Gov. Newsom vigorously defends, praises California, his own contributions in State of State
EdSource's JOHN FENSTERWALD: "Gov. Gavin Newsom sharply contrasted California with red-state America during a pre-recorded State of the State address Tuesday, warning ominously that the state’s values and status as “a beacon of hope” are “under assault.”
“Forces are threatening the very foundation of California’s success — our pluralism, our innovative spirit, and our diversity,” he said. To underscore his claim, he liberally juxtaposed images during his 28-minute speech: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signing a ban on abortion with Newsom embracing an LGBTQ marcher at a Pride rally; headlines of congressional Republicans rejecting bipartisan immigration reform with National Guard members whom Newsom deployed to the border to intercept fentanyl."
Newsom’s budget plan saves vital programs for immigrants, but kids and hungry seniors may suffer
LAT's REBECCA PLEVIN: "When Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic lawmakers agreed to a $297.7-billion spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year, they preserved two vital programs serving thousands of immigrant Californians.
But in agreeing to $16 billion in cuts to balance a $46.8-billion budget deficit, state leaders delayed one program serving some of the state’s most vulnerable residents and did not renew another."
Gavin Newsom warns that dark forces are threatening California
CALMatters's ALEXEI KOSEFF: "Months of speculation and complaints about when, or even if, Gov. Gavin Newsom would give his annual State of the State address ended this morning with more of a whimper than a bang.
At a few minutes past 10 a.m., Newsom posted a pre-recorded speech to his social media channels. Flanked by American and California flags, the Democratic governor solemnly warned that “the California way of life is under attack” by forces threatened by the state’s diversity, pluralism and innovative spirit."
‘Total system breakdown’: California firefighters with PTSD face a workers’ comp nightmare
CALMatters's JULIE CART: "Todd Nelson could feel it coming on. And he began to run. He was going dark again, retreating to a place where he would curl into a fetal position with his thumb in his mouth, watching from behind closed eyes as his personal reel of horror unspooled. Sights and sounds from three decades of firefighting cued up — shrieks from behind an impenetrable wall of flame, limbs severed in car accidents and the eyes of the terrified and the dead he was meant to save.
Nelson was running on the Foresthill Bridge, the highest in California, fleeing cops and firefighters after his wife reported that he was suicidal. He hurdled a concrete barrier and straddled the railing of the bridge in the Sierra Nevada foothills, staring down at a large rock 730 feet below. As the rescuers closed in, Nelson leaned precariously over the chasm. His strategy — making the fatal plunge appear accidental, allowing his family to collect his life insurance."
She crashed and got a DUI. Now this California lawmaker is on a mission to talk about booze
CALMatters's RYAN SABALOW: "If Democratic Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo had listened to the standard advice from campaign consultants, she wouldn’t have said much after crashing her car while driving drunk last fall.
She might have issued a written apology and then avoided speaking about her DUI, in the hopes that voters would forget about it as they decided her fate in a hotly contested race for a seat on the Los Angeles City Council."
State recalls vape many months after it was told of contamination
LAT's PAIGE ST. JOHN: "California cannabis regulators on Tuesday issued the state’s first recall of a pesticide-tainted weed product following a Los Angeles Times investigation disclosing dangerous contamination in the state’s legal cannabis supplies.
The product ordered pulled from sale is an “Orange Cookies”-flavored West Coast Cure vape cartridge produced in September. The state recall said the vape exceeded safety limits for a single chemical, the insecticide chlorfenapyr."
On S.F.’s homeless crisis, mayoral candidates all agree on this one thing
The Chronicle's J.D. MORRIS: "When it comes to improving San Francisco’s intractable homelessness crisis, the five leading mayoral candidates all agree on one thing: The city must dramatically expand its shelter capacity.Gov. Newsom vigorously defends, praises California, his own contributions in State of State
Mayor London Breed has been trying to persuade the public that she’s making progress on homelessness by highlighting the shelter beds she’s already added and pointing to data showing a decline in the number of people sleeping outside. Breed has vowed to redouble her efforts to move unhoused people off the streets if she’s reelected."
Too much screen time harms children, experts agree. So why do parents ignore them?
LAT's JENNY GOLD: "Parents are bombarded with a dizzying list of orders when it comes to screen time and young children: No screens for babies under 18 months. Limit screens to one hour for children under 5. Only “high-quality” programming. No fast-paced apps. Don’t use screens to calm a fussy child. “Co-view” with your kid to interact while watching.
