Good morning. It’s Thursday, May 7.
- Crowds overrun Yosemite after park ends reservations.
- Gavin Newsom’s wife becomes a conservative target.
- And the incredible views of Anacapa Island.
Statewide
1.
New data released this week showed increasing odds that an impending El Niño event could be among the most powerful ever recorded. “Confidence is clearly shifting higher on potentially the biggest El Niño event since the 1870s,” wrote Paul Roundy, a professor of atmospheric science. For California, climate scientists say the weather pattern triggered by warm Pacific waters raises the likelihood of intense rainfall, coastal erosion, flooding, and eastern Pacific hurricanes. Washington Post
- Science writer David Wallace-Wells: “The world is about to get a preview of life in 2035.” N.Y. Times
2.
“Gridlock. Cars everywhere. People everywhere. No parking. No space.”
After the Trump administration abandoned a reservation requirement at Yosemite National Park, the valley has become so overrun that some visitors aren’t even exiting their cars. Last weekend, the wait time to enter the park was an hour and a half. Inside, motorists circled aimlessly through full parking lots, unable to get out and see the majestic views. At Half Dome, a stream of people clogged the cables leading to the summit. L.A. Times
3.
As Gov. Gavin Newsom ponders his White House bid, conservatives are directing a barrage of attacks at his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom. A filmmaker and activist, she has faced far more attention than the spouses of other potential candidates, Politico reported. In recent weeks, social media accounts have circulated clips of Siebel Newsom talking about why she chose the title of “first partner” and her views on gender stereotypes and parenting. The effect is to portray her, and by extension her husband, as “woke,” a label that has plagued Democrats with voters.
4.
Dispatches from the campaign trail:
- Seven candidates for California governor gathered for another debate on Wednesday, and again the event devolved into bickering. Among the memorable moments: The only candidate to say he would support a billionaire tax initiative was Tom Steyer, himself a billionaire. N.Y. Times
- The three leading candidates for Los Angeles mayor faced off for the first time on Wednesday. Mayor Karen Bass touted reduced street homelessness. Spencer Pratt held Bass responsible for the Palisades fire. And in a striking moment, Nithya Raman accused Bass and Pratt of conspiring to attack her. The claim drew laughs from the audience. L.A. Times
5.
While prosecutors won a murder conviction against Paul Flores four years ago in the notorious 1996 disappearance of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo student Kristin Smart, the location of her body has remained a mystery. On Wednesday, the authorities served a search warrant at one of the leading prospects: the home of Flores’ mother. Chris Lambert, who created a popular podcast on the murder case and has described the home as “overlooked,” went to the Arroyo Grande property Wednesday. “Today was a big surprise for everyone,” he said. The Tribune | KSBY
Northern California
6.
In 2021, prosecutors charged a pair of Rohnert Park police officers with extortion, accusing them of stopping motorists along a major marijuana transportation corridor under bogus pretenses, then stealing their cannabis. One officer, Brendon Tatum, pleaded guilty months later. The other, Joseph Huffaker, fought in court and lost last summer. On Wednesday, the men heard their sentences: for Tatum, 30 months in prison; for Huffaker, 20 months. Both showed contrition. But Huedell Freeman, one of their victims, was unmoved. “A convicted guy is always sorry,” he said. Press Democrat | KQED
7.
A group of Monterey residents dressed as witches and paddled in the bay after the rise of the Navy’s new acting secretary, Hung Cao, drew attention to his past claim that the “Wiccan community” had taken over the area. In 2023, Cao told the Christian nationalist Sean Feucht: “Monterey’s a very dark place now, a lot of witchcraft.” Miranda Diamanti, a paddler, said Cao had it backwards. Monterey, she said, is place of art, community, and natural beauty. KSBW
Southern California
8.
A community college professor in Ventura County, Loay Abdelfattah Alnaji, pleaded guilty Tuesday to involuntary manslaughter in the death of a Jewish man during demonstrations over the Israel-Hamas war in November 2023. Prosecutors said Alnaji, 54, struck Paul Kessler, 69, with a megaphone, causing him to fall and strike his head on the pavement. The killing drew national headlines and outrage from religious and political leaders. Under the plea deal, Alnaji was expected to get probation, avoiding jail time. A Jewish group called that “woefully inadequate.” Ventura County Star | L.A. Times
9.
UCLA’s medical school has been illegally discriminating against applicants on the basis of race for years, according to a review by the Justice Department released on Wednesday. The agency said Black and Latino students admitted to the school had, on average, lower median Medical College Admission Test scores and grade-point averages than their white and Asian American classmates. The report cited internal documents that showed UCLA adhered to “the dubious contention that patients receive the best care when treated by a doctor of the same race.” L.A. Times | A.P.
10.
President Trump’s immigration crackdown appears to have alienated many voters in Orange County, a politically mixed region often seen as a bellwether for the country. A new poll from UC Irvine found that roughly six in 10 respondents disapprove of Trump’s handling of immigration. “This purple county does seem to have broad agreement that immigration is much more beneficial than it’s not, and that people don’t want harsh enforcement, but they want some enforcement,” said Jon Gould, dean of UCI’s School of Social Ecology. L.A. Times
11.
“Los Angeles and San Francisco tend to dominate the imagination when people think of California, with San Diego often reduced to that place with a zoo south of L.A. … San Diego is so much more than that — a patchwork of coastal communities centered around sandy beaches, rugged nature, and a pace of life that rarely feels rushed.”
Mike Blake, a skateboarder and photojournalist who has lived in San Diego for 25 years, shared tips on how to explore San Diego along with a dreamy gallery of 30 photos. Reuters
12.
The view from Anacapa Island’s Inspiration Point is said to be so incredible, it feels like you’re flying. Rising about 200 feet above the water, the point looks out on Anacapa’s middle and western islets, a spectacular tableau of land and sea and sky, typically filled with swooping gulls and brown pelicans. Backpacker Magazine once declared it the finest view in California. It takes some effort to reach — an hourlong ferry ride from Ventura and a 1.5-mile walk from the dock. But the point alone, many say, is worth the trip. PBS SoCal
- See a guide to Anacapa Island. 👉 California Through My Lens
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