Here are a few stories you missed in the California Sun over the last week — plus a merch giveaway for new subscribers.

In California, where the median home price is obscene and the number of homeless could populate a mid-sized city, legislators have fought for years over proposals to increase housing density. With the recall safely behind him, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday handed a major victory to pro-density advocates, signing legislation that lets owners build up to two duplexes on single-family lots. It could yield hundreds of thousands of new units — yet that's still far fewer than experts say is needed to keep up with population growth. A.P. | S.F. Chronicle

In the 1960s and 1970s, nearly a million young people went back to the land, a grand social experiment that found its epicenter in the sunny swath between the Bay Area and the Oregon border. Many found the poverty too bleak and returned to comfortable lives in the city. But a small number stuck it out. They are now in their 70s and 80s, holdouts of fading hippie utopias at the end of winding roads. A reporter and photographer took a fascinating tour. GQ magazine

Some people hike Yosemite's signature landmark in the dark. The push up Half Dome, which involves grasping fixed cables for dear life at a 45-degree angle, is so popular that it can feel like a crowded escalator. Avoiding the daytime offers two important benefits: no crowds and thrilling views of the rising or setting sun. Sean Goebel created the photo above last summer by stacking multiple frames captured around twilight. He also made a great time-lapse video that shows headlamps winding up and down the trail like glowing insects. 👉 Vimeo 

In July, San Francisco supervisors discussed a plan to manufacture five garbage can prototypes for between $12,000 to $20,000 apiece. One supervisor raised a question: Why not just use an off-the-shelf model at a fraction of the cost? San Francisco, a public works official explained, is “obviously very unique, and we weren’t happy with the look of those cans.” Here's a deep dive on San Francisco's bizarre quest for the perfect trash can.  👉 Mission Local 

Chinese immigrants in early California are often associated with urban enclaves such as San Francisco’s Chinatown. But many others descended on the Sierra to find their fortunes. A reporter went in search of Asian American history in a tiny dot on the map called Chinese Camp, a Gold Rush settlement east of Modesto that was once home to roughly 5,000 Chinese residents. N.Y. Times

For centuries, spring-run Chinook salmon would rest in the cold waters of Butte Creek before spawning. But with the water an astounding 10 degrees hotter in places, what was once a place of life has become one of untimely death. In a beautifully done presentation, the Washington Post reports: "Of the estimated 16,000 spring-run Chinook that made the journey from the Golden Gate Bridge to this curve in a creek and others like it across the Central Valley, about 14,500 have died."

The biggest performing arts spectacle of the fall in Los Angeles involves pouring 20 tons of sand into a museum. The winner of the top prize of the 2019 Venice Biennale, “Sun & Sea" portrays the climate crisis through a deceptively relaxing day at the beach. It's an opera, but also a form of endurance art: The production lasts just one hour, but repeats without pause as audiences swap in and out for five consecutive shows. L.A. Times

A few items shared in the newsletter last week.

Sunday sampler: California's fading hippie utopias // Hiking Half Dome at night

Please note: The newsletter will pause Monday through Wednesday next week. Back in your inbox on Thursday. 

Gavin Newsom signs bill to limit single-family housing. 

Crews wrap sequoias in fireproof blankets as flames near.

And the first colors of fall emerge in the Eastern Sierra.

In California, where the median home  is obscene and the number of homeless could populate a mid-sized city, legislators have fought for years over proposals to increase housing density. With the recall safely behind him, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday handed a major victory to pro-density advocates, signing legislation that lets owners build up to two duplexes on single-family lots. It could yield hundreds of thousands of new units — yet that's still far fewer than experts say is needed to keep up with population growth. A.P. | S.F. Chronicle

As wildfires raced toward a storied grove of gigantic old-growth sequoias in Sequoia National Park on Thursday, crews wrapped trees with fire-resistant aluminum blankets. Fire officials expected flames to reach the Giant Forest within 24 hours. Among the trees getting priority attention: Five of the 10 largest sequoias on Earth, including the largest of all: the 275-foot General Sherman. Mercury News | L.A. Times

On this week's California Sun Podcast, host Jeff Schechtman talks with Miriam Pawel, an author on California politics and history. She discussed what the recall result meant for electoral challenges to Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2022. Paraphrasing recall vote analysts, she said: "This was not really an indication of widespread support for Gavin Newsom. It was a rejection of the extremist Republican agenda represented by the alternative." 

Believe it or not, this coming Wednesday is the first day of fall.

In California, autumn colors begin mid-September in the high Sierra then unfold down the mountains, ending with bursts of burgundy and gold in the valleys as late as December. On Thursday, CaliforniaFallColor.com, the state's clearinghouse for fall foliage reports, heralded some of the first sightings of the season in the Eastern Sierra. Below, a few photos from Mono County captured by Jeff Simpson.

