California: At a Loss for Words

When East Coast commentators report on some development out here with the barb "Only in California," those of us on the Left Coast tend to wince. 

"There they go again."

But I have to admit just this once that it seems unlikely that anywhere *other* than California would you have a popular governor facing a recall election opponent who is a 71-year-old transgender activist/reality TV star/former Olympian and a staunch Republican.

Before you dismiss this as another quirky one-day story, I've got two words for you: Arnold Schwarzenegger.

This kind of thing does happen out here from time to time and maybe it should. Where else in America can you transform yourself publicly and become a celebrity in the process, have utterly no experience but assume you are qualified for the state's top job? Plus we like to be first in everything.

So, given the state of our body politic, I'm not betting against her chances. Californians get tired of the status quo even before it shows up and after all, Gavin Newsom has been governor for at least a New York minute.

Caitlyn Jenner's announcement that she is entering the race notes that California has become a one-party state. That happened a while back actually, so I wouldn't call that a "news" release. And most of us haven't met an actual Republican in decades, unless you count Kevin McCarthy, who is a special kind of nut created by breeding an almond tree with a kidney stone.

Now, that doesn't mean a Republican can't win out here, they just need to have a good back story.

And I'll grant you that Jenner's is a doozy.

And despite our reputation, we're fond of Republicans out here. After all, we gave you Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan.

So welcome to the modcast we call California, Ms. Jenner. May you not be at a loss for words. Because, alas, when it comes to your candidacy, I am.

***

Speaking of DNA, which we weren't but are now, I watched my grandson and his study partner attempt to replicate the DNA of a tomato on Friday. Not wanting to interrupt, I didn't ascertain whether they were doing this simply as an academic exercise or to create a new line of tomatoes.

That's how it is to live here smack on the edge of Silicon Valley: You can never tell which odd moment will evolve into the founding myth of the next hot startup, and who better to launch one than a blood relative?

You're forgiven if you've never had to sign an NDA -- non-disclosure agreement -- but many of us keep them in the top drawer of our file cabinets. They're more common than parking tickets in the financial district, but only theoretically as enforceable.

BTW, have you ever noticed how similar the initials of DNA and NDA are? Dyslexia is quite common in Silicon Valley so I'm not sure I'll ever be able to let you know how those tomatoes turn out.

***

As part of my research for this essay, I unearthed California's official state song, which to the best of my knowledge almost never gets played. I've lived here 50 years, raised 6 kids in many different schools, attended official events with state officials, including in Sacramento, and I've never heard this stinker.

With all due respect to late Francis Beatty Silverwood  and Abraham Franklin Frankenstein, but is this the best you could come up with?

It sounds like a fourth-grade music class version of what an official song might sound like for Topeka with the kids dancing in tutus and top hats.

***

The headlines, including the one I've covered:

* Caitlyn Jenner, the former Olympian and reality TV star, announced she plans to run to replace California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in an expected recall election later this year. "I'm in! California is worth fighting for," she tweeted Friday morning. Jenner, a longtime Republican, filed paperwork in Los Angeles County and announced her intent on her website. Her bid is one of the most high profile campaigns by a transgender person in the the country. "California has been my home for nearly 50 years. I came here because I knew that anyone, regardless of their background or station in life, could turn their dreams into reality," Jenner said in a news release. "But for the past decade, we have seen the glimmer of the Golden State reduced by one-party rule that places politics over progress and special interests over people. Sacramento needs an honest leader with a clear vision." (CNN)

* Although there's a growing sense that normalcy is within reach after the devastating Covid-19 pandemic, experts are continuing to push for more vaccinations -- particularly as new research details the long-term consequences for those who are diagnosed with the virus. In what the authors say is the largest study to date of the long-term impact, researchers from Washington University in St. Louis found that people who had Covid-19 seem to face a much greater risk of death and need more medical care in the six months after their diagnosis, even if they had a milder form of the disease. (CNN)

* Biden Wants to Slash Emissions. Success Would Mean a Very Different America. -- Hitting the targets could require a rapid shift to electric vehicles, the expansion of forests nationwide, development of complex new carbon-capture technology and many other changes, researchers said. (NYT)

