Good morning. It’s Thursday, Oct. 13.
- “Birdseed lady” blamed for San Francisco rat infestation.
- Red Hot Chili Peppers play Hoopa Indian reservation.
- And Nury Martinez quits L.A. City Council in disgrace.
Statewide
1.
“Traditional days are done.”
Virtual learning is redefining the educational experience at California’s community colleges, the largest system of higher education in the country. Though students were forced into remote instruction by the pandemic, many found they liked it. In the fall of 2019, 80% of community colleges classes were fully in person, 15% were fully remote, and the rest were hybrid. Two years later, the numbers have nearly flipped, with 25% of classes in person and 65% remote. L.A. Times
2.
In a sign of the severity of the drought, park officials are trucking water to the tule elk in Point Reyes, the cape just north of San Francisco. The elk, animals with magnificent antlers found only in California, normally drink from creeks and old stock ponds that have now been depleted by three years of dry conditions. A recent die-off of Point Reyes elk was blamed in part on degraded forage as a result of drought. S.F. Chronicle
3.
Brian Dahle just wants people to know his name. The Republican candidate for governor of California, where Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly 2 to 1, seems certain to lose on Nov. 8. But that didn’t stop his longtime friend Greg Hawes from brainstorming ideas to get his name out there, wrote Hailey Branson-Potts: “Then, inspiration struck. Working by hand, knocking stalks down one by one, Hawes and his family spent three days carving Dahle’s face into an eight-acre corn maze this year.” L.A. Times
The L.A. Times’s George Skelton: Dahle won’t win, but he’s a good guy.
4.
For reasons not fully understood, Pinnacles National Park is home to more species of bees than any other place its size. Joan Meiners, a melittologist, wrote a gorgeous little essay about her quest to catch them all:
“In the hills beyond, we found metallic-blue mason bees using mud as nest mortar, velvet-faced mining bees tunneling homes into sandy soils, bright yellow wool-carder bees cradling their eggs in fibers scraped from leaves, as well as wood-excavating carpenter bees, gregarious bumblebees, tiny yellow-faced bees, innocuous sweat bees, inimical cuckoo bees, and many species yet to be named.” Orion Magazine
Northern California
5.
Officials and residents believe they have uncovered the culprit behind a severe rat infestation in San Francisco’s Glen Park neighborhood: “birdseed lady.” The woman, who was left unnamed to protect a potentially vulnerable person, has been leaving mounds of birdseed around the neighborhood for years, people say. “She told a business owners in the neighborhood, ‘I love these animals,” said Janet Tarlov, a store owner. NBC Bay Area | KGO
6.
The Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr revealed Draymond Green’s punishment for punching teammate Jordan Poole, an assault against a smaller, younger player that was captured on video: No suspension, a weeklong timeout, and a secret fine. Green will suit up for Friday’s pre-season game and join the team for a ring ceremony next week. Sports columnist Ann Killion: “So, a week’s vacation, an unspecified fine for a player who has made about $132 million in his career, and a big hug from Commissioner Adam Silver on Tuesday.” S.F. Chronicle
7.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers interrupted their worldwide stadium tour on Wednesday to play a high school gymnasium on Indian reservation land in Humboldt County. A tour manager, Gage Freeman, said the California rockers wanted to play for the Native American community: “It’s something they’ve never done.” Singer Anthony Kiedis, who is believed to be of Mohican ancestry, said no matter what happened before or after, “This is my favorite show of the entire year, without a doubt! Without a doubt!” The crowd went wild. Two Rivers Tribune
Instagram has a few video clips.
8.
In 1890, the tallest building in San Francisco — and the entire West coast — rose 10 stories. It was knocked off its pedestal within five years in a race toward the sky that would continue for more than a century and create one of the world’s most stunning skylines. The architect Susanna Moreira did a survey of “vertical urbanization” as seen from the sky, including San Francisco, above. ArchDaily
Southern California
9.
Nury Martinez, the first Latina to become president of the Los Angeles City Council, resigned from public office on Wednesday, capping a stunning fall three days after she was heard on a recording making racist comments. In a statement, she touted her accomplishments, apologized for her shortcomings, and wrote in the penultimate line: “To all little Latina girls across this city — I hope I’ve inspired you to dream beyond that which you can see.” L.A. Times | A.P.
California’s attorney general announced that he would investigate Los Angeles’ redistricting process, saying the recording “cast doubt” on its integrity. L.A. Times | KABC
10.
In 2020, the owner of a dormitory building at a shuttered university in San Bernardino opened it up to people in need, offering rents of $600 a month with no credit checks. Within two weeks, it was full. But on Sept. 22, the city told residents they have a month to clear out because the building was never permitted and it collected a raft of code violations. For many displaced residents, however, it was the only option they had. USA Today | San Bernardino Sun
11.
Since 1999, the anonymous French street artist known globally as “Invader” has made at least 10 visits to Los Angeles. Each time, he has left a trail of illicit pixelated mosaics on walls across the city, such as the Dude from “The Big Lebowski” on the side of a bowling alley in Koreatown, pictured above. A couple photo collections. 👉 Space-invaders.com | Discover Los Angeles
12.
The desert winds that blow in from beyond the mountains, kicking up dust and fanning fires in Southern California, last from October to April. But they do their worst in the fall, when the brush has had all summer to dry out and the housewives of Raymond Chandler’s story “Red Wind” touch the edges of their carving knives and “study their husbands’ necks.” For tourists, the 72-degree days of spring are quintessential Los Angeles, wrote Adrian Glick Kudler. But for Angelenos, “the most Los Angeles season is the Santa Ana season.” Curbed Los Angeles
Correction
Wednesday’s newsletter misstated how webbing was attached to a tree in a double fatality at Tahquitz Rock. Investigators believe the webbing had been attached by earlier climbers and left for others to use. It was not placed by the climbers who fell.
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The California Sun is written by Mike McPhate, a former California correspondent for the New York Times.
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