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☆ Live Updates: Police Clear U.C.L.A. Encampment and Arrest Protesters
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Jonathan Wolfe | Mike Ives | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +12 min

But by Wednesday morning, the peace at the University of California, Los Angeles, had been shattered. Many critics were incredulous that even after officers with the Los Angeles Police Department arrived, there were no arrests or suspensions. Campus officials ordered protesters on Wednesday evening to leave the encampment or face arrest. Image A group of counterprotesters attacked a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of California, Los Angeles, on Tuesday night. seemed to wait too long to call in the Los Angeles police, whose officers did not arrive until after midnight.

Persons: fistfights, “, ”, Marie Salem, Mark Abramson, ANGELES Royce Hall Dickson, Ms, Salem, Aidan Woodruff, Mr, Woodruff, counterprotesters, Philip Cheung, Gene Block, Block, Israel counterprotesters, Karen Bass’s, Counterprotesters, Michael Nasir, Mary Osako, Katy Yaroslavsky, streetlight, Hussam Ayloush, Rob Bonta, Ayloush, Benjamin Kersten, Bella Brannon, Brannon, Jill Cowan, Shawn Hubler, Livia Albeck, Claire Fahy, John Yoon, Yan Zhuang Organizations: University of California, Student, The New York, The New York Times, Los Angeles Police Department, OF, ANGELES Royce Hall Dickson, ANGELES Royce Hall, ANGELES Royce Hall Dickson Court, ., Israel, Royce Hall, Los Angeles police, Police Department, Patrol, California, Credit, . Palestinian Solidarity, Jewish, Fairfax District, Jewish Federation Los, Los, Los Angeles Area, Islamic Relations, Jewish Voice, Peace Locations: Los Angeles, U.C.L.A, Israel, California, . Palestinian, counterprotesters, ”, Westside, Beverly Hills, Iranian, Gaza, Palestine

☆ University of Southern California Confronts an Unfamiliar Era of Protest
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Shawn Hubler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A leafy quad strewn with camping equipment. But in Los Angeles, the talk has been less about what was happening than about where it was happening: at the University of Southern California, a private, 144-year-old West Coast institution hardly known for intense political rebellion. “This is not the first university you think of when you think of protests and occupying the central quad and confronting the police,” said Zev Yaroslavsky, a former longtime Los Angeles County supervisor and city councilman. ?”Entwined for generations with Los Angeles’s power structure, U.S.C. has long held a special place in the nation’s second-largest city — not just as a school, but also as a community pillar in a sprawling metropolis where fixed points are hard to find.

Persons: ”, Zev Yaroslavsky, “ Organizations: Police, University of Southern, Harvard Locations: Israel, Los Angeles, University of Southern California, West, Los Angeles County, “ Berkeley

It would become an indelible memory for those who could not help but watch and watch and watch: a white Ford Bronco steadily traveling along the cleared freeways of Southern California, a trail of police cars not far behind. Simpson, and the two-hour chase on June 17, 1994, that interrupted regular programming transfixed a nation. I wasn’t getting off the TV. Who was getting off the TV on a chase like that?” said Richard Smith, 67, who gathered that day with his family to see it all unfold on television in their South Los Angeles apartment. The saga of Mr. Simpson, from the chase to the criminal trial to the aftermath, would be followed, debated and dissected closely by millions, etching itself into Los Angeles history and thrusting the city into what seemed the center of the universe.

Persons: Simpson, “, wasn’t, ”, Richard Smith, Mr Organizations: Ford Bronco Locations: Southern California, South Los Angeles, Los Angeles

☆ California’s Ballot Measure on Mental Health Care Still Isn’t Decided. Why?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-10 | by ( Shawn Hubler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

California has about 12 percent of the nation’s population but more than a quarter of America’s homeless people — 181,000-plus at last count. But since the pandemic turned fentanyl abuse and tent camps into inescapable symptoms of a public health crisis, state policymakers have been under intense pressure to rethink California’s approach to behavioral health. Last week, Californians voted on a key piece of that rethinking — a deeper focus on treatment and housing for homeless people with severe mental illnesses and substance use disorders. The ballot measure, called Proposition 1, was the product of months of work by Gov. Entering the week, the measure is hanging on with 50.5 percent of the vote and an estimated 2.5 million ballots left to count.

Persons: Gavin Newsom Organizations: Gov Locations: California

So were the page-long passages and the pressure to speed-read them. Optional, and only for taking notes. On Saturday, students in America took the newest version of the SAT, which was shorter, faster — and most notably, all online. Some exams were briefly mired by technical glitches, but even so, many test takers had positive views about the new format. “It’s here to stay,” said Harvey Joiner, 17, a junior at Maynard H. Jackson High School in Atlanta, referring to the digital format.

