Forecasts call for the strongest winds of the fire season.

Facebook censors dissent to placate a repressive government.

And a journey through the pastel paradise of Long Beach.

Please note: The newsletter is pausing for a long weekend. Back in your inbox on Tuesday.

California froze 350,000 debit cards for unemployment benefits, representing perhaps billions of dollars, over suspicions of fraud. But lawmakers said some legitimate claims were wrongly included in the action. “Again," said Assemblyman David Chiu, "[Employment Development Department] seems unable to address fraud without harming Californians who are depending on them for benefits.” L.A. Times

New unemployment claims are finally falling in California, a result of the state's gradual reopening. S.F. Chronicle

California prohibits clothing bearing a candidate's name at polling places. But MAGA hats are OK. That's because, while there is no mistaking their association with President Trump, his name is not included. Some election officials worry Joe Biden supporters will find that unfair. “This particular campaign material is tied to a specific candidate in most voters’ perception,” the registrar of voters in Inyo County said. “And perception is reality. I don’t want my poll workers to have to defend this.” L.A. Times

On this week's California Sun Podcast, host Jeff Schechtman talks with Esther Mobley, the S.F. Chronicle wine critic. Napa and Sonoma counties have faced wildfires before, she said. What made the September Glass fire different was the number of wineries consumed by flames — in all, 27 were significantly damaged. "It is a kind of very alarming, new level of just catastrophe that we've reached," Mobley said. 

Facebook has touted itself as a guardian of free speech. Yet the Menlo Park social media giant repeatedly censored voices of political dissent in Vietnam at the request of its authoritarian government. “I think for Zuckerberg the calculus with Vietnam is clear," a former Facebook advisor said. "It’s to maintain service in a country that has a huge population and in which Facebook dominates the consumer internet market, or else a competitor may step in." L.A. Times

In June, a whistleblower leaked screenshots from the private Facebook page for San Jose cops who traded in racist and anti-Muslim commentary. “Black lives don’t really matter,” one officer wrote. Now Santa Clara County's district attorney is dropping charges in 14 cases that hinged on the officers' testimony. A police union dismissed the action as "political grandstanding.” San Jose Inside | Mercury News

Northern California, unable to catch a break, now faces perhaps the strongest and most widespread winds of the fire season. Between Sunday and Tuesday, forecasts call for potential gusts of more than 70 mph to whip through a bone-dry landscape. “This is the fire weather forecast I was hoping wouldn't come to pass, given all that has already transpired in 2020,” the climate scientist Daniel Swain wrote on Twitter. Power cutoffs were expected. Sacramento Bee | S.F. Chronicle

A group of gig workers sued Uber for up to $260 million, accusing it of pressuring them to support the company's position on a ballot measure. The drivers said Uber has been sending a “constant barrage” of messages urging them to vote yes on Proposition 22, which would exempt the company from having to classify drivers as employees. Washington Post | CNN  

A California appeals court on Thursday upheld a ruling requiring Uber and Lyft to treat their drivers as employees. The companies are now pinning their hopes on the ballot box — or an appeal to the California Supreme Court. N.Y. Times | The Verge

In 2004, a nonfatal shooting led to two Black teenagers being sentenced to 11 consecutive life sentences. Dupree Glass and Juan Rayford maintained their innocence, and multiple witnesses later came forward to say neither teen had opened fire. Earlier this year, an appellate court vacated their sentence. But even though prosecutors knew of serious questions about the case for years, they refused to review it. L.A. Times

The CDC advises against dispersing homeless encampments during the pandemic. Even so, Los Angeles resumed sweeps that force tent dwellers to be constantly on the move. A documentary crew followed a volunteer with "Services Not Sweeps" as she helped homeless people, often in frail condition, pack up their belongings while sanitation workers hovered nearby. The Intercept (~10 mins)

The French photographer Franck Bohbot has been hailed for elevating ordinary scenes into high art. For his latest series, he turned his lens on Long Beach. To scroll through the images is to journey into a dreamworld where the colors are pastel and the worries are washed away. 

See a few selections below, and many more here. 👉 Behance  | FranckBohbot.com 

China is a significant contributor to air pollution in California. Toxins from Chinese smokestacks catch a ride across the Pacific on powerful global winds that can deposit them in California in a matter of days. A 2010 study found that nearly a third of airborne lead collected from two sites in the San Francisco Bay Area had originated in Asia. 

Another paper, published in 2014, added a twist to the story: About a fifth of the smog being produced in China is associated with goods destined for export to the U.S. The researchers’ conclusion: China may play a part in worsening pollution in the western U.S., but American demand for cheap products is fueling the pollution in the first place. Smithsonian Magazine

Five items that got big views over the past week:

Lonely Planet published a list of California's 10 greatest hikes. Included is the Rings Loop Trail, pictured above, in Mojave National Preserve. Less than 2 miles, it winds along petroglyphs, wide-open desert views, and a narrow canyon with sculptured volcanic walls.

A pair of Southern California college students wanted to create a simple and impartial guide to the 12 statewide ballot propositions. The result is this great scorecard of recommendations by California newspapers and other groups. 👉 CaPropositions.guide 

A Long Beach filmmaker made a hypnotic little film showing skaters in their 40s cruising along the streets of Southern California and beyond. It makes a compelling case for skateboarding as a fountain of youth. Vimeo (~4 mins)

It’s been described as a “glowing pillar of fire” and a “psychedelic asparagus.” Here's a fascinating introduction to the snow plant of the high Sierra, including footage of a hummingbird darting among its brilliant red petals.  👉 YouTube (7:30 mins) 

At the edge of Joshua Tree is a lone dwelling that seems to melt into the desert. Known as the Invisible House, it was designed to look like a New York skyscraper lying on its side. See pictures. 👉 dezeen  | Plain Magazine 

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Today's California Sun: Forecasts call for the strongest winds of the fire season, Facebook censors dissent to placate a repressive government, and a journey through the pastel paradise of Long Beach.

