Good morning. It’s Wednesday, Sept. 23.
- San Francisco sues to block Truth Social service.
- Laurel Canyon residents fight to save beloved store.
- And the awesome acrobatics of California’s hummingbirds.
Statewide
1.
Nationally, Democrats have tended to favor Kamala Harris in polling on the 2028 presidential primary. But in her home state, where Harris has been in the public eye since being elected San Francisco district attorney in 2003, residents appear to like another Californian better: Gov. Gavin Newsom. A new survey found that 61% of Democrats would be excited for a Newsom presidential bid, compared with 55% for Harris. Some 59% said Newsom would be more likely to win the general election than Harris. Just 9% thought Harris would have a better shot. Politico
2.
After wildfires tore through Los Angeles in January 2025, a handful of homes stood strangely intact while surrounded on all sides by ashen debris. Among them, certain design choices appeared to repeat: metal roofs instead of shingles, concrete rather than timber siding, vegetation at a distance from the facade. For architects, such design choices are increasingly becoming part of the first sketch as Californians grow accustomed to the inevitability of fire. Designboom
3.
Eight stops, 186 miles, five hours.
Highway 395 in the Eastern Sierra is one of America’s great scenic roads. And it’s never more picturesque, many would argue, than in the fall, when the forested valleys and lake shores erupt in reds, oranges, and yellows. Visit California suggested an itinerary for what it called the state’s most beautiful fall road trip, stretching from Mono Lake to the foot of Mount Whitney. (See it mapped here.)
- “Fall has officially arrived.” The colors are already well on their way in the Eastern Sierra, reports California Fall Color.
Northern California
4.
San Francisco on Tuesday sued President Trump’s media company over its new service giving subscribers who pay $100,000 a month early access to Truth Social posts by the president and other prominent users. Early customers have included high-frequency trading firms. David Chiu, the city attorney, said the service violates both state and federal laws by essentially enabling insider trading. “This scheme turns the public trust into private profit,” he said. “It is corruption, plain and simple.” N.Y. Times | KQED
5.
Alex Honnold, who ascended Yosemite’s tallest wall without a rope in 2017, is similarly fearless about giving away his money. The Sacramento climber has donated about a third of his income since 2012. In an interview, he scoffed at the thinking of people who say their wealth carries “great responsibility” to vet their donations carefully. “I’m kind of like, ‘What?'” he said. “No, it’s the opposite. The more you have, the more easily you should give it away.” Washington Post
6.
Andreessen Horowitz, the storied venture-capital firm, just announced the formation of a new alternative to traditional college in San Francisco. The Horowitz Andreessen Academy will have no tests, no homework, and no degrees. During a podcast appearance, Ben Horowitz laid out a vision in which AI makes some forms of learning obsolete. “It’s much more oriented around, ‘Did you build something interesting?’ than ‘Could you memorize these questions?'” he said. “Because, look, we do have tools that can answer those questions very well now.” Wall Street Journal
Southern California
7.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to intervene in the high-profile custody battle over an infant with a heart defect who was born after the surrogate refused the biological parents’ wishes to have an abortion. The decision upholds a lower court’s recognition of the couple, who live in California, as the baby’s legal parents. The boy has hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a life-threatening condition that prevents normal blood flow. His condition is said to be precarious. A.P. | Washington Post
8.
Salud Garcia, 83, has been working full-time for the same Los Angeles International Airport food service company for 33 years. The work involves standing over steaming industrial dishwashers for hours at a time, loading dirty plates from flights. Yet she’s never been able to out-earn her expenses. Getting by means living in Reseda, a commuting distance of at least two hours each way on public transportation. “I wish I could retire,” Garcia said. “But I don’t think that will happen.” Capital & Main wrote an eye-opening account of life on a minimum wage in Los Angeles.
9.
The Wedge, a steep surf break in Newport Beach notorious for tossing even expert riders like rag dolls, was already sketchy. Now relentless swells have washed away truckloads of sand from the beach to reveal a gantlet of rocks, logs, rods, pipes, and wires. “It’s like an archaeological dig,” said William Lobdell, a local historian. The added danger has not deterred devotees of the break, however. Locals say the waves in recent weeks have been the best anyone can remember. Wall Street Journal
10.
More than 100 people now say they suffered brain injuries while riding the X2 roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain after a CNN investigation last month linked the ride to dozens of reports of serious injuries and two deaths. Lawyers on Tuesday announced three lawsuits against the Valencia park, each involving riders who suffered brain hemorrhages. Six Flags “has been willingly gambling with people’s lives. … No ride like that should be allowed to exist,” said attorney Christopher Bulone. CNN | KABC
11.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the Laurel Canyon Country Store was an unofficial hub of West Coast folk rock. The Doors referenced the “store where the creatures meet” in their 1968 hit “Love Street.” So when word leaked this year that three young millennials from the suburbs had taken over the roadside grocery, locals panicked. The new owners say the store needs upgrading to make a profit. But a group of patrons have organized to fight any changes, applying last week for landmark status. “The Canyon Country Store,” said Kristen Stavola, “is hallowed ground.” N.Y. Times
12.
“The most impressive flyers in the bird world.”
Hummingbirds are not like other birds. They flap their wings as insects do, in a figure-8 pattern, generating continuous lift. This allows them to alternate between hovering perfectly in place and full flight — hitting speeds up to 50 mph — in the blink of an eye. On assignment from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, a pair of wildlife photographers captured some fantastic slow-motion footage of two native species in the Coachella Valley: the reddish-pink Anna’s hummingbird and the iridescent purple Costa’s hummingbird. YouTube (~8 mins)
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