The five best places to bask in California’s fall colors. 👉 California Sun 

On Aug. 2, San Francisco imposed a mask mandate for all indoor public settings. "I know people are tired of being told what to do," Mayor London Breed said at the time, "but the facts is, this is where we are." On Sept. 2, she reiterated the need for masking, saying "if we want to keep reopening, we will have to keep wearing masks when we leave home.” On Wednesday, Breed spent the night partying maskless at packed San Francisco nightclub. There are photos. 👉 S.F. Chronicle  | KGO 

San Francisco — a place shaped by dreamers, contrarians, and radicals — no longer has a functional alternative weekly. After more than 40 years in print, SF Weekly said last week that it would cease publication “for the foreseeable future.” Joe Eskenazi, who worked at SF Weekly for nine years, called it an incalculable loss: "Every time another one disappears, it’s a Kurt Cobain moment: You’re shocked but not surprised." Mission Local

You could drive around Los Angeles County for hours and never hit a precinct where a majority voted "yes" in the recall election. An exception is Beverly Hills, a lonely island of Trump supporters that stayed true to form on Tuesday: 61.6% voted to remove Newsom. Other "yes" redoubts: Yorba Linda, San Clemente, and Coronado. This map lets you explore neighborhood-level election results across Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego counties. 👉 L.A. Times 

A growing network of self-proclaimed "reporters" are portraying the Mexican border as a marketplace of drugged children, fueling QAnon-style propaganda about pedophilic Democratic elites. In one widely shared video by Anthony Aguero, who was among the Jan. 6 Capitol mob, a group of migrant children appears to be sleeping. "They’re sedated. They are sedated," Aguero says without evidence. Newsmax host Rob Schmitt aired the video on a segment on Sept. 6, saying: “This is some pretty scary stuff.” L.A. Times

"When we looked through his photographs, he teared up at one of a ceremony featuring boots and a rifle. I didn’t know what they symbolized but then I understood: They had belonged to a member of his unit killed in combat. I was learning his story without him having to talk about it."

Arin Yoon was an artist in Los Angeles when she married an Army soldier and was thrust into military life at Fort Irwin. She wrote movingly about the unseen burden that war puts on military families. National Geographic

☝️ Developers want to build this fantastical, $500 million office tower in Hollywood. Dubbed the Star, the glass-skinned structure would rise 22 stories and contain garden levels open to the elements and an enclosed landscaped rooftop with a restaurant. A funicular tram would travel up and down the sides. L.A. Times | Archinect

Five items that got big views over the past week:

In the 1960s and 1970s, waves of young people went back to the land in Northern California. Many eventually returned to comfortable lives in the city, but a small number stuck it out. They are holdouts of fading hippie utopias at the end of winding roads. GQ magazine

In July, San Francisco supervisors discussed a plan to make garbage can prototypes for up to $20,000 apiece. One supervisor asked: Why not just use an off-the-shelf model at a fraction of the cost? A deep dive on the bizarre quest for the perfect trash can. 👉 Mission Local 

In an indictment of California's affordability crisis, the State Department excluded all coastal California cities from its list of places deemed suitable for Afghans who qualify for Special Immigrant Visas. The Atlantic

Some people hike Yosemite's Half Dome in the dark. Sean Goebel created a great time-lapse video that shows headlamps winding up and down the trail like glowing insects. Vimeo

Early in the fraud trial of Elizabeth Holmes, a man identifying himself as Hanson chatted up reporters. They were stunned when he showed up one day with Holmes' entourage. Turns out Hanson was Bill Evans, a San Diego hotel magnate and the father of Holmes' partner. NPR

Get your California Sun mugs, T-shirts, and hoodies.

Today's California Sun: Gavin Newsom signs bill to limit single-family housing, crews wrap sequoias in fireproof blankets as flames near, and the first colors of fall emerge in the Eastern Sierra.

A win for housing density advocates // The first colors of fall 

Vaccine mandates spread in Los Angeles and Bay Area.

Tribe's $600 million casino plan rattles wine country.

And the thrill of hiking Yosemite's Half Dome at night.

Political commentators have faulted California's Republicans for failing to rally around a moderate candidate in a state so blue. That person was meant to be Kevin Faulconer, the former San Diego mayor who favors abortion rights, backed efforts to cut greenhouse gases, and marches in pride parades. Interestingly, exit poll data showed that 56% of those who chose Faulconer on the ballot's replacement question voted "no" on the recall — in other words, largely Democrats. For Elder, that figure was 3%. S.D. Union-Tribune | A.P.

The recall movement was inspired in part by anger over strict pandemic measures. So it was ironic, wrote The Washington Post, that Gov. Gavin Newsom's handling of the pandemic was perhaps the primary policy reason he won by such a large margin: "Californians have been vocal about their fears of the pandemic and have accepted — even welcomed — their government's rules intended to keep them safe.”

State legislators moved quickly to scrutinize California's recall rules for changes. Among the ideas: increase the number of signatures needed to qualify, and raise the standard to require wrongdoing by the officeholder. A.P. | CalMatters

One lesson being drawn by national Democrats trying to keep control of Congress in 2022: portraying Republicans as Trump-loving extremists is still effective with the former president out of office. N.Y. Times | A.P.

Of California's 58 counties, just one declined to choose Larry Elder as the leading recall replacement: San Francisco. S.F. Chronicle

This week has brought a fresh round of coronavirus vaccine mandates. Contra Costa County added one for restaurants, gyms, and bars. Two of the Bay Area's biggest school districts, Oakland Unified and West Contra Costa Unified, appeared poised to make its students get inoculated. And Los Angeles County authorities said patrons of bars, wineries, and other watering holes would have to start showing proof of vaccination next month. “This is a reasonable path forward that will position us to be better able to break the cycle of surges,” said Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer. L.A. Times | KTLA

A Wall Street Journal article on the decline of male enrollment in colleges included this startling paragraph:

“The proportion of male undergraduates at UCLA fell to 41% in the fall semester of 2020 from 45% in fall 2013. Over the same period, undergraduate enrollment expanded by nearly 3,000 students. Of those spots, nine out of 10 went to women.”