"Truly extreme" fire conditions this weekend // Pastel paradise of Long Beach

Oakland establishes where homeless can and can't camp.

Quibi shuts down a mere six months after launch.

And Lonely Planet names California's 10 greatest hikes.

Record-breaking heat. The driest air in decades. Hurricane-force wind gusts. And a spark. 

Here's an engrossing deep dive into the confluence of factors that propelled a wall of flames across 25 miles of the Sierra foothills in a single night, killing 15 people and destroying the town of Berry Creek. 👉 Washington Post 

The Forest Service has a backlog of millions of acres' worth of projects aimed at preventing wildfires. They're on hold because of lack of funding. L.A. Times

Lonely Planet published a list of California's 10 greatest hikes. 

Included is the Rings Loop Trail, pictured above, in Mojave National Preserve. Less than 2 miles, it winds along petroglyphs, wide-open desert views, and a narrow canyon with sculptured volcanic walls. To get out the other side, you have to use metal rings bolted to the walls. Angelenos could knock it out by lunch. 

Oakland adopted a hotly debated homeless policy that establishes areas of the city where encampments will and will not be allowed. The idea is to abandon the haphazard approach of pushing homeless people from place to place without solving underlying problems. “I think there’s an effort to think outside the box, but at the same time, it feels like sometimes it’s throwing in the towel,” a homeless advocate said. “It’s like, alright, we’re going to be somehow comfortable with people living in tents." East Bay Times | Oaklandside

A California appeals court ordered San Quentin to halve its prison population, citing a "deliberate indifference" among correctional officials to the health of inmates. While some groups have pushed prisons to release more inmates during the pandemic, the new ruling doesn't require that. San Quentin can simply transfer inmates to other facilities — a maneuver that triggered an explosion of infections to begin with. A.P. | N.Y. Times

“I don’t want to frame it as a mental illness. I would frame it more as existential despair.”

Humboldt County residents die by suicide at a rate roughly two and a half times that of the state. Mental health experts cite the region's evaporating jobs, rampant opioid use, and high rate of gun ownership. Now the pressures of the pandemic has them bracing for a “tsunami” of mental health crises. CalMatters

PG&E began shutting off power across 15 Northern California counties late Wednesday in anticipation of strong winds that could damage electrical equipment and trigger new fires. The utility said the outages would last through Friday and affect roughly 40,000 people in areas including the Bay Area, wine country, Sierra foothills, and Redwood Empire. S.F. Chronicle | Mercury News

PG&E power outage maps 👉 S.F. Chronicle  | PG&E 

☝️ This tangle of silver and orange is a Pacific ringneck snake.

Get too close and it will perform an unnerving defense ritual, winding its tail into a coil and flashing its iridescent underside. It's harmless to humans, but you're better off staying back. The ringneck snake is included in this great illustrated guide to the medley of wildlife and flora that emerge in the fall in the Bay Area. Bay Nature

A Bakersfield nonprofit was slated to receive a $1.2 million grant to create a coronavirus awareness program in four languages. It hired 30 canvassers. Then county supervisors learned that the group had called for defunding the police on Facebook. So on Tuesday, they blocked the money. Kern County, one supervisor explained, is "not Seattle." Bakersfield Californian

Quibi is shutting down a mere six months after launch. The Los Angeles streaming service, which served up short videos for on-the-go smartphone users, was touted as a reinvention of the way people consume entertainment programming. Investors committed $1.75 billion. One hurdle to its success: A virtually infinite amount of competition in the form of TikTok and YouTube. N.Y. Times | The Verge

A federal judge vacated the conviction of a Black San Bernardino man who killed a police officer in 1986, ruling that prosecutors discriminated against Black prospective jurors. Public defenders say Dennis Mayfield, now 61, became incapacitated after suffering a stroke in 2011 and ought to be released. Prosecutors say that's a ploy. They plan to retry him and pursue the death penalty. San Bernardino Sun

☝️ This is perhaps the most important home in Palm Springs.

Richard Neutra’s Kaufmann House, completed in 1946, became the preeminent symbol of desert living with its stunning combination of glass, stone, and steel. It was immortalized in the iconic photograph "Poolside Gossip, which depicts two glamorous women lounging by the home's crystal blue swimming pool. Now the Kaufmann House is up for sale for the first time in 11 years. Asking price: $25 million. If it goes for anything close to that it will be the most expensive sale in Palm Springs history. Curbed | Desert Sun

One hundred years ago today, Maria Moreno was born to an itinerant Mexican minister and an Apache tribeswoman in rural Texas. She grew up working on a farm and went on to raise hell — in addition to 12 children — becoming the nation’s first female farmworker hired as a union organizer. 

Moreno didn’t play nice with labor leaders like César Chávez, who complained of her “big mouth.” So while her efforts to raise wages and win strikes predated those of Chávez, it was only recently that a filmmaker unearthed her legacy, showcasing it in the 2019 film “Adios Amor: The Search for Maria Moreno.”

