Good morning. It’s Monday, June 8.
- Progressive candidate said to advance in L.A. mayor’s race.
- Tom Hanks pays a visit to Berkeley typewriter shop.
- And Joshua Tree Airbnbs for communing with nature.
Election 2026
1.
Nithya Raman, a progressive City Council member, will advance in the Los Angeles mayoral race after late mailed ballots propelled her past reality TV star Spencer Pratt in a contest for the No. 2 spot behind Mayor Karen Bass, Decision Desk HQ projected on Sunday. The latest tally, with about 80% of ballots counted, showed Bass with 34.7% of the vote, Raman with 27.1%, and Pratt 26.7%. Raman’s win was expected to set up a more competitive runoff with Bass than the alternative in a city where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly four to one. Bloomberg | L.A. Times
- The support for Bass, Raman, and Pratt reflected Los Angeles’s socioeconomic fault lines. The New York Times mapped the results.
2.
A number of conservative figures reacted to Spencer Pratt’s slide in the mayor’s race with howls of fraud. President Trump, with customary bluster and no evidence, reiterated his charge on Sunday that the California vote was rigged; Elon Musk spread an election fraud conspiracy theory debunked by Trump’s own administration; and Pratt himself suggested foul play. On Friday, Bill Essayli, Trump’s top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, announced that his office was pursuing “multiple election fraud investigations.” He declined to elaborate. A.P. | CNN
- Rob Bonta, California’s attorney general, called Essayli’s probes baseless on Saturday: “There are no details, there is no specifics, there is no specific allegation of any individualized act of voter fraud.” MS Now
3.
Other election developments:
- While late-arriving ballots lifted Tom Steyer, they haven’t been enough so far to catch Steve Hilton in the race for the second spot in the governor’s primary election. As of Sunday, Hilton was strongly favored to advance along with Xavier Becerra, whom the A.P. declared a winner on Friday. L.A. Times
- Becerra would be California’s first elected Latino governor. Yet, in a survey, few California Latinos mentioned “Latino representation” when asked to describe the candidate. His rise, wrote columnist Erika D. Smith, offers an important lesson for Democrats. Bloomberg
- Los Angeles isn’t the only California municipality roiled by election denialism. In the small San Joaquin Valley town of Avenal, four City Council members have refused to abide by the results of a recall election held in April, which was approved by 74% of voters. On Friday, the county district attorney threatened legal action. KFSN | KSEE
Correction
An earlier version of this newsletter mischaracterized the historic nature of a potential Xavier Becerra governorship. He would be California’s first elected Latino governor, not the first Latino governor.
Statewide
4.
Roughly a decade ago, a mysterious “wasting disease” wiped out 90% of the West Coast’s sea star population. It was the largest known die-off of a marine invertebrate, with billions dead. But recently something happened that stunned biologists: The sea stars began mounting a comeback despite the persistence of the disease that killed an earlier generation. “As the oceans warm and species disappear, good news can feel increasingly rare for a biologist to come by,” wrote the Washington Post. Researchers have no idea what’s going on.
5.
A red-and-white pole-looking structure that rises along I-5 in Kettleman City has become an unlikely tourist attraction. Reviewers on Google Maps, tongue firmly in cheek, claim to have traveled from all over the world to behold “Poleee,” describing it as “glorious” and “awe-inspiring.” Yet no one seems to know what it is. A Bay Area artist, Tacy Prins Woodlief, acknowledged listing the structure as a historical landmark on Google Maps as a prank. But does she know what it is? “I really have no idea,” she said. ABC10’s John Bartell got to the bottom of the mystery.
Northern California
6.
A wealthy benefactor has been buying up beleaguered old properties in Point Reyes: a vineyard, a saloon, a Czech restaurant, and more. Chris Hulls, who grew up in West Marin, made his fortune with Life360, a family safety app with a market value of nearly $4 billion. He says he wants to steward the buildings for generations to come. “It’s about holding on to something that’s easy to lose and hard to rebuild,” he said. But some neighbors are skeptical of his intentions. S.F. Chronicle
7.
For 75 years, visiting one of California’s prettiest waterfalls has been forbidden. To get to Mossbrae Falls in the North State’s Shasta Cascade area, one must traipse across private property and active train tracks, ignoring signs that read “absolutely no trespassing.” Roughly 40,000 a year take the risk. After years of negotiations, however, city officials now say they are on the verge of a deal with the landowners to put in a proper, legal trail, complete with a footbridge and boardwalks by the river. S.F. Chronicle
8.
BART hosted a 1980s-themed prom for riders and a sellout crowd of more than a thousand fabulously dressed guests showed up. Each ticket came with unlimited punch and a BART boutonniere or corsage. A lighted dance floor evoked “Saturday Night Fever.” “It’s Oakland. It’s weird and wonderful and all of the best things,” said Erin Grassie, who dressed in sparkly silver attire. “It’s amazing to see everyone out here having so much fun. It’s an incredible vibe.” The East Bay Times has the pictures.
- BART has become trendy. The San Francisco Chronicle recently explored how.
9.
Tom Hanks, a Bay Area native son, is super into typewriters. The actor owns more than 300 of them and was featured prominently in a 2016 documentary about devotion to the obsolete machines. Last Thursday, Hanks popped into Berkeley Typewriter, a rare sales and service shop, spent an hour testing the merchandise, and walked away with a 1930s Royal standard typewriter. “He really liked the touch on it,” said store owner Ken Alexander. He added: “The guy is really knowledgeable about typewriters.” SFGATE | KRON
Southern California
10.
The 387-acre campus of the Veterans Affairs medical center in West Los Angeles was donated in 1888 specifically for use by veterans. But in 2012, an NPR investigation found that the coveted real estate was being rented out to companies even as thousands of veterans were sleeping on the streets. Many lawsuits later, housing has now been built for more than 1,200 vets. For years now, the veterans have been rehabbing a neglected Japanese garden, transforming it into a green oasis that feels far removed from the chaos of the surrounding world. NPR
11.
“Every now and then, an image triumphs.”
When the family of a popsicle vendor detained by ICE in Culver City posted a GoFundMe for his defense last summer, it might have gone unnoticed in a glut of similar fundraisers. But a picture of the man’s cart, abandoned on a sidewalk, struck a chord online, where it was shared millions of times. A year later, the image has now made its way to the museum. Artist Lalo Alcaraz’s painting of the photo, “Summer of ICE,” pictured above, is included in a new 60-year survey of Chicano art at the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture in Riverside. Press Enterprise | My Modern Met
- The saga of the vendor, Ambrocio Lozano, had a happy ending. After 114 days in detention, he was granted a green card last October. Lozano celebrated by giving away free ice cream at a local park. L.A. Times | KTLA
12.
A midcentury-modern gem with a freestanding fireplace and an Eames lounger.
An adobe-style casita on 7 acres with a cedar hot tub and an infrared sauna.
And a desert house that includes an outdoor stargazing globe, pictured above, complete with telescope.
Architectural Digest curated the best Joshua Tree Airbnbs for communing with nature.
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