New coronavirus infections fall in hopeful sign.

A movement to bring school education outdoors.

And San Diego cops use sedition law to punish speech.

California's coronavirus outbreak appears to be slowing down. 

Three weeks after Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered the closure of bars and indoor dining, new infections are trending downward. Hospitalizations are falling too, for the first time in weeks. Even so, Newsom said, Californians can't let down their guard. “This virus is not going away. It’s not just going to take Labor Day weekend off. It’s not going to take Halloween off, the holidays off.” S.F. Chronicle | A.P.

An exception to the good news: The Central Valley, where hospitalizations and positivity rates have been rising. KGPE

See trackers of cases in California, the U.S., and worldwide.

A California coalition of educators and epidemiologists is advancing a solution to the challenge of social distancing at schools: Teach outdoors. "We're asking schools to consider space as something that they actually have infinite access to if they just walk out their door," said Craig Strang, a UC Berkeley educator. PBS Newshour

Molecular virologist: "Within two weeks of opening schools in communities with high virus transmission, teachers will become ill. All it will take is for a single teacher to become hospitalized with Covid and everything will shut down.” The Atlantic

Examples of people partying it up in defiance of shutdown orders:

Dozens of people attended a party for first responders inside a Hollywood bar Friday night — without a mask in sight. "This is exactly the situation that puts our entire community at unnecessary risk," the county's health agency said.  KNOCK.LA | CNN

Police responded to a large party at a Beverly Crest mansion that included a DJ and a food truck. A man working security said it was thrown by an NFL player. News helicopters captured footage. CBSLA

California lawmakers have advanced a bill that would ban the possession of trophies from animals killed in Africa. But some African nations and conservation organizations are urging lawmakers to oppose the measure because hunting fees provide crucial funding for anti-poaching efforts. Moreover, they say, white Californians ought to stop meddling in how Africans manage their wildlife. Sacramento Bee

Video of an L.A. hunter shooting an elephant in South Africa is being used to persuade lawmakers to pass the bill. L.A. Times

Over the last 35 years, Apple and Cisco Systems tried to build huge campuses in Coyote Valley, a rural expanse of farmland and one of the last major open spaces in Silicon Valley. On Monday, a $93 million deal was finalized to preserve 937 acres of the land as a natural resource with walking trails and wildlife habitat. Mercury News

In San Francisco, more than 150,000 residents have filed for unemployment. Uber, Airbnb, and Yelp have laid off thousands of workers. Downtown San Francisco, once bustling with tourists and workers, is a ghost town. Some now wonder if it will ever boom again. “I think we’re in for a rough couple years on all levels,” a former planning commissioner said. “Downtown will have to evolve.” S.F. Chronicle

For the first time, a new report detailed the lack of scrutiny surrounding the disappearance and murder of Native American women across Northern California. Out of 105 cases, law enforcement solved just 9% that were classified as murders. The statewide clearance rate is more than 60%. One reason for the disparity, according to the report: a “chronic and pervasive failure to investigate.” CalMatters

The San Diego police have been enforcing a 1918 law prohibiting seditious language, generally defined as speech that aims to overthrow the government. Since 2013, more than 80 San Diegans have faced the charge. While details of the cases are unclear, an ACLU legal director said the law is likely being used to punish people who talk back. One man was cited for singing rap lyrics. Voice of San Diego

A century ago, a Black-owned beach resort thrived in Manhattan Beach. It was known as Bruce's Beach after the pioneer couple Charles and Willa Bruce, who in 1912 purchased property along the shore for $1,225. But disgruntled white neighbors ultimately drove them from town, and Bruce’s Beach was razed. As the nation now reckons with past wrongs, the story of the Bruces is drawing renewed attention. “Generations of wealth-building have been eliminated for so many folks of color in California history,” the Coastal Commission’s environmental justice commissioner said. L.A. Times

Details emerged about the eight Marines and one sailor who died when a Marine landing craft sank near San Clemente Island on Thursday. One was a brand-new dad. Another was about to get married. Four were from California. They were all 23 years old or younger. Two were just 18. S.D. Union-Tribune | A.P.

A massive wildfire in the mountains east of Los Angeles that forced thousands of people to flee their homes was sparked by a malfunctioning diesel vehicle, fire officials said. Hot particles from the exhaust ignited brush in perhaps three places. The Apple Fire has burned more than 40 square miles and was just 7% contained late Monday. Desert Sun | A.P.

Here's video of a 747 Global Supertanker dropping a massive payload of fire retardant on the blaze. 👉 @johnschreiber

☝️ Here's the Kanrin Maru Monument on the northwestern edge of San Francisco. 

Presented as a gift from Osaka in 1960, it commemorates the voyage of Japan's first diplomatic mission to the U.S., which had been escorted to San Francisco by the Kanrin Maru warship a century earlier. 

Reporting on the historic 1860 encounter, the Sacramento Daily Union depicted the crew's arrival as mutually bewildering. The Californians marvelled at the Japanese guests' "poetic language" and their almost religious devotion to etiquette. The Japanese were struck by the informality of the Californians, who tracked mud onto expensive rugs. Given ice cream, the skipper of the Kanrin Maru declared it the most wonderful thing he'd ever tasted.

Over the years, the U.S.-Japan relationship remained largely friendly before taking a catastrophic turn during World War II. The gift of the Kanrin Maru Monument was part of post-war efforts intended to restore good will between the two sides. So was the declaration in 1957 by Osaka and San Francisco that they would henceforth be "sister cities," formally committed to sharing ideas and heritage.

