The rent's too damn high in California. But it beats freezing in Fargo

If you thought living in California was expensive, try doing it on a fixed income.

Like many American seniors, author and Litquake co-founder Jane Ganahl worries about outliving her modest nest egg in the pricey Bay Area and has thought about moving to a place with lower cost of living. But Fargo, North Dakota? Kansas City, Missouri or Lincoln, Nebraska?

She’d rather make peace with the fact that she may well end up penniless on her daughter’s doorstep.

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Newsom's next gig?

He’s in Texas. He’s in South Carolina. And he’s got a podcast.

These aren’t the actions of a governor planning to retire when his term is up in early 2027, yet Gavin Newsom still dodges questions about whether he will run for president in 2028.

For someone who hasn’t even half-heartedly made it official, it’s impressive that Newsom is the clear front runner in the 2028 Democratic presidential race. Mariel Garza explores the strategy behind the governor’s “will he or won’t he” quasi-campaign.

Noted, with comment

Californians, natural resisters
When immigration agents began raids in Los Angeles in June, there were two seemingly opposite reactions rooted in a shared reality: On one hand, thousands of people took to the streets immediately to protest, and on the other, many more disappeared from sight, too afraid of being detained to go to work or the grocery store. This brief by the Public Policy Institute of California shows why: The state has about 11 million immigrants, accounting for 28% of the population, by far the highest such figures in the nation. Furthermore, foreign-born Californians make up a sizable portion of the workforce, in both urban and rural areas. No wonder Californians reacted as they did.

Told you so
Gov. Gavin Newsom wants federal money for L.A.’s wildfire victims, a prudent ask on behalf of disaster-stricken residents. The editorial board of the New York Post, about to set up shop in L.A. as the “California Post,” bashes him with a cheap political shot, the “GOP talking points disguised as independent commentary” that Mariel Garza warned about. Get used to it.

Is there a 911 for 911?
In 2019, Newsom promised to upgrade California’s antiquated 911 system. Six years, multiple wildfires and $450 million later, we’re still waiting on that upgrade. In CalMatters, Dan Walters explores why Newsom threw in the towel. (Note to the California Post: If you really want to serve readers by holding leaders accountable, this is an example of how to do it.)

Perishing ponderosas
An iconic tree of the American west, the ponderosa pine, is disappearing all the way from New Mexico to California, author Gary Ferguson writes in the Los Angeles Times. This reflects what forest ecologist Hugh Safford said last September in a piece by Paul Thornton on the hasty reopening of a burn area in the Angeles National Forest: We should prepare for the complete loss of conifers – including the ponderosa – from Southern California mountains in the coming decades.