Good morning. It’s Thursday, Dec. 5.
- Two boys seriously wounded in Butte County shooting.
- A new gold rush is sparked in the Mojave Desert.
- And the strange case of a Rothschild “imposter.”
Statewide
1.
For years, large drillers in California have sold dying oil wells on the cheap to smaller companies, essentially setting the wells up to be abandoned once their use has ended. Taxpayers found themselves on the hook for cleaning up the mess. But last year the state started requiring companies that acquire oil wells to first put up the money for cleanup costs. Ever since, dozens of proposed sales have fallen through after buyers suddenly lost interest. Capital & Main
2.
Contrary to popular belief, the “sell by” labels on grocery store items do not indicate when they will go bad. They are used to guide grocers on when to rotate stock — and get customers to spend more money after tossing perfectly good milk. Confusion over such labels accounts for as much as 7% of food waste in the U.S., by one estimate. But California is now cracking down on the practice. Labels will be restricted to just two options: “best if used by” to signal peak quality, and “use by” for product safety on items that spoil quickly. L.A. Times
3.
☝️ This is a mountain bluebird, a creature so blue it can seem to glow.
Native to western North America, they can be found commonly in mountain meadows of the Sierra and Cascade ranges, where they make homes in tree cavities and snatch insects out of the air. They like to sit atop fence posts, perhaps along a country road, offering a little jewel in the scenery for those lucky enough to catch sight of one.
Northern California
4.
Two boys, ages 5 and 6, were in “extremely critical condition” after a gunman opened fire then turned the firearm on himself at a small parochial school near Oroville in the Sierra foothills on Wednesday, officials said. Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said the man had just met with an administrator about potentially enrolling a student at Feather River Adventist School in Palermo. That may have been a ruse to get on campus, Honea said. No information on the gunman’s identity or motive were disclosed. KCRA | S.F. Chronicle
5.
A City Council race in a small San Joaquin Valley city ended in a perfect tie — 3,882 to 3,882. So the candidates drew straws. Another vote would cost at least $100,000, explained Tina Hubert, Galt’s city clerk: “So, a winner has to be determined some way.” During a council meeting Tuesday night, candidates Mathew Pratton and Bonnie Rodriguez faced off at the front of the chamber and acknowledged the terms: the long straw wins. A hush fell. Pratton chose first: long. A cheer rose and the rivals shook hands. KCRA | CBS News
6.
Four Kings, a shoebox restaurant along an alley in San Francisco’s Chinatown, is the darling of food critics in 2024. Since opening in March, it has become the hottest restaurant in San Francisco and arguably the country. The New York Times included Four Kings in its annual list of the 50 best restaurants; Bon Appétit included it among the 20 best new restaurants; and Esquire named it “restaurant of the year.” By all accounts, the food is wonderful, but many critics seem to see Four Kings as a symbol of hope against the decline of America’s Chinatowns. SFGATE | Esquire
7.
“It felt like there was magic in the room sometimes. We would communicate without words. It was spiritual.”
— Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann
Three surviving members of the Grateful Dead are set to receive Kennedy Center Honors this month. The Washington Post surveyed the long, strange trip of the Bay Area rock band.
Southern California
8.
When a man’s body was found in a burned home in Laurel Canyon on Nov. 27, neighbors identified him as a member of the Rothschild family, the Jewish banking dynasty. The 87-year-old went by William de Rothschild. But a court filing revealed that he was born William Alfred Kauffman and petitioned to have his name changed in 1985. This was news to his younger brother in Oregon. Richard Kauffman said his family was not Jewish and that his brother “disappeared” decades ago. “My brother is not a Rothschild,” he said. L.A. Times
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9.
Life has been upended in Delano since a convicted murderer escaped from a prison van in the city on Monday. Schools have remained closed. Swarms of police officers, K-9’s in tow, have been sweeping through neighborhoods, knocking on doors. Police helicopters circle overhead. The annual Christmas parade, which was scheduled for Thursday, has been postponed. KGET | Bakersfield Californian
10.
President-elect Donald Trump tapped Peter Navarro to be senior adviser on trade and manufacturing on Wednesday, installing a China hawk and ardent proponent of steep tariffs on imports. Navarro, 75, was once a liberal Democrat who ran unsuccessfully to be mayor of San Diego. A vocal election denier, he served four months in jail this year for stonewalling a congressional investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. In his announcement, Trump described Navarro as “a man who was treated horribly by the Deep State.” N.Y. Times | Politico
11.
The soaring price of gold has sparked a new gold rush in the Mojave Desert as entrepreneurs buy up old claims. “If you can get the gold out of the ground, there’s money to be made,” said David Treadwell, a real estate agent in Hemet who has sold multiple gold-mining properties. Sean Tucker bought a historic mining property near Randsburg last year. He estimates that his all-in cost of extracting gold is roughly $1,220 per ounce; the price of gold is currently more than $2,600. “It’s primal,” Tucker said. “There’s something in the ground that we want, and we’re getting it out.” L.A. Times
12.
The new must-have home amenity for Southern California’s ultra rich? Personal fire hydrants. In Malibu, a city so fire-prone that some have argued it shouldn’t exist, Kevin R. Rosenbloom, 44, lives on a lot where another house burned down. He had a hydrant installed four years ago and participated in trainings on how to use it. Malibu is worth the trouble, he explained: “Here we have views of the Pacific Ocean and hiking and bike trails right outside our front door.” Wall Street Journal
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The California Sun is written by Mike McPhate, a former California correspondent for the New York Times.
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