Persons: “, ”, Harvey Joiner, Maynard H Organizations: Jackson High School Locations: America, Atlanta

Layla Elabed, campaign manager for Listen to Michigan, which spearheaded the protest vote against President Biden last week in Michigan. “Elections have a certain amount of momentum,” said Keith Ellison, Minnesota’s Democratic attorney general, who voted for Mr. Biden. Uncommitted Minnesota said it spent about $20,000 on the campaign since beginning last Monday. In Washington, organizers are pushing similar efforts to vote “uncommitted” in the state’s primary next week. It was not our first choice, but we have to let President Biden know that our votes are not to be taken for granted.”Nicholas Nehamas contributed reporting from Minneapolis.

Persons: Layla Elabed, Biden, Israel —, Mr, Uncommitted, Rashida Tlaib, Donald J, Donald Trump, ”, Elianne Farhat, Kamala Harris, “, Lauren Hitt, Cole Harrison, Trump, Keith Ellison, Ellison, Biden’s, Joe Biden, Abdullah Elagha, Harrison, Ilhan Omar, Rania Masri, —, uncommitted, Rami Al, ” Nicholas Nehamas Organizations: Democratic, Democratic National Convention, Somali, Trump, Uncommitted Minnesota, Hamas, Massachusetts Peace, Mr, “, Democratic Party, Colorado Palestine Coalition, Abandon Biden, Republican Party Locations: Michigan, Israel, Gaza, Colorado, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Cambridge, Colorado , Massachusetts, North Carolina, United States, American, Uncommitted Minnesota, In Minnesota, Georgia, Washington, Bothell, Minneapolis

☆ In California, Senate Battle Has the Most Intrigue
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Shawn Hubler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

California is a big part of Super Tuesday, but don’t expect a big turnout in the state. With little drama in the presidential primaries, voters have been slow to turn in their mail ballots so far, and lackluster participation is expected for this election. Out of more than 22 million mail ballots issued to registered voters in early February, only about 16 percent were returned by mid-Tuesday. “Turnout is probably going to be a record low for a presidential primary in California,” said Paul Mitchell, a Democratic political consultant and political data expert. He predicted that less than a third of registered voters would cast ballots in California.

Persons: ”, Paul Mitchell, Feinstein, Dianne Feinstein, Gavin Newsom, Laphonza Butler, Adam Schiff, Trump’s Organizations: Democratic, Gov Locations: California, Burbank

☆ Schiff and Garvey Advance in the California Senate Race for Feinstein’s Seat
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Shawn Hubler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Representative Adam Schiff, the lead prosecutor in Donald J. Trump’s first impeachment trial, and Steve Garvey, a former Major League Baseball star, advanced on Tuesday night to the California general election for a Senate seat, according to The Associated Press. Representative Barbara Lee, a Democrat and well-known Bay Area progressive, was in fourth place. The November general election will determine who will replace Dianne Feinstein, who held the seat for more than three decades until her death in September. During the campaign, Ms. Porter, 50, had accused Mr. Schiff, 63, and his supporters of engineering Mr. Garvey’s ascendance to set up an easier November election. Mr. Schiff, who had raised more than $30 million by last month, spent lavishly on statewide ads that compared Mr. Garvey to Mr. Trump, and that framed him as Mr. Schiff’s chief opponent.

Persons: Adam Schiff, Donald J, Trump’s, Steve Garvey, Schiff, Garvey, Katie Porter, Barbara Lee, Dianne Feinstein, Porter, Garvey’s ascendance, Mr, Trump, Schiff’s Organizations: Major League Baseball, Associated Press, Democratic, Orange County Democrat, Democrat Locations: California, Los Angeles, Orange

☆ Schiff Led the ‘Nerd Caucus’ Before the Trump Era. Now He’s a Senate Favorite.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Shawn Hubler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Before Representative Adam B. Schiff became famous as the chief congressional tormentor of former President Donald J. Trump, his professional hallmark was his low profile. In a Southern California district glittering with show business, he was simply “the congressman from Burbank.” In a state teeming with Democratic political stars, he was rarely on short lists for higher office. In Congress, his calling cards for years were the Democratic Study Group on National Security — also known as “the nerd caucus” — which he co-founded, and his knack for securing federal dollars for light rail in Greater Los Angeles. Now Mr. Schiff is a national figure and the favorite to become the next California senator, buoyed in his liberal-dominated state by his anti-Trump bona fides: lead manager during the former president’s first impeachment trial and proud recipient of a censure once Republicans took control of the House. As Tuesday’s primary draws near, Mr. Schiff is the Democratic front-runner, and polls suggest he may be on a glide path to the seat, which was held by Senator Dianne Feinstein for more than 30 years until her death at age 90 in September.

