TOP STORIES

The effort to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom is struggling

Most likely California voters are opposed to the Republican-led recall effort against Gov. Gavin Newsom and a growing number fear the consequences of removing him from office with a hard-right conservative best positioned to take his place, according to new poll by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California.

The poll found that 58% of likely voters surveyed in California oppose removing Newsom from office compared to 39% who support recalling the governor, a gap rooted in the sharp partisan divide between Democratic and Republican voters in the state.

More California politics

— Newsom’s difficulties are largely of his own making, though some factors are well beyond his control. But Columnist Mark Barabak says the main reason voters are being summoned to the polls less than nine months before the next scheduled election is the relative ease of forcing a recall attempt in California.

— Larry Elder’s fan base draws from a coalition of Californians that includes some with no party preference as well as pockets of support among evangelicals, voters older than 65, people who voted for former President Trump and residents of rural areas.

— Elder pushes stances on education, housing in effort to win over Latino voters.

— Who’s voted so far in the California recall? Lots of Democrats and few young people.

— Social media advertising has taken on outsized proportions during the recall effort. It’s an online war that could change the outcome.

Sign up for our California Politics newsletter to get the best of The Times’ state politics reporting, including full coverage of the recall election and the latest action in Sacramento.

Caldor fire blows past 200,000 acres as it moves toward Nevada

Wildfire crews faced yet another grueling day Wednesday as the massive Caldor fire blew past 200,000 acres and continued its steady march east toward Nevada.

Firefighters made an all-out effort Tuesday to defend the Lake Tahoe Basin and were able to protect many of the homes in Christmas Valley and Meyers, while also herding the flames into areas south of the popular resort city of South Lake Tahoe.

But firefighters are also dealing with another challenge, officials said: fatigue. The fire has been burning for 18 days. As of Wednesday morning, it had seared through 204,390 acres and was 20% contained.

More wildfire headlines

— As the Caldor fire grows to more than 200,000 acres, the solution to keeping it from entering populated areas may be to direct it straight into the path of another blaze: the Tamarack fire.

— Multiple California wildfires are growing more dangerous amid winds and heat.

— The epic battle to save South Lake Tahoe as Caldor fire rages toward Nevada.

— How to prepare for a disaster if you live with a disability.

California sees progress in coronavirus fight compared with Texas, Florida, other states

California is seeing some positive signs in the fight against the latest coronavirus surge fueled by the highly contagious Delta variant.

Vaccinations are increasing steadily, test positivity rates are falling and the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 has flattened as of late.

Still, numbers of newly confirmed cases remain high overall, meaning the ripple effects of the wave will be felt for weeks to come. And officials say there are other concerns on the horizon.

More top coronavirus headlines

— The Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees voted Wednesday night to mandate vaccinations for all staff members — even those working remotely — and students attending in-person classes or using campus facilities at the district’s nine colleges.

— Who’s fueling a COVID-19 surge on the border? Some blame asylum seekers and others say it’s the unvaccinated as cases rise in Texas.

— People who are primed to think about the COVID-19 pandemic are more likely to discriminate against Asian and Latino Americans, a new study suggests. The findings highlight yet another way that the pandemic has ramped up discrimination.

— Most Los Angeles Police Department personnel who have tested positive for the coronavirus since June were unvaccinated, according to department data shared with The Times.

For more, sign up for Coronavirus Today, a special edition of The Times’ Health and Science newsletter.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES

On Sept. 2, 2013, Diana Nyad completed a Cuba-to-Florida swim, reaching a lifelong dream

In the end, emerging from the ocean wearing a blue cap and goggles — and having swum about 110 miles in 52 hours and 54 minutes — Nyad still had enough strength to walk ashore.

Failing four times over the years and on her fifth and final attempt, Nyad, 64, officially became the first swimmer to go the distance from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage.

Upon reaching shore at Smathers Beach in Key West, Fla., Nyad, a Los Angeles resident who trained at the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center, had three things to tell the crowd of cheering onlookers who had watched her achieve a lifelong dream.

