Updating Wednesday . .   

Half Moon Bay shooting suspect to be charged with seven counts of murder, firearm enhancements -- On Wednesday morning, San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said the county will be filing a complaint charging Zhao with seven counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, firearm use enhancements for each count and a special circumstance allegation of multiple murder. Austin Turner in the San Jose Mercury$ Alexandra E. Petri, Salvador Hernandez, Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ Olga R. Rodriguez, Jocelyn Gecker Associated Press -- 1/25/23

Two mass shootings in three days. Are these copycat crimes? -- Suicides tend to occur in clusters that suggest contagion, but there is little evidence that murders or mass shootings follow the same pattern, experts say. Melissa Healy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/25/23

Half Moon Bay suspect ‘snapped’ before shooting co-workers, sheriff says -- Chunli Zhao, 66, is being held in the killings of seven people, some of whom once worked alongside him in Half Moon Bay, a coastal community south of San Francisco. Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/25/23

‘Doesn’t feel real’: Loved ones mourn 11 victims killed in Lunar New Year massacre -- On Tuesday, officials released the names of all 11 victims killed in the Lunar New Year massacre at Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park. Summer Lin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/25/23

3 California mass shootings force grieving Asian Americans to ask painful questions -- For a community already reeling from a rise in anti-Asian hate crimes during the pandemic — sometimes with senior citizens as victims — the Asian-on-Asian violence feels like too much to bear, especially with the two most recent shootings occurring around the Lunar New Year holiday. Anh Do, Jeong Park, Debbie Truong, Summer Lin, Cindy Chang in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/25/23

California mass shootings add to Bay Area Asian Americans’ years of pandemic trauma -- Back-to-back mass shootings are exacting a toll on Asian American communities after three years of increased anxiety and during a Lunar New Year period that was supposed to be a celebratory break from stresses. Roland Li, Claire Hao and Ricardo Cano in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/25/23

California already has nation’s strictest gun laws. Mass shootings could spur push to go further -- California already has the strictest gun laws in the nation, but Democrats in Sacramento say more are needed. Hannah Wiley in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/25/23

A Mass Shooting in California Targeted an Entire Family -- Amid an escalation in gang violence in small California towns, families have usually been spared. But gangs there are increasingly working with violent Mexican cartels. Miriam Jordan in the New York Times$ -- 1/25/23

Lopez: For seniors, social isolation can lead to untreated depression -- The smell of perfumed smoke turned my head Tuesday morning outside the Monterey Park dance club where 11 people were gunned down Saturday night. A man named Scott, seated in a wheelchair, was lighting incense sticks to honor the dead. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/25/23

Policy and Politics  

Mayor Sheng Thao to rebuild top Oakland staff with key posts awaiting permanent picks -- Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao announced Tuesday two interim replacements for the next city administrator while she looks for a permanent person for the job. She also needs a new homeless czar. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/25/23

California Republican hopes to oust the GOP’s national leader -- The effort by San Francisco attorney Harmeet Dhillon, whose clients include former President Trump, to oust Republican National Committee Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel will be decided at a party meeting in Dana Point that begins Wednesday. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/25/23

Diablo Canyon   

Regulators nix proposal on California’s last nuclear plant -- In pointed language, federal regulators rebuffed a request Tuesday from the operator of California’s last nuclear power plant that could have smoothed its pathway to securing a longer operating life for its twin reactors. Michael R. Blood Associated Press -- 1/25/23

Twitter Workplace   

Elon Musk Explores Raising Up to $3 Billion to Help Pay Off Twitter Debt -- Elon Musk’s team has been exploring using as much as $3 billion in potential new fundraising to help repay some of the $13 billion in debt tacked onto Twitter Inc. for his buyout of the company, people familiar with the matter said. In December, Mr. Musk’s representatives discussed selling up to $3 billion in new Twitter shares, people familiar with the matter said. Berber Jin and Alexander Saeedy in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 1/25/23