Persons: Adam B, Schiff, Donald J, Trump, National Security —, Dianne Feinstein Organizations: ”, Democratic, Group, National Security, Trump Locations: Southern California, Burbank, Greater Los Angeles, California

☆ Riding His Baseball Fame, Steve Garvey Disrupts the California Senate Race
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Shawn Hubler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

In the crowded race to succeed the late Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, Steve Garvey stands out both for his celebrity and for how little he has actually campaigned. At community forums, the former baseball star turned pitchman has been a serial no-show. The 75-year-old Republican, a political novice, has raised only a sliver of the tens of millions of dollars needed to win a statewide race in California. Yet with only two weeks left until the March 5 primary, Mr. Garvey stands to win one of two November runoff spots despite facing three experienced Democratic members of Congress and a host of other contenders. While Representative Adam Schiff has widened his overall lead, polls suggest that Mr. Garvey could beat Representative Katie Porter for second place in California’s unusual “jungle” primary.

Persons: Dianne Feinstein, Steve Garvey, pitchman, Garvey, Adam Schiff, Katie Porter Organizations: California Locations: California

☆ California and Oregon Ease Covid Isolation Rules, Breaking With C.D.C.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Shawn Hubler | Adeel Hassan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

From the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, it has been doctor’s orders in this country: If you test positive, stay away from other people, even if you aren’t coughing or feverish. In recent months, however, that rule has been relaxed in two of the unlikeliest places. The new approach has been greeted with trepidation by some health experts in the United States, especially as wastewater data shows a surge in cases driven by a new variant. But many scientists say that Covid has transitioned from a public health crisis into more of a featured virus among an array of respiratory risks. Covid-19 is endemic,” said Dr. Melissa Sutton, medical director for respiratory viral pathogens at the Oregon Health Authority.

Persons: ”, Melissa Sutton, “ Organizations: for Disease Control, Oregon Health Authority Locations: Oregon, California, United States

☆ DeSantis and Newsom Debate Fact-Check: A Spirited Discussion, Different Sets of Facts
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Shawn Hubler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

DeSantis and Newsom Debate Fact-Check: A Spirited Discussion, Different Sets of Facts The governors of Florida and California squared off on Fox News and brought their statistics and attacks. Ron DeSantis of Florida and Gov. Gavin Newsom of California debated on the differences between their state’s policies on Thursday night. Billed as a “Red State-Blue State debate,” the two governors onstage, Ron DeSantis of Florida and Gavin Newsom of California, are not running against each other for anything. One is a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination and the other, a chief surrogate for President Biden.

Persons: DeSantis, Newsom, Angelo Fichera, Ron DeSantis, Gavin Newsom, Biden, Sean Hannity, — Organizations: Fox News, Gov, Fox, Republican Locations: Florida, California, Blue

The distinction is politically significant as the public has become increasingly frustrated over homeless camps in Los Angeles and other California cities, seeing them as a blight on neighborhoods and a threat to public safety. Some critics were quick this weekend to suggest that homeless campers might have been responsible for the latest blaze, which shuttered a freeway traversed by about 300,000 vehicles daily. “It’s an ongoing issue, but I don’t want to conflate it with the source of this fire,” Mr. de León said. “We need to see where the investigation goes.”Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles similarly urged caution and asked the public to refrain from jumping to conclusions about who had set the fire. There is no reason to assume that the origin of this fire or the reason this fire happened was because there were unhoused individuals nearby.”

Persons: Kevin de León, Mr, de León, Karen Bass, ”, “ Locations: Los Angeles, California, Angeles

Tens of thousands of demonstrators were expected to fill the streets of Washington and other cities across America on Saturday to protest the scope and scale of Israel’s retaliation in Gaza for last month’s terrorist assault by Hamas. Most Americans say that they sympathize with Israel, even as they dread the war’s fallout for their own country. But as Israel escalates attacks on Gaza and fatalities reported by Gazan authorities rise, U.S. support for Palestinian civilians has surged as well. Nonetheless, a 51 percent majority supported sending more military aid to Israel for their campaign against Hamas, and 71 percent supported humanitarian assistance for Palestinian civilians in Gaza. Washington was expected to be a hub of protest.

