Good morning. It’s Tuesday, Nov. 11.
- Sierra Club stumbles after taking up progressive causes.
- Clashes erupt as Charlie Kirk’s group visits UC Berkeley.
- And young people fall in love with S.F.’s Treasure Island.
Statewide
1.
The Sierra Club, the storied California environmental organization, gave up its singular focus for a broader agenda, embracing a panoply of social justice causes. The group issued an “equity language guide,” which warned that the words “vibrant” and “hardworking” enforce racist tropes. It called for defunding the police and denounced the unenlightened views of its own founder, John Muir. Now the Sierra Club is imploding as it faces internal strife and a precipitous decline in support, the New York Times reported.
2.
ICE agents did not use to wear masks. Their work was discreet, occurring quietly in jails or at ICE check-in offices. But after President Trump ordered officers into the streets, the job turned into a kind of public performance captured by news cameras and the administration’s own film crews. Reporter Nick Miroff talked to ICE veterans who said they dislike the masks but see them as a necessary evil: “The masks were a way for officers to opt out — to wall off the political complexities of their work or, for some, the moral ones.” The Atlantic
Northern California
3.
Clashes erupted at UC Berkeley on Monday night as Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA came to campus as part of its “American Comeback Tour.” Dozens of anti-fascist protesters chanted “Fuck your dead homie,” a reference to Kirk’s assassination, taunting a line of people in Jesus shirts and MAGA hats. A fight bloodied the face of a man wearing a shirt emblazoned with the word “Freedom.” Someone threw a rock that hit the face shield of a police officer. By the end of the night, at least four people were arrested, officials said. Berkeleyside | Mercury News
4.
Valentino Luchin, an acclaimed chef, shocked the Bay Area dining world in 2018 when he robbed a bank at gunpoint. He pleaded guilty, served six months in jail, and seemingly blended back into the restaurant scene. Then, on Sept. 10, he found himself back behind bars. Luchin, at 62 years old, robbed three more banks in San Francisco in a single day, police said. Reporter Corina Knoll spoke to Luchin for a profile on “the celebrated chef who robbed banks.” At one point, he asked whether he would get “remuneration” for the interview. (Answer: no). N.Y. Times
5.
In 1993, California created the nation’s first licensed hospice program in a prison. The unit at California Medical Facility, in Vacaville, has since become a model for others around the country. Included among the staff are inmates, referred to as pastoral care workers, who are trained to clean wounds, change dressings, and handle oxygen tanks. They also offer something denied to many dying inmates in America: the sort of companionship that a family member might provide. The New York Times published a moving photo essay on “a prison hospice program for the living and the dying.”
6.
For 50 years, a federally funded program operated by UC Berkeley had helped low-income East Bay students realize their potential to attend college. But in September, the U.S. Department of Education killed the Educational Talent Search program, citing the presence of two words on page 50 of the grant application — “equity” and “inclusion.” Yvette Flores, an assistant vice chancellor at UC Berkeley, said the anti-poverty program had transformed lives. “I think we cried,” she said of the cancellation. “It’s very hard to process that all of that has just gone away.” S.F. Chronicle
7.
Christine Pelosi, Nancy Pelosi’s daughter, was considered a potential successor to her mother upon her retirement from the U.S. House of Representatives. On Monday, the younger Pelosi, a 59-year-old attorney who has never held elective office, announced her candidacy not for Congress but instead for the state Senate. She’ll seek the San Francisco district now represented by state Sen. Scott Wiener, who is running to replace Nancy Pelosi. “I like the thought of forging my own path,” Christine Pelosi said. N.Y. Times | S.F. Chronicle
8.
When San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie named Beya Alcaraz to an open seat on the powerful Board of Supervisors last week, eyebrows were raised. Alcaraz is a 29-year-old with no government experience who worked as an art and music teacher. Lurie cited her experience as the owner of a “beloved pet shop.” But even that qualification is now being challenged. The women who took over Alcaraz’s shop said she was often behind on rent, left the store in squalor, and “cannot run a business.” Still, a Lurie spokesperson said he remained “absolutely confident” in his choice. S.F. Standard | S.F. Chronicle
9.
Treasure Island, a former naval base in San Francisco Bay, is transforming into young person’s dream neighborhood. A decade ago, it had limited housing and nowhere to eat. Now it has sleek high rises, vibey restaurants, and a padel tennis club. Developers have plans to add sprawling retail spaces, an organic farm, and more than 8,000 new homes. Atta Pilram can see the Golden Gate Bridge from his living-room window. “I’ve never seen the island build a buzz like this before, and it’s just exciting to be a part of,” he said. “I never want to leave.” S.F. Chronicle
Southern California
10.
A Fullerton police officer intervened when he saw a man pointing a gun at a female driver in Santa Ana on Sunday only to learn he was a plainclothes ICE agent. The federal officer explained that the women had been “following him” during an operation. A video captured part of the encounter. “You can’t be following us like that,” the ICE officer shouted at the woman. “I live here,” she yelled back. The Department of Homeland Security later accused the woman of trying to cause a collision. L.A. Times
11.
A woman driving a stolen minivan led the California Highway Patrol on a high-speed chase across four Southern California counties on Monday before crossing the border into Mexico, where she seemingly escaped, officials said. Television news helicopters captured the drama as the motorist evaded multiple spike strips and hit speeds of up to 90 mph across 173 miles. It was unclear what happened to her after she proceeded through the San Ysidro port of entry. L.A. Times | KGTV
12.
It’s sometimes called the Stonehenge of Manhattan Beach. Outside City Hall, a glass keyhole sculpture, known officially as Light Gate, interacts with the sun to create a rainbow of colors. But the artwork reveals a deeper dimension on two days each year as the setting sun dips into the very center of the keyhole, “unlocking” a hidden alignment with the heavens. Those dates arrive symmetrically on either side of the winter solstice, 37 days before and 37 after. That means this Friday and Jan. 27. Atlas Obscura
- See the unlocked Light Gate. 👉 @beachseakers
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