I'm sitting at the Zoo as I write this. I usually do these late at night, but tonight I'll be doing listings and Wednesday night I'll be working for Satsang at Music Box. I was coasting during the holidays, but I forgot about the whiplash when everyone gets back to work and everyone decides that the first week of the year is a great time to announce new albums, new tours, and thus my email was bananas. So I'm trying to get this post up before diving into all the other things coming my way.
It has been really hard, both in writing and in person, to be optimistic. When people ask how I'm doing, it's hard to be like everything is great personally, but TFG is about to be inaugurated, the billionaires are lining up to suck his dick, and the LA fires are a clear demonstration of what fucking crooks his party is all down the line. So like, I'm trying to find my joy, to be happy within my family and household, and also be completely terrified at the prospect of the next four years. Like we're just trying to keep our kid alive as he goes through the roughest time of his life. Trying to find hope and joy. It's all we can do.
- SAN DIEGO LOCALS:
- Board Supervisors Formally Call District One Special Election - County News Center (1.14.25)
- ZOO GOSS:
- I don't really have any new zoo goss. I've seen four of the silver-leaf langurs back on habitat, but no sign of the baby. I haven't been over by the bears since my francois langurs have been moved up to Monkey Trails, but hope to grab a peek of a sloth bear baby when it emerges. To be honest, I've been trying to find some time to hit Safari Park since it has been awhile, but I prefer to wait for it to be colder and gloomier before going. Same with a day trip to The Living Desert. For now, I've just been kinda sticking to a small loop in the area they call Heart of the Zoo, which allows me to see the Orangutans, Gorillas, Babirusas, Francois Langurs, Debrazza Monkeys, and the Scripps and Parker Aviaries.
- SEA WORLD GOSS:
- New San Diego Council President Wants to End SeaWorld Fireworks. San Diego Council President Joe LaCava said he’d look into how the city could limit fireworks under its lease with the company. - Voice of San Diego (1.7.25)
- What Lies Beneath SeaWorld’s Fireworks Launch Pad. Law firm investigator dove beneath the waters of Mission Bay to uncover garbage she says is from fireworks shows. - Voice of San Diego (1.10.25)
- POLITICS:
- AB413 Daylighting at Crosswalks: "Daylighting" to Save Lives - SanDiego.gov
- Nora Vargas’ Abrupt, Unexplained Resignation Shocks County. Vargas, newly re-elected to a four-year term, cited ‘personal safety and security reasons’ for her sudden departure. She had faced mounting criticism in her district following a series of perceived missteps and fights with onetime allies. - Voice of San Diego (12.20.24)
- Nathan Fletcher’s Accuser Drops Sexual Assault Claim — for Now - Voice of San Diego (1.3.25)
- Former detective says SDPD covered up sergeant’s domestic violence, sues city - kpbs (1.6.25)
- NATIONAL POLITICS:
- Meta goes MAGA - Popular.Info (1.8.25)
- Meta’s Fact-Checking Partners Say They Were ‘Blindsided’ by Decision to Axe Them. Fact-checkers claim they had no idea the company was going to end their partnerships and are scrambling to figure out the financial implications of the move. - Wired (1.7.25)
- Meta Now Lets Users Say Gay and Trans People Have ‘Mental Illness’. Meta rolled out a number of changes to its “Hateful Conduct” policy Tuesday as part of a sweeping overhaul of its approach toward content moderation. - Wired (1.7.25)
- North Carolina Supreme Court Blocked Certification of a Justice’s Win. Activists Fear It’s “Dangerous for Democracy.”. The move gives the court time to consider a challenge by Republican Jefferson Griffin, who has cited debunked legal theories in his previous failed attempts to block Justice Allison Riggs’ reelection. - ProPublica (1.8.25)
- NEWS:
- Investor Group Calls for UnitedHealth to Report Public Health Costs of Denied Access to Treatment. The Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility issued a shareholder proposal to examine the economic impact of health care claim denials.- Chief Investment Officer (1.8.25)
- WILDFIRES:
- What do you need in your Go Bag? - PBS SoCal IG
- Landlords gouge victims of LA fires - Popular.info (1.14.25)
- Last year, 96% of California was drought-free. A new map is far more grim. - SFGate (1.5.25) [ed note - I thought it was very interesting that this article came out one day before the fires started.]
- Thousands flee as wildfires burn out of control and destroy homes across the Los Angeles area - AP/kpbs (1.8.25)
- Palisades Fire Destroys Historic Homes and Buildings at Will Rogers State Historic Park and Topanga State Park - California State Parks (1.8.25)
- Fire ignites in Hollywood Hills. What we know about the Sunset Fire and others burning now - LAist (1.8.24 with frequent updates)
- Tips to Keep Your Pets Safe in Disasters - County News Center (1.8.25)
- OTHER READING:
- Less than 0.1% of U.S. minors take gender-affirming medication, study finds. The study, published in JAMA Pediatrics on Monday, looked at private insurance claims representing over 5 million patients in the U.S. ages 8 to 17. - NBC News (1.5.2025)
- AI costs American renters over $3.6 billion annually, according to new report - Popular.Info (1.6.25)
- California Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board Releases Report on 2023 Police Stop Data - Rob Bonta, Attorney General (12.31.24)
- US GOVERNMENT:
- State Dept
- COVID-19/AVIAN FLU/HEALTH/WELLNESS:
- COVID
- CDC Data Tracker: New Weekly Updates on Fall and Winter Virus Season
- Avian Flu
- The First US Bird Flu Death Is a Stark Warning. A Louisiana patient is the first person in the United States to die as a result of H5N1 infection. One expert likens what happens next to Russian roulette. - Wired (1.7.25)
- First US bird flu death is announced in Louisiana - AP News (1.7.25)
- Flu
- [PAYWALL] Chula Vista hospitals hit hard by flu cases. ‘Influx of patients is being felt across the system,’ county says. Facilities across the region asking those who are sick not to visit loved ones - San Diego Union-Tribune (1.13.25)
- Hantavirus
- First Local Detection of Hantavirus in 2025 - County News Center (1.13.25)
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