Homeless

Sacramento Assemblyman introduces bill to ban homeless encampments near parks and schools -- Assemblyman Josh Hoover, R-Folsom, has introduced legislation that would prohibit homeless encampments within 500 feet of schools, daycare centers, parks, and libraries. Jenavieve Hatch in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/25/23

California bill empowers counties to create homeless death review committees -- Assembly Bill 271, by Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva, D-Fullerton, authorizes — but does not require — counties to establish homeless death review committees to identify the root causes of homeless mortality and to improve coordination of services for that population, according to a legislative summary of the bill. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/25/23

Housing 

Knight: A $1.75 million S.F. home became one couple’s ‘House from Hell.’ Now they’re giving up on the city -- A San Francisco couple has waited close to two years for permits to remodel their Bernal Heights house and has seen squatters overtake it in the meantime. “Welcome to the House of Horrors,” they told columnist Heather Knight on a recent home tour. Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/25/23

Street  

LAPD to consider adding a ‘cooldown’ to Tasers preventing multiple shocks after death of Keenan Anderson -- The Los Angeles Police Department will consider whether its stun guns should be modified to prevent repeated firings of the devices after an officer shocked a man with one six times in less than a minute during a traffic stop earlier this month, with the man dying in a hospital hours later. Josh Cain in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 1/25/23

Education  

At $611 a day per student, some question if L.A. schools’ extra learning days are worth it -- The two second-graders in Susana Cabello’s class got a brief but exclusive education during the Los Angeles school district’s winter break. Not only did they have Cabello’s undivided attention all day, but that of a professional tutor as well. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/25/23

Why Lowell isn’t the SFUSD school with the highest UC admissions rate -- Talking to students, it’s no surprise that the admissions rate is so high. “Mission High School really supports students,” said senior Yixi Ou, who moved to the U.S. from China just before the ninth grade. Danielle Echeverria in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/25/23

Also . . .   

‘I miss the trees’: Tahoe ski resort sees big changes after post-wildfire reopening -- Lining the narrow road that snakes up to the ski lodge at Sierra-at-Tahoe is a series of fresh signposts that prepare visitors for what they're about to experience: a resurgence by the first ski area in the U.S. to have survived catastrophic wildfire. Gregory Thomas in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/25/23

4.2 earthquake, flurry of aftershocks off Malibu coast rock Los Angeles -- The Los Angeles Fire Department went into “complete earthquake mode” and conducted a citywide assessment early Wednesday morning. No injuries or damages were reported, and the agency has resumed normal operations, the LAFD said on its website. Alexandra E. Petri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/25/23

 

California Policy and Politics Wednesday  

Newsom renews call for federal action on gun safety after 2 mass shootings in California -- Gov. Gavin Newsom angrily denounced Republicans for refusing to adopt gun safety measures as he renewed calls for federal action after two mass shootings in California left 19 people dead. Newsom also called out fellow Californian, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, for not making a public statement after the shootings in Monterey Park and in Half Moon Bay. Lara Korte Politico Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/25/23

California reeling from back-to-back shootings that killed 24: ‘Too much bloodshed’ -- The sweet, smoky smell of incense wafted toward a crowd of hundreds outside Monterey Park City Hall on Tuesday night, just a few blocks from the dance studio where 11 people were killed in one of three mass shootings in California since last week. Julia Wick, Salvador Hernandez, Jeong Park, Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/25/23

A leader in gun control efforts, California confronts its limits -- California’s efforts to reduce gun violence have long been a point of pride among the state’s liberal lawmakers. But a sense of futility and despair infused the response of many political leaders Tuesday in the bitter aftermath of three mass killings in as many days. Scott Wilson, Mark Berman and Reis Thebault in the Washington Post$ -- 1/25/23

As Mass Shootings Continue, Gridlock on Guns Returns to Washington -- After enactment of a compromise bill last year, Congress is once again stalemated on gun control, with Republicans seeking to protect the free flow of guns and Democrats calling for more limits. Annie Karni in the New York Times$ -- 1/25/23