The film tells how Moreno — a Dust Bowl migrant to California with a second-grade education — began speaking out against injustice in 1958. Having lived with her husband, four sons, and eight daughters in a 15-foot shack, she offered public testimony about how one son went blind from malnutrition. “I’ve been a worker all my life,” she told a government panel. “I know how to do a man’s job like a man and I’m not ashamed to say it. ... I’m talking you the truth, because the truth been hided.” The speech led to the reversal of a policy that denied food assistance to migrant workers.

A year later, Moreno was hired as a union organizer. Her outspokenness didn’t sit well with male bosses, who eventually fired her. She later headed into the Arizona desert with her young children, a move some interpreted as a retreat. But Moreno began a new life as an itinerant preacher, ministering to migrants from one town to the next. In that sense, labor historians have said, her organizing never stopped. It just fell out of the spotlight.

— This entry was written by Ashley Harrell, a journalist and guidebook author based in Humboldt County.

Today's California Sun: Oakland establishes where homeless can and can't camp, Quibi shuts down a mere six months after launch, and Lonely Planet names California's 10 greatest hikes.

Oakland establishes encampment zones // California's 10 greatest hikes

San Francisco is rewarded for drop-off in coronavirus cases.

State's community colleges get a "life-changing" donation.

And recalling a time when America saw California as paradise.

On Tuesday, Butte, Napa, and San Francisco counties advanced to more lenient categories in the state's reopening blueprint, allowing the freer exercise of business and public life. This means San Francisco has become the first major California urban center to move into the state's lowest tier for coronavirus infections. Shasta and Riverside counties, meanwhile, both regressed. Shasta supervisors responded by threatening to simply disregard the state's health orders. L.A. Times | KRCR | SFgate.com

Check your county's status. 👉 Covid19.ca.gov 

California's challenge: Holding the line as Covid-19 surges across the nation. Here's how the spread looked nationwide as of Tuesday. 

The top two Senate Democrats — Chuck Schumer and Dick Durbin — declined on Tuesday to say whether they had confidence in Sen. Dianne Feinstein. “I’ve had a long and serious talk with Senator Feinstein,” Schumer said. “That’s all I’m going to say about it right now.” Progressive groups demanded that Feinstein relinquish her role leading Democrats on a key committee after she praised Sen. Lindsey Graham's handling of the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett. CNN | Politico

California's attorney general sought a court order on Tuesday to force the California G.O.P. to divulge the names of every voter who used its unofficial ballot boxes, information he said was needed to ensure votes are counted. The party has refused. "We will stand up to this type of authoritarian bullying tactics," a spokesman said. A.P. | CalMatters

The family foundation of Hyatt Hotels founder Jay Pritzker pledged $100 million to California’s community colleges, the largest donation ever to a community college system in the country. The money will provide scholarships and emergency aid to students facing financial hardship. The system's chancellor, Eloy Ortiz Oakley, said the gift was "life-changing." EdSource

The Justice Department on Tuesday accused Google of abusing its dominance in online search and advertising to stifle competition and harm consumers. The lawsuit was described as the most aggressive U.S. legal challenge to a Silicon Valley giant in more than two decades, with the potential to remake the entire internet economy. Lawmakers from across the political spectrum praised the move. N.Y. Times | Washington Post

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a law making it illegal for someone to call 911 with a false, racially charged complaint. The Caution Against Racially and Exploitative Non-Emergencies bill, or Caren, is a play on the internet meme of “Karens,” used to describe an entitled white woman who uses the police to target people of color. Critics have complained that the name is itself a stereotype and unnecessarily divisive. S.F. Chronicle | A.P.

After her home burned in the 2017 Tubbs fire, a Santa Rosa woman ran out of money to finish a rebuild. So a local contractor volunteered to do the job — free of charge. “Why are we in business?” he said. “It’s not to make money. I mean, yes, we have to make a profit to stay in business. But our mission is to improve people's lives, and if what we’re doing is in keeping with that core value, the money will just happen.” Press Democrat

California issued protocols for reopening theme parks on Tuesday that, by one estimate, would keep Disneyland closed until next summer. Large parks won't be allowed to welcome guests until their home counties reach the lowest tier of the state's reopening plan. Calling the guidelines "arbitrary" and "unworkable," a Disneyland spokesman said they would prolong the unemployment of thousands of workers. Voice of OC | O.C. Register

“I’ve been watching videos of Disneyland parades on YouTube and crying.” Disneyland superfans are struggling. L.A. Times

Homicides in Los Angeles have generally followed a downward trend since 2002. This year is different. Police Chief Michel Moore predicted on Tuesday that the city would see more than 300 homicides this year, the most in more than a decade. He attributed the rising violence to the pandemic. “There are a lack of jobs," he said. "There is a lack of hope, in some instances, and a lot of time on people’s hands.” L.A. Times | L.A. Daily News

Announcing the findings of an investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board faulted the owners of a dive boat for a fire that left 34 people dead off the Channel Islands last year. The fire, which ignited where passengers charged their phones, could have been detected by a required night watchman, investigators said. In a chilling revelation, they said some of the recovered bodies were wearing shoes, suggesting they were awake and trying to escape before being overcome with smoke. L.A. Times | Washington Post

Right now, there are more sharks in the water off the coast of Southern California than in 10 years of record-keeping. That's according to researchers from the Shark Lab at Cal State Long Beach who tagged three times as many sharks this year as last. They aren't exactly sure why. The director of the lab, Chris Lowe, said the sharks have remained despite the dropping temperatures of fall. "Maybe 2020 is going to be a year-round shark season," he said. A.P.

"A dystopian basket case." "A failed state." "Unlivable." 

