Newsletter: Essential California: Behind the violence in Berkeley, rising tensions between extremists on right and left
Conservative activists billed it as a “free speech” rally, but the demonstration in Berkeley quickly turned violent. Neil M. Gorsuch showed no nerves as he took his seat on the Supreme Court. L.A. is already the top U.S. destination for Chinese tour
Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Tuesday, April 18, and yesterday we were up in Berkeley, where the campus and local community have been recovering from a violent weekend of protests pitting Trump supporters against opponents of the administration. The protests were an indication of the escalating tactics of alt-right, white-power activists at pro-Trump rallies.
“They will glom themselves onto a tax day rally, a Trump rally, but there is a subgroup of extremists on both sides who are angling for a street battle,” said Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University-San Bernardino. Replayed to their audiences on social media, “it goes viral.” Los Angeles Times
Plus: Does the situation at Berkeley show evidence of a heightening American culture and political war? The view from the street. The Daily Beast
And: One alt-right figure at the center of the violence is facing scrutiny. Los Angeles Times
We’ll have more from the home of the Golden Bears, but first here’s what’s happening across California:
TOP STORIES
A fund to help immigrants
A $10-million legal fund that will help immigrants fight deportations is also causing a rift between political leaders and progressive groups. The fight is over whether this money should be used to help immigrants with violent criminal convictions. Los Angeles Times
How to save that water!
The San Joaquin Valley aquifer is one place where the state could store a lot of the excess water that has been dumped on California in this record-setting rainy winter. “We have a great reservoir under our feet. Why not use it?” farmer Don Cameron asked. Los Angeles Times
Border agents listen
“The Green Line” podcast has spent years arguing that front-line Border Patrol agents have been cast aside and ignored. But all that’s changed now that Donald Trump is president. Trump even called into the show during election season. Los Angeles Times
L.A. STORIES
Looking for new fans: The Dodgers haven’t been this good in a long time. The only problem is that lots of fans can’t watch them on television or afford tickets to the games. That’s going to make attracting the next generation of fans a lot harder. Los Angeles Times
Building a safety net: Los Angeles County unveiled its budget of more than $30 billion for the next fiscal year. It includes more than $600 million for preventing and combating homelessness, improving child welfare services, treating the county’s sickest patients and diverting individuals from jails. Los Angeles Times
One week later: Classes resumed at North Park Elementary in San Bernardino the week after a shooter killed a student, a teacher and then himself. As the kids returned, a performer blew bubbles, a man handed out teddy bears, and parents consoled each other. Associated Press
IMMIGRATION AND THE BORDER
Deported veterans pardoned: California Gov. Jerry Brown granted full pardons this weekend to three U.S. veterans who were deported after being convicted of crimes and serving out prison sentences in the state. The three men currently live in Mexico. Fusion
Visas down: For the first time in four years, the number of H-1B visa applications, which are reserved for workers with specialized skills, has declined. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services received 199,000 H-1B applications for the next fiscal year, which is a steep decline from the number of applicants they received the year before. San Francisco Chronicle
Latest stats: ICE arrests of non-criminals have risen under President Trump, but the number is still lower than at the height of the Obama era. Washington Post
POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
Calexit exit: Less than three months after being given the green light to start gathering voter signatures, the author of a closely watched effort to split California from the United States has decided to withdraw his proposal. Los Angeles Times
Garcetti’s glam shot: Mayor Eric Garcetti sat for an interview with an unlikely outlet: Vogue. The city’s leader recently was profiled by the fashion magazine. Vogue
CRIME AND COURTS
Tech-savvy festivalgoers: Coachella festivalgoers were able to use the “Find my iPhone” app to locate a man who allegedly stole 100 cellphones at the festival. Los Angeles Times
Police shooting explained: Fresno authorities say a 16-year-old boy shot and critically wounded by a California police officer was linked to a shooting a day earlier that led to the death of another teenager. Associated Press
CALIFORNIA CULTURE
Why is that? Breast cancer rates are rising among Asian Americans in California, which is in contrast to other racial groups that have seen a decline in the disease. The Mercury News
Coming this fall: A special showcase is coming to Los Angeles this fall highlighting the work of Latin American artists. Los Angeles Times
Coffee comeback! It’s a Grind, which once had a larger presence in Orange County, is planning a Southern California comeback. Orange County Register
Find that perfect houseboat: Did you know that there are houseboats for sale in the Los Angeles area? Here’s how far your money will go for one of these vessels. LA Curbed
Meow: There’s now a cat cafe in Los Angeles, and the name is of course Crumbs & Whiskers. Sprudge
CALIFORNIA ALMANAC
San Diego and Los Angeles area: partly cloudy Tuesday and Wednesday. Sacramento and San Francisco area: rainy Tuesday and some clouds Wednesday. More weather is here.
AND FINALLY
In place of a California memory, your Essential California team is bringing you some additional reporting from Northern California. The violent Berkeley protests, which led to at least 21 arrests, got national and international media coverage, but they were also covered closely by one of the country’s oldest college newspapers:The Daily Californian. The paper had three reporters spread out through the chaotic scene and one student back at the office taking information from the reporters and writing up stories, according to Daily Cal assistant editor Harini Shyamsundar, who was out there on Saturday.
She said the paper has learned a lot covering a string of violent encounters between authorities and protesters from the left and right this year. In early February, conservative lightning rod Milo Yiannopoulos had a campus appearance canceled after $100,000 worth of damage was caused on campus. “That level of violence was really unexpected” said Shyamsundar. The paper had planned to cover a provocateur, not a riot, she said. So after that episode and another protest in March, “We sort of knew how violent it could get,” she added.
Just a sophomore, she added that it’s instructional when a big story of national attention hits in your backyard. She recalled how a fire was started in the middle of the protest as fire crackers were going off around her feet. “It’s always crazy when national news outlets are covering what we are covering. We definitely tried our best to represent both sides.”
If you have a memory or story about the Golden State, share it with us. Send us an email to let us know what you love or fondly remember about our state. (Please keep your story to 100 words.)
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