Barabak: I covered the California McDonald’s massacre in 1984. Why does gun violence just get worse? -- For some, a certain number of lost lives are the cost of freedom. For most, that’s too high a price. But until the political dynamic shifts — until gerrymandering stops and voting against gun control becomes a liability and not a reason lawmakers stay in office — it’s a price our society and countless innocents will continue to pay. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/25/23

Harris to travel to California after 3 mass shootings -- Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Monterey Park, Calif., on Wednesday to mourn the victims of the weekend mass shooting in the Southern California city. The visit follows three mass shootings that occurred over the course of just a few days in the state. Kelly Garrity Politico Courtney Subramanian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/25/23

Monterey Park  

Dance studio killer likely fueled by hatred toward instructors, says former tenant -- Huu Can Tran harbored a deep hatred for instructors at the Star Dance Studio where he killed 11 patrons and wounded nine others Saturday, delusionally believing they were jealous of him, a man who rented a small home from the gunman said Tuesday. Scott Schwebke in the Orange County Register -- 1/25/23

Hoping to help with healing after Monterey Park tragedy, Pasadena museum offers free admission -- Museum officials decided to cancel its own Lunar New Year event set for Sunday, Jan. 22, “out of respect for the victims and an abundance of caution.” The museum, usually open on Sundays, also closed that day. Anissa Rivera in the Orange County Register -- 1/25/23

Smith: In Monterey Park and now Half Moon Bay, the pain of hearing it’s ‘one of our own’ -- Chuching Wang, president of the Taiwan Benevolent Assn. of California, squinted into the lights of about a dozen TV cameras and spoke softly, deliberately. “How could this happen in my Monterey Park?” he asked, shaking his head of graying hair. “We are so proud to be a model minority.” Erika D. Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/25/23

After California massacres, Asian Americans shoulder the grief -- More mass killings, more collective grief — and this time, Asian Americans and immigrants are shouldering the bulk of the agony. More mass killings, more collective grief — and this time, Asian Americans and immigrants are shouldering the bulk of the agony. Instead of revelry, people are organizing candlelight vigils, memorials and funeral funds. Lunar New Year events are adding more protections or shutting down. Danielle Paquette, Silvia Foster-Frau and Meena Venkataramanan in the Washington Post$ -- 1/25/23

How to talk with children about gun violence -- “Children often say they are fine after a terrible event,” Alhambra Unified School District Supt. Denise R. Jaramillo wrote in a letter to families Monday, reminding adults to watch for behavioral changes in their children that might signify they’re struggling. Schools in Alhambra reopened Tuesday. Laura Newberry, Jaclyn Cosgrove in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/25/23

Half Moon Bay  

Half Moon Bay shooting labeled ‘workplace violence,’ suspected shooter’s dark history comes to light -- A day after a mass shooting at two mushroom farms shook this seaside community, horrific details began to emerge of farm workers hiding in portable toilets as a suspected gunman with a dark history opened fire, killing seven. Eliyahu Kamisher, Aldo Toledo, Robert Salonga, Julia Prodis Sulek, Jakob Rodgers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/25/23

Half Moon Bay Suspect Was Accused of Trying to Suffocate a Roommate, Court Records Show -- The suspect in the killing of seven farmworkers in Half Moon Bay, Calif., was in 2013 accused by a roommate of trying to suffocate him with a pillow and threatening to split his head open using a kitchen knife, court documents show. Holly Secon and Livia Albeck-Ripka in the New York Times$ -- 1/25/23

Half Moon Bay’s close-knit farmworker community reels from massacre -- Authorities described the victims as five men and two women, all Asian or Latino farmworkers. Mexico’s consultate office in San Francisco said three were Mexican nationals — two of which, according to Reuters, were brothers. Elena Kadvany, J.K. Dineen, Kurtis Alexander, Erin Allday in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/25/23

Half Moon Bay, ‘Our Little Town,’ Faces a Shattered Sense of Security -- Lisa Warner-Carey, the pastor at Community United Methodist Church in Half Moon Bay, said the effects of the shootings were likely to ripple throughout the tightknit town of about 11,000 people, which, she added, has no experience with that kind of gun violence. Soumya Karlamangla in the New York Times$ -- 1/25/23

