Good morning. It’s Friday, Nov. 21.
- Child farmworkers endure pesticides and meager pay.
- Davis to pay $18.3 million after woman trips on sidewalk.
- And an Alhambra police officer is killed during car chase.
Statewide
1.
Jose, a quiet 14-year-old, has worked in the berry fields of Salinas Valley since he was 11, bending over for hours a day every summer and on weekends during the school year. He recalled being in a strawberry field where a tractor sprayed a liquid with a strong chemical odor. “It really smelled bad,” he said. “It gave me headaches.” Capital & Main spoke to dozens of young field laborers in California for an investigation on the children who endure meager pay, harsh summer heat, and exposure to pesticides to provide our fruits and vegetables.
- Part 2 of the investigation: Agricultural companies that violate pesticide safety laws commonly face no fines, receiving only warnings and notices to correct problems.
2.
The Trump administration announced plans Thursday to open waters off California to new oil and gas leases for the first time in four decades. In an order titled “Unleashing American Offshore Energy,” the Interior Department said it would offer six lease sales along the coast between 2027 and 2030. An industry group called the plan “historic.” In a joint statement, Sen. Alex Padilla and Rep. Jared Huffman said California is being targeted “because they think we will roll over.” “They are wrong,” the Democrats wrote. “We’re going to fight this with everything we have.” L.A. Times | Bloomberg
3.
The Justice Department appears to be investigating potential mishandling of a federal mortgage fraud investigation into Sen. Adam Schiff. On Thursday, investigators asked Christine Bish, a Republican activist from California who claims to be a “key witness” in the Schiff probe, about her communications with Bill Pulte, a Trump ally who leads the Federal Housing Finance Agency and has pushed for mortgage fraud inquiries into Democrats. Bish said the questioning by federal investigators was “bizarre”: “Something’s not adding up. And I haven’t gotten to the bottom of it yet, but I will.” CNN | N.Y. Times
4.
The Trump administration sued California on Thursday, alleging that its practice of offering in-state tuition to unauthorized immigrants is illegal and discriminates against Americans from out of state who pay higher rates. The suit targets a statute approved with bipartisan backing in 2001 that makes all students who complete high school in California eligible for in-state tuition, regardless of immigration status. The law has withstood earlier legal challenges. N.Y. Times | L.A. Times
Northern California
5.
Eric Swalwell, a Bay Area congressman who has built his profile on relentless criticism of President Trump, announced during an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Thursday that he is running for governor. Swalwell vowed to be “California’s fighter and protector.” “It pisses me off to see Californians running through the fields where they work from ICE agents or troops in our streets,” he said. Political reporters said his move this late in the year reflects the unsettled race to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom, with no decisive frontrunner. Politico | S.F. Chronicle
6.
The city of Davis agreed to pay $18.3 million to settle a lawsuit brought by a woman who tripped on an uneven sidewalk. In August 2020, a woman in her 60s, who was not identified, was walking during her lunch break when a portion of sidewalk lifted by a tree root sent her tumbling to the ground, causing “severe neck and head injuries,” according to her claim. Her medical costs reached roughly $8 million, her lawyer said. Reports said the payout is among the largest of its kind in U.S. history. Sacramento Bee | Davis Enterprise
7.
Over the years, a woman told her three sons that she had “rare comics somewhere,” but she couldn’t remember where they were. Sorting through their family home after her death last year, the brothers opened a box of yellowed newspaper clippings and found a near-mint condition “Superman” comic book from 1939, the Man of Steel’s first solo title. On Thursday, the comic book sold for $9.12 million, making it the most expensive ever sold at auction, by far. The Guardian | Hollywood Reporter
8.
Asked to pick his “best shot,” the East Coast photographer Curran Hatleberg chose a picture he took while teaching photography for a semester at Eureka’s College of the Redwoods in 2013. One day, he said, he turned down an alley to find a grand tableau: “a dusty alley lined with daisies, a few redheads, a handful of puppies, and a woman with a gas can, the whole scene lit up by blinding sun. That’s a miracle,” he said. The Guardian
- Hatleberg published a photo book from his time in Humboldt County that was celebrated for its intimate depiction of small-town life set against the grandeur of nature. See more from “Lost Coast.” 👉 Lost Coast Outpost
Southern California
9.
A police officer in the San Gabriel Valley was killed during a pursuit early Thursday after his patrol vehicle collided with the car of the suspect, the authorities said. An unidentified 33-year-old female passenger died after being ejected from the suspect’s vehicle, which was believed to be stolen. The driver, who survived with non-life-threatening injuries, was charged with murder. The slain officer, Alec Sanders, was 28, engaged to be married, and an avid Dallas Cowboys fan. L.A. Times | KABC
10.
On this week’s California Sun Podcast, host Jeff Schechtman talked with Gustavo Arellano. The L.A. Times columnist discussed the retreat from Trumpism among California’s Latino voters, 71% of whom supported the Democratic redistricting measure on Nov. 4, according to exit polling. “When you’re seeing the people being rounded up and harassed are people of Mexican descent who have been here 20, 30 years — the tamale lady, the fruitero, the father with three Marines here in Orange County, daycare workers — yeah,” Arellano said. “People are going to get upset.”
11.
“She’s glowing.”
After the Los Angeles wildfires in January, a news photo of a blue 1977 Volkswagen van parked amid the ashy ruins became an unlikely symbol of resilience. Unseen in the picture was the damage to the other side of the van, which was melted and cracked. After a major restoration, the van was unveiled on Wednesday at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. It will be displayed there and at the LA Auto Show for a number of weeks before being returned to its owners. L.A. Times | USA Today
In case you missed it
12.
Five items that got big views over the past week:
- When artist Doug Rosenberg came upon a patch of greenery in the concrete-encased L.A. River in 2020, he was struck by inspiration. He arranged large rocks in concentric circles that would trap sediment and allow life to take root. After 10 weeks, a “guerrilla wetland” had emerged. NPR
- Doctors have warned against using Artri Ajo King, a dangerous supplement that is falsely advertised as a “natural remedy.” But the warnings are failing to penetrate San Francisco’s immigrant community, where Artri Ajo King has become commonplace among Latinos in physically demanding jobs. El Tecolote
- Suisun City, a small town on the edge of the California Delta, is broke. A company backed by Silicon Valley billionaires wants to build a city from scratch on surrounding agricultural land. A proposal for Suisun City to annex the land was pitched as a way to help each other solve a problem. The shouting began right away. N.Y. Times
- The most enticing attribute of a newly listed midcentury modern home in Sonoma County is its perch on a bluff overlooking the Pacific. The residence in Jenner includes wood-burning fireplaces, a large wood deck, and ocean views from every room. The asking price: $2 million. N.Y. Times
- Hard Rock Casino Tejon, a $600 million tribal casino that’s bigger than Caesars Palace, officially opened last week in rural Kern County. It includes a six-story guitar, four restaurants, and a gaming space equivalent in size to nearly three football fields. The Los Angeles Times offered a look inside.
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