Newsletter
The California Sun gathers all the must-read stories about California in one place.
Good morning. It’s Tuesday, Nov. 10.
- Lawmakers want answers on Jensen Huang sex scandal.
- An ideological shift on Inland Empire school boards.
- And sand artists carve elaborate designs in Pismo Beach.
Statewide
1.
The number of Indian roadside eateries has more than tripled along U.S. highways since 2023, now numbering more than 150, according to the tracker Dhabaroute. The surge in dhabas, as they’re called in Punjabi, has been attributed to President Trump’s crackdown on migrant truckers, which cost more than 13,000 people their licenses in California. Karanveer Singh was among those who pivoted to food trucks, tapping his life savings to open Ghar Di Roti off Highway 99 in Merced County. It’s doing brisk business. “I won’t go back” to driving, he said. L.A. Times
2.
Randy Villegas, a progressive Democrat, defeated Republican Rep. David Valadao in a San Joaquin Valley district that has been dominated by Republicans for two decades. The result didn’t shock pollsters; the margin did. With votes still being counted, Villegas is holding a lead of roughly 30 percentage points. Paul Mitchell, an election consultant, helped gerrymander the district map last year. “We drew the district to be three points more effective for Democrats,” he said. “I was off by a factor of 12.” The L.A. Times explored what led so many valley voters to go blue.
3.
Other election developments:
- The Associated Press on Monday determined that voters had rejected California’s proposed billionaire tax, a striking defeat in an election defined by Democratic victories. Labor leaders called it a mere setback. “This is just round one,” one said. S.F. Chronicle | CalMatters
- Rep. Ken Calvert defeated Rep. Young Kim in a rare intraparty contest. The Republicans ended up in the same district, spanning Orange and Riverside counties, after Democrats redrew congressional boundaries. The candidates responded by accusing each other of being insufficiently MAGA. L.A. Times | Politico
- For years under Trump presidencies, California has adopted the role of America’s rebel state. With so many Democratic victories across the map, the state’s focus could shift inward, Politico reported. “California may now be entering its low-key era.”
4.
A dozen sand artists gathered in Pismo Beach on Saturday to create massive geometric designs along the shore. Sand artists use rakes, brooms, and other tools to create their designs, knowing that before long the rising tide will erase them. Their fleeting nature is part the appeal, they say, evoking ideas of healing and inevitable change. The San Luis Obispo Tribune published a nice series of photos.
Northern California
5.
“This is a serious national security issue.”
Jensen Huang’s sex life has proven to have global market-shaking significance. Revelations that the 63-year-old Nvidia leader had an affair with a Chinese spy has led analysts to warn of risks to the entire artificial intelligence industry and prompted congressional lawmakers from both parties to demand answers. An interviewer asked Stephen Witt, the author of a book on Nvidia, what it all means for the most powerful company in AI. He answered dryly: “If the C.E.O. is sleeping with spies, that’s generally regarded as bad.” Bloomberg | Wall Street Journal | Politico
6.
Brian Chesky, a co-founder of Airbnb, said on Monday that he is donating $100 million to San Francisco parks in what officials called the largest contribution the city has ever received from a single donor. Chesky, who is worth about $13 billion, said he felt compelled to give back because he owes much of his success to “the magic that is San Francisco — the community, the incredible people here.” The leader of the parks department described the gift as “game-changing.” S.F. Chronicle
7.
Roughly a dozen fistfights broke out inside and outside the stadium as the San Francisco 49ers hosted the Las Vegas Raiders in Santa Clara on Sunday, leading to 11 arrests and 45 ejections, authorities said. In one disturbing video that spread widely online, attackers repeatedly punched and kicked two men who were already knocked unconscious on the parking lot ground. Ann Killion, a sports columnist, called the violence a sad reminder of sports’ ugly underbelly. S.F. Chronicle | SFGATE
8.
“When Weiwei Luo saw the report card saying her son needed to work on ‘cooperating with others,’ the Silicon Valley mom demanded it be changed. When the school district declined, she called her lawyer.”
In Silicon Valley, the Wall Street Journal reports, it’s become increasingly common for parents to sue schools because their children get bad grades.
9.
In 1971, a group of young people founded a commune along the Mendocino coast called Salmon Creek Farm. They built their own cabins, grew their own food, and resisted the Vietnam War. It was one of many such communes across Northern California, but “nothing has been kept alive like [Salmon Creek],” said Tom Wodetzki, 84, an original member who goes by the name Moonlight and now lives next door. Salmon Creek now operates as an art commune. The New York Times Style Magazine joined them for a recent afternoon meal under the redwoods.
- Wallpaper* showcased the architecture of “California’s ultimate creative retreat.”
10.
A slice of Maine along the Mendocino coast.
An English market town along the Eel River.
A scene out of rural France in the Sierra foothills.
In California, a melting pot of immigrants, many communities still reflect the character of the 19th-century migrants who settled them. Active NorCal highlighted eight Northern California towns that will make you double-check which state you’re in.
Southern California
11.
Inland Empire school boards became a hub of the country’s culture wars during the tumultuous years of the pandemic. But the blue wave of the midterm elections appears to have tilted the ideological balance on at least four boards. As of Monday, vote totals showed Christian conservative candidates trailing in Chino, Temecula, Hemet, and Redlands. If the trends hold, wrote the Press-Enterprise, the shift in local governance would be “seismic.”
12.
Police are investigating after 27 runners in the Santa Barbara Half Marathon ended up at the hospital on Sunday. The temperature reached 80 degrees by 10 a.m. on Sunday, and race organizers said any illness was likely attributable to heat or dehydration. But the authorities described the symptoms as “unusual.” A runner told KEYT that they lost consciousness for nearly an hour. “It is awfully suspicious,” the runner said. “We had people saying they were hallucinating.” KTLA | CBS LA
Get your California Sun T-shirts, phone cases, hoodies, hats, and totes!
The California Sun, PO Box 6868, Los Osos, CA 93412