Good morning. It’s Monday, Nov. 28.
- Gov. Gavin Newsom tells White House he won’t run in 2024.
- Poached elk threaten California condors in North State.
- And photos of the Rolling Stones in California in 1972.
Statewide
1.
The political columnist Jonathan Martin described overhearing Gov. Gavin Newsom on the phone with President Biden on election night. He told the soon-to-be-80-year-old president that he would not challenge him for the Democratic nomination in 2024. “I’m all in; put me in coach,” Newsom said. “We have your back.” Politico Magazine
The statistician Nate Silver downplayed Newsom’s electability: “He just won re-election by 19 points in a state Biden carried by 29.” @NateSilver538
2.
In the quarter century since California barred consideration of race in public university admissions, UC Berkeley has labored mightily to enroll more Black and Latino students. Lessons from its experience now loom over the Supreme Court as it weighs a potential ban nationwide on affirmative action. UC leaders say race-neutral admissions have fallen short. But several justices seemed responsive to another view: that Berkeley is highly ranked and boasts about its diversity. Washington Post
☀️ Brighten someone’s day.
3.
The new history book “Elderflora” tries to comprehend the almost incomprehensible lifespans of trees such as California’s bristlecone pines. In a review, Lolita Brayman described walking among the gnarled beings that sprouted more than 4,000 ago. She writes: “The example of changing with the times, enduring, compensating here and there as other parts of the whole system grow weak, is perhaps the greatest wisdom that old trees impart to humans.” bioGraphic
4.
In 1972, the Rolling Stones went on a U.S. tour at the height of their hedonistic glory. LIFE magazine assigned photojournalist Jim Marshall to ensconce himself with the band, which he did so zealously that one of the magazine’s writers became alarmed. “Jim did a shitload of cocaine,” said Amelia Davis, Marshall’s assistant. Yet his photographs, mostly in California, turned out brilliant. Huck magazine | The Guardian
Northern California
5.
Three years of drought have led to roughly $3 billion in losses for California growers, a recent study found. No crop has suffered more than the state’s water-intensive rice, with the fewest acres planted this year since the 1950s. NASA released satellite images of the Sacramento Valley’s rice fields that offered a powerful visual of the change between 2021 and 2022. 👇
● ●
“It’s a disaster.” Since 2019, California’s irrigated farmland has shrunk by nearly 10%. L.A. Times
6.
Annie Lowry argued in the Atlantic that the U.S. needs “more housing than almost anyone can imagine.” She cited a paper that estimated housing demand in San Francisco. In a theoretical world where the city had enough housing for everyone who wanted to live there, the population would be “something like 4 million, rather than 815,000, with 2 million housing units instead of 400,000.” The Atlantic
7.
After California condors were reintroduced to the redwood forests of the North Coast this summer, wildlife officials found two illegally poached elk in an area frequented by the critically endangered birds. One was full of enough lead to kill several condors, which feed on carrion shot by hunters. Scientists say poisoning from lead-based ammunition remains the top threat to California condors. Jefferson Public Radio
8.
During the Monterey Bay Half Marathon on Nov. 13, two runners had cardiac arrests and collapsed on the course. If that wasn’t unusual enough, a cardiologist runner, Steven Lome, was about 30 feet behind the first man when he fell about 4 miles into the race. Lome performed CPR, helping to save him, and continued on. Then the second man collapsed near the finish line. Again, Lome happened to be there. Washington Post
Southern California
9.
Around this time last year, shipping industry officials were ordering vessels to slow down as they crossed the Pacific Ocean because of gridlock at the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The backup peaked weeks later at a staggering 109 idling vessels. Now, as of last week, the congestion has officially cleared, port officials said. But no one is celebrating one of the reasons: Shippers are increasingly routing cargo to other ports. Wall Street Journal | L.A. Business Journal
10.
A triple homicide at a Riverside home on Friday was part of an attempted kidnapping of a teenage girl by a former police officer from Virginia, the authorities said on Sunday. Investigators believe that the suspect, Austin Edwards, 28, met the girl online and traveled to Riverside, where he killed the teen’s grandfather, grandmother, and mother, set their home ablaze, and drove away with the girl. Edwards was later killed in a shootout with police. The teen was unharmed. L.A. Times | KABC
11.
In 2017, Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio bought a vacant beachside lot in Malibu for $6.6 million. Five years later, he hasn’t done a thing with it. That’s because he lives next door. He bought the lot to spare himself the annoyance of a neighbor. In a region desperate for housing, reported Jack Fleming, lots are commonly left empty by their obscenely wealthy owners. L.A. Times
ICYMI
12.
Here’s a lightning round of news you may have missed from the past week:
- San Francisco’s police sought permission to use robots to kill. Mission Local
- The U.S. granted $1 billion to keep California’s last nuclear plant open. Reuters
- A hero who helped disarm the shooter at a Colorado Springs nightclub was revealed to be a born-and-bred San Diegan. S.D. Union-Tribune
- Elon Musk granted “amnesty” to suspended Twitter accounts. A.P.
- San Francisco moved to possibly oust a top official because he is white, sparking outrage. SFist
Thanks for reading!
The California Sun is written by Mike McPhate, a former California correspondent for the New York Times.
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