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

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Washington Post: "A huge shift symbolically and practically for pandemic-weary Americans"

L.A. Times: "A profound sign of America’s progress against Covid-19"

N.Y. Times "The clearest sign yet that the pandemic might be nearing an end in the United States"

Newspapers were effusive in characterizing the significance of the CDC's recommendation Thursday that Americans could stop wearing masks in most settings if fully vaccinated. Caught off guard, California officials noted that state and local governments still had final say over their rules. The state's public health agency said it was reviewing the CDC's advice. Dr. Barbara Ferrer, public health director for Los Angeles County, warned that it would be unwise to "jump the gun." Marin County's public health officer, Dr. Matt Willis, went further: “I think this is early,” he said. S.F. Chronicle | A.P. | L.A. Times

Axios on the fight against the coronavirus: "It’s just really good news. We’re winning. Be happy."

An investigation found that seven Apple suppliers may have used forced labor of Uyghur Muslims and other persecuted groups in China. Apple has insisted that it hasn't found forced labor in its supply chain. But The Information, working with human rights groups, found that one of its factories is next to a detention center with no other way in or out. The Information | The Verge

Alpine County, California's least populous county, has no movie theaters, malls, or McDonald's. But it's overflowing with natural beauty. Along the eastern slope of the Sierra is Hope Valley, a broad forested bowl with a turquoise lake ringed by mountain peaks. The place to stay, regulars say, is Wylder, a nearly 100-year-old resort with yurts, cabins, and campgrounds nestled among aspens and a rolling river. Cocktails are served on a large outdoor patio. Wylder reopened after a renovation last summer. Travel+Leisure recently named it among the best new hotels in the world.

In 1958, the Chronicle described a neighborhood in the middle of San Francisco as "a spectacular bit of nothing," a place where cows grazed and steep slopes kept developers at bay. It was there, in what became known as Diamond Heights, that the architect Joseph Eichler was invited to build 100 tract homes. Eichler's iconic midcentury modern designs helped to define suburban Los Angeles and San Francisco. Intended as starter homes, they now set off bidding wars among the tech rich. Curbed has a look back at how a rare Eichler outpost emerged in the middle of San Francisco.

In 2011, Desert Hot Springs had "$400 in the bank." The city froze salaries, cut programs, and considered filing for bankruptcy. Then it went all-in on cannabis, becoming the first city in Southern California to allow large-scale medical cannabis cultivation. The once sleepy retirement community has now transformed into a marijuana boomtown. It built a new City Hall, library, and roads. Of 29,000 residents, 2,300 work in the pot industry. "It's fun times right now to be the mayor," said Mayor Scott Matas. NBC News

"California is one of the best places to mountain bike, not just in North America, but in the world."

KC Deane, a professional mountain biker, created a short film that showcases California's most epic mountain biking trails. In it, he rips through Dumont Dunes, the Alabama Hills, and Montaña de Oro. It's enough to make you want to take up the hobby. Visit California

Santa Rosa Island is a bit farther off the Southern California coast than its Channel Island siblings, Catalina and Santa Cruz. As a result, it gets fewer visitors. But people don't know what they're missing, according to the outdoors columnist Tom Stienstra, who ranked Santa Rosa as among the 10 most beautiful camping destinations in the state.

This collection of photos from Santa Rosa Island will give you a serious case of wanderlust:  JosiahQRoe.com

A few items shared in the newsletter this week.

Sunday sampler: Health officials ponder CDC mask recommendations // Glorious camping destination

California says it is studying CDC recommendation on masks. 

Governor wields massive surplus as recall fight simmers.

And one of California's most beautiful camping destinations.

N.Y. Times  "The clearest sign yet that the pandemic might be nearing an end in the United States"

Rather than unveil his proposed budget in one major speech, Gov. Gavin Newsom has made news every day this week by unveiling planks one by one — $600 stimulus checks, $12 billion to fight homelessness, transitional kindergarten for all, $25,000 grants for small businesses. The rollout, some critics say, has the appearance of a governor milking a massive budget surplus for political benefit. “Politics is about 90% timing," a political science professor noted, "and the timing here is beautiful if you’re the incumbent who’s facing a recall.” Bloomberg | S.F. Chronicle

The Atlantic's Ronald Brownstein: "California's recall law was designed to curb the influence of special interests. But it's transformed into a weapon of partisan warfare."

Last week, California adjusted the rules for earning good behavior credits in prison, giving 76,000 inmates, including violent and repeat felons, the chance to go free earlier. The goal, officials said, is to create safer prisons and reduce inmate populations. On Thursday, roughly two-thirds of California's top county prosecutors petitioned to halt what they described as a "drastic" change that would create "a serious public safety risk.” A.P. | Sacramento Bee

Wild horses and burros are commonly regarded as nuisances in the American West, but new research revealed one way that the nonnative species enhance ecosystems. Cameras positioned in the desert recorded the animals digging more than six feet deep to reach groundwater, creating inadvertent oases: Some 57 different species — including raptors, badgers, and bighorn sheep — came to the wells to drink. National Geographic

California’s new attorney general, Rob Bonta, said his office would review the fatal shooting by Vallejo police last June of 22-year-old Sean Monterrosa, who police said they initially thought had a gun. It was actually a hammer. Bonta sharply criticized the Solano County district attorney, Krishna Abrams, saying she "unilaterally abdicated" her duty to look into the case. Abrams lashed back, accusing the attorney general of “playing politics with one of the most critical and divisive issues in our communities today — officer-involved fatalities.” A.P. | S.F. Chronicle

"They were just purely random attacks of defenseless people.”