The stakes are high. Every few months it seems, a distressing study comes out linking screen time with a growing list of concerns for young children: Obesity. Behavioral problems. Sleep issues. Speech and developmental delays."
Oakland paid chronically absent students to come to school. Here’s how it went
The Chronicle's HANNAH POUKISH: "A few months ago, Ashley Cruz was barely coming to school. The high school junior felt frustrated by frequent arguments with students in her classes and fought with her teachers all the time. She couldn’t stand the drama, so she stopped coming to clup three days a week.
A former top Google exec just bought two celebSted Sonoma wineries. These are his ambitious plans
The Chronicle's ESTHER MOBLEY: "A former top Google executive unveiled his plans for an ambitious, multifaceted new wine company in Healdsburg this week.
David Drummond, the longtime chief legal officer of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, announced on Wednesday that he had acquired Idlewild Wines, a highly regarded producer of Italian-style wines. Drummond has also purchased Armida Winery, a legacy winery and tasting room on Healdsburg’s Westside Road. These investments come six years after Drummond bought a 550-acre Russian River Valley vineyard called Las Cimas, where he’s planted dozens of experimental grape varieties and which will be the source for an additional new wine brand called Comunità.
Hollywood crew members reach tentative deal with major studios
LAT's CHRISTI CARRAS: "Film and TV crew members have reached a tentative contract deal with the major Hollywood studios after months of bargaining, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers announced Tuesday night.
The resolution arrived before the current contract’s expiration date, finally permitting the entertainment industry to breathe a sigh of relief in the wake of two marathon strikes waged by actors and screenwriters. IATSE’s Hollywood Basic Agreement spans three years and covers some 50,000 craftspeople primarily based in Los Angeles."
California worker died in a cement mixer. His case was dropped but is now heading to court
Sacramento Bee's JOE RUBIN: "Chris Kuhns, a former senior criminal investigator for the worker protection agency Cal-OSHA said he hopes the family of Jairo Ramirez, an El Salvadoran immigrant who lived near Watsonville and was crushed to death inside a cement mixer in 2021, may finally see justice.
Next month, Kristo Kristich, the president and CEO of Kristich-Monterey Pipe Company, which makes large 60-inch diameter concrete pipes, has a preliminary hearing on charges related to allegedly disconnecting a key safety device that would have prevented Ramirez’s death."
The average wedding costs $41,000 in California. 16 couples share what they really spent
LAT's KAILYN BROWN: "Planning a wedding is a highly personal experience, reflecting your tastes, values and vision as a couple. But one thing is universal: It’ll likely cost more than you think.
In a survey by the Knot that polled nearly 10,000 U.S. couples who married in 2023, the average cost of a wedding was $35,000 — a $5,000 increase from the previous year. California was ranked as one of the top 10 most expensive states to host a wedding, with an average cost of $41,000. (New Jersey was the priciest at $55,000.) In L.A., the median wedding cost was $48,000."
Where are the best places to buy a house in California? New report reveals top cities
Sacramento Bee's ANGELA RODRIGUEZ: "Where are the best places to buy a home in California? According to Niche’s 2024 Best Places to Buy a House in California list, they range from a Central Valley city and a Bay Area suburb to Sacramento-area neighborhoods."
Two brothers and 16 sticks of dynamite: The bombing of the L.A. Times
LAT's CRISTOPHER GOFFARD: "The man who would blow up the Los Angeles Times sat in a hotel room, preparing the dynamite. He was gaunt and tubercular, in his late 20s, with a feral air and a walrus mustache. He had a reputation for hard living: cigarettes, whiskey, brothels. A union man through and through, James B. McNamara had come to the West Coast to send a message to the enemies of organized labor.
For years, he had participated in a nationwide spree of industrial bombings, directed by his dapper and well-spoken older brother, John J. McNamara, an official with the Bridge and Structural Iron Workers Union in Indianapolis. The younger McNamara made $200 per mission. He spoke of himself as a foot soldier in a holy war."
How ever-changing SFO stays ahead of the curve: ‘Like painting the Golden Gate Bridge’
The Chronicle's JOHN KING: "Talk to anyone involved with the perpetual reinvention of San Francisco International Airport, and they’ll probably end up comparing their facility to the Golden Gate Bridge.
Not in terms of architecture: A cluster of glassy structures slung across former mudflats in San Mateo County is no match for the majestic art deco masterpiece that straddles the meeting of ocean and bay. What people are referring to is how their core assignment — keeping the nation’s 13th busiest airport up to date — never comes to an end.