In 2014, a voter initiative that downgraded some nonviolent offenses from felonies to misdemeanors passed by a wide margin. Many Californians now appear to be having a change of heart. With rising anxiety about crime, 59% of respondents to a UC Berkeley poll said they would support amending the measure, known as Proposition 47, to reinstate felony prosecutions of certain property crimes. L.A. Times | CBS13

Another finding: Majorities of voters think Gov. Gavin Newsom is doing a poor job on crime and homelessness. Bloomberg | L.A. Times

Coronavirus roundup:

Scientists called it a no-brainer: Covering California’s 4,000 miles of water canals with solar panels would not only generate 13 gigawatts of renewable power annually, but also save 63 billion gallons of water from evaporating. Now the state is giving it a try. A Turlock water agency will become the first to add solar canopies along canals in the San Joaquin Valley in a pilot project this fall. If successful, the idea could go statewide. The Hill | Modesto Bee

Sea levels along the shorelines of the United States will rise by about a foot or more on average over the next three decades, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That would mean bigger storm surges, more flooding at high tide, and eroding shorelines. “What we’re reporting out is historic,” said Rick Spinrad, the NOAA administrator. “The United States is expected to experience as much sea level rise in the next 30 years as we saw over the span of the last century.” N.Y. Times | A.P.

One consequence of our unusually warm weather: The almond trees are already blossoming. California produces roughly 80% of the world’s almonds, grown in neatly arranged crops that erupt in pinks and whites each February and March. The videographer John Hannon captured some recent drone views of the bloom in the fertile valley between Sacramento and Chico. 👉 YouTube (~45 secs)

The best way to see the show is a scenic loop southeast of Fresno known as the blossom trail. It’s set to peak “very soon.” @GoBlossomTrail

San Franciscans voted overwhelmingly to oust three school board members up for recall on Tuesday. In early counts, more than 70 percent of voters supported the ousters of Gabriela López, Alison Collins, and Faauuga Moliga. The result closes a bitter chapter of San Francisco government, in which parents angered by the slow pace of school reopening accused board members of prioritizing political agendas at the expense of children. S.F. Chronicle | N.Y. Times

Jenny Lam, who now becomes board president, issued a statement late Tuesday: “With this evening’s election,” she said, “we change course.” @idamoj

In one case, according to a woman’s account, San Francisco police interrupted a man as he was ripping apart a parklet, but then left, allowing him to carry on. In another, a woman complained to police that she had just been physically assaulted. They appeared to do nothing, she said. In a third incident caught on video, police appeared to watch as cannabis dispensary was burglarized. A county supervisor has now formally asked the police chief to respond to a growing suspicion: Are officers deliberately ignoring crime? S.F. Chronicle

Giant private equity companies have been buying up apartment buildings en masse to squeeze them for profit, an investigation by ProPublica found. In San Francisco, residents of the 13-story Olume building have experienced firsthand the consequences of the trend: soaring rents; trash collected in hallways; broken boilers left unfixed. Yet despite tenants’ anger, the Olume looks like a success to its private equity owner. Profits were up 24%.

The skull of a grizzly bear is among the largest of any land predator. But it is dwarfed by the skull of a northern elephant seal, which could easily be confused for that of some prehistoric dinosaur. A BBC Earth correspondent got a close-up look at snorting behemoths along the California coast, which are congregating now for their winter birthing and mating rituals. YouTube (~3:45 mins)

This February marks 10 years since the mountain lion known as P22 was first discovered in Los Angeles Griffith Park. The revelation that a lone big cat somehow journeyed out of the mountains and took up residence in an urban park stunned biologists and made him a celebrity among Angelenos, who celebrated him in songs and murals. But the life of P22 has always been tinged by a certain melancholy: hemmed in by freeways and urban development, he is doomed to be forever alone. The Guardian

Last Friday, the billionaire real estate developer Rick Caruso entered the race for Los Angeles mayor. On Tuesday, he offered a preview of his platform, which includes plans to add 1,500 officers to the city’s police force, clear homeless camps, and recall the progressive district attorney. “I look at the electorate and think they’re lined up with me,” he said. “They’re scared. They’re frustrated. They’re angry at governments. They feel left behind.” L.A. Times | CBSLA

A few notable homes on the market: