Good morning. It’s Wednesday, Feb. 11.
- Bernie Sanders to push billionaire tax in California.
- Health officials announce first measles outbreak in years.
- And wildflowers bloom ahead of schedule in Carrizo Plain.
Statewide
1.
A labor union’s proposal to put a billionaire wealth tax on the California ballot is about get some political star power. Sen. Bernie Sanders, the democratic socialist who won California’s 2020 Democratic presidential primary by a wide margin, will headline the campaign’s formal kickoff in Los Angeles next week. “It should be common sense that the billionaires pay just slightly more so that entire communities can preserve access to life-saving medical care,” Sanders said in a statement Tuesday. L.A. Times
- Times columnist George Skelton called the tax plan shortsighted: “We’ve already got by far the highest income tax rates in the nation.”
2.
Less than two weeks after jumping into the California governor’s race, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan has already collected more than $7 million in political donations, vaulting him past most Democratic rivals. A newly formed independent committee supporting his bid was seeded with an additional $3.3 million. The money has flowed overwhelmingly from Silicon Valley donors — among them Sergey Brin, Garry Tan, and Joe Lonsdale — who see Mahan as an industry ally who would fight the proposed billionaire tax. Mercury News | Bloomberg
- So many Democrats are seeking the governorship that two Republicans could plausibly advance from the June primary to the general election, the Associated Press reported.
3.
California has about 20 athletes competing in the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics 2026. Alysa Liu, a 20-year-old UCLA student who was born in Clovis, won gold on Sunday as part of the figure skating team event. (Watch her performance). For some viewers, Liu’s “alt style” — bleached hair and a mouth piercing — has elevated her profile almost as much as her consecutive triple jumps. She competes next in the singles short program on Feb. 17, then the singles free skate on Feb. 19. N.Y. Times
Some other Californians to watch:
- Chloe Kim, from Torrance, and Maddie Mastro, from Wrightwood, are both seen as medal contenders in the snowboard halfpipe. They compete in the qualifiers today, followed by the medal round on Thursday. N.Y. Times
- Nina O’Brien, a skier from San Francisco, is hoping for redemption after a violent crash in the 2022 Beijing Olympics. She competes in the giant slalom on Feb. 15, and the slalom on Feb. 18. KCRA
- Abby Winterberger, a freestyle skier from Truckee, is the youngest U.S. Olympian at 15 years old. She competes in the halfpipe qualifiers on Feb. 19, followed by the finals on Feb. 21. S.F. Chronicle
4.
Reports of early wildflower blooms have been trickling in from across California in recent days.
- In Southern California’s Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, fields of desert lilies, sunflowers, purplish desert sand-verbena have already spread across the arid landscape, according to the Anza-Borrego Desert Research Center.
- Late last week, the San Luis Obispo Tribune published photos of Central California’s springtime diva, the Carrizo Plain, painted in splashes of yellow and orange.
- And in Death Valley, the early rousing of sunflowers, brown-eyed primrose, and desert five-spot flowers has park officials predicting the most colorful spring in a decade. “Based on the sprouts we see, it looks quite possible there will be a superbloom,” the park told Accuweather.
- Here are seven places to see California’s wildflower bloom. 👉 Travel+Leisure
Northern California
5.
California is experiencing its first measles outbreak since 2000, with Shasta County driving the spread, public health officials said on Tuesday. Since Jan. 1, Shasta County has accounted for eight out of 17 cases of the highly contagious virus statewide, all of which involved people who were unvaccinated or whose immunization status was unknown. In all of 2023, California had just four measles cases. Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease expert, said the numbers are worrying: “It absolutely could indicate that it’s an iceberg and there could be many more cases.” SFGATE | S.F. Chronicle
6.
A surge of student walkouts to protest ICE is becoming a problem for schools in Fresno. On Monday, district superintendents issued a joint letter warning families about unexcused absences and urging a halt to the disruptions, which have occurred on a near-daily basis since late January. The following day, students from multiple schools walked out again, converging on Fresno’s City Hall. At one point, police responded after students from two different middle schools got into an altercation. Fresnoland
7.
A dating app created by a graduate student at Stanford University has taken over the campus. Date Drop has students answer 66 questions about their values, lifestyles, and political views. The data is then fed into an algorithm to create matches. On a campus with about 7,500 undergraduates, more than 5,000 students have used the app. The Wall Street Journal reports: “The growth, fans say, reflects a reality about many college kids: They’re intimidated by real-life courtship and overwhelmed by the endless scroll of dating apps.”
8.
Anton Korinek, a leading researcher in artificial intelligence, said economists who discount the likelihood that AI will cause massive job losses don’t get the technology. “We can’t quite conceptualize having very smart machines,” he said. “Machines have always been dumb, and that’s why we don’t trust them and it’s always taken time to roll them out. But if they’re smarter than us, in many ways they can roll themselves out.” The Atlantic
9.
Nancy Pelosi seldom intervenes in primaries, but she’s making an exception to endorse John F. Kennedy’s grandson, Jack Schlossberg, for Congress, the New York Times reported. “This moment calls for leaders who understand the stakes and how to deliver for the people they serve,” she said of the 33-year-old social-media personality. The Atlantic’s Jonathan Chait wondered why Democrats like Pelosi still seem to worship the Kennedy clan: “As a Kennedy, Schlossberg has been a lifelong celebrity in the traditional definition of the word — a person who is famous for being famous.”
10.
A motorist was killed after plunging off a cliff on Highway 1 along the Big Sur coast during treacherous weather conditions on Tuesday, the authorities said. Rescue personnel found the vehicle on the rocks more than 500 feet below the roadway. Big Sur’s scenic two-lane highway is popular with tourists but features hairpin turns and narrow shoulders along soaring cliffs edges that can lack guardrails. Mishaps can easily turn deadly. KSBW | S.F. Chronicle
Southern California
11.
A federal judge sentenced a Southern California man to four years on Monday in prison after he acknowledged acting as an agent of the Chinese government to help elect an Arcadia City Council member. Mike Sun, 65, of Chino Hills, cultivated a relationship with the politician, Eileen Wang, in hopes that she would rise in politics and promote Chinese interests. For a period of time, they were engaged. Despite the scandal, Wang remains in office. Earlier this year, she was sworn in as Arcadia’s mayor. L.A. Times | N.Y. Times
12.
Public fury over San Diego’s introduction of parking meters to Balboa Park is not going away. On Tuesday, the city announced a reward of $1,000 for information regarding a vandalism spree that has destroyed more than 50 of the meters. Vandals have shattered their glass screens, sprayed a sticky substance rendering them inoperable, and in a few cases smeared them with feces. On Friday, after weeks of outcry, Mayor Todd Gloria agreed to allow free parking in some lots for San Diego residents. It’s unclear whether that will be enough to quiet critics. City News Service
The California Sun, PO Box 6868, Los Osos, CA 93412
Wake up to must-read news from around the Golden State delivered to your inbox each morning.