Other enrollment stats for the University of California system:

Some people hike Yosemite's signature landmark in the dark. The push up Half Dome, which involves grasping fixed cables for dear life at a 45-degree angle, is so popular that it can feel like a crowded escalator. Avoiding the daytime offers two important benefits: no crowds and thrilling views of the rising or setting sun. Sean Goebel created the photo above last summer by stacking multiple frames captured around twilight. He also made a great time-lapse video that shows headlamps winding up and down the trail like glowing insects. Vimeo

The Koi Nation, a tribe in Sonoma County, unveiled plans Wednesday to turn a former winery north of Santa Rosa into a $600 million casino resort, one of the largest in Northern California. The tribe said most of its 90 members lived in low-income households and that it was exercising sovereign rights under federal law "to have our own land and to control our own destiny.” Taken by surprise, local officials said they opposed the plan but may have no way to stop it. Press Democrat | San Francisco Business Times

Along the eastern front of the Tahoe region's monster Caldor fire is a curious finger of unscathed land. As the inferno fire charged eastward late last month it branched out around an area of Caples Creek that neatly maps the edge of a 2019 prescribed burn. It's not yet clear how myriad factors combined to influence the trajectory of the Caldor fire, but foresters see potentially powerful evidence of what controlled burns can achieve. Bloomberg

Early in the federal fraud trial of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, a man identifying himself as Hanson chatted up reporters. He described himself as someone who fixes old cars, saying he was drawn to the San Jose courtroom out of curiosity. So journalists were stunned when he showed up one day with Holmes' entourage in a gray suit and black tie. Turns out Hanson was Bill Evans, a San Diego hotel magnate and the father of Holmes' partner. NPR

A commuter rail corridor along the Southern California coast that serves 43 passenger trains a day is shutting down after a cliff became unstable. Metrolink officials said movement was detected along the tracks in southern San Clemente. Rising seas and intensified storms have been gobbling up the coast with growing voraciousness, threatening homes, highways, and rail lines. O.C. Register | Patch

America's largest Catholic parish church is rising from the San Joaquin Valley's dairy capital. At a cost of $18.5 million, St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Visalia is set to open next spring with 3,200 seats, 9-foot-tall stained-glass windows, and a dome highlighted in gold. California's Catholic population has surged since the 1980s, now numbering more than 10 million. “It’s the best-kept secret in the nation," said Rev. Alex Chavez, "little Visalia building the largest parish church in modern U.S. history.” Religion News Service

Horace Roberts' exoneration followed a now-familiar pattern. Convicted of the 1998 killing of his girlfriend in Riverside County, he reached out for help from the California Innocence Project, which ordered new DNA testing that proved his innocence. Roberts walked out of prison in 2018 after 20 years. Now, according to a new report, he's collected a check for his trouble from the county treasurer. The amount: $11 million. Press-Enterprise | A.P.

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Today's California Sun: Vaccine mandates spread in Los Angeles and Bay Area, tribe's $600 million casino plan rattles wine country, and the thrill of hiking Yosemite's Half Dome at night.

Tribe's casino plan rattles wine country // Hiking Half Dome at night

Gavin Newsom crushes historic recall attempt.

Larry Elder vows to keep his place on political stage.

And California exits "high" transmission tier for Covid-19.

In the end, it wasn't close. With nearly 70% of the expected votes counted, Californians on Tuesday affirmed their support for Gov. Gavin Newsom by nearly a 2-to-1 margin, putting him in a position of renewed strength as he enters the final year of his first term. In a short speech in Sacramento, Newsom said Californians hadn't only said "no" to the recall. "We said yes to science. We said yes to vaccines. We said yes to ending this pandemic. We said yes to people’s right to vote without fear of fake fraud or voter suppression.” L.A. Times | Politico | A.P.

29% favored the recall in Los Angeles County; 58% in Kern County; 34% in Humboldt County. See the full results. 👉 KQED 

Had Newsom failed, Larry Elder would have replaced him. Among the pack of 46 challengers, he collected a whopping 46.9% of the vote according to early results, 37 percentage points ahead of his nearest rival, Democrat Kevin Paffrath. The result could establish the talk radio host as the putative leader of California's Republican Party. Asked about a 2022 run on Tuesday, Elder replied, "I have now become a political force here in California in general and particularly within the Republican party. And I’m not going to leave the stage.” L.A. Times

California taxpayers spent $276 million to hold Tuesday's election. Now that it's over, many Californians want to rethink the recall process. N.Y. Times | L.A. Times

Political science professor on the lesson for California Republicans: "You cannot win in a blue state if you are going to take these polarizing positions.” S.F. Chronicle

California's recall, in photos. 👉 L.A. Times  | NBC Bay Area 

California is now the only U.S. state to exit the CDC's worst category for Covid-19 transmission, moving from the "high" to "substantial" tier of the agency's color-coded chart. According to data published Tuesday, the country as a whole had a seven-day transmission rate of about 248 new cases per 100,000 people. In California, it was 97.8. State epidemiologist Dr. Erica Pan credited masking and vaccination. S.F. Chronicle | L.A. Times

California's experience is wildly varied. The transmission rate in Shasta County, for example, is 654 cases per 100,000 people. Shasta Ready

Also on Tuesday: "Shasta County supervisors pass a resolution opposing vaccine mandates." Action News Now

California's ebb and flow of coronavirus cases has followed a similar pattern to that of Britain, just a few weeks behind. While California's pandemic trends appear to now be improving, so did Britain's. "But then it went right back up again,” Dr. George Rutherford, an epidemiologist, said at a recent forum. “We need to be careful that this doesn’t happen here.” L.A. Times

"The fire has intensified tremendously.”

