With California’s drought worsening, Gov. Gavin Newsom called for new water restrictions on Monday, but he left the details up to local districts. Rejecting calls to impose statewide rationing, Newsom said cities and local water districts would be required to tailor conservation targets according to their own contingency plans. Critics said the order fails to go far enough. CalMatters | L.A. Times

Latest drought report: 94% of California is now in the grip of “severe drought” or worse. A year ago, that figure was 64%.

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a challenge to California’s 2018 ban on the sale of meat from pigs born to sows kept in crates so small they can’t turn around. California consumes a lot of pork, but raises few pigs. Out-of-state farms, where just 7% of sow housing now meets the new standard, have argued that the law amounts to an unconstitutional assumption of power to regulate interstate commerce. Washington Post | L.A. Times

“It’s my oath to take care of these animals.” Some farmers defend the smaller crates on animal welfare grounds, saying they prevent sows from fighting each other. Wall Street Journal

In the metropolitan areas of Sacramento, San Diego, and Santa Barbara, women younger than 30, on average, now earn more than their male counterparts. That’s according to a new Pew analysis that underscored how gains in higher education and pay transparency are altering the country’s wage landscape. Young men and women earned roughly the same in San Francisco and Los Angeles. The wage gap reasserts itself when women become moms, researchers noted. Washington Post

The trucker convoy that has been protesting coronavirus mandates on roads and highways around Washington, D.C., announced that it would head to California next. At a rally on Sunday, organizer Mike Landis said it was imperative to halt California’s coronavirus measures: “Otherwise, the rest of us that don’t live in California are going to end up subject to the same situation.” The crowd cheered. Herald-Mail | A.P.

Eric Schmidt, the billionaire former CEO of Google, has cultivated an extraordinary level of influence in the Biden administration’s science office. Internal emails and interviews revealed that Schmidt indirectly paid the salaries of staff members at the Office of Science and Technology Policy while quietly lobbying on federal science policy that could affect his stakes in multiple companies. Watchdogs raised repeated red flags. Politico

Tesla is an extraordinarily valuable company owned by the richest man in the world, Elon Musk. Fines have not proven effective in persuading it to comply with federal safety measures. Instead, according to former regulators, officials have learned to use a combination of flattery, threats, and appeals to Musk’s ego. When a Washington Post reporter asked him for comment, he responded, “For the 100th time, please give my regards to your puppetmaster,” a reference to Jeff Bezos, who owns the newspaper. Washington Post

For much of the past year, Miwok Elementary School in Petaluma has hoisted three flags: the U.S. flag, the California state flag, and a pride flag. But in January, the pride flag was stolen. Police investigated but turned up no leads. Last week, the district’s other campuses mounted their own response: All five elementary schools raised pride flags of their own. They plan to keep them up year-round. Argus-Courier

On Sunday night, as Will Smith collected his acting Oscar to a standing ovation, he apologized for slapping Chris Rock 15 minutes earlier, comparing himself to his character Richard Williams — “a fierce defender of his family.” However, he pointedly did not apologize to Rock. On Monday evening, after widespread condemnation of his outburst, Smith sought to make up for that omission, telling Rock he was embarassed by his actions. “I was out of line and I was wrong,” he wrote. Hollywood Reporter | A.P.

So what now? In a statement, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences condemned Smith’s outburst and opened an investigation. It also shared organizational rules that show it has the power to revoke an Oscar after the fact. An emergency meeting of Academy members on Monday was described as “heated” and “divided,” with some questioning why the Academy leadership had not acted on the night of the broadcast. Others said no further steps should be taken. CNN | L.A. Times

“The illegality of the plan was obvious.”

A federal judge ruled on Monday that former President Trump and a former law professor from Orange County likely conspired to break the law in an effort to overturn the 2020 election. U.S. District Court Judge David Carter ordered John Eastman, the former dean of Chapman University law school, to release about 100 emails to the Jan. 6 Congressional committee, rejecting Eastman’s claim to client-attorney privilege. CBS News | The Atlantic

Los Angeles County lost 160,000 residents during the 12 months through July 1, the biggest population drop of any U.S. county, according to Census figures released last week. Asked for comment, Mayor Eric Garcetti said the reason is no mystery: “You don’t have to be indigent, you don’t have to be homeless to feel that it costs a lot. If you ask me the question, what are the top three issues facing Los Angeles or California, I’d say in this order: housing, housing and housing.” Bloomberg

Below is a collection of favorite finds from California’s photo archives, part of an occasional series of posts showcasing the way we were. (See past entries: oil, vendors, and unsung women.)

Today’s theme: Camping. (Click the credits to see larger images).