Good morning. It’s Thursday, Aug. 20.
- Farmers embrace agave as state limits groundwater.
- Los Angeles repeals camping bans across parts of city.
- And Prince Harry and Meghan Markle plan Montecito exit.
Statewide
1.
Research has shown that creating a 5-foot zone around a home that is free of vegetation nearly doubles its chance of surviving a wildfire. Now California is making buffers mandatory in fire-prone parts of the state, encompassing roughly 2 million homes — but only as small as one foot. Scientists and firefighters had pushed for wider defenses, but after pushback from homeowners over the aesthetic implications, regulators on Wednesday sought a middle ground. The regulations, even if weakened, are still the most stringent in the U.S. Bloomberg | NPR
2.
As California limits groundwater pumping, more farmers are turning to agave. The spiky, drought-resistant succulents are known for being turned into spirits like tequila or mezcal. But they are also used for syrups, twine, lotions, biofuel, and more. James Hunt, who planted 14 acres of agave on his Merced farm last year, said he has been “preaching the gospel of agave” to anyone who will listen. “Anybody that farms that I talk to — once you really start giving them some real information, they get excited,” he said. “Their eyes get big.” Valley Public Radio
3.
The drumbeat of delays and cost overruns plaguing California’s bullet train has been relentless for years. Most recently, the rail authority’s inspector general warned that the project could run out of money as soon as next year. Yet progress is increasingly visible in the Central Valley, where crews have now built 60 major structures and prepared more than 80 miles for track-laying between Merced and Bakersfield. A new drone video traces part of the route, giving a sense of what it might feel like to ride the train. Jason Dronin Around/YouTube
Northern California
4.
Five years after a wildfire destroyed most of Grizzly Flats, the close-knit community in the Sierra foothills has turned into a place of haves and have-nots. On the west side of town, roughly 200 homes survived the blaze. In the town’s scorched neighborhoods, only a small share of residents have rebuilt; many others are still living in campers and trailers, unable to afford construction. “When I see a fire now, like Lahaina or Palisades, I know this isn’t their worst day,” said Robin Kelley. “That is to come, all the horrible things that they’re gonna have to go through just to try to come home.” CapRadio
5.
Aside from California, Waymos have only spread to cities in red or purple states. That’s because a coalition of labor unions and Democratic politicians is fighting to keep them off the streets of blue cities, arguing that they would make the roads more dangerous and throw human drivers out of work. That’s a shame, wrote economics journalist Rogé Karma. “Waymos are so much safer than human drivers that deploying them widely could avert countless injuries and deaths every year.” The Atlantic
- San Diego transit officials fought Waymo and lost. S.D. Union-Tribune
6.
For the first time, an artificial intelligence boss fired a human last week. That’s according to Andon Labs, an AI company that runs a market in San Francisco. The worker was fired for habitual tardiness, the company said. While Andon Market is billed as an experiment, the firing highlighted the fears of worker advocates who warn that firings through automated decision-making systems will become more common. Lawmakers are considering legislation to limit the practice. S.F. Chronicle | SFist
Southern California
7.
Family members are heartbroken and enraged after two speeding muscle cars plowed into a vehicle carrying two high school teenagers in Victorville last Friday, killing both of them. The California Highway Patrol is investigating whether the drivers who struck them were racing each other, the Los Angeles Times reported: “If authorities confirm a speed contest was to blame, the two girls would be the latest to fall victim to Southern California’s rampant and deadly street racing culture, which has claimed scores of lives in the last 20 years.”
8.
The Los Angeles City Council voted on Tuesday to repeal homeless camping bans across a dozen “sensitive” areas of the city — such as near schools and day-care centers — after Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez argued that they failed to address homelessness. “Displacing our neighbors from block to block, or in many cases from district to district, doesn’t help them find housing,” said Soto-Martínez, who is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. Critics said the bans were never intended to solve homelessness, but rather protect public spaces for families. L.A. Times | LAist
9.
In April, the Trump administration detained an Iranian family of three living in Los Angeles because one of their relatives played a role in 1979 Iran hostage crisis. Officials cited no wrongdoing by any of the family members, who were green-card holders. Yet they have been held ever since in Texas detention centers. The mother, a professor named Maryam Tahmasebi, wrote in the Nation about what she called an “unendurable, unending nightmare.” “Our lives are being upended for something someone else did nearly 50 years ago,” she wrote. NBC Los Angeles
10.
The family of a San Diego Padres minor league coach who was detained on Sunday by immigration officials said that he had work authorization valid through 2029 and a pending asylum case. San Diego Rep. Sara Jacobs noted that Oswaldo Pirela, who is from Venezuela, is a father of two. “How does ripping him away from his family make anyone safer?” she wrote. In an X post, the Department of Homeland Security said Pirela “overstayed his welcome.” “NOBODY is above the law, and he will remain in ICE custody pending removal.” AZFamily
11.
The proposed sale of the Los Angeles Lakers has put a spotlight on the nasty succession feud inside the Buss family, whose late patriarch Jerry Buss bought the team in the 1970s. The Los Angeles Times recounted the painful history: “At least two siblings have tried to oust another from a leadership role. One sibling reportedly said two others never should have been born. And one sibling managed to fire the five others from jobs with the team. The rifts mirror the HBO hit show ‘Succession.'”
12.
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, are moving back to Britain after six years of self-imposed exile in Montecito, where they pursued creative projects and turned the tony Central Coast community into global tabloid fodder. It’s unknown what prompted the decision. In 2024, Harry, 41, told an interviewer, “I very much enjoy living here and bringing up my kids here.” Montecito residents complained that the couple drew paparazzi and made little effort to fit into the community. They’re expected to keep their $14.65 million mansion. People | Santa Barbara News-Press
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