Prosecutors charged a tree trimmer in rural Northern California with serial throat slashings that left three people dead. Ryan Scott Blinston, 37, of Oroville, returned to the homes of tree-trimming clients after completing work and attacked the residents, authorities said on Thursday. Several victims were elderly. A SWAT team tracked Blinston to a remote area near Oroville, where, officials said, he had just cut the throat of a man inside a motorhome. The officers' arrival likely saved the victim's life, they said. A.P. | Daily Beast

At 1,070 feet, San Francisco's Salesforce tower is the second tallest skyscraper in the West, after L.A.'s Wilshire Grand Center. The Chronicle photographer Jessica Christian captured an oddly satisfying video from street level this week as the tower sliced through the rushing fog. 👉 @jachristian 

"How much for all your tamales?" "$68?" "I'm going to give you $1,000. And I don't want to keep any of the tamales."

Jesus Morales, a 24-year-old son of Mexican immigrants, raises money from his TikTok followers, then hands it out to random street vendors around Los Angeles. He's given away more than $90,000. CalMatters called him the "TikTok angel of street vendors."

Santa Rosa Island is a bit farther off the Southern California coast than its Channel Island siblings, Catalina and Santa Cruz. As a result, it gets fewer visitors. But people don't know what they're missing, according to the outdoors columnist Tom Stienstra, who ranked Santa Rosa as among the 10 most beautiful camping destinations in the state. 

This collection of photos from Santa Rosa Island will give you a serious case of wanderlust. 👉 JosiahQRoe.com 

On this week's California Sun Podcast, host Jeff Schechtman talks with Joel Selvin, a music journalist and author of the new book “Hollywood Eden.” He talked about how teenagers in West Los Angeles in the 1950s became "the first rock 'n' roll high school class." They started tuning in to Black radio stations that played doo-wop, a precursor to rock, Selvin said. "There was something in this music that resonated for these young white people, something that had a secret message, something that told them, yes, their life was under restrictions even though they couldn't see them."

The bark of one of California's biggest sequoias was once displayed in the shape of a tree for the amusement of Londoners.

Fortune seekers lured to California by the Gold Rush discovered another opportunity in the grandeur of the Sierra's ancient redwoods. In 1854, they peeled 90 tons of the shaggy bark from a 2,500-year-old specimen known as "Mother of the Forest" and shipped it off to New York. A few years later, the bark made its way to London, where it was reassembled in its original shape and displayed at the Crystal Palace exhibition hall for nearly a decade. Back in California, the Mother of the Forest slowly died. A British travel writer compared the flayed tree to Saint Sebastian, the Christian martyr tied to a post and shot with arrows. In time, the butchering of the world's mightiest trees for mere amusement fell increasingly into disrepute, helping to stir the consciousness that propelled the American conservation movement.

Atlas Obscura: "When Giant Sequoias Were Sacrificed for Traveling Sideshows."

Five items that got big views over the past week:

Alpine County has no movie theaters, malls, or McDonald's. But it's overflowing with natural beauty. The place to stay, regulars say, is Wylder Hope Valley, a nearly 100-year-old resort with yurts, cabins, and campgrounds nestled among aspens and a rolling river. Travel+Leisure recently named it among the best new hotels in the world.

KC Deane, a professional mountain biker, created a short film that showcases California's most epic mountain biking trails. In it, he rips through Dumont Dunes, the Alabama Hills, and Montaña de Oro. It's enough to make you want to take up the hobby. 👉 YouTube (4:45 mins) 

It’s unclear whether there has been a single confirmed coronavirus case in Slab City. Yet the pandemic has still reverberated in the community of oddballs and squatters in the Sonoran Desert, severing its already tenuous link to the outside world. L.A. Times 

Mitchell Landsberg, an L.A. Times writer, recounted how the 1918 pandemic shaped his Sacramento family, creating secrets and mysteries that endured long after his childhood days were gone. It's a beautiful and tragic story. L.A. Times

In 2019, PG&E announced a multibillion dollar settlement deal to resolve claims associated with several Northern California wildfires. An investigation has now found that the Fire Victim Trust established to compensate survivors spent 90% of its fund on overhead in its first year of operation. KQED

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Today's California Sun: California says it is studying CDC recommendation on masks, governor wields massive surplus as recall fight simmers, and one of California's most beautiful camping destinations.

Stage set for looser mask rules // Glorious camping destination

Kamala Harris supports border closure she once denounced.

Fires linked to Los Angeles' homeless triple in three years.

And the brilliant starry skies of Julian win recognition. 

