Good morning. It’s Thursday, Aug. 27.
- California joins lawsuit to block mail ballot rules.
- Meta avoids ‘Big Tobacco’ situation with settlement.
- And five places to reconnect with nature near Los Angeles.
Statewide
1.
California on Wednesday announced a new lawsuit, joined by 24 attorneys general, that challenges President Trump’s new rules for mail ballots. The Supreme Court ruled Monday that earlier litigation was premature because no state had yet been harmed. That changed on Friday, the new complaint argued, when the Postal Service moved to halt ballot delivery in states that decline to share sensitive voter data with the federal government. “Congress has not afforded U.S.P.S. any authority whatsoever to set rules for federal elections or mail voting,” the suit said. L.A. Times | N.Y. Times
2.
Gov. Gavin Newsom is pushing an environmental exemption for a longtime donor’s development on the Santa Monica waterfront. The real estate mogul, Jeff Worthe, has contributed more than $274,000 to Newsom’s campaigns and inaugural fund since 2018. The governor’s proposal would effectively allow Worthe’s mixed-use project to bypass the standard environmental review. Susan Jordan, an environmental advocate, accused Newsom of emulating President Trump. “He’s carving up the Coastal Act,” she said. “He’s selling it to the highest bidder.” CalMatters | Santa Monica Daily Press
3.
“There’s no benefit.”
Shafter, home to roughly 24,000 residents in rural Kern County, is the only city that would be bisected by high-speed rail in the San Joaquin Valley without getting a station. Locals are fiercely opposed, saying the project will tear down stores and disrupt their peaceful downtown. The train would “divide our town in half,” said Gail Alvidrez, a retiree. The Wall Street Journal wrote about the dysfunction and fears surrounding California’s bullet train.
4.
The endurance athlete Nick Fowler just recorded the fastest time ever on the Pacific Crest Trail, trekking 2,650 miles from the Canadian border to the Mexican border in 45 days, 17 hours, and 47 minutes. His average distance per day: 57 miles. If that weren’t remarkable enough, Fowler did the whole thing alone. Others typically rely on traveling crews that set up camp and prepare meals. Fowler instead mailed supplies to stopovers along the trail. By the end, he had gone through about 15 pairs of running shoes and shed 15 pounds of body weight. S.F. Chronicle
Northern California
5.
Meta agreed on Wednesday to pay up to $18 billion over claims that it endangered teenagers with addictive social media features, a landmark settlement that prosecutors said delivered “meaningful relief” and critics portrayed as lenient. Under the deal, Meta also agreed to add stronger child-safety measures such as a time limit and notification blocks on Facebook and Instagram. The financial pundit Jim Cramer called the settlement a “big break” for Meta, whose stock price rose on the news. Meta recorded a profit of $60 billion in 2025. MarketWatch | Ars Technica
- The Atlantic: How to lose billions of dollars and still win.
6.
Clint Curtis, the election-denying elections chief in Shasta County, put ballots from the June primary in a room, sealed the doors with locks and duct tape, and posted red-lettered signs that read: “KEEP OUT PER ROV CLINT CURTIS.” Curtis, who was voted out of power in the election, has told reporters that the ballots did not smell right. He said he had the lock keys destroyed so that anyone trying to gain access would need a warrant and a bolt cutter. L.A. Times
7.
Three people were arrested near the State Capitol on Wednesday after scuffles broke out during a rally headlined by the right-wing content creator Nick Shirley. About 500 people had gathered to protest legislation designed to protect social service workers from harassment by letting them remove their addresses from the public record. Critics have dubbed it the “Stop Nick Shirley Act,” a reference to his videos claiming to uncover fraud at Minnesota day care centers. Shirley has been increasingly active in California. Sacramento Bee | KCRA
8.
Berkeley High School’s most recent yearbook has stoked outrage for including a photo of a student holding a sign that reads “October 7 was a response, not an attack!” In a June letter to the district with roughly 300 signatures, parents demanded a review of the yearbook’s editorial policies, a public apology, and the recalling of the book. As of this week, there’s been no response, according to the families. The district has also declined to answer questions from journalists. Berkeleyside
Southern California
9.
In May 2024, Los Angeles’ homeless services agency, known as LAHSA, flagged a nonprofit as “high risk” for failing to do its job. Then it gave the group millions of dollars in taxpayer contracts anyway. This year, federal prosecutors charged the nonprofit’s leader, Alex Soofer, with fraud. According to the indictment, Soofer used LAHSA money to pay for a $7 million home in Westwood, a $125,000 Range Rover, private jet travel, private school tuition for his kids, and more. LAist
10.
A 19-year-old sailor who jumped from the USS Abraham Lincoln on Aug. 3 in what his wife called a suicide attempt is now facing disciplinary action, MS NOW reported on Wednesday. Conditions aboard the the Lincoln, whose home port is San Diego, have come under scrutiny after reports that its extended deployment in the Middle East was wearing on the mental health of the crew. The sailor’s wife said he was accused of “malingering,” which includes hurting oneself to avoid duty. “I think they’re insane for doing this to people who need mental help,” she said.
11.
When Biddy Mason was brought to California in 1851, she was 33, illiterate, and enslaved since her birth in the deep South. Five years later, she petitioned for her freedom — and won. She then embarked on a remarkable climb through Los Angeles’ social ranks, investing midwife earnings in real estate to amass a fortune that she shared generously with the poor. Mason died in 1891 and was soon forgotten. More than 130 years later, L.A. is now planning to rename its central park in her honor. Pershing Square, named for a World War I general, would become Biddy Mason Park. MyNewsLA.com | L.A. Daily News
12.
In his 30s, Garth Bowles sold his possessions, donned robes and walked across America on a spiritual quest. After about 4 years, in his telling, he grew weary of the ungraciousness that pilgrims face. So in 1980, he created a sanctuary in the Mojave Desert open to free thinkers, seekers, and misfits. All comers are welcome to stay the night for $50 at campsites set among giant boulders in what one visitor described as a “640-acre Shangri-la bubble.” Los Angeles magazine included Boulder Gardens Sanctuary in a list of five places to reconnect with nature near L.A.
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