Good morning. It’s Thursday, Sept. 11.
- California leaders lament rise of political violence.
- Kamala Harris turns on Joe Biden in new book.
- And San Francisco’s greatest unofficial landmark.
Statewide
1.
On the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk:
- After the shooting on Wednesday, dozens of elected officials in California, from the left and right, spoke out to express anguish and condemn political violence. But some couldn’t resist pointing fingers, even though authorities had yet to name a suspect or possible motive. Republican Assemblymember Carl DeMaio accused Gov. Gavin Newsom of paving the way for violence by smearing conservatives. N.Y. Times | Desert Sun
- Newsom drew criticism from some liberals for inviting Kirk on his podcast in March. After the shooting Wednesday, the governor said, “I knew Charlie, and I admired his passion and commitment to debate. His senseless murder is a reminder of how important it is for all of us, across the political spectrum, to foster genuine discourse on issues that deeply affect us all without resorting to political violence.” S.F. Chronicle
- “Charlie! Charlie! Charlie!” Mourners gathered for vigils to honor Kirk in Sacramento and Huntington Beach Wednesday evening. KCRA | Instagram
2.
After President Biden’s debate debacle in June 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris jumped to his defense. She’s not defending him anymore. In an excerpt from her forthcoming book, “107 Days,” Harris accused Biden’s team of sabotaging her before she was abruptly thrust into the limelight as a replacement candidate. What’s more, she wrote, it was “recklessness” to defer to Biden on whether he should run again: “This wasn’t a choice that should have been left to an individual’s ego.” The Atlantic | Washington Post
- “No one wants to hear your pity party.” Former Biden White House officials went on the attack against Harris on Wednesday. Politico
3.
“I know for an absolute fact I did nothing wrong. They were the aggressors the entire time.”
George Retes, an Army veteran and father of two young children, was on his way to work as a security guard at a Camarillo cannabis farm on July 10 when he was arrested by federal immigration agents. In Retes’ telling, they broke his car window, pepper-sprayed him, dragged him to the ground, and put a knee on his neck. He was held in a jail cell for three days, unable to make a phone call or talk to an attorney. He told his story to the Atlantic.
4.
California is considering giving Valero Energy Corp. as much as $200 million to keep the company from closing its Bay Area refinery. The Texas energy giant has had a strained relationship with California Democrats; Gov. Gavin Newsom at one point accused the company of “ripping Californians off.” Then in April, Valero announced plans to close its refinery in Benicia, citing regulatory and cost pressures. Newsom has since softened his posture as California contends with tightening gas supplies and rising prices at the pump. Bloomberg
5.
California’s first canal-top solar project just went fully online in the San Joaquin Valley. Proponents of covering California’s vast aqueduct system with solar arrays say it could mitigate two crises at once: generating vast amounts of renewable power while saving billions of gallons of water from evaporating. For the $20 million pilot in Turlock, crews placed panels along roughly 1,400 feet of narrow canal, along with a wider solar canopy that spans the main canal, pictured above. Next up, leaders hope, is rolling the system out statewide. Canary Media | Turlock Journal
Northern California
6.
The NCAA announced Wednesday that it was permanently banning three basketball players from Fresno State and San Jose State after an investigation concluded that they manipulated games in a gambling scheme. According to investigators, the players conspired to perform poorly in statistical categories such as points and rebounding and placed bets on the outcomes in those categories. The payout in one game reached nearly $16,000, they found. Fresno Bee | ESPN
7.
In May, Nathan Jachimiek and his wife brought their 11-year-old son to a San Jose emergency room after he broke out in a rash. While waiting, the Benadryl they had given the boy seemed to alleviate his symptoms, so they left without ever seeing a doctor. Then the bill arrived: “Over $5,000,” said Jachimiek. He tried fighting it. The hospital only reversed the charge after a local news station started asking questions. KGO
8.
Spread across a hilltop in the southeast part of San Francisco, McLaren Park is an underappreciated gem, with five playgrounds, two lakes, hundreds of trees, and a nine-hole golf course. Then there’s the Tiffany-blue water tower that rises 80 feet above the tableau. Originally built in 1956, the tower has its share of detractors who wish it would be swallowed up by surrounding trees. But many others have quietly embraced it as a working-class structure for all. Curbed once declared it San Francisco’s greatest unofficial landmark.
Southern California
9.
Many A-list celebrities lost their homes in the January wildfire that swept through Pacific Palisades. But in the aftermath of the disaster, none has influenced policy more than Spencer Pratt. Politico Magazine writes:
“Fans of the mid-2000s MTV show The Hills will remember Pratt as a cartoonishly manipulative boyfriend, cruising around the Hollywood Hills and causing drama. A new, decidedly wonkier season is effectively now underway in the ashes of those same moneyed environs, with Pratt in a starring role in the debate over how to rebuild Los Angeles’ burned neighborhoods. And Pratt is vehemently against denser housing.”
10.
On Aug. 5, a Republican school board member in San Diego County made a brief announcement during roll call: “This year I have come out as a transgender woman, and I have changed my name to Carol Durney. With that — as Carol Durney — present.” The backlash was immediate, as eight speakers rose to denounce Durney, 64. They quoted scripture, called her an “abomination,” and suggested she suffered from a “mental delusion.” All of them demanded that she resign. The experience left Durney’s supporters shaken. Voice of San Diego
11.
According to food critic Tejal Rao, no city outside of Japan does sushi with the variety, skill, and creativity of Los Angeles. And one counter stands out from the rest, she says: Mori Nozomi, led by an all-woman team. “The rice is clean and light, and the fish is high quality and masterfully cut, but the real thrill is in the way chef [Nozomi] Mori builds on the structure and flow of the omakase in her own distinct style, moving you from one captivating bite to the next.”
The New York Times included Mori Nozomi and five other California restaurants in the 2025 edition of its annual list of America’s 50 best restaurants.
12.
Fall is the season to visit the Alabama Hills. Between October and November, the air is crisp and the turning cottonwoods add splashes of gold to the boulder fields of the Eastern Sierra. Regulars say an overnight stay is necessary to take in all of the beauty — the surreal arches, the dazzling night stars, the tangerine-colored sunrise against Mount Whitney. Since it’s managed by the Bureau of Land Management, camping options are plentiful. Bishop’s tourism agency published a fantastic guide with pictures, maps, history, and more.
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