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After judge overturns California assault weapons ban, state officials vow to fight back -- In ruling the ban unconstitutional, U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez compared the AR-15 semiautomatic rifle to a Swiss a Army knife, calling it “good for both home and battle.” Alex Wigglesworth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/5/21

Could Antonio Villaraigosa come back to the Los Angeles mayor’s office? -- The Biden administration has yet to announce whether it will name Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti as U.S. ambassador to India. But the jockeying to fill his seat is already underway. Emily Alpert Reyes, David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/5/21

An August recall election? Voters might decide Newsom’s fate much earlier than first thought -- There will be two questions when California voters go to the polls later this year for the recall election: Should Gov. Gavin Newsom be booted from office? And if a majority of voters say yes, who should replace him? But there’s another big question looming before then: When exactly is the election? Emily DeRuy in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/5/21

Open  

Disneyland opens Avengers Campus to massive crowds, mile-long lines and disappointed fans -- Massive crowds of Marvel fans descended on the Disneyland resort for the grand opening of Avengers Campus amid pandemic social distancing restrictions that left many disappointed before they even set foot inside the new superhero themed land. Avengers Campus debuted at Disney California Adventure on Friday, June 4 after a yearlong delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic closure of the Anaheim theme parks. Brady MacDonald in the Orange County Register -- 6/5/21

Prices for everything are surging post-COVID -- As the economy reopens, a surge in demand and widespread shortages are driving prices higher for Bay Area residents. It’s the latest pain from the COVID-19 pandemic: A paycheck isn’t going as far as it did before. From food to flights, Bay Area prices are up 3.8% from a year ago. Lisa M. Krieger in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/5/21

Bay Area home prices top $1 million in April -- Spring home-buying season in the Bay Area exploded in April, with brisk sales and prices topping $1 million for the second straight month. Louis Hansen in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/5/21

How crowded is BART? Here's how ridership has changed on each route -- BART ridership plummeted during the pandemic. But as the economy begins to reopen, there are signs that some BART riders are returning to their pre-pandemic trips. Nami Sumida in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/5/21

COVID: California has lowest new-case average in 14 months -- California is averaging the fewest new daily COVID-19 cases since March 31, 2020, a time when testing was limited and pandemic lockdowns were just two weeks old. Leonardo Castañeda in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/5/21

COVID vaccine lottery: 3 LA County residents, 2 from OC win $50,000 -- The winners were picked from among 21.5 million eligible California residents who have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine prior to Friday’s drawing. To actually receive the money, the winners will have to complete the vaccination protocol by receiving their second dose, unless they received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The item is in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 6/5/21

Climate  

As wildfires decimate the giant sequoia, California faces unprecedented loss -- When wildfire tore through giant sequoia groves in the Sierra Nevada last year, researchers estimated hundreds of the towering trees — maybe 1,000 — were killed. Now, almost nine months later, experts have revised that figure tenfold. Alex Wigglesworth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/5/21

This San Francisco community could wind up underwater as tides rise -- Challenge of preparing the Mission Creek neighborhood for climate change showcases the difficulties facing communities all along the San Francisco Bay. John King in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/5/21

Also . . .   

Lopez: Their Venice home feels unsafe. They blame public officials, not homeless Angelenos -- When Arthur and Rini Kraus bought their condo 19 years ago in Venice, every day was a postcard from paradise. They took long walks, enjoyed gazing across open sea from their patio, and strolled to nearby restaurants for dinner. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/5/21

'Grumpalumps and gadflies': S.F. cafe owner fights to open in vacant Mission District spot -- When Ivor Bradley goes before San Francisco’s most powerful legislative body Tuesday, he won’t be arguing for anything extraordinary. Instead, the Board of Supervisors will spend precious time debating a controversy that could only happen in San Francisco: whether to let Bradley open a coffee shop. Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/5/21

