Good morning. It’s Tuesday, Feb. 10.

• California’s ban on masks for federal agents is blocked.
• San Francisco strike closes schools for 50,000 students.
• And the story of babies kept in a mysterious L.A. mansion.

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Statewide

1.

A federal judge on Monday struck down a California law banning federal law enforcement agents from covering their faces, while upholding a requirement that they display identification. Judge Christina Snyder rejected the argument that masks are needed to prevent doxxing, but she deemed the law discriminatory because it excluded state police from the prohibition. State Sen. Scott Wiener took that as a cue. “Now that the court has made clear that state officers must be included,” he said, “I am immediately introducing new legislation to include state officers.” L.A. Times | S.F. Chronicle

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2.

“Winter is finally coming back.”

After an unusually warm and dry January, winter storms are lining up again at California’s doorstep. Forecasters said most of the state would get a good drenching on Tuesday and Wednesday, with up to 2 feet of snow at higher mountain elevations. One or two stronger and colder storms are expected to follow through next week, potentially reinvigorating a Sierra snowpack that has fallen well below average for this time of year. Accuweather | Weather West | KQED

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3.

Nearly 10 years after California ended its prohibition on recreational pot, the New York Times editorial board said it’s time to admit that America “has a marijuana problem.” During the push for legalization, advocates predicted that it might not lead to greater use. In any event, many argued, marijuana was a harmless drug. “It is now clear that many of these predictions were wrong,” the Times wrote. Cannabis has become far more potent, legalization has led to much more use, and each year nearly 2.8 million people in the U.S. now suffer from cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome.

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4.

The Trump administration is planning to rescind roughly $600 million in public health funds from California and three other states led by Democrats, reports said on Monday. Among the targeted grants are programs aimed at curbing H.I.V. and other sexually transmitted infections. A spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services said the grants “do not reflect agency priorities.” Gov. Gavin Newsom called the cuts “purely political.” N.Y. Times | Bloomberg

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Northern California

5.

San Francisco’s teachers went on strike Monday, keeping classrooms closed to roughly 50,000 students as labor and school officials remained deadlocked over contract terms. Thousands rallied outside City Hall, where speakers vowed to strike until teachers’ demands are met. How long parents were prepared to endure was less clear. In a cramped Chinatown unit, Lucky Li took on the role of tutor for her two kids. “We don’t want our children’s learning to be affected,” she said. “If it’s only a day or two, we can manage. But children need to go to school.” S.F. Standard | Mission Local

• The Chronicle’s editorial board faulted labor negotiators for demanding that rainy-day funds be used to pay for salary increases. The union, it said, “wants to forgo long-term stability for a short-term win.”

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6.

Ann Keith’s son seemed like a perfect candidate for California’s CARE Court, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature initiative that was supposed to compel people with severe mental illness into treatment. Connor Keith, 35, was homeless, battling fentanyl addiction, and had schizophrenic delusions. Ann begged the court to help him. But during a hearing on Sept. 9, 2024, the judge dismissed the case after Connor refused to even enter the building. Ten days later, he died of an overdose. S.F. Chronicle

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7.

Mark Zuckerberg appears to be the latest California billionaire to buy a home in Florida, reports said on Monday. Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, were said to be negotiating a deal for a waterfront mansion in the Miami area that local real estate agents valued at between $150 million and $200 million. The potential purchase comes as some of California’s richest residents have vowed to leave the state over a proposed wealth tax on billionaires. Florida has no state income tax. Wall Street Journal | Bloomberg

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8.

San Francisco 49ers defensive end Keion White was shot in the ankle at a nightclub in San Francisco early Monday after an altercation involving the Grammy-winning rapper Lil Baby, reports said. A witness said that Lil Baby’s entourage tried to enter a private party attended by White, 27, below the main floor at Dahlia’s, a bar and nightclub. White then got into an argument with the rapper. When police arrived they passed topless strippers sweeping up dollar bills to find a wounded White, who was uncooperative. No arrests were made. S.F. Standard | SFGATE

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9.

A Butte County jury on Monday found the head of an alleged cult guilty of raping two women and molesting four young girls, all of whom were members of the religious group. Sansue Bee Vang, 58, led the Hmong spiritual organization known as “Belief in the Mother” in Oroville, where they planned to build a temple at the base of Table Mountain, prosecutors said. Members were said to believe that Vang was a prophet. KRCR | Chico Enterprise-Record

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Southern California

10.

“A lot of rich people, they want to do sex parties or drugs. But he just wants to have more kids.”

Remarkably, in the U.S., anyone can start a surrogacy agency. Unlike opening a hair salon, or a day care, no qualifications are required. In the past decade, wealthy foreigners have been lured by this permissive environment to enlist American women as surrogates. That’s how Guojun Xuan, a wealthy Chinese businessman fixated on creating a dynasty, was able to amass two dozen children since 2019. The New Yorker told the disturbing story of “the babies kept in a mysterious Los Angeles mansion.”

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11.

Roughly 4,000 mountain lions remain in California, and scores of them are killed each year by vehicle strikes. Big cats in the Santa Monica Mountains, hemmed in by highways, are among the most imperiled. “In the two decades of research, I can count on one hand the number of males born in the Santa Monicas that have survived past the age of 2,” said Jeff Sikich, a wildlife biologist. The New York Times published a fantastic photo story on a campaign to protect California’s mountain lions as humans close in.

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12.

Hotel del Coronado’s decision to boot a sandcastle artist from his longstanding spot on its beach triggered a backlash from his supporters. Bill Pavlacka, a local fixture known as “The Sandcastle Man,” has plied his trade on the patch of sand for more than 20 years. But the hotel said it got a complaint about an incident involving alcohol that led to “a negative guest experience.” Pavlacka insists he never drinks on the job. He said a Mark Twain quote on one of his sculptures angered hotel management. It read: “Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.” Coronado Times | FOX 5

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