Good morning. It’s Thursday, April 28.
• | State lawmakers give up on coronavirus vaccine fight. |
• | Southern Californians could face full outdoor watering ban. |
• | And backpacking bliss in Tahoe’s Desolation Wilderness. |
Statewide
1
California has the highest gas prices in the country, and they are about to get higher. Despite calls for relief from soaring inflation, Gov. Gavin Newsom failed to convince enough lawmakers to pause a scheduled 5.6% gas tax hike set for July 1. Still under consideration are several proposals that could provide $400 checks to taxpayers or vehicle owners this summer. Bloomberg
2
In January, California leaders unveiled the most ambitious Covid-19 vaccine legislation in the nation. But instead of inspiring a wave of similar policies across the country, the agenda has largely fallen apart after cases fell and lawmakers turned their attention elsewhere. One staffer described the demise of a proposed student vaccine mandate as a “relief” to the Democratic caucus. Politico
3
Clouds swirled over Mount Whitney.
In the past 12 months, four people have died attempting to summit Mount Whitney. The highest peak in the Lower 48, Whitney is the most frequently climbed peak in the Sierra Nevada. Underprepared climbers can easily run into trouble, whether from injury, weather, or altitude sickness. The latest victim was described as a fit, middle-aged male, found dead along a trail. He appeared to lack proper gear, rescuers said. S.F. Chronicle | SFGATE
Northern California
4
Court records provided details about what led to a campus-wide lockdown at UC Berkeley last Thursday. Lamar Bursey, 39, was part of a program for former inmates and had been placed on academic suspension, filings showed. According to prosecutors, he sent an email to university staff that read: “Stop playing with me. Depending on who I feel was helping or not, 2 people on this email will get shot.” He is now at Santa Rita Jail. Berkeleyside | A.P.
5
Signs for home rentals were posted in Sproul Plaza at UC Berkeley on March 14.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
“I definitely was not prepared to be this stressed about housing every year.”
Californians enjoy a robust higher education system, but don’t count on having a place to live. In Berkeley, the university houses about 22% of its undergraduates, fewer than any other UC. Jennifer Lopez, 21-year-old senior, imagined staying all four years on campus. Instead, she splits an attic space in a one-bedroom apartment shared by four undergraduates, one of whom sleeps in the dining room. The total rent: $3,700 a month. A.P.
6
Ezra Klein wrote one of the smartest takes yet on Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter, a platform Klein says gamifies conversation:
“Musk is already Twitter’s ultimate player. Now he’s buying the arcade. Everything people love or hate about it will become his fault. Everything he does that people love or hate will be held against the platform. He will be Twitter. He will have won the game. And nothing loses its luster quite like a game that has been beaten.” N.Y. Times
“Bullying is not leadership.” Former Twitter CEO Dick Costolo called out Musk for tweeting critically about Twitter’s top lawyer, Vijaya Gadde, who subsequently faced a wave of harassment. HuffPost
7
A group of friends created lasting memories in Desolation Wilderness.
Skyler Greene/Field Mag
In Desolation Wilderness, just west of Lake Tahoe and a few hours from the Bay Area, 130 pristine lakes are scattered across 100 square miles of granite peaks and alpine forest. After five days backpacking with friends, the photographer Skyler Greene described it as “the path to Valhalla.” His trip report includes some gorgeous photos. Field Mag
Southern California
8
Water officials warned that Southern California’s water cuts could get even stricter in September. If conditions don’t improve across Los Angeles, Ventura, and San Bernardino counties, the Metropolitan Water District may ban all outdoor watering, said Adel Hagekhalil, the agency’s general manager. “We know what this means to communities … but we’re facing a challenge,” he said. “We do not have the supply to meet the normal demands that we have.” L.A. Times
9
Coach Bruce Rollinson has the support of Mater Dei’s leadership.
Allen J. Schaben/L.A. Times via Getty Images
In a deposition, Amanda Waters, the former athletic director at the Orange County prep school Mater Dei, said she had heard reports of hazing in the school’s renowned football program. Concerned, she asked the coach, Bruce Rollinson, to monitor the locker room. His response, she said: “I don’t have time to do that shit.” A hazing incident then left a boy with a serious head injury in February 2021 and Waters spoke up again. This time she was angrily ordered “to stop asking questions,” she said. Press-Enterprise
The columnist Bill Plaschke: “Once again, the famed Monarchs football program appears to be a cesspool of arrogance, entitlement, and callousness.” L.A. Times
10
The columnist Gustavo Arellano on L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s targeting of a journalist:
“This is a man whose job as head of the largest sheriff’s department in the United States is supposed to be about protecting L.A. County from bad hombres. Instead, Villanueva has spent most of his time defending his department with the bluster of a lesser John Wayne character and a skin thinner than tulle.” L.A. Times
11
The Mojave Desert is vast, sunny, and wide open. That’s made it among the most promising places in the world for developing solar energy. Since 2010, solar farms have fanned out across the landscape, heartening many environmentalists and worrying others over the disruption of desert ecosystems. The U.S. Geological Service released a series of satellite images that powerfully illustrates the altering of the landscape in the western Mojave between 2010 and 2020. See an animation below and the individual images here. 👉 USGS
12
“Dumb and hilarious.” “Over the top.” “Epic.”
The Los Angeles Rams went full Hollywood with an NFL draft hype video in the style of an “Oceans 11” trailer. It features Dennis Quaid, Tyrese Gibson, and Josh Holloway alongside players in an escapade to “steal the draft,” whatever that means. Sports writers loved it. “This,” wrote NFL Network’s Kimmi Chex, “is the most brilliant thing I’ve ever seen done by an organization.” SB Nation | Sporting News
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