Appraisals of California in the national press these days are seldom subdued. But if observers today fetishize the failings of the world's fifth-largest economy, they once did the opposite — portraying California as a sort of Shangri-La made real.

In the post-war 1940s, California was an emblem of American optimism. Subdivisions filled the landscape as transplants and returning veterans sought a fresh start under the California sun.

In 1945, LIFE magazine dispatched the photographer Nina Leen to capture what it would describe as "the California way of life." The resulting photo essay depicted a land of warmth, beauty, and abundance, where people lived outdoors as much as indoors and dressed for comfort rather than "social elegance." 

“Californians," the magazine said, "have evolved a unique way of life which is physically the most comfortable and attractive way of life enjoyed in any region of the U.S."

Seventy-five years later, though the state's challenges have multiplied, many California residents would argue that LIFE's assessment still stands. 

Below, see a selection of Leen's pictures, and many more here. 👉 Google Arts & Culture 

Today's California Sun: San Francisco is rewarded for drop-off in coronavirus cases, state's community colleges get a "life-changing" donation, and recalling a time when America saw California as paradise.

San Francisco shows the way on Covid-19 // When America saw California as paradise

California to block Covid-19 vaccines until reviewed by state.

Top advisor to L.A. mayor is accused of sexual misconduct.

And a new book celebrates the stylish seniors of Chinatown.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Monday that California would block the distribution of any federally approved coronavirus vaccine until it had been reviewed by the state's own experts. Dr. Anthony Fauci has made assurances that vaccines approved by the Food and Drug Administration would be safe. But Newsom suggested that public trust had been too battered by politicization of the pandemic. "Of course, we don’t take anyone’s word for it," he said. A.P. | CalMatters

Roughly 80% of the American West is now experiencing drought conditions, according to the government’s U.S. Drought Monitor — and it's expected to get worse. In their winter outlook, forecasters at NOAA said a developing La Niña event in the Pacific Ocean means drought is likely to prevail or worsen between December and February. That raises the prospect of an extended fire season. Washington Post

In 2018, insurance companies refused to renew the policies of roughly 24,000 homeowners in California communities prone to wildfires. In 2019, the figure was 42,000. The retreat has raised the prospect of large swaths of the state, particularly in the Sierra, being rendered all but uninsurable. The state is working with the insurance industry on fire-proofing standards that might help restore the viability of the communities. Sacramento Bee | Press Democrat

Under California's gig worker law, theater companies face drastic increases in expenses as they turn actors, stagehands, costume makers, and others into employees. Arts professionals say it threatens to kill the state's rich landscape of community theaters, leaving just the major institutions behind. A group of theaters sent a letter to lawmakers in February expressing their concerns. They never heard back. S.F. Chronicle

The N.Y. Times has been publishing short obituaries as part of a project to put names and faces to the hundreds of thousands of people who have died from the coronavirus. A selection from recent weeks:

Fred Dean was a Hall of Famer who helped lift the 49ers to two Super Bowl wins in the 1980s. In his later years, he earned a master’s in theology and became a pastor. He was was 68.

Stuart Bowyer was an astronomer at UC Berkeley who turned the campus into a global hub in the search for extraterrestrial life. His former colleagues called him larger than life. He was 86.

Cathy Phanavong was an executive assistant in Los Angeles who loved feeding her friends. “We would have dinner parties two or three times a week,” her boyfriend said. She was 39. 

State Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democrat of San Francisco, on his experience after introducing a bill that was falsely characterized as legalizing pedophilia: "Before I became the center of a QAnon conspiracy theory, I followed the news about this internet cult with alarm, but also from afar. Then QAnon followers sent me over a thousand death threats." N.Y. Times

A bejeweled baseball cap. A necktie-plus-bow-tie combo. Patterns atop patterns atop patterns. 

The elderly community of San Francisco's Chinatown is an unlikely hub of sartorial swagger. A Bay Area photographer and writer began documenting the fashion choices of America's Chinatowns in 2014. Now they've released a book. Title: "Chinatown Pretty." BuzzFeed News | Hyperallergic

Outside magazine once named Nevada City as one of the country's greatest river towns. That's in part because of the amazing swimming holes along the South Yuba River, which carves a path through a granite gorge in the Sierra foothills. Fall brings an added delight: an explosion of yellows and oranges along the river banks. Outside

A nice roundup of the best South Yuba River swimming holes 👉 No Man Before 

In a first-person article, the journalist Yashar Ali accused Rick Jacobs, a top advisor to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, of sexual misconduct. Between 2005 and 2015, Ali said he attended a number of social functions at the advisor's home: "Jacobs would grab my face and kiss me on the lips — always twice — and he would turn to other people who witnessed it and say, ‘He has the softest lips.'" Garcetti knew about allegations against Jacobs and did nothing, Ali said. Yashar's Newsletter | L.A. Times 

In recent weeks, Los Angeles County has allowed the reopening of outdoor casino cardrooms, breweries, and indoor malls — but not the vast majority of schools. With thousands of students in crisis, school superintendents across the county are starting to speak out. “We all need to better understand how these choices are being made,” LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner said. L.A. Daily News

An official ballot drop box in Baldwin Park was damaged by fire and officials said it appeared that someone had ignited the blaze with a lit newspaper. Dozens of ballots were soaked by water or charred beyond recognition. Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn called it "an attack on our democracy." The FBI was asked to investigate. Fox 11 | L.A. Times

At the edge of Joshua Tree is a lone dwelling that seems to melt into the desert. Known as the Invisible House, it was designed to look like a New York skyscraper lying on its side. The walls function like the one-way mirror of an interrogation room, transparent from the inside and reflecting the surrounding landscape on the outside. The singer Demi Lovato did some social distancing there over the summer — for $2,500 a night. See pictures. 👉 dezeen  | Plain Magazine 

Today's California Sun: California to block Covid-19 vaccines until reviewed by state, top advisor to L.A. mayor is accused of sexual misconduct, and a new book celebrates the stylish seniors of Chinatown.

