The Agriculture Department gave the green light to Upside Foods and Good Meat, firms that had been racing to be the first in the U.S. to sell meat that doesn’t come from slaughtered animals — what’s now being referred to as “cell-cultivated” or “cultured” meat as it emerges from the laboratory and arrives on dinner plates.

The move launches a new era of meat production aimed at eliminating harm to animals and drastically reducing the environmental impacts of grazing, growing feed for animals and animal waste.

“Instead of all of that land and all of that water that’s used to feed all of these animals that are slaughtered, we can do it in a different way,” said Josh Tetrick, co-founder and chief executive of Eat Just, which operates Good Meat.

The companies received approvals for federal inspections required to sell meat and poultry in the U.S. The action came months after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration deemed that products from both companies are safe to eat. A manufacturing company called Joinn Biologics, which works with Good Meat, was also cleared to make the products.

Cultivated meat is grown in steel tanks, using cells that come from a living animal, a fertilized egg or a special bank of stored cells. In Upside’s case, it comes out in large sheets that are then formed into shapes like chicken cutlets and sausages. Good Meat, which already sells cultivated meat in Singapore, the first country to allow it, turns masses of chicken cells into cutlets, nuggets, shredded meat and satays.

But don’t look for this novel meat in U.S. grocery stores anytime soon. Cultivated chicken is much more expensive than meat from whole, farmed birds and cannot yet be produced on the scale of traditional meat, said Ricardo San Martin, director of the Alt:Meat Lab at University of California Berkeley.

The companies plan to serve the new food first in exclusive restaurants: Upside has partnered with a San Francisco restaurant called Bar Crenn, while Good Meat dishes will be served at a Washington, D.C., restaurant run by chef and owner Jose Andrés.

Company officials are quick to note the products are meat, not substitutes like the Impossible Burger or offerings from Beyond Meat, which are made from plant proteins and other ingredients.

Globally, more than 150 companies are focusing on meat from cells, not only chicken but pork, lamb, fish and beef, which scientists say has the biggest impact on the environment.

Upside, based in Berkeley, operates a 70,000-square-foot building in nearby Emeryville. On a recent Tuesday, visitors entered a gleaming commercial kitchen where chef Jess Weaver was sauteeing a cultivated chicken filet in a white wine butter sauce with tomatoes, capers and green onions.

The finished chicken breast product was slightly paler than the grocery store version. Otherwise it looked, cooked, smelled and tasted like any other pan-fried poultry.

“The most common response we get is, ‘Oh, it tastes like chicken,’” said Amy Chen, Upside’s chief operating officer.

Good Meat, based in Alameda, operates a 100,000-square-foot plant, where chef Zach Tyndall dished up a smoked chicken salad on a sunny June afternoon. He followed it with a chicken “thigh” served on a bed of potato puree with a mushroom-vegetable demi-glace and tiny purple cauliflower florets. The Good Meat chicken product will come pre-cooked, requiring only heating to use in a range of dishes.

Chen acknowledged that many consumers are skeptical, even squeamish, about the thought of eating chicken grown from cells.

“We call it the ‘ick factor,’” she said.

The sentiment was echoed in a recent poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Half of U.S. adults said that they are unlikely to try meat grown using cells from animals. When asked to choose from a list of reasons for their reluctance, most who said they’d be unlikely to try it said “it just sounds weird.” About half said they don’t think it would be safe.

But once people understand how the meat is made, they’re more accepting, Chen said. And once they taste it, they’re usually sold.

“It is the meat that you’ve always known and loved,” she said.

Cultivated meat begins with cells. Upside experts take cells from live animals, choosing those most likely to taste good and to reproduce quickly and consistently, forming high-quality meat, Chen said. Good Meat products are created from a master cell bank formed from a commercially available chicken cell line.

Once the cell lines are selected, they’re combined with a broth-like mixture that includes the amino acids, fatty acids, sugars, salts, vitamins and other elements cells need to grow. Inside the tanks, called cultivators, the cells grow, proliferating quickly. At Upside, muscle and connective tissue cells grow together, forming large sheets. After about three weeks, the sheets of poultry cells are removed from the tanks and formed into cutlets, sausages or other foods. Good Meat cells grow into large masses, which are shaped into a range of meat products.

Both firms emphasized that initial production will be limited. The Emeryville facility can produce up to 50,000 pounds of cultivated meat products a year, though the goal is to expand to 400,000 pounds per year, Upside officials said. Good Meat officials wouldn’t estimate a production goal.

By comparison, the U.S. produces about 50 billion pounds of chicken per year.

It could take a few years before consumers see the products in more restaurants and seven to 10 years before they hit the wider market, said Sebastian Bohn, who specializes in cell-based foods at CRB, a Missouri firm that designs and builds facilities for pharmaceutical, biotech and food companies.

Cost will be another sticking point. Neither Upside nor Good Meat officials would reveal the price of a single chicken cutlet, saying only that it’s been reduced by orders of magnitude since the firms began offering demonstrations. Eventually, the price is expected to mirror high-end organic chicken, which sells for up to $20 per pound.

San Martin said he’s concerned that cultivated meat may wind up being an alternative to traditional meat for rich people, but will do little for the environment if it remains a niche product.

“If some high-end or affluent people want to eat this instead of a chicken, it’s good,” he said. “Will that mean you will feed chicken to poor people? I honestly don’t see it.”

Tetrick said he shares critics’ concerns about the challenges of producing an affordable, novel meat product for the world. But he emphasized that traditional meat production is so damaging to the planet it requires an alternative — preferably one that doesn’t require giving up meat all together.

“I miss meat,” said Tetrick, who grew up in Alabama eating chicken wings and barbecue. “There should be a different way that people can enjoy chicken and beef and pork with their families.”

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Thieves took the Zeledon’s Bakery on Wheels van from a mechanic shop in Los Banos and ended up rolling over into a canal 36 miles away in Merced.

“Everything is messed up inside, like a bomb went in there,” co-owner Juan Carlos Soto said.

The mobile bakery routinely left its headquarters in Los Banos and headed to the South Bay, where it became popular.

Soto and fellow owner Ernesto Bitello were preparing to hit the road on Monday when they got the disastrous news.

“I was enjoying my Father’s Day,” Bitello said. “I was like, ‘You know what? I’m going to take it easy today because tomorrow we gotta go work, delivering pan dulce to all of the South Bay. But we got this horrible news.”

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The van was totaled in the wreck, putting the owners’ livelihoods in jeopardy.

“I wanted to cry,” Soto said. “I felt like somebody had died. That’s our work truck. That’s how we feed our families. It was pretty hard. I couldn’t take it. Tears started coming out.”

Soto said he only had liability insurance on the van, so the family started a GoFundMe campaign. Rather quickly, they received a donation they couldn’t believe.

Comedian Gabriel Iglesias, known as Fluffy, pitched in $4,000 so they can make a down payment on a new van. The family said it needs about $45,000 more to get back in business.

A series of powerful storms freed California of a yearslong drought that stretched from 2020 to mid-January and filled Lake Oroville to 129% of its historical average, according to the California Department of Water Resources.

The lake has gained over 2.5 million acre-feet of water since last December, according to the DWR. It has been at 100% capacity since June 9.

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Che Garibaldi Inc., the owner of three Taqueria Garibaldi locations in California, reportedly hired a person identified as a priest to “get the sins out” of employees during work hours, the U.S. Department of Labor said. Labor officials began looking at the restaurant chain in November 2021 for wage theft when they found out a fake priest had been meeting with employees to obtain confessions of their wrongdoing against the employer.

The alleged priest asked employees a variety of questions, including if they had stolen from the employer, been late to work, or if they had any bad intentions towards management.

“Under oath, an employee of Taqueria Garibaldi explained how the restaurant offered a supposed priest to hear their workplace ‘sins’ while other employees reported that a manager falsely claimed that immigration issues would be raised by the department’s investigation,” said Regional Solicitor of Labor Marc Pilotin in San Francisco. “This employer’s despicable attempts to retaliate against employees were intended to silence workers, obstruct an investigation and prevent the recovery of unpaid wages.”

Investigators also found out that the restaurant denied employees overtime pay, illegally paid managers from the employee tip pool, and threatened employees with “adverse immigration consequences” if they cooperated with the Department of Labor. The chain also fired a worker who they believed had complained to the department, officials said.

The Diocese of Sacramento denied knowing the alleged priest, The New York Times reported.

A medical expert ordered by the court to review the mental state of Carlos Dominguez, 21, found that he is not competent to stand trial, a Yolo County Superior Court judge said Tuesday. A jury will decide July 24, he said.

Dominguez interrupted the hearing to say that he wanted to apologize. “I want to say I’m guilty,” he said, sitting besides his court-appointed deputy public defender, Dan Hutchinson.

At a previous hearing in May, Dominguez said he did not want a lawyer.

The stabbings shook the University of California, Davis campus and broader community. Businesses closed early and students feared to step outside their homes, even for daytime classes.

Dominguez had been a third-year student majoring in biological sciences until April 25, when the university let him go for academic reasons. He was arrested near the location of his second alleged attack, wearing the clothes from the alleged third attack, making it easy for bystanders to identify him.

Police did not disclose a motive for the stabbings and it was unclear if Dominguez knew the victims. Those killed were a 50-year-old homeless man well loved in the community and a 20-year-old UC Davis student. A homeless woman attacked in her tent Monday night is alive.

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The study released Tuesday by the University of California, San Francisco attempts to capture a comprehensive picture of how people become homeless in California, and what impeded their efforts at finding permanent housing. The representative survey of nearly 3,200 homeless people found that when they lost housing, their median household income was $960 a month, and for renters on leases it was $1,400 a month, of which on average half went to rent.

Homelessness is a national crisis, and all too pervasive in California, where an estimated 171,000 people — or 30% of all homeless people in the U.S. — are homeless. Political leaders are divided over how to address the crisis, with some, including Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, favoring tent encampment sweeps and a tough-love approach toward those with mental health and addiction issues.

It it not groundbreaking news that the state’s exorbitant housing costs are a major driver behind homelessness, but researchers at the UCSF’s Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative hope that the study will strengthen public support for policies that focus on offering housing and emergency rental assistance — rather than policies emphasizing punishment or stigma.

“People are homeless because their rent is too high. And their options are too few. And they have no cushion,” said Dr. Margot Kushel, initiative director and lead investigator. “And it really makes you wonder how different things would look if we could solve that underlying problem.”

Kushel’s team surveyed nearly 3,200 adults around California, and followed up to conduct in-depth interviews with 365 people, between October 2021 and November 2022.

The study found that Black people made up 26% of the homeless population in a state where they are only 6% of the general population. About 90% of participants were living in California when they became homeless. Half reported an inability to work due to age, health or disability. The median length of homelessness was a little under two years.

More than a third of adults surveyed met the criteria for chronic homelessness, meaning they had a disabling condition and were homeless for at least 1 year — or were homeless four times in the previous three years totaling more than 12 months.

In Los Angeles in 2015, Sage Johnson’s mother was evicted from their apartment when she was unable to meet rent that had increased to $1,200. In disability pay, she received about $1,340 a month. She bounced around, from LA’s notorious Skid Row to various convalescent homes while her daughter lived at a shelter.

Later, Johnson, 28, was able to place her mother in a home, where she stayed for about two years. In 2018 though, her mother died from a debilitating stroke.

Johnson, who now has stable housing, wishes she could have done more.

“But in the end, she did have a bed. She was inside. She didn’t have any more strokes outside. And she was able to regenerate and rejuvenate and restore some of her life while in the convalescent home,” said Johnson, a co-chair for one of the study’s advisory boards.

Among study participants, substance abuse and issues with mental health were common and predated becoming homeless. Of those surveyed, 45% reported current, regular use of cocaine, amphetamines and opioids or heavy episodic drinking. Participants described how heavy substance use contributed to losing their homes, but also how methamphetamine usage allowed them to stay alert to protect themselves from assault or theft.

Nearly half of the adults surveyed were not on a lease in the six months prior to becoming homeless, and had likely moved in with family or friends, contributing to rent when they could. Nearly a quarter cited conflict among housemates, desire for more space or not wanting to impose any longer on family and friends as primary reasons they left.

On average, people surveyed who were not on leases received only one day of warning before needing to move out.

Among people on rental lease agreements, more than 20% cited income loss or reduction as the primary reason they lost housing. “So it wasn’t so much that their housing costs increased, it’s that they could no longer keep up with it,” said Kushel.

California ranks as the most unaffordable state when it comes to housing, according to an annual report by the National Low Income Housing Coalition. A person earning an hourly minimum wage of $15.50 would have to work nearly 90 hours a week to afford the statewide average for a modest one-bedroom rental, which is nearly $1,800 a month, the coalition states.

The study was requested by Newsom’s administration, which has made addressing homelessness a priority, but the state did not fund it so didn’t play a role in analyzing data or interpreting the findings.

The report makes many recommendations, including deep expansion of rental assistance and pilot programs to facilitate shared housing for people seeking to get out of homelessness — and a rental stipend program for people living temporarily with family or friends.

Johnson said she hopes the public will find the report’s findings to be evidence that tax dollars are being put to good use in social safety net spending. She also hopes that people will support robust mental health and addiction treatment services along with affordable housing options.

“I don’t want to set anyone up for failure,” she said. “And I’m sure many of my peers can agree that folks need time to practice going back to, like, regular society life.”

Eastman is expected to spend the day testifying before the State Bar of California in a proceeding that could result in him losing his license to practice law in the state. He faces 11 disciplinary charges stemming from his development of a dubious legal strategy that was aimed at helping Trump remain in power by disrupting the counting of state electoral votes.

The State Bar’s counsel will seek Eastman’s disbarment during a hearing before the State Bar Court that’s expected to last at least eight days. If the court finds Eastman culpable of the alleged violations it can recommend a punishment such as suspending or revoking his law license. The California Supreme Court makes the final decision.

Eastman is scheduled to testify in his own defense Tuesday. The proceedings will feature witnesses such as Greg Jacob, a former attorney for then-Vice President Mike Pence who pushed back against Eastman’s plan to have Pence stop the certification of Joe Biden’s victory.

Eastman was one of Trump’s lawyers during the election. He argued, in a memo, that Pence could keep Trump in power by overturning the results of the election during a joint session of Congress convened to count electoral votes. Critics have likened that to instructions for staging a coup.

Eastman violated California’s business and professions code by making false and misleading statements that constitute acts of “moral turpitude, dishonesty, and corruption,” the State Bar alleges, and in doing so he “violated this duty in furtherance of an attempt to usurp the will of the American people and overturn election results for the highest office in the land — an egregious and unprecedented attack on our democracy.”

Eastman’s attorney previously said his client disputes “every aspect” of the allegations.

The State Bar’s action “is part of a nationwide effort to use the bar discipline process to penalize attorneys who opposed the current administration in the last presidential election. Americans of both political parties should be troubled by this politicization of our nation’s state bars,” Eastman’s attorney, Randall A. Miller, said in a statement when the charges were announced in January.

