Good morning. It’s Monday, Oct. 13.
- Immigration enforcement threatens higher food prices.
- A significant storm is expected to soak state.
- And the vibrant actress Diane Keaton dies at 79.
Statewide
1.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a contentious housing density law on Friday that overrides local zoning in eight California counties to allow multistory apartment buildings near transit stops. The law is a major victory win for housing advocates who blame NIMBY-minded local governments for exacerbating the state’s affordability crisis. “A lot of people don’t want California to change,” said Matt Lewis, a spokesperson for California YIMBY. “But California is changing whether they want it to or not.” L.A. Times | Wall Street Journal
- Other laws approved by Newsom ahead of an Oct. 12 signing deadline:
- a ban on the sale of pistols that can be easily converted to machine guns.
- the establishment of a new state agency to administer restitution for descendants of slaves.
- a measure making it easier for parents to designate caregivers for their children in the event that they are detained by immigration agents.
2.
In July, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said mass deportations would lead to a farm labor force that is “100% American.” But a new assessment from the Labor Department acknowledged that few Americans are interested in crop work. “The near total cessation of the inflow of illegal aliens,” the agency warned, is “threatening the stability of domestic food production and prices for U.S. consumers.” It continued: “Unless the Department acts immediately to provide a source of stable and lawful labor, this threat will grow.” Washington Post
3.
The first significant storm of the new season is poised to sweep across California Monday and Tuesday, bringing pounding rain, thunderstorms, and feet of mountain snow, meteorologists said on Sunday. Flood watches were issued in the Sierra foothills and along the Southern California coast, while a winter storm warning was issued for the Sierra Nevada. “It’s roughly an October’s worth of rain we’re expecting in two days,” said Dylan Flynn, a meteorologist. “We usually don’t get this much this fast.” SFGATE | S.F. Chronicle
- See rain and snow predictions:
Northern California
4.
In California, one of every five new homes is built in an area rated hazardous by state fire officials, an analysis found. In Nevada County, every home is. Yet it still faces a state mandate to build. “I appreciate the fact that California has intense codes — it’s absolutely fantastic,” said Char Miller, a professor of environmental analysis at Pomona College. “But codes don’t stop firestorms. The bottom line is, why would we put people in danger knowing it’s dangerous?” S.F. Chronicle
5.
“The U.S. wine industry hasn’t had it this bad since Prohibition.”
Tariffs, an oversupply of grapes, changing drinking habits — a drumbeat of bleak developments in California’s wine industry is forcing growers to lower prices or even rip up vines. Steve Dutton, of Dutton Ranch in Sonoma County, turned to listing his grapes for sale on Facebook Marketplace and selling some at a discount to friends. If things don’t turn around, he may sell parts of his land to developers. Wall Street Journal
6.
Salesforce chief executive Marc Benioff, long seen as one of Silicon Valley’s more progressive billionaires, rankled liberals when he praised Donald Trump for the “remarkable achievement” of his 2024 election. To some observers, his flattery was seen as the cost of doing business as Salesforce pursued federal contracts. But in a new interview, Benioff made clear where he stands: He has never been progressive; he is all-in on Trump; and he wants the National Guard deployed to San Francisco. “I fully support the president,” he said. “I think he’s doing a great job.” N.Y. Times
7.
In the early 1960s, Rich Eacobacci was a 26-year-old Forest Service engineer when he designed a set of aluminum stairs to the sky in the Northern Sierra. They allowed visitors to reach the Sierra Buttes Fire Lookout, perched like a monastery atop a granite spire 8,587 feet above sea level. Now 88, Eacobacci recently made the pilgrimage up all 180 steps. Out of breath, he grasped for words to describe the feeling: “Magical, spiritual, challenging — you know, you get up here, you’ve done something.” ABC10
Southern California
8.
Five people were hurt when a helicopter crashed near a waterfront hotel in Huntington Beach on Saturday, stunning beachgoers. The pilot, Eric Nixon, was described as an aviation influencer known for daring maneuvers shared on Instagram. He was believed to be arriving for a helicopter and car show when his aircraft spiraled out of control and slammed into a clutch of palm trees. Among the injured was a boy on the ground who suffered a collapsed lung and brain bleed, according to a GoFundMe page. O.C. Register | L.A. Times
- See video of the crash.
9.
Diane Keaton, an actress with an infectious laugh who appeared in the “Godfather” saga and multiple Woody Allen films, died on Saturday at age 79. Keaton grew up in Santa Ana and in high school played Blanche DuBois in “A Streetcar Named Desire.” At 19, she dropped out to make a go of it in New York, starting as an understudy on Broadway and getting her big break a few years later as Kay Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather.” She won an Oscar for her performance in Allen’s 1977 “Annie Hall,” which led Hollywood Reporter to declare Keaton “the consummate actress of our generation.” N.Y. Times | Washington Post
10.
Edwin Castro, who won a record $2 billion Powerball lottery in 2022, has become one of the biggest buyers of burned lots in Altadena. A wave of post-fire real estate investors has raised alarm in Altadena, which lost some 9,000 structures. But Castro, 33, who was born in Altadena, has tried to earn trust with promises to help the community recapture its small-town feel. “I want it to feel like the old neighborhood,” Castro said. “Like if you put all those houses pre-fire in a time bubble.” Wall Street Journal
11.
When Los Angeles’ 6th Street Bridge opened in 2022, it was hailed as a “Ribbon of Light,” with illuminated arches that made it “instantly iconic.” Three years later, the bridge has remained dark for more than a year thanks to copper thieves — and a fix could still be years away, the Los Angeles Times wrote:
“Today, the viaduct is less an emblem of urban architectural modernity and more a safety risk for drivers, joggers and pedestrians crossing the Los Angeles River at night.”
12.
Long Beach City College is one of the only schools in the country to let homeless students sleep in a parking lot. No one sees see the lot as a permanent solution. But in a state where one in five community college students has been homeless in the past year, it is better than nothing, advocates say. For Edgar Rosales Jr., 39, who sleeps in his 2007 Lexus sedan, the parking lot has been a lifeline. “The number one word in my head is: survive, survive, survive,” he said. Washington Post
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