But six decades later, the port cities’ friendship ran into trouble once more. A private group in San Francisco erected a statue in Chinatown known as the “Column of Strength” that depicts three young women in a circle, holding hands and facing outward. They represent the "comfort women" from China, Korea, and the Philippines who were enslaved in Japanese brothels during World War II. 

After its unveiling 2017, Japanese leaders said it destroyed a spirit of mutual trust built up over generations. San Francisco refused to take it down. A year later, Osaka officially severed their sibling relationship.

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Today's California Sun: New coronavirus infections fall in hopeful sign, a movement to bring school education outdoors, and San Diego cops use sedition law to punish speech.

San Diego cops punish speech // Outbreak slows down

Vallejo police accused of celebrating fatal shootings.

Biographer says John Muir was no white supremacist.

And one of Lake Tahoe's most picturesque shores.

Please note: The newsletter will pause Friday and Monday. Back in your inbox on Tuesday.

California reported 197 new coronavirus deaths on Wednesday, a new single-day record and a 25% jump from the previous record set last week. Arkansas, Florida, Montana, Oregon, and Texas have all reported record spikes this week as well. CBS SF | Reuters 

Covid-19 has now officially spread to all 58 California counties. Modoc County, in the state's northeastern corner, confirmed two infections on Tuesday, ending its run as the last county to be untouched by the virus. Health officials urged anyone who visited a bar recently to get tested. "It’s here," one official said. "And we could see the number of cases increase in the next few weeks." Sacramento Bee | A.P.

The most comprehensive survey of coronavirus cases in American higher education revealed that the virus is already spreading widely at the country's universities. Among California campuses, UC Berkeley has had the most cases with 123, a number of them linked to fraternity parties.  Rounding out the top five: UCLA, Stanford, UC Irvine, and UC Davis. Some eye-opening graphics 👉 N.Y. Times 

“Some days I feel like I work with a bunch of thugs who take pleasure out of hurting people.”
— Member of the Vallejo Police Department

For years, a secretive clique within the Vallejo Police Department has commemorated fatal shootings by bending the points of their badges each time they kill in the line of duty, according to an explosive report by Open Vallejo. Responding to the story, Vallejo's mayor called the badge-bending allegation "legitimate.” He added, "To tout and celebrate that you have shot somebody is absolutely disgusting." Open Vallejo | Times-Herald

A longtime Los Angeles police SWAT sergeant has filed a whistleblower lawsuit accusing the unit of being controlled by a “SWAT Mafia” of veteran officers who encourage the use of deadly force and call members who attempt de-escalation "cowards." Sgt. Tim Colomey said he was sidelined after he told internal affairs that the SWAT culture was rotten. L.A. Times | KABC

California lawmakers have proposed a new law that would punish police who fail to intervene when witnessing excessive force by a fellow officer. The measure gained momentum after the George Floyd killing, during which Minneapolis officers stood by as Floyd cried out for mercy. Law enforcement agencies oppose the rule, saying it's redundant and places an undue burden on officers making split-second decisions. L.A. Times

The chief executives of Amazon, Apple, Google, and Facebook faced five hours of withering questions from a congressional antitrust committee on Wednesday. Both Republicans and Democrats went on the offensive, but for different reasons. Democrats criticized the companies for killing off competitors. Republicans questioned whether the companies muzzled conservative viewpoints. “Our founders would not bow before a king," said David Cicilline, Democrat of Rhode Island. "Nor should we bow before the emperors of the online economy.” N.Y. Times | A.P. | Washington Post

Theo dreams of having a home with his own room — a place where he can have pajama parties. He's 7 years old. A reporter and photographer followed the homeless boy and his mother over the course of a year as they moved from parks to hotel rooms and then back again in the affluent community of Berkeley. Their story 👉 S.F. Chronicle 

John Muir is an almost prophetlike figure in California. So it came as a jolt last week when the Sierra Club denounced the 19th-century wanderer for drawing on racist stereotypes in his writings. The California Sun reached out to Muir biographer Donald E. Worster for his thoughts. Muir, he argues, was no white supremacist. California Sun

93 in Los Angeles. 120 in Palm Springs. 101 in Escondido. 

Southern California is expected to bake between Thursday and Saturday, peaking on Friday with the temperatures above. Also expected: gusty winds, which has officials bracing for elevated fire danger. KTLA | L.A. Times

Located on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe, its giant smooth boulders and clear turquoise water make it among the most picturesque beaches of the entire lake. During non-pandemic summers, it hosts the annual Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, with a breathtaking backdrop of the lake and surrounding peaks. Outdoor Project | Nevada Parks

Five items that got big views over the past week:

The natural range of coast redwoods extends only as far south as Monterey County. Yet an unlikely grove rises from Brea's Carbon Canyon Regional Park. Atlas Obscura

The downtown character of Santa Cruz, one of California's great college towns, is no longer what it was. More than a dozen stores have permanently closed since March. Santa Cruz Sentinel

In early July, nearly 100 guests gathered for a secret wedding at a San Francisco church. Then the newlywed couple and at least eight attendees tested positive for Covid-19. S.F. Chronicle

In the 1700s, Spanish soldiers swept into the Big Sur region and decimated the Esselen tribe. On Monday, descendants of the tribe got 2 square miles of their land back. Santa Cruz Sentinel | Monterey County Weekly

"There's no corona. It's a hoax." The mask-shortage guys went to San Clemente. YouTube (~5 mins)

Today's California Sun: Vallejo police accused of celebrating fatal shootings, biographer says John Muir was no white supremacist, and one of Lake Tahoe's most picturesque shores.