Lightning-sparked fires in Sequoia National Park quintupled in 24 hours, advancing on Tuesday to within a mile of the Giant Forest, famed for a collection of giant sequoias that includes the General Sherman tree, the largest living thing on Earth. Firefighters were mounting an all-out assault on the KNP Complex fires, now roughly 9 square miles, which also threatened the picturesque community of Three Rivers. “We’ve been painting the mountains red with retardant for the last couple of days,” Park Superintendent Clay Jordan said. L.A. Times | S.F. Chronicle

Top Catholic leaders in California are rising to the defense of Junípero Serra. A bill now on Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk would replace a statue of the Spaniard who helped colonize California on the state Capitol grounds with a monument to native peoples. The Serra statue has been in storage since being toppled by protesters in 2020. The Wall Street Journal published a column by the archbishops of Los Angeles and San Francisco with the headline, "Don’t slander St. Junípero Serra." Catholic News Agency | S.F. Chronicle

The climatic conditions that have fueled massive wildfires and shriveled California's lakes and crops have also turned Mount Shasta from white to brown. The solitary peak's vanishing snow has not only altered the skyline but also accelerated the melting of glaciers, unleashing torrents of mud, boulders, and trees — "like a cork from a bottle of Champagne," writes Louis Sahagún — that are creating havoc for surrounding communities. L.A. Times

In a terrifying midday accident, a BART passenger was pulled onto the tracks by her dog's leash and killed Monday, officials said. Amy Adams, 41, had stepped onto a train at San Francisco's Powell Street station with the dog tethered to her waist, witnesses said. Right as the doors were closing, she stepped back onto the platform and appeared to wave to another person. The dog remained inside. As the train departed, it dragged Adams. KGO | Bay Area News Group

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, who oversees five jails and county courthouse security, said he would ignore coronavirus vaccine mandates for sheriff's department employees. Describing himself as “the last line of defense from tyrannical government overreach,” Bianco said the government had no authority over people's "health choices.” Richard Carpiano, a public health expert at UC Riverside, said Bianco has been a font of coronavirus pseudoscience. "Dereliction of duty would be an understatement," he said. Press Enterprise | KABC

Scheduling note 

The newsletter will pause Monday through Wednesday next week.

Today's California Sun: Gavin Newsom crushes historic recall attempt, Larry Elder vows to keep his place on political stage, and California exits "high" transmission tier for Covid-19.

Gavin Newsom crushes recall attempt // California exits "high" Covid transmission tier

Voters head to polls to decide Gavin Newsom's fate.

Pair of wildfires threaten ancient giant sequoia forest.

And the holdouts of California's fading hippie utopias.

Voting in person? Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Find your polling place.

Track when your ballot is received and counted. 👉 ballottrax 

Live election results. 👉  S.F. Chronicle 

“You either keep Gavin Newsom as your governor, or you’ll get Donald Trump.”

That was President Biden on Monday, who came to Long Beach to deliver a closing pitch against the recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom on the eve of the election. He added, “The eyes of the nation are on California. Because the decision you’re about to make isn’t just going to have a huge impact on California, it’s going to reverberate around the nation. And quite frankly, it’s not a joke, around the world.“  Politico | Sacramento Bee

Reporters said the Long Beach event had the air of a victory rally as the latest polling showed support for the recall well below the required 50% plus one vote. If Newsom does live to govern another day, he'll have women to thank. A survey by the Public Policy Institute of California showed 66% of women planned to reject the recall. Among men, a razor-thin majority said they would support it. Politico

California Republicans were in a tricky spot Monday as they tried to persuade supporters to cast votes even as party leaders pushed claims that the election was rigged. Larry Elder, the leading Republican challenger, directed his supporters to a petition calling for an investigation of "the twisted results" of the vote. Asked whether he would accept the recall outcome, he replied, “Yes, because I’m going to win.” A.P. | NBC News

The N.Y. Times' Miriam Pawel: "Even if Mr. Newsom prevails by a wide margin, the recall has underscored Californians’ continuing ambivalence about his leadership."

When will we know the recall result? It depends on how close it is, but the A.P. made calls in 2020 contests right as polls closed: 8 p.m. What to expect. 👉 S.F. Chronicle  | KQED 

Democrats outnumber Republicans two to one in California, an imbalance poorly illustrated by most red-and-blue political maps. This one, which depicts county size based on population, makes it clearer. 👇 

A pair of wildfires in the Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks on Monday veered dangerously close to the Giant Forest, home to more than 2,000 giant sequoias. The KNP Complex fires were sparked by lightning and spread to 1,200 acres in remote dry terrain. California's ancient giant sequoias have been regarded as mostly immune to wildfires, but the death of up to 10,600 mature trees in last year's super hot Castle fire shattered that notion. S.F. Chronicle | L.A. Times

Residents of the community of Three Rivers were told they might have to flee. Visalia Times-Delta

Police and fire unions in cities across California are fighting orders to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. In Los Angeles, six police department employees filed a federal lawsuit challenging the city's mandate that all city workers be inoculated. On Monday, the L.A. Times obtained figures that suggested another strategy to thwart the mandate: Of 12,300 total LAPD employees, more than 2,600 LAPD said they will seek religious exemptions. L.A. Times

Squaw Valley Ski Resort is now Palisades Tahoe.

The popular Tahoe-area resort unveiled its new name on Monday, a year after announcing its intention to rebrand because “squaw” is a derogatory term for Native American women. Washoe tribal members expressed hope that the change would also lead to the slur's removal from natural features, businesses, and streets. Moreover, said Helen Fillmore, a tribal member, “It would be nice if the tribe could get some land back.” Outside magazine | SFGate.com

"Governor Newsom has declared himself above the law."

