Ocean temperatures are off the charts, and El Niño is only partly to blame
LA Times, HAYLEY SMITH: "In a world of worsening climate extremes, a single red line has caught many people’s attention.
The line, which charts sea surface temperatures in the North Atlantic Ocean, went viral over the weekend for its startling display of unprecedented warming — nearly 2 degrees (1.09 Celsius) above the mean dating back to 1982, the earliest year with comparable data."
ROADMAP 2035: The Impact on California’s Legacy Industries (PODCAST)
Capitol Weekly, STAFF: "his Special Episode of the Capitol Weekly Podcast was recorded live at Capitol Weekly’s conference examining California’s climate goals: ROADMAP 2035: Cars, Carbon and Climate Change – How Do We Meet California’s Zero Emissions Goals? which was held in Sacramento at the California Endowment Conference Center on Thursday, May 25, 2023
This is Panel 3 – The Future vs. The Past: The Impact on California’s Legacy Industries."
Sean Hannity brought out the best in Gavin Newsom
The Chronicle, JOE GAROFOLI: "California Gov. Gavin Newsom should consider his sit-down interview with Fox News commentator/Donald Trump masseuse Sean Hannity on Monday for what it was: spring training.
Newsom has sailed from leading San Francisco’s Parking and Traffic Commission to the world’s fifth-largest economy in a little over two decades, but he’s never had to deal in any meaningful way with one pesky obstacle during that meteoric rise: Republicans."
Oakland council amends Mayor Thao’s budget with millions of additional spending
The Chronicle, SARAH RAVANI: "As Oakland stares down a historic budget deficit, the president of the City Council has proposed adding millions in additional funding for violence prevention, the arts and community ambassadors.
Responding to input from community meetings held around Oakland in May, City Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas asked Monday for major modifications to the $4.2 billion, two-year budget plan released by Mayor Sheng Thao on May 1."Pressure mounts on COVID vaccine makers to roll out new recipes for the fall. Here’s why."
Pressure mounts on COVID vaccine makers to roll out new recipes for the fall. Here’s why
The Chronicle, AIDIN VAZIRI: "In preparation for the upcoming fall booster campaign, federal officials recommend that COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers develop new formulas for their shots that target more recent versions of the coronavirus.
According to documents released on Monday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the agency’s staff reviewers underscored the need for updated booster shots to target one of the currently dominant XBB variants. Independent experts will convene on Thursday to recommend which strain the vaccine should address."
Video shows largest group of killer whales yet off California coast
The Chronicle, TARA DUGGAN: "Killer whales are keeping busy in Central California.
Two weeks ago, about two dozen orcas were seen near the Farallon Islands, an uncommonly large gathering for that area. Last week, an orca family from British Columbia came to the Monterey area for the first time in a sea lion hunting frenzy."
CALMatters, JOE HONG: "Teachers don’t get into their profession for money or power, but a little more of both might help keep them at high-poverty schools, where students are more likely to fall behind grade level and less likely to graduate from high school or attend college.
Across California and the nation, many of these schools struggle to retain teachers, leaving them with fewer experienced educators. Those who stay often battle the headwinds of poverty: hunger, homelessness and mental health challenges. After only a few years, many end up leaving for easier teaching jobs in more affluent communities."
U.S. inflation slowed last month, though underlying pressures remain high
AP, CHRISTOPHER RUGABER: "Consumer prices in the United States rose just 0.1% from April to May, extending the past year’s steady easing of inflation. At the same time, some measures of underlying price pressures remained high.
Measured year over year, inflation slowed to just 4% in May — the lowest 12-month figure in over two years and well below April’s 4.9% annual rise. The pullback was driven by tumbling gas prices and smaller increases in grocery prices and other items."
This Bay Area bank ignored $350 million Ponzi scheme despite ‘obvious’ fraud, lawsuit says
The Chronicle, MATTHIAS GAFNI: "In the two years before a $350 million Ponzi scheme unraveled in Marin County, a computer system for the Novato bank holding investors’ funds issued 146 fraud or unusual activity alerts — but bank employees ignored the warnings and in some cases helped protect the scam, a new lawsuit filed earlier this month claims.
Eleven investors, who lost a total of $4.2 million to Professional Financial Investors, or PFI, sued Umpqua Bank on June 2, alleging that the bank aided, abetted and profited off of the scheme. The lawsuit portrays a culture at Umpqua where employees, incentivized to bring in deposits, broke the rules to assist PFI, the largest client at its Novato branch and a Top 20 client for the Portland, Ore.-based bank."
What do CEOs really think of San Francisco? Here’s what Elon Musk, Marc Benioff and others said
The Chronicle, ROBERT MORAST: "It’svdddsimple logic. Want to know what people think about a particular place or thing? Ask them. Survey San Franciscans about the state of their city and you’re going to hear a variety of answers, many served with passion about safety or cleanliness.
But what do the people who wield power and influence think of the city that’s often dragged through the media mud? That’s a more difficult question to answer as business leaders’ responses are often guarded or sent through media-approved filters. Yet, every so often, they offer some candid takes on San Francisco."
Rural towns lure California’s remote workers with cash, child care and other relocation perks
LA Times, DON LEE, GARY CORONADO: "What will it take for you to leave California for Indiana?
Start with $5,000 to $7,500 in relocation cash. If that’s not enough, how about free health insurance for a year, unlimited golf club membership, a seat on the community’s nonprofit board?"
The Chronicle, ROLAND LI: "Westfield is giving up its namesake San Francisco mall in the wake of Nordstrom’s planned closure, surrendering the city’s biggest shopping center to its lender after foot traffic and sales plunged during the pandemic.
The company stopped making payments on a $558 million loan, and Westfield and its partner, Brookfield Properties, started the process of transferring control of the mall at 865 Market St. this month."
S.F.’s Anchor Brewing slashes national distribution, cancels cult-favorite beer
The Chronicle, CALEB PERSHAN: "Anchor Brewing Co. is significantly scaling back its distribution — and canceling Christmas this year.
The San Francisco brewer will halt national distribution of all of its beers, including its signature Anchor Steam Beer. Currently, the beer is available in all 50 states. Going forward, Anchor beers will be available only within California, which represents 70% of its sales, according to a company representative."
The Bay Area saw 3 mass shootings in one weekend. Is gun violence trending up?
The Chronicle, SUSIE NEILSON: "On Friday evening, a person opened fire into a block party in San Francisco’s Mission District, injuring nine people. The following night, a person shot and injured three people in Balboa Park — less than an hour before a shooting at a birthday party in Antioch, which led to a teenager’s death and six other people wounded.
This grim series of shootings illustrate the ongoing surge in gun violence that has gripped the Bay Area, and the nation as a whole, since 2020.
Gun incidents remained high in the first half of 2023 compared to recent pre-pandemic years, data from local police departments shows. In San Francisco, for instance, police have recorded nearly 550 gun-related incidents so far this year — roughly equivalent to last year, and 70% more than in 2019."
Taiwan’s ‘West Wing’-style hit completely ignores China. For some, that’s the draw
LA Times, STEPHANIE YANG, DAVID SHEN: "Plagiarism rumors. Election rallies featuring inflated batons and cheers for “frozen garlic.” Boozy karaoke after-parties.
A popular new Netflix drama set in Taipei depicts all the hallmarks of a Taiwanese political campaign, with one glaring omission: debate over how to handle
China.
That existential question is already looming over Taiwan’s actual presidential election in January. While China has long declared the self-ruled island a part of its territory, relations between Beijing and Taipei have deteriorated to their worst state in decades, raising the risk of military conflict."