Eastman has been a member of the California Bar since 1997, according to its website. He was a law clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and a founding director of the Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence, a law firm affiliated with the Claremont Institute. He ran for California attorney general in 2010, finishing second in the Republican primary.

Eastman retired as dean of the Chapman University law school in Southern California last year after more than 160 faculty members signed a letter calling for the university to take action against him.

The California State Bar is a regulatory agency and the only court system in the U.S. that is dedicated to attorney discipline.

Eastman’s disciplinary hearing comes as special counsel Jack Smith continues his investigation into efforts by Trump and his Republican allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

A federal grand jury in Washington has been meeting behind closed doors for months to hear testimony from witnesses, including Pence, who has publicly described a pressure campaign by Trump aimed at getting him to halt Congress’ certification of the election results and the win by Biden, a Democrat.

Federal agents seized Eastman’s cellphone last summer as he was leaving a restaurant, he said in a court filing. That day, law enforcement officials conducted similar activity around the country as part of their probe.

Since Smith’s appointment in November, he has cast a broad net in demanding interviews and testimony related to fundraising, Trump’s rally that preceded the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, and communications between Trump associates and election officials in battleground states. Eastman spoke at the rally.

In December, Smith subpoenaed local election officials in Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona and Pennsylvania, asking for communications with or involving Trump, his 2020 campaign aides and a list of allies — including Eastman — who were involved in his efforts to try to overturn the results of the election.

The investigation is separate from another probe by Smith into classified documents found at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, that led this month to felony charges against Trump. Trump pleaded not guilty last week to 37 felony counts, including conspiracy to obstruct justice.

___

Associated Press writer Alanna Durkin Richer contributed from Boston.

DeSantis, meanwhile, likes to mock Newsom’s apparent “fixation” on Florida while insisting that the Democratic governor’s “leftist government” is destroying California.

Welcome to one of the fiercest rivalries in U.S. politics, featuring dueling term-limited governors who represent opposite ends of the ideological spectrum and lead two of the nation’s largest and most influential states. Newsom and DeSantis almost certainly won’t face each other on any ballot in 2024, but in many ways, they are defining the debate from their corners of America as the presidential primary season gets underway.

Newsom addressed both his contempt for DeSantis and loyalty to President Joe Biden — even after Tuesday’s revelations that the president’s son, Hunter, reached a deal with federal prosecutors on federal tax offenses and a gun charge — in an interview just as the Florida governor launched a two-day fundraising trek spanning at least five stops across California. The Golden State has become one of DeSantis’ favorite punching bags as he tries to avoid a direct confrontation with his chief Republican presidential rival, Trump, and the former president’s escalating legal challenges.

“He’s taking his eye off the ball,” Newsom said of DeSantis’ escalating attacks against him. “And that’s not inconsistent with my own assessment of him, which is he is a weak candidate, and he is undisciplined and will be crushed by Donald Trump, and will soon be in third or fourth in national polls.”

Representatives for DeSantis did not make the governor available for an interview. Beneath the war of words, however, strategists in both parties suggest there may be a mutually beneficial dynamic at play. As they jab at each other’s policies and personalities through comments in the press and on social media, the governors are scoring points with their respective political bases, raising money and expanding their national brands.

Both men issued fundraising appeals Monday going after the other by name.

But it’s not all helpful.

Newsom, in particular, is facing nagging questions about his presidential ambitions less than a week after DeSantis dared him to “stop pussyfooting around” and launch a primary challenge against Biden.

The California governor, whose second and final term concludes at the end of 2026, has seen his national profile grow since he easily beat back a recall attempt in 2021 and cruised to reelection last fall. He finished the midterm campaign with roughly $16 million in the bank. And in March, he channeled $10 million to a new political action committee he’s calling the Campaign for Democracy.

All the while, Newsom’s team has been moving deliberately to avoid the perception that he’s running a shadow presidential campaign just as Biden ramps up his political activities.

For example, Newsom’s new PAC is initially focusing on challenging Republican leaders in deep-red states that are largely irrelevant in the 2024 presidential race. He campaigned in Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi in April on his first trip associated with the PAC.

Newsom is expected to avoid battleground states or key presidential primary states for the foreseeable future, his allies say.

At the same time, the California governor and his team have been in regular contact with Biden and his top aides, including Jen O’Malley Dillon, who managed the president’s 2020 campaign and serves as deputy White House chief of staff. A Biden campaign official said the president’s team coordinates closely with Newsom.

“Newsom is not going to run against Joe Biden and never would. But life is long, and Newsom is one of the prominent national Democrats. It’s part of that role to have these big national battles,” longtime Newsom adviser and friend Nathan Ballard said of the feud with DeSantis.

“There is the 2024 election, and then there is a 2028 election,” Ballard added.

Indeed, veteran Democratic consultant Roy Behr, whose clients included former California Sen. Barbara Boxer, said the two governors are engaged in what could become an early preview of the 2028 presidential contest.

“It’s not inconceivable that four years from now, these two guys could be their respective parties’ nominees,” he said. In tangling with DeSantis, who is 44, the 55-year-old Newsom is building his national brand and visibility and is “certainly trying to create opportunities for himself.”

Sacramento-based Democratic consultant Andrew Acosta said he expected the ongoing rivalry to continue given that it’s beneficial for both politicians with their core supporters. He described Newsom and DeSantis as “frenemies.”

“They both get points off it,” Acosta said. “There is a hard core of voters on both sides who think this is great.”

While polling shows that many Democrats don’t want the 80-year-old Biden to seek a second term, Newsom said there are no circumstances in which he would challenge the sitting president of his own party.

“Not on God’s green earth, as the phrase goes,” Newsom said in the weekend interview, adding that he would be with Biden on Monday and hosting a fundraiser for him Tuesday. “I have been pretty consistently — including recently on Fox News — making the case for his candidacy.”

On Tuesday, Newsom reaffirmed his support for Biden shortly after news surfaced that the president’s son, Hunter, reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors on charges he failed to pay federal income tax and illegally possessed a weapon.

“Hunter changes nothing,” Newsom told the AP, noting that he was spending the day with Biden.

DeSantis did not plan to make any public appearances during his California fundraising tour, which included stops in Sacramento and the Bay Area on Monday and continues Tuesday with events planned for San Diego, Orange County and Los Angeles.

Over the weekend in Nevada, DeSantis noted that he’s seen a surge of “disgruntled Californians” moving to Florida.

“Why would you leave like a San Diego to come to say, Jacksonville, Florida? I see people doing that,” DeSantis told thousands of conservative activists at a weekend gathering close to the California border. “It’s because leftist government is destroying that state. Leftist government is destroying cities all over our country. It’s destroying other states.”

Former Nevada attorney general Adam Laxalt, who hosted the weekend event and leads the pro-DeSantis super PAC, said the policy contrast between the leaders of Florida and California is “a debate that our whole country needs to have.”

“California has been the model for many leftist policies. I would take the contrast between Florida’s policies and its results led by Gov. DeSantis and the California policies, any day of the week,” Laxalt said in an interview. “We can already see what leftist policies do.”

Both DeSantis and Newsom took office in 2019 and won reelection for their second and final terms in 2022. While in office, both have been buoyed by multiple billion-dollar budget surpluses and the help of statehouses controlled by their own party that supercharged their agendas.

In California, Newsom expanded the state’s Medicaid program to cover all eligible adults, regardless of their immigration status. He signed a raft of legislation to make it easier to get an abortion, including authorizing $20 million in state spending to help people from other states travel to California. When the U.S. Supreme Court declined to strike down an abortion law in Texas that was enforced by private lawsuits, Newsom signed a similar law in California — only he made it about guns.

And earlier this month, he proposed amending the U.S. Constitution to institute what he called a “reasonable” waiting period for all gun purchases, a ban on so-called assault rifles, universal background checks and raising the minimum age to buy a firearm to 21.

“I think Gavin Newsom is a very useful foil for Ron DeSantis, quite frankly,” said Lanhee Chen, a California Republican who attended one of DeSantis’ five California fundraisers this week. “The more kinds of crazy things that Newsom does — at least, crazy in the eyes of Republican voters — the more I think Ron DeSantis frankly benefits as somebody who’s seen as a counterweight to that.”

In Florida, DeSantis has leaned into cultural conservative issues in what he calls his “war on woke.”

Earlier this month, his administration flew groups of migrants from Texas to Sacramento to draw attention to the influx of Latin American immigrants trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border. He did the same last fall, sending dozens of immigrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, which he often highlights during his stump speeches.

DeSantis also signed and then expanded the Parental Rights in Education bill — known by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” law, which bans instruction or classroom discussion of LGBTQ+ issues in Florida public schools for all grades. He seized control of Disney World’s governing body after the company publicly opposed the law.

The Florida governor this year also signed a law banning abortions at six weeks, which is before most women realize they’re pregnant. And he took control of a liberal arts college that he believed was indoctrinating students with leftist ideology.

While DeSantis does not have the legal entanglements that Trump faces, Newsom said Democrats may be wrong to assume the former president would be an easier candidate to defeat in the 2024 general election.

“I see deep weakness — I refer to it often — weakness with DeSantis masquerading as strength,” Newsom said. “I think he’d be a more favored candidate. But I’ll leave that judgment to more objective minds.”

___

Associated Press writers Adam Beam in Sacramento and Michelle Price in New York contributed.

This story has been corrected to delete a reference to Hunter Biden pleading guilty to a gun charge. He has reached a deal with prosecutors on the gun charge but is not pleading guilty.

Several surfers in San Diego’s Pacific Beach area were all smiles when an unexpected guest crashed their session.

Drone footage showed a seal pup catching a ride on one surfboard after another in the lineup. Charmed by the pup’s curious demeanor, the surfers kept a respectful distance from the marine creature as it lay comfortably on the end of different people’s boards.

At one point, a wave crashed near a board the pup was on, causing it to wipe out. Its head could be seen poking out the water shortly after, however, seemingly unbothered by the impact.

“Our team did respond to the pup,” Tracy Rahr emailed. “Upon arrival, it appeared healthy and was in the water when the team went out to evaluate, so there was no need to intervene as the pup also appeared to be old enough to care for itself.”

The approximate age of the pup is unclear, as are the whereabouts of its mother.

Just in May, Americans saw rents grow by 4.8% to about $2,048 a month on average nationally, according to Zillow Observed Rent Index data.

Lawn Love, a yard care business, ranked 2023’s most expensive metro area for renters. It compared 172 based on three categories: average rent prices, year-over-year rent charges, and the share of renters spending over 30% of their income on rent and utilities.

Overall, the report found that if you’re looking to live on a coast, prepare to pay up. All of the top 10 most expensive metro areas for renters are near the shore.

Top 10 most expensive metro areas for renters

1. New York City, N.Y., Newark, Jersey City, N.J.
2. Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Pompano Beach, Fla.
3. Oxnard, Thousand Oaks, Ventura, Calif.
4. San Diego, Chula Vista, Carlsbad, Calif.
5. Urban Honolulu, Hawaii
6. Los Angeles, Long Beach, Anaheim, Calif.
7. Napa, Calif.
8. Naples, Marco Island, Fla.
9. Washington D.C., Arlington, Alexandria, Virg.
10. Bridgeport, Stamford, Norwalk, Conn.

The New York City tri-state area ranked as the most expensive on the list. It has one of the highest shares of cost-burdened renters who are paying over 30% of their income on expenses like rent and utilities.

While the average rent in Newark is $1,850 and $2,500 in Jersey City, in New York City it is $3,610, according to Zillow’s rental manager.

According to Payscale, the cost of living in this area is 26% higher than the national average. Housing expenses are 74% higher than the national average and utility prices and transportation expenses are also 10% higher than the national average.

No. 2 on the list is the Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Pompano Beach, Florida metro area.

It has the highest share of cost-burdened renters, with over 62% spending most of their income on rent.

The rents in this Florida area range from $2,115 to $2,711, according to RentCafe. The overall score of this area is 55.68 out of 100.

Oxnard, Thousand Oaks and Ventura, California, which is part of the greater Los Angeles area, ranked third on the list. It scored 55.17 out of 100 and was the second least affordable area, according to Lawn Lovers.

The average rent for this California area ranged from $2,533 to $2,704.

It also ranked as the area with the fourth-highest average rent in the U.S., right behind two other California areas: Napa and San Jose, Sunnyvale and Santa Clara.

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California will celebrate Juneteenth as a state holiday for the first time this June under legislation enacted into law this year.

The proclamation begins, “Each year on June 19, we look back to this day in 1865, on which Union General Gordon Granger led troops into Galveston, Texas, to announce the end of the Civil War and the insidious institution of slavery.”

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Juneteenth Jun 16

Juneteenth festivities happening across the Bay Area

The proclamation goes on to note that thousands of enslaved people in Texas, among the last to learn of their independence, were freed more than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

“Over the next several decades, Black Americans who journeyed out of the South seeking better lives brought Juneteenth celebrations with them. The thousands who settled in California, especially in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, taught our state that America’s struggle for freedom did not end in 1776 or 1865, but continues to this day,” the proclamation reads, in part.

The proclamation concludes, “This Juneteenth, I urge all Californians to reflect on the ongoing cause of freedom for Black Americans – remembering that, though General Granger’s announcement in 1865 called for ‘absolute equality,’ that vision was, and remains, far from complete. Let us celebrate how far we have come and take stock of how far we must go to truly realize our nation’s founding ideals.”

California’s aggressive strategy to fight climate change by weaning the state off fossil fuels has produced some of the world’s toughest environmental regulations in the past few years. Since 2020, the state has OK’d rules that would ban the sale of new gas-powered cars, lawn equipment and trucks by the middle of the next decade.

Those rules are designed to slowly phase out gas- and diesel-powered products by banning the sale of most new combustible engines. But the rules governing railroads would ban the use of locomotives more than 23 years old starting in 2030 and would force railroads to start setting aside more than $1 billion a year starting this fall solely to purchase zero-emission locomotives and related equipment. Due to the crucial role California ports hold and the way railroads pass off trains to each other, the state’s mandate would have huge effects nationwide.

In a lawsuit filed in federal court, the industry says the technology for zero-emission locomotives hasn’t been sufficiently tested and won’t be ready to carry the load of delivering more than 30 million carloads of freight nationwide each year.

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The lawsuit asks a judge to declare the California Air Resources Board does not have the authority to issue these rules. The trade groups say that only the federal government can regulate railroads because it is an interconnected industry that crosses state lines. They note that more than 500 companies all share the 180,000 miles (289,682 kilometers) of track across 49 states, Canada and Mexico.

“While the urgency to act is real and unquestionable, CARB (the California Air Resources Board) uses unreasonable, flawed assumptions to support a rule that will not result in emissions reductions,” said Ian Jefferies, president and CEO of the Association of American Railroads, an industry trade association that filed the lawsuit along with the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association. “Railroads are working toward reliable, efficient zero-emissions technologies; however, they cannot simply be willed into immediate existence by policymakers.”

