Good morning. It’s Monday, June 8.
• | FBI looks for link between killings of officers. |
• | National Guard withdraws after days of peaceful protests. |
• | And illuminating the weird creatures of Monterey Bay. |
George Floyd protests
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After days of peaceful demonstrations, more than 7,100 National Guard troops are being pulled from deployments in the torn streets of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, and other cities, officials said on Sunday. A Guard official said the mission was a success. “The citizens of California know that whenever they need their California National Guard, whatever the situation, when called, we will respond,” he said. A.P. | L.A. Daily News
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California’s protests showed no signs of slowing down over the weekend. Some snapshots from across the state:
• | In Fortuna, nestled along the Eel River, a protest led by young people drew hundreds. Some had criticized the mayor for endorsing the event. “I honestly can’t tell you that the entire city council is here,” she told the crowd, “and that makes me sad.” Lost Coast Outpost |
Marchers crossed the Golden Gate Bridge on Saturday.
Jeff Chiu/A.P.
• | Thousands of Black Lives Matter supporters poured onto the Golden Gate Bridge, blocking traffic. “People care about this more than a pandemic,” one marcher said. “Racism is a sickness.” S.F. Examiner | S.F. Chronicle |
• | In Vallejo, days after the fatal police shooting of Sean Monterrosa outside a Walgreens, protesters pulled a symbolic coffin through the streets. Police were nowhere to be seen. S.F. Chronicle | Mercury News |
• | In Hollywood, more than 10,000 people filled the streets in what appeared to be one of L.A.’s largest protests yet. Not far away, the beloved Compton Cowboys joined a spirited caravan in Compton. L.A. Times | LAist |
Surfers participated in a paddle out ceremony in memory of George Floyd in Santa Monica on Friday.
Ashley Landis/A.P.
• | Groups of surfers in Santa Monica, Santa Barbara, Monterey Bay and other beach towns held paddle outs, forming circles in the water in memory of George Floyd. |
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There have been scattered reports over the last week on the presence of militia members at protests across California. Their stated purpose: to guard against violence. But some have been characterized by protesters as forms of intimidation.
• | In Redding, a group of men showed up at a rally in fatigues and tactical gear. We support the protest, one man said. “But they’re not going to burn our town down.” Record Searchlight |
• | At a protest in Arroyo Grande, two armed men stood on the roof of a martial arts gym. “We’re not a bunch of thugs,” the gym owner told a reporter, “but we’re also not the people who are going to let you take our lunch money.” The Tribune |
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A protester who was struck by a vehicle during a march in Bakersfield last week has died, officials said on Saturday. The police said Robert Forbes, 55, was crossing a darkened street when he was hit. Video showing the driver smoking a cigarette as police officers investigated the scene drew outrage. Forbes’ sister said she believed the collision was intentional, and posters appeared around the city calling the death a murder. BuzzFeed News | KGET
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Two police officers took a knee in solidarity with protesters in San Francisco on June 3.
Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images
Other odds and ends:
• | A San Francisco police officer took a knee during a protest last week. The next day, he was sent home for insubordination. His superiors said it was because he wore earrings to work. S.F. Examiner |
• | LAPD officials said they would not seek charges against people arrested for curfew violations and failing to disperse. The police have faced intense criticism for arresting hundreds of peaceful protesters. L.A. Times |
• | Many damaged California businesses feel like they’ve been kicked while down. “Our business was obliterated by the protests,” one bar owner said. Mercury News |
Statewide
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Santa Cruz Sheriff Jim Hart comforted the widow and child of Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller on Sunday.
Martha Mendoza/A.P.
A Santa Cruz County sheriff’s deputy was fatally shot in an ambush in the Santa Cruz Mountains on Saturday. Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller was responding to a report of guns and bomb materials in a van. As deputies approached the vehicle at a home in Ben Lomond, they came under attack, officials said. Gutzwiller left behind a young child and a pregnant wife. Another deputy was critically injured.
A suspect, 38-year-old Steven Carrillo, was arrested. An active-duty Air Force sergeant, he’s now being investigated for possible links to the killing of an officer in Oakland last month. Santa Cruz Sentinel | A.P. | S.F. Chronicle
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Hospitals along California’s southern border are so overwhelmed by American patients fleeing Mexico that they’re airlifting them as far north as Santa Barbara, San Francisco, and Sacramento. “We worked hard to flatten the curve in California,” a health official said. “Now we have a surge in the Imperial Valley because the situation is so severe in Mexicali.” N.Y. Times
Renowned epidemiologist from Marin: “We have not even passed the first wave. We are early in this pandemic.” Marin Independent Journal
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Other coronavirus developments:
• | Last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom angered California’s nail salon industry by saying the state’s outbreak originated in a salon. Now he says that isn’t true, according to activists that met with him. L.A. Times |
• | Bars, gyms, and hair salons are expected to reopen on Friday in many parts of California after Newsom gave a green light to advance to Phase 3 of the state’s four-phase reopening plan. CalMatters |
• | After a Modesto store owner was punched in the face by a short-tempered customer, she started a group on Facebook to swap stories of what it’s like to work in retail sales these days. Within days, it had tens of thousands of followers. A.P. |
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A firefighter lit a backfire to stop a fire from spreading near Winters on Saturday.
Noah Berger/A.P.
Dry windy conditions over the weekend fueled several fires. One fast-moving blaze chewed through nearly 3 square miles near the Bay Area city of Vacaville, destroying three structures and threatening 100 more. By Sunday afternoon, firefighters had gained the upper hand. Around the same time, about 100 miles southeast of Vacaville, another blaze popped up in Mariposa County. It grew to 200 acres and prompted evacuations. A.P. | S.F. Chronicle
California was poised to spend spend billions of dollars on fire prevention. Then came Covid-19. Now things are on hold. NPR
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“I have no attachment to this city.”
Tech workers have been blamed for obliterating San Francisco’s housing market and culture. Now, as the Covid-19 crisis prompts more companies to embrace remote work, tech publications are speculating about the possibility of an exodus. In one survey, two out of three tech workers said they would consider leaving the Bay Area if their companies allowed it. The Verge
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“Ted Zouzounis and his son, David, at Ted’s Market, 1530 Howard Street, 1982”
Janet Delaney
Janet Delaney’s photos recall San Francisco before tech startups and $5 toast. WIRED | JanetDelaney.com
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A close-up of a giant larvacean.
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
The scientists at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute are using a new kind of laser to illuminate the bizarre body structures of creatures in the depths of Monterey Bay. They operate like a CT scanner, revealing, in the words of one report, “mazes of translucent parts and gooey structures, including long filaments, mucus housings, and fine-mesh filters for gathering food.” N.Y. Times | Popular Science
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New sidewalk railing slats installed on the Golden Gate Bridge create a hum when the wind passes through them. It works the same way as a reed instrument, and apparently it was intentional. “The Golden Gate Bridge,” KQED wrote, “is now effectively a giant orange wheezing kazoo.” (Listen here). KQED | S.F. Chronicle
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