CALIFORNIA

— Family members of the 34 people who died in the Conception dive boat fire off the Channel Islands in 2019 are suing the U.S. Coast Guard, alleging it failed to enforce regulations and allowed the vessel to operate with substandard electrical and safety systems that led to the deaths.

— Beverly Hills accused of creating police task force that disproportionately arrested Black people.

— A Tarzana couple is on the run from federal authorities after they sliced off their monitoring bracelets and fled while awaiting sentencing for the theft of millions of dollars in COVID-19 pandemic relief funds, the FBI said late Tuesday.

— The U.S. Department of Justice has ordered the sheriff of San Luis Obispo County to make reforms at the county’s jail facility after finding evidence that substandard medical care and excessive use of force at the jail violate the constitutional rights of detainees.

— More than 65,000 fake students applied for financial aid in wide community college scam.

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NATION-WORLD

— For the first time since 1973, a state law banning most abortions has taken effect. A deeply divided Supreme Court is allowing a Texas law that strips most women of the right to an abortion in the nation’s second-largest state. The court voted 5-4 early Thursday to deny an emergency appeal from abortion providers and others that sought to block enforcement of the law that went into effect Wednesday.

— The Biden administration on Wednesday unveiled a plan to expand housing affordability through a slew of policy shifts projected to create and rehabilitate more than 2 million housing units.

— Colorado’s attorney general said Wednesday that a grand jury has indicted three police officers and two paramedics in the death of Elijah McClain, a Black man who was put in a chokehold and injected with a powerful sedative two years ago in suburban Denver.

— The Taliban and other Afghan leaders have reached a “consensus” on the formation of a new government and Cabinet under the leadership of the group’s top spiritual leader, an official said Wednesday.

— Weather disasters are striking the world four to five times more often and causing seven times more damage than in the 1970s, the United Nations weather agency reports.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

— After being forced to cancel last year’s in-person gathering, Telluride Film Festival organizers are ready to welcome back scores of filmmakers, stars and movie executives.

— Jay Leno will front an updated version of the classic game show “You Bet Your Life.” The show’s return comes during a major revival for game shows.

— An inaugural group of seven Black artists has been commissioned to create outdoor sculptures and installations for Destination Crenshaw, a 1.3-mile cultural corridor on Crenshaw Boulevard reflecting and celebrating Black Los Angeles.

— Britney Spears and her new attorney say her father is trying to get about $2 million in payments before stepping down as conservator of her estate, a move they liken to extortion in a new court filing.

— Argentine rocker Andrés Calamaro — both loved and loathed among Latinos — is back again with a new album that features some old and new friends.

BUSINESS

— As vaccination mandates — set by cities or restaurants themselves — take hold, some online reservation systems and apps are trying to make these new restrictions clear to the public.

— What’s the deal with those annoying website pop-ups about cookies — and what should you do about them?

SPORTS

— Rams feeling super about revamped roster, but real test is a field of dreams for now.

— Chargers move to strengthen defense by adding corner Trey Marshall, lineman Eric Banks.

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OPINION

— Here is how anti-California propaganda and racism are driving the recall, columnist Jean Guerrero writes.

— This is one of the most beautiful and beloved corners of California. And while Lake Tahoe’s dazzling blue hue will most likely return in time, there are real concerns about what lies ahead for the region’s ecosystem and economy if the calamity of this summer becomes a regular occurrence, writes the editorial board.

— Why do we praise Black performers for “crossing over” to white audiences? Black artists don’t need white America’s approval to be successful, writes columnist LZ Granderson.

ONLY IN L.A.

Peacocks have been troublesome residents of the Palos Verdes Peninsula and the San Gabriel Valley for decades, destroying gardens, blocking traffic, leaving droppings on roofs and screeching. But they also have their fans, and some residents leave out seeds and scraps of bread for the flamboyantly feathered birds, stoking disagreement. On Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors had its say: feeding peacocks is now a crime.

Today’s newsletter was curated by Seth Liss and Laura Blasey. Comments or ideas? Email us at [email protected].

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