The railroad groups say in their lawsuit that the rules show regulators’ “lack of experience with and understanding of the railroad industry.”

Another argument from opponents of the California rule is that transporting goods through railways contributes fewer planet-warming emissions than if those goods were trucked. The transportation sector contributed the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions in 2021, but rail only made up 2% of those emissions, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

CARB spokesperson Lys Mendez said Friday the board had not yet seen the lawsuit and would not comment on it.

Regulators say they must move quickly given the scope of the emissions problems from locomotives. CARB says the rules will dramatically reduce pollution from nitrogen oxides, which contribute to the formation of smog, and a type of tiny pollutants that can penetrate deep into a person’s lungs and has been linked to cancer. The board estimates it will save $32 billion in health care costs and prevent 3,200 premature deaths.

Adrian Martinez, a lawyer with environmental nonprofit Earthjustice, called the fate of the California rule “a matter of life and death.”

“There’s generally been a reckless disregard from the rail industry for saving lives from air pollution, and this is just another feather in their cap in their pursuit of continuing to burn really dirty diesel fuel,” Martinez said of the lawsuit.

Alicia Aguayo, a spokesperson for the advocacy group People’s Collective for Environmental Justice, is also not surprised by the lawsuit. For more than two decades, Aguayo lived near a BNSF railyard in San Bernardino, California. Aguayo, whose brother has asthma, is concerned about the health risks diesel pollution from locomotives poses to residents.

“For those of us that lived next to the railyards, it’s significant because it’s a step towards reducing something that is very harmful for our communities,” she said of the rule.

The EPA said last fall that it will consider toughening its rules for locomotive pollution that were last updated in 2008, but California regulators acted first. The California rule would need approval from the EPA to move forward.

California has some of the worst air quality in the country, mostly because of its bustling transportation sector. The state is home to two of the busiest ports in the world at Los Angeles and Long Beach. Most of that cargo is shipped to warehouses further inland before getting on trains to be transported throughout the country.

The top four most polluted cities for ozone and year-round particle pollution in the U.S. are all in California, according to the American Lung Association.

The new California rules would have the biggest effect on Union Pacific and BNSF and short-line railroads that operate in that state. But the changes would affect every railroad because they all regularly pass locomotives back and forth to keep trains moving efficiently across the U.S. A single locomotive might cross the entire country every couple of months. Any changes would have to be standardized across the industry.

The major freight railroads are already working with major manufacturers to test out battery-powered locomotives with the first ones starting to roll out to Union Pacific railyards in Nebraska and California this year. They’re also experimenting with alternative fuels like hydrogen as possible replacements for their diesel-powered workhorses.

One of the leading locomotive makers, Wabtec, told California regulators that it is at least a couple years away from having battery-powered locomotive prototypes ready for widespread tests hauling freight over long distances, although it did try one out with BNSF for a few months in 2021. Wabtec also said some of the other technologies like hydrogen power face challenges related to the availability of that fuel and the need for an entirely new fueling network. And battery manufacturers may already have a hard time keeping up with all the demand from electric cars, even without upgrading thousands of locomotives.

Railroads prefer to keep using locomotives for decades after they buy them. Just last year, both Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern announced plans to modernize hundreds of locomotives in their fleets to extend their useful life and reduce their carbon emissions. Those upgrades don’t do much to reduce the amount of particulate matter and nitrous oxide emissions those locomotives produce, but the industry has made progress with those also. Those emissions are associated with increased cancer risks and other health problems — particularly in neighborhoods around railyards.

___

Funk reported from Omaha, Nebraska. Associated Press reporter Sophie Austin contributed from Sacramento, California.

___

Austin is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Austin on Twitter: @sophieadanna

Heal The Bay said just two beaches statewide made its 2022-2023 Honor Roll — Bean Hollow State Beach in San Mateo County, just south of San Francisco, and Point Loma in San Diego County.

In the last survey, 51 beaches made the Honor Roll. The environmental nonprofit surveys more than 500 beaches and assigns letter grades, A-plus through F.

The exceedingly wet winter brought multiple rain-triggered sewage spills and flushed pollutants, including bacteria, through storm drains into the ocean, the report said.

“This year, record precipitation produced major impacts on water quality across Coastal California,” said Tracy Quinn, CEO of Heal the Bay. “Now more than ever, we must prioritize multi-benefit projects to manage stormwater as both a water quality and supply solution, all while ensuring that the public is kept informed of risks to public health.”

Still, the group said that out of all the state’s beaches, 95% received an A or B grade for water quality from April to October 2022, during the months when most people head to the coast.

The worst strands make a “Beach Bummer” list for chronic pollution that could sicken swimmers and surfers. Heal The Bay said four of the state’s 10 dirtiest beaches are in San Mateo County — Linda Mar, Marlin Park, Erckenbrack Park and Pillar Point.

At the top of the list of most polluted beaches, it was a tie: Playa Blanca near Tijuana, on the border with San Diego County, and the strand around the Santa Monica Pier.

Naughty Dog’s “The Last of Us” is getting its own walk-through experience at Universal Orlando Resorts in Florida starting September 1, and Universal Studios Hollywood in California beginning September 7. The game studio tweeted its excitement for the collaboration Thursday after the game recently celebrated its 10th anniversary.

“We are THRILLED to announce The Last of Us will be part of Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights! Prepare to encounter Clickers, Hunters, and more as you step into the world of The Last of Us at @HorrorNights and @HorrorNightsORL later this year. #HHN#HHN32#UniversalHHN“

“The Last of Us” follows the series protagonists Joel and Ellie as they navigate a post-pandemic world caused by an infection from the real-life fungus Cordyceps. Fans will get a chance to experience some of the famous locations from the game, like the Pittsburgh Quarantine Zone or the Hotel Grand, as they come face-to-face with the Clickers, Raiders, Runners and Stalkers this fall, People reported.

“As a massive fan – and frequent attendee – of Halloween Horror Nights, we are honored to have ‘The Last of Us’ included in this year’s lineup,” Naughty Dog Co-President Neil Druckmann said. “It has been an incredible thrill for us at Naughty Dog to collaborate with Universal, bringing the world of the game to life, focusing on even the tiniest details that our fans know so well,”

Halloween Horror Nights 2023 will run on select nights until Oct. 31. Tickets are on sale now at both Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood.

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DeSantis, who announced his presidential campaign late last month, took on Newsom during a news conference in Florida in which he was asked about Newsom’s recent comments to Fox News agreeing to a hypothetical debate with DeSantis hosted by Sean Hannity.

“He’s got huge problems in his state –- I mean, like, huge problems in his state,” DeSantis said. “Yet with all those problems, he has a real serious fixation on the state of Florida. I think it’s just bizarre.”

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DeSantis then turned to the Democrats’ 2024 primary election, in which Biden is facing only token opposition.

“You know what? Stop pussyfooting around,” DeSantis said. “Are you gonna throw your hat in the ring and challenge Joe? Are you going to get in and do it? Or are you just gonna sit on the sidelines and chirp?”

DeSantis’ jab comes as he shies away from confrontation with his chief rival in the GOP’s White House primary, former President Donald Trump. Newsom has previously said he would not challenge Biden in 2024 but has taken steps to boost his national profile in recent months.

While several of Trump’s Republican rivals have raised concerns about his federal indictment, DeSantis has largely avoided the subject. The governor made only a brief mention of the charges in a weekend speech to the North Carolina GOP during which he focused his censure on the Justice Department and the Biden administration.

DeSantis has been much more willing to lean into fights against Democrats and the media.

For example, a pro-DeSantis super political action committee released a video Thursday titled “Punching Back” that highlights DeSantis’ frequent confrontations with the media.

A Newsom spokesperson did not respond directly to DeSantis’ latest comments, but did note that Newsom attended Disneyland’s Pride night this week with company CEO Bob Iger. Disney has sued DeSantis, alleging the governor undertook a “targeted campaign of government retaliation” after the company opposed a Florida law that critics call “ Don’t Say Gay.”

Ace Smith, a senior Newsom adviser, responded to DeSantis’ new broadside on Twitter: “Your whining is very unpresidential!”

Mortgage rates are likely to remain high despite the Federal Reserve’s pause on interest rate hikes.

While that may be good sign for fixed-income funds in California, the pause is a blow to affordable housing in the state, said Fiona Ma, California state treasurer, during the CNBC Financial Advisor Summit. 

The Fed announced Wednesday it would hold interest rates steady in June, after the committee had hiked borrowing rates 10 times since March 2022. Policymakers said they anticipate two quarter-point interest rate increases are forecasted for later this year.

In California, a state where the cost of living is high, affordable housing and savings programs continue to be priorities for Ma.

“Trying to make sure my agencies are being proactive has been key,” Ma said. 

Rising interest rates have affected the real estate market, making it harder for people to afford buying a home. To make it easier, Ma launched a new program called Dream for All on March 27, where the state of California provided down payment assistance to qualifying first-time homebuyers. The program closed after two weeks due to overwhelming demand.

“Demand is still strong for home ownership but, yes, as soon as we can lower the rates back, I think the real estate market will continue to flourish again,” Ma said.

Last month, Newsom and city officials launched a law enforcement partnership with the CHP and the California National Guard to combat the sale and distribution of fentanyl in key areas of the city, including the Tenderloin neighborhood.

Newsom announced that since their deployment on May 1, CHP officers have seized over 4.2 kilograms of fentanyl in the Tenderloin and surrounding areas, which is enough to kill 2.3 million people.

Officers have also seized a sizable amount of methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin, and made 92 arrests related to fentanyl possession, illegal firearm possession, driving under the influence and domestic violence.

Six national guard analysts have also worked to support San Francisco’s Fentanyl Task Force and provide analysis and technical support for law enforcement to shut down organized drug dealing operations. Their work includes mapping out crime syndicate networks and reviewing information for agencies to tackle large-scale cases.

“I’m proud of the CHP and CalGuard’s lifesaving efforts to shut down the Tenderloin’s poison pipeline and hold drug traffickers accountable,” Newsom said. “These early results show promise and serve as a call to action: We must do more to clean up San Francisco’s streets, help those struggling with substance use, and eradicate fentanyl from our neighborhoods.”

The operation builds on Newsom’s plan to address the fentanyl and opioid crisis, which includes funneling $1 billion to CalGuard so it can expand its operations.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union reached the tentative deal for a new six-year contract with the Pacific Maritime Association, a trade group for cargo carriers and terminal operators. Its members include such global shipping giants as Maersk and Evergreen Marine.

The agreement will require ratification by PMA and union members and would affect 22,000 dockworkers at 29 ports from Washington state through California.

Details of the deal weren’t disclosed.

“We are pleased to have reached an agreement that recognizes the heroic efforts and personal sacrifices of the ILWU workforce in keeping our ports operating,” PMA President James McKenna and ILWU President Willie Adams said in a joint statement. “We are also pleased to turn our full attention back to the operation of the West Coast Ports.”

The dockworkers have been without a contract since July 1.

West Coast ports handle some 40% of U.S. imports and their smooth operation is so important that President Joe Biden even stepped in last year and met with both sides in Los Angeles.

A lockout in 2002 and an eight-day strike in 2015 cost the U.S. economy billions of dollars and forced the administrations of then-presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama to intervene.

The ports weren’t completely shut down this time but several short-term worker shortages in recent weeks disrupted or even closed some terminals in California and Washington.

After the COVID-19 pandemic began to take hold in 2020, cargo traffic to ports slumped drastically. But then it recovered. Soaring demand led to traffic jams at the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the nation’s busiest port complex.

The union sought higher wages, arguing they deserved a greater share of record profits made by shippers and terminal operators during the pandemic.

“ILWU workers risked and lost their lives during the pandemic to ensure grocery store shelves were stocked, PPE (health safety gear) was made available, essential medical supplies were reaching our hospitals, and record volumes of consumer goods continued to reach the door steps of American consumers,” argued an ILWU statement on June 2.

In his statement, Biden congratulated the port workers, “who have served heroically through the pandemic and the countless challenges it brought, and will finally get the pay, benefits, and quality of life they deserve.”

Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Julie Su was sent to assist in the negotiations.

Biden said Su “used her deep experience and judgment to keep the parties talking.”

“The tentative agreement delivers important stability for workers, for employers and for our country’s supply chain,” Su said in a statement.

The tentative agreement was praised by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who said port work generates 1 in 15 jobs in the city.

“This is a win for the working people of our city,” she said.

Around 2 a.m., surveillance video shows the animal walking at a slow, relaxed pace. It comes up from the street and follows a flagstone path through the home’s front yard. Another camera then shows the bear on a side yard, sniffing around some bags of trash. The animal then retraces its steps, walking back through the front yard and back into the street.

Now here’s the wild part.

The homeowner, Caitlin Estrella, tells NBC Bay Area her 5-year-old daughter woke her up and said she’d had a nightmare. The girl dreamed a bear was having a picnic on the hillside behind their home.

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While Estrella was comforting her daughter, her phone alerted her to movement in the yard. It was the bear.

Estrella said her family has lived in the house for more than 40 years and they’ve never had a bear sighting.

“I was running around the house locking all the doors because, where my sister lives, the black bears open the door handles,” said Estrella. “I wasn’t going to take any chances.”

Alison Hermance, the spokesperson for Wildcare, an animal hospital and advocacy organization in San Rafael, said it was likely a young, male bear looking to claim a territory.

“Bears will eat anything,” said Hermance. “They’ll even lick outdoor BBQs and grills. Homeowners can help keep bears at bay by making sure their trash is sealed, bringing in bird feeders and pet food and even cleaning their outdoor grills.”

She said it’s best for humans, and bears, if the bears don’t start to feel at home in residential neighborhoods.

To make sure you don’t surprise a bear that might be in your yard, Hermance said it can help to shout or flip lights on and off before entering your yard. She said black bears are shy and would typically prefer to avoid people.

Golf’s third major championship, the U.S. Open, makes its cinematic return to Los Angeles Thursday through Sunday as the Los Angeles Country Club is set to host the 123rd U.S. Open.

Here’s what to know about the event.

Where is the U.S. Open being played?

The exclusive Los Angeles Country Club, situated on the Westside of LA, will host the U.S Open on its North Course. This is the club’s first time hosting the U.S. Open in its history, despite its illustrious background.

The club has undergone major reconstruction since 2009 to get it ready for tournaments like the U.S Open, with golf course designer Gil Hanse at the forefront. The club looked to return back to its early roots and follow in the footsteps of George Thomas, the architect that made the North Course what it is today.

When was the U.S. Open last played in Los Angeles?

The last time this tournament was in Los Angeles was in 1948 where it was played at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades. The winner of that tournament was none other than PGA hall of famer Ben Hogan where he won his first U.S. Open title.

The U.S. Open is home to the greatest golfers in the world with Scottie Scheffler as the favorite to take it all this year and win his second major title.