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a plan to expand transitional kindergarten, currently available to about a third of 4-year-olds, to all students by the 2024 school year. The proposal is part of a multibillion-dollar education package that would also set up a college savings account for every low-income child entering public schools and expand summer and after-school programs. “We are looking to transform — not go back to where we were — but transform our education system,” Newsom said. EdSource | L.A. Times

Championed by former Gov. Jerry Brown, California's exclusively online community college, named Calbright, opened in 2019. Taxpayers provided an initial investment of $100 million for what seemed like a worthwhile mission: to retrain workers forced from their jobs by automation. Now the early results are in: Of 904 students, 384 dropped out, and just 12 graduated in the first year. Calbright executives, meanwhile, are getting paid better than those at any other community college in the state. A lawmaker said it was time to shut the experiment down. EdSource | S.F. Chronicle

Rep. Kevin McCarthy had a whirlwind day in Washington on Wednesday. First, he oversaw the ouster of Rep. Liz Cheney from the House Republican leadership for her peristent repudiation of former President Trump's election falsehoods. Then the Bakersfield Republican sat with President Biden in the Oval Office for the first time, a meeting McCarthy had complained was too long delayed. Asked later by reporters how he could credibly plead for bipartisanship with Biden, McCarthy answered, "I don’t think anybody is questioning the legitimacy of the presidential election” — a statement contradicted by the remarks of numerous G.O.P. House lawmakers. Washington Post | N.Y. Times

McCarthy's treatment of Cheney angered some House Republicans. One said McCarthy should be "worried." Politico

Before the 2020 election, then-Sen. Kamala Harris accused the Trump administration of violating federal law when it cited the pandemic to effectively seal the Mexican border. Now, after being sworn in as vice president, Harris supports the Biden administration's decision to keep the border closed under the very same provision, people familiar with her thinking told Politico. Critics are calling the policy "inhumane."

"California is one of the best places to mountain bike, not just in North America, but in the world." 

The president of Santa Clara University, Rev. Kevin O’Brien, resigned after after an investigation found that he engaged in inappropriate behavior, campus officials said on Wednesday. The university, California's oldest institution of higher learning, gave a cryptic account of his missteps, saying only that they involved conversations with Jesuit grad students. O’Brien, 54, was seen as a rising star, having delivered the homily at a Mass for the inauguration of President Biden. Mercury News | KRON

Under a highway overpass in West Oakland is a collection of structures built from foraged materials. There's a hot shower, a kitchen, paths lined with flowers, and an outdoor pizza oven. The so-called “Cob on Wood” center was created by local advocacy groups to foster a sense of community and dignity for residents of nearby homeless encampments. “It is working,” said Dmitri Schusterman, who helped bring the idea to life. “This is the vision we had and it is working like a miracle.” The Guardian

On Monday, tech reporters hailed Apple's hiring of Antonio Garcia Martinez, a former Facebook product manager and the author of the 2016 Silicon Valley tell-all "Chaos Monkeys." Two days later, the Verge reported that a staff revolt had erupted over views expressed in Martinez's book, among them that women in Silicon Valley are “soft and weak, cosseted and naive.” By the end of the day, Apple confirmed that Martinez was out. Bloomberg | Reuters

In 1958, the Chronicle described a neighborhood in the middle of San Francisco as "a spectacular bit of nothing," a place where cows grazed and steep slopes kept developers at bay. It was there, in what became known as Diamond Heights, that the architect Joseph Eichler was invited to build 100 tract homes. Eichler's iconic midcentury modern designs helped to define suburban Los Angeles and San Francisco. Intended as starter homes, they now set off bidding wars among the tech rich. Curbed has a look back at how a rare Eichler outpost emerged in the middle of San Francisco. 

In the last three years, fires linked to Los Angeles' sprawling homeless community have nearly tripled. In the first quarter of 2021, they occurred at a rate of 24 a day, making up more than half of all fires responded to by the Los Angeles Fire Department. Many burned tents. But others, wrote the L.A. Times, have led to deaths, costly destruction, and a general sense of dread among residents that is "impossible to quantify."

Ellen DeGeneres said she would end her daytime talk show in 2022 after nearly 20 years on the air. DeGeneres, who built her brand on the motto “Be Kind,” faced a drumbeat of claims over the last year that she nurtured a hostile work environment. In a new interview with Hollywood Reporter, she said she got into comedy to spread happiness. "So, it destroyed me, honestly," she said of the allegations. "I’d be lying if I said it didn’t.” Hollywood Reporter | N.Y. Times

Julian became the second California city to be certified as a dark-sky community. The other is Borrego Springs. Julian, a mountain town 30 miles east of San Diego, spent years taking measures that would reduce the glow of lighting around town, mitigating so-called light pollution that erases our view of the cosmos. Visitors to Julian from the coast are sometimes known to peer skyward and ask, "What is that?" That is the Milky Way. S.D. Union-Tribune

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Today's California Sun: Kamala Harris supports border closure she once denounced, fires linked to Los Angeles' homeless triple in three years, and the brilliant starry skies of Julian win recognition.

Kamala Harris' border reversal // Brilliant starry skies of Julian

California prepares to open vaccines to children 12 to 15.

Two police officers are killed in the line of duty within 24 hours.

And a world-class hotel in the Eastern Sierra's Hope Valley. 

California's roughly 2 million children between ages 12 and 15 are poised to gain access to Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine starting Thursday, officials said. The move depends on a pair of approvals expected from state and federal agencies on Wednesday. Dr. Erica Pan, the state epidemiologist, urged families to take advantage of the vaccine. “We all know how hard this has been for our youth,” she said. A.P. | L.A. Times

Officials said the doses would be distributed through the existing vaccine infrastructure. They recommended using the state's scheduling system. 👉 Myturn.ca.gov 

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday proposed spending $12 billion to address the state's homelessness crisis, calling it the biggest such investment any state has ever made. If approved by the Legislature, it would provide housing for 65,000 people while providing assistance to many others living in precarious circumstances. “As governor, I actually want to get something done," he said. "I don’t want to talk about this for a decade.” S.D. Union-Tribune | KQED

