Fire debris is washing up on L.A.’s beaches. County officials warn the public to steer clear
LAT, CORINNE PURTILL: "The gunk has turned up on shorelines from Malibu to Redondo Beach: ghostly lines of charred black bits and melted debris left behind by retreating waves.
It’s a mix of ash, sand and pulverized flecks of burned wood and plastic, material destroyed during January’s fires and then washed into the sea by recent rains."
Kamala Harris urges Americans to ‘organize, mobilize’ in first TV appearance since Trump took office
The Chronicle, AIDIN VAZIRI: "Kamala Harris made her first television appearance since leaving the White House at the 56th NAACP Image Awards, delivering a somber address that took a subtle dig at President Donald Trump and his associate Elon Musk.
The former vice president received a standing ovation as she was honored with the Chairman’s Award, which recognizes those who “excel in public service and leverage their unique platforms to ignite and drive meaningful change,” during a ceremony at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on Saturday, Feb. 22."
In deep-blue Oakland, voters want Democrats to ‘grow a spine’ and ‘be ruthless’
The Chronicle, JOE GAROFOLI: "Californians have had enough of the chaos of the past month and are taking to the streets. But on top of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, they have another target: Democrats.
They want them to “grow a spine,” “do your job” and “stop the coup.”"
The Micheli Minute for February 24, 2025
Capitol Weekly, STAFF: "Lobbyist and author Chris Micheli offers a quick look at what’s coming up this week in Sacramento."
A historic look at bill introductions in the California Legislature
Capitol Weekly, CHRIS MICHELI: "Over the past decade, the California Legislature, and its 120 legislators, introduce between 1,900 and 2,600 bills per year, each year of the 2-year legislative session, by the February introduction deadline. Fewer than 50 additional bills get introduced after the deadline (e.g., due to a rule waiver or a bill introduced by a committee, which are not subject to the introduction deadline).
The 2023 California Legislative Session saw a higher number of introductions than normal, and the highest number in over a decade. The 2024 Session returned those introduction numbers to more normal levels."
Despite rumors of a massive immigration sweep in Los Angeles, numbers don’t add up
LAT, STAFF: "For days, rumors that the federal government was planning a massive immigration enforcement sweep in Los Angeles County on Sunday had put officials on alert and cast a pall of fear and unease across many immigrant communities.
But by midafternoon, it appeared that the operation — if indeed one had been launched — had not been anywhere nearly as widespread as many had predicted."
Do melatonin, magnesium and CBD really help you sleep? Here’s what experts say
The Chronicle, CATHERINE HO: "When we put a call out to readers this month to send us their questions and concerns about sleep and aging, one of the most asked-about topics was sleep aids.
Indeed, social media and drugstore aisles alike teem with a litany of supplements, gummies and teas that claim to promote sleep. So we posed the question to several sleep doctors and researchers: What’s been proven to work, and what hasn’t?"
Unseasonably warm weather, including possible record-breaking temperatures, coming to SoCal
LAT, JOSEPH SERNA: "Southern California’s recent unusually warm temperatures are expected to ramp up over the next couple of days, the National Weather Service said.
Downtown Los Angeles was about 14 degrees above normal Sunday, reaching 82 degrees. Temperatures could climb into the 90s by Wednesday in the coasts and valleys, according to the weather service’s Monday morning forecast."
California officials push to cut energy credits to households with rooftop solar panels
LAT, MELODY PETERSEN: "California officials are pressing for further cuts to the electric bill credits people with rooftop solar panels can earn, in a move that would align the state with its for-profit utilities at the expense of consumers who invested thousands of dollars to power their homes with renewable energy.
Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric and San Diego Gas & Electric have long complained about the financial credits to households that generate more solar energy than they can use — credits that can keep rising electricity costs in check for those with panels."
‘Limited to no impact’: Why a pro-housing group says California’s pro-housing laws aren’t producing more
CALMatters, BEN CHRISTOPHER: "One California law was supposed to flip defunct strip malls across California into apartment-lined corridors.
Another was designed to turn under-used church parking lots into fonts of new affordable housing."
This Bay Area ZIP code has the highest average income in California — but not because of wages
The Chronicle, CHRISTIAN LEONARD: "The ZIP code with California’s highest average household income is in Silicon Valley, but it’s not just because of the paychecks.
The 94301 ZIP code, which includes Palo Alto’s downtown and Crescent Park neighborhoods, had an average income of $1.65 million in 2022, according to new tax data from the IRS. That was the fourth-highest average in the United States that year, with the 33109 ZIP code of Fisher Island, Fla., having the highest at an average of $4.42 million. Another Palo Alto ZIP code, 94304, had an average income of $1.61 million."
Sacramento County’s $1B main jail annex plans are insufficient, report says. What we know
Sac Bee, EMMA HALL: "A county-contracted peer review of plans for a nearly $1 billion intake and mental health annex at the Sacramento County Main Jail found that suggested improvements are insufficient to address the future needs of the facility.
An external firm, CGL Companies, was hired to review the annex plans and found that the architectural program by Nacht and Lewis the plan does not “consider likely population growth” and “sufficient work, clinical administrative, and treatment programming space for medical/mental health staff,” according to a report dated this month. The plan also does not “allocate sufficient outdoor recreation space” to meet the American Correctional Association’s standards."
SFPD sergeant’s extreme overtime shows grueling schedules some police are working
The Chronicle, DANIELLE ECHEVERRIA/NAMI SUMIDA: "Overtime hours worked by San Francisco’s police department soared after the pandemic — and the case of Sergeant Dennis Lai shows the marathon shifts some employees are working.
Between mid-December 2022 and mid-December 2023, Lai, the department’s highest overtime earner, worked 326 out of 364 days."
‘Ziz’ speaks after arrest: ‘I haven’t done anything wrong’
The Chronicle, MATTHIAS GAFNI/MEGAN CASSIDY/MICHAEL BARBA: "Through meandering pronouncements filled with cryptic language, Jack “Ziz” LaSota had become almost an unseen mythical figure as she led the cult-like Zizian movement. Suddenly last week, Maryland police arrested the 33-year-old former Berkeley tech worker, whose associates have been linked to six deaths around the country.
She appeared in Allegany County District Court on Feb. 18 — the first time the public had heard from the transgender and devout vegan woman since the group began drawing international headlines."
Roberta Flack, timeless R&B singer-songwriter behind ‘Killing Me Softly With His Song,’ dies at 88
LAT, NARDINE SAAD: "Grammy Award winner Roberta Flack, whose tranquil ballads and 1970s songs such as “Killing Me Softly With His Song” and “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” established her as a timeless R&B singer and songwriter, died Monday. She was 88.
Flack’s death was announced by a spokesperson, who said she “died peacefully surrounded by her family”; the statement didn’t say where she died. Flack suffered a stroke in 2016 and two years later collapsed during a concert, which forced her to use a wheelchair. In 2022, she was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, which took her ability to sing."