Vallejo cops said to celebrate killings // A defense of John Muir

State lawmakers propose $600 weekly jobless benefit.

Silicon Valley leaders face "Big Tobacco moment."

And a tour of legendary California skating spots.

California Democrats say they are prepared to provide up to $600 a week in extra benefits to jobless Californians if Congress fails to extend supplemental payments that began in April. Those weekly checks, also $600, expire this month. “The last thing we should do is exacerbate our homeless problem," Assemblyman Phil Ting said. "We don’t need thousands more Californians on our streets today.” S.F. Chronicle | L.A. Times

In California's southeastern corner, nearly everyone knows or knows of somebody with Covid-19. Imperial County was already at a health disadvantage before the pandemic, saddled with the state's highest rates of diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. “When you have a population with those preexisting conditions and you throw Covid-19 on top of it, you have a problem,” a medical professional said. L.A. Times

Imperial County's main hospital is so overrun that it is using portable military-style tents in the triple-digit heat. The Intercept

The board of education of Orange County voted to sue Gov. Gavin Newsom over a state order barring schools from opening in counties at high risk of coronavirus transmission. The board made national news this month after it urged schools to open on time without social distancing or face masks. The coronavirus has been surging in Orange County; nearly a quarter of its cumulative cases have occurred in the last two weeks. Voice of OC

Newsom is withholding federal relief funds from two Central Valley cities — Atwater and Coalinga — because they allowed businesses to reopen in defiance of health orders. A.P.

Citing the need to fund California's recovery, state lawmakers unveiled a new effort to raise taxes on the rich. It could amount to nearly $7 billion in new annual revenue. L.A. Times

A major study on carbon emissions found that California households are the greenest in America — by far. Homes here emit 33% less carbon than those of any other state. Some zip codes, however, deserve little credit. In Beverly Hills, for example, the average person put out four times as much greenhouse gases as someone living in South Central Los Angeles. The researchers cited home size as a crucial factor. Mercury News | A.P.

An Associated Press photographer zoomed in on handwritten notes held by Joe Biden as he took questions from reporters on Tuesday. "Kamala Harris" was written across the top. Below that: "Do not hold grudges." "Campaigned with me & Jill." "Talented." "Great help to campaign." "Great respect for her." Biden said he would pick his running mate next week. Politico | A.P.

Back in 2004, Google co-founder Larry Page said the goal of the search engine is to get users "to the right place as fast as possible.” A new analysis found that the right place, according to Google, often turns out to be Google. More than 40% of the first-page results for more than 15,000 recent popular queries were taken up by Google content and products. The Markup

Facebook, Google, Apple, and Amazon are preparing for their "Big Tobacco moment." Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai, Tim Cook, and Jeff Bezos will appear together today before members of Congress who have been investigating their possible monopoly power. "It is set to be a bizarre spectacle," the N.Y. Times wrote, "with four men who run companies worth a total of around $4.85 trillion — and who include two of the world’s richest individuals — primed to argue that their businesses are not really that powerful after all." N.Y. Times

A massive fire raged through a two-block area of San Francisco early Tuesday, sending a giant black plume of smoke over the city. Roughly 160 firefighters battled the inferno as it destroyed an auto body shop, a construction supply store, and at least three other buildings. Roughly 100 workers fled the flames, all escaping without injury. S.F. Chronicle | CBS SF

☝️ That's a fine-arts museum in the heart of Northern California tomato country.

The Manetti Shrem Museum of Art was opened in 2016 alongside I-80 on the outskirts of the college town of Davis. The young architects behind the structure tried to use the unusual location to its advantage, blending indoors and outdoors and adding a swooping canopy inspired by the surrounding agricultural landscape. Critics have said the result signals an exciting direction for American architecture. The Manetti Shrem is temporarily closed because of the coronavirus, but normally free and open to all. Architect's Newspaper | L.A. Times

The Baldy pipe in the San Gabriel foothills; the Nude Bowl in the Coachella Valley; Wallenberg High School in San Francisco.

Tony Hawk helped narrate this great video tour of the world's legendary skating spots, many of which are in California. 👉 Vox/YouTube 

The photographer Amir Zaki captures California's skateboard parks as works of art. dezeen | NPR

When California added antislavery language to its constitution in 1849, it was motivated by greed as much as moral decency.

Weeks before the convention, a Texan named Thomas Green had shown up along the Yuba River to join the Gold Rush. With him were 15 slaves, whose names Green used to establish grandiose mining claims. Appalled, locals whites called a meeting, and on this day in 1849 voted "that no slave or negro should own claims or even work in the mines." 

Days later, the Yuba River prospectors had the opportunity to send a delegate to Monterey, where the state's first constitution was to be drafted. They chose William Shannon, a 27-year-old lawyer from Ireland who had witnessed slavery in Brazil and found it "loathsome" and "revolting."

It was Shannon who introduced a section to the charter prohibiting slavery. Seconding the motion was William Gwin, the owner of 200 Mississippi slaves. His support surprised some. But as the historian Leonard Richards recounts in his book "The California Gold Rush and the Coming of the Civil War," Gwin understood the sentiments of the state's forty-niners. 