Are there any California-born golfers competing?

The last California born golfer to win the U.S. Open was Bryson DeChambeau, of Modesto, in 2020.

There are 10 golfers from California competing this year’s U.S. Open: Colin Morikawa (La Cañada Flintridge), Max Homa (Valencia), Berry Henson (La Quinta), Bryson DeChambeau (Modesto), Rickie Fowler (Murrieta), Xander Schauffele (San Diego), Charlie Hoffman (San Diego), Kurt Kitayama (Chico), Corey Periera (Mission Viejo), Phil Mickelson (San Diego).

Click here to stream NBC Los Angeles News’ ‘U.S Open: The Final Round’ on Sunday

How to watch the U.S. Open

Coverage of the 2023 U.S. Open will be on NBC, USA Network and Peacock. 

Here’s the tournament schedule:

Round 1 (Thursday, June 15)

6:40 a.m. to 10 a.m., Peacock

9 a.m. to 5 p.m., USA

5 p.m. to 8 p.m., NBC and Peacock

Round 2 (Friday, June 16)

6:40 a.m. to 10 a.m., Peacock

9 a.m. to 5 p.m., USA

5 p.m. to 8 p.m., NBC and Peacock

Round 3 (Saturday, June 17)

10 a.m. to 8 p.m., NBC and Peacock

Round 4 (Sunday, June 18)

9 a.m. to 10 a.m., Peacock

10 a.m. to 7 p.m. NBC and Peacock

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An avid skateboarder, Nichols spent much time as a youth at the park on the outskirts of Sacramento. City officials and others held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly renovated skate park now named for Nichols.

Nichols moved to Memphis, Tennessee, shortly before the coronavirus pandemic and lived there with his mother and stepfather. He enjoyed photography — especially taking photos of landscapes and sunsets.

“Photography helps me look at the world in a more creative way. It expresses me in ways I cannot write down for people,” Nichols wrote on his website showcasing his photos.

On the night of Jan. 7, Memphis police pulled over Nichols on his way home from taking pictures of the sky. Just a few minutes from home, he was brutally attacked by several police officers, according to a lawsuit Nichols’ family filed against Memphis police.

Nichols died three days later at a hospital. Five Memphis officers were fired and have been charged with murder and other offenses in the death. The officers, who are all Black, each face charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression.

The lawsuit his family filed against Memphis police in April seeks $500 million in damages.

The death of Nichols, a 29-year-old father and FedEx worker, has raised fresh questions about police violence against unarmed Black men.

In video footage of the beating, Nichols is heard saying he just wanted to go home, family lawyers have said. He was less than 100 yards (90 meters) from his mother’s house.

The agencies running the public transit systems, particularly in San Francisco and Oakland, where Zahoor lives, have been living off billions of dollars in federal aid that will soon expire.

Ridership plummeted by as much as 94% during the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving a gaping budget deficit. Fare box revenues have rebounded a bit, but with more people working from home, some systems haven’t returned to even half their previous levels.

The transit agencies have asked Democrats who control California’s government to rescue them, much like Democrats in New York recently did with a $227 billion spending plan. The request is proving to be a much tougher sell in the nation’s most populous state, where majestic mountain highways and seas of suburban single-family homes have made it far more automobile-reliant than much of the Northeast.

“If there were any sort of major changes, that would definitely affect my ability to get to work,” said Zahoor, 36, who figures she would have to team up with friends to buy a group car because she couldn’t afford one on her own.

The California Transit Association says transit agencies will have a collective shortfall of about $6 billion over the next five years. The state, which relies heavily on taxes paid by wealthy people, is projected to have a $31.5 billion budget deficit this year amid a struggling stock market and layoffs in the tech industry.

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Instead of bailing out public transit agencies, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed slashing $2 billion from their infrastructure funding to help balance the books.

H.D. Palmer, spokesperson for the California Department of Finance, said Newsom’s proposed budget cuts to numerous agencies “were necessary to address the shortfall” but the governor has pledged to restore the money if revenues rebound next year.

Bay Area Rapid Transit has warned if the state doesn’t help out, it could force the agency to stop running after 9 p.m. and on weekends, while limiting regular service to just one train per hour.

Activists for transit say scaling back services is sure to only exacerbate the problem.

“It’s kind of like the chicken and the egg,” said Stephanie Lotshaw, acting executive director at TransitCenter, an advocacy group for public transportation systems across the U.S. “If you disinvest in it, then people won’t use it. But if you invest in it, arguably more people will use it because it actually becomes a service that’s usable.”

The pandemic was particularly damaging to Bay Area Rapid Transit because as much as 70% of its revenue came from fares — far higher than most other transit systems, said Janice Li, president of the transit system’s board of directors. Los Angeles, the nation’s second-largest city, relies less on public transit than San Francisco, although voters have expressed support for it in recent years.

At the very least, Li said, California legislators should pass a stopgap measure to keep transit afloat until the 2026 election, when local voters could decide whether to pay more.

“We are not asking for the world, and we are not asking for the world indefinitely, either,” Li said.

The White House has said states have flexibility to redirect some of the federal money typically used for road construction and repairs to transit operations, but many drivers call that a non-starter.

“We have the highest gas tax in the nation, and our roads are still in very poor condition,” said Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, a California group opposing tax hikes. “If we’re looking at transportation generally, the money is better spent on those systems that people actually use, which in California is roads and highways.”

Transit officials are making their pitch by appealing not just to regular riders but also to drivers who could face much more congested traffic if other options are gone. According to Bay Area Rapid Transit, almost twice as many people travel at rush hour under the Bay Bridge by train than over it by car.

Supporters have turned to creative marketing — selling flip flops featuring a picture of BART’s service map and even staging a mock funeral for transit last weekend in Oakland.

“We’re doing our best but not sure what is possible at this point,” said Vinita Goyal, executive director of San Francisco Transit Riders, a nonprofit advocacy group.

Legislative leaders have pledged to reject Newsom’s $2 billion in cuts and make it OK for agencies to use some of that money for operations. State Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democrat who represents San Francisco, said that’s still not enough.

“In every community in California, there are people who rely on the bus, and they are not the most powerful people. They tend to be lower income. They tend to be nonwhite. They tend to be disproportionately seniors or students,” Wiener said. “Why on Earth we would for a minute contemplate allowing these systems to fall apart is beyond me.”

San Francisco resident Gabriel Goffman bought his condo last year because it was on three bus lines. One has already closed due to budget constraints and another is on the chopping block.

“I moved here with three buses, and now it’s like, ‘How many are going to be back?’” said Goffman, 35.

Newsom and state lawmakers have until the end of June to agree to a budget for the new fiscal year that begins July 1. It’s possible the negotiations for what to do about public transit agencies could drag on into the fall.

Janno Lieber, chair and CEO of New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority — the nation’s largest public transit system — said state leaders there saw there was no choice but to save the subway stations, which he called as vital to New York City’s survival as “air and water.”

“Transit is literally existential for New York,” Lieber said. “We could see that the federal money was going to run out in ’24, and we couldn’t allow us to enter into a new fiscal year (not knowing) if we were going to have to massively cut service, fire a bunch of people or dramatically raise fares.”

California Assemblymember Phil Ting, a Democrat from San Francisco and chair of the powerful Assembly Budget Committee, questions whether public transit agencies in his state have adequately prepared for the loss of federal funding. He said further state money should come with conditions.

“On the one hand, they’re raising the alarms. There’s a fiscal cliff,” Ting said. “But if you look at their business operations, it’s business as usual, which is just not acceptable.”

Backers of more money for California transit say its cities don’t need to be as reliant on the service as a place like New York to make it a worthy investment for a state that’s considering the environmental and economic benefits of reducing automobile traffic.

“This is culture. It takes a long time to change,” California state Sen. Ben Allen said. “One way to assure it doesn’t catch on is by letting the system fail.”

McMurray reported from Chicago.

Kevin Wright, who has multiple myeloma, unknowingly built his home directly over the chemical pit near Santa Barbara in 1985, according to his lawsuit.

Starting in 1974, Chevron subsidiary Union Oil Company of California had operated a sump pit for oil and gas production, a process that left the carcinogenic chemical benzene on the property, court papers said.

Wright bought the land and built the house in 1985. Nearly three decades later, he was diagnosed with the cancer that attacks plasma cells in the blood and can be caused by benzene exposure, court documents said.

The jurors in Santa Barbara on Wednesday returned the $63 million verdict, said Jakob Norman, an attorney for Wright. Norman called the case a “blatant example of environmental pollution and corporate malfeasance.”

Chevron said Union Oil Company would appeal the judgment.

“We strongly disagree with the jury’s decisions to award compensatory and punitive damages,” Chevron said in a statement Thursday.

Wright’s cancer is in remission, his attorneys said, but he regularly undergoes chemotherapy treatments to hold the illness at bay.

“They cut corners, and my life was turned upside down as a result,” Wright said in a statement provided by his attorneys. “Chevron’s continued denial of the harm they caused is a shameful reminder that this company values only profits, not people.”

Detectives from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office were traveling to San Diego County to interview Donald Michael Santini, who was being held in jail following his arrest Wednesday, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

Santini had been on the run since June 1984, when Florida authorities obtained an arrest warrant linking him to the strangling death of 33-year-old Cynthia Ruth Wood of Bradenton, located south of Tampa.

Wood’s body was found in a watery ditch three days after she went missing on June 6 of that year. The arrest warrant said a medical examiner determined she had been strangled and Santini’s fingerprints were found on her body, WFTS-TV reported.

“We are aware of this arrest and have sent detectives to interview Santini, while we await extradition,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “This arrest allows us to reexamine evidence collected in 1984 using the technology of today, as the case is now considered open once again.”

Online jail records said Santini, 65, was arrested as a fugitive. He was scheduled to appear in court in San Diego County on Friday. Records had no listing of an attorney for Santini who could speak on his behalf.

Delivery workers, construction workers, railroad and airport employees, farm laborers on the West Coast have become all too familiar with the hazards that come with massive wildfires. Yet in the East a sun jaundiced by smoke is so novel, many workers had no idea what was happening.

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Some, unprepared for the effects of smoke inhalation, left their jobs midday unable to carry on as the air quality worsened. Most, however, pushed through in the hopes that the skies would clear.

They haven’t.

A laggardly weather system has settled over the region and the smoky blanket billowing from wildfires in Quebec and Nova Scotia continued Thursday, and may persist into the weekend.

New York City Public Schools announced Thursday that classes on Friday will witch to remote instruction. Most elementary and middle schools were scheduled to be off for a clerical day, however.

Some companies provided N-95 masks and allowed employees to take breaks indoors but labor rights groups pushed for more protections, replaying a yearslong struggle that began in California and other Western states a long time ago.

Food delivery workers on bicycles and scooters crisscrossed the streets of New York City even though a “Code Red” alert remained in place Thursday.

Anything over 300 is considered hazardous.

Bimal Jhale, 43, tried to set out on his scooter to make deliveries for Grubhub on Wednesday afternoon but was already dizzy after working as cook in a diner that morning. By evening Jhale, father of a 5-year-old boy, had recovered somewhat and tried again.

“We are taking all these risks and still what we are making is barely enough to survive so we can’t afford to miss work for even one day,” said Jhale, who spoke in Hindi through a translator from the Justice for App Workers organization.

Grubhub alerted drivers that they would not be penalized if they didn’t feel safe completing deliveries and reminded those with pre-existing conditions to stay inside, a company spokesperson said.

In recent years labor agencies in California, Oregon and Washington have adopted rules requiring employers to provide protection from wildfire smoke, including N95 respirators, breaks and sometimes moving operations indoors. California Gov. Gavin Newsom passed a bill in 2021 allowing farmworkers access to the state’s stockpile of N95 masks.

There is little official guidance in the East related to wildfires and there are no such specific standards at the federal level, though employers must protect workers from wildfire smoke under general laws requiring safe work sites.

There are potential long- and short-term financial ramifications for workers. A study last year found that every day of exposure to drifting wildfire smoke can reduce workers’ quarterly earnings by 0.1% — a toll that comes to $125 billion a year in lost income.

“One thing that seems really clear from our research is that the effects of smoke on labor earnings or labor market incomes will extend past the days in which the smoke is bad,” said Mark Borgschulte, one of the study’s authors and an assistant professor in economics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. “You can see people having heart attacks on days when air pollution is bad. That’s going to affect them for a long periods of time.”

Even when rules are in place, labor activists say getting companies to comply is another matter.

Tony Cardwell, president of the country’s third-largest railroad union, said he has clashed with rail companies over protections for workers in California even after new wildfire rules were place. He said the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division, which represents track maintenance workers, is sending emails this week to railroads operating in the East to seek protections, including air quality monitoring and rescheduling work.

Norfolk Southern is conducting air monitoring and working with regional teams to provide workers with N95 masks where needed, spokesperson Connor Spielmaker said. Amtrak also said it was making masks available to employees who request them and was monitoring air quality across the region.

Other companies scrambled to take similar steps.

Ground crews for Delta Air Lines are coming indoors in between aircraft turns, the time between when a plane pulls up to the gate and the next flight pushes back, said company spokesman Morgan Durrant.

Alex Kopp, safety director for The Association of Union Contractors, which represents 1,800 construction contractors, said the group was “concerned that air quality will have an effect on jobsite safety” and urged members to take precautions. But he acknowledged that “the current air quality certainly presents a new challenge.”

Local 3 IBEW, an AFL-CIO affiliated union representing electrical workers in New York, said it received reports of only two jobs sites closing Wednesday due to air quality issues despite public warnings to remain indoors, though some contractors are requiring masks.

Many workers were left to navigate the threat on their own.

Victor Aucapina, a construction worker doing a home renovation in Brooklyn, pulled his T-shirt over his nose between bites as he sat on a curb during a lunch break. Aucapina said he opted to keep his two young children home from school Wednesday but said he couldn’t miss work as his family’s sole breadwinner.

He was caught off guard as skies grew more yellow by lunchtime and winds carried with them the scent of burning trees.

“I didn’t think it would so bad. Now I feel the smoke, the smell,” said Aucapina, who added that he may bring a respirator if conditions don’t improve but missing work would “be a last resort.”

Wildfires of this size are so novel in the East, many workers did not immediately grasp the threat.

Warren Duckett didn’t realize anything was wrong when he set out for his construction job in Washington, D.C., Wednesday morning and heard about the wildfires on the radio. Soon, one co-worker was on his way home suffering from smoke-related sinus issues, but Duckett pushed on.

“We thought it was just a foggy morning,” Duckett said.

Duckett was hopeful that the skies would clear in the afternoon, but as in New York, that was not the case.

Newsom on Thursday launched a historic campaign proposing a 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in an effort to “sidestep Washington’s gridlock and enshrine fundamental gun safety freedoms.”

Among other elements, the 28th Amendment would raise the minimum age for buying guns, mandate universal background checks and ban assault rifles.

