Donald Trump found guilty in historic New York hush money case
NBC News's ADAM REISS, GARY GRUMBACH, DAREH GREGORIAN, TOM WINTER and JILLIAN FRANKEL: "A New York jury on Thursday found Donald Trump guilty on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records — the first time a former U.S. president has been convicted of a crime.
The jury reached its verdict in the historic case after 9½ hours of deliberations, which began Wednesday."
READ MORE -- Trump can still run for president — but convictions could restrict him in other ways -- The Chronicle's BOB EGELKO; Trump guilty verdict: Bay Area, California leaders react to historic conviction -- BANG*Mercury News's JAKOB RODGERS; Most California Republicans in competitive congressional races are silent on Trump’s conviction -- LAT's LAURA J. NELSON, SEEMA MEHTA and JULIA WICK; At Trump hotel in Las Vegas, supporters are undeterred by guilty verdict: ‘I don’t care' -- LAT's MACKENZIE MAYS; Ali: The jury has spoken. What happens next will be a great test of American democracy (OP-ED) -- LAT's LORRAINE ALI; Column: 3 things about the Trump conviction that should be getting more attention -- LAT's ANITA CHABRIA
Solar project to destroy thousands of Joshua trees in the Mojave Desert
LAT's MELODY PETERSEN: "A renewable energy company will soon begin clearing thousands of protected Joshua trees just outside this desert town, including many thought to be a century old, to make way for a sprawling solar project that will generate power for 180,000 homes in wealthier coastal neighborhoods.
The 2,300-acre project has angered residents of Boron and nearby Desert Lake, two small Kern County towns where the poverty rate is twice the California average. Residents say their concerns about construction dust, as well as the destruction of the mostly pristine land that is habitat for endangered desert tortoises, have been ignored by the county and state officials who approved it."
READ MORE -- California sides with big utilities, trimming incentives for community solar projects -- CALMatters's JULIE CART
Angry homeowners in affluent California city demand faster action on insurance crisis
The Chronicle's MEGAN FAN MUNCE: "When a resident of Orinda suggested that home insurance prices should triple, attendees at a town hall Wednesday night had a surprising response. They cheered.
In this affluent city at the epicenter of California’s insurance crisis, many residents apparently would willingly pay much more if it meant not losing their homeowners policy altogether."
UC strike also rears up as pro-Palestinian protests. That’s why the endgame is so tricky
LAT's JAWEED KALEEM: "Academic workers on strike at UCLA, UC Davis and UC Santa Cruz chanted this week about “workers rights under attack,” referring to pro-Palestinian union members who were arrested and suspended after recent protests. Some on the picket line wore kaffiyehs, traditional scarves used to express solidarity with Palestinians.
Others waved Palestinian flags, shouting “free Palestine,” and pressed union demands that the University of California divest from ties to Israel and the war in Gaza and grant all protesters amnesty from campus discipline."
READ MORE -- Police enter UC Santa Cruz campus, order protesters at encampment to disperse -- LAT's JENNY JARVIE
Experts Expound: The Gaza effect
Capitol Weekly's STAFF: "The ongoing conflict in Gaza has sparked intense debates and protests all over the country. With that in mind, we asked our panel of experts to weigh in on how this might impact the November elections.
The question: Will ongoing campus strife over the situation in Gaza negatively impact Dems at any level of government in November?"
When courts do rely on California legislative debates
Capitol Weekly's CHRIS MICHELI: "Mainly because legislative committees in the California Legislature have to process so many bills at their limited hearings, there is little public debate, particularly among legislators, regarding bills that are heard in the committees of the State Senate and State Assembly. Even on the Floors of the two houses of the California Legislature, there is little public discourse, and rarely any detailed discussion about a bill’s specific provisions.
This is particularly problematic when a statute is being considered by the judicial branch of state government and the judiciary is trying to ascertain the intent of the Legislature. Unfortunately, state courts often find that statements of intent, as well as legislative debate, particularly detailed discussions regarding a bill’s detailed provisions, are sorely lacking. And yet, it is those details that are often at issue in litigation."
California spent nearly $1 billion to boost arts education. Are schools misspending it?
CALMatters's CAROLYN JONES: "Thanks to Proposition 28, California’s K-12 schools are awash in nearly $1 billion in new arts funding. But a coalition of nearly 100 arts groups says that some school districts may be misspending the money, deepening longstanding inequities in arts education.