Persons: Saturday’s, Washington Organizations: Quinnipiac University, Hamas, White, Museum of, Palestinian People, Freedom Locations: Washington, America, Gaza, New York, Seattle, San Francisco, Orono , Maine, Israel, U.S, United States, Pennsylvania

The terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israelis, in particular, were triggering for her, she said. “I understand that there has been a fight between the two for years and years,” said Ms. Lucas, 58. They could not condone terrorist attacks, they said, but sympathized with Palestinians and what they see as the long discrimination they have endured. “There are times when I sit in the middle, because I can see both sides of it,” Janet Lucas said. “And then I also think, is there another way, could the United States or any other country get involved to help them to come to some form of peace?”

Persons: Randy Schmidt, Mr, Schmidt, Trump’s, “, ” Mr, “ It’s, Janet Lucas, ”, Lucas, Michael, ” Janet Lucas Locations: Wisconsin, Lone Rock, Wis, Richland County, Israel, Milwaukee, East, Ukraine, Brookfield, Tampa, Fla, United States

☆ Laphonza Butler Will Not Run for Senate in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Shawn Hubler | More About Shawn Hubler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Laphonza Butler, who was appointed 18 days ago to fill the Senate seat left vacant by Dianne Feinstein’s death, said on Thursday that she would not run for the office next year, clearing the way for a truly open race in California that features three Democratic congressional members and a former Major League Baseball star. In an interview with The New York Times, Senator Butler said that she intended to be “the loudest, proudest champion of California” in the 383 days remaining in her term in office, but that she had realized “this is not the greatest use of my voice.”Ms. Butler has never been elected to office and was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom less than three weeks ago, helping him to fulfill his promise to name a Black woman to complete Senator Feinstein’s term. Even without Ms. Butler in the running, Californians will have a wealth of candidates to choose from. Three high-profile Democratic members of Congress — Representatives Katie Porter, Adam Schiff and Barbara Lee — had been campaigning for months when Senator Feinstein died at 90 in late September.

Persons: Laphonza Butler, Dianne Feinstein’s, Butler, Ms, Gavin Newsom, Feinstein’s, Katie Porter, Adam Schiff, Barbara Lee —, Feinstein Organizations: Democratic, Major League Baseball, The New York Times, Gov Locations: California

Jan Sramek was 15 years old the first time he tried to get a government to do something he wanted. The problem was his town of 1,400 people had only dial-up internet service. He persuaded the local government to pay an internet service provider to bring the town a broadband connection. He was even paid a commission for it, Mr. Sramek wrote in “Racing Towards Excellence,” a sort of self-help book for ambitious young adults he co-wrote in 2009. The next campaign for Mr. Sramek could be more profitable.

Persons: Jan Sramek, Sramek Organizations: Silicon Locations: Drevohostice, Czech Republic, Northern California

☆ California Attorney General Seeks to Block Transgender Notification Policy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Shawn Hubler | More About Shawn Hubler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

The attorney general, a Democrat, said the policies amounted to the “forced outing” of transgender students. The other districts include Anderson Union High School District in Northern California and the Murrieta Valley and Temecula Valley school districts in the Inland Empire. Mr. Bonta filed his lawsuit in San Bernardino Superior Court asking for a temporary injunction against the Chino Valley policy and seeking a permanent order blocking it. He argues that the policy violates the California Constitution because it discriminates against transgender students, denies their right to education and violates their right to privacy. “This is another ploy to stop all the districts around California from adopting a common sense legal policy.

Persons: Bonta, Tony Thurmond, Sonja Shaw, Mr, Thurmond, Ms, Shaw, ” Organizations: Unified School District, Democrats, Anderson Union High School District, Inland Empire, San Bernardino Superior Court, New York Times Locations: Chino, San Bernardino County, California, United States, Chino Valley, Los Angeles, Northern California, Temecula Valley, Inland, San Bernardino

At least four people were dead, including a gunman, and six others were injured after a man believed to have been a retired law enforcement officer opened fire at a popular biker bar in Southern California on Wednesday evening as a crowd gathered for a rock music show and spaghetti night, the authorities said. The shooting occurred at about 7 p.m. at Cook’s Corner, a bar in Trabuco Canyon, a rural community in eastern Orange County, Jeff Hallock, undersheriff at the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, said. The injured were taken to Providence Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, Calif. Two of the patients were in critical condition, and four were in stable condition, the hospital said. Undersheriff Hallock said the shooting erupted in front of as many as 40 people. He called the incident “an absolute tragic event.”