In his first news conference as California's attorney general, Rob Bonta said Tuesday that he would create a new Racial Justice Bureau focused on hate crimes, white supremacy, and racial bias in policing, among other priorities. He said the bureau was a response, in part, to rising anti-Asian attacks. “Make no mistake," Bonta said, "right now we’re in a full-on state of crisis." A.P. | Mercury News

In a CNN interview, Caitlyn Jenner said she didn't vote in the November 2020 election. Her vote for Donald Trump wouldn't matter in California, she explained, and she "couldn’t get excited" about any of the 12 ballot propositions — with consequences for affirmative action, gig work, criminal justice, taxation, and other matters. "I just wound up going to play golf," she said. It was a bewildering admission for someone vying to govern California. But Politico checked with the voting registrar. Jenner actually did cast a ballot. Politico

New poll: 49% of California are now opposed to recalling Gov. Gavin Newsom, up from 45% in January. Just 6% said they'd support Jenner.

Alpine County, California's least populous county, has no movie theaters, malls, or McDonald's. But it's overflowing with natural beauty. Along the eastern slope of the Sierra is Hope Valley, a broad forested bowl with a turquoise lake ringed by mountain peaks. The place to stay, regulars say, is Wylder, a nearly 100-year-old resort with yurts, cabins, and campgrounds nestled among aspens and a rolling river. Cocktails are served on a large outdoor patio. Wylder reopened after a renovation last summer. Travel+Leisure recently named it among the best new hotels in the world. 

A Stockton police officer responding to a 911 call about a suspected assault was fatally shot early Tuesday, making him the second California officer to be killed in the line of duty in 24 hours. Authorities said Officer Jimmy Inn, 30, knocked on the door of a home. A voice inside said, "Hey police," and a man immediately opened fire, striking Inn multiple times. A second police officer shot and killed the suspect, officials said. Inn left behind a wife, a 7-month-old son, a 12-year-old stepdaughter, and a 14-year-old stepson. The Record | A.P.

A San Luis Obispo officer killed on Monday was identified as Detective Luca Benedetti, 37, a husband and father of two young kids. KSBY | The Tribune

Teresa, above, works in a Mexican food truck in Silicon Valley, serving Tesla employees, Stanford students, and Whole Foods shoppers. She lives in a Redwood City apartment with her four daughters. In 2017, her parents visited from Mexico. It was the first time she had seen them in 22 years. “Es muy dificil para uno,” she said. It’s really hard. Teresa's story is included in this powerful photo essay on "the real faces of Silicon Valley."  👉 N.Y. Times 

At first, the honey bears seemed like harmless fun. Created by the street artist known as fnnch, the murals appeared on surfaces across San Francisco featuring bear-shaped honey bottles in guises such as astronauts or ballerina tutus. But before long, this happened. 👇

Now the bears are being described as the city's most despised street art. One local artist compared them to Starbucks: “One is fine, but if they’re everywhere, it feels like a corporate takeover.” S.F. Chronicle | KQED

"Do you understand that your bears are becoming synonymous with gentrification?" A local activist confronted fnnch on the street. 👉 @doggtowndro 

Hundreds of people gathered outside an Orange County Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday to protest a proposal to create digital "vaccine passports" showing proof of inoculation against Covid-19. Several likened the idea to the yellow stars Nazis ordered Jews to wear. "You’re not going to brand us with a bar code like we are cattle," one woman said. Supervisors explained that the passports would be voluntary and intended merely as a convenience for residents and businesses. They voted to scrap the plan anyway. OC Weekly | L.A. Times

It’s unclear whether there has been a single confirmed coronavirus case in Slab City. Yet the pandemic has still reverberated in the community of oddballs and squatters in the Sonoran Desert, severing its already tenuous link to the outside world. This dispatch from Slab City has some fantastic photos and a kicker worth waiting for. 👉 L.A. Times 

Colt Brennan was a star high school quarterback in Orange County who went on to set numerous records at the University of Hawaii, where he once finished third in the Heisman Trophy balloting. On Tuesday, he died in a Newport Beach hospital at the age of 37 after years of struggles with addiction. “He just spent one too many times on the dark side of life, and it caught up with him,” Terry Brennan said of his son. ESPN | A.P.

Today's California Sun: California prepares to open vaccines to children 12 to 15, two police officers are killed in the line of duty within 24 hours, and a world-class hotel in the Eastern Sierra's Hope Valley.

Children 12 to 15 could get vaccines Thursday // A world-class Sierra hotel

Gov. Gavin Newsom proposes payouts for millions of Californians.

San Luis Obispo police officer is killed while serving warrant.

And first trans bishop in a major U.S. Christian denomination.

With a recall election looming, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday announced a plan to hand out tax rebates to two-thirds of Californians. Under the proposal, households earning up to $75,000 a year would get $600 payments, with an extra $500 if they have children. The spending is made possible by an astonishing $75.7 billion budget surplus, the result of a surging stock market and a tax structure that leans heavily on top earners who did well during the pandemic. Newsom is calling his blueprint the "California Comeback Plan," notably similar to the "California Comeback" slogan of his recall rival Kevin Faulconer. Politico | A.P.

