All of the must-read news about the Golden State in one place.
Hi, I’m Mike McPhate, a former California correspondent for the New York Times. I survey more than 100 news and social media sites daily, then send you a tightly crafted email with only the most informative and delightful bits.
Each weekday at about 6 a.m., you’ll get an email like this.
Good morning. It’s Monday, Feb. 9.
- Super Bowl visitors fall in love with San Francisco.
- Progressive candidate shakes up L.A. mayoral race.
- And a gray wolf makes historic entrance in L.A. County.
Statewide
1.
County-level election officials across California are taking the possibility of federal interference in the midterm elections so seriously that they are running exercises to prepare for federal agents demanding ballots or staging around polling stations. Dean Logan, Los Angeles County’s top voting official, said the Trump administration’s recent seizure of 2020 ballots in Georgia was a wake-up call. “What we don’t know is, would they do that during the conduct of an election, before an election is certified?” he said. L.A. Times
2.
Gov. Gavin Newsom often boasts about California’s prowess as the world’s fourth-largest economy. But the state’s impressive gross domestic product, driven in part by a booming tech industry, obscures the reality of its job market, which ranks among the weakest nationwide. In 2025, California’s job market shrank, even as hiring expanded nationwide. “There’s no sugarcoating the situation in California,” said Jeff Bellisario, of the Bay Area Council Economic Institute. “Our economic growth is weak compared to other states.” Mercury News
Northern California
3.
“I may have been too harsh on San Francisco in terms of its beauty. This is pretty sweet.”
“I think it’s my favorite city I’ve ever been to.”
“Totally pleasant. I mean, look at this place.”
Many out-of-towners in San Francisco for the Super Bowl were surprised to discover that the poster child of urban decay on right-wing media is actually nice. “What we thought we were walking into here was, uh, a dump. It’s not at all,” the ESPN host Pat McAfee told his audience, adding that he found the city “gorgeous,” incredible,” and “awesome.” N.Y. Times | KGO | S.F. Standard
4.
Other dispatches from the Super Bowl, held Sunday in Santa Clara:
- Hundreds of people demonstrated against ICE outside Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on Sunday. They were joined by Rep. Ro Khanna, a Silicon Valley Democrat with presidential ambitions. L.A. Times
- Bad Bunny’s halftime show, which news outlets hailed as a “joyous romp,” was loaded with celebrations of Latino culture and other surprises: appearances by Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin, and Cardi B; a cameo for L.A.’s beloved taqueria Villa’s Tacos; and a bride and groom who got married on the field — for real. President Trump called the performance “a ‘slap in the face’ to our country.” Variety | S.F. Chronicle
- “AS MANY PEOPLE KNOW, I AM A TREMENDOUS LOVER OF ‘THE SPANISH.'” Adopting his Trump persona on X, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared Super Bowl Sunday “Bad Bunny Day.” LAist
- Here were the best Super Bowl ads, according to the New York Times and the Washington Post.
5.
After days of skepticism about the seriousness of a planned March for Billionaires, 20 or so pro-billionaire demonstrators showed up for the unironic protest in San Francisco on Saturday. They carried signs that professed love for Jeff Bezos and proclaimed “Billionaires build the future.” Counterprotesters, dressed in formal wear, gathered under the banner “March for Trillioinaires,” while a group calling themselves “Chefs of the Bourgeoisie” offered fine dining dishes, such as “Bezos Barbacoa.” Mission Local | S.F. Chronicle
- See video by Broke-Ass Stuart.
6.
San Francisco’s artificial intelligence prospectors aren’t all hoodie-wearing bros. They include scrappy immigrants who grew up poor and college dropouts with no background in tech. Marshall Kools, 24, who shares an apartment with two roommates in San Francisco, co-founded a company that aims to “streamline” white-collar administrative work. “I probably paid myself about $10,000 last year,” he said. The New York Times profiled a group of AI dreamers who don’t fit the stereotype.
Southern California
7.
Nithya Raman, a Los Angeles City Council member who has become the face of a rising progressive vanguard, announced Saturday that she is running for mayor. The surprise entrance of Raman, who has been backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, raised the question of whether L.A. voters are prepared to follow in the path of New York City, which elected Zohran Mamdani as mayor on a similarly progressive platform. In a sharp break from Mayor Karen Bass, Raman said her former ally had overseen a government that “can’t seem to manage the basics.” N.Y. Times | L.A. Times
- Los Angeles columnist Steve Lopez: “The race for mayor just got interesting.”
8.
A gray wolf arrived in Los Angeles County on Saturday, the first documented visit by the predator in at least a century, state wildlife officials said. Wolf advocates called it a historic moment for the species, which has been returning to California after a long absence. Axel Hunnicutt, a state wildlife official, said the 3-year-old female appeared to be on the move for a mate and suitable habitat, traveling more than 370 miles from Plumas County to her current location. “Her journey isn’t over,” he said. L.A. Times | LAist
9.
When Monterey Park considered allowing a developer to build a data center the size of four football fields in December, a small group of residents vowed to fight it. They knocked on doors, held a rally, and distributed flyers. Six weeks later, hundreds of people packed the City Council to demand a 45-day moratorium on data centers. The lawmakers not only approved it unanimously, they pledged to explore a permanent ban. The Guardian wrote about Monterey Park’s “rage against the machine.”
10.
Immigrant detainees inside the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego County are throwing bottles over the fences with notes attached to them. “It’s cold here all the time and the food is poor,” read a note by a man who said he’s been held since April 15, 2025: “For 280 days we haven’t eaten a single piece of fruit, banana, apple, orange, or anything fresh. We are all in one big room with no doors or windows. We can’t see any grass or trees. We are all constantly sick.” L.A. Taco
11.
Teenagers are breaking into vacant San Diego homes and throwing giant parties organized on social media, complete with DJs, security, and $10 cover charges, a journalism investigation found. Partygoers have punched holes into walls, ripped smoke detectors from ceilings, and even set off fireworks inside. Troy Esaki, the owner of a targeted home, said he suffered $250,000 in damages. “We’re really heartbroken,” he said. “It’s been a mixture of emotions, frustration and anguish. A lot of it has been heartache.” NBC 7
12.
In 2021, AT&T reported 71 copper thefts in California. In 2024, there were more than 2,200. The problem is so widespread that it’s become difficult to run Little League baseball in Long Beach, where repeated thefts have made the field lights go dark. “We’ve talked about people pulling overnight shifts at the park,” said Adriel Tedesco, vice president of Long Beach Little League. “Having volunteer sign-up sheets to do overnighters. It should not have to come to that.” N.Y. Times
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