• Watch: Newsom details his 28th Amendment proposal in exclusive “Today” interview

“The gun lobby says we can’t stop the carnage America now experiences every day without violating the 2nd Amendment – that thoughts and prayers are the best we can do. … That’s a lie,” Newsom says in the release. “In this country, we do have the power to change things. That power is written into the Constitution, and today we’re using it to end America’s gun violence crisis.”

The 28th Amendment would ensure “NRA-owned politicians never pass laws that strip away fundamental freedoms to live life without fear of gun violence,” according to the campaign release.

The governor said his proposal does not call for abolishing the 2nd Amendment.

Some of the gun safety principles in Newsom’s 28th Amendment proposal include:

• Raising the federal minimum age to purchase a firearm from 18 to 21;
• Mandating universal background checks to prevent dangerous people from purchasing a gun that could be used in a crime;
• Instituting a reasonable waiting period for all gun purchases;
• Barring civilian purchase of assault rifles

California is first state in the nation to call for a gun control amendment to the U.S. Constitution, according to the release.

To have a new amendment considered, Newsom first must get two-thirds of states, or 34, to propose the same amendment. If he achieves that, it would trigger a constitutional convention, where three-fourths of states would need to vote yes for passage.

That reported maintenance logjam is especially troubling to Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey, whose office prosecuted PG&E in the Camp Fire. The 2018 fire – blamed on PG&E’s failure to maintain its aging system — destroyed the town of Paradise and left 85 people dead.

Five years later, Ramsey worries about the languishing maintenance, especially with all the added fuel from an unusually wet winter.   

“I’ve seen the grass at this time of year twice as high and the brush …. has just exploded,” Ramsey said. “That means a very concerning fire year.”

But in a recent call to investors last month, PG&E’s CEO Patti Poppe touted the utility’s extensive fire mitigation efforts as grounds for optimism. She said PG&E’s strategy of cutting power immediately at the first sign of trouble helped reduce its fire risk by more than 90%.

“It gives me a lot of confidence heading into wildfire season that we are prepared,” Poppe said in the May 4 earnings call. Restoring shareholder dividends, she said, will help obtain low cost financing needed to build on the progress.

PG&E May 31

Judge Dismisses Criminal Charges Against PG&E in 2020 Zogg Fire

PG&E May 31

PG&E Begins Power Line Inspections as Wildfire Season Looms

But a skeptical Ramsey points to the findings of the state regulator-appointed monitor’s report, in April, by Filsinger Energy Partners, which highlights PG&E’s current backlog of 170,000 outstanding “maintenance tags” in high fire areas.

“A ‘maintenance tag’ is an identification that something out of the normal has been found,” explained Dan Mulkey, a retired senior consulting electrical engineer at PG&E who is now a consultant.  

He says a utility must have detailed asset information to determine how quickly to make repairs on power poles and other vital components. “How dangerous is it?” he said, “That depends, mostly on the weather and how old it is.”

But according to the monitor, PG&E lacks precise age data on more than half of its lines. And its aging power poles account for half the company’s maintenance backlog.

Currently, the company is only replacing about half its goal of poles annually and only about 40 miles of its aging lines, the report noted. It’s target is 800 miles.   

PG&E officials recently signaled to the monitor that the task is daunting.

“The magnitude of capital needed for asset replacement programs,”  the report quotes unnamed PG&E managers as saying, “was far in excess of the amount of capital believed to be available.”

In a statement, PG&E says it continues to “aggressively work to reduce the backlog”  while “continually removing more ignition risk from the highest wildfire risk areas in our system.”

Reducing the backlog, the utility says, along with keeping up addressing new issues, will help make more progress reducing fire risks.

But Ramsey said in a recent interview that he is far from satisfied.

“PG&E needs to step up their game,” he said, adding that he regularly talks to company officials about both the progress achieved and the challenges remaining. Based on what he has seen this year, he says, PG&E still has not done enough to justify paying dividends.

“We’ve warned them —  they’ve got the warning,’’ Ramsey said, “and they need to approach it like their hair is on fire.”

California’s historic winter season left record-breaking snowpacks, according to the Golden State Department of Water Resources (CDWR).

In March 2023, the snow reached 15 feet and forced the closure of Yosemite National Park.

According to Yosemite National Park, the snowpack in May was 253% above normal in the Tuolumne River Basin and 231% above normal in the Merced River Basin for this time of year.

With the arrival of warmer temperatures, authorities warned of flooding as the snow melted. “The size and distribution of this year’s snowpack also presents a serious flood risk in areas of the state,” the CDWR reported.

In fact, much of the national park was closed in April and May due to flooding and rapid snowmelt, endangering structures and increasing the flow of waterfalls and rivers in a way not seen in years.

Yosemite National Park Feb 28

Yosemite, Buried Under Several Feet of Snow, Remains Closed Indefinitely

However, in recent weeks, the national park has gradually opened various areas through the valley.

And tourists are lining up quickly to see for themselves this natural wonder.

Yosemite has “countless” graceful cascading waterfalls that flow from its Rocky Mountains and valleys. This year, the waterfalls are more powerful and small waterfalls have been discovered in other areas of the park.

The best time to see the waterfalls is between May and June, but when the snow cover is very heavy this period can be extended.

Among them, the waterfall called Yosemite Falls is open to the public. “You can see Yosemite Falls from numerous places around Yosemite Valley, especially around Yosemite Village and Yosemite Valley Lodge,” according to information from the natural park.

Currently, some roads and camp centers will remain closed for security or for repairs.

Visit the Yosemite website for more information on closures and enjoy the peace of nature this summer.

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But 17-year-old Violet Cayton’s turned out to be priceless, the result of her mom’s love, dedication and a collection of more than $5,000 worth of dimes that added up for over more than a decade.

Violet’s mom, Cari Mae Bulthuis, started planning for the celebratory graduation trip when her only child was just 4 years old. The idea came to the single mother 13 years ago when Bulthuis saw an article about Hawaii with the phrase, “Paradise for Pennies.”

“It had this beautiful picture of the palm tree and the ocean,” said Bulthuis. “I crossed it out and put ‘Dimes.'”

Bulthuis gathered most of the dimes from tips at her job as a server at Abby’s Cafe in the Riverside County community of Hemet.

“At the end of the shift, I would sometimes trade out a dollar for dimes so I could add to the collection,” Bulthuis said. “A lot of customers would leave me handfuls of dimes for the collection.

“I did every single shift for my girl. It’s what we do as a parent. You just want to be able to give to them.”

That collection steadily increased over the years. Bulthuis’ father rolled up the dimes and kept them safe at his Fallbrook home.

“Her daughter is her only child and going to college, and it’s a nice way to send your kid off to college,” said cafe co-worker Katie Bertram.

Violet graduated in May from West Valley High School with several honors, including Student Athlete of the Year and prom queen. The day after graduation, Bulthuis took the dimes to her bank to cash in.

The grand total: $5,665.

“That’s an intense amount,” Violet said. “Even her stories about the hostesses not believing, I always thought of Hawaii as this really expensive land and it is.

“I’m very grateful,” Violet said. “I love my mom so much.”

Bulthuis and Violet are set to depart in July for Oahu on a seven-day trip. It will be the first trip to Hawaii for both mother and daughter.

X Games star Pat Casey died at the Slayground Motocross Park, a private motocross facility near Sutherland Dam Road. The 29-year-old rider missed his landing and the motorcycle appeared to fall on top of him, CHP Officer Jared Grieshaber said on Tuesday.

Witnesses at the facility, who reported the crash at around 3 p.m., gave Casey CPR until they were relieved by emergency responders, who continued CPR until about 3:40 p.m. when he was pronounced dead, according to Cal Fire San Diego spokesperson Brent Pascua. On Wednesday, Pascua told NBC 7 it took crews a “normal time” to get to the scene — less than 15 minutes, adding that dispatchers talked bystanders through CPR until first-responders arrived.

The facility is privately owned by Encinitas-native motocross rider Axell Hodges and is regularly used for motocross training as well as some X Games events, according to the X Games website.

Because the collision occurred on private property, the collision and related death are being investigated by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.

Casey, who medaled multiple times at the X Games, grew up in Yorba Linda, California, and pioneered a variety of tricks, according to a profile on Vans “Off the Wall” team member website, including a “double decade” and a “backflip decade.”

The rider is survived by his wife, Chase, and their two young children. Reached for comment by NBC 7 on Wednesday, she said, ” “He is our everything. He is the best at everything he does and brings so much happiness to all. The most perfect man, my soulmate.”

Shortly after noon on Wednesday, the X Games posted a tribute on Instagram:

We are deeply saddened by Pat Casey’s passing and our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, children, parents and siblings.

A true legend in the action sports community, Pat will always be a member of the X Games family and an inspiration to everyone’s life he touched.

The attraction will last until June 11 and will give fans the opportunity to visit the stand right in the middle of the desert. It is similar to a gas station where you will be able to fill up and devour the cheesy bites.

“We know that many Cheez-It fans love to travel and never hit the road without their beloved Cheez-It. We created this first-ever desert outpost to capture the excitement of summer road trips and cheer on fans,” said Erin Storm, senior brand director for Cheez-It.

This is the world’s first and only Cheez-It pump that literally pumps a stream of Cheez-It bags right into your car window.

The store is located at 61943 Twentynine Palms Highway in Joshua Tree, and will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It will feature Cheez-It branded merchandise, plus fans will be able to find exclusive flavors of the popular crackers.

“Cheez-It Stop will wow with exclusive merchandise, massive, shareable images of Cheez-It and aisles packed with our famous crackers. We can’t wait to see them,” Storm said.

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About three dozen asylum-seekers, mostly from Colombia and Venezuela, arrived in the California capital on two charter flights after, according to officials, they were promised jobs by people purporting to work for Florida’s government. DeSantis and Florida lawmakers approved state funding to transport immigrants to other states, even if they never step foot in Florida, and carried out similar flights from Texas to Massachusetts last year.

DeSantis’ administration confirmed Tuesday Florida’s role in relocating migrants from Texas to California and said the move was voluntary.

California Jun 6

Florida picked up migrants on Texas border and flew them to Sacramento, officials say

California Jun 3

16 South American Migrants Who Entered US Through Texas Flown to California

“Through verbal and written consent, these volunteers indicated they wanted to go to California. A contractor was present and ensured they made it safely to a 3rd-party NGO. The specific NGO, Catholic Charities, is used and funded by the federal government,” said Amelia Johnson, Florida Division of Emergency Management’s deputy director of communications. “From left-leaning mayors in El Paso, Texas, and Denver, Colorado, the relocation of those illegally crossing the United States border is not new. But suddenly, when Florida sends illegal aliens to a sanctuary city, it’s false imprisonment and kidnapping.”

Florida’s statement also included a video it claims showing migrants signing waivers.

Anthony York, California governor’s office senior advisor for communications, released the following statement in response:

“This is exploitative propaganda being peddled by a politician who has shown there are no depths he won’t sink to in his desperate effort to score a political point. Governor Newsom said it best. The Florida governor is small and pathetic, and this video is just another reminder of that.”

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg and faith-based groups that have been assisting the migrants said they come together to help the newcomers, who are staying at two undisclosed locations in Sacramento and have been given food, clothing and cellphones to contact their families.

“Sacramento should be a model for the rest of the state and the rest of the nation,” Steinberg said at a news conference Tuesday.

Gabby Trejo, executive director of Sacramento ACT, a collaboration of religious congregations in the Sacramento area, said the young migrants told advocates that they’re ready to work and contribute to the community. All of the migrants had already been given pending court dates by U.S. immigration officials before they were approached in El Paso, Texas, by people promising jobs, she said.

“They couldn’t have landed in a better place because Sacramentans know what it means to come together and we are here to walk with them,” Trejo said.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta said he’s investigating whether criminal or civil charges can be pursued, and Newsom tweeted that kidnapping charges could be on the table.

DeSantis announced his presidential bid just weeks ago, and he’s been quick to highlight his role in moving migrants last year to the pricey Massachusetts island of Martha’s Vineyard.

His latest apparent move to send migrants to California’s capital city appears to be a direct shot at Newsom. Though Newsom has no plans to run for president in 2024, he and DeSantis have frequently used each other as political foils as they cast their own governing approach as a model for the nation. Beyond immigration policy, the two have sparred on abortion access, LGBTQ+ and civil rights, and a host of other cultural issues.

On the campaign trail, DeSantis has been eager to slap at progressive policies in Democratic strongholds such as New York and California, claiming that Florida’s population boom in recent years has been driven by people fleeing blue-state policies.

DeSantis is currently positioned as the strongest Republican alternative to former President Donald Trump in the GOP’s crowded primary, although Trump maintains a big lead in early polls.

It’s not yet clear if the new arrivals in Sacramento plan to stay in California or will eventually seek to go elsewhere, advocates said. Four who arrived on the first flight on Friday have already been picked up by friends or family members, but the rest remain in the care of local advocacy groups.

The faith-based coalition is also connecting the migrants with medical and legal services, said Shireen Miles, a longtime Sacramento ACT volunteer. She said several people have court hearings as soon as next week in places such as Chicago, New York and Denver, which immigration attorneys are working to reschedule.

Since they arrived, advocates have taken the migrants to a thrift store to pick out clothing and have let them choose what meals to eat, advocates said.

“We’re allowing them to define what their needs are and how we can best meet them,” said Cecilia Flores, of Sacramento ACT.

None of the recent arrivals spoke during a Tuesday news conference.

Bonta, who met with some of the migrants who arrived Friday, said they told him they were approached by two women who spoke broken Spanish and promised them jobs. The women traveled with them by land from El Paso to Deming, New Mexico, where two men then accompanied them on the flight to Sacramento. The same men were on the flight Monday, Bonta said.

“To see leaders and governments of other states and the state of Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis, acting with cruelty and inhumanity and moral bankruptcy and being petty and small and hurtful and harmful to those vulnerable asylum seekers is blood-boiling,” Bonta said in a Monday interview.

Some of the migrants who arrived Friday told Bonta they met on their nearly three-month journey to the United States and decided to stick together to keep each other safe as they slept on the streets in several countries, he said.

The migrants carried documents that mentioned the state of Florida and one of its chosen vendors for transporting people, Bonta said. He added that the document “purports to be a consent and release form” that is designed to shield Florida from liability.

“Of course, what’s important is what is actually said and represented and told to the individuals and we’ve got good indications of what that was and the fact that it was false, misleading, and deceptive,” he said.

As the migrants arrived in California Monday, a Texas sheriff’s office announced it had recommended criminal charges over the two flights to Martha’s Vineyard last year.

Johnny Garcia, a spokesman for the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, said the office is not naming suspects at this time. It’s not clear whether the local district attorney will pursue the charges, which include misdemeanor and felony counts of unlawful restraint, according to the sheriff’s office.