Newsom expanded his drought emergency declaration to include 41 counties on Monday, encompassing 30% of the state and including parts of the Central Valley where leaders had urged action on behalf of agricultural growers. The measure triggers a series of actions to reduce water usage, while allowing more water deliveries to growers. CalMatters | L.A. Times

The Sierra snowpack, a crucial water source, is now down to an abysmal 8% of average. Weather West

Los Angeles County could reach herd immunity from the coronavirus among adults by mid-July, the county's top public health official said Monday. That's when officials project roughly 80% of residents 16 and older will have gotten at least one vaccine dose. San Francisco is already at 74%. Some experts, however, have avoided talk of herd immunity given slipping vaccination rates across the country. A more realistic hope, they say: to learn to live with the virus while keeping the worst consequences of the pandemic at bay. L.A. Times | S.F. Chronicle

See vaccination rates in your county. 👉 L.A. Times 

A California pastor has become the first openly transgender person to be elevated to the role of bishop in a major American Christian denomination. Rev. Megan Rohrer, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in San Francisco, was elected on Saturday to lead the Sierra Pacific synod in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The church's top leader issued a statement after the vote: “When we say all are welcome, we mean all are welcome.” N.Y. Times | A.P.

When San Francisco's teachers union announced over the weekend the "exciting news" that high school seniors would get the chance to come back to school, it left out a crucial detail: It might just be for one day. The deal calls for seniors to return “for at least one day before the end of the school year” so the district can qualify for $12 million in state reopening funds. Parents are furious. S.F. Chronicle

“One night at dinner, I asked my dad, Morrie, a seemingly simple question: What kind of father was Grandpa Brown when you were a kid? ‘He’s not my father,’ he replied.” 

Mitchell Landsberg, an L.A. Times writer, recounted how the 1918 pandemic shaped his Sacramento family, creating secrets and mysteries that endured long after his childhood days were gone. It's a beautiful and tragic story. L.A. Times 

A San Luis Obispo police officer was killed and another was wounded while serving a search warrant at an apartment Monday evening, authorities said. Details were sketchy, but a witness told the Tribune that she heard loud banging on a door, police yelling "he has a gun," and then a hail of gunfire. The suspect was killed, officials said. The Tribune | KCBX

NBC announced that it would not broadcast the 2022 Golden Globes, an abrupt move that throws the future of the show into doubt. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the group of 85 journalists that hands out the awards, has come under intense scrutiny for its lack of diversity and ethical lapses. In a sign of how damaged its brand has become, Tom Cruise returned his three Globes on Monday. N.Y. Times | Hollywood Reporter

In 1990, Patagonia donated to Planned Parenthood. When angry calls poured in, the Ventura retailer told its customer service workers to respond: "For every call like this we receive, we’re donating an additional $5 to Planned Parenthood.” Patagonia's willingness to take public stands on hot-button issues is anathema to many companies trying to make sales, not headlines. Surprisingly, the strategy appears to have helped its business. L.A. Times

The Elfin Forest in the Central Coast hamlet of Los Osos is known for nooks that appear like something out of a fairy tale. The preserve's gnarled pygmy oaks sprouted as long as 400 years ago, yet remain stunted by the dunes where they took root. A boardwalk weaves through the woodland to overlooks along the edge of an estuary. From there, another natural wonder appears on the horizon: the truly ancient Morro Rock, also known as Gibraltar of the Pacific. 👇

… Janelle Gonzalez, co-owner of Flawless Boxing in Sacramento and a former amateur boxer and Golden Gloves regional champion.

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

A: I think everyone should visit and experience Yosemite should they ever find themselves in Cali. I love being outdoors and in nature. Yosemite is beautiful year round and never disappoints.

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


"Atomic Habits" is definitely a game changer and recommended read. It breaks down how and why small habits help you to become successful and overcome obstacles at a bigger level. It uses a lot of reference to athletes, which I can relate to.

What’s a hidden food gem in your area? 

I’d say Orphan, Harry’s Cafe, and Tower Cafe. Great food and I love a good breakfast or brunch. Can’t go wrong with any of these local spots. My go to is the avocado scramble at Orphan, french toast at Tower, and traditional breakfast at Harry’s Cafe.  

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

I would invite Bruce Lee, Serena Williams, and George Lucas because they exemplify greatness in their respective craft. I would start the conversation by asking them what their favorite “Star Wars” character is.

Boxing has made some progress in highlighting and showcasing more female fighters in the past decade, but for the most part men are still overwhelmingly marketed as Pay-per-view stars with larger paychecks. How do you think the sport has done as far as gender equality goes, and what could be done better? 

All sports in general lack gender equality, and boxing is no different. In boxing, I believe the sport can get better by making the women’s rounds as long as the men’s, and having more women in manager and promoter roles.

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

Today's California Sun: Gov. Gavin Newsom proposes payouts for millions of Californians, San Luis Obispo police officer is killed while serving warrant, and first trans bishop in a major U.S. Christian denomination.

Cash for two-thirds of Californians // San Luis Obispo officer killed

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As part of its efforts to combat climate change, California gives carbon credits to landowners who preserve forests; they in turn sell the credits to polluters for the right to emit more carbon. But different trees consume different amounts of carbon, a nuance that is obscured by the state's method of calculating carbon sequestration across giant, varied regions. The flaw, according to a new analysis, means the program is actually making the climate problem worse, adding tens of millions of tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. MIT Technology Review/ProPublica

An earthquake early warning system is now live for cellphone users across the West Coast, the U.S. Geological Survey said on Tuesday. Years in the making, the system known as ShakeAlert relies on a network of sensors near fault lines that trigger alerts to nearby communities through television, radio, and phone. People could get anywhere from a few seconds to more than a minute of warning, enough time perhaps to scramble to safety. L.A. Times | S.F. Chronicle

Officials recommend downloading this app:  MyShake

A surprise was waiting for Cinda Mickols, a retired teacher, when she returned to her home in the Tehachapi Mountains on Monday after a weekend away. California condors — around 15 to 20 of them — had commandeered her deck, tearing through plants and a spa cover and pooping everywhere. The enormous New World vultures didn’t seem to want to leave.

