Adam Collier was unwell. While in prison between 2016 and 2020, he had been hospitalized for mental health crises 14 times. Over that same period, he was transferred 39 times. On Oct. 17, 2020, at age 43, Collier killed himself. A reporting team discovered that his experience was so common it has a name: “Diesel therapy.” In lieu of treating sick inmates, California prisons will simply shuffle them around. CalMatters

UCLA, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Berkeley schools, and now the Bay Area’s second-most populous county.

Mask mandates are mounting a comeback in California, with Alameda County becoming the latest to announce that face coverings will be required in indoor public settings starting midnight Friday. Dr. Nicholas Moss, the county’s health officer, said the move was meant to “reflect the seriousness of the moment.” He added, “We cannot ignore the data, and we can’t predict when this wave may end.” A.P. | Mercury News

Los Angeles County could be next. Health officials said the region appeared to be on track to reimpose mask rules by the end of June. L.A. Times | Deadline

In 2019, prior to the drought, 19% of California’s in-state electricity generation came from hydroelectric dams. As the state’s reservoirs dip well below historical averages, that figure is expected to fall to 8% this summer, a new federal government forecast found. The shortfall is likely to be offset by natural gas-fired power, sending more carbon dioxide into the air. Grist | CNN

Shasta: 48%. Oroville: 68%. Trinity: 38%. See how current reservoir levels compare to historical averages. 👉 Water.ca.gov

On this week’s California Sun Podcast, host Jeff Schechtman chats with Gustavo Arellano, a columnist for the Los Angeles Times. With the June 7 primary election days away, Arellano talked about the reality of the Latino vote: “This tendency that I’m seeing especially among young Latino men, specifically Mexican American men … they are just as tired of woke politics as their white counterparts.”

Michael Shellenberger, the author of “San Fransicko: Why Progressives Ruin Cities,” is trying to pull off an upset in the race for governor. He is a single-issue candidate, arguing that homeless people don’t need “namby pamby” care but a firm hand and a stint in rehab. In a campaign profile, Olga Khazan provided a sharp analysis of the debate over camping bans, forced treatment, and the controversial “housing first” model. The Atlantic

In Shasta County, far-right activists led a successful recall campaign against a Republican supervisor last February. Now the newly formed “Liberty Committee” is backing a slate of candidates on the June 7 ballot to further consolidate power. All of them are men. The group’s main benefactor, a former Hollywood filmmaker named Reverge Anselmo, explained: Women are too emotional and “squishy.” L.A. Times

California regulators on Thursday gave a robotic taxi service permission to begin charging passengers for driverless rides in San Francisco. Cruise, a company controlled by General Motors, will be the first to offer the service in a major U.S. city. To minimize hazards, the cars will initially be limited to speeds under 30 miles per hour, less congested parts of the city, and the hours from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Detroit Free Press | A.P.

On Thursday, about 700 children spent the day cleaning up a dune habitat on Humboldt Bay. They and their teachers then sat in formation on the sand, forming the shape of three sea stars and words “Restore Joy,” for a photo op from the sky. North Coast Journal

Michael Avenatti, the Los Angeles lawyer and onetime presidential aspirant, was sentenced Thursday to four years in prison for cheating his best-known client, the adult film actress Stormy Daniels. A jury found that Avenatti embezzled nearly $300,000 in book proceeds from Daniels. Ordering the sentence, Judge Jesse M. Furman called the lawyer’s behavior “craven and egregious.” Avenatti is already serving a separate sentence of two and a half years for trying to extort Nike. L.A. Times | Reuters

Unlike many other booming Southern California destinations, Ojai has banned short-term vacation rentals. And there are just 12 hotels within city limits. That’s made finding a room for under $250 a night all but impossible. “There’s not enough hotel rooms for the people who want to be here,” said Diana Hawk, manager at the Emerald Iguana Inn. “Half of Los Angeles is coming up here.” L.A. Times

The artist Judith Baca, whose murals are scattered around Los Angeles, was long ignored by the city’s arts establishment. That’s changing. There are exhibitions of her work at the J. Paul Getty Museum and another set to open at the Museum of Contemporary Art. A Baca retrospective just closed at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach. “She does seem to be the woman of the moment,” said one curator. “Judy Baca is everywhere.” N.Y. Times (gift article)

In 1953, Audrey Hepburn was 24 years old and had just won a best actress Oscar for her first major film role in “Roman Holiday.” Her destiny as a Hollywood icon was still far from established. But when LIFE photographer Mark Shaw spent a day with her as she practiced ballet, applied makeup, and lounged in her Beverly Hills apartment, he was told by studio technicians that Hepburn was different from other bright young stars who come and go. “We can tell when someone has got it,” they told him. LIFE posted a remembrance of Shaw’s photo spread.