Rodriguez reported from San Francisco. Associated Press writers Anthony Izaguirre in Tallahassee, Fla., Paul J. Weber in Austin, Texas, Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Elliot Spagat in San Diego contributed.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state officials were mum, as they were initially last year when they flew 49 Venezuelan migrants to the upscale Massachusetts enclave of Martha’s Vineyard, luring them onto private jets from a shelter in San Antonio.

As California Attorney General Rob Bonta investigated the migrants’ transportation, local officials and faith-based groups sought to provide housing, food and other resources to the more than three dozen new arrivals. Most are from Colombia and Venezuela, and California had not been their intended destination.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, meanwhile, lashed out at DeSantis as a “small, pathetic man” and suggested the state could pursue kidnapping charges.

And as the migrants arrived in California, a Texas sheriff’s office announced Monday it has recommended criminal charges over the two flights to Martha’s Vineyard last year.

Johnny Garcia, a spokesman for the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, said that at this time the office is not naming suspects. It’s not clear whether the local district attorney will pursue the charges, which include misdemeanor and felony counts of unlawful restraint, according to the sheriff’s office.

California Jun 5

2nd flight carrying migrants lands in Sacramento

California Jun 5

California attorney general says Florida responsible for flying migrants to Sacramento

The Republican governors of Texas and Arizona have previously sent thousands of migrants on buses to New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C., but the rare charter flights by DeSantis mark an escalation in tactics. The two groups sent to Sacramento never went through Florida. Instead, they were approached in El Paso by people with Florida-linked paperwork, sent to New Mexico, then put on private flights to California’s capital, California officials and advocates said.

Bonta, who met with some of the migrants who arrived Friday, said they told him they were approached by two women who spoke broken Spanish and promised them jobs. The women traveled with them by land from El Paso to Deming, New Mexico where two men then accompanied them on the flight to Sacramento. The same men were on the flight Monday, Bonta said.

“To see leaders and governments of other states and the state of Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis, acting with cruelty and inhumanity and moral bankruptcy and being petty and small and hurtful and harmful to those vulnerable asylum seekers is blood-boiling,” Bonta said in a Monday interview.

DeSantis, who is seeking the Republican nomination to run for president, has been a fierce critic of federal immigration policy under President Joe Biden and has heavily publicized Florida’s role in past instances in which migrants were transported to Democratic-led states.

He has made the migrant relocation program one of his signature political priorities, using the state legislative process to direct millions of dollars to it and working with multiple contractors to carry out the flights. Vertol Systems Co., which was paid by Florida to fly migrants to Martha’s Vineyard, appears to be behind the flights to Sacramento, Bonta said, adding that the migrants were carrying “an official document from the state of Florida” that mentions the company. The company didn’t respond to an email seeking comment.

Some of the migrants who arrived Friday told Bonta they met on their nearly three-month journey to the United States and decided to stick together to keep each other safe as they slept on the streets in several countries, he said. The group came from Colombia and Venezuela and all were adults, though one woman had just turned 18 on the journey, he said.

Of the new arrivals on Monday, 16 came from Venezuela, two from Colombia, one from Mexico and one from Nicaragua, he said. All were between the ages of 21 and 30, he said.

They remained at the airport for a couple of hours and were fed before being transported to a “religious institution,” said Kim Nava, a Sacramento County spokeswoman.

“Our county social workers are en route and are going to assess all those folks, make sure they have the services and support that they need,” Nava said.

The first group of migrants was dropped off at the Roman Catholic Church diocese’s headquarters in Sacramento. U.S. immigration officials had already processed them in Texas and given them court dates for their asylum cases, and none had planned to arrive in California, said Eddie Carmona, campaign director at PICO California, a faith-based group helping the migrants in Sacramento.

Asylum seekers can change the location of their court appearances, but many are reluctant to try and instead prefer sticking with a firm date, at least for their initial appearances. They figure it is a guarantee, even if horribly inconvenient.

The office of New Mexico Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham had no specifics as to why the immigrants were taken from Texas to New Mexico before being flown to California.

“Gov. Lujan Grisham stresses, yet again, the urgent need for comprehensive, thoughtful federal immigration reform which is rooted in a humanitarian response that keeps border communities in mind,” the governor’s spokesperson, Caroline Sweeney, said Monday.

Last year, DeSantis directed Republican lawmakers in Florida to create a program in his office dedicated to migrant relocations. It specified that the state could transport migrants from locations anywhere in the country. The law was designed to get around questions about the legality of transporting people on a flight that originated in Texas.

Florida’s alleged role in the arrival of the two groups in Sacramento is sure to escalate the political feud between DeSantis and Newsom, who have offered conflicting visions on immigration, abortion and a host of other issues. ___

Rodriguez reported from San Francisco. Associated Press writers Anthony Izaguirre in Tallahassee, Fla., Paul J. Weber in Austin, Texas, Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Elliot Spagat in San Diego contributed.

The flight carrying roughly 20 migrants that arrived Monday follows the arrival Friday of 16 migrants from Colombia and Venezuela, who were taken from Texas to New Mexico before they were put on a chartered plane to California’s capital. It’s not clear what countries the latest group of arrivals are from, but their travel appears to have been arranged by the same company, said Tara Gallegos, a spokesperson for California Attorney General Rob Bonta.

Bonta says he’s investigating whether any crimes were committed.

The first group of migrants was dropped off at the Roman Catholic Church diocese’s headquarters in Sacramento.

They carried documents that said they were transported through a program run by Florida’s Division of Emergency Management and carried out by contractor Vertol Systems Co., Gallegos said. She said she couldn’t share the documents because they are part of an active investigation.

California Jun 5

California attorney general says Florida responsible for flying migrants to Sacramento

California Jun 3

16 South American Migrants Who Entered US Through Texas Flown to California

Spokespeople for the Florida Division of Emergency Management and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis have not confirmed Florida’s involvement, and Vertol Systems didn’t respond to requests for comment.

“While we continue to collect evidence, I want to say this very clearly: State-sanctioned kidnapping is not a public policy choice, it is immoral and disgusting,” Bonta said in a statement.

The migrants entered the U.S. through Texas. Eddie Carmona, campaign director at PICO California, a faith-based group that helps migrants, said U.S. immigration officials had already processed the young women and men and given them court dates for their asylum cases when “individuals representing a private contractor” approached them outside a migrant center in El Paso, Texas, and offered to help them get jobs and get them to their final destinations.

“They were lied to and intentionally deceived,” Carmona said, adding that the migrants had no idea where they were after being dropped off in Sacramento. He said they have court dates in cities throughout the country, not only in Texas, and that none of them meant to end up in California.

Asylum seekers can change the location of their court appearances, but many are reluctant to try and instead prefer sticking with a firm date, at least for their initial appearances. They figure it is a guarantee, even if horribly inconvenient.

DeSantis, who is seeking the Republican nomination to run for president, has been a fierce critic of federal immigration policy under President Joe Biden and has heavily publicized Florida’s role in past instances in which migrants were transported to Democratic-led states.

He has made the migrant relocation program one of his signature political priorities, using the state legislative process to direct millions of dollars to it.

Florida paid Vertol Systems $1.56 million last year to fly migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, and for a possible second flight to Delaware that never took place. The Republican governors of Texas and Arizona have previously sent thousands of migrants on buses to New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C., but the rare charter flights are an escalation in tactics.

Before the flight from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard last year, DeSantis signed off on a Republican-backed budget that earmarked $12 million to relocate people in the country illegally from Florida to other locations.

When questions arose around the legality of the Martha’s Vineyard fight because it originated in Texas, not Florida, in apparent violation of budgetary language, DeSantis had Republicans legislators create a program in his office dedicated to migrant relocations and specify that the state can transport migrants from locations anywhere in the country.

DeSantis’ administration has selected three vendors to help transport migrants.

The flight, if proven to have been arranged by Florida, would intensify a prolonged political feud between DeSantis and California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom. The two have offered conflicting visions on immigration, abortion and a host of other issues.

Newsom said in a statement that he also met with the newly arrived migrants and that officials were working to ensure that they are “treated with respect and dignity” through this process.

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg issued a more forcefully worded statement: “Whoever is behind this must answer the following: Is there anything more cruel than using scared human beings to score cheap political points?”

Associated Press writer Anthony Izaguirre in Tallahassee, Fla., contributed.

There will be no change to existing policy holders, but it will be tough for people looking for new coverage.

An industry expert said the changes did not happen overnight. The damage from wildfires in recent years throughout the state has forced insurance companies to rethink and lobby for raising existing premiums, with the worst yet to come.

“I think Californians do need to buckle their seatbelts,” United Policyholders Executive Director Amy Bach said. “I think we are going to be seeing some higher, even higher home insurance rates, but I think to a certain degree it’s unavoidable with the current circumstances.”

“2017, we had the North Bay fires, Tubbs and Atlas fires. 2018, we had the Thomas Fire, we had the Woolsey Fire and then we had the Camp Fire up in Paradise. It was like the hits kept coming over the last few years and steadily many of the brand name insurers have stopped selling new policies,” Bach continued.

Bach provided the following tips: choose an agent who is well versed in your different options, make your home as risk-averse as possible, particularly to wildfire, and explore resources, including FAIR, which is state-sponsored bare bones home insurance.

“While this is still under investigation, we can confirm these individuals were in possession of documentation purporting to be from the government of the State of Florida,” Bonta said in a statement late Saturday.

The documents said the migrants were transported through a program run by Florida’s Division of Emergency Management and carried out by contractor Vertol Systems Co., said Tara Gallegos, a spokesperson for Bonta. Florida paid the same contractor $1.56 million last year to fly migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, and for a possible second flight to Delaware that never took place.

The 16 migrants who arrived in Sacramento on Friday are from Colombia and Venezuela. They entered the U.S. through Texas. They were transported to New Mexico then flown by a charter plane to California’s capital, where they were then dropped off in front of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento, California officials said.

They were approached outside a migrant center in El Paso, Texas, by people who offered them jobs and travel assistance, said Eddie Carmona of PICO California, a faith-based group helping the migrants. They did not know they were being taken to Sacramento and arrived with few belongings, he said.

Vertol Systems Co. and the Florida Division of Emergency Management did not immediately respond Sunday to emails seeking comment.

Bonta said he is evaluating whether violations of civil or criminal law took place.

“While we continue to collect evidence, I want to say this very clearly: State-sanctioned kidnapping is not a public policy choice, it is immoral and disgusting,” Bonta said in a statement.

The young men and women were dropped off Friday outside the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento with only a backpack’s worth of belongings each, said Eddie Carmona, campaign director at PICO California, a faith-based community organizing group that has been assisting the migrants.

The migrants had already been processed by U.S. immigration officials and given court dates for their asylum cases when “individuals representing a private contractor” approached them outside a migrant center in El Paso, Texas, Carmona said. They offered to help the migrants get jobs and get them to their final destination, he said.

“They were lied to and intentionally deceived,” Carmona said, adding that the migrants had no idea where they were after being dropped off in Sacramento.

Oakland Jun 2

New Alert System Looks to Help Find Missing Black Women, Children

California Jun 1

California Lawmakers Advance Bill to Cool Down Outside Areas at Schools

Newsom said he and Attorney General Rob Bonta met with the group of migrants on Saturday and learned they were transported from Texas to New Mexico and then flown by private chartered jet to Sacramento.

“We are working closely with the Mayor’s office, along with local and nonprofit partners to ensure the people who have arrived are treated with respect and dignity, and get to their intended destination as they pursue their immigration cases,” Newsom said in a statement.

Newsom said he is also working with the California Department of Justice to find out who paid for the group’s travel and “whether the individuals orchestrating this trip misled anyone with false promises or have violated any criminal laws, including kidnapping.”

In the last year, Republican governors in Texas and Florida have been busing and flying migrants to Democratic strongholds without advance warning as part of a campaign to focus attention on what they say are the Biden administration’s failed border policies.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) believes the same wolverine was spotted multiple times in May in the eastern Sierra Nevada mountain range. Two sightings occurred in the Inyo National Forest in Inyo and Mono counties. Another sighting happened in Yosemite National Park in Tuolumne County.

Images of the animal taken by separate people in different spots were handed over to CDFW for analysis, the agency said. Scientists identified the animal as a wolverine based on its size, body proportion, coloring and movement patterns. CDFW teams also confirmed the locations of the sightings using coordinates from the footage.

“Wolverines can travel great distances, making it likely that the recent sightings are all of the same animal,” CDFW Senior Environmental Scientist Daniel Gammons said in a statement. “Because only two wolverines have been confirmed in California during the last 100 years, these latest detections are exciting.”

The last time a wolverine was seen in the state was from 2008 to 2018, CDFW said. That animal was first spotted in February 2008 in the Truckee area of the Tahoe National Forest.

Officials believe that wolverine and the one recently seen are two separate animals given that the lifespan for a wolverine is roughly 12 to 13 years.

Before the wolverine seen earlier this century, the last confirmed wolverine sightings in the state were all the way back in the 1920s, according to CDFW.

Members of the public are encouraged to report sightings or observations to CDFW via the Wildlife Incident Reporting system.

Wolverines can be found across Canada and Alaska, according to CDFW. Smaller populations can also be found in the Rocky and Cascade mountain ranges.

Wolverines are fully protected in California and listed as a threatened species under the California Endangered Species Act.

San Francisco assemblymember Matt Haney wants to eliminate some restrictions at dispensaries to give way for “Amsterdam-style” cafes.

Currently, legal marijuana retailers can’t sell food or nonalcoholic beverages of any kind. Haney said that he wants consumers to stop by a local dispensary and enjoying a sweet treat while listening to live music. It would be under AB374.

“There are existing cannabis lounges that are legal. But they can sell nothing but cannabis, which makes no sense,” he said.

Nathalie Vera has more in the video above.

California Jun 1

California Lawmakers Advance Bill to Cool Down Outside Areas at Schools

California May 31

California Advances Fentanyl Bills Focused on Prevention, Increased Penalties

But then the fossil vanished, and it took a media blitz and a kind-hearted jogger to find it again.

Jennifer Schuh found the foot-long (.30-meter) tooth sticking out of the sand on Friday at the mouth of Aptos Creek on Rio Del Mar State Beach, located off Monterey Bay in Santa Cruz County on California’s central coast.

“I was on one side of the creek and this lady was talking to me on the other side and she said what’s that at your feet,” Schuh recounted. “It looked kind of weird, like burnt almost.”

Schuh wasn’t sure what she had found. So she snapped some photos and posted them on Facebook, asking for help.

The answer came from Wayne Thompson, paleontology collections advisor for the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History.

California May 31

California Advances Fentanyl Bills Focused on Prevention, Increased Penalties

California Jun 1

California Lawmakers Advance Bill to Cool Down Outside Areas at Schools

Thompson determined that the object was a worn molar from an adult Pacific mastodon, an extinct elephant-like species.

“This is an extremely important find,” Thompson wrote, and he urged Schuh to call him.

But when they went back to the beach, the tooth was gone.

