Good morning. It’s Wednesday, July 5.
- Drone shows replace fireworks in many California cities.
- UC Davis embraces adversity scores to build diversity.
- And Mark Zuckerberg plans to roll out a “Twitter killer.”
Statewide
1.
“Call it the rise of the drones, Independence Day.”
The skies over California reverberated with the explosions of old-fashioned fireworks last night. But a growing contingent of cities — including Tahoe City, San Pablo, Rancho Palos Verdes, and Redondo Beach — opted instead for drone displays. Many spectators who may have at first grumbled are discovering how spectacular they can be. In Ocean Beach, a giant whale swam into the heavens. 👉 YouTube
- Video captured the crazed spectacle of illegal amateur fireworks over Sacramento, Oakland, and Los Angeles.
2.
“This is not a milestone we should be celebrating.”
California’s holiday weekend heat wave coincided with the hottest day the world has ever recorded. On Monday, July 3, the average global temperature reached 62.62 degrees Fahrenheit, surpassing the August 2016 record of 62.46 degrees, according to data from the U.S. National Centers for Environmental Prediction. Among the hottest places in California on Monday: Palm Springs, which hit 117 degrees; Blythe, 118 degrees; and Death Valley, 122. Forecasters said conditions would cool down through Saturday. Reuters | Bloomberg
3.
San Diego Botanic Garden’s resident amorphophallus titanum, known as a corpse flower, began to bloom on Sunday, a rare and stinky event. Then a day later, another specimen at the Conservatory of Flowers in San Francisco did the same. Native to Indonesia, corpse flowers number roughly 1,000 in the wild. The blooms only occur every few years and last about two days. They also smell like something dying. Both organizations announced extra hours to accommodate crowds hoping to get a whiff. S.D. Union-Tribune | S.F. Chronicle
- See live video streams of corpse flowers from San Diego and San Francisco.
Northern California
4.
At the UC Davis School of Medicine, officials found an innovative way to work around the state’s ban on affirmative action: adversity scores. Each applicant is rated on a socioeconomic disadvantage scale from zero to 99, taking into consideration life circumstances such as family income and parental education. It helped turn Davis into one of the most diverse medical schools in the country. Other campuses are now looking to emulate the strategy. N.Y. Times
5.
In a potent challenge to Twitter, Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg on Monday teased a new microblogging app that could be quickly populated by users from Instagram, another Meta property. Instagram’s hundreds of millions of users will be allowed to keep the same usernames and follow the same accounts on the new app, dubbed Threads. Some are calling it a “Twitter killer,” noting the frustration that many users have expressed since the platform’s takeover by Elon Musk. A.P. | Wall Street Journal
6.
On Dec. 20, a powerful earthquake shook the home of Jacqui McIntosh and her husband off its foundation in the hamlet of Rio Dell in Humboldt County. The house was deemed unlivable along with at least 125 other Rio Dell residences. Yet, like an estimated 90% of California homeowners, the McIntoshes carried no earthquake insurance. So they are still making mortgage payments on a house they can’t afford to fix. “It’s not worth anything,” Jacqui McIntosh said. “Now I literally have a giant lawn ornament that’s going to bankrupt me.” CNN
7.
Driverless taxis have been causing “mayhem” on San Francisco’s streets, according to city leaders. Yet state regulators have indicated that they intend to approve permits that would allow Waymo and Cruise to expand their operations to an unlimited number of driverless taxis, offering 24/7 service anywhere in San Francisco. Jeanine Nicholson, San Francisco’s fire chief, said the cabs have repeatedly tangled with firefighters. “This is the way the industry is going, and that’s fine,” she said. “But don’t shove it down our throats.” Washington Post
8.
The origins of the tradition are lost to time. But at some point someone grabbed an Adirondack chair from the Big Sur River Inn and plopped it in the river. Ever since, the joy of sitting in a chair on a warm summer afternoon and letting the water caress your feet has become the inn’s best known attraction. “People will call specifically asking: ‘How do the chairs work?'” said general manager Rick Aldinger. “‘Can I reserve a chair for a certain time on a certain day? And do you serve food at the chairs?'” The answers: You sit in them; no; and no, but you’re welcome to bring a drink with you. SFGATE
Southern California
9.
Thousands of cleaners, front desk agents, bellhops, and other hotel workers walked off the job Sunday in Los Angeles in Orange counties in a strike for better pay, straining hotels during one of the busiest holiday weekends. Unite Here Local 11, which represents 15,000 workers at more than 60 major hotels, said workers earning roughly $20 to $25 an hour were struggling to afford housing even as industry profits soared. Hotels have offered to lift hourly wages by $6.25 over four years. The union is demanding more and sooner. Reuters | L.A. Times
10.
As of July 1, West Hollywood has the highest minimum wage of any U.S. city: $19.08 an hour. Business owners are not happy. “These pay increases are about superficiality and about opportunistic politicians who are just trying to make a name for themselves,” said restaurateur Lucian Tudor. “They don’t make any sense for small businesses who were never consulted. If we go out of business, that means workers will lose their jobs too.” L.A. Times | A.P.
11.
A burglar cut a hole in the roof of a Lincoln Fine Wines in Venice around 12:30 a.m. Saturday, then lowered himself in with a rope. Over nearly four hours, the thief emptied out most of the wine cellar — a haul estimated at roughly $600,000. Owner Nazmul Haque said it took years to build up the collection. “To lose 10, 15 years’ worth of work overnight is devastating,” he said. “I’m not sure if I will recover emotionally.” L.A. Times | KTLA
12.
Every July Fourth since 1973, a mosh pit forms on the sand at Hermosa Beach. Punk music blares as hundreds of people in swimsuits and patriotic colors howl, cavort, and chug cans of beer. Vomit is everywhere. This is the central ritual of the Hermosa Beach “ironman,” an expression more of debauchery than athleticism: competitors run a mile, paddle a mile on a surfboard, then pound a six-pack of beer. The first to finish without puking wins. The Daily Breeze got photos Tuesday as the ironman celebrated its 50th year.
Get your California Sun T-shirts, phone cases, hoodies, mugs, and hats!
Thanks for reading!
The California Sun is written by Mike McPhate, a former California correspondent for the New York Times.
Make a one-time contribution to the California Sun.
Give a subscription as a gift.
Get a California Sun mug, T-shirt, phone case, hat, or hoodie.
Forward this email to a friend.
Click here to stop delivery, and here to update your billing information. (Note: Unsubscribing here does not cancel payments. To do that click here.)
The California Sun, PO Box 6868, Los Osos, CA 93412
Wake up to must-read news from around the Golden State delivered to your inbox each morning.