California Policy and Politics Saturday Morning  

U.S. judge overturns California's ban on assault weapons -- A federal judge has overturned California’s three-decade-old ban on assault weapons, ruling that it violates the constitutional right to bear arms. Don Thompson Associated Press Lauren Hernández in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Mike Ives in the New York Times$ -- 6/5/21

California governor won’t lift virus state of emergency -- Most of California’s coronavirus restrictions on businesses and public gatherings will end June 15. But Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday that he’s not ready to give up the broad powers he has to impose those rules, saying he will keep a statewide state of emergency declaration in place. Adam Beam Associated Press Luke Money, Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/5/21

Calif. governor seems unlikely to lift worker mask mandate -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom appeared disincli ned Friday to insert himself into the regulatory process for workpla ces after a state safety board upset business groups by approving new rules that require all workers to wear masks unless everyone around them is vaccinated against the coronavirus. Don Thompson Associated Press -- 6/5/21

New California COVID mask rules: What is and isn’t allowed in the workplace? -- State regulators relaxed COVID-19 restrictions this week for California workers, but the new rules raise nearly as many questions as they answer. Marisa Kendall in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/5/21

Alameda County COVID-19 death toll drops by 400 after data change -- The number of COVID-19 deaths in Alameda County fell by a quarter Friday after the public health department changed its methodology for counting fatalities in the pandemic. Leonardo Castañeda in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/5/21

Vaccine  

California draws 15 winners of $50,000 vaccine prizes -- It was the first in a series of drawings for $16.5 million in prize money aimed at encouraging Californians to get their shots ahead of June 15, when the state plans to lift almost all virus-related restrictions. Adam Beam and Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press Taryn Luna, Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times$ Lara Korte in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/5/21

School  

UTLA and LAUSD representatives in talks for full-time on-campus instruction in fall -- With summer school starting in two-and-a-half weeks, it’s “imperative” that the Los Angeles Unified School District and teachers union reach an agreement soon on COVID-19 health and safety measures for those who are on school grounds year-round, the head of United Teachers Los Angeles said Friday, June 4. Linh Tat in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 6/5/21

Policy & Politics 

For environmentalists, California's Legislature has been 'a bloodbath' this year -- California is often seen as a national leader on eco-friendly policy, but environmentalists say that perception doesn’t match the brutal year they’ve faced in the state Legislature. Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/5/21

California's housing bill was intended to strike a compromise between warring factions. No such luck -- After a contentious plan to compel denser residential construction around public transit and in wealthy suburbs failed last year, a group of California lawmakers convened to figure out a unified path forward on addressing the state’s housing shortage. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/5/21

‘Absolutely none.’ Gavin Newsom denies conflicts of interest in donations to wife’s nonprofit -- Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday he sees no conflicts of interest in companies donating to his wife’s nonprofit as they lobby his administration on policy. Sophia Bollag in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/5/21

Raises are restored for California state workers in new SEIU Local 1000 deal -- California state employees represented by SEIU Local 1000 will receive a 4.55% raise when their full pay is restored next month under an agreement finalized Friday. Wes Venteicher in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/5/21

Long Beach takes over Queen Mary, vowing to preserve the landmark ship -- Long Beach has taken back control of the Queen Mary from the ship’s operating company amid concerns that the 87-year-old vessel has not been properly maintained, the city announced Friday. Hugo Martín in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/5/21

LAPD investigating vandalism at home of City Council President Nury Martinez -- Police are investigating a vandalism crime at the home of Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez that was caught on video. Martinez said in a statement that she woke up Friday morning and found graffiti at her home and damage to her car. Leila Miller in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/5/21

Analysis: How the Supreme Court has tilted election law to favor the Republican Party -- The court has freed Texas and other Southern states to add voting restrictions, and has given the GOP an edge in the battle to control Congress. David G. Savage in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/5/21