A weekend search failed to find it. Thompson then sent out a social media request for help in finding the artifact. The plea made international headlines.

On Tuesday, Jim Smith of nearby Aptos called the museum.

“I was so excited to get that call,” said Liz Broughton, the museum’s visitor experience manager. “Jim told us that he had stumbled upon it during one of his regular jogs along the beach, but wasn’t sure of what he had found until he saw a picture of the tooth on the news.”

Smith donated the tooth to the museum, where it will be on display Friday through Sunday.

The age of the tooth isn’t clear. A museum blog says mastodons generally roamed California from about 5 million to 10,000 years ago.

“We can safely say this specimen would be less than 1 million years old, which is relatively ‘new’ by fossil standards,” Broughton said in an email.

Broughton said it is common for winter storms to uncover fossils in the region and it may have washed down to the ocean from higher up.

Schuh said she is thrilled that her find could help unlock ancient secrets about the peaceful beach area. She didn’t keep the tooth, but she did hop on Amazon and order herself a replica mastodon tooth necklace.

“You don’t often get to touch something from history,” she said.

It’s only the third find of a locally recorded mastodon fossil. The museum also has another tooth along with a skull that was found by a teenager in 1980. It was found in the same Aptos Creek that empties into the ocean.

“We are thrilled about this exciting discovery and the implications it holds for our understanding of ancient life in our region,” museum Executive Director Felicia B. Van Stolk said in a statement.

The state Senate passed the legislation that would require public and charter schools and districts to strategize on how to introduce more shade on campus, plant gardens and replace surfaces that hold on to a lot of heat with alternatives such as grass and wood chips. There’s no timeline for when the plans would have to be implemented.

“We needed this a long time ago,” said state Sen. Caroline Menjivar, a Democrat representing the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County. “We are making up for the decades of delay that we’re in right now.”

Only a handful of state senators voted against the bill. It would still need approval in the state Assembly.

The bill is a starting point that will set schools up for any future, stricter legislation that could mandate how they have to mitigate heat, Menjivar said.

It’s one of many ways California could try to fight intense dry, hot conditions that have afflicted the state in recent years. Last year, a brutal heat wave left the state debating how to avoid blackouts as people cranked air conditions when temperatures broke records in several cities, including Sacramento’s all-time high of 116 degrees Fahrenheit (47 degrees Celsius).

Children are at a greater risk than adults of suffering from heat-related illnesses that can cause nausea, muscle cramps, fatigue and fainting, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Some groups agree with the broader goal to mitigate heat at schools but say the bill still misses the mark. Ian Padilla of the California Coalition for Adequate School Housing, which advocates for state bonds to help update school facilities, said implementing the legislation would cost too much and overlaps with some existing standards set by the state to plant shade trees outside buildings.

The legislation could cost the state “in the low to mid hundreds of millions of dollars,” or at least $10,000 per school by providing grants for schools to implement their plans, the Senate Appropriations Committee estimated.

Another flaw in the bill is the inclusion of wood chips as a possible alternative to things like rubber, Padilla said. Schools have in recent years moved away from wood chips because they could cause injuries to students when they fall down, he said.

Christina Hildebrand, president of A Voice for Choice Advocacy, a health nonprofit sponsoring the bill, said the legislation is needed to ensure more trees get planted in low-income areas where they aren’t already abundant.

It’s essential that schools “that don’t necessarily have the resources” or “community backing to do this, get it,” Hildebrand said.

Courtney Tompkins, who lived in the Southern California city of Laguna Niguel before moving to Massachusetts, said her son, who is autistic and was at the time completely nonverbal, was left asleep outside for more than an hour on a hot day at school in 2016. Tompkins found out about the incident at the end of the school day from a teacher, she said.

She said she filed a negligence complaint with the state over the incident, which resulted in a settlement in which her son was placed at a different school. Tompkins said she could not name the school district because she signed a non-disclosure agreement as part of the settlement.

Othman Ramadan, a teacher at Animo Legacy Charter Middle School, a majority-Latino school in Los Angeles, said it got so hot at one point last school year that they had to temporarily keep students from playing soccer outside.

Ramadan has worked at another school with poor air conditioning where students on hot days had to use ice packs to cool themselves down after suffering from heat exhaustion, he said. Planting more trees around schools can have a wide-ranging effect, Ramadan said.

“It would make a huge difference in terms of the mental health and physical health of our students,” Ramadan said. “If more of the basic needs are met, then some of the higher things on the pyramid can also be achieved.”

___

This story was first published on May 31, 2023. It was updated on June 1, 2023 to correct the timeline for schools to implement their plans. The deadline is not 2027, there is no timeline.

___

Sophie Austin is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Austin on Twitter: @sophieadanna

The utility also reached a $50 million settlement agreement with the Shasta County District Attorney’s Office, officials from both announced in separate statements.

The wind-whipped blaze began on Sept. 27, 2020, and raged through rugged terrain and small communities west of Redding, killing four people, burning about 200 homes and blackening about 87 square miles (225 square kilometers) of land in Shasta and Tehama counties.

In 2021, state fire investigators concluded the fire was sparked by a gray pine tree that fell onto a PG&E distribution line. Shasta and Tehama counties sued the utility, alleging negligence. They said PG&E failed to remove the tree even though it had been marked for removal two years earlier. The utility says the tree was subsequently cleared to stay.

Shasta County District Attorney Stephanie Bridgett determined that the company was criminally liable for the fire and charged the utility later that year.

PG&E May 18

PG&E to Pay $150 million for Zogg Fire

INVESTIGATIVE Oct 25, 2022

Regulators Seek $155 Million PG&E Fine Over Zogg Fire

Shasta Superior Court Judge Daniel E. Flynn disagreed, and in a tentative ruling ahead of a hearing Wednesday said prosecutors did not present enough evidence to show PG&E engaged in criminal conduct, according to the Sacramento Bee, which obtained a copy of the ruling.

The “tree was not a known risk prior to the Zogg fire, and there is no evidence to support the People’s claim in their opposition that it was,” the judge wrote.

The utility said in a statement that under the agreement with Shasta County, which is subject to court approval, it will fund $45 million in contributions to organizations dedicated to rebuilding and assisting local communities. The company will also pay a $5 million civil penalty to the county.

“We stand behind our thousands of trained and experienced coworkers and contractors working every day to keep Californians safe. We feel strongly that those good-faith judgments are not criminal,” said Patti Poppe, Chief Executive Officer of PG&E Corporation.

Bridgett said her goal was always to take PG&E to trial and hold them criminally responsible but that Flynn’s tentative ruling changed her position and she agreed to a settlement that includes dropping all charges.

“I am unwilling to gamble with the safety of Shasta County,” she said. “I have a responsibility to the community and needed to secure what I can for all the citizens to prevent future wildfires, prevent future deaths and devastation, and to be as prepared as our county can be if another one occurs.”

Last week, the California Public Utilities Commission approved a $150 million settlement between Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and the CPUC’s Safety and Enforcement Division over PG&E’s role in the Zogg Fire. As part of the agreement, the utility will pay $10 million as a penalty to California’s General Fund, and invest $140 million in shareholder funds in new wildfire mitigation efforts, officials said.

“Our [AAPI] community doesn’t know how to respond and we don’t talk about it,” said Monica Khant, Executive Director of the Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence.  “There needs to be that intent and thoughtful focus on serving survivors from the communities that they come from because if you lose that, then you’re not really responding to their needs and some of the challenges that they face.”

Khant, a former immigration attorney who represented asylum seekers, has helped hundreds of sexual violence survivors over the past two decades.

“For many years, gender-based violence in the AAPI community has been guided by not talking about it because of shame, because of isolation, because of the impact that it would have had on their families,” she said.  “There’s a strong sense of family honor, with that comes family shame.”

One in six AAPI women in the U.S. reports being raped in her lifetime, while one in five report suffering any kind of sexual violence, according to surveys conducted by the CDC.  The prevalence of rape against AAPI women has increased 8 percent since 2017.

‘Why Me?’

“I want other young Asian-American women to know that there are others out there,” said Irene Cho, 48, a sexual violence survivor who says she was raped by one of the pastors of her church when she was 19-years-old.  “Back then, I didn’t value who I was — I didn’t know the worth of all of who I am.”

Cho, who lives in Oakland, is a California native, but her family immigrated from South Korea and taught her to revere her elders, especially those in the church.

“There are parts of my culture that I absolutely cherish and love,” Cho said.  “Being part of the AAPI community, I do cherish how we respect our elders, but I do not cherish how that is used to manipulate young people to simply obey without question.”

Cho believes her abuser used her own cultural upbringing as a weapon to victimize and prey upon her.

“I didn’t want to bring shame upon him, which is so stupid,” she said.  “Now, as I look back –and I don’t mean that insulting me or degrading me, but I, again, wish I could shake my young person to say, ‘you matter more than he does. Your dignity matters.”

Cho says she waited more than a decade before publicly sharing her story of abuse.

“The questions of why began,” she said. “Why? Why me?”

aapi heritage May 12

Watch: Community Leaders Discuss Importance of AAPI Voices, Culture, and the Next Generation

Celebrating AAPI Heritage May 23

Artist Uses Cookies as Her Canvas to Honor Famous and Forgotten Asian Americans

Rise in anti-Asian Hate Met with Waves of Support

In California, hate crimes against Asian Americans increased by more than 177 percent in 2021, according to a report from the California Attorney General’s Office released last year. While the pandemic gave rise to racist hate speech and violent attacks against Asians, that extremism also spurred communities, nationwide, to speak up and stand alongside Asian Americans.  Advocates believe those efforts, paired with the ongoing #MeToo and #ChurchToo movements, have recently given some victims the courage to come forward and seek the care and services they need.

The Asian Women’s Shelter in San Francisco received more than 2,000 requests last year from survivors and their children to join local support groups.

Also last year, Korean American Family Services, commonly known as KFAM, received 50 percent more requests from survivors seeking support.

The Sikh Family Center, which operates nationwide, says calls to its sexual violence crisis hotline spiked 160 percent in just two years.

AAPI Survivors Often Lumped Together Despite Varying Cultural and Ethnic Backgrounds

While Khant acknowledges the issue of sexual violence is now being discussed more frequently, she says it is still not brought up nearly enough.  She says part of the difficulty in understanding the impact of sexual violence is AAPI survivors are often all lumped together into a group comprised of roughly 50 counties and more than 100 languages. 

“So when you create a perception with broad strokes, you’re missing some of the nuances happening,” Khant said.  “You’re only talking about part of the story and really erasing the rest of it.

For example, domestic abuse rates in the U.S. for Chinese and Japanese victims are fairly similar, however, rates for Korean, Indian, and Filipino, and Vietnamese survivors are roughly double.

Khant adds that even when data is available, it may still be incomplete since culturally, AAPI survivors may be particularly hesitant to share their stories.

“That also contributes to just not knowing when this happens in our communities,” she said.  “When people are not speaking up or speaking out about the violence in our community that has happened, that data point is skewed.”

The nonprofit Freely in Hope works to empower survivors of sexual violence by providing them education and counseling.  The work is focused in Kenya and Zambia and was started by Nikole Lim, a San Francisco Bay Area native, who first witnessed the impact of sexual violence as a documentary filmmaker abroad.  She eventually decided to put down her camera in hopes of capturing real change.

“What I’ve experienced in my context of working in Africa is survivors are coming together to create their own communities of belonging, where they know that they’re not alone,” she said.  “There are similarities in the stories of pain, as there are similarities in the stories of healing and when those healing stories can be shared, I think that’s how survivors can move forward together.”

On June 17, sexual violence survivors and advocates, including Lim and Cho, will take part in ‘Redeeming Sanctuaries,’ a panel discussion in San Francisco centering around abuse in the church and what church leaders should be doing to prevent it.  Senior Investigative Reporter Bigad Shaban, who is a volunteer board member of Freely in Hope, will moderate the discussion.  Click here to learn how to reserve tickets.

In her book, ‘Liberation is Here,’ Lim recounts what she’s learned after spending more than a decade walking alongside sexual violence survivors in Africa.  As a third-generation Chinese American, she says the experience has pushed her to explore her own cultural upbringing.

“One of the priorities for Asian communities is …we are very communal, but often our community is based on what brings shame and what brings honor, which doesn’t always expose truths,” Lim said.  “I think I think that’s the gift of storytelling when we can tell our stories from our own nuanced perspective – that’s where healing can begin.”

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Legislators in the Assembly and Senate debated measures on Wednesday as they tried to wrap up several hundred pieces of legislation before Friday — the last day a bill can pass out of its original chamber and get a chance to become law later this year.

Fentanyl overdoses are killing roughly 110 Californians each week, officials said, and lawmakers are divided on how best to stem the crisis.

Some Democratic lawmakers support policies that focus on education, prevention and treatment, while Republicans and more moderate Democrats want more enforcement against fentanyl dealers.

State lawmakers across the country, including in Democratic-controlled legislatures such as Oregon and Nevada, have also considered harsher penalties on drug dealers — a tactic that many say would backfire.

But the majority of 16 fentanyl bills that advanced this past week in California focused on education, prevention and treatment of fentanyl overdose.

One would require public places such as schools, stadiums and concert venues to carry naloxone, a drug that can reverse opioid overdoses. States that have made naloxone accessible, such as Massachusetts, are seeing a drop in overdose deaths, said Democratic Sen. Anthony Portantino of Burbank, who authored the bill.

“Our schools and other impacted places must have the tools needed to save lives, and parents should not have to worry if emergency treatments are available to help in the moment of crisis,” Portantino said in a statement.

Lawmakers in the Assembly also passed a bill that would increase penalties for dealers for possessing more than 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of fentanyl. Republican and moderate Democrats have authored other public safety bills aiming to impose harsher sentences, but many of those didn’t make it out of committees.

“While we continue to provide resources for drug treatment and education, we cannot neglect the trafficking that spreads this poison throughout our community,” Democratic Assemblymember Carlos Villapudua, who authored the bill, said in a statement. “One pill does kill; it only takes one time.”

Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher, a vocal critic of his progressive Democratic colleagues on the fentanyl issue, said passing the bills is “a step in the right direction.”

“Still, more needs to be done,” he said in a statement. “Without accountability for those selling poison in our communities, the killing is going to continue.”

The bills will now head to the second chamber.

A look at other actions taken by lawmakers:

HUMANS IN SELF-DRIVING TRUCKS

The state Assembly passed a bill that would require human drivers in self-driving trucks weighing more than 10,000 pounds. The bill is a priority for labor unions, who worry drivers could lose their jobs. The bill’s author, Democratic Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, said the primary purpose was to keep people safe. Republican Assemblyman Josh Hoover opposed the bill, arguing it would make it harder to develop the self-driving technology. The bill now heads to the state Senate.