Persons: Jeff Hallock, undersheriff, Undersheriff Hallock, ” Organizations: Orange County Sheriff’s Department, Providence Mission Hospital Locations: Southern California, Trabuco, Orange County, Orange, Providence, Mission Viejo, Calif

☆ For Hawaii’s Governor, a Balancing Act With No Margin for Error
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Shawn Hubler | More About Shawn Hubler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

At the Capitol, Mr. Green was neither part of his party’s progressive wing nor a player in the mainstream party apparatus, Professor Moore said. After focusing on homelessness and public health as a legislator, Mr. Green ran for lieutenant governor in 2018 and won again. When Covid hit in 2020, David Ige, who was then the governor, informally made Mr. Green the administration’s pandemic point man. But their relationship was not always harmonious, and the early call on the cruise lines fed perceptions that Mr. Green was prematurely campaigning to succeed Mr. Ige, who was prevented by term limits from running for re-election in 2022. A year later, Mr. Green defeated six other Democrats in the primary and won the general election easily.

Persons: Green, Moore, Jill Tokuda, Covid, David Organizations: Capitol, Congress

Hours before the wildfire became an inferno that wiped out the historic Hawaiian town of Lahaina, officials at the West Maui Land Company reached out to the state with an urgent request. The company, a real estate developer that supplies water to areas southeast of Lahaina, took note of the dangerous combination of high winds and drought-parched grasses Maui was facing. It asked for permission to fill up one of its private reservoirs in case firefighters needed it. In the interim, a brush fire that had been contained that morning flared up once again and swept through Lahaina, burning everything in its path. It is unlikely that filling up the private reservoir would have changed the course of the Lahaina wildfire, state officials say, and winds were so high that day that helicopter crews would have been unable to reach it.

Organizations: Maui Land Company Locations: Lahaina, Maui

It was moments later when she caught a glimpse of smoke in the distance. At first it was a wisp, but within minutes it had grown thicker, rippling down the hillside on violent winds. Ms. Denton Fuqua, 32, and her husband were worried. They grabbed a few essentials and prepared to leave in their cars. “People were just like, ‘Oh, are you heading out?’ Ms. Denton Fuqua recalled.

Persons: Chelsea Denton Fuqua, Denton Fuqua, —, Ms, “ Organizations: Chelsea Locations: Lahaina, Maui

The losses in Lahaina from the fire now include the historic Baldwin Home, which houses the restoration foundation’s main office and was considered the oldest house still standing on the island of Maui. It was built between 1834-35 by the Rev. Ephraim Spaulding, a missionary from Massachusetts who prized its proximity to the waters where whaling ships once anchored. The home contained the wooden rocking chairs that the family of the Rev. Unlike others in Lahaina whose families in the area stretch back generations, Ms. Morrison, 75, from Berkeley, Calif., happened upon the town while sailing around the Hawaiian islands in 1975.

Persons: Baldwin, Ephraim Spaulding, Dwight Baldwin, Morrison, Mark Twain, ”, “, — Organizations: East Coast Locations: Lahaina, Maui, Massachusetts, East, Berkeley, Calif, ”

Devastating wildfires linked to climate change have lately become somewhat normal in the American West and beyond. In that sense, the Maui fires are nothing new. The ones on Maui this week are destructive in part because of the island’s isolation, fragile supply chains and dependence on tourism. The winds driving the fires, driven themselves in part by a hurricane passing hundreds of miles away in the Pacific Ocean, were expected to ease on Thursday. Phone service was down in some parts of the island’s west coast, including Hawaii’s former royal capital, Lahaina, where fire has been ripping through weathered wooden storefronts.

Persons: ”, Burgess Harrison, “ Organizations: Fire, U.S . Coast Guard, Hawaii Department of Health Locations: Maui, American, Maui and Minnesota, Minnesota, Hawaii, Lahaina

☆ Lahaina, Devastated Town on Maui, Is a Trove of Hawaiian History
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Shawn Hubler | More About Shawn Hubler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For many visitors, the town of Lahaina is a place to go for tropical beaches. Its heritage museum, in a landmark courthouse, houses artifacts from before the rest of the world knew Hawaii existed. Its oldest building, the Baldwin Home, was occupied by the 19th-century physician who saved Maui from an epidemic of smallpox. “We had no preparation, no warning, nothing,” said Theo Morrison, the executive director of the Lahaina Restoration Foundation, which manages more than a dozen historic sites in the town. She left Maui a day before the fires had broken out on Tuesday night, bound for Europe on family business, she said.

Persons: Baldwin, ”, Theo Morrison, Morrison Organizations: Lahaina Restoration Foundation Locations: Lahaina, Hawaii, Maui, East Coast, Europe

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