Newsom reopens to California residents as it prepares for recall elections

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! According to history.com, the holiday is named after a British – not Irish – missionary who died that day around AD 460. And while this has little or nothing to do with the Golden State, California officials urge those who celebrate it wisely. “Remember to buckle up, slow down, drive not distracted, and never drive in an impaired manner,” said Amanda Ray, California Highway Patrol agent, as reported by NBC Los Angeles.

I’m Winston Gieseke, philanthropy and specialty editor at The Desert Sun in Palm Springs, bringing you today’s headlines in California.

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Disneyland will reopen to California residents on April 30th

Disneyland will reopen to the public on April 30th. more than a year after closing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Magic is finally returning to the theme parks at Disneyland Resort,” Disney said in a blog post. “Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park plan to officially reopen to the public on April 30th with limited capacity.”

Theme parks, including Disneyland, are allowed to open at 15% capacity while in the red tier, the second highest risk tier, but only California residents are allowed to purchase tickets.

Disneyland will manage visitor numbers in a new “theme park reservation system” that requires all visitors to make reservations in advance, the post said.

Visitors can experience fan favorite attractions like “Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance” or “Incredicoaster” and have access to “New Magic” including “Snow White’s Enchanted Wish” which will open to guests for the first time on April 30th.

Bob Chapek, Disney CEO, said he was “absolutely thrilled” to announce the reopening date.

California Governor Gavin Newsom is preparing for the recall election

California Governor Gavin Newsom is not new to the criticism or tried to remove him from office. In the two years he ran the state, Republicans have carried out five product recalls.

But after being hailed as one of the nation’s most formidable leaders in the fight against COVID-19, the sixth attempt to recall Newsom appears almost certainly to result in an historic recall election – something Newsom itself confirmed Tuesday.

“Well the reality is, it looks like it’s on the ballot so we’re ready to go,” he said. “We will fight it. We will defeat it.”

The well-funded recall efforts, sponsored by determined Republicans including Newt Gingrich and Mike Huckabee, are in part due to the governor’s tough coronavirus measures, which angered some Californians and gained momentum thanks to a prolonged recall process due to the pandemic.

“It really is a rare experience for governors to run recall elections,” said Ken Miller, professor of state and local government at Claremont McKenna College, California. “Normally in California you would think that Gavin Newsom shouldn’t worry about standing up to the electorate.”

But, said Miller, this time it isn’t. Newsom could see an abrupt end to its political ambitions due to a number of factors including the special rules in a recall race.

Verification of the signatures collected to recall Newsom began on Wednesday, but the process is expected to be lengthy. An election is not expected before autumn.

Some good news for salmon fishermen: The Monterey area opens. Recreational salmon fisheries in the Monterey Management Area will open on April 3, but not on the rest of California’s coast as stock estimates for Chinook salmon from the Sacramento and Klamath Rivers are poor.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council, the federal governing body that oversees salmon and other marine fisheries, has approved three polluting alternatives for public scrutiny in 2020 off Washington, Oregon and California. The council will make a final decision on the salmon season at its April 5-10 meeting in Vancouver, Washington.

There are currently about 271,000 adult Sacramento Valley salmon in the ocean off the west coast, well below the 500,000 needed for a decent salmon season.

The dog travels more than 30 miles to be reunited with the guardian in Salinas

An injured dog traveled 30 miles after a car accident where his guardian had to be pulled out with the jaws of life. Thanks to some locals and a laborious Facebook search, dogs and humans were reunited.

Kejmar Cotton, who lives in Salinas, was in a car with his dog Kaine and some friends on their way home from Sacramento. The car hit the mean mean and was totaled.

People were rushed to the hospital while a frightened Kaine ran out of the car and got lost in the chaos. A few days later, a friend of Cotton’s Michelle Gleason started looking for Kaine online. She wrote about the incident on a local lost and found Facebook page, and a few days later a group of local volunteers found the dog near a hotel heading towards Salinas more than 30 miles from the crash. Gleason and Cotton drove to the area where Kaine had been discovered and reunited with the animal.

Kaine needs medical attention. Gleason has set up a gofundme.com page and is trying to raise $ 5,000. (I donated $ 100.)

Big news

• Dianne Feinstein remains in the Senate: The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Senator Dianne Feinstein confirmed Wednesday that her husband will not leave the Senate despite interested in a message from President Biden. The New York Times previously reported that Feinstein’s husband, Richard Blum, is seeking a European position, but the Senator insisted she not leave her job early. “No, no, no,” she said.
• James Levine, former conductor of the Metropolitan Opera, dies at the age of 77: Levin ruled the Metropolitan Opera for more than four decades before being put aside when his health deteriorated. He was later fired for sexual insufficiency. The 77-year-old died of natural causes on March 9 in Palm Springs, according to his doctor.
• Detectives recover 400 suspected stolen catalytic converters from the San Bernardino house: The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department discovered the loot on Tuesday, estimated to be worth $ 400,000. CBS Los Angeles reports that detectives issued a search warrant on a house suspected of having a catalytic converter fenced in. A stolen vehicle was also found on the property.

In California, there is a summary of news from the USA Today network newsrooms. Contributors: CBS Los Angeles, history.com, NBC Los Angeles, San Francisco Chronicle. We’ll be back in your inbox tomorrow with the latest headlines.

Winston Gieseke, editor of the Philanthropy and Special Section at The Desert Sun, writes about charities, fundraisers and people giving back in the Coachella Valley. Reach him at [email protected].