California to review Covid-19 vaccines // Stylish seniors of Chinatown

Violence against ICE detainees is perpetuated with impunity.

A Donald Trump rally in Newport Beach gets raucous.

And a compelling case for skateboarding as a fountain of youth.

Since 2017, police have received at least 265 calls about violence and abuse inside California’s ICE detention centers. Half the calls alleged sex crimes. In only three cases in which detainees said they were victimized did records show a suspect was charged. The L.A. Times investigated the level of safety in California's ICE facilities. "What emerged is a picture of a system in which violence can be perpetuated against detainees with impunity." L.A. Times

Repeal affirmative action ban: 5 Yeses, 2 Noes

Let gig companies classify workers as contractors: 4 Yeses, 3 Noes

A pair of Southern California college students, Zade Kaylani and Mandy Tapfer, wanted to create a simple and impartial guide to the 12 statewide ballot propositions. The result is this great scorecard of recommendations by California newspapers and other groups. 👉 CaPropositions.guide 

It’s been described as a “glowing pillar of fire” and a “psychedelic asparagus.” Native to the upper Sierra, the snow plant adds flashes of crimson to a canvas of dull fallen pine needles in early spring. Its vibrant color results from a lack of chlorophyll, the green stuff other plants use to convert sunlight into food. The snow plant instead draws sustenance from a web of fungi that lives beneath conifer forests. Technically, that makes it a parasite. But the designation neglects the snow plant’s crucial role in feeding woodland creatures. One of nature’s greatest shows, according to the naturalist Erik Westerlund, is a hummingbird darting among the snow plant's brilliant red petals. Botany.org | US Forest Service

Here's a fascinating introduction to Yosemite’s snow plants, including footage of those feeding hummingbirds. 👉 YouTube (7:30 mins) 

In early June, four National Guard spy planes took to the skies over American cities to monitor street protests after the killing of George Floyd. One, strangely, was sent to the sleepy Sacramento suburb of El Dorado Hills, where demonstrations were completely peaceful. The city happens to be the home of the head of the California National Guard, Maj. Gen. David S. Baldwin. Asked about the deployment, a spokesman for the governor called it "concerning." L.A. Times | A.P. 

Immigrant workers in California's wine country were already struggling in the shadow of the pandemic. Now that wildfires have decimated the annual grape harvest, thousands of laborers in the country illegally are struggling to survive with no access to food stamps or unemployment checks. “We have never seen this kind of crisis," one immigrant said. "In all the years we’ve lived here, we’ve never seen this before, where there’s no work." Press Democrat

After a massive wildfire tore through the Santa Cruz Mountains in August and September, residents of the area are now bracing for winter storms to trigger mudslides. Experts say it's a matter of when, not if, the desiccated slopes give way to debris flows. Some residents are choosing to change towns rather than risk it. S.F. Chronicle 

See a map depicting mudslide probabilities. 👉 USGS 

Shoplifting has gotten so bad in parts of San Francisco that some neighborhood stores can't stay open. A Walgreens announced it would close in November after having its shelves repeatedly cleaned out by, as one clerk put it, "people in the alleys." It's the seventh Walgreens to close in the city since 2019. S.F. Chronicle

President Trump popped into Newport Beach to raise money for his cash-strapped campaign, speaking to supporters who paid up to $150,000 per couple for the privilege. “Everyone assumes he’s going to go to battleground states," a former state G.O.P. official said. "No one really thinks about how Orange County, California, is an ATM machine." L.A. Times | O.C. Register

MAGA hats, country music, and shouts of "Fake news!" A Trump rally celebrating his visit got raucous. L.A. Times | L.A. Daily News

Compton is the latest city to experiment with universal basic income. Later this year, 800 residents will start getting free cash for a two-year period. Few details have been divulged, but randomly selected families are expected to get at least a few hundred dollars a month drawn from private funds. A similar program in Stockton has been life-changing. L.A. Times

San Diego is trying to reopen its public schools, but many teachers are refusing to return. A union leader said she had talked to between 25 and 30 elementary school principals. “At least half of the principals I’ve talked to said they maybe have one teacher or zero coming back,” she said. Voice of San Diego

With an NBA championship under its belt, Los Angeles is now headed to the World Series. The Dodgers, once trailing 3-1 in the National League Championship series, completed an epic comeback against the Atlanta Braves in Game 7 Sunday night. They now face the Tampa Bay Rays starting Tuesday, hoping to end a championship drought of more than three decades. L.A. Times | ESPN

In the 1990s, when skateboarding moved firmly into the streets, its young practitioners developed a rebel image. Now those kids are middle-aged — and many of them are still skating. A few years ago, the Long Beach filmmaker Ricki Bedenbaugh made a hypnotic little film showing skaters in their 40s cruising along the streets of Southern California and beyond. It makes a compelling case for skateboarding as a fountain of youth. Vimeo (~4 mins)

Today's California Sun: Violence against ICE detainees is perpetuated with impunity, a Donald Trump rally in Newport Beach gets raucous, and a compelling case for skateboarding as a fountain of youth.

