
7.
Twitter is facing an exodus of executives and advertisers days after Elon Musk’s takeover, several reports said, citing unnamed sources. At least five top executives were said to have quit, with more expected to follow. Two large advertising companies issued recommendations that their clients pause spending on Twitter over moderation concerns. Analysts have warned that a potential mass departure of advertisers could be calamitous for Twitter. N.Y. Times | Reuters | Wall Street Journal
One of Musk’s revenue ideas: Charge $8 a month for blue check verification badges. The Verge
8.
Laurie Smith, the six-term sheriff of Santa Clara County, abruptly resigned on Monday in a bid to avoid the outcome of a civil trial that accused her office of trading gun permits for political favors. Experts said it would probably work. By stepping down, Smith makes the sole penalty she faced — removal from office — moot. Both sides are now awaiting the judge’s ruling on a request by Smith to dismiss the case. Mercury News
9.
An Alabama man pretending to be a Stanford student lived on the campus for nearly a year, bouncing between dormitories and integrating himself into campus social life. Students said William Curry posed as a sophomore studying pre-med and claimed he was recruited to the track and field team. “Anytime we saw him we let him in because it was like he knew people,” said Kacey Logan, a student. Curry was finally caught Thursday after he was accused of stealing a television. Stanford Daily | SFist
Southern California
10.
Orange County declared a health emergency over viral infections that have pushed pediatric hospitalizations to record levels, health officials said Tuesday. Doctors say they are seeing a surge of patients with respiratory syncytial virus, which can cause severe breathing problems for babies. Children’s Hospital Orange County is now “very, very close to capacity, if not over capacity” said Dr. Melanine Patterson, a hospital executive. “If you walk through the lobby, you will see sick, sick kids.” Voice of OC | O.C. Register
11.
In 2018, Orange County was swept by a slate of Democratic congressional candidates that included Katie Porter, whose “whiteboard of justice” made her a star. A sense took hold that the former Republican stronghold had turned blue. Since then, Republicans have recaptured two seats and Porter’s reelection bid has been thrown into doubt. On Tuesday, the Cook Political Report rated her race against Republican challenger Scott Baugh as a “toss-up.” L.A. Times
12.
To hear the progressive Democrat Rep. Jimmy Gomez tell it, his opponent in the race to represent part of Los Angeles County, David Kim, is a right-wing extremist “with QAnon-MAGA support” from “QAnon Republicans.” But Kim is not a Republican. He’s a progressive Democrat who supports “Medicare for all” and a Green New Deal. The race illustrates how California’s top-two primary system — which means two Democrats often square off in general elections — leads to some of the country’s most vicious intraparty mudslinging. N.Y. Times
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