Policy and Politics  

California’s social services agency website included links to anti-immigrant group -- The Department of Social Services’ website featured links to the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) since at least 2017— one year after the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) labeled CIS an anti-immigrant hate group. Gustavo Solis KPBS -- 1/25/23

Walters: Add another to list of California’s botched projects -- California’s state government has a sorry history of botched projects and programs and long-term care insurance is another example. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 1/25/23

McCarthy bans Schiff, Swalwell from House Intelligence Committee -- The denial follows through on a pledge by McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) to remove Schiff (D-Burbank) and Swalwell (D-Dublin) from the panel in retaliation for a move by Democrats — and some Republicans — in the last Congress to strip GOP Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Paul Gosar of Arizona of their committee assignments. Nolan D. McCaskill in the Los Angeles Times$ Kevin Freking Associated Press -- 1/25/23

Workplace  

Californians to vote on overturning a new law that could raise fast-food worker wages -- A referendum to repeal California’s landmark law, AB 257, aimed at raising wages and improving conditions for fast-food workers has qualified for next year’s ballot. Suhauna Hussain in the Los Angeles Times$ Maya Miller in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/25/23

Here’s where Amazon’s latest layoffs will hit the Bay Area -- The company said it planned to lay off 104 workers in its San Francisco offices, as well as 157 employees across its Sunnyvale locations. The Sunnyvale layoffs included software engineers, data scientists, recruiters and a host of other job titles. Chase DiFeliciantonio in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/25/23

Water  

Before and after images of Irvine Lake with a billion gallons of new water -- Recent rainstorms delivered Irvine Lake about 3,250 acre-feet of water. According to Irvine Ranch Water District spokesman John Fabris, “That’s more than a billion gallons — enough to serve more than 11,000 households for a year.” Jeff Gritchen in the Orange County Register -- 1/25/23

Street  

The Monterey Park shooting exposes a major problem with crime data -- Saturday's horrific mass shooting in Monterey Park, California will likely be left out of the FBI's nationwide crime statistics, as neither city nor county officials there are using the Justice Department's new crime reporting system. Jennifer A. Kingson Axios -- 1/25/23

Federal judge slams Oakland police amid alleged misconduct scandal -- A judge managing federal oversight of the Oakland Police Department on Tuesday expressed frustration with officials over a simmering scandal involving an alleged coverup of a police officer’s misconduct. Joshua Sharpe in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/25/23

Gunfire erupts during filming of music video in Oakland, killing an 18-year-old -- Officers found spent casings at the scene but no victims. Shortly afterward, however, multiple gunshot victims were reported at Oakland-area hospitals. One person, identified Tuesday as 18-year-old Mario Navarro, died from his injuries. Christian Martinez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/25/23

Oakland police investigate gang connections in mass shooting that killed 18-year-old and injured 4 -- Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao said Tuesday that she was “heartbroken” about the mass shooting that killed one person and injured four and vowed to fight for “common-sense” gun control. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/25/23

Friendship Park  

Activists begin rallies at Border Patrol headquarters over Friendship Park wall construction -- He said the park has historical, ecological, cultural and social significance for the region, including the fact that it holds the first boundary monument constructed by survey teams from the two nations in the mid-1800s. The park is most known as a place where people who aren’t able to cross the border go to visit and touch loved ones through the fence. Kate Morrissey in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/25/23

Education  

Cal State contends with 'unprecedented' enrollment declines -- Decreases in Cal State enrollment have officials worried. Interim Chancellor Jolene Koester first warned last year that enrollment projections were down across the 23 campus system. She now concludes that those drops are real and can undermine Cal State operations. Ashley A. Smith EdSource -- 1/25/23

S.F. middle school blasted for ‘staffing chaos’ in legal complaint: ‘Inaction is not an option’ -- A civil rights law firm filed a complaint against the San Francisco school district over the “staffing chaos” at Marina Middle School, describing the conditions as the worst they’ve seen in over 20 years. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/25/23

S.F. school board progressive majority regains control after split vote -- Despite pleas from many parents to keep the status quo in the top leadership role, a new president will now run the board after a close vote Tuesday night, although the board split the ticket, giving the second seat to one of the more moderate members. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/25/23

Also . . .   

