Good morning. It’s Wednesday, June 10.
- Several key congressional matchups are locked in.
- Fresno farmer is nation’s largest raw-milk purveyor.
- And massive waves draw surfers to Newport Beach.
Statewide
1.
“We’re all on the edge of our seats.”
Worries that the consternation over California’s slow vote count will replay on a national stage in November may hinge on a Supreme Court ruling expected as soon as this week. Dozens of states, including California, allow some form of “grace period” for mail ballots that are postmarked by Election Day. During oral arguments in March, conservative justices appeared skeptical of such laws, with some citing a risk of the “appearance of fraud.” In anticipation of their decision, California has been preparing contingency plans for new election deadlines. L.A. Times
2.
Several key House runoffs were set on Tuesday:
Republican Rep. David Valadao, a battle-tested incumbent, will face Randy Villegas, a progressive backed by Bernie Sanders, in a battleground Central Valley district this fall. Kevin Kiley, who dropped his Republican registration to become independent, will face Democrat Richard Pan for a Sacramento County district that was redrawn to favor Democrats. And two Republican incumbents, Young Kim and Ken Calvert, will battle it out in what is likely to be a nasty intraparty fight in a new deep-red district folding in parts of Orange and Riverside counties. N.Y. Times | Sacramento Bee | Politico
- Track California House primary results.
3.
Other election developments:
- Conservative Shasta County voted to kill mail voting, putting the county in conflict with state law. Rob Bonta, California’s attorney general, said his office planned to take action if necessary. S.F. Chronicle
- Bill Essayli, the L.A. federal prosecutor installed by President Trump, told Glenn Beck on Monday that he expected to file election fraud charges within the next two months. He added: “What we need right now are witnesses.” The Hill | L.A. Times
- San Francisco effectively banned the city’s progressive godfather, Aaron Peskin, from office with a measure that limits supervisors to two terms. Supporters insisted it had nothing to do with Peskin, whom some moderates blame for the city’s woes. “But their denials were disingenuous,” wrote the San Francisco Chronicle’s Emily Hoeven.
4.
After the University of California abandoned standardized testing in admissions, Mina Aganagic, a string theorist at Berkeley, noticed something was awry. “I realized that for students to follow me, I had to start reviewing basic algebra stuff, like fractions,” she said. The mathematical illiteracy extended to “the meaning of equals in an equation.” Aganagic and a large share of her colleagues in STEM and economics are now in open revolt. The Atlantic reports: “Actually, the SAT was necessary after all.”
5.
Roughly 1,000 miles off the coast of California, a rower is partway through her bid to become the first American woman to row all the way to Hawaii. Somewhere in the Southern California desert, a French ultrarunner is a few days into his quest to break the Pacific Crest Trail speed record. And next month, Catherine Breed, a 33-year-old from the Bay Area, will enter the ocean near the Oregon border and attempt to become the first person to swim the entire length of California. Swimming 900 miles, she said, won’t be “the worst way to spend four months.” N.Y. Times
6.
Explore Northern California’s Wine Country without wine in mind and the region reveals another side, writes Alta: “Quiet back roads wind through vineyard-covered hills. Small towns reward wandering with local bakeries, coffee shops, art galleries, and hiking trails that become destinations in their own right.”
The magazine published a summer road trip guide drawn from travel pieces in its archive, with stops along the Morongo Basin, Eastern Sierra, and Highway 99.
Northern California
7.
Mark McAfee, owner of a raw-milk dairy just outside Fresno, has escaped serious sanctions over the years despite being repeatedly accused of breaking the law. Now backed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., he is pulling in about $30 million a year from proponents who embrace raw milk as a symbol of freedom. McAfee, 64, has the zeal of a religious crusader. Raw milk “literally saves lives,” he said: “I’ve put a couple kids in the hospital, and they have been sick, but they recovered. But here’s the thing: I’m a pioneer.” ProPublica wrote a gripping profile of “The Milkman.”
8.
Vineyard owners hit hard by the wine industry slump are getting creative in their pursuit of new sources of income. In recent years, some have added weddings, group dinners, or cooking classes. Nelson Family Vineyards in Ukiah, saddled with a glut of unsold fruit, began listing campsites on its property overlooking Ukiah Valley. Guests are commonly on their way to the redwoods on the North Coast, said Greg Nelson, the operator: “Often people will do a tasting. Sometimes they’ll buy wine.” Press Democrat
Southern California
9.
After the mayor of Arcadia, Eileen Wang, agreed last month to plead guilty to acting as an illegal agent of China, many wondered: What could Beijing want from the mayor of a small San Gabriel Valley suburb? Fellow lawmakers struggled to recall any obvious examples of how she might have used public office to promote pro-Beijing views. In Wang’s telling, she just fell in love with the wrong guy. She did nothing “inherently nefarious,” her lawyers said. The New York Times investigated “a mayor, her boyfriend and China’s mysterious propaganda machine.”
10.
Nick Reiner, accused of killing his parents Rob and Michele Reiner in Los Angeles on Dec. 14, filed legal papers Monday seeking to access money from a trust his parents left him, saying he needs it to finance his defense. “Like anyone accused of a crime, Nick is presumed innocent, and he is entitled to mount his defense with the resources that are lawfully his own,” his attorneys wrote in the petition. A manager of the trust had rejected the demand, citing “unresolved concerns” over his mental capacity. N.Y. Times | A.P.
11.
When “Run Run River,” a composition by the Southern California reggae act Stick Figure, went viral in April, it generated thousands of dollars in revenue. But the song wasn’t released by Stick Figure. Bootleggers had used artificial intelligence to create a manipulated version of a Stick Figure tune, sped up and with a tweaked lead vocal. The Los Angeles Times reports: “The fake song’s uncanny popularity is a problem for musicians, labels and streamers. Records can now be manipulated by AI, at scale, and repackaged for profit without credit.”
12.
“It’s the closest thing to flying.”
One of the largest swells in years began rolling into the Southern California coast Tuesday. At the storied Wedge break in Newport Beach, spectators packed the shore as dozens of surfers chased glory on sets of waves that rose up to 20 feet. At least one bodyboarder, struggling from exhaustion, had to be rescued. The swell, powered by a storm in the South Pacific, is expected to remain sizable through the week. O.C. Register | KTLA
- A surf videographer got some heart-pounding footage.
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