Kern County, California's oil heartland, sued the governor on Monday, accusing him of imposing a de facto ban on new oil and gas extraction, including fracking. Newsom exceeded his authority, the lawsuit argued, with the aim of eliminating the state's oil industry. Kern County's oilfields provide roughly 24,000 jobs and produce about 70% of the state's oil. Bakersfield Californian | Courthouse News Service 

Mary’s Kitchen, a nonprofit in Orange that feeds the downtrodden, stays true to its motto: “A place where everyone is welcome.” That means homeless people can have a meal or a shower without referrals or even an ID. But not for long: The city has ordered Mary’s Kitchen to vacate the city lot where it has operated for 26 years, deeming it a magnet for prostitution and drug use. Gloria Suess, the charity's 82-year-old leader, said she planned to fight. L.A. Times

Tanya Suarez, a 23-year-old psychology major at San Diego State University, was arrested in 2019 while under the influence of methamphetamine. Experiencing delusions, Suarez posed a clear danger to herself. Yet, according to video described in a lawsuit, jail staff watched as she blinded herself inside her cell. "I’m at a loss for words when I see someone just walk away without a sense of urgency or care for this woman’s medical needs,” Suarez's lawyer said. (This story is very disturbing). S.D. Union-Tribune

… Robert Aquinas McNally, author of “The Modoc War: A Story of Genocide at the Dawn of America’s Gilded Age.”

Q. What is one place everyone should visit in California? 

A. Lava Beds National Monument and Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge, in the state’s remote northeastern corner. Critters galore, from wintering mule deer to migrating waterfowl, in a volcanic landscape of steppes, mountains, forests, and water. Small wonder that Modoc mythology makes Tule Lake the center of all creation. It’s also the site of the Modoc War of 1872–73, California’s only set-piece military conflict with Native Americans. I fell in love with this wild expanse decades ago and wrote “The Modoc War” — a wrenching tale of conquest and betrayal — in part because it gave me good reason to get to know the place better.

What’s the best book you've read or podcast you've listened to recently?  

Just finished “The Hiawatha,” a lyrical narrative by novelist David Treuer. He’s Ojibwe from northern Minnesota, and he sets this intergenerational novel both in the Twin Cities and on the reservation. Amazing and revealing storytelling, with sentence after sentence that takes my breath away. Now Treuer’s part of California as well, teaching writing at USC. We’re lucky to have him.

What’s a hidden food gem in your area? 

Rarely do I eat beef, but when the carnivorous urge arises, I head to Mona’s Burgers here in Concord for a truffle burger. Goat cheese, grilled criminis, and arugula on Niman Ranch all-natural meat. Chase it with an Argentine malbec, and heaven opens.

You’re organizing a dinner party. Which three California figures, dead or alive, do you invite, and why? How would you get the conversation started?

John Steinbeck, whose novels and stories create a universe rooted in the state, its people, and the unjust underside of the California dream. I’d love to get his take on where we are now and ask for an update on the Joads.

Natalie Diaz, raised in the Fort Mojave Indian Village in Needles, winner of the Pulitzer Prize in poetry for “Postcolonial Love Poem,” which does just what the title promises. Diaz shows how powerful poetry from deep inside can be and how such soulful writing is woven into this land and water.

John Muir, because I’m working on a book titled “Cast Out of Eden” about his role in the dispossession of Native Americans in Yosemite and the West’s national parks. There are more than a few questions I’d like to put to him face-to-face. Surely he’d have answers I’m not expecting.

No need to start the conversation; all three are people of strong, well-spoken opinion. They’ll launch on their own.

Last year's protests in California after the murder of George Floyd were rooted in the injustice against Black people in America, but there were also a lot of reckonings with the state's colonial past. You wrote a couple years ago that the state needed to do better in acknowledging the genocide of its Indigenous population. Where does that reckoning stand now, in your opinion? 

On June 18, 2019, speaking to a gathering of tribal leaders, Gov. Newsom acknowledged and apologized for California’s state-sponsored and -funded genocide in the second half of the 19th century. That was the first baby step toward reconciliation. Now this work is being led by the California Truth & Healing Council under the governor’s Office of the Tribal Advisor. The council is charged with reporting from an international human rights perspective on the historical and contemporary relationship between the state and California’s Native Americans. This is fraught, difficult, painful work with a Jan. 1, 2025, deadline.

Meanwhile, Native California is blossoming artistically. Besides Natalie Diaz’s poetry, there’s “There There” by novelist Tommy Orange (Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes) and “Nature Poem” by poet and scriptwriter Tommy Pico (Kameyaay Nation), all groundbreaking winners of major awards, as but three examples.

The ground is shifting. It’s a long, discomfiting road from genocide to justice, but California has a chance of making it. Stay tuned.

“5 questions with …” is a weekly feature by Finn Cohen, who edits the California Sun. Conversations are sometimes edited for brevity. Someone you’d like to see interviewed? Let him know: finn@californiasun.co.

Today's California Sun: Voters head to polls to decide Gavin Newsom's fate, pair of wildfires threaten ancient giant sequoia forest, and the holdouts of California's fading hippie utopias.

Newsom confident as voters head to polls // California's fading hippie utopias

Rose McGowan levels accusation at Gavin Newsom's wife.

Wildfire tears through neighborhood outside Ukiah.

And thousands of medical workers seek vaccine exemptions.

Rose McGowan, the former actress, joined Larry Elder on the stump Sunday, where she endorsed the Republican candidate and leveled accusations at Gov. Gavin Newsom's wife. Jennifer Siebel Newsom, she said, tried to "bribe her" in 2017 to suppress accusations of sexual misconduct against Harvey Weinstein. “This woman I don’t know, some blonde lady with the last name of Newsom, cold calls me and is like ‘Davis Boies wants to know what it would take to make you happy,'" McGowan said, referring to a lawyer for Weinstein. Newsom called the claims a “last-minute classic hit piece.” Daily Beast | Sacramento Bee

The N.Y. Times on Republican leaders priming their voters to believe the recall was rigged:

"This swift embrace of false allegations of cheating in the California recall reflects a growing instinct on the right to argue that any lost election, or any ongoing race that might result in defeat, must be marred by fraud."

