Good morning. It’s Thursday, June 9.
• | Essay argues that dogmatism made San Francisco a cruel city. |
• | California man is arrested for threat to kill Brett Kavanaugh. |
• | And a military crash in Imperial County is said to leave four dead. |
Election 2022
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San Francisco has become desensitized to suffering and squalor, the author wrote.
Eulogies for San Francisco have become a staple of the national press. But in the wake of Chesa Boudin’s recall, the latest essay by Nellie Bowles is gorgeously written and provocative in its diagnosis: The city has succumbed to a sort of progressive-libertarian nihilism.
“Anyone offended by the sight of the suffering is just judging someone who’s having a mental-health episode, and any liberal who argues that the state can and should take control of someone in the throes of drugs and psychosis is basically a Republican. If and when the vulnerable person dies, that was his choice, and in San Francisco we congratulate ourselves on being very accepting of that choice.” The Atlantic
Joe Eskanazi: “Any claim that San Francisco voters rejected Boudin’s policies or ideals would first require San Franciscans to have accepted them. There is no indication this ever occurred.” Mission Local
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Despite Boudin’s high-profile loss in San Francisco, voters across the bay showed little loss of appetite for criminal justice reform. In Alameda County, home to a significantly larger criminal justice system than that of San Francisco County, a progressive candidate is leading the early vote count for district attorney. A reformist candidate is also leading in the sheriff’s race. Oaklandside
L.A. Times editorial: “Despite what you may have heard, Tuesday was a fairly good day for criminal justice reform in California.”
See full results for California’s statewide races.
Find local results for San Diego County, Orange County, Los Angeles County, the Bay Area, Sacramento County, and other counties.
3
L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, who has presented himself as the scourge of the “woke left,” had the worst primary showing of any L.A. County sheriff in the last century with 34% of the vote as of Wednesday. He finished first, but he missed a chance for outright victory, which is awarded to primary candidates who get more than 50% of the vote under local election rules. Columnist Gustavo Arellano pointed out a hard fact: “Every incumbent sheriff in modern-day Los Angeles County who faced a runoff went on to lose.” L.A. Times
4
Rep. Michelle Steel, a Republican, is trying to fend off Democratic challenger Jay Chen.
Paul Bersebach/O.C. Register via Getty Images
Over the next five months, California can expect a rowdy campaign as Democrats look to protect their fragile House majority in midterms that typically punish the party in the White House. Republicans only need to net five seats to take control of the House. That means they can afford to pick up zero California districts and still win the majority. “It makes the state important for Democrats who are looking for any possible way to maintain their majority,” said Jacob Rubashkin, an election analyst. “The only way they have any hope of doing so is if they win back all those Biden-carried Republican seats.” L.A. Times
See results for California’s House races.
Statewide
5
“Significant.” “Historic.” “Unprecedented.”
California regulators on Wednesday ordered thousands of farmers, irrigation districts, and municipal water agencies to stop drawing water from rivers and creeks across the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta watershed. Officials said there’s simply no longer water for everyone. While some growers and providers can tap alternative sources of water, others without a backup supply may be forced to go entirely without. S.F. Chronicle | CalMatters
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A student napped on the bus to Trinity High School in Trinity County on Aug. 17, 2020.
Kent Nishimura/L.A. Times via Getty Images
Most American teenagers are chronically sleep-deprived, a condition that hampers learning and increases rates of car accidents and anxiety. Starting July 1, California will become the first state in the nation to require later start times. Public high schools will have to start no earlier than 8:30 a.m., and middle schools no earlier than 8 a.m. “This is progress,” wrote Lisa L. Lewis, author of “The Sleep-Deprived Teen.” The Atlantic
Northern California
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Erin Wilson posted a tribute to Eva on Instagram: “Goodbye my beautiful sweet girl.”
While hiking along a trail near Northern California’s Trinity River on May 16, Erin Wilson heard something in the bushes. As she turned, a mountain lion was upon her, growling. “I think I screamed and I shouted for Eva and she came running,” she said. Eva, Wilson’s 2-year-old dog, fought the big cat off, but she was sorely outmatched, suffering a fractured skull and jaw. Weeks later, the injuries proved too much. Eva died Wednesday, Wilson said through tears: “She just never woke up. She never woke up.” Sacramento Bee | SFGATE
8
A car caught air on oddly placed speed bumps along Fresno’s Chestnut Avenue last month.
There’s a street in Fresno where speeding motorists regularly catch air on a pair of speed bumps separated by just 10 feet. A neighbor told FOX26 that the bumps put an end to cars racing on the street. But vehicles rocket over the obstacles so often that they inspired a YouTube channel and TikTok account called Speed Bump Olympics that post video highlights from a homeowner’s door camera. Jalopnik
Southern California
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Law enforcement officers stood guard outside Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s home on Wednesday.
Nathan Howard/Getty Images
A Simi Valley man was charged with attempted murder after he was detained near the Maryland home of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh early Wednesday armed with a Glock and zip ties. Nicholas John Roske, 26, called 911 outside of Kavanaugh’s home and told the dispatcher he was suicidal and wanted to “give his life meaning” by killing the justice, according to the FBI affidavit. He also said he was upset about the prospect of Roe v. Wade being overturned. Washington Post | A.P.
10
A Marine Corps Osprey aircraft crashed into the desert in Southern California’s Imperial Valley on Wednesday, killing four of its five passengers, a federal source told the L.A. Times. The MV-22B Osprey, which can take off like a helicopter but fly like an airplane, was based at Camp Pendleton and went down during training near the Glamis Dunes, officials said. Until the crash, at least 46 people had died since the military began testing the troubled aircraft. L.A. Times | Desert Sun
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Naasón Joaquín García listened to victim statements in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Wednesday.
Carolyn Cole/L.A. Times via Getty Images
Naasón Joaquín García, a self-styled “apostle” of Jesus Christ and the leader of Mexico’s largest evangelical church, was sentenced to nearly 16 years in a California prison on Wednesday for sexually abusing young girls who were told it would lead to their salvation. The punishment was handed down in Los Angeles, where the abuse occurred, after courtroom testimony from victims who called García, 53, “evil,” a “monster,” and the “antichrist.” The church stood by the leader. L.A. Times | A.P.
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Every so often, an epic whirlpool of clouds swirls over California’s Channel Islands. Known as a Catalina eddy, they form as winds make a hard turn around Point Conception, then turn north and develop a counterclockwise spin. Satellite radar captured a brilliant example on Tuesday, above. @UWCIMSS
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