Unpunished abuses in ICE custody // Skateboarding as fountain of youth

Trump administration blocks wildfire relief to California.

Dianne Feinstein's hug of Lindsey Graham angers critics.

And San Francisco committee pushes renaming of 44 schools.

The Trump administration has rejected California's request for federal disaster relief after a series of major wildfires. No reason was given. In the past, President Trump has threatened to withhold aid until California thins its forests. A former administration official has said Trump resisted helping California because "politically it wasn’t a base for him.” L.A. Times | Sacramento Bee

Liberal activists wanted fire from Sen. Dianne Feinstein during the Supreme Court confirmation hearings this week. Instead, she gave them collegiality. Particularly galling to Feinstein's critics were her closing remarks on Thursday. “This has been one of the best set of hearings that I’ve participated in,” she told Sen. Lindsey Graham. She added: "Thank you for your leadership." Then she gave him a hug. S.F. Chronicle | The Hill

Several publications are now calling it: America is in the grip of a third coronavirus surge. Cases are worsening in most states, with the geography of the pandemic shifting to the Midwest and rural areas. While California's activity has remained muted, this depiction of the nation's surging infections offers a powerful reminder of how easily that could change. 👉 @ByMikeBaker 

Two people on Sen. Kamala Harris's campaign plane tested positive, upending her travel plans in the final weeks before Election Day. L.A. Times | S.F. Chronicle

On this week's California Sun Podcast, host Jeff Schechtman talks with the author Kendra Atleework. Her memoir “Miracle Country” tells her story of growing up in a small town in the Owens Valley, a personal narrative that she interweaves with the history of two calamities: the robbing of the region from the Paiutes and the taking of the water supply by Los Angeles. Critics have called the work “gorgeous” and “magical.” 

A San Francisco school board committee has recommended changing the names of a third of the city's public schools, saying they have connections to slavery, genocide, or oppression. Among the names deemed offensive: Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Paul Revere, John Muir, and Dianne Feinstein. Outraged, many alumni are gearing up to fight. S.F. Chronicle

As a guest on the popular Freakonomics podcast, Mayor London Breed addressed San Francisco's failure to add enough affordable housing: “San Francisco has a very, very extremely left group of people on the Board of Supervisors. And I think, in some instances, their focus is to not necessarily do what’s best for people in San Francisco, but do what’s best to stay in the good graces of this whole lefty movement.” The Real Deal | SF Weekly

UC Davis is establishing a four-year degree program for students with intellectual disabilities, the first of its kind in California. A director of the program, which is slated to begin next fall, noted that most adults with intellectual disabilities live in poverty. “This is a chance for them to go on to make a living wage, to live an authentic life of true freedom,” she said. Davis Enterprise | UC Davis

In 1865, the steamer Brother Jonathan was carrying a shipment of gold from San Francisco to Portland when it slammed into the rocks off the coast of Crescent City. Of 244 people aboard, just 19 survived. It was the worst shipwreck the Pacific Coast had ever seen and gave rise to perhaps California's most foreboding and desolate lighthouse. 

Built in the 1880s on volcanic rock 8 miles from shore, the lighthouse at St. George Reef was a lighthouse keeper's most dreaded assignment. Over the years, the swirling seas pulled several of them under the water. Others suffered mental breakdowns. The lighthouse was finally decommissioned in 1975, replaced by an illuminated buoy. But the old tower still stands, a sort of gravestone for the lives lost below. LighthouseFriends.com | Atlas Obscura

When Los Angeles police officers fired projectiles at fans celebrating the Lakers' championship win Sunday, one man lost eight teeth and another man's eyeball "exploded." Officials have defended the projectiles as effective in controlling crowds. They've also claimed they don't penetrate the skin. But the eye surgeon who treated the blinded man said the damage was devastating. “These things should not be legal," he said. L.A. Times

A statue of former Gov. Pete Wilson was removed by its owner from a sidewalk in downtown San Diego after protesters called it an insult to Latino and gay communities. Wilson was a champion of Proposition 187, which sought to end essential services to unauthorized immigrants in 1994. Wilson's law partner criticized the statue removal: "Our country, our society cannot be ruled by the threat of intimidation and violence." S.D. Union-Tribune | NBC San Diego

In the early 1970s, singer David Lee Roth and guitarist Eddie Van Halen were high school kids in Pasadena. They were a perfect pairing, Roth said years later: “desperate people seeking desperate fortune — with a smile.” Their band thrived in Pasadena's backyard party scene, drawing thousands of kids on weekends. Here's a great read on how Van Halen, the son of blue-collar immigrants, and Roth, the son of a doctor, joined forces and remade rock. 👉 L.A. Times 

A treehouse above a vineyard in Monterey Bay. Lakeside cabins in the Trinity Alps. Botswanan safari tents in the Mayacamas Mountains. Here's a promising list of the 27 best glamping destinations in California. 👉 This Life of Travel 

Humboldt County was named for an 18th-century Prussian naturalist. Calaveras County got its name from the bones of Native Americans found along a river. Here's a fascinating map depicting the name origins of California counties. 👉 imgur 

While a college student in the 1970s, Mike Mandel took a series of selfies with strangers around Los Angeles. In a time of lockdown, looking at them is an exercise in nostalgia for when interactions between strangers could be guileless. New Yorker

In 2008, Chris Willson responded to an unusual Craigslist ad offering up a cruise ship. Today, he lives with his girlfriend, cat, and dog aboard a 293-foot luxury liner in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. S.F. Chronicle

In the fall, the combination of hot weather, high winds, and a spark can trigger a catastrophe. ProPublica created maps visualizing how these fall fire-weather days are expected to increase over time. 