Elder: "They’re gonna cheat, we know that.” @RonFilipkowski

The columnist Steve Lopez diagnosed a source of discontent in California that goes deeper than differences over mask mandates and school closures. As a young resident of the Bay Area, he recalled, jobs abounded at U.S. Steel, Johns Manville, DuPont, and Allied Chemical: "You could easily afford a three-bedroom rancher on those jobs; you sent your kids to college, retired with a pension and went on a cruise every year. Almost all of those jobs are gone now, along with the ladders of upward mobility." L.A. Times 

The recall vote is tomorrow. Other recent developments:

Elder favors a ban on abortion. He opposes sex education in schools. He wants to get rid of the minimum wage. The Atlantic: "Larry Elder becoming governor of California would be a little like Bernie Sanders winning a Senate seat in Kansas."

Newsom raised more than $70 million this year to battle the recall, including big donations from Reed Hastings, George Soros, and Priscilla Chan. On the Republican side, the financial cavalry never arrived. N.Y. Times

Newsom has tried to turn out voters by tying his opponents to the former president, a strategy embraced by Democrats across the country. "Democrats wanted Trump gone," The Washington Post said in a headline. "Now they want him on the ballot."

A wildfire ignited Sunday just north of Ukiah in Mendocino County and quickly ripped through 300 acres, forcing evacuations and burning structures. A fire official put the tally of homes destroyed by the Hopkins fire “in the double digits,” many in the town of Calpella on the Russian River. Press Democrat | S.F. Chronicle

The Press Democrat photographer Kent Porter captured dramatic images of homes overrun by flames. 👉 @kentphotos 

In July, San Francisco supervisors discussed a plan to manufacture five garbage can prototypes for between $12,000 to $20,000 apiece. One supervisor raised a question: Why not just use an off-the-shelf model at a fraction of the cost? San Francisco, a public works official explained, is “obviously very unique, and we weren’t happy with the look of those cans.” Here's a deep dive on San Francisco's bizarre quest for the perfect trash can. 👉 Mission Local 

Alarmed by the new Texas abortion law, Salesforce offered to help its workers move out of the state. CNBC obtained the internal message to employees. “We recognize and respect that we all have deeply held and different perspectives," the San Francisco software giant said in part. "As a company, we stand with all of our women at Salesforce and everywhere.” CNBC | SFist

Another recall effort is unfolding in San Francisco, where nearly a quarter of a million signatures were recently delivered to City Hall, all but ensuring a special election on whether to oust three school board members early next year. Opponents of the recall movement have portrayed it as a Republican gambit. "Tell that to its liberal backers," wrote the columnist Heather Knight. S.F. Chronicle

Last month, a registered nurse from Yucaipa died from the coronavirus just days after giving birth to her fifth child. Now the father of the children has also died. Daniel Macias, 39, a middle-school teacher, and his wife, Davy, 37, were admitted to a hospital intensive care unit days apart. Neither was vaccinated, reports said. The children, aged 7 and younger, are with their grandparents. KABC | KTLA

Thousands of medical workers in San Diego have requested exemptions from the coronavirus vaccine. The vast majority have cited religious reasons, providers say. “I’d say 90-plus percent of our religious exemptions are citing Christian reasons around the stem cells,” said Brett McClain, chief operating officer of Sharp HealthCare. “The rest are along the lines of ‘I’m in control of my body.’” S.D. Union-Tribune

A wildfire that erupted Saturday near Castaic north of Los Angeles leapt across the 5 Freeway, temporarily shutting all northbound and southbound lanes of the busy interstate. The Route fire swept across bone-dry hillsides, burning out of control into Sunday as air tankers dropped bright-orange retardant from overhead. Two firefighters suffered burns. A.P. | L.A. Times

In a wooded ravine just south of San Francisco, a pair of stone pillars, 10 paces apart, commemorate the last notable American duel.

U.S. Sen. David Broderick, a Democrat who made a fortune in Gold Rush San Francisco, was once friends with the Chief Justice of California, David Terry, but slavery tore them apart.

Broderick opposed it. Terry, allied with the Democratic Party’s proslavery faction, accused Broderick of following the "wrong Douglas,” meaning the Black abolitionist Frederick Douglass rather than Democratic Party leader Stephen Douglas, who helped open more of the West to slavery.

Broderick called Terry a “damned miserable wretch.” Terry, enraged, demanded satisfaction. As was the custom among many self-styled aristocrats in early America, the next parlay would be at gunpoint. 

Dueling had been outlawed in San Francisco. So on this day in 1859 the men — along with about 200 spectators — met at the edge of Lake Merced just beyond the city line. They each held Belgian .58-caliber pistols. “Gentleman,” an officiator asked, “are you ready?” At that moment, a witness later recounted, Broderick's body seemed rigid, his grip on the pistol awkward. “Ready,” both men replied. On the count of three, Broderick shot early and into the dirt, leaving him exposed. Terry coolly fired into Broderick’s chest. 

Terry was tried and acquitted of murder. Historians say national outrage over the killing helped hasten the spiral toward Civil War two years later, during which Terry would fight alongside the Confederacy. 

After the war, in 1889, Terry saw another judge with whom he had fueded in a dining hall outside Stockton and slapped him in the face. The judge’s bodyguard shot Terry dead. 

