Good morning. It’s Wednesday, Oct. 22.
- California condors make a comeback in the East Bay.
- Chess world is shaken by California grandmaster’s death.
- And ICE agents shoot Mexican national in Los Angeles.
Statewide
1.
“We don’t have Flex Alerts.”
For years, fretting over the possibility of rolling blackouts was something of a summer ritual in California. As millions of air conditioners strained electrical lines, grid operators would issue Flex Alerts while Republican critics mocked the state’s reliance on clean energy. But California hasn’t had a Flex Alert since 2022, and analysts say the grid is now stronger, cleaner, and more reliable. The reason: a 3,000% surge in battery storage over the last five years. L.A. Times
2.
The state of California has been on a hiring spree thanks to the Trump administration’s culling of the federal workforce. The gutting of the Environmental Protection Agency, which is on track to lose a third of its workers by early 2026, has been especially significant as California reacts to federal attacks on its environmental policies. Among the state’s new hires are former senior EPA officials who specialized in climate, pesticides, and traffic pollution. Politico
3.
Charles Winstead, a rock climber, has been ascending El Capitan for much of October. In that time, he has seen roughly 20 BASE jumpers flying off of Yosemite’s granite cliffs, he said. BASE jumping is illegal in Yosemite, punishable by six months in jail. But as the government shutdown heads into its fourth week, practitioners are betting they won’t get caught. Drones, which are banned in the park, are also now seen zigzagging through the valley on a daily basis. N.Y. Times
Northern California
4.
The California condor is making a surprising comeback in the East Bay. The majestic vultures were pushed to near extinction in the 1980s before a breeding campaign reestablished parts of their historic range in Big Sur, Pinnacles National Park, and other areas. Until recently, they hadn’t been seen in the East Bay in more than a century. “It’s not just one bird here and there,” said Kelly Sorenson, of Ventana Wildlife Society. “It’s the whole flock expanding their range both north and south.” Mercury News
5.
As market bubble warnings grow louder, the Wall Street Journal reported on OpenAI’s dealmaking blitz:
“[It] has tied the fates of the world’s biggest semiconductor and cloud companies — and vast swaths of the U.S. economy — to OpenAI, essentially making it too big to fail. All of them are now betting on the success of a startup that is nowhere near turning a profit and facing a mounting list of business challenges. Investors aren’t bothered.”
6.
The chess world has been shaken by the death of one of its young stars. Daniel Naroditsky, 29, grew up in the Bay Area, became a grandmaster as a teenager, and built a career around chess education and commentary. His death was announced on Monday by the Charlotte Chess Center, where he was head coach, though no cause was disclosed. Several prominent chess figures took to social media to say Naroditsky had been plagued by a rival’s accusations of cheating. N.Y. Times | New York Post
7.
For years, San Francisco officials have removed a hilltop rope swing over the objections of the neighborhood. So a lot of people thought it was rich that the city’s tourist arm featured the swing in a new promotional video. “There is a place where anything is possible, if you believe,” the ad says, just before someone merrily swings with a view of the city skyline. Asked for comment, a parks spokesperson said DIY swings are “often unsafe.” Despite the removals, a man known only as the Swing Guy has made it his mission to reinstall the swing every time it’s taken down. S.F. Chronicle
8.
One of California’s prettiest autumn destinations, Plumas County, is ready for showtime. The Northern Sierra region has an East Coast character with steepled churches, rust-colored barns, and 19th-century towns shaded by kaleidoscopic oaks, dogwoods, and maples. But the star of the show, according to fall foliage connoisseur John Poimiroo, is the Indian rhubarb that grows along mountain streams and lights up in oranges and reds. The photographer Michael Beatley captured some fantastic pictures in Quincy over the last week. 👉 California Fall Color
- The Bay Area doesn’t have much of a reputation for leaf-peeping. You just need to know where to look, wrote the San Francisco Chronicle.
Southern California
9.
ICE agents shot a Mexican national after he rammed his car into law enforcement vehicles while trying to evade arrest in Los Angeles on Tuesday morning, authorities said. A ricocheting bullet injured the hand of a U.S. Marshal assisting in the operation, they said. Bill Essayli, the acting U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, defended the use of force in a statement: “A vehicle is a deadly weapon.” The suspect was identified as Carlitos Ricardo Paria, 44, who has a loyal following as a citizen journalist on TikTok under the moniker Richard LA. N.Y. Times | A.P.
10.
Barstow police said they arrested the father of a 2-year-old boy who drowned in floodwaters last month, accusing the man of murder. Brandon Padilla-Aguilera, 26, was driving with the toddler on Sept. 18 when their car was swept off a Barstow street by powerful floodwaters, causing them to be separated. Young Xavier’s body was found the next day. The authorities declined to explain what evidence pointed to a murder charge. Xavier’s aunt, Leeanna Kay, issued a statement on behalf of the family: “We support Brandon fully,” it said. Victor Valley News | KTLA
- Video captured Padilla-Aguilera’s car being overtaken by the rising waters.
11.
On a departing flight from LAX, the photographer Mark Ruwedel glanced down and saw the El Segundo Butterfly Preserve. The sand dunes once hosted the community of Surfridge, a wealthy enclave that was bought up and demolished to make way for an airport expansion that never happened. The ghost town is emblematic of the less-traveled places that Ruwedel explored for his newly published project, “The Western Edge.” Ruwedel’s Los Angeles, one critic wrote, is “a place where the frontier, and often the very dream of America, collapses at the shore.” American Suburb X
- See more of Ruwedel’s work.
12.
Descanso Gardens, nestled in the San Rafael Hills just north of Los Angeles, is normally a place of tranquility, abundance, and pink camellias. But each October, the dead and malevolent are summoned. For “Carved,” the gardens transforms into a Halloween fantasyland with 1,000 exquisitely designed pumpkins. Part of the fun is watching the master carvers at work. Each of their creations, which can require as many as eight hours of carving, lasts only a few days before it begins to droop and needs to be replaced. L.A. Daily News | Pasadena Now
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