* Avril Haines, the director of national intelligence, said the Biden administration views climate change as an “urgent national security threat” that will be at the “center” of the country’s foreign policy. (HuffPost)

* As economy spikes, GOP still awaits ‘Biden depression’ -- Trump’s claims of an imminent depression have complicated Republican efforts to craft an economic message. (WaPo)

* California public schools experienced a sharp decline in enrollment this year as the pandemic pushed millions of students into online learning. (AP)

* Capital-Gains Tax Hike Is on Biden’s Radar -- Raising the top rate on investment income and other tax changes would help pay for President Biden’s efforts to address poverty and education. (WSJ)

* Japan Declares 3rd State Of Emergency, 3 Months Ahead Of Olympics (NPR)

* With Derek Chauvin's guilty verdict secured, the state of Minnesota will turn its attention to the three other former police officers facing charges in George Floyd's murder. J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao will stand trial together in August for aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. (HuffPost)

* The American Family Plan, which the president wants to pay for by increasing the capital gains tax and the top marginal income tax rate, currently doesn’t include an effort to expand health coverage. (NYT)

* FDA: N95 masks, now plentiful, should no longer be reused (AP)

* How Electric, Self-Driving Cars and Ride-Hailing Will Transform the Car Industry -- The era launched by Henry Ford more than a century ago is coming to an end, and the big question is whether the U.S. can keep up with China in the new race. Welcome to the world of AutoTech. (WSJ)

* In the 1970s, the EPA allowed chemical companies to dump toxic waste into the deep sea, seemingly thinking that the ocean was a bottomless pit, too vast for human pollution to leave a mark. Now, oil giants are drilling right on top of it. (HuffPost)

* As pandemic relief funds flood in, cities see a chance to transform (WaPo)

* Data from a Boston hospital showed that Latino patients who did not speak English well had a 35% greater risk of death from COVID-19. The hospital has added interpretation capacity. (NPR)

* University of California and California State University, two of the largest university systems in the U.S., will require COVID-19 vaccinations for all students, faculty and staff on their campuses this fall. The mandate is the largest of its kind in American higher education. [HuffPost]

* Britain Apologizes for Racism in World War I Memorials (NYT)

* Overdose Deaths Surged In Pandemic, As More Drugs Were Laced With Fentanyl (NPR)

* In the tombs of Saqqara, new discoveries are rewriting ancient Egypt’s history (WaPo)

* Baseball in the Bay Area: After a bad start (0-6), the Oakland A's have a 12-game winning streak and the best record in the American League (13-7). The San Francisco Giants are also 13-7, which is the second-best record in the National League. (DW)

* Biden Sends In Troops To Liberate Afghanistan From U.S. (The Onion)

***

"I Love You, California"

I.
I love you, California, you're the greatest state of all.
I love you in the winter, summer, spring and in the fall.
I love your fertile valleys; your dear mountains I adore.
I love your grand old ocean and I love her rugged shore.

Chorus
When the snow crowned Golden Sierras
Keep their watch o'er the valleys bloom,
It is there I would be in our land by the sea,
Every breeze bearing rich perfume.
It is here nature gives of her rarest. It is Home Sweet Home to me,
And I know when I die I shall breathe my last sigh
For my sunny California.

II.
I love your red-wood forests – love your fields of yellow grain.
I love your summer breezes and I love your winter rain.
I love you, land of flowers; land of honey, fruit and wine.
I love you, California; you have won this heart of mine.

III.
I love your old gray Missions – love your vineyards stretching far.
I love you, California, with your Golden Gate ajar.
I love your purple sun-sets, love your skies of azure blue.
I love you, California; I just can't help loving you.

IV.
I love you, Catalina, you are very dear to me.
I love you, Tamalpais, and I love Yosemite.
I love you, Land of Sunshine, half your beauties are untold.
I loved you in my childhood, and I'll love you when I'm old.

lyrics: Francis Beatty Silverwood 

   music: Abraham Franklin Frankenstein

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