Good morning. It’s Monday, Jan. 26.
- Grief and outrage over shooting in Minneapolis.
- Alex Honnold completes another historic climb.
- And Nick Reiner’s life of privilege, pills, and pain.
Minnesota unrest
1.
California Democrats forcefully denounced the fatal shooting of a 37-year-old Minneapolis resident, Alex Pretti, by Border Patrol agents on Saturday. Sen. Adam Schiff joined calls to halt funding for the Department of Homeland Security. “We simply can’t accept an administration that says, ‘Don’t believe your lying eyes,'” he told “Meet the Press.” Gov. Gavin Newsom placed blame squarely on the president, writing on X: “Trump made a shooting happen.” Rep. Ro Khanna echoed the sentiments of several California Democrats in the House, saying ICE had become “a rogue, militarized police in our communities.” The Hill | S.F. Chronicle
2.
A number of normally very online Silicon Valley figures appeared to ignore the shooting in Minnesota over the weekend. A handful of others, including Apple’s Tim Cook, were on the guest list for a screening of “Melania,” the first lady’s new documentary, at the White House on Saturday night. Still others spoke out in strikingly pointed terms. Fortune
A sampling:
- Vinod Khosla, managing director of Khosla Ventures: “The video was sickening to watch.”
- John O’Farrell, general partner at a16z: “Wondering how the eager tech enablers of this regime, including some of my former VC friends and partners, are rationalizing this atrocity. Just the latest in a year of horrors.”
- Yann LeCun, chief AI scientist at Meta: “Murderers.”
- Kath Korevec, director of product at Google Labs: “They executed him.”
- Jeff Dean, Google’s chief scientist: “Every person regardless of political affiliation should be denouncing this.”
3.
Bill Essayli, a Los Angeles federal prosecutor, drew scorn from Second Amendment advocates after he defended the shooting of Alex Pretti, who carried a pistol and had a firearm permit. “If you approach law enforcement with a gun,” Essayli wrote on X, “there is a high likelihood they will be legally justified in shooting you.” Gun rights organizations condemned the comment, with the National Rifle Association calling it “dangerous and wrong.” The group added: “Responsible public voices should be awaiting a full investigation, not making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens.” N.Y. Times | L.A. Times
4.
Other developments:
- Californians protested against the government’s immigration tactics in Eureka, Sacramento, Santa Rosa, San Francisco, Oakland, Fresno, Watsonville, Thousand Oaks, Joshua Tree, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Santa Ana, and other cities. See pictures. 👉 Reddit | S.F. Chronicle
- San Diego County leaders ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff in honor of Pretti and Renee Good, who was also killed at the hands of federal agents in Minnesota this month. City News Service
- The Warriors were scheduled to play the Timberwolves in Minnesota on Saturday, but they postponed the game until Sunday because of the shooting. After the Warriors won, Coach Steve Kerr said he felt bad for his opponents: “It was one of the most bizarre, sad games I’ve ever been a part of.” East Bay Times | S.F. Chronicle
Statewide
5.
In 2023, more than one-sixth of California’s personal income tax revenue came from the top 0.1% of earners. As such, officials don’t simply take the word of ultrawealthy residents who claim to have left the state: They check phone logs, dentist visits, and club memberships. Advisers say the reality of truly leaving can come as a jolt to billionaires eyeing the exits. “You’re a member of the L.A. County Club? Not anymore, you’re not,” said Alan Witlen, a tax adviser. “That’s where a lot of these conversations break down. People realize they don’t want to give up these things they love.” Wall Street Journal
6.
California will become the first U.S. state to join the World Health Organization’s global outbreak response network, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Friday. The decision came a day after the Trump administration said it had finalized America’s withdrawal from the WHO. California’s membership in the outbreak network, which aims to prevent epidemics, builds on a series of state health initiatives that depart from federal policies rewritten under President Trump and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the health secretary. Reuters | Politico
Northern California
7.
When Alex Honnold climbed El Capitan without a rope in 2017, sports writers called it one of the greatest athletic feats of any kind, ever. Over the weekend, the 40-year-old Sacramento climber was at it again: this time free soloing a 1,667-foot tower in Taipei live on Netflix. Audiences watched through their fingers as Honnold climbed methodically from the street to the top of Taipei 101’s metal spire in 1 hour and 31 minutes, smiling and waving along the way. His wife said she “was basically having a panic attack the entire time.” For Honnold’s part, he maintained his signature nonchalance, telling reporters after the climb: “It’s so great. What a nice day.” N.Y. Times | Climbing magazine
- People clutching phones captured the ascent from inside the tower. See video.
8.
On Sept. 28, 2015, Brenda Leon, 52, was found dead from a gunshot wound in her Antioch home along with a suicide note. Police ruled it a suicide. But Leon’s two adult daughters were suspicious. They filed a wrongful death lawsuit, saying they were sure their mother had been murdered. Ten years later, the authorities now say the children were right. On Friday, they announced the arrest of Leon’s husband of 33 years, Michael Leon. East Bay Times
9.
After the 49ers were eliminated from the playoffs by a devastating score of 41 to 6 on Jan. 17, some fans embraced a wild theory of their misfortune. Citing a series of injuries over the season, they asked: could an electrical substation near the team’s field be weakening players’ bodies? The 49ers’ general manager, John Lynch, took the proposition seriously, announcing in a news conference that he’s actively looking into the situation. “To be clear,” the Atlantic wrote, “the concerns are baseless.”
Southern California
10.
During Thanksgiving dinner in 2018, the Reiner family and guests went around the table sharing what they were grateful for. Then it was Nick Reiner’s turn: “Well, I’m certainly not grateful for this fucking food, and I’m not grateful for any of you freeloaders in my house. I just can’t wait to get through this fucking dinner so I get back my room,” he yelled, according to a dinner guest. The Washington Post reported the anecdote in a deep dive on “Reiner’s life of privilege, pills and pain.”
11.
Thieves have tried to break into Taylor Minatogawa’s business in Gardena five times in two months, he said. In one instance, a hooded suspect with a bat surprised one of his employees. In another, thieves cut their way in through the roof. Minatogawa became so exasperated that he began spending the night at the business. His business? Pokemon cards. The authorities say Pokemon thievery has grown into a menace across Southern California, as armed crews make off with cards valued at thousands of dollars apiece. L.A. Times
12.
In 1984, Cammie Toloui was by her own description an “awkward hippy” at her Bay Area high school, feeling that she never quite fit in. Drawn by the work of photographer Diane Arbus, known for documenting subjects on the margins of society, Toloui brought her camera onto the quad at lunch and had classmates pose for portraits. Looking back at the pictures now, Toloui wrote, “I’ve changed from cynical to sentimental about that time and place.” Flashbak published portraits from Toloui’s “High School 1984.”
- See more of Toloui’s high school pictures.
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