In death, Broderick was remembered as a martyr for the antislavery cause, his funeral attended by thousands. San Francisco’s "Broderick Street" was named in his honor. Terry was recalled much like the wretch of Broderick’s description, a man who stood on the wrong side of history and cut down a U.S. senator who stood on the right side.

Today's California Sun: Rose McGowan levels accusation at Gavin Newsom's wife, wildfire tears through neighborhood outside Ukiah, and thousands of medical workers seek vaccine exemptions.

The Rose McGowan curveball // Medical workers seek vaccine exemptions

Here are a few stories you missed in the California Sun over the last week.

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"Take down your stupid Refugees Are Welcome sign — they're not."

Fremont, home to an estimated 30,000 Afghans, would seem a prime destination for incoming refugees from Afghanistan. But in a telling indictment of California's affordability crisis, the State Department excluded not just Fremont but all coastal California cities from its list of places deemed suitable for Afghans who qualify for Special Immigrant Visas. The Atlantic 

For decades, farm labor has kept unincorporated communities alive throughout the Central Valley. But the drought has now set off a slow exodus from small towns to bigger places. The L.A. Times told the stories of families wrestling over whether to stay or go in Three Rocks, a speck of a town in Fresno County. Lucia Salmeron Torres has pleaded with her husband to return to her beloved Jalisco, Mexico. “This is the worst place to live in,” she said.

A wetter East and a drier West: Precipitation maps tell the story of two Americas. N.Y. Times

The Amur Leopard has been called the world's rarest cat, with fewer than 100 left in the wild. Native to mountainous forests of northeastern Asia, they are spectacular athletes, able to run 37 mph and leap up to 10 feet horizontally. The Santa Barbara Zoo, which has been trying to breed them in captivity for years, last month announced the arrival of little Marta, pictured above, weighing in at 1.1 pounds. Thankfully, the zoo has been posting pictures to its social media feeds. @santabarbarazoo

No continuous trail exists connecting Mexico to Oregon along California's 1,230-mile coastline. But the dream to create one has inched closer to reality since it was first articulated in a voter proposition in 1972. This summer, the Coastal Commission released an interactive map that lets you explore accessible sections of the trail, now 70% complete. 👉 California Coastal Trail 

Afar recommended four segments, including the Central Coast’s Boucher Trail, pictured above.

A shadowy group believed to include coal companies is trying to restore an old railway in Humboldt County to move coal from Montana to Asian markets via a port on the North Coast. Local lawmakers and environmentalists are up in arms about the project. Ryan Burns, the reporter who broke the story, got what some in the business might call the money quote: "Fuck coal trains,” said Tom Wheeler, an environmental leader. “We are going to fight this with everything we’ve got.” Lost Coast Outpost | Eureka Times-Standard

As people fled the Tahoe region to escape an approaching wildfire, the last thing many did was pull their trash bins out to the curb. But the trash collectors left too. So the bears pigged out, ransacking not only the garbage cans but breaking into dozens of homes. “Bears are just having a heyday of it. It’s just a nightmare,” said John Tillman, owner of South Tahoe Refuse. “There’s so much garbage on the street because of the bears. Oh my God, they are making a mess.” S.F. Chronicle | SFGate.com

Wildlife officials euthanized a bear with burned paws because it could no longer walk and would have burned in the fire. News 4 | SFist

In 1903, Chiura Obata, then 17, left Japan for San Francisco to pursue a career as a painter. He met acclaim but also racial animus, as Japanese immigrants were denied entry to restaurants, barred from owning land, and forced behind barbed wire after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Obata's disappointment with the human world could help explain where he found his passion: in California's natural world. After a trip to Yosemite in 1927, Obata called the experience the "greatest harvest" of his career, resulting in more than 100 new works that helped establish him as a major figure of 20th-century American art.

In Obata's telling, the vistas of the high Sierra offered more than mere beauty: they were nourishment for the soul. During a lecture in 1965, he adopted the voice of a wind-whipped giant sequoia in one of his paintings: “Hear me, you poor man. I’ve stood here more than three thousand and seven hundred years in rain, snow, storm, and even mountain fire, still keeping my thankful attitude strongly with nature. Do not cry, do not spend your time and energy worrying. You have children following. Keep up your unity; come with me.” Smithsonian magazine | Brainpickings

Below, a few Obata favorites, and more here.

Sunday sampler: Unwelcome Afghan refugees // Bears pig out in abandoned Tahoe neighborhoods

The fiction that Afghan refugees are welcome in California.

Several fires reported after lightning rakes Bay Area.

And San Diego cops threaten to quit over vaccine mandate.

The 2021 summer was the hottest on record in California, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, and Nevada, according to federal data released Thursday. Rising temperatures have been a common denominator in ecological crises across the West: A heat wave in the Pacific Northwest killed hundreds; an estimated 1 billion sea creatures died off the coast; and a parched landscape invited infernos that burned 2 million acres and more than 3,000 structures. L.A. Times | Washington Post

California lost 776 men and women in the war on terror — 11% of the nation’s casualties. Nearly 20% were old enough to fight but too young to buy a drink. They left behind 453 children. In a powerful Column One piece, Maria L. La Ganga told the stories of families who have lived with the hurt every day. It begins, "Leroy Harris Kelly III enlisted in the U.S. Army at age 17. He was married at 18. A father at 19. Dead at 20." L.A. Times

Fremont, home to an estimated 30,000 Afghans, would seem a prime destination for incoming refugees from Afghanistan. But in a telling indictment of California's affordability crisis, the State Department excluded not just Fremont but all coastal California cities from its list of places deemed suitable for Afghans who qualify for Special Immigrant Visas. The Atlantic

It's four days until recall election day. Recent developments:

While two-thirds of women oppose the recall, parents with children at home are roughly split. The difference has been attributed in part to "mad moms" galvanized by school closures. CalMatters

Gov. Gavin Newsom's advantage has been growing with each new poll. The state of the race as of Sept. 9, according to an averaging of polls by FiveThirtyEight: 54.7% for keeping him; 41.7% for removal.