‘Did the brakes fail?’: Prosecutors checking car for mechanical problems in Tesla crash off Highway 1 -- Prosecutors who are investigating whether the driver of a Tesla intentionally crashed the car three weeks ago off the side of Highway 1, nearly killing his family members, are now also exploring whether mechanical problems could have caused the incident, the San Mateo County district attorney told The Times. Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/25/23

75-year-old hiker found on Mt. Baldy as search continues for missing actor Julian Sands -- Jin Chung went missing on Mt. Baldy nine days after British actor Julian Sands was reported missing on the same mountain. Chung was injured but able to walk with the assistance of rescuers. Christian Martinez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/25/23

 

Tuesday Updates  

Grandparents, dancers, community builders: All 11 killed in Monterey Park shooting identified -- All 11 people killed in the Monterey Park shooting have been identified. They’re remembered as dancers, beloved family members and pillars of the community. Christi Carras, Grace Toohey, Hayley Smith, Summer Lin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/24/23

California reeling from back-to-back shootings that killed 24: ‘Too much bloodshed’ -- Three mass shootings have been carried out in one week in California, in Goshen, Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay. Salvador Hernandez, Jeong Park, Ruben Vives, Nathan Solis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/24/23

Gun used in Monterey Park massacre an assault weapon under state law, known to jam -- A closer look at the MAC-10, the semiautomatic gun that law enforcement say was used in a mass shooting over the weekend that killed 11 people at a Monterey Park dance studio. Libor Jany, James Queally, Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/24/23

Monterey Park shooter: Glimpses into a life ‘so miserable and desperate’ -- Investigators continued to puzzle over what pushed Huu Can Tran to carry out a mass shooting at a Monterey Park dance studio, focusing on the possibility he was driven by jealousy. Noah Goldberg, Matthew Ormseth, Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/24/23

Gov. Newsom meets with Brandon Tsay, man credited with disarming Monterey Park gunman -- “This is what a hero looks like,” the governor wrote in a Twitter post Monday evening. “Brandon did what no one should ever have to do — stopped a gunman at his place of work from killing countless others. Forever grateful for your courage, Brandon.” The item is in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/24/23

Half Moon Bay shooting: Officials say ‘workplace violence’ fueled killing of 7 -- A man accused of killing seven people and injuring one more in Half Moon Bay is set to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon in what authorities are calling a “workplace violence” and the deadliest mass shooting in San Mateo County history, the sheriff and county’s top prosecutor said Tuesday. Matthias Gafni, Rachel Swan, Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Alexandra E. Petri, Salvador Hernandez, Summer Lin, Susanne Rust, Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times$ Jessica Flores in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Jakob Rodgers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/24/23

He’s a retired cop. She’s a ‘dancing queen.’ He saved her life at Star Ballroom -- Monterey Park, Calif., survivors recount the mass shooting at a dance haven for the Asian American community. Arelis R. Hernández, Karin Brulliard and Joanna Slater in the Washington Post$ -- 1/24/23

Shootings revive push for an assault weapons ban -- As Californians were dealing with a mass shooting in Monterey Park, the White House on Monday said it was renewing a push for sweeping gun control measures in the Senate that would renew the assault weapons ban that expired in 2004. John Yoon in the New York Times$ -- 1/24/23

Guns  

Report: San Jose gun shop inspections by police have big holes -- A newly released city report found major gaps in police inspections of San Jose’s gun shops, including failures to make required surprise visits and complete follow-up reviews of violators. “We’re seeing a lot of inconsistency” in police department’s inspections, City Auditor Joe Rois said. Gabriel Greschler in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/24/23

