Good morning. It’s Tuesday, June 30.
- Highway reopening leads to “very big comeback” in Big Sur.
- S.F. Diocese agrees to $395 million sex abuse settlement.
- And a Central Valley farmer gives away all of his nectarines.
Statewide
1.
For a decade, Big Sur’s tourist economy didn’t go a year without some major disruption, whether rockslides or wildfire. Now it is fully reopened, and tourists have flooded back. On a recent Sunday, the River Inn welcomed more than 1,200 visitors to its restaurant. “That might be the best day we’ve had in our entire 92-year history,” said Colin Twohig, the general manager. “And we’re not alone. Business is good everywhere.” The San Francisco Chronicle reported on Big Sur’s “very big comeback.”
2.
“A victory for voting rights.”
California’s Democratic leadership on Monday hailed a Supreme Court ruling that upheld Mississippi’s grace period for mail-in ballots. The ideologically mixed 5-4 ruling spares California from having to rework its own election process ahead of the November midterms. It also all but ensures that the state’s slow vote tabulations will remain a flashpoint in the partisan war over voter access and election denialism. L.A. Times | Politico
3.
Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders announced a budget deal on Monday that includes $40 million to speed up the counting of election ballots. The funding is dedicated to increased staffing, equipment upgrades, and a publicity campaign encouraging voters to return their ballots early. The money infusion, however, appeared unlikely to speed the process enough to mollify critics. “The vast majority of our voters choose to vote by mail,” said Ken Casparis, a Sacramento County spokesman. “And those ballots just take longer to process.” N.Y. Times | S.F. Chronicle
Northern California
4.
“This is a true reckoning.”
The San Francisco Archdiocese agreed to publicly name clergy accused of child sex abuse, pay $395 million to approximately 530 victims, and write an apology letter to each one, according to a settlement announced on Monday. If approved, the deal would be among the largest of its kind. Margie O’Driscoll, who said she was abused by a priest at Marin Catholic High School nearly 50 years ago, said victims have “carried this pain and shame” for a very long time. She continued: “I think today, shame is going to change sides.” S.F. Chronicle | A.P.
5.
Together, Katrine Razniak and her partner earn about $365,000 a year in San Francisco. This spring, they looked at roughly 30 apartments, hoping to find a one-bedroom for under $5,000 a month. No luck. At one listing for $5,200 a month, they found 30 people had added their names to a sign-up sheet within an hour of the open house. “I don’t feel completely hopeless, but I don’t think I can stay in S.F.,” Razniak said. In San Francisco, the New York Times reported, “even $180,000 tech salaries are no longer enough.”
6.
A Fresno County farmer entangled in a legal dispute that prevents him from selling his nectarine crop came up with an inspired alternative: He’s giving it all away. In a social media post Monday morning, Cesar Mora invited the public to bring a bag and load up on his 125,000 pounds of unpicked white flesh nectarines. People answered the call in force, driving from as far as 100 miles. It was gratifying to see, Mora said: “If I wasn’t doing this, it would just be sitting here rotting away on the tree.” FOX26 | KSEE
7.
In 1976, a pair of eccentric foreign artists draped an 18-foot-tall nylon ribbon across 24 miles of the Sonoma countryside. “Running Fence” faced fierce opposition; one critic called it “a gargantuan roll of toilet paper.” But once in place, hearts were changed by the strangely beautiful artwork. Over time, it became a catalyst for a movement to protect agricultural lands against the march of development. Fifty years later, Sonoma County is revisiting how one audacious art installation shifted how people think about their relationship with the land. Petaluma Argus-Courier
- “Running Fence” was literally woven into the fabric of Sonoma County: the panels were used for a wind break, a theater curtain, canopies, and more. Press Democrat
Southern California
8.
Before a judge declared a mistrial in the Palisades fire arson case against Jonathan Rinderknecht, a firefighter testified that he had seen what looked like fireworks in the area and a neighbor claimed to have seen suspicious teens. Additionally, the jury heard that Rinderknecht repeatedly called 911. Ten jurors voted to acquit him. Yet federal prosecutors are planning to retry Rinderknecht anyway. Palisades residents told the Los Angeles Times it would be a waste of time. “They don’t have the goods,” said Lisa Sweetingham. “Ten jurors saw that, and a lot of people in the audience saw that.”
9.
“You think you know someone and then they turn out to be a completely different person.”
Before Phil Mickelson was ousted from the Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe over “nonconsensual and inappropriate physical contact” with a female employee, he made abrupt exits from two other Southern California golf clubs. Sources said his personal conduct was a primary factor. Citing interviews with 19 insiders, Skratch Golf chronicled “Phil Mickelson’s long history of misconduct.”
10.
After construction stalled on a development in Los Angeles’ Eagle Rock neighborhood, nearby residents grew to despise the eyesore, which they dubbed Pillarhenge for its 36 pillars. But out of the blight, an icon was born. An artist crafted a big, pink, screeching bird out of paper-mache and placed it atop one of the pillars, where it has stood watch for more than decade. There are T-shirts, fan art, and an online forum dedicated to the bird, dubbed Pinky. On Monday, the reclusive artist behind Pinky came forward, though he insisted on anonymity because “isn’t it more fun to leave it a mystery?” L.A. Times
11.
SpaceX’s June 12 initial public offering minted at least 4,000 new millionaires, many of them based around the company’s massive manufacturing facility in Hawthorne. Real estate agents in coveted parts of Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach say they are already fielding inquiries. The Los Angeles Times reports: “The gush of new money stands to drive up the cost of homes in neighborhoods already in hot demand, echoing a pattern that has occurred in the San Francisco Bay Area.”
12.
MaryRalph Bradley, co-founder of the clothing brand Daily Drills, paid about $125,000 for a custom 1976 Bronco last year. “I associate it with the Southern California dream life: fun, happy, easy, casual,” the 29-year-old explained. In wealthy zip codes, demand is surging among young women for old, loud, expensive SUVs, the Wall Street Journal reports: “They’re ‘hot girl’ cars — accessories meant to be flaunted on social media.”
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