Today's California Sun: Trump administration blocks wildfire relief to California, Dianne Feinstein's hug of Lindsey Graham angers critics, and San Francisco committee pushes renaming of 44 schools.

Trump administration blocks wildfire relief // Push to change S.F. school names

Early voting surge suggests enthusiasm among Democrats.

Social media giants faulted for handling of Joe Biden story.

And a home in Montecito is recognized as a masterwork.

Election Day is less than three weeks away, but more than 1.5 million Californians have already voted. At this time in 2016, the figure was roughly 150,000. The enormous wave of votes, echoed nationwide, suggests that Americans are especially engaged in the contentious presidential race. An analysis of early votes cast in a handful of states found that registered Democrats outnumbered Republicans roughly 2 to 1. CBS SF | Washington Post

The columnist Farhad Manjoo is fed up with the unfairness of the Electoral College in California: "The system is corrosive. We are told by everyone, everywhere, that voting is the path toward a better country, but in every election, we are shown that some votes matter much more than others, and that we should all just live with it, because smart people a long time ago decided it should be so." N.Y. Times

The California Republican Party said the number of unauthorized ballot drop boxes that it placed around the state is far higher than previously reported. Hector Barajas, a spokesman, declined to offer specifics, but said a report of "as many as 100" was far too low. A legal showdown appeared imminent: state officials threatened to prosecute and party leaders vowed to fight in court. O.C. Register | A.P.

In the fall — after summer has dried out California's trees and shrubs — the combination of hot weather, high winds, and a spark can trigger a catastrophe. ProPublica created maps visualizing how these fall fire weather days are expected to increase over time, with red depicting danger. Northern California, the Sierra Nevada, and the corridor from Los Angeles to San Diego are bathed in deep hues. 

Twitter and Facebook faced intense blowback after restricting a New York Post article that cited unverified material from Trump allies to accuse Joe Biden of shady dealings in Ukraine. The move against a mainstream newspaper was described as unprecedented and prompted howls of protest from Republican lawmakers. Still, a cybersecurity expert said concerns about disinformation so close to an election were warranted. Social media companies are “doing the right thing by being cautious here," he said. The Guardian | Wall Street Journal

Hakeem Brown has been a frontrunner in the race for Vallejo mayor. While investigating his past, a local news site discovered he had a history of violence against women and asked him about it. He threatened to sue for libel, then acknowledged that he was arrested once for “a scuffle with a domestic partner.” But it was much worse than that, court records and interviews showed. In one case, he repeatedly punched his pregnant wife, including twice in the stomach, she said. Open Vallejo

San Francisco Zoo officials said on Wednesday that Maki, a 21-year-old male ring-tailed lemur, had gone missing. Police were investigating the disappearance as a possible burglary. "We understand that lemurs are adorable animals," a zoo official said, "but Maki is a highly endangered animal that requires special care." KGO | S.F. Examiner 

There's a county park near Lake Berryessa where peacocks are legion. Their forebears were introduced by a landowner in the 1950s to control rattlesnakes, then kept on as an attraction for visitors. The birds, shimmering with blues and greens, are stunning to behold — but very strange. They are endlessly fascinated by their reflections in the bumpers and hub caps of parked cars, repeatedly pecking at the mysterious rivals that mimic their movements.

A peacock-bumper battle over the summer. 👉 YouTube (50 secs) 

The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to reimagine its approach to public safety by forming an unarmed crisis team to respond to nonviolent 911 calls. The move was prompted by the summer of criminal justice protests. "Calling the police on George Floyd about an alleged counterfeit $20 bill ended his life," one lawmaker said. He added: "This plan will save lives." KABC | CBSLA

The Drug Enforcement Administration announced the largest domestic seizure of methamphetamine in its history: roughly 2,224 pounds found at two locations in Riverside County. That bust was followed by an even larger one a week later at Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego. “These two seizures are more than enough to provide a dose of meth for every man, woman, and child in the United States and Mexico,” a DEA official said. A.P. | CBSLA

There was another report of a man flying in a jet pack in the skies near Los Angeles International Airport. Six weeks after an earlier sighting, a China Airlines crew reported seeing a solo flier at roughly 6,500 feet. The sightings are perplexing, given that jet packs typically are not equipped to fly very long or so high. The FBI is investigating. L.A. Times | N.Y. Times

“It’s just an absolute magical place.”

A new architecture book catalogues the 50 most important American homes since 1900. Among the California entries is the personal residence of the architect Barton Myers. The glass-and-steel compound, set on 39 acres in Montecito, has breathtaking views of the Pacific to the south and the mountains to the north. It's currently on the market. Asking: $8.2 million. Dwell | Architectural Digest

Today's California Sun: Early voting surge suggests enthusiasm among Democrats, social media giants faulted for handling of Joe Biden story, and a home in Montecito is recognized as a masterwork.

Giant surge of early voting // "Magical" home in Montecito

PG&E expects to cut power to 54,000 customers today.

The tragic life of San Francisco's most unlikely distance runner.

And recalling lost pleasures in photos from 1970s Los Angeles.

California’s Republican Party agreed to remove deceptive "official" labels from ballot drop boxes that it placed around the state. But party officials also said they may add more of the containers despite being told by state election officials that they are illegal. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said if the boxes weren't removed by Thursday, he would prosecute. President Trump weighed in, tweeting: "Fight hard Republicans!" Politico | A.P.