"In our mines are to be found men of the highest intelligence and respectability performing daily labor," Gwin explained, "and they do not wish to see the slaves of some wealthy planter brought there and put in competition with their labor, side by side."

Shannon's motion was approved in a unanimous vote. Then for two full days the delegates hotly debated a proposal to bar even free Blacks from California. Again, a primary objective was to insulate white miners from competition. That motion was ultimately defeated, however, and the constitution was signed on Oct. 13.

California's antislavery stance jolted Washington, where the balance of power tilted further away from the Southern slave states. On Dec. 13, as members of the U.S. House debated the California question, Rep. Robert Toombs, of Georgia, took the floor. "In the presence of the living God," he declared, if slaveholding is disallowed in California, "I am for disunion."

Even so, California was formally accepted into the union as a free state in September of 1850. Tensions only worsened as disillusioned southerners agitated for the right to bring slavery into new western territories. A decade later, in a culmination of events that the historian Richards links in part back to those Yuba River miners, the Civil War began.

Today's California Sun: State lawmakers propose $600 weekly jobless benefit, Silicon Valley leaders face "Big Tobacco moment," and a tour of legendary California skating spots.

California may offer $600 weekly benefit // Tech's "Big Tobacco moment"

Big Sur tribe regains land after 250 years.

Advisers warn Joe Biden against Kamala Harris.

And a shift toward community policing in L.A.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a major initiative to halt the spread of the coronavirus in the Central Valley, where the farming region's large Latino population has faced disproportionate harm. The state will spend $52 million in federal aid to speed up testing and deploy strike teams to guide the response. Newsom highlighted Tulare County, where the rate of positive tests has soared to nearly 18%. The state average: 7.5%. A.P. | CalMatters

More than a dozen protesters chained themselves to the gate outside of Newsom's home in suburban Sacramento on Monday. Hoisting a banner that read “Free Them All,” they demanded prisoners be released en masse to spare their lives in the face of mounting coronavirus infections. CHP officers cut the chains and arrested the protesters without incident. Sacramento Bee | A.P.

The health toll of Covid-19 has been uneven not just across California regions, but within cities. The Long Beach zip code with the highest life expectancy also has the lowest rate of coronavirus infection. Seven miles away, the zip code with the lowest life expectancy has the city's highest infection rate. Long Beach Post

Here's a similar analysis from Fresno, where the poorer side of town has faced more sickness and death. 👉 Fresno Bee  

Sen. Kamala Harris has often been portrayed as a virtual lock for Joe Biden's vice presidential pick. But a report by Politico on Monday revealed that some prominent Democrats have been advising Biden against Harris — largely over the matter of trust. In one exchange relayed to reporters, former Sen. Chris Dodd was perturbed by Harris's response when he brought up her ambush on Biden during the first Democratic debate. “She laughed and said, ‘that’s politics.’ She had no remorse,” Dodd said. Politico

The Washington Post's Karen Tumulty: Dodd's reported anxiety about Harris "suggests a different standard for women as running mates. They are apparently supposed to be window-dressing — demure and apologetic." 

Tens of thousands of California childcare providers have unionized, capping a nearly two-decade organizing and legislative struggle. Members said they planned to bargain for better wages, better healthcare, and an improved retirement plan. California spends roughly $2 billion a year on childcare, a sum expected to rise after unionization. Sacramento Bee | HuffPost

Wolves are intensely family-oriented. Yet some apparently crave adventure. It's thanks to the wanderlust of one broad-shouldered male, OR-7, that wolves reentered California in 2011 for the first time in nearly a century. Here's the story of the Lassen Pack, now numbering 14 individuals, the only wolf family in California and our best hope for the reestablishment of the misunderstood species. Journal of Alta California

"No one has ever successfully painted or photographed a redwood tree. The feeling they produce is not transferable."
— John Steinbeck

Find the redwoods closest to you with this interactive map 👉 Save the Redwoods 

Plus, not included in the map, a non-native grove of redwoods in Orange County 👉 Atlas Obscura 

In the 1700s, Spanish soldiers swept into the Big Sur region and decimated the Esselen tribe. On Monday, for the first time, descendants of the tribe got some of their land back. Thanks in part to a state grant, the Esselen Tribe of Monterey County closed escrow on a pristine tract of nearly 2 square miles, including old-growth redwoods and Little Sur River. “It is beyond words for us, the highest honor,” the tribe's chairman said. Santa Cruz Sentinel | Monterey County Weekly

On Monday, a jury found former 49ers star Dana Stubblefield guilty of raping a developmentally disabled woman at his Bay Area home five years ago. Prosecutors said Stubblefield lured the woman with the promise of a babysitting job, then overpowered her, counting on her to be unable to report the crime. "The jury spoke otherwise,” a prosecutor said. He faces 15 years in prison. S.F. Chronicle | ESPN

Google said it would let nearly all of its roughly 200,000 employees work from home until at least next July, making it the first major American company to extend its remote-work policy so long. A public health expert called it a wise move. “There’s nothing to suggest Covid’s going to go away between now and next June,” he said. S.F. Chronicle | CNBC

The LAPD is transforming its community policing program into a permanent bureau in a shift the mayor described as "from a warrior mentality to a guardian mentality." The program includes initiatives such as youth football and has been credited with reducing violent crime. It will be headed by Emada Tingirides, a Watts native who will become the police department’s second Black female deputy chief. L.A. Times | LAist

Kat and Puckett, two sea lions rescued and rehabbed by the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach, were released back into the Pacific last week. They were clearly stoked. 

