Good morning. It’s Tuesday, Sept. 9.
- Immigrants brace for raids after Supreme Court ruling.
- Wildfire burns into treasured grove of giant sequoias.
- And Monterey scientists discover adorable deep-sea fish.
Statewide
1.
The Supreme Court on Monday lifted a judge’s order that had restricted immigration agents from targeting people in Los Angeles based on criteria such as skin color or language. The 6-3 decision offered no rationale, allowing a temporary stay while litigation continues. But Justice Brett Kavanaugh offered a concurrence in which he emphasized the large numbers of illegal immigrants in L.A. “Common sense,” he wrote, dictates that race, speaking with an accent, or working day jobs could indicate illegal presence in the country.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor countered with a stinging dissent: “We should not have to live in a country where the Government can seize anyone who looks Latino, speaks Spanish, and appears to work a low wage job. Rather than stand idly by while our constitutional freedoms are lost, I dissent.” A.P. | Wall Street Journal
2.
A sampling of reactions to the Supreme Court ruling:
- Dan McLaughlin, a former lawyer at the National Review: “In most situations, it’s reasonable to demand that law enforcement not take race, ethnicity, or national origin into account in stopping people … But in the immigration context, national origin is an essential element of the offense.”
- Noah Feldman, a Harvard law professor: “It would be plainly unlawful for the government to stop all young Black men in high-crime neighborhoods — or for that matter, all Patagonia-clad White guys on Wall Street in a sweep for insider trading.”
- Gavin Newsom, California governor: “Trump’s hand-picked Supreme Court majority just became the Grand Marshal for a parade of racial terror in Los Angeles.”
- Flor Melendrez, leader of a carwash worker advocacy: “We cannot depend on our legal system.”
- Department of Homeland Security: “To the mainstream media’s chagrin, there are no ‘indiscriminate stops’ being made. The Supreme Court simply applied longstanding precedent regarding what qualifies as ‘reasonable suspicion’ under the Fourth Amendment.”
- Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights: “So. Much. WINNING!”
3.
“It’s going to get ugly.”
As the federal government prepared to “flood the zone” after Monday Supreme Court order, a sense of dread rippled through California’s immigrant communities. Elizabeth Strater, a national vice president of United Farm Workers, urged business owners to protect undocumented workers from raids. “Every employer needs to take responsibility for protecting their worker’s rights,” she said. “Put a gate there if you need to, have a door that locks, have a protocol in place.” L.A. Times | NBC News
- A growing network of California volunteers are acting as lookouts at day laborer corners, scanning for signs of immigration sweeps. KQED
4.
A wildfire churning through the Sierra Nevada since the lightning strikes of Aug. 24 exploded in size over the weekend, reaching into a treasured grove of giant sequoias. As of late Monday, the Garnet fire had spread more than 80 square miles in the Sierra National Forest with just 14% containment, officials said. Crews installed sprinklers around McKinley grove in advance of the fire, and smokejumpers were called in to climb trees and extinguish embers, but at least a few sequoias were said to have caught fire. L.A. Times | N.Y. Times
- The U.S. Forest Service shared video of the grove enveloped in smoke on Monday.
5.
Researchers discovered a new species 10,000 feet below the surface off the coast of Central California that proves not all creatures are strange and scary in the harsh environment of the deep sea. The bumpy snailfish is adorable, with a round head, big eyes, and pink coloration. Johanna Weston, a deep ocean ecologist, described them as “gregarious animals.” She added: “They also have a lovely little smile on their face.” N.Y. Times
- See video of the bumpy snailfish. 👉 YouTube/MBARI
6.
Once a year in March, the tilt of the earth is such that the night sky catches one view of the disc-shaped Milky Way that faces its center, and another hours later facing its outer edge. To capture the phenomenon, the photographer Dan Zafra chose an ideal setting: Badwater Basin, sitting about 280 feet below sea level in Death Valley. Not only is it remote, the surrounding peaks help block any trace of artificial light. The result — a blended panorama of the Milky Way captured across the span of a single night — was honored by the DarkSky International photo competition. Big Think
- See Zafra explain how he did it. 👉 YouTube
Northern California
7.
A man behind the wheel of a minivan that crashed into a tree in Napa County on Sunday, killing six passengers, was driving drunk while on a suspended license and had two prior DUI convictions, officials said. Norberto Celerino, 53, of Stockton, was booked on suspicion of felony DUI and murder. He and another passenger remained hospitalized on Monday. S.F. Chronicle | Mercury News
8.
A group of daredevils walked back and forth along a thin strip of nylon 75 feet above the surf against the backdrop of the Golden Gate Bridge over the weekend. The highliners, as they’re called, rigged the 1,640-foot-long line across Kirby Cove, located just west of the bridge in the Marin Headlands. Toby Calhoun, one of the highliners, said bewildered passersby thought they might be doing an ad: “But it was just a bunch of friends getting together to have a good time.” S.F. Chronicle
- See video of the spectacle.
9.
An architect’s studio ensconced in a serene private forest, a modern home with a saltwater pool near the Smith River, and a treehouse with giant skylights perched atop an enormous redwood stump.
Jill Robinson, a California native and veteran travel journalist, gave her picks for the best inns and Airbnbs near Northern California’s Redwood National and State Parks. Condé Nast Traveler
Southern California
10.
Attorney General Rob Bonta sued Los Angeles County and its sheriff’s department on Monday over what he called a “humanitarian crisis” in the jails, accusing officials of knowing about inhumane conditions but doing nothing to correct them. Inmates lack edible food and live in facilities infested with vermin, Bonta said. “More alarming, people are dying,” he added. Over the past decade, nearly 40% of the deaths in the jails — or at least 345 people — have been preventable, the lawsuit said. Courthouse News | L.A. Times
11.
Republican Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin announced a congressional investigation into the Palisades fire on Monday. The lawmakers said they would “expose the truth” of how California’s Democratic leaders were to blame. The announcement came after Scott toured the Palisades with Spencer Pratt, a reality TV figure whose house burned and who has argued vociferously that the fire was preventable. Fire experts have said that hurricane-force winds in combination with the driest start to the season on record made the inferno all but impossible to contain. N.Y. Times | L.A. Times
12.
Holocaust Museum LA deleted an Instagram post that said ”’Never again’ can’t only mean never again for Jews” and apologized for sharing it. Though the Sept. 4 post did not mention Israel or Gaza, many interpreted it as condemnation of Israel’s military assault on Gaza. Others saw it as making an offensive parallel to the Holocaust. In its apology, the museum said the post was not intended to reference the Gaza war. “We promise to do better,” the statement said. Predictably, that kicked off another round of outrage. Jewish Telegraph Agency | Jerusalem Post
- Hollywood is at war with itself over Gaza, wrote Sharon Waxman: “In an industry that supposedly champions free expression — indeed, which requires it in order to thrive — Gaza has become an issue that can barely even be raised.”
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