Road map of Kamala Harris’ early life in the Bay Area
The Chronicle's ELI ROSENBERG: "The Bay Area is where it all began for Kamala Harris.
Her origin story revolves around the unlikely meeting of two parents from different countries — India, for her mother, and Jamaica, for her father — in the East Bay, where Harris was born."
‘Lawyerly, sharp mind’ or ‘dumb as a rock’? The ugly race to recast Harris is underway
LAT's KEVIN RECTOR: "As Kamala Harris swiftly ascended to the top of the Democratic presidential ticket this week, a clear narrative surfaced from her supporters.
“I’ve known Kamala Harris a long time,” wrote Hillary Clinton, the last woman in the role. “This brilliant prosecutor will make the case against convicted felon Donald Trump.”"
Experts Expound: The age issue
Capitol Weekly's STAFF: "Age played a major role in Joe Biden stepping away from another campaign, but he is just one of many state and federal elected officials of advanced age, including Republican nominee Donald Trump. So the question for our expert panel is this:
Should there be an age limit for elected officials?"
Hollywood power brokers pushed for Biden to step down. Now they’re stepping up for Harris
LAT's STACY PERMAN, SEEMA MEHTA, SAMANTHA MASUNAGA: "Barely a month ago, a veritable who’s who of Hollywood A-listers turned out for President Joe Biden. The event, organized by former DreamWorks Animation Chief Executive Jeffrey Katzenberg, drew George Clooney, Barbra Streisand and Julia Roberts.
Jimmy Kimmel moderated an interview with Biden and former President Barack Obama at the gathering in downtown Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater. Sheryl Lee Ralph sang and Jack Black entertained the star-studded crowd wearing a pair of American flag overalls."
Former Los Angeles mayor joins growing California governor race to succeed Gavin Newsom in 2026
Sacramento Bee's LINDSEY HOLDEN: "Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Tuesday announced he will run for California governor in 2026, joining a growing group of candidates jockeying to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom.
illaraigosa previously ran for the office in 2018 against Newsom, finishing third in the primary behind the governor and Republican John Cox. He has a long history in California politics, serving as Assembly speaker, a member of the Los Angeles City Council and eventually the city’s mayor."
READ MORE -- A second California governor try for Antonio Villaraigosa -- CALMatters's LYNN LA
California’s news industry is shrinking while misinformation spreads. Here’s what the numbers tell us
LAT's ASHLEY AHN: "As the world turned digital, people were quick to drop their Sunday papers and pick up their smartphones for news. Advertisers followed suit as digital platforms became more valuable real estate than print newspapers, leaving California news outlets desperate to find ways to stay profitable and relevant.
Supporters — including the California News Publishers Assn. and the Media Guild of the West which represents journalists at the Los Angeles Times — believe Assembly Bill 886, will give the industry a greatly needed boost by requiring online platforms like Google to pay news outlets when linking to their content. News outlets must spend at least 70% of the received funds on their staff."
READ MORE -- Get paid or sue? How the news business is combating the threat of AI -- LAT's WENDY LEE; California is trying to force Big Tech to pay for news. What can we learn from Australia and Canada? -- LAT's JENNY JARVIE; This California city lost its daily newspapers — and is living what comes next -- LAT's JESSICA GARRISON
The death of California’s Spanish-language newspapers leaves a void. ‘It gets filled with trash’ (COLUMN)
LAT's GUSTAVO ARELLANO: "When Laura Pantoja immigrated to Santa Ana from Mexico City in the early 1990s, she could choose from about a dozen local newspapers in her native language.
A literature major, she favored Unión Hispana because it was “the political paper,” sometimes printing unflattering photos of local elected officials who, editors thought, didn’t stand up for working-class Latinos."
High fire risk in California, western U.S. due to thunderstorms, wind
The Chronicle's ANTHONY EDWARDS: "A big weather shift will begin across the West on Wednesday ahead of a widespread weekend cool-down. The transition from scorching heat will be accompanied by gusty winds and thunderstorms, raising the fire risk across California and other western U.S. states for the remainder of the week.
The high-pressure system over southwest Nevada, responsible for the ongoing heat wave, is predicted to reach peak strength Wednesday. Meanwhile, a low-pressure system will swing across Washington."
The spinning of Earth’s inner core is slowing down. Is this how it all ends?
LAT's TYRONE BEASON: "Geophysicist John Vidale noticed something striking while tracking the way seismic waves move from Earth’s crust through its core.
The very center of the planet, a solid ball of iron and nickel floating in a sea of molten rock, appears to be slowing down in relation to the movement of Earth itself. The inner core has slowed so much that it has essentially kicked into reverse."
California took vacation time from a prison doctor. Now it has to pay him $1.8 million
CALMatters's NIGEL DUARA: "A jury last week awarded nearly $2 million to a former California prison psychiatrist who claimed the state retaliated against him when officials began raising questions about how he earned high incomes from two government agencies.
A decade ago, Anthony Coppola held a senior position at a former state prison in Tracy and a part-time assignment as a psychiatrist at Alameda County’s Santa Rita Jail."
Frustrated by school web filters, one teenager created his own
CALMatters's TARA GARCIA MATHEWSON: "Like most kids, Aahil Valliani has been frustrated by the filters that his school uses to block inappropriate websites. Often, he has no idea why certain sites are blocked, especially when his web browsing is tied to his schoolwork.
Many students in this situation find a way around their districts’ web filters. They access the internet on their phones instead, or use proxy servers or virtual private networks to essentially access a different, unfiltered internet. Aahil, searching for a more systemic solution, teamed up with his younger brother and father to start a company called Safe Kids, raise almost $2 million in venture funding, and design a better filter."
Disneyland employees avert strike with tentative contract deal, union says
LAT's RYAN FAUGHNDER, CHRISTI CARRAS: "Disneyland employees said they had reached a tentative contract deal with the company, averting what could have been the first major work stoppage at the Anaheim theme park in 40 years.
Members of the Master Services Council — an alliance of unions representing custodians, ride operators, candy makers, merchandise clerks and other Disneyland employees — on Friday voted 99% in support of a walkout."
California report says violent crime is up statewide. Our analysis suggests that's wrong
The Chronicle's DANIELLE ECHEVERRIA: "A recent statewide crime statistics report released by the California Department of Justice found that violent crime in California ticked up slightly between 2022 and 2023, continuing an upward trend since 2020, while the property crime rate ticked down. But the data behind those numbers may not be accurate, the Chronicle found.
The Justice Department’s data is made up of information about reported crimes submitted by local law enforcement agencies. But some of the numbers that went into that statewide tally show extreme, improbable changes, including an admitted data error by the Oakland Police Department that shifted the overall trend."
Why this small affordable housing project in S.F. is costing $1 million per unit
The Chronicle's ALDO TOLEDO:"Six years after a fire gutted a small apartment building at 29th and Mission streets, San Francisco is planning to rebuild the project as affordable housing.
The price tag? An eye-popping $1 million a unit."
Local transit authorities receive state grant to analyze transferless paratransit rides
Daily Californian's STEPHANIE WANG: "The Metropolitan Transportation Commission, or MTC, received a $350,000 state grant to evaluate pilot programs for improving cross-jurisdictional rides for paratransit passengers across the Bay Area.
The project, named the “One-Seat Ride Pilot Evaluation,” aims to identify and examine the best methods for operating transferless paratransit rides between regions served by different public transit agencies. Currently, most paratransit passengers must transfer lines in order to complete cross-jurisdictional trips, which can be “very long and very uncomfortable for the paratransit rider” as well as “very expensive and very time-consuming for the transit agencies,” according to MTC planner Drennen Shelton."