The newsletter will pause on this Friday and Monday.

Today's California Sun: Big Sur tribe regains land after 250 years, advisers warn Joe Biden against Kamala Harris, and a shift toward community policing in L.A.

Big Sur tribe regains land // Trusting Kamala Harris

Portland unrest inspires new protests in California.

Secret 100-person wedding appears to spread virus.

And the loss of a legend from Hollywood's Golden Age.

Windows smashed at a federal building in Los Angeles. A courthouse set on fire in Oakland. A television news crew assaulted in Sacramento. 

Over the weekend, a number of protests were held across California in a show of solidarity with demonstrators in Portland. In a familiar pattern, small groups broke away from what had been peaceful gatherings to engage in vandalism and battles with police. Oakland’s mayor complained that agitators were giving President Trump “the justification he seeks to send federal troops into American cities.” KABC | KPIX | Sacramento Bee

Gov. Gavin Newsom's lockdown allows worshippers to gather outdoors, as long as they wear masks and keep their distance from one another. But for some groups, even those restrictions are too much. Outdoor services in Huntington Beach and Fresno featured dense crowds, maskless faces, and calls for religious freedom. L.A. Times | Fresno Bee

Approved by voters in 1986, Proposition 65 was meant to help reduce consumers' exposure to harmful chemicals by forcing companies to put warning labels on their products. Instead, it's created mass confusion, as companies routinely attach warnings for any one of 900 chemicals. There has been one notable beneficiary of the law: a cottage industry of "bounty hunter" lawyers who file frivolous lawsuits against companies that can't afford to defend themselves. L.A. Times

☝️ Here's a stained-glass depiction of California's great seal. 

The Roman goddess Minerva is included because she was born fully grown, just as California joined the U.S. as a full-fledged state without having first been a territory. There's a grizzly bear, a prospector, and a bay with ships, all characteristic of California. And the state's official motto — "Eureka," or "I have found it" — is included in tribute to the history-bending discovery of gold. The great seal is stamped onto all California bills signed into law and also appears, ever so faintly, on every state driver's license. Capitol Museum | Pasadena Star-News

Thaddeus Sran, a 2-year-old boy from Madera, was reported missing by his parents on July 15. The couple said they put him to bed one night and in the morning he was gone. Days later, investigators complained that the parents had become uncooperative. Then remains believed to belong to Thaddeus, who was nonverbal and couldn't walk, were found burned in a nearby almond orchard. The parents are now behind bars, charged with murder. KFSN | Fresno Bee

A Fresno artist is creating a giant mural of Thaddeus. 👉 KSEE  

San Francisco officials had warned Catholic leaders to stop holding illegal indoor events. Yet in early July, nearly 100 guests secretly gathered for a wedding at Saints Peter & Paul Church. In the days that followed, the newlywed couple and at least eight attendees tested positive for the coronavirus. Guests flew back to Nashville, Arizona, and San Diego, potentially spreading the virus further. S.F. Chronicle

In early June, Stockton's mayor proposed requiring residents to wear masks. The response from the county's emergency services director: "Stay in your lane." Days later, the county allowed card rooms, hotels, and day camps to open. Today, the county is so overwhelmed by coronavirus cases that military medical teams have been dispatched to help two local hospitals. L.A. Times

The marquee attraction at Devils Postpile National Monument is a group of oddly symmetrical basalt columns that resemble a giant pipe organ. But a short distance away, the waterfall is arguably the most majestic in the Eastern Sierra, plunging more than 100 feet along the middle fork of the San Joaquin River. Its name is derived from a propensity to churn out rainbows in the midday sun. hikespeak | California Through My Lens

Olivia de Havilland died at 104. The "Gone With the Wind" actress and two-time Oscar winner was the epitome of Hollywood royalty during the industry's Golden Age. On-screen, she was known for her sincerity, beauty, and precise diction. Off-screen, she made headlines for winning a landmark court case that diluted the power of studios over actors, as well as an epic rivalry with her sister, the actress Joan Fontaine. De Havilland grew up in Saratoga and attended Los Gatos High School, where she joined the drama club. Five years after graduating, she was cast in "Gone With the Wind." N.Y. Times | Variety

De Havilland "helped destroy the indentured servitude that was the Hollywood studio contract system of the 1930s and ’40s." The Atlantic

Even before the coronavirus pandemic, California's inmates faced poor mental health care. At the women's prison in Chino, inmates now commonly spend 23 hours a day locked in their cells. Counselors, who inmates say are in short supply, hand out coloring books and brochures on anxiety. Four women have attempted suicide. Washington Post

Elon Musk gave a revealing interview to Maureen Dowd from his home in Los Angeles.

On raising X Æ A-Xii: “Well, babies are just eating and pooping machines, you know? Right now there’s not much I can do.”

On time management: “I have lots of ideas, more ideas than I can act upon. I tend to bite off more than I can chew and then just sit there with chipmunk cheeks.”

On artificial intelligence: "We’re headed toward a situation where A.I. is vastly smarter than humans and I think that time frame is less than five years from now.” N.Y. Times

A brush fire on Sunday tore through more than 60 acres of the Bolsa Chica wetlands in Huntington Beach, a delicate ecosystem that is home to hundreds of bird species. Firefighters were able to contain the advancing blaze 100 yards from a row of multimillion-dollar homes. No structures were damaged. O.C. Register | KABC

Due to a data error at the S.F. Chronicle, Friday's newsletter misstated the number of coronavirus deaths in California on Thursday. It was 154, not 250.

