Good morning. It’s Monday, Nov. 24.
- Wet November cuts drought in Southern California.
- Another person is swept into the sea in Big Sur.
- And the iconic Stahl House is listed for sale in L.A.
Statewide
1.
State Attorney General Rob Bonta responded to revelations that he spent nearly $500,000 on lawyers in connection with a federal corruption probe in Oakland and that a local businessman claimed to be aware of a “compromising” video of the politician. In 2024, Mario Juarez, believed to be a witness in the federal case, told Bonta in a letter that another businessman, Andy Duong, may try to blackmail the politician with the video. Duong was later indicted for bribery.
Bonta, who is mulling a run for governor, insisted that no such recording exists. Juarez, he added, was “a desperate person at a desperate time, doing desperate things.” As for his lofty legal bills, Bonta said they reflected his strong desire to assist investigators. S.F. Chronicle | L.A. Times
2.
In 2019, California set out to modernize the state’s antiquated 911 system. The state’s emergency services agency estimated that the project would take two years and cost $300 million. Six years later, California has spent more than $450 million on the so-called Next Generation 911 system. Now it’s scrapping the project altogether, declaring it a failure. The plan is to start over, likely spending hundreds of millions of dollars more. “I’ll be the first to tell you that we don’t always get it right,” said Lisa Mangat, an emergency services official. Sacramento Bee
3.
After one of Southern California’s wettest Novembers in decades, the total area affected by drought statewide has been cut by more than half. At the start of the month, roughly 32% of California was gripped by “moderate drought” or worse, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. As of Nov. 18, that figure was less than 15%. All of the state’s major reservoirs, according to the latest readings, are now filled to levels at or above their historical averages. SFGATE
- See California’s latest drought conditions.
Northern California
4.
A wave swept a man out to sea on Saturday from the same rocky shoreline in Big Sur where a father and his 7-year-old daughter drowned under similar circumstances a week earlier, officials said. Two women were also dragged into the water but managed to get back to shore. A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew spotted what they believed to be the man’s body but were unable to recover it, officials said. The effort was set to resume Monday. KSBW | S.F. Chronicle
5.
Roughly 20 women being held in a San Francisco jail were forced to undress in front of each other while male deputies stood by watching and laughing, according to the women. In interviews, multiple women said deputies ordered them from their bunks on the afternoon of May 22 and subjected them one by one to “body-cavity searches.” Supervisor Myrna Melgar said she was “nauseated” by the allegations. “These women are gonna sue,” she said. “They’re going to win. We’re going to end up paying for it.” Mission Local
6.
By 2060, a third of Stinson Beach’s fabled white sand beach could be permanently underwater, a recent study concluded. Yet the ultra-wealthy are spending eye-popping sums for homes in the Marin County community anyway. Local real estate agents say buyers rarely mention concerns about flooding. “I don’t think anyone thinks sea level rise isn’t going to happen,” said Ashley Bird, of Seadrift Realty. “They know they’re taking a huge financial risk. They’re just willing to take the risk because they love Stinson so much.” S.F. Chronicle
7.
Meta halted internal research after finding that Facebook and Instagram harm mental health, according to filings in a lawsuit against the Menlo Park tech giant. To the company’s disappointment, researchers found that “people who stopped using Facebook for a week reported lower feelings of depression, anxiety, loneliness and social comparison,” internal documents said. Rather than take action, Meta buried the findings and called off further research. Reuters | CNBC
- “We’re basically pushers.” Meta staff compared social media to drugs, court filings showed. Politico
8.
OpenAI, a company that is not profitable, and its partners are pumping $500 billion into new data centers as part of what they call Project Stargate. “In today’s dollars, that is enough to fund the Manhattan Project 15 times over. It could pay for the entire Apollo moon project. Twice,” wrote tech correspondent Cade Metz. His recent piece took stock of the artificial intelligence boom and what some industry insiders see as a house of cards. N.Y. Times
Southern California
9.
The Stahl House, among the most celebrated midcentury modern homes ever built, was just listed for sale for the first time in its 65-year history. Completed by the architect Pierre Koenig in 1960, the small L-shaped home was part of the influential Case Study program, for which top architects of the day designed experimental homes for the postwar housing boom. The residence quickly became iconic, as well a source of income for owners Buck and Carlotta Stahl, who rented it out for movies and tours. Explaining the decision to sell, the couple’s children cited the challenge of caring for the home. The asking price: $25 million. Architect’s Newspaper
- “The house becomes one with the city below.” Settle into a long read on the making of the Stahl House. 👉 Curbed
10.
Los Angeles Fire Department leaders said repeatedly that firefighters returned to the Jan. 1 Lachman fire in the Santa Monica Mountains in response to a report of smoke and “cold-trailed,” meaning they used their hands to feel for signs of heat. But newly obtained logs showed that the responding firefighters reported seeing no smoke and cleared the call within 34 minutes. There is no mention of cold trailing in the burn area that would develop into the most destructive fire in the city’s history. An LAFD spokesperson refused to explain the discrepancy. L.A. Times
11.
Hannah Shirley, the world’s oldest known living pygmy hippopotamus, turned 52 years old at San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center last Thursday. Pygmy hippopotamuses typically live 25 to 30 years in the wild. But Hannah has thrived much longer in a spacious habitat with a pool, her days filled with back rubs, sprinkler showers, and carefully prepared meals. For her birthday, her handlers arranged a Hungry Hungry Hippos–themed party with fruit treats and colorful decorations. The Guardian
- See video from Hannah’s party. 👉 @sdhumanesociety
12.
To promote Steph Curry’s new book, an ad agency consulted with an astronomer to create an ingenious billboard that would align with the cosmos over Los Angeles. The Warriors point guard posted a time-lapse video that appeared to show him shooting the moon over the darkened city. See it here. 👉 @stephencurry30
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.