Happy 2024 from your friends at California Local. In this week’s edition of The Newsletter, you will find more of what you’re looking for, if what you’re looking for is reliable information about the place you call home.
This week’s News Digest, as always curated by our good friend and executive editor Sharan Street, is the most robust ever, and can be your guide to the most important stories you may have missed over the holiday.
Our Year in Review, also cat-herded by Sharan, will remind you that this was (another) nut job of a year—and that there’s some good stuff happening in California, too.
Speaking of good stuff: Chris Neklason, our good friend and fearless leader, compiled a list of the big changes that have happened here at California Local over the past 12 months. It kind of blew my mind, and I work here every day—so I’m not sure why I was surprised.
And yes! Even more good stuff. From our good friend and publisher, Mike Gelbman, some retrospection and inspiration.
• So Glad We Made It: A Look Back at the Year
Sacramento Observer columnist reviews five events that made an impact in the community in 2023.
(01/02/2024) → The Sacramento Observer
• UC Davis Launches Mobile Clinic to Help Students
A new 24/7 mobile team at UC Davis is working to prevent crises before they happen, answering calls every day from students experiencing overwhelming stress and food and housing insecurity.
(01/01/2024) → CapPublicRadio
• Need a New Year’s Resolution?
Here are 50 ways to improve your life in 2024.
(12/30/2023) → CapPublicRadio
• 20 Newcomers to Citrus Heights in 2023
From new restaurants to retailers and specialty stores, Citrus Heights welcomed many new businesses this past year.
(12/30/2023) → Citrus Heights Sentinel
• Gone But Not Forgotten
From elders and entertainers to victims of mass shootings and other violence, the Black community saw an exceptional amount of loss this year.
(12/30/2023) → The Sacramento Observer
• Ex-Student Found Competent to Stand Trial for Stabbing Deaths Near UC Davis
Former college student Carlos Reales Dominguez, accused of stabbing two people to death and wounding a third in Davis, will return to court on Jan. 5 and criminal proceedings will be reinstated if there isn't any challenge to his mental state.
(12/29/2023) → CapPublicRadio
• Comstock’s Surveys Its Top Stories of 2023
As the end of 2023 comes into view, Comstock’s magazine celebrates its 35th birthday and looks back at its 10 most popular stories of the year, from deep dives into city planning and water rights to immersive stories on food, travel and wine.
(12/29/2023) → Read the full Comstock's Magazine report
• Judge Won’t Order Trial of Caldor Fire Suspects, Lawyers Say
A judge has refused to order the father and son duo charged with starting the 2021 Caldor Fire—which destroyed Grizzly Flat and burned across three Northern California counties—to face charges that they recklessly started the fire by target shooting.
(12/29/2023) → Read the full The Sacramento Bee report
• Here’s Who Is Running for Congress in Sacramento-Area Districts
California’s secretary of state has released its list of certified candidates to be on the March 5 primary ballot for Congress. The top two vote-getters, regardless of party, advance to the Nov. 5 general election. Incumbents are largely expected to prevail.
(12/29/2023) → Read the full The Sacramento Bee report
• Sacramento Mayor to Embattled Councilmember Sean Loloee: ‘Resign Immediately’
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg publicly called for City Councilmember Sean Loloee to resign immediately, intensifying a request he made privately for weeks.
(12/28/2023) → CapPublicRadio
• Yolo County Recommends Residents Vaccinate, Mask Indoors
Rates of COVID-19, RSV and influenza are rising in Yolo and Sacramento counties and local public health officers are encouraging precautions for the fourth holiday season in a row.
(12/28/2023) → CapPublicRadio
• Rite Aid to Close Additional Sacramento Area Stores
The closure of two locations in the Sacramento region is part of nationwide store shutdowns following Rite Aid’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. The Placerville store is set to close Jan. 8, while the Auburn store will shutter Jan. 15.
(12/28/2023) → Rio Linda Messenger
• New Study Disputes Assertions That Transgender People Regret Surgery
A common refrain among anti-transgender activists is that many people experience regret after obtaining gender-affirming surgery. However, that argument is not supported by the science, according to a new article in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
(12/28/2023) → Read the full The Sacramento Bee report
• Sierra Snowpack at 25% of Usual Levels
The California Department of Water Resources has found that the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada mountains is at just 25% of normal levels for this time of year. This could potentially impact water supply and wildfire protection.
(01/02/2024) → Sacramento Bee
• Hospitals Seeing More People with COVID-19 and Flu
Los Angeles County has entered the medium category of COVID-19 hospitalization defined by the CDC, with providers warning that illnesses like RSV like to travel in tandem with the virus. Officials are urging the public to mask when visiting hospitals or other indoor facilities.
(01/02/2024) → Los Angeles Times
• CA Minimum Wage Hits $16 an Hour
The dawn of 2024 meant that California’s minimum wage rose from $15.50 to $16 an hour. That puts the Golden State at the second-highest minimum wage for a U.S. state, trailing only Washington state at $16.28 an hour.
(01/02/2024) → New York Times
• Law Goes Into Effect Blocking Guns in Many California Public Places
A law passed by the California legislature in 2023 has gone into effect banning licensed gun holders from bringing their firearms to places like playgrounds, churches and casinos. The law faces an ongoing challenge in the federal court system.
(01/02/2024) → Los Angeles Times
• 7 Ways to Hang On to More Money in 2024
Just as you might intend to change your diet or workout plan, resolve to make changes that will allow you to meet financial goals.
(12/27/2023) → Daily Democrat
• American Graffiti is Back: Cruising Now Legal Again in California, But So Are Speed Cameras
Under new state laws, five cities will test cameras to catch speeding drivers and cruising bans will be lifted statewide. The first is supposed to improve road safety, but critics of the second say it will endanger the public.
(12/27/2023) → CalMatters
• San Diego Zoo Displays World’s Rarest Insect
Visitors can see the critically endangered Lord How Island stick insect, on display for the first time in North America, in a special habitat at the zoo’s Wildlife Explorers Basecamp.
(12/27/2023) → San Joaquin Valley Sun
Family and friends are the best part of any year.