Caitlyn  

Caitlyn Jenner: Homeless tents in Beverly Hills are latest problem sign -- Republican gubernatorial candidate Caitlyn Jenner was deemed out-of-touch last month for lamenting how a fellow Malibu-area plane owner was leaving California because he "can't take" seeing people who are homeless. Now, she says tents in Beverly Hills are a sign of the problem. Carla Marinucci Politico -- 6/5/21

Street  

2 San Diego police officers among three people killed in wrong-way crash on I-5 in San Ysidro -- Two San Diego police officers — detectives who were married to each other — were killed in a fiery crash Friday morning when a driver of a car traveling the wrong way on Interstate 5 slammed head-on into their sedan. The collision, which happened about 10:25 a.m. on I-5 near state Route 905, killed the wrong-way driver as well, the California Highway Patrol said. Teri Figueroa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 6/5/21

Vanessa Bryant chalks up another legal victory in fight over Kobe crash photo leak -- Vanessa Bryant secured a legal victory Friday in her lawsuit against Los Angeles County over deputies and firefighters who allegedly shared grim photos of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, their daughter Gianna and seven others. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/5/21

Tory Carlon wanted to be a firefighter since he was a kid. He was killed after a 20-year career -- Carlon, 44, died Tuesday when a colleague walked into Los Angeles County Fire Station 81 in Agua Dulce and shot him following a workplace dispute, according to authorities. A fire captain, Arnoldo Sandoval, 54, tried to intervene and was injured in the shooting. Faith E. Pinho in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/5/21

Workplace  

As offices open back up, not all tech companies are sold on a remote future -- Tech giants were some of the first to send workers home. Now they’re figuring out how and whether to bring them back. Heather Kelly and Rachel Lerman in the Washington Post$ -- 6/5/21

Former SDG&E worker sues utility for firing him after White supremacy accusation went viral -- A former utility worker who says he was a victim of “cancel culture” has sued San Diego Gas & Electric, claiming he was defamed by the company after he was accused on social media of being a White supremacist. Jeff McDonald in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 6/5/21

Fire  

As Disasters Worsen, California Looks at Curbing Construction in Risky Areas -- At the start of wildfire season, California’s insurance regulator has backed sweeping changes to discourage home building in fire-prone areas, including looking at cutting off new construction in those regions from what is often their only source of insurance — the state’s high-risk pool. Christopher Flavelle in the New York Times$ -- 6/5/21

Also . . .   

Friends, family of Fentanyl death victims rally outside Snapchat’s headquarters -- Anti-drug activists gathered outside Snapchat’s Santa Monica headquarters on Friday, June 4, to demand the social media company launch reforms that they hope will cut down on illicit drug distribution and death from ingestion of fentanyl, a cheap and often deadly alternative to oxycodone. Mark Mcgreal in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 6/5/21

Camp Pendleton recon Marine under federal investigation for stolen ammo and explosives -- A Marine corporal is under federal investigation amid a probe into several service members for allegedly stealing ammunition and explosives from a Camp Pendleton shooting range, according to the Marine Corps and a Naval Criminal Investigative Service report reviewed by the Union-Tribune. Andrew Dyer in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 6/5/21

San Diego clean energy lender Renovate America may lose PACE license amid fraud claims -- Investigation found Renovate contracted with a fraudulent firm to sell PACE-financed home improvements, resulting in nine San Diego County homeowners having liens placed on their property for work that was never done. Mike Freeman in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 6/5/21

Mother is arrested after death of 3-year-old girl who was left in hot car -- A woman has been arrested after her 3-year-old daughter died after being left in a hot car in the San Joaquin Valley city of Visalia for several hours while the adult tended to a marijuana grow, police said Friday. Leila Miller in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/5/21

Big rig crash in Lancaster leaves four dead, including two children; another child is in critical condition -- A car crash involving a big rig Friday morning in Lancaster killed two children and two adults, with another child in critical condition, according to the California Highway Patrol. Lila Seidman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/5/21