HPV VACCINES IN SCHOOLS

The state Assembly passed a bill that would require school districts to tell students they are expected to be vaccinated against the human papillomavirus, or HPV, a sexually transmitted disease that can lead to cervical cancer. The bill does not require students to be vaccinated to attend school. Republican Assemblymember Joe Patterson opposed the bill, saying parents should discuss the HPV vaccine with doctors instead of school officials. The bill now heads to the state Senate.

STREAMLINING THE HOUSING PERMITTING PROCESS

The state Senate passed a bill that would eliminate the expiration of a landmark housing law to streamline construction in cities that have not met the state-mandated housing goals. Since the original bill took effect in 2018, it has helped fast-track 18,000 homes, with roughly 75% of them being affordable housing. The new bill would also remove the requirement to hire “skilled and trained workers,” which could limit who could be hired for those projects. The bill’s author, Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener, opted for a prevailing wage in the new bill instead — a move that angers several powerful trade unions. The bill, one of the most contentious pieces of housing legislation this year, passed with bipartisan support. The bill now heads to the state Assembly.

FREE CONDOMS IN SCHOOLS

The state Senate passed legislation requiring that free condoms be made available at all public high schools in the state. Democratic state Sen. Caroline Menjivar, who authored the bill, hopes it will help prevent sexually transmitted infections among teens. The bill would also ban stores from making someone prove their age before selling condoms to them. Vermont passed legislation in recent years requiring schools to have free condoms available for middle and high school students. The bill now heads to the state Assembly.

RAISING MINIMUM WAGE FOR HEALTH CARE WORKERS

The state Senate passed a bill that would bring the minimum wage for health care workers to $25 an hour by 2025. The contentious bill would give medical assistants, nursing home caregivers and others a fair and livable wage, said the bill’s author, Democratic Sen. Maria Elena Durazo. The bill faces fierce opposition from hospitals and some local jurisdictions that said the increased minimum wage would result in higher health insurance premiums, more costs to hospitals and potentially cutbacks on services. The bill now heads to the state Assembly.

The incident was reported at 9 a.m. when the suspect barricaded himself inside a home and started shooting after he was served eviction papers, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office said.

Law enforcement officers initially responded to reports of gunfire at a home near East Market and Sun streets. A responding deputy was shot and rushed to a hospital. The deputy was in surgery late Wednesday and is expected to survive, officials said.

The area of the standoff was ordered to shelter in place while federal, state, and local law enforcement descended on the scene and tried to negotiate with the man inside the home.

The negotiations stretched on for hours and ended just after 6 p.m. when the sheriff reported the suspect had been shot and killed.

Then it gets hot, and everyone in the nation’s most populous state turns on their air conditioners at the same time. That’s when California has come close to running out of power in recent years, especially in the early evenings when electricity from solar is not as abundant.

Now, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to buy massive amounts of renewable energy to help keep the lights on. The idea is to use the state’s purchasing power to convince private companies to build largescale power plants that run off of heat from underground sites and strong winds blowing off the coast — the kinds of power that utility companies have not been buying because it’s too expensive and would take too long to build.

“We laid out the markers on solar and wind, but we recognize that’s not going to get us where we need to go,” Newsom said during a news conference last week. “The issue of reliability has to be addressed.”

There’s a lot at stake, not just for the future of clean energy, but for Newsom himself. The Democratic governor, now in his second term and widely seen as a future presidential candidate, insists California will be carbon neutral by 2045. But this goal is often mocked in the summer when, to avoid rolling blackouts, state officials turn on massive diesel-powered generators to make up the state’s energy shortfall.

Demand for electricity in California has increased as the state takes step to move away from fossil fuels, including banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. California will need to add about 40 gigawatts of new power over the next 10 years, according to the California Independent Systems Operator, which manages the state’s power grid. One gigawatt is enough to power about 750,000 homes.

If the state buys lots of power from offshore wind and geothermal sources, it could mean they don’t need those emergency diesel-powered generators anymore. Wind is typically strongest in the evenings, and geothermal energy is available all the time.

This would be a big change for California, where up to now utility companies have been responsible for buying their own power. Customers would have to pay for the new power the state buys through a new, still undetermined, charge on their electric bills.

Californians already pay some of the nation’s highest energy bills. But one consumer advocacy group said Newsom’s proposal could be better for customers in the long-run. State regulators would not decide what the charge will be until the power projects are up and running — potentially several years away.

“There’s nothing free here, it’s just a question of what’s the most efficient way to develop resources,” said Matthew Freedman, staff attorney with The Utility Reform Network, a group that advocates for affordable and reliable energy. “It’s our hope that this arrangement will result in lower total costs across the state.”

Newsom’s proposal has the support of some of the state’s largest investor-owned utilities, including Pacific Gas & Electric. PG&E spokesperson Lynsey Paulo called Newsom’s proposal “likely the most efficient way to achieve a clean energy future,” saying that the state should make sure the power it buys is distributed fairly among utilities in the state.

Publicly-owned utilities, like the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, fear the state’s entrance into the energy market will create new competition, potentially increasing prices for everyone in a market already struggling with a lack of supply.

Patrick Welch, legislative director for the California Municipal Utilities Association, said if California starts buying power the state would be competing with utilities “and that could further drive up prices.”

“In the past two or three years, the market for new resources has gotten incredibly tight,” he said. “That tightness is really impacting the price of energy and particularly during the summer months.”

Democratic lawmakers have changed Newsom’s proposal to ease some of those concerns. While Newsom wanted the state to buy any type of power, lawmakers say it should be restricted to offshore wind and geothermal — two power sources that the utility companies currently aren’t buying. The proposal is pending in the legislature.

“When you leave stuff vague, then it creates uncertainty. And at this point in time, uncertainty is not good in the investment world,” said Assemblymember Steve Bennett, a Democrat and chair of the budget subcommittee that is vetting Newsom’s proposal.

Advocates say California is in a prime position to try something like this. Last year, five companies spent more than $750 million to lease areas off the California coast for offshore wind projects. These projects could collectively generate close to 5 gigawatts of energy, according to Alex Jackson, director of American Clean Power Association, which represents these companies. That’s enough to power more than 3.5 million homes.

If approved, the next step is getting the permits and building the turbines and the infrastructure necessary to transport the power to the grid. It would be easier for these companies to sell all of their power to the state instead of selling pieces of it to multiple utilities.

“We do think there is real advantages of having a single buyer,” Jackson said.

Another area ripe for new energy development is the Salton Sea, a large saltwater lake in Southern California that has been slowly drying up. Beneath the surface of the lakebed, heat from the Earth warms underground water. Geothermal power plants use steam from this water to spin turbines that generate electricity. The water also contains lots of lithium, which is used to make batteries that power cell phones and electric cars.

There are only a few companies capable of building these large, complex power plants that take many years to build.

“This isn’t the ‘Field of Dreams.’ You need to know that there is a customer for that power,” said Assemblymember Jim Wood, a Democrat who supports the proposal. “Otherwise, you’re not going to be able to appeal to investors to be able to pull down the resources to invest the billions of dollars it’s going to take.”

The utility is inspecting its large electrical transmission towers and power poles throughout Santa Clara County, making sure its power lines are secure and not at risk of coming down during high winds.

PG&E crews are conducting inspections on the ground and in the air via helicopter, starting Wednesday in the hills east of San Jose, Milpitas and surrounding border communities.

On Thursday, crews will cover Los Gatos and neighboring hills, and on Friday, they’ll focus on northern Santa Clara County – Cupertino, Mountain View and Sunnyvale.

Meanwhile, in Contra Costa County, firefighting officials held their annual wildfire prevention town hall in Lafayette to encourage residents to be prepared for this year’s wildfire season.

All local fire departments and Cal Fire continue to remind residents living on property with a lot of vegetation to make sure they maintain 100 feet of defensible space around the property.

All the preparation and reminders come after the release of this year’s fire season outlook from Accuweather meteorologists, who predict that in California, 400,000 to 1 million acres will burn.

Companies around the world buy carbon credits to cancel out their carbon releases with projects that promise to absorb carbon dioxide out of the air, or prevent pollution that would’ve happened. But they’ve been under the spotlight in recent months with claims their benefits are exaggerated.

The company is a big customer, purchasing credits from projects including wind and solar projects in India and an Indonesian swamp forest, the lawsuit says.

Delta spokesperson Grant Myatt described the lawsuit as “without legal merit.”

“Since March 31, 2022, (Delta) has fully transitioned its focus away from carbon offsets toward decarbonization of our operations, focusing our efforts on investing in sustainable aviation fuel,” Myatt said in an email. He added that the company is renewing its fleet with “more fuel-efficient aircraft and implementing operational efficiencies.”

The case, filed by Glendale, California, resident Mayanna Berrin, claims to act on behalf of anyone who flew Delta while living in the state since March 2020. It says benefits from the offsets are likely to be temporary and would have happened even without the firm’s investment. For a carbon credit to be valid, it must provide a benefit that would not have happened otherwise.

Delta announced three years ago it would go carbon neutral, which means releasing no more climate-changing pollution into the air than it absorbs. It can also mean paying to guarantee it is absorbed elsewhere.

Berrin argues this enabled the firm to gain market share and charge higher prices. A writer for Nickelodeon, Berrin told The Associated Press she is about to enter her thirties and climate anxiety is pronounced in people her age.

“I felt comfortable paying more because I was neutralizing when I needed to travel for work or to see my family,” she said. She said she felt frustration and regret when she began having doubts about Delta’s offsets.

“They can’t just claim neutrality if that’s not factually accurate,” she said. “Lawsuits in general are very scary, and there are a lot of people who echo my frustrations who may not know their rights or the impact they can make by speaking up.”

Her attorney Jonathan Haderlein believes it’s the first such case against a major American airline, and one of just a handful of “greenwashing” cases in the U.S. based on consumer protection law.

The case number is 2:23-cv-04150.

In 2021 aviation made up more than 2% of global CO2 emissions, according to the International Energy Agency.

The four boys and one girl were booked into jail on charges of assault with a deadly weapon (non-firearm), the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said, adding that their identities were not being disclosed because they are minors. The department noted, however, that the investigation is ongoing.

The pair of Marines were treated at the scene for minor injuries to their hands, knees, abdomens and heads, but they refused to go to a hospital, Orange County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Mike Woodroof said. A third Marine was later identified as a victim as well.

It was unclear how many people attacked the two men, but Woodroof said the number was likely somewhere between 10 and 30.

A minute-long video which has circulated online captured the brawl. In the video the Marines are seen on the ground trying to shield themselves from the attack as their assailants punch and kick them.

According to the OCSD, the brawl sparked from fireworks being set off on the beach. When the Marines asked them to stop, both men were assaulted as they were leaving the area.

The group then circled the two Marines and begin punching and kicking them.

The brawl appeared to come to an end after two individuals, a man and a woman, step in, telling the group to stop.

“I didn’t think of the consequences, obviously,” said Patricia Hurtavo, the woman in question. Hurtavo said that she feared the crowd would have killed the Marines had she not stepped in.

These voracious herbivores are in high demand to devour weeds and shrubs that have proliferated across California after a drought-busting winter of heavy rain and snow.

“It’s a huge fuel source. If it was left untamed, it can grow very high. And then when the summer dries everything out, it’s perfect fuel for a fire,” said Jason Poupolo, parks superintendent for the city of West Sacramento, where goats grazed on a recent afternoon.

Targeted grazing is part of California’s strategy to reduce wildfire risk because goats can eat a wide variety of vegetation and graze in steep, rocky terrain that’s hard to access. Backers say they’re an eco-friendly alternative to chemical herbicides or weed-whacking machines that are make noise and pollution.

But new state labor regulations are making it more expensive to provide goat-grazing services, and herding companies say the rules threaten to put them out of business. The changes could raise the monthly salary of herders from about $3,730 to $14,000, according to the California Farm Bureau.

Companies typically put about one herder in charge of 400 goats. Many of the herders in California are from Peru and live in employer-provided trailers near grazing sites. Labor advocates say the state should investigate the working and living conditions of goatherders before making changes to the law, especially since the state is funding goat-grazing to reduce wildfire risk.

California is investing heavily in wildfire prevention after the state was ravaged by several years of destructive flames that scorched millions of acres, destroyed thousands of homes and killed dozens of people. Goats have been used to clear fuels around Lake Oroville, along Highway 101, and near the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

“My phone rings off the hook this time of year,” said Tim Arrowsmith, owner of Western Grazers, which is providing grazing services to West Sacramento. “The demand has grown year after year after year.”

His company, based in the Northern California city of Red Bluff, has about 4,000 goats for hire to clear vegetation for government agencies and private landowners across Northern California. Without a fix to the new regulations, “we will be forced to sell these goats to slaughter and to the auction yards, and we’ll be forced out of business and probably file for bankruptcy,” Arrowsmith said.

Companies have historically been allowed to pay goat and sheepherders a monthly minimum salary rather than an hourly minimum wage, because their jobs require them to be on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. But legislation signed in 2016 also entitles them to overtime pay. It effectively boosted the herders’ minimum monthly pay from $1,955 in 2019 to $3,730 this year. It’s set to hit $4,381 in 2025, according to the California Department of Industrial Relations.

So far the herding companies, which have sued over the law, have passed along most of the increased labor costs to their customers.

But in January, those labor costs are set to jump sharply again. Goatherders and sheepherders have always followed the same set of labor rules last year. But a state agency has ruled that’s no longer allowed, meaning goatherders would be subject to the same labor laws as other farmworkers.

That would mean goatherders would be entitled to ever higher pay — up to $14,000 a month. Last year a budget trailer bill delayed that pay requirement for one year, but it’s set to take affect on Jan. 1 if nothing is done to change the law.

Goatherding companies say they can’t afford to pay herders that much. They would have to drastically raise their rates, which would make it unaffordable to provide goat grazing services.

“We fully support increasing wages for herders, but $14,000 a month is not realistic. So we need to address that in order to allow these goat-grazing operations to exist,” said Brian Shobe, deputy policy director for the California Climate and Agriculture Network.

The goat-grazing industry is pushing the Legislature to approve legislation that would treat goatherders the same as sheepherders. A bill to do so hasn’t yet received a public hearing.

Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, who heads the California Labor Federation, said goatherders are among the “most vulnerable workers in America” because they are on temporary work visas and can be fired and sent back to their home country anytime. Most of them work in isolation, speak minimal English and don’t have the same rights as Americans or green-card holders.

“We have a responsibility as a public to ensure that every worker who’s working in California is treated with dignity and respect, and that includes these goatherders,” said Gonzalez Fletcher, who sponsored the farmworker overtime bill when she was a state Assemblywoman representing San Diego.

Arrowsmith employs seven goatherders from Peru under the H-2A visa program for temporary farmworkers. He said the herders are paid about $4,000 a month and don’t have to pay for food, housing or phones.

“I can’t pay $14,000 a month to an employee starting Jan. 1. There’s just not enough money. The cities can’t absorb that kind of cost,” Arrowsmith said. “What’s at stake for the public is your house could burn up because we can’t fire-mitigate.”