California's rate of new infections per capita is now lower than all but five states. Improving numbers allowed 10 more counties on Tuesday to move to looser tiers in the state's reopening plan. Mercury News | A.P.

An exception is Shasta County, which has the highest rate of new cases in the state. Officials said infections had doubled at a local faith-healing ministry, even as a church leader spoke out against masks. KRCR

Kids are allowed to go trick-or-treating this year, local rules permitting. But it's a bad idea, state health officials said. S.F. Chronicle | L.A. Times

A 370-pound black bear's paws were so burned during a wildfire in the Northern Sierra that he was unable to walk. State wildlife officials brought the animal to a veterinary facility near Sacramento where he was cleaned, treated, and even fattened up before being cleared for release last week. 

Here he is tearing back into the forest. 👇

— Humboldt County was named for an 18th-century Prussian naturalist who formulated the idea of ecosystems.

— Calaveras County got its name from the bones of Native Americans found along a river. Calaveras means skulls.

— Orange County was named for its oranges, which are native to tropical Asia. Hence its word origin from the Sanskrit naranga.

A hobbyist made this fascinating map depicting the name origins of California counties. 👉 imgur 

PG&E said it expected to begin cutting power to roughly 54,000 homes and business for 48 hours starting Wednesday evening as forecasts called for fierce, dry winds across Northern California. Cal Fire said 14 major fires were still burning across the state, with no end to the dry season in sight. Sacramento Bee | Washington Post

PG&E power outage maps. 👉 S.F. Chronicle  | PG&E 

Fresno Police Chief Andy Hall on the frustration level among officers amid rising crime and calls to defund the police: “I think a lot of officers see a vehicle that may be full of gang members and turn around because it is easier and they get paid the exact same.” KGPE 

San Francisco's Lowell High School, one of the best public high schools in the country, accepts students based on grades and test scores. But school officials have proposed shifting to lottery admissions, citing the difficulty of assessing classwork during the pandemic. The move would be temporary but some want to make it permanent as a way to increase diversity. Families of kids who have been working hard to get into Lowell are furious. SFGate.com | KGO

"I'm just running and I'm just running. I might run for maybe two hours, and I'm a free person for those two hours."

Ronnie Goodman was San Francisco's most unlikely distance runner. He came to public notice in 2014 after running the San Francisco Half Marathon while homeless. His reputation as an artist blossomed, and his work was included in an exhibition at New York City's Museum of Modern Art in September. But Goodman didn't get to see it. He died in the ragged tent that was his home in the Mission District in August. The apparent cause was complications of drug addiction. He was 60. Hyperallergic

Here's a moving film about why Goodman ran. 👉 Vimeo (~2:45 mins) 

For decades a battery recycler in southeast Los Angeles County operated a smelter that spewed lead, arsenic, and cadmium into the surrounding working-class community. One study found that nearby children had twice as much lead in their baby teeth as other kids. Now the company is broke and the Trump administration has agreed to let it walk away. That means California taxpayers would have to pay the massive cost of the state’s largest environmental cleanup. L.A. Times | L.A. Daily News

Settling a class-action lawsuit, Los Angeles County agreed to pay $14 million to thousands of people who were held in jail beyond their release dates at the request of immigration officials in the Obama administration. The ACLU said the payout should serve as a warning to police departments that "blindly comply with ICE’s requests that are patently unlawful." A.P. | L.A. Times

Scientists at the San Diego Zoo used skin cells that had been frozen for 40 years to clone a critically endangered horse. It's the first time anyone has successfully cloned a Przewalski’s horse, which is extinct in the wild. The healthy newborn, named Kurt, represents hope for the species, scientists said. S.D. Union-Tribune

While a philosophy student at Cal State Northridge in the 1970s, Mike Mandel took a series of selfies with strangers around Los Angeles. In a time of lockdown, looking at them is an exercise in nostalgia for when interactions between strangers could be guileless, wrote the author Emma Cline. "Mandel’s photographs have so much of the lost pleasure of living in a city in them, of participating in the random crisscrossing of humanity, of disparate selves united even briefly in time and place." 

See 19 images from the collection. 👉 New Yorker 

Today's California Sun: PG&E expects to cut power to 54,000 customers today, the tragic life of San Francisco's most unlikely distance runner, and recalling lost pleasures in photos from 1970s Los Angeles.

San Francisco's most unlikely distance runner // Lost pleasures of 1970s L.A.

State Republicans defend use of unauthorized ballot boxes.

Rising doubts over whether Napa Valley wine can survive.

And experts offer a dose of optimism on pandemic's end.

The California Republican Party acknowledged that it placed more than 50 ballot boxes — some deceptively labeled "official" — at churches, gas stations, and gun stores around the state. State officials declared them illegal and threatened criminal prosecution. But Republican leaders were defiant, arguing that the boxes were permissible as a form of ballot harvesting, the legal practice of collecting mail-in ballots from voters and dropping them off at polling places. “Democrats only seem to object to ballot harvesting when someone else does it," the state's G.O.P. spokesman said. A.P. | L.A. Times | S.F. Chronicle

California’s coronavirus positivity rate — 2.6% as of Saturday — is lower than ever, and its number of hospitalizations — 2,209 — is the lowest in more than six months. Still, health officials are worried about a rebound during the holiday season. So they issued new guidelines: Outdoor gatherings of up to three households are fine. Indoor gatherings remain strongly discouraged. L.A. Times | Mercury News

Today's California Sun: State Republicans defend use of unauthorized ballot boxes, rising doubts over whether Napa Valley wine can survive, and experts offer a dose of optimism on pandemic's end.

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