latimes.com
When man bites steak, nobody cares. But when a steak bites back (in a manner of speaking) the world pauses, as it should, to take notice. That’s essentially what happened when a Northern California man died in early December — a demise that his brother archly and elegantly recounted in an obituary published in The Times. “Matthew Charles Slay of Trinidad, CA, passed away last week following a brief and courageous battle with an oversized piece of steak,” began the paid obit, like none in memory.…
4 months ago
latimes.com
Many leading California Democrats have been clamoring to jettison Donald Trump from the state’s election ballot, but Gov. Gavin Newsom has made it clear he is against the move. “There is no doubt that Donald Trump is a threat to our liberties and even to our democracy,” Newsom said, “but in California, we defeat candidates at the polls. Everything else is a political distraction.” Newsom’s terse statement on Friday runs counter to the position taken by Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis and nine state la…
4 months ago
latimes.com
Before the first shrubs and hunks of sod, before the saplings and the flower beds, before the folk art and anything-goes performance stage, People’s Park was an idea. It would be an open space for open people, in the heart of this university town, birthed by 1960s radicals and nurtured by subsequent generations of freethinkers who believed in the notion that people would sustain and support one another, if only they had a place to gather. The utopian ideal of People’s Park lived in the hearts of…
4 months ago
latimes.com
Good morning. It’s Tuesday, Jan. 9. I’m Times reporter James Rainey. Here’s what you need to know to start your day. Why Berkeley can’t stop fighting over People’s ParkWhy do airplanes have door plugs?5 epic outdoor adventures that will make you feel powerful in 2024And here’s today’s e-newspaper Tourists visiting Berkeley might be forgiven if they are underwhelmed by storied, much-fought-over People’s Park. The 2.8-acre green space south of the UC campus might be most notable for what it has la…
4 months ago
latimes.com
UC Berkeley spent $7.8 million to deploy its own forces to wall off and secure People’s Park, the storied 2.8-acre green space that activists seized in the ’60s to serve as a gathering space for nonconformists. That multimillion-dollar total is expected to grow substantially as outside police agencies submit their bills to the university. And the cost of keeping people out of the park continues to be high: The university pays nearly $1 million a month to station private security guards outside t…
2 months ago
latimes.com
A referendum on a more rehabilitative, less punitive approach to criminal justice got its latest test Tuesday in Los Angeles County, as progressive Dist. Atty. George Gascón faced a large field of opponents promising either more moderate reforms or a return to tougher law enforcement. The 11 challengers to be district attorney created the hottest race in the county, with the large field and substantial discontent with Gascón all but certain to prevent anyone from winning a majority, setting up a…
about 2 months ago
latimes.com
Along gracious, leafy College Avenue, you can luxuriate with a traditional Thai massage, slip into an artisanal cocktail at an Italian spot or claim a grain-free treat for your canine companion at a charming Mediterranean cafe. Privileged Rockridge hardly seems the sort of neighborhood that would generate grist for the crime blotter. But that changed last year, when one of Oakland’s more upscale enclaves suffered a string of retail break-ins and armed robberies and, most spectacularly, a series…
about 2 months ago
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She’s a Californian, who recalls being raised on food stamps in a home where both parents struggled to find work. She bussed tables at age 12, before education powered her to a career as a lawyer and entrepreneur, who started a company while still in her 20s. Though she had been politically active for years, she made her biggest splash last month, when she helped produce and pay for a commercial for presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that aired during the Super Bowl. The $4-million inv…
about 1 month ago
latimes.com
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Tuesday announced that he had selected California tech lawyer, entrepreneur and political newcomer Nicole Shanahan as his vice presidential running mate. With no experience holding or running for elected office, Shanahan epitomizes the kind of nontraditional choices Kennedy has said he would bring to the White House if his long shot bid for the presidency succeeds. In the unlikely event the Kennedy-Shanahan ticket prevails, the 38-year-…
about 1 month ago
latimes.com
There was a time before the turn of the millennium when Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gave a full-throated accounting of himself and the things he cared about. He recalls his voice then as “unusually strong,” so much so that he could fill large auditoriums with his words. No amplification needed. The independent presidential candidate recounts those times somewhat wistfully, telling interviewers that he “can’t stand” the sound of his voice today — sometimes choked, halting and slightly tremulous. The ca…
24 days ago
latimes.com
Former President Trump was on another one of his screeds about how Democratic prosecutors were persecuting him, saying he’d been “investigated by the Democrats more than Billy the Kid, Jesse James and Al Capone combined.” The crowd at a 2022 rally in North Carolina seemed to eat it up, having a hearty laugh when Trump concluded: “I think I’m perhaps the most honest human being that God ever created.” The crowd broke into applause. As Trump campaigns to retake the White House, polls suggest Repub…
20 days ago