“She drove up and saw them on her deck and roof and was just in shock,” said Seana Quintero, Mickols’ daughter. “Some flew off when she went out on the deck, but a few others she had to get close and wave her cane at.”

Mickols stands about 5 feet 2 inches. The wingspan of a California condor, the largest flying bird in North America, can stretch more than nine feet across.

The majestic creatures went extinct in the wild in the 1980s. Captive breeding programs have since brought their numbers back to about 160 in California, where they are now regularly spotted over Big Sur, Pinnacles National Park, and a release site in Kern County, near where Mickols lives.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the condors were still circling overhead, seemingly waiting for Mickols to depart, said Quintero, who has been posting updates on Twitter. A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employee chimed in with advice: If they return, try yelling at them or spraying them with a hose.

Many other Twitter users cracked jokes. Several dubbed Mickols' home a "condorminium."

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

In decades past, great white sharks were thought to be somewhat rare in the waters off Southern California. That notion has been dispelled by the advent of drone photography. One day last month, the photographer Carlos Gauna sent up his drone off the Santa Barbara County coast and within two minutes spotted a great white about 100 yards from a father and son. "These types of encounters have always been happening,” he said. “Which shows you really just how low the number of attacks are.” L.A. Times

“Oh, my God, don’t bite him, don’t bite him, don’t bite him.” Here's the moment when a shark circled below a surfer:  YouTube

To set eyes on Yosemite Valley from its most famous overlook is a moment few people forget. Magnificent vistas are often hard won after hours or days of hiking. By comparison, Tunnel View, a roadside perch connected to a small parking lot, feels almost too easy. To get there, motorists wind along State Route 41 before plunging into a dark tunnel, which stretches nearly a full mile. You know you've arrived when, immediately upon exiting, this bursts into view:

Yosemite is requiring reservations for day-use visitors this summer. There are still passes left. Recreation.gov

While exceptionally dry weather suppressed much of California's spring wildflower display this year, an extraordinarily rare super bloom has erupted along the edges of Folsom Lake just northeast of Sacramento. As the shoreline retreated, dormant seeds took the opportunity to get their moment in the sun, creating a carpet of purple lupines in areas normally inundated by water. “Who knows how long those seeds had been laying in the soil," a limnologist said. "It could be decades.” S.F. Chronicle

A drone pilot got some nice aerial views: 4D ImpactMedia 

Daft Punk built its biggest hit, “One More Time," on samples from Eddie Johns' 1979 song "More Spell on You." But Johns, who battled homelessness on the streets of Los Angeles for more than a decade, never saw a dime. While Daft Punk paid royalties, the rights owner said it was unable to track Johns down. More than anything, Johns said, “I just hope I can get some credit, you know?” L.A. Times

Sunday sampler: New earthquake early-warning system // California condors take over woman's home

Scheduling note: The newsletter will pause Monday. Back in your inbox Tuesday. 

Restaurants face hiring crisis as workers reassess status quo.

Bar owner is accused of selling phony vaccination cards.

And a look back at the groovy glory days of discount air travel.

At least 30 tech and health care companies got lucrative, no-bid government contracts or helped with other critical public health activities in California's fight against Covid-19, an analysis found. The vast majority have backed Gov. Gavin Newsom's political career. Critics say the reliance on Silicon Valley has come at the cost of weakening the state's public health system. “What is best for Google," a former Newsom adviser said, "is not necessarily best for the people of California.” Kaiser Health News

In 2019, PG&E announced a multibillion dollar settlement deal to resolve claims associated with several Northern California wildfires. An investigation has now found that the Fire Victim Trust established to compensate survivors spent 90% of its fund on overhead in its first year of operation. Lawyers and administrators have been paid millions. The vast majority of victims has yet to see a dime. KQED

“I’m 49 and I’ve never seen anything like this.”

The country's restaurant industry is facing an unprecedented staffing shortage as workers have shown a reluctance to come back. In the Bay Area, dishwashers are being asked to cook, bartenders are busing tables, and owners are eliminating tables. Employees say it's not that no one wants to work: They just want wages that make the jobs worth it. Mercury News | Eater

The owner of a small bar outside Stockton was arrested this week and charged with selling forged Covid-19 vaccination cards, authorities said. Undercover agents were able to buy the phony cards at the bar for $20 apiece. Officials said it was the first such arrest in California, and perhaps the nation, making it a watershed moment in a coming fight against forgeries that could undermine the inoculation effort. KTXL | Washington Post

Human toll collectors are now a relic of the past in the Bay Area. When the pandemic started, highway officials abruptly replaced in-person collection on seven state-owned bridges with electronic systems because of the risk of contagion. Then there was no turning back. The S.F. Chronicle interviewed Sonny Hasme, a collector for 19 years who won fans among commuters by dancing in his booth. “Commuters will definitely miss the personal touch,” he said. 