Today's California Sun: Portland unrest inspires new protests in California, secret 100-person wedding appears to spread virus, and the loss of a legend from Hollywood's Golden Age.

New street clashes // Secret wedding appears to spread virus

The Dodgers face the Giants in bizarre opening day.

Mask-averse religious group plans California tour. 

As new infections mount, debate has intensified over whether the state is doing enough to halt the crisis. On Thursday, one Democratic lawmaker said it was time to put counties back under strict stay-at-home orders, with residents allowed to leave only for essential services. “It's clear that we have lost control of the coronavirus fight,” state Sen. Steve Glazer said. Sacramento Bee | S.F. Chronicle

Thousands of workers are being called back to physical workplaces after telecommuting or being furloughed. Many are resisting, especially those backed by powerful unions. L.A. Times

The Dodgers faced the Giants in what sportswriters called the weirdest opening day in baseball history. There were no peanuts. Players stood 6 feet apart. Loudspeakers piped in recorded cheers. And instead of people, there were cardboard cutouts of them in the stands, bought by fans for as much as $299 each. L.A. Times | S.F. Chronicle

A religious group held a large gathering at Redding's Sundial bridge late Wednesday, the first stop in a planned tour of five California cities under the banner "Let us worship." Video of the event showed people packed tightly together, the vast majority without masks. In a statement condemning the event, health officials noted that a number of local coronavirus cases had come from religious gatherings. Record Searchlight | KRCR

The downtown character of Santa Cruz, one of California's great college towns, is no longer what it was. More than a dozen stores have permanently closed since March, with more expected. Among them was the storied Poet and Patriot Irish Pub, which closed after 38 years in business. They just couldn't hold on any longer, a co-owner said. Santa Cruz Sentinel

In 2018, California passed a law forcing public companies to include women on their boards. Now lawmakers have introduced a measure that would compel companies to include board members from "under-represented groups" or face fines of up to $300,000. Under-represented is defined in the bill as African American, Hispanic, or Native American. Sacramento Bee | CBS13

Fun fact: A giant coffeepot looms over a small Swedish village in the Central Valley. 

Kingsburg, just down the highway from Fresno, was established by a group of Swedish immigrants in the 1870s. As recently as the 1920s, the town’s population was almost entirely Swedish-American. Its heritage is preserved today in festivals, Viking imagery, California's best Swedish pancakes — and the pot. Rising 120 feet, it’s actually a water tower retrofitted in the 1980s as a tribute to the Swedes' love of coffee. Roadside America | KCET

The Chinese consulate in San Francisco is harboring a U.C. Davis cancer researcher suspected of being a clandestine member of China's military and Communist Party, the Justice Department said. Juan Tang was charged with visa fraud after being accused of concealing her affiliations. She fled to the consulate after being interviewed by FBI agents in late June and hasn't emerged since. A.P. | S.F. Examiner

Meridy Volz started selling marijuana brownies in San Francisco in the 1970s when a marijuana plant represented a felony offense. In time, her business, Sticky Fingers Brownies, became a cultural icon, selling 10,000 “magic” brownies a month. On this week's California Sun Podcast, host Jeff Schechtman talks with Volz's daughter, Alia Volz, about her new memoir, "Home Baked: My Mom, Marijuana, and the Stoning of San Francisco." California Sun Podcast

Orange County investigators identified the victim and suspected killer in a 52-year-old murder mystery. In 1968, a woman's body was found in a Huntington Beach field and buried in an unmarked grave. Investigators used DNA evidence to identify her as Anita Louise Piteau, 26, who had been visiting from the East Coast. The suspected killer was Johnny Chrisco, who had been discharged from the Army with psychological problems. He died years ago. Piteau's disappearance haunted her family for decades. “My grandmother said every time the phone rang, she was hoping it was her," Piteau's niece said. N.Y. Times | A.P.

A parole board recommended the release of Leslie Van Houten, a former Charles Manson follower who has served nearly five decades in prison. She was convicted of helping Manson and others murder the Los Angeles grocer Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary, in 1969. This is her fourth time being deemed suitable for release; previous recommendations have been denied by California governors. A.P.

California's paparazzi have been flying drones over the Los Angeles home of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in attempts to get pictures of their toddler. That's according to a new lawsuit filed to stop the publication of a photo captured of the boy, Archie, in their own backyard. The couple said they've faced relentless invasions of their privacy, forcing them to erect a large mesh fence to block photographers. Hollywood Reporter | NBC News

The photographer Arnold Genthe is best remembered for his pictures of San Francisco's original Chinatown. But Genthe documented everything — architecture, nude women, Yosemite, the Bohemians of Carmel. A couple collections of his work 👉 Flashbak  | Light Stalking 

"It's all fake, dude. Come on." A pair of comics ventured into Huntington Beach with a box of free masks for the taking. The responses are dismaying. YouTube (~5:20 mins)

A third of Californians don't know how they'll pay next month's rent. Meanwhile, the 20 richest Californians have seen their wealth grow by 30%. The state's deepening inequality in five charts 👉 CalMatters 

When he was 17, the actor Skyler Gisondo asked Robin Williams to help him make a video asking a girl to the prom. The comedian, who would have turned 69 on Tuesday, got really into it. YouTube (3 mins) 

A Central Coast woman was ordered to quarantine and inform her housemates after she tested positive for Covid-19. Instead, she kept silent. Her entire household was said to be infected. KSBY

Due to a data error at the S.F. Chronicle, an earlier version of this newsletter misstated the number of coronavirus deaths in California on Thursday. It was 154, not 250.

