Good morning. It’s Tuesday, May 19.
- Court rejects Elon Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI.
- Mosque attack shakes quiet San Diego neighborhood.
- And a wildfire in Simi Valley forces widespread evacuations.
Statewide
1.
An intrepid young wolf known as BEY03F keeps notching firsts across California. In February, the 3-year-old, blackish-gray female became the first wolf to enter Los Angeles County in at least 100 years. A month later, she made a similar first in Inyo County. Now, wildlife officials say, she has become the first to enter Sequoia National Park in a century. The California Wolf Foundation called her journey since being born in Plumas County in 2023 “remarkable.” “Each step tells a bigger story about resilience, connectivity, and the future of wolves in our state,” the group wrote. L.A. Times | KTLA
- Track California’s collared wolves.
2.
You may have noticed a familiar, but unexpected, name among the candidates on the primary ballot for governor: Barack D. Obama Shaw. Born Cecil Shaw III, the 56-year-old candidate changed his name to Barack Denzel Obama Shaw in 2013, saying he wanted to “represent Denzel Washington and represent Barack Obama, and myself.” Shaw is mostly known around Alameda, where he lives, for running a semiweekly talent show at the Alameda Theatre. Still, wrote the Mercury News, he is a man of “unbridled confidence” in his abilities to win over voters.
3.
Oakhurst, a gateway to Yosemite, is officially recognized as the “Carved Bear Capital of the World.”
Petaluma, a charming riverfront town, is a foodie haven, with more than 150 restaurants for a population of 60,000 people.
And Lake Arrowhead Village, pictured above, offers a paddleboat cruise that showcases the shoreline homes of Lucille Ball, Doris Day, and other old Hollywood stars.
For the past year or so, Visit California has been publishing video vignettes of the state’s most charming towns. (Click on their names to watch them). Others include: Ferndale, Oroville, Sausalito, Pacific Grove, Lodi, Cambria, Bishop, Ojai, and Julian.
Northern California
4.
A federal jury unanimously rejected Elon Musk’s $150 billion lawsuit against OpenAI and Sam Altman on Monday, ending a bitter showdown and preserving the status quo in Silicon Valley’s race to build artificial intelligence. The jury found that Musk missed a deadline to file his lawsuit. OpenAI’s lawyer, William Savit, welcomed the ruling, calling the case a “contrivance” designed by Musk to sabotage a competitor. Musk vowed to appeal. He also attacked the judge on X, calling her a “terrible activist Oakland judge” before deleting the post. N.Y. Times | A.P.
- The Atlantic’s Matteo Wong: “Basically everybody involved in Musk v. Altman came away looking petty, short-sighted, deceptive, or ignorant.”
5.
Both the city of Santa Cruz and the surrounding county have seen some of nation’s sharpest recent population drops, according to newly released data. Between July 2024 and July 2025, the city lost nearly 800 residents, leaving an estimated 61,800. That’s despite rising enrollment at UC Santa Cruz. Local officials blame lack of affordability in a coastal haven where the average home value has surged nearly 40% since 2020, reaching roughly $1.36 million, according to Zillow. S.F. Chronicle
6.
When Clint Curtis was installed by Shasta County’s Board of Supervisors to serve as the county’s top elections official, he came with some drawbacks. For one thing, he lived in Florida and had no connection to Shasta County. A retired lawyer, he also had no experience running elections. But his reputation as an election skeptic endeared him to the board’s ultraconservative majority. Now an investigation has found that Curtis has been repeatedly abusive toward county staff, threatening to slap and “throat-punch” employees. Record Searchlight | Action News Now
7.
In Stanford University student Theo Baker’s new memoir “How to Rule the World,” Stanford is the center of the world. It’s also a place where phony idealism masks lust for money and power. “Many students are smart. But those who rise fastest often seem the most ruthless and maniacal,” the New York Times wrote in a review. It continued: “At parties, students recite ‘I am on stolen land’ and ‘I will commit to uplifting Indigenous and Black voices’ before going inside to scheme about becoming billionaires.”
Southern California
8.
Two gunmen, ages 17 and 18, killed three men at the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday before turning their guns on themselves in a car a few blocks away, officials said. Two hours earlier, the younger assailant’s mother had contacted police, telling them that he was armed and suicidal and had left with a companion wearing camouflage. That set off a frantic search that led to the mosque after reports of gunfire. A note left by the 17-year-old was said to contain “generalized hate rhetoric.” Speaking to reporters, Police Chief Scott Wahl grew visibly emotional. “This is every community’s worst nightmare,” he said. S.D. Union-Tribune | N.Y. Times | A.P.
- The victims were said to include a man who ran the mosque’s grocery store, the husband of a teacher, and a security guard, Amin Abdulla, who was credited with saving lives. Abdulla was described as “such a kind, kind spirit.” KTLA | S.D. Union-Tribune | L.A. Times
- Details on the gunmen, identified as Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18, were scarce. Clark was said to have competed in wrestling and attended a virtual learning academy. NBC San Diego | L.A. Times
- See photos from the scene of the shooting. 👉 A.P.
9.
A “dangerously fast” brush fire in Simi Valley, a suburban community north of Los Angeles, led to mandatory evacuation orders for more than 29,000 on Monday, officials said. The Sandy fire, authorities said, was propelled by powerful winds across more than 2 square miles, destroying at least two structures, including a home, and threatening thousands more. Simi Valley Unified said schools would be closed on Tuesday. L.A. Times | KABC
- A wildfire on Santa Rosa Island surged into the habitat of Torrey Pines, officials said on Monday. The rare pines occur naturally in only two places: just north of San Diego and along the island’s Becher’s Bay. Noozhawk | SFGATE
10.
Mark Fuhrman, the Los Angeles detective whose testimony in the O.J. Simpson murder trial was undercut by revelations of his past racist language, died on May 12, reports said. Fuhrman became a key witness after he discovered a bloody glove outside Simpson’s Brentwood estate during his investigation of the 1994 killings of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. After Simpson’s acquittal, Fuhrman was convicted of perjury for denying his use of anti-Black slurs. A recording proved he had used them repeatedly. Fuhrman was 74. The cause of death was throat cancer. N.Y. Times | L.A. Times
11.
The California Republican Party sent a cease-and-desist letter to one of its own rising stars this month, accusing him of a “brazen, and unlawful campaign to deceive California voters.” In the May 14 letter, a Republican lawyer said Assemblymember Carl DeMaio of San Diego distributed a voter guide falsely claiming his favored candidates were endorsed by the state party. Rep. Darrell Issa, another San Diego Republican, denounced DeMaio on X. “He’s smeared and lied about Republicans his whole career,” he wrote. S.F. Chronicle | Sacramento Bee
12.
“It’s never too late.”
It only took her 65 years, but on Monday the tennis great Billie Jean King received her bachelor’s of art in history from Cal State Los Angeles. King started classes at the campus in 1961, but left before finishing to pursue tennis. A couple years ago she announced that she would go back to school, saying she carried a nagging feeling about not earning her degree. Now 82, King crossed the stage at the Shrine Auditorium in hot pink glasses and royal blue sneakers. She celebrated by hitting autographed tennis balls into the crowd. A.P. | O.C. Register
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