Good morning. It’s Tuesday, July 19.
- Corporate prospectors aim to revive California gold mining.
- Police crackdown pushes homeless into Mojave Desert.
- And a travel writer recommends five cool coastal getaways.
Statewide
1.
For decades, gold mining has been considered economically unfeasible in California. But as the price of gold has skyrocketed, the math has changed. In Grass Valley, a corporate prospector is trying to reopen an abandoned mine, promising jobs and as much as $10 million a year in tax revenue. Placards opposing it are stuck in medians and yards around town. “I’ve never met a single person who wants it,” Kendell Christianson, 69, said. “What is the purpose of this? Greed.” Washington Post
2.
In Los Angeles County, there are more than 19 million parking spaces, almost two per resident, including children. The L.A. Times editorial board: “California treats parking like a birthright. But that obsession with ensuring motorists can always find a parking spot sabotages more important goals, including building more housing and reducing driving. If state leaders are serious about making California affordable, livable and sustainable, they’ve got to stop local laws that prioritize parking over people.”
3.
A high-design Spanish-colonial hotel in Santa Barbara, a Norwegian inn along the Big Sur coast that predates the construction of Highway 1, and a rustic getaway with endless ocean views in the remote northern reaches of Mendocino County, pictured above. The travel writer Maria Shollenbarger compiled a solid list of five coastal California getaways. Financial Times
Northern California
4.
The Fresno County District Attorney’s Office announced on Monday that it had charged the City Council president, Nelson Esparza, with felony attempted extortion. Esparza, a Democrat, was accused of threatening to fire Fresno’s city attorney if he didn’t refuse to work for Esparza’s rivals on the council. Over her tenure, District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp, a Republican, has investigated multiple City Council members, prompting some to accuse her of unfairly targeting Democrats. Fresno Bee | KFSN
5.
“Harassment to you and family will start now.”
Chris Eberle, a midlevel Netflix executive, got the handle @ginger on both Twitter and Instagram shortly after the platforms launched. Years later, someone texted him demanding he hand them over. Eberle laughed. What followed was a yearlong campaign of harassment, including a police raid, tow trucks, and mountains of unsolicited pizza. The FBI got involved. An arrest was made. A man died. Insider
6.
Jenile Thames, of San Leandro, filed a lawsuit against the Mars candy company alleging that Skittles are “unfit for human consumption” because they contain titanium dioxide. The use of the additive, a colorant, is not illegal in the United States. But Thames’ lawsuit, which seeks class action status, argues that Mars failed to warn consumers of potential health risks associated with titanium dioxide, which include alterations to DNA, chromosomal damage, inflammation, and cell neurosis. Washington Post | Insider
7.
In 1986, the photographer Arthur Grace was assigned to shoot Robin Williams for the cover of Newsweek. A friendship blossomed that lasted nearly 30 years. Between assignments, Grace would stay in San Francisco with Williams, who was born on this week in 1951. They vacationed together. Williams threw Grace a party to celebrate the photographer’s wedding. Through the years, Williams allowed Grace to photograph even his most private moments. But of the thousands of pictures he took, Grace has said he has one favorite. It shows Williams in 1986, triumphant and exhausted after a performance at New York’s Metropolitan Opera House. 👇
● ●
See 14 images from Grace’s collection. 👉 N.Y. Times
Southern California
8.
A police crackdown on encampments in the city of Lancaster, on the northern edge of Los Angeles County, has pushed at least 200 homeless people further into the Mojave Desert. With scorching temperatures and no services, the struggle for water is constant. Lancaster’s mayor, R Rex Parris, has said he is not at “war” with homeless people. But he added: “Am I going to allow people to sleep wherever they want and try and get money from people who are shopping? That’s not going to happen.” The Guardian
9.
With a new mask mandate looming in Los Angeles County, videotaped remarks by the chief medical officer of the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, Dr. Brad Spellberg, reverberated widely online over the weekend. “It is just not the same pandemic as it was, despite all the media hype to the contrary,” Spellberg said during a town hall last Wednesday. He added: “A lot of people have bad colds, is what we’re seeing.” Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Holtom chimed in: “We’re just seeing nobody with severe Covid disease.” L.A. Times
10.
Thieves broke into an unattended Brink’s tractor-trailer at a rest stop in Kern County last week and made off with a haul of jewelry and gems, the authorities said. The security company put the value of the stolen items at up to $10 million. But victims reported $100 million in losses. It was unclear whether the suspects followed the truck or stumbled upon a crime of opportunity. A.P. | N.Y. Times
11.
“Had they just done their job, she would still be alive.”
Around 7 p.m. on June 14, a man showed up at Nahal Connie Dadkhah’s condominium. He banged on the door and screamed. Then he broke in through a sliding glass door. Neighbors called 911 repeatedly for an hour and 40 minutes, one reporting a fight inside the home, before officers finally showed up and knocked on Dadkhah’s door. But when she didn’t answer, they left. The next day Dadkhah was found dead. NBC 7
12.
After Seriina Covarrubias replaced her lawn with drought-tolerant plants native to Southern California, it awakened a world of wildlife. The birds returned, along with lizards, ladybugs, praying mantises, bees, and caterpillars. Covarrubias, who is chronically ill, said the garden has become much more than a collection of plants. “We’re always taught that our bodies are the same, but good health is so fleeting and not the measure of our worth,” she said. “My garden is worth more than one flower or season of blooms. Its daily existence is what gives it value. The birds and butterflies knew that before I did.” L.A. Times
Get your California Sun mugs, T-shirts, and hoodies.
Thanks for reading!
The California Sun is written by Mike McPhate, a former California correspondent for the New York Times.
Give the gift of the California Sun.
Forward this email to a friend.
Click here to stop delivery, and here to update your billing information or cancel your support.
The California Sun, PO Box 6868, Los Osos, CA 93412
Wake up to must-read news from around the Golden State delivered to your inbox each morning.