Today's California Sun: The Dodgers face the Giants in bizarre opening day, mask-averse religious group plans California tour, and the ongoing decline of downtown Santa Cruz.

Weirdest baseball opener ever // Decline of downtown Santa Cruz

The Sierra Club apologizes for the racism of John Muir.

Chevron uses solar panels to pump oil more cheaply. 

And floating movie theaters are planned in California.

If California were a country, it would rank fifth in the world for total coronavirus cases behind the U.S., Brazil, India, and Russia. 

The Bay Area News Group created an animated bar graph showing the cumulative case counts among U.S. states across time. Going into June, California was behind Illinois, New Jersey, and New York, which was way out front. But starting in late June, California catapulted toward the top position, reaching that dreadful distinction this week. Bay Area News Group

“I don’t believe it. I don’t believe the rates are rising.”

Huntington Beach has come to symbolize the mask-resistance capital of California. A reporter talked to locals and found abundant skepticism over the seriousness of the outbreak. Infections have been surging in Orange County. L.A. Times

Wendy Rodriguez was getting some tacos in L.A.'s Boyle Heights neighborhood when an 8-year-old boy approached with flowers. She learned that the boy's mother had died a year ago and his father lost his job because of the pandemic. He was selling flowers to help support the family. Rodriguez bought all of his flowers, then set up a GoFundMe for the family: As of Wednesday, it was up to $44,600. KABC

☝️This is what concerts look like in the age of Covid-19. 

At the Ventura County Fairgrounds, promoters are trying to breathe life into the moribund live-music industry with the Concerts in Your Car series. A reporter checked out a show: "It was a bit like Coachella, if no one left their vehicles." L.A. Times

A floating movie theater is coming to San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Patrons will be invited to sit in socially distanced boats as movies are projected on a screen. ABC News

Car thefts were up 58% in Los Angeles between April and June compared to the same period last year. A factor cited by police: cars left parked on streets for extended periods. Crosstown

In an online post on Wednesday, the Sierra Club said it was time to do some "truth-telling" about the racism of John Muir, the patron saint of modern environmentalism. In his writings, Muir described the laziness of “Sambos,” a racial slur, and lamented the “dirty and irregular life” of Native Americans. The Sierra Club vowed to make its leadership majority non-white and study "which of our monuments need to be renamed or pulled down entirely." S.F. Chronicle | Washington Post

"The man who thought of nature as a cathedral, and regarded 'whales and elephants, dancing, humming gnats,' and even 'invisibly small mischievous microbes' as divine, regarded Native Americans as subhuman." Atlas Obscura (2016)

All students at California State University must take a course in ethnic studies or social justice to graduate under a policy approved by trustees on Wednesday. It's the first major change to general education across the system in decades. Supporters said it would elevate ethnic studies to the same level as the natural and life sciences, the arts, and humanities. EdSource | L.A. Times

Since April, Chevron has been using solar panels to power its oil pumps in Kern Valley. In exchange, the oil giant will earn renewable energy credits from the state worth about $4 million a year. Environmentalists say the development subverts a program that was designed to reduce fossil fuel emissions. Bloomberg

Conservative members of the California GOP are moving to expel two state party members who are leaders of an anti-Trump group supporting the presidential bid of Joe Biden. Mike Madrid, one of the targets, responded: "Am I surprised by this? Not in the least bit. Am I going to stop fumigating the party of white nationalism? No. I’m just getting started.” L.A. Times

On July 11, a men's rights lawyer was fatally shot outside his home in the mountains of San Bernardino County. Eight days later, a gunman approached the New Jersey home of a federal judge, then killed her son and wounded her husband. The suspect, an “anti-feminist” named Roy Den Hollander, was later found dead of an apparent suicide. On Wednesday, the FBI linked the two killings for the first time. Officials are investigating whether Den Hollander, 72, was seeking revenge against his enemies after receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis. N.Y. Times | A.P.

Fun Fact: The Pacific Ocean is larger than all of Earth's land area combined. Essentially, the Pacific amounts to roughly a third of Earth's surface (nearly 64 million square miles), all of the other water amounts to another third, and the land makes up the remaining third.

Here's an amazing satellite view 👉 Google Earth 

In the small town of Selah, Wash., a scuffle over the street chalk art of Black Lives Matter protesters has been getting national attention. Local authorities say chalk is graffiti, no matter how ephemeral. But protesters call it protected free speech. 

The clash is a familiar one, surfacing from time to time in cities across the country, but perhaps never more bizarrely than in San Diego back in 2013. After the 2008 Wall Street bailout, a 40-year-old activist named Jeff Olson was fed up, as he put it, with big banks taking advantage of the little guy.  

As he strolled through a CVS one day, his eyes fell on a carton of children's street chalk and he had an idea. Chalk in hand, Olson kneeled on the sidewalks in front of three Bank of America branches around San Diego. “No thanks, big banks,” he wrote. Also: “Shame on BofA"; a drawing of tentacles stretching from the bank walls and clutching dollar bills; and “Matthew 21:12,” a verse that describes Jesus tossing bankers from the temple. 

Alerted by the bank, city prosecutors decided to slap Olson with 13 counts of misdemeanor vandalism. At first, he was convinced someone was pranking him, Olson told the Sun this week. "Then it got pretty real."

