Good morning. It’s Thursday, Sept. 12.
- Berkeley is latest city to embrace homeless sweeps.
- Transamerica Pyramid is ready for its closeup.
- And Southern California becomes a hub of rail theft.
Statewide
1.
California’s gray wolf population doubled this spring after 30 pups were born across five of the state’s seven packs, lifting the total to an estimated 65, wildlife officials said. A century ago, when the last wild gray wolf in California was killed, the number fell to zero and stayed that way for nearly 90 years. Then in 2011, a young male wolf known as OR-7 showed up from Oregon, causing an international sensation. The population has been surging ever since. SFGATE | S.F. Chronicle
2.
Despite billions of dollars spent year after year, California’s homeless population keeps growing. New data showed that nearly 186,000 people now live on the state’s streets, up from 181,000 in 2023 and 172,000 in 2022. The Central Valley reported some of the sharpest increases. “They’re always on the brink,” Rev. Nelson Rabell, a Stockton pastor, said of families in his congregation. “One check away. Someone gets sick, or you have a landlord trying to take advantage of the situation. They’re one month away from being homeless.” CalMatters
3.
In 2016, Yosemite National Park grew by 400 acres with the acquisition of land that had been used for generations as a cattle pasture. Over the last few years, workers have added truckloads of dirt and more than 400,000 native plants to the parcel, known as Ackerson Meadow, in the largest restoration effort in the park’s history. Yosemite showed off the progress in a video that includes some gorgeous drone views of the meadow, teeming with flowers and birdsong. 👉 YouTube | Mercury News
Northern California
4.
Even Berkeley is now embracing homeless encampment sweeps. The liberal bastion’s City Council voted 8-1 Tuesday night to allow the clearing of camps, even if no shelter beds are available. The vote followed hours of impassioned public comment, most of it urging rejection of the plan. “If this happens, this is the beginning of the end,” said activist Andrea Henson. “This is the death of Berkeley.” Officials said the overwhelming message in a flood of emails from constituents was starkly different, begging them to restore blighted areas. Berkeley Scanner | S.F. Chronicle
5.
In July 2023, Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price filed a misdemeanor charge against one of her former prosecutors — and loudest critics — accusing him of supplying confidential information to a defense attorney. Butch Ford, in turn, accused his former boss of a politically motivated attack. On Wednesday, a judge tossed the case at the request of the state attorney general’s office, which cited a lack of evidence. “Today justice prevailed,” Ford’s lawyer said. S.F. Chronicle | Mercury News
6.
After wildlife officials killed a Mammoth Lakes bear for swiping at a woman’s leg last month — a moment captured in a viral video — many online commenters blamed the victim. They called her “disgusting” and “hateful.” More than handful said she should have been killed. But according to wildlife officials, the woman had climbed onto a nearby stump and stayed still because she believed you should not run from a bear, just as park officials advise. Moreover, she did not want the animal killed. The L.A. Times filled out the sad story surrounding the bear known locally as Victor.
7.
In 2020, a bullish developer bought San Francisco’s Transamerica Pyramid, a jewel of the city skyline, for $650 million, then invested $400 million more to renovate it. Now it’s ready for its closeup. On Thursday, the 853-foot tower will hold a formal reopening. The urban design critic John King got an early peek and was impressed by the enlarged lobby and redwood park, which he described as a “humane oasis in a hectic world.” The San Francisco Chronicle has pictures.
8.
Mark Zuckerberg is now doing stadium shows. On Tuesday, more than 6,000 people paid $50 or more for a ticket to crowd into San Francisco’s Chase Center, the home of the Warriors, and watch the Meta chief executive talk with the hosts of the “Acquired” podcast. The audience, a sea of Patagonia sweater vests, roared in approval as Zuckerberg talked about winning in Silicon Valley. “You underestimate how painful things are going to be, so you can go and do good things,” he said. N.Y. Times
9.
If America has a bicycle paradise, it might be Davis. Thanks to its flat topography, compact size, warm weather, and spirited citizen activism, the college town outside of Sacramento was built for bicycles. More than 95% of its streets have bike lanes. Citywide, about 21% of residents commute by bicycle, according to 2019 Census data. Nationwide, the figure is less than 1%. Outside magazine recently included Davis in a ranking of “the 10 best bike towns in America.”
- A drone video showed the controlled chaos of a UC Davis bike roundabout. 👉 YouTube
Southern California
10.
The latest on Southern California’s wildfires:
- Airport fire, Santa Ana Mountains
A cabin settlement in Holy Jim Canyon in the Cleveland National Forest was almost completely wiped out. Of 34 cabins, privately owned retreats on federal land, just seven were still standing. Photos showed other properties destroyed along Ortega Highway and in Lake Elsinore. Press-Enterprise | KTLA - Bridge fire, Angeles National Forest
Officials said the wildfire, now the state’s largest active blaze, destroyed 20 homes in the Mount Baldy area, another 13 in the community of Wrightwood, and six cabins in rural areas. The Mountain High ski resort largely escaped major damage. KABC | N.Y. Times - Line fire, San Bernardino foothills
The authorities said they arrested a 34-year-old FedEx contract delivery driver, Justin Halstenberg, on suspicion of igniting the blaze, which had torn across nearly 60 square miles as of late Wednesday. Sheriff Shannon Dicus disclosed no motive, but added, “We believe this was intentional.” KABC | L.A. Times
● ●
Southern California’s wildfires, in 22 photos. 👉 The Atlantic
11.
Southern California has become the epicenter of a national rail theft crisis. More than a third of all U.S. cargo thefts occur in the region, averaging nearly 60 heists per month, a new report by the rail security firm Overhaul found. A favored target is a stretch of tracks on the outskirts of Bakersfield where trains come to a stop unguarded. Pete Belluomini, a local farmer, said he’s watched several heists. “It’s just crazy,” he said. “This has turned into the wild, wild West — or maybe, the wild, wild east of Bakersfield.” Bakersfield Californian
12.
Starting Sunday, the Los Angeles region will host the biggest artistic event of the fall season. Known as “PST ART: Art & Science Collide,” the festival will feature nearly 70 exhibitions developed by museums and other cultural institutions — subsidized with $20 million from the Getty Foundation — on the intersection of aesthetics and technology. “Expect quantum physics and oil paint, AI and video art, climate change and sculpture,” art critic Christopher Knight wrote. “Also, expect some muddle.” L.A. Times | N.Y. Times
- The L.A. Times created a map guide to PST exhibitions.
Correction
On Sept. 3, a summary in the newsletter, relying on an Outside magazine article, misstated how a Mammoth Lakes bear was killed by wildlife officials. According to the L.A. Times and other outlets, the bear was not shot; he was given a lethal injection.
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The California Sun is written by Mike McPhate, a former California correspondent for the New York Times.
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