2023 in California photos: Record rain, epic super blooms and historic strikes
CALMatters, MIGUEL GUTIERREZ JR, LARRY VALENZUELA AND ADRIANA HELDIZ: "Looking back at 2023 in California is a lot to unpack.
Devastating winter floods submerged entire towns. Another mass shooting took 11 lives in Monterey Park. Unions in a wide variety of industries flexed their muscles during “hot labor summer.” Gov. Gavin Newsom, in his second term, drew as much attention for his trips around the country and around the globe as for his actions at home. And the Israel-Hamas war and resulting humanitarian crisis in Gaza put politicians on the spot and divided California’s campuses."
California lawmakers finally tackle reparations. Will $68 billion budget deficit get in the way?
California lawmakers next year face huge political and financial challenges as they seriously consider reparations for Black descendants of slaves.
While Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative lawamakers tend to agree there’s a great historic injustice that needs to be righted, implementing any reparations policy faces these flashpoints:
State leaders rebuff efforts to exclude Trump from California primary ballot
The Chronicle, BOB EGELKO: "The Colorado Supreme Court’s decision to remove Donald Trump from the state’s presidential ballot because of his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol apparently won’t be joined in California — at least not now — despite a plea from a high-ranking state official.
The Colorado court issued a first-in-the-nation ruling last Tuesday declaring Trump ineligible to seek or hold office under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which disqualifies a candidate who has sworn to uphold the Constitution and then takes part in or aids an “insurrection or rebellion” against the government. A day after the ruling, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis urged Secretary of State Shirley Weber, California’s top elections official, to do whatever she could to follow Colorado’s lead."
Rising Stars: Maxie Holmberg-Douglas, Senate Republican Caucus
Capitol Weekly, MOLLY JACOBY: "Maxie Holmberg-Douglas, Director of Communications for the California Senate Republican Caucus, knew that she had a passion for public speaking and storytelling from the age of 11, when she competed to be the local rodeo queen of her small town.
“I remember being in my purple chaps, gold fringe, and my purple hat, giving this speech,” says Holmberg-Douglas. “Everybody was looking at me so appalled because an 11 year old was delivering this well-articulated speech. That was the first time I ever really spoke publicly.”
California horse racing is at a crossroads. Can it survive?
LA Times, JOHN CHERWA: "Frank Stronach was a hands-on boss and always thinking of the future, his vision dominated by his love of horse racing.
So, it was in that spirit that in 2006 he took Robert Hartman, his general manager of Golden Gate Fields, on an hour drive from Albany to the little town of Dixon, about 20 miles from Sacramento."
Venomous snakebites kill thousands every year. A California doctor may have a solution
LA Times, LOUIS SAHAGUN: "John Heenan knows the terror of feeling a sting on his foot, then looking down and seeing two bright red puncture wounds about an inch apart and a massive rattlesnake slithering away into tall grass.
It was a summer morning in 2017, and the 74-year-old horticulturist was carrying a box of fruit in a Marin County orchard when, he said, “I stepped right on him, then called out to a partner, ‘Hey, I’ve been bitten by a rattlesnake.’”"
California is pressing universities to repatriate thousands of Native American remains and artifacts. How two campuses are succeeding.
CALMatters, AMELIA WU, HELENA SAN ROQUE: "When San Jose State anthropology professor Elizabeth Weiss tweeted a picture to celebrate returning to campus in September 2021, it caught the attention of Assemblymember James Ramos, a Democrat from San Bernardino and the Legislature’s first and only Native American member.
“So happy to be back with some old friends,” read the caption of Weiss’ tweet, which included a photo of her holding the skull of a Native ancestor in front of boxes of other remains."
Study of Oakland Unified’s parent tutors finds exciting possibilities and challenge
EdSource, JOHN FENSTERWALD: "Initial findings from a study of a closely watched Oakland Unified program that recruits parents and neighbors as tutors show intriguing potential for other low-income school districts struggling to teach kids to read.
By training recruits in phonics and structured literacy and assigning them to K-2 classrooms, the initiative offers Black and Latino parents and others a direct stake in seeing their neighborhood children achieve the skills to read."
California researchers gave homeless people $750 a month. Here’s what they found
The Chronicle, DANIELLE ECHEVERRIA: "A preliminary report found what researchers say is a potentially promising solution in the fight against homelessness: giving people who are unhoused $750 a month with no strings attached.
The study found that the funds, which were given to 69 people in San Francisco and Los Angeles for just six months, helped people meet their basic needs and reduced their likelihood of being unsheltered. The final report will look at outcomes for 100 participants over the course of a year."
Zillow says this Bay Area city’s home prices will see biggest drop among U.S. metros over next year
The Chronicle, CHRISTIAN LEONARD: "Home values in the San Jose metropolitan area will drop sharply in 2024, falling faster than in any of the country’s other largest metros.
At least, that’s according to real estate brokerage site Zillow, which estimates the San Jose metro’s average home values will fall from $1.46 million in November 2023 to $1.37 million in November 2024. But real estate agents pointed out that home prices in the area are in an upswing — one they expect to continue next year."
After years-long fight, ex-sheriff agrees to comply with subpoenas, testify on deputy gangs
LA Times, KERRI BLAKINGER: "After years of resisting subpoenas to testify under oath about deputy gangs, former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva has reversed course and agreed to appear in front of the Civilian Oversight Commission.
His lawyer notified the commission of the decision in a December letter stating that Villanueva “is very willing to testify” in January and that he will “answer any question you have under oath.”"
Navy awards $6-million contract for cleanup of World War II hangar in Tustin that burned
LA Times, ROBERTO REYES: "Navy officials announced this week that a $6-million contract has been awarded to an environmental cleanup firm to remove the debris that was released when a historic 17-story hangar in the city of Tustin caught fire.
There is no start date yet for the work awarded to ECC Environmental LCC.