Prosecutors offered a deal. They would drop the charges in exchange for a $6,300 fine, 32 hours of community service, and the surrender of Olson's driver's license for three years. He refused. When the alternative weekly San Diego Reader got wind of the trial, it highlighted the eye-popping stakes. Olson faced a maximum penalty of 13 years in prison. 

Though exceedingly unlikely, the potential punishment set off a storm of news coverage that became so intense the judge barred Olson from talking to reporters. In the court of public opinion, however, the verdict was settled. Nearly 35,000 people signed a petition demanding Olson be left alone. Even San Diego's mayor called the case “stupid.”

But prosecutors stood firm, arguing that the bank suffered monetary damages and that chalk is “still graffiti even if the material can be removed with water.” For Olson, the case took a worrying turn when the judge prohibited any courtroom talk of free speech, a major plank of the defense. The case, the judge explained, was about vandalism.

Even so, the jury took Olson's side, acquitting him on all charges. He credited his lawyer's skill. But in retrospect, he said, it's hard to imagine the outcome having gone another way: If the challenge to free expression didn't offend jurors, the waste of taxpayer funds would have. "It was funny," Olson said. "There was something for everyone to hate about my case."

Today's California Sun: The Sierra Club apologizes for the racism of John Muir, Chevron uses solar panels to pump oil more cheaply, and floating movie theaters are planned in California.

Reassessing John Muir // Floating movie theaters

Orange County's outbreak is now second worst in state.

Vandals spray-paint demands on Oakland mayor's home.

And Kareem Abdul-Jabbar tells L.A.'s unknown jazz history.

President Trump ordered his administration to exclude immigrants in the country illegally from being counted in the 2020 census, a move that could eliminate one of California's congressional seats and maybe more. Critics denounced the move as unconstitutional. Gov. Gavin Newsom called it "rooted in racism and xenophobia." The Hill | Sacramento Bee

Orange County now has the second-worst coronavirus outbreak in California after its cumulative case total surpassed that of Riverside County.  As of Tuesday, Orange County has had 29,986 infections, about 40% of which were recorded in just the last two weeks. Only Los Angeles County has reported more cases. L.A. Times

In July, new daily infections statewide have been more than double what they were in June. Now, as total cases surge above 400,000, California is poised to overtake New York for the most cases of any U.S. state. CNN | S.F. Chronicle

As greater numbers of young people test positive, nearly 70% of the state's cases are now people under the age of 49. SFGate.com

A study of death rates among stricken Californians between the ages of 50 and 64 found that Latinos were five times more likely to die than whites. Capital Public Radio

How long until the latest restrictions on public life start to bend our coronavirus numbers? “We’ve learned that a two-to-three week period may not be long enough,” California's health secretary said on Tuesday. “It may take up to three, four, even five weeks to feel the full impact of some of those changes.” Mercury News | Desert Sun

You can drive right up to the most spectacular perch in Death Valley. Dante's View offers a bird-like view of both Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America, and across the valley, Telescope Peak, the park's highest point. Once every 6,800 years, you may spot the spectacular comet NEOWISE, as shown in the recent photo above by park ranger Patrick Taylor. California Through My Lens | Hikespeak

A suburban church outside Sacramento packed hundreds of people into an indoor service on Sunday in defiance of California's shutdown orders. They were engaged in a battle between good evil, the pastor told the congregants. "Once your rights are taken from you, they’re never giving them back.” Still, the church sees some good in government: It applied for and got a forgivable PPP loan of least $350,000. Sacramento Bee

A group of vandals descended on the home of Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, splattering it with paint and scrawling messages. Among them: "Defund OPD," "Homes for all," and “Blood on your hands.” An online post by "some yay area comrades" took responsibility for the attack and vowed more if their demands weren't met. Oaklandside | East Bay Times

A Bay Area city erased a "Black Lives Matter" street mural after a local lawyer proposed that a “MAGA 2020” mural be painted nearby. She explained that she “saw that Courthouse Square was being used as a public forum, and, as a Redwood City resident, wanted to participate.” A petition was started protesting the removal. Redwood City Climate Magazine | KPIX 5

The San Luis Obispo County sheriff expressed frustration with the Black Lives Matter protests in the county, telling a local newspaper that while racism exists everywhere, he’s “never seen any indication that systemic racism exists in this county.” That helped set off a protest on Tuesday that briefly blocked all lanes of Highway 101. One organizer was arrested. The Tribune | KSBY

San Diego passed the region's first ordinance allowing homeowners to add movable "tiny houses" on their properties. Supporters of the small dwellings promote them as a simple way to alleviate affordable housing shortages while augmenting homeowner income. “It’s a win-win-win all the way across the board,” a council member said. S.D. Union-Tribune | NBC San Diego

An affordable housing complex in Irvine invited applications for 80 available units. It got 6,818. O.C. Register

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar elegantly chronicled the little-known history of one of the great West Coast jazz hubs: Los Angeles's Central Avenue. It was sparked by the influx of Black Americans from the South after World War II, he wrote. "As in most American cities, informal segregation turned the Black neighborhoods into a city within a city where locals shopped, conducted business, filled prescriptions, got fillings, made last wills and testaments. It was a Black ecosystem where whites ventured only to sample the lively jazz clubs that featured some of the world’s best musicians." L.A. Times 

Today's California Sun: Orange County's outbreak is now second worst in state, vandals spray-paint demands on Oakland mayor's home, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar tells L.A.'s unknown jazz history.

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