Lawmakers Vote to Keep Nuclear Plant Open // California's Purple Sand Beach

Good morning It's Thursday, September 1st.

• Lawmakers approve plan to extend life of Diablo Canyon.
• Nearly 70% of teachers in LA are seriously considering quitting.
• And the beautiful Californian beach with purple sand.

Nationwide

1.

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Wednesday in response to the ongoing heat wave now gripping the state, freeing up power and easing pollution regulations. The move followed a call for environmental protection – known as a “Flex Alert” – from the state power grid operator. Recurring power outages are “a possibility, but not an inevitability.” AP | Sacramento Bee

As the heat increases this weekend, Death Valley could reach 126 degrees, which would be the highest temperature ever recorded worldwide in September. Accuweather | Washington Post

2.

The California legislative session ended Wednesday evening after a flurry of last-minute votes. Some of the most consequential measures currently on Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk:

• SB-1338 – Establishes a court program that can do this force severely burdened homeless people to undergo treatmenta proposal put forward by Newsom in March and rejected by civil rights advocates. AP | Sacramento Bee
• SB-846 — Keeps California's last nuclear power plant, Diablo Canyon, open for an additional five years beyond the planned closure in 2025, giving PG&E a $1.4 billion forgivable loan. LA Times | NPR
• SB-1137 — Prohibits new oil wells within 3,200 feet of schools or neighborhoodsa measure that failed twice in the last two years due to opposition from the oil industry. LA Times | KERO
• AB-2632 — Limits solitary confinement in prisons to no more than 15 consecutive days and bans its use entirely in private detention centers used for deported immigrants. AP

Track California bills for 2022. 👉 CalMatters

3.

Two wildfires raged in rural parts of Southern California on Wednesday:

• A wildfire in a rural area southeast of San Diego ripped through dry brush, destroyed at least four buildings and forced the closure of a border crossing. The Boundary 32 fire covered nearly 7 square miles and was only 5% contained. SD Union-Tribune | KGTV
• North of Santa Clarita, a wildfire forced the evacuation of a mobile home park and closed I-5 in both directions. Eight firefighters battling the fire on the route were treated for heat-related issues as temperatures in the area reached 107 degrees. Bakersfield Californian | L.A. Times

View the live wildfire map. 👉 Cal Fire

4.

John Muir enjoyed spending time in nature and once rejected the concept of hiking. “People should be walking in the mountains,” he said, “not hiking.” So perhaps he was dismayed by the enthusiasm for the “fastest known time,” a genre of endurance sports in which nature becomes race tracks. On August 4, runner Joe McConaughy broke the John Muir Trail record, running 223 miles from Yosemite to Mount Whitney in an incredible three days, one hour and 34 seconds. On the third night, he said, hallucinations filled his head. “It’s definitely gotten a little weird out there.” Trail runner

McConaughy's record didn't last long. A few weeks later, another runner, Jeff Garmire, beat his record by 13 minutes. @thefreeoutside

5.

California has beaches made of brown, black, white and rainbow glass. There is a beach along the Big Sur coast that is colloquially called “Purple Beach” and is actually purple from time to time. The color comes from the erosion of garnet and magnetite in the surrounding hills – meaning the beach is essentially riddled with finely ground gemstones. The best time to see it is after a rain. A few pictures.👇

Northern California

6.

Last summer, a Fresno court granted a teenager's request for a protective order against his mother. According to a federal indictment unsealed Wednesday, the woman, 35-year-old Shana Gaviola, ordered the boy to be handcuffed and driven to a boarding school in Missouri. Also charged in the bizarre conspiracy was Julio Sandoval, a former dean of the Agapé boarding school. The Baptist institution was accused of systematic abuse of students. Daily Beast | Fresno Bee

7.

In 2020, San Francisco regulators halted the development of 1,300 desperately needed housing units, 350 of which were affordable. to conduct a race and equity study. Two years later, the study hasn't even started. Columnist Heather Knight said the pointless delay is an example of why the state's review of San Francisco's notoriously cumbersome housing permitting process, announced this month, is so welcome. SF Chronicle

8.

Burning Man, the annual arts bacchanal born on the beaches of San Francisco, has returned to the Nevada desert for the first time since before the pandemic. The temporary city with 80,000 festival-goers is so huge that it could be seen from space on Monday. Two photo galleries. 👉 Reno Gazette Journal | NY Post

This year's theme is “Waking Dreams.” A look at the installations. 👉 ArchDaily

Southern California

9.

In 2015, Tricia Bigelow, then chief justice of a state appeals court in Los Angeles, bought an oceanfront condo in Santa Monica. However, she was not dependent on her judge's salary. Bigelow received $300,000 from a man with whom she had an affair: Tom Girardi, the vaunted litigator now accused of stealing from clients for decades. The money was withdrawn from a settlement fund for cancer victims. L.A. Times

10.

“Elementary school teachers were proud to be radical. They encouraged students to avoid taboos, broaden their horizons and question conventional wisdom. … In return, the students adored her.”

A groundbreaking humanities program brought major recognition to a public high school in Los Angeles. But according to former students, a culture of sexual abuse existed at Grover Cleveland High School for years as accused teachers used the curriculum itself to ensnare students. A disturbing long read. 👉 Atavist Magazine

11.

In the first half of 2022, the Los Angeles area had the highest rental prices in the U.S., with an average price of $4,664 per month for a single-family home. A survey of school teachers in the city highlighted the difficulties they face with an average salary of around $75,000 a year. About the findings:

• 28% of teachers worked part-time to make ends meet.
• 60% of veteran teachers said they were unable to find affordable housing in the communities where they teach.
• 70% said they were seriously considering leaving the profession. The Guardian

12.

The Carousel Mall was a centerpiece of downtown San Bernardino for decades before falling into disrepair and closing in 2017. Reporter David Allen toured the abandoned building last week and found it had been vandalized by looters and squatters. Anticipating a mess, he wrote: “But I didn’t expect to see sleeping quarters.” San Bernardino Sun

Thanks for reading!

The California Sun was written by Mike McPhate, a former California correspondent for The New York Times.

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