Google  

U.S. sues Google, calls for breakup of ad-technology ‘monopoly’ -- The U.S. Justice Department and eight states sued Alphabet’s Google, calling for the breakup of the search giant’s ad-technology business over alleged illegal monopolization of the digital advertising market. Leah Nylen Bloomberg in the Los Angeles Times$ Miles Kruppa, Sam Schechner and Dave Michaels in the Wall Street Journal$ Cat Zakrzewski and Rachel Lerman in the Washington Post$ David McCabe and Nico Grant in the New York Times$ Eric Tucker, Barbara Ortutay Associated Press -- 1/24/23

Policy and Politics  

Judge questions clarity of new California law targeting doctors who share COVID-19 misinformation -- A federal judge said Monday that he couldn’t make sense of a critical provision in a new law that punishes doctors for spreading false information about COVID-19 to their patients. Senior Judge William Shubb called its definition of misinformation “nonsense” during a hearing in the United States District Court in Sacramento. Stephen Hobbs in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/24/23

Water  

January storms leave L.A. County flood-control dams at risk of overflowing -- Flood-control dams above the communities of Arcadia, Sierra Madre, Pacoima, Sun Valley and Sunland face risk of overflowing, officials say. Louis Sahagún in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/24/23

The Fight Over California’s Ancient Water -- Wicks and his colleagues work on behalf of Cadiz, Inc., which has drilled 300 feet below the desert’s surface to reach the massive Fenner aquifer. Brett Simpson, Lenard Smith The Atlantic -- 1/24/23

Workplace   

Google plans to cut about 1,600 Bay Area jobs as tech layoffs worsen -- First wave of job cuts jolt Google workers in Silicon Valley and Southern California. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/24/23

In the wake of massive layoffs, tech workers reconsider their future -- As tech giants lay off scores of workers amid a sector-wide downturn, employees who once considered the Silicon Valley companies a safe long-term bet are reconsidering their allegiances. Brian Contreras in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/24/23

Walmart to Raise Starting Hourly Wages to $14 From $12 -- Walmart said it is raising wages for its U.S. hourly workers as the country’s largest private employer continues to fight to attract staff in a tight labor market for front-line workers. Sarah Nassauer in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 1/24/23

Companies Cut Temp Workers in Warning Sign for Labor Market -- Employment through staffing firms has fallen for five straight months; similar pullbacks have preceded recent recessions. Sarah Chaney Cambon in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 1/24/23

Sacramento-area Peet’s Coffee store becomes chain’s first US location to unionize -- Employees at the North Davis store, located at 1411 W. Covell Blvd. in a shopping center just east of Highway 113, voted 14-1 to unionize with Service Employees International Union Local 1021, Peet’s Workers United announced Friday in social media posts. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/24/23

Pay Toilets  

Could charging for public restrooms help San Diego cope with downtown’s homelessness crisis? -- San Diego city leaders want the state to lift a nearly 50-year-old ban on pay toilets, which they say could solve a shortage of clean and safe downtown restrooms that repels tourists and puts homeless people’s health at risk. David Garrick in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/24/23

Electric Vehicles   

Will California start to see even more electric vehicles? Experts say sales are at ‘tipping point’ -- Sales of electric vehicles in California soared to a record high last year, accounting for 18.8% of all new cars sold in the state and leading some analysts to suggest exponential growth could lie ahead. Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/24/23

Also . . .   

Willie Nelson will celebrate his 90th birthday at the Hollywood Bowl -- “I can’t think of a better way to spend my 90th birthday than being surrounded by family, friends and of course the fans who made all this possible,” Nelson said in a press release issued Tuesday morning. “It’s an honor to perform with such an incredible group of artists at such an iconic venue.” Kelli Skye Fadroski in the Orange County Register -- 1/24/23

The Sierra Club Tries to Move Past John Muir, George Floyd and #MeToo -- After a public reckoning and the departure of its executive director, the nation’s largest environmental organization has tapped Ben Jealous as its new leader. David Gelles in the New York Times$ -- 1/24/23

The Cost of a Stamp Just Went Up Again -- The price for a first-class Forever stamp increased to 63 cents from 60 cents, according to the U.S. Postal Service. The last increase was six months ago. Johnny Diaz in the New York Times$ -- 1/24/23