A drone pilot got some nice aerial views. 👉 4D ImpactMedia 

After a person is shot by law enforcement in California, their family has a legal right to know the name of the officer who opened fire. Police departments in Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Diego, and elsewhere in California abide by the transparency rule. But the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has routinely denied requests to name officers. L.A. Times 

First the "wench auction" was removed from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Then Disney said it would rework Splash Mountain to lose references to a controversial film. Most recently, the Jungle Cruise ride was updated to remove “negative depictions of ‘natives.’” Disney has tried to cast a more critical eye toward its attractions in recent years. Some fans say it's ruining the Disney experience. Washington Post

On this week's California Sun Podcast, host Jeff Schechtman talks with Michael Storper, an urban planning professor at UCLA. Storper talked about how income inequality has become so deeply embedded in Los Angeles. "The difference with us is we're expensive but we have a much bigger low-wage sector," he said, "and those two things just can't coexist in the long run. So we have to figure a way out of that."

A California airline used to operate a fleet of planes with smiley faces on their noses. They called them the Grinningbirds. 

Pacific Southwest Airlines, based in San Diego, was the first large discount carrier in the U.S., growing into an industry leader of intrastate flight in the 1960s and 1970s and paving the way for copycats like Southwest Airlines. 

The smiles grew out of a playful corporate culture reflected in the carrier's slogan: “The World's Friendliest Airline.” PSA pilots were encouraged to joke with passengers. Stewardesses wore go-go boots and hot pink miniskirts. Martinis, at $1 each, flowed freely.

The fun-in-the-sky approach won a loyal clientele. Unimaginable today, PSA made it possible to love an airline, the L.A. Times once wrote. It "summed up everything that was groovy and freewheeling about California."

By the 1980s, rising competition began eating into PSA's bottom line. A trend of airline consolidation finally came for the company in 1988, when it was swallowed up by US Airways. The smiles faded away. From time to time, however, a mischievous mechanic has been known to add a smile to a plane in a nod to the good old days.

Below, a few more finds from the PSA photo archive:

The breeze block became indelibly linked to Southern California during the inventive midcentury modern era of the 1950s and 1960s. Curbed has a fantastic illustrated guide to the region's greatest examples.

Feather River Canyon is one of America's great destinations for train watching. Carved along a narrow gorge in the Northern Sierra in 1909, the rail line navigates a gantlet of obstacles. Here's a fantastic "drone chase" of a train along the canyon. 👉 YouTube (8:45 mins) 

In decades past, great white sharks were thought to be somewhat rare in the waters off Southern California. That notion has been dispelled by the advent of drone photography. Here's the moment when a shark circled below a surfer off the Santa Barbara coast: YouTube 

The New Yorker produced a short documentary on the skateboarders who chase transcendence — and taunt death — by rocketing down the steep streets of San Francisco.

Santa Rosa High School held its prom on its football field Saturday. Teenagers dressed in colorful gowns, smart suits, and face masks, making the best of a ritual of American youth in a time of pandemic. The photographer Kent Porter got some nice pictures. Press Democrat

Today's California Sun: Restaurants face hiring crisis as workers reassess status quo, bar owner is accused of selling phony vaccination cards, and a look back at the groovy glory days of discount air travel.

Restaurants face hiring crisis // Groovy glory days of discount air travel

Climate policy adds millions of tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.

More than half of public school students still in remote learning.

And a group of California condors takes over a woman's home.

Nearly half of all electric cars in the U.S. are purchased in California. But a surprising number of buyers experience a change of heart. A UC Davis study found that 1 in 5 electric car owners in California switch back to gas-powered cars. The reason, in large part: charging turned out to be too much of a hassle. Many lacked high-voltage power outlets at home. CNET | Business Insider

All signs suggest Gov. Gavin Newsom will survive the recall election. But what if a credible Democrat enters the contest? Should public sentiment turn further against Newsom, an ambitious Democrat like Rep. Adam Schiff or Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis could be tempted to make a late entry. Here's Miriam Pawel on how nervous Newsom should be. 👉 N.Y. Times 

While experts have doubts that the U.S. can reach herd immunity, they tend to be more optimistic about California. Some even suspect San Francisco, where vaccine hesitancy is the lowest statewide, has already hit the threshold. "I think we will get there before the rest of the U.S.," said Dr. George Rutherford, a UCSF epidemiologist. "I think the rest of the U.S. will catch up to it, or get to a point where transmission will go way, way down." NBC News | SFGate.com

There's a pocket of North Berkeley where 99% of people over 16 have gotten at least one vaccine dose. KGO

An analysis of new state data revealed that 55% of California public school students remained in full distance learning as of April 30. A few other figures: 

At poorer public schools, 67% of students remained in distance learning.

At private schools, just 20% were in distance learning.

All told, only 16% of public school students were back to full in-person instruction.

The bottom line, according to one school consultant: “The data shows complex connections to a variety of issues that ultimately disadvantage poor kids." EdSource

Crews surveying the effects of an August wildfire in Sequoia National Park made a startling discovery: a giant sequoia tree was still smoldering nine months later. The endurance of the fire demonstrated how remarkably dry conditions have been this year — and how primed they are for a repeat of last year's blazes. Visalia Times-Delta | A.P.