“A lot of people feel that I can make California better.” Even if Newsom prevails, Larry Elder has established himself as a force in California politics. He declined to answer directly when asked if he would run for governor in 2022. A.P.

A volunteer crossing guard in the East Bay city of Lafayette was fatally struck as he pushed at least one child out of the path of an oncoming SUV on Wednesday. Witnesses said Ashley Dias, 45, saved a little girl. Dias was a clinical research associate at a biotechnology firm and had been volunteering at the crosswalk in his spare time. The driver of the SUV was a woman who was picking up her grandson. KGO | S.F. Chronicle

Meteorologists reported intense dry lightning strikes across parts of Northern California late Thursday into Friday morning, raising fears of new wildfires propelled by blustery winds. At least two small blazes were reported in the Bay Area. Another, the Rock fire, erupted near Hopland in Mendocino County. “This is an ‘all hands on deck’ event for us,” Sonoma County Fire District Chief Mark Heine said of the fire risk. “It’s a very high-impact event.” Press Democrat | S.F. Chronicle

Video of lightning strikes near Santa Rosa. 👉 @SantaRosaFire 

Radar of thunderstorms sweeping across the North Bay overnight. 👉 @NWSBayArea 

On this week's California Sun Podcast, host Jeff Schechtman talks with Woody Hastings and Jenny Blaker, co-coordinators of the Coalition Opposing New Gas Stations. The Sonoma County activists played a role in convincing Petaluma to adopt the nation's first gas station moratorium — with surprisingly little pushback. Their strategy is now being embraced statewide in the fight against fossil fuels.  

As expected, officials in Los Angeles approved a vaccine mandate for all children 12 and older in public schools. Now the fight begins, with litigation all but certain. Parent comments ahead of the vote on Thursday signaled the challenge ahead:  

"This decision should be made by parents, not by you."

“Our role as parents is being taken away from us.”  

“I’m not going to allow you to experiment on my children.” Washington Post | L.A. Times

In a survey of San Diego police officers, 90% said they opposed coronavirus vaccine mandates, and 65% said they would consider quitting if forced to get inoculated. San Diego has set a Nov. 2 deadline for city employees to get vaccinated, but consequences for noncompliance remained uncertain. As of late August, fewer than half of the city's police officers reported being fully vaccinated. S.D. Union-Tribune

In 2010, UC Santa Barbara agreed to add housing for about 6,800 students and staff. Eleven years later, it's more than 5,000 units short of that goal. The failure to provide lodging for its growing student body, a problem across the UC system, explains why hundreds of Santa Barbara students have nowhere to live as the academic year starts. James Estrada, a senior, bought a van with a bed. He just needs to figure out where to park. “It feels ridiculous,” he said. KCRW

The L.A. Times created a ballot of visual icons in Los Angeles and asked the editors and writers on its arts desk to rank them from best to worst. The result makes for a good checklist of must-see Los Angeles. LAX's spidery Theme Building, above in 1962, came in at No. 11.

No continuous trail exists connecting Mexico to Oregon along California's coastline. But the dream to create one has been inching closer to reality. A new interactive map lets you explore accessible sections of the California Coastal Trail, now 70% complete.

Burning Man was canceled for a second straight time this year. But that didn't stop roughly 20,000 renegade burners from gathering in Nevada's Black Rock Desert over the weekend. Here are 42 photos. 👉 Reno Gazette Journal 

On Thursday, Firefly Aerospace launched its first rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base on the Central Coast only to see it explode over the Pacific about two minutes after liftoff. See the moment of the explosion. 👉 @thejackbeyer 

Street racing is a problem in Bakersfield, fraying residents' nerves and causing occasional deaths. The filmmaker Chris Filippone portrayed another side of the pasttime: a form of catharsis for laborers who toil in oil and agriculture fields. aeon (~9 mins)

In 1903, Chiura Obata, then 17, left Japan for San Francisco to pursue a career as a painter. He met acclaim, but also racial discrimination. His disappointment with the human world could help explain where he found his passion: in California's natural world. Brainpickings

Today's California Sun: The fiction that Afghan refugees are welcome in California, several fires reported after lightning rakes Bay Area, and San Diego cops threaten to quit over vaccine mandate.

Fire fears as lightning rakes Bay Area // Unwelcome Afghan refugees

Central Valley hospitals are swamped by coronavirus patients.

UC Berkeley is ranked the best college in America by Forbes.

And Los Angeles is poised to mandate student vaccinations.

As urban California increasingly tames the coronavirus, the Central Valley and rural Northern California are in crisis. In the San Joaquin Valley, the number of deaths more than tripled from 93 in July to 311 in August. It could get worse. “Our system is still paralyzed and is at a standstill, as we’re trying to move a huge number of patients through this healthcare system that is completely overwhelmed,” said Dan Lynch, a regional medical director. L.A. Times

Fresno doctor: “Personally, the people that I’ve seen in the ICU, since I work in the ICU, are all unvaccinated. All of them.” KSEE

Today's California Sun: Central Valley hospitals are swamped by coronavirus patients, UC Berkeley is ranked the best college in America by Forbes, and Los Angeles is poised to mandate student vaccinations.

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