“The intent of Prop. 28 is to have more arts in schools,” said Abe Flores, deputy director of policy and programs at Create CA, which advocates for arts education in California. “We’re concerned that’s not happening everywhere. If people found out one school was offering math, for example, and another school wasn’t, they’d be outraged. That’s what’s happening with the arts.”
‘Fixing the core’: U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona vows to promote equity
EdSource's MALLIKA SESHADRI: "Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona answered questions about this year’s rocky rollout of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid Application (FAFSA), civil rights violations and Covid recovery, among other topics, on Thursday, at the Education Writers Association’s annual conference in Las Vegas.
Erica L. Green, a White House correspondent for The New York Times moderated the discussion — which was followed by a Q&A from the audience."
Raising kids in California? They may have college savings accounts you don’t know about.
CALMatters's JACQUELINE MUNIS: "Nearly 3.7 million students and 667,000 newborns in California have money invested in a savings account to help pay for college. But most families don’t know the money is there.
Citlali Lopez, a second-year psychology student at Sacramento State, found out a few months ago she had $500 sitting in a California Kids Investment and Development Savings Program (CalKIDS) account. Although she’s been eligible to use the funds since she graduated high school in 2022, she had no idea until her sister, who works at a nonprofit that supports low-income students with scholarships and financial aid, told her to check her eligibility. Lopez was skeptical at first, but found she was eligible and registered her account."
Does presidential politics depress California consumer confidence?
SCNG*OC Register's JONATHAN LANSNER: "Presidential politics often makes people grumpy – no matter your candidate or their chances of victory.
This California index confirms that thesis. Election year confidence, by this math, ran on average 7% lower than the non-election periods."
California’s first heat wave of the year is coming. These areas could see extreme temperatures
The Chronicle's GREG PORTER: "California is about to heat up in a big way, with the hottest weather so far this year expected for next week. Medium-range weather models have come to a consensus on a strong area of high pressure developing over the western U.S. by the middle of next week, bringing a multiday heat wave to large swaths of California. Parts of the Central Valley will easily reach the triple digits, which is about 10 to 15 degrees above normal for early June."
The mystery of an unraveling Wine Country real estate empire: Was it bad business or a massive scam?
The Chronicle's JULIE JOHNSON, ST. JOHN BARNED-SMITH, J.K. DINEEN: "In and around the small Wine Country city of Sonoma, two out-of-town investors built a real estate empire in just under a decade. They bought everything from modest homes to exclusive wedding venues, sparking hopes for an economic boom as well as fears that their mysterious plans would change the community’s character.
It’s taken less than two weeks for it all to begin unraveling."
Dilapidated gem? The story behind the viral video of Palo Alto’s $2 million fixer-upper
LAT's AIDIN VAZIRI: "Bay Area residents are no strangers to seeing luxury homes listed for millions of dollars.
However, a recent listing for an uninhabitable fixer-upper in Palo Alto, priced at $2 million, has captured international attention thanks to a social media video where the real estate agent enthusiastically walks through the dilapidated 1950s-era home showing off the green shag carpeting, wood-paneled walls and outdated floral wallpaper to the tune of Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso.”"
The Chronicle's ST. JOHN BARNED-SMITH: "To understand how the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection became mired in accusations of favoritism and preferential treatment for well-connected builders, start with one chimney and two old friends, John Pollard and Ed Sweeney.
Back in 2016, landlord Sal Salma had paid Pollard, the founder and CEO of SF Garage Co., almost $300,000 to strengthen the foundation and do other work at a century-old apartment building on Lombard Street that he had bought in hopes of adding three more rental units."
California inmates fight wildfires — but if prisons can’t supply enough crews, what’s next?
Sacramento Bee's MAYA MILLER: "California has long depended on incarcerated people to battle wildfires.
Since the end of World War II, the state has relied on inmates to staff its more than 200 “hand crews” deployed each fire season to lay hoses and help contain the blazes by cutting fire lines free of vegetation."
She’s likely to be Mexico’s next president. Can she save the country from cartel violence?
LAT's KATE LINTHICUM: "As mayor of Mexico City, Claudia Sheinbaum celebrated a dramatic drop in violent crime, including a 50% plunge in homicides.
Now the front-runner in Mexico’s presidential election, Sheinbaum says she is uniquely qualified to bring peace to a nation battered by nearly two decades of cartel violence. “We already did it,” she said. “Of course we will continue.”"