A jury in Rome on Wednesday convicted two Bay Area men in the 2019 stabbing death of a police officer, handing them the harshest possible sentence: life in prison. Finnegan Lee Elder and Gabriel Natale-Hjorth, schoolmates from Mill Valley then 19 and 18, were on vacation in Italy when the killing resulted from a small-time drug deal gone bad. The killing shook Italy, where leaders portrayed it as a national wound. Washington Post | Reuters

New attacks on Asian-Americans in San Francisco added to anxieties among a community already reeling from anti-Asian violence. On Monday, in an attack captured on video, a man pushing his 1-year-old in a stroller was knocked to the ground and pummeled in the head. On Tuesday, two women, ages 84 and 63, were stabbed by a man on busy Market Street, police said. They were expected to survive. Authorities arrested Patrick Thompson, 54, who had several past arrests. S.F. Examiner | KGO

Kara Swisher, the seldom-wrong tech journalist, identified the real problem after Facebook's ban on Donald Trump was extended Wednesday:

"Facebook has grown too powerful and the only fix is to get government legislators to come up with a way to allow more competition and to take impossible decisions out of the hands of too few people.

"Until then, it’ll be an endless and exhausting game of hot potato, in which no one wins.

"Good riddance to Mr. Trump? Hardly." N.Y. Times

The explosive growth of warehouse distribution centers in the Inland Empire is a huge source of pollution. Roxana Barrera lives in a San Bernardino neighborhood where the asthma rate is in the 97th percentile statewide. Her toddler was prescribed an inhaler after he started wheezing. “I didn’t link it to the smog in our region at the time, but once I started to piece everything together, I thought, ‘Oh my god, this is a result of that.’” she said. “Now everywhere I look, I see semi trucks and warehouses dumping on our poor community.” L.A. Times

Dozens of Buddhist monastics, priests, and lay leaders gathered on Tuesday at a temple in Los Angeles's Little Tokyo for a ceremony aimed at helping the country heal from anti-Asian violence. They took a broken ceramic lotus blossom and filled in the cracks with liquid gold leaf, a practice that repairs flaws and makes them more beautiful. The Los Angeles photographer Rozette Rago got some gorgeous pictures. 👉 N.Y. Times 

Mickols stands about 5 feet 2 inches. The wingspan of a California condor, the largest flying bird in North America, can stretch more than nine feet across. 

As of Wednesday afternoon, the condors were still circling overhead, seemingly waiting for Mickols to depart, said Quintero, who has been posting updates on Twitter. A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employee chimed in with advice: If they return, try yelling at them or spraying them with a hose. 

Today's California Sun: Climate policy adds millions of tons of CO2 into the atmosphere, more than half of public school students still in remote learning, and a group of California condors takes over a woman's home.

Half of students remain in remote learning // California condors take over woman's home

Los Angeles and San Francisco enter relaxed yellow tier.

Drones reveal abundance of great white sharks near coast.

And the bizarre story of how LSD toppled a tech CEO.

“It’s a sunny day and California is looking good.”

On Tuesday, both San Francisco and Los Angeles advanced to the yellow tier, the state's least restrictive reopening phase, allowing businesses to expand capacity, bars to serve indoors, and large gatherings to resume outside. The milestone underscores California's dramatic recovery since the winter surge, when Los Angeles was a national epicenter for the pandemic. Statewide, California reported about 1 million coronavirus cases in January. The total in April: 72,000. Mercury News | S.F. Chronicle

Also advancing to looser tiers: Trinity and Inyo counties. See your county's status. 👉 Covid19.ca.gov 

After Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming voted to impeach President Trump in January, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy boasted that their “big tent” party had enough room for both the former president and a staunch critic. The Bakersfield Republican now appears to have had a change of heart. In comments captured on a hot mic ahead of a "Fox and Friends" interview, McCarthy said of Cheney, "I've had it with her. You know, I've lost confidence." N.Y. Times | Axios

John Cox, a Republican candidate for governor, kicked off his “Meet the Beast” campaign tour in Sacramento on Tuesday, appearing alongside a massive Kodiak bear named Tag. “Gavin Newsom, our pretty boy, has so angered and divided the people of this state that over 2 million literally put their name on the line to recall him,” Cox said. “That’s why our friend is here today. We’re gonna need big, beastly changes to be made in this state." PETA and others called the stunt appalling. Politico | L.A. Times

Officials recommend downloading this app. 👉 MyShake 

San Jose is moving ahead with a giant art installation intended to become a globally recognized emblem for Silicon Valley. The 200-foot-tall structure, which includes 500 glowing white rods, resembles an upturned paintbrush that sways in the breeze. Critics shared their opinions at a public meeting Tuesday: an “ecological disaster,” a “harmful source of light pollution,” and a “waste of philanthropic dollars.” Mercury News | San Jose Spotlight

In 2013, Justin Zhu, a former software engineer at Twitter, poured his life savings into a startup called Iterable. Today, the company is valued at $2 billion, but a couple weeks ago, the company's board abruptly fired Zhu, citing an LSD incident. Zhu had tried microdosing before a meeting with potential investors. As he discussed a series of financial projections, the numbers began to swell and shrink. He felt like he was melting. The pitch did not lead to an investment. Bloomberg

"Have They Simply Considered ... Not Being Homeless?" 

"Another Story About the SF School Board No Please Stop No Please"

For kicks, Armand Domalewski, a San Francisco data analyst, created a comic with parody San Francisco newspaper headlines and posted it on social media. It got a rousing reception from locals, who called it spot-on. SFGate.com | Reddit

Today's California Sun: Los Angeles and San Francisco enter relaxed yellow tier, drones reveal abundance of great white sharks near coast, and the bizarre story of how LSD toppled a tech CEO.

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