Thursday, August 20, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1856, James Sperry and John Perry opened a hotel in the Gold Rush town of Murphys. Now the Murphys Historic Hotel, it is one of the oldest hotels still operating in California.

Southern California’s figeater beetles are out in force, and graceful they are not. As we report below, these harmless insects have a habit of careening into people and objects with all the finesse of a charging rhinoceros.

Speaking of bugs, which one gets under your skin the most? Cast your vote in today’s Poll or reply to this email.

Have you ever done a home remodel and regretted it? Well, you aren’t alone. 74% of homeowners who renovated in the last five years wish they’d done something differently, and the most regretted upgrades aren’t what you’d expect. Some of the most popular design trends in America made the list. Today on The Flyover Podcast, Ayla counts down the 10 renovations homeowners regret most and shares the simple tricks that could save you from making the same mistakes. Tune in here!

Later today, watch for a message from our partner Insurify about a quick way to see whether you’re overpaying for car insurance. With rates climbing, a few minutes of comparison shopping could reveal some surprisingly big savings.

Today’s sponsor, FinanceBuzz, helps you compare top credit card offers featuring 0% intro APR, cash-back rewards, and valuable welcome bonuses so you can find the right card for your wallet.

California Approves Tire Efficiency Rules

California energy regulators voted unanimously to phase out replacement tires that don’t meet new energy-efficiency standards.

The rules take effect in two phases, in 2029 and 2033, and make California the first state in the nation to require energy-efficiency standards for replacement tires.

Commissioner Nancy Skinner of the California Energy Commission said the state is “only doing it because we know it will save Californians money,” adding that the state has decades of experience with this.

Tire manufacturers pushed back, warning the standards would raise upfront costs, while one retailer said applying the stricter standard to its 2026 product selection would have excluded roughly 70% of its available options.

Forecasters Warn of Strong El Niño

Forecasters say a powerful El Niño is building in the Pacific, with one major forecasting model putting the odds of a wetter-than-average California winter as high as 100%.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration gives the event a 90% chance of becoming very strong, potentially putting it among the strongest El Niños since records began in 1950.

A wet winter could refill reservoirs and bring heavy Sierra snowfall, but it also raises the risk of atmospheric rivers, flooding, and debris flows on fresh burn scars. Forecasters caution that even a strong El Niño does not guarantee a wet winter.

In San Diego, city leaders are already urging residents to prepare for floods, citing the January 2024 storms that devastated several southeast neighborhoods.

Wahab Holds Lead as Count Continues

State Sen. Aisha Wahab, D-Hayward, still leads fellow Democrat Melissa Hernandez in the East Bay’s 14th Congressional District special election, with no winner yet declared.

Wahab held about 51% to 49% with roughly 62% of the expected vote counted as of Wednesday morning.

The contest drew millions in outside spending, including heavy spending by pro-Israel groups backing Hernandez and opposing Wahab.

Because both candidates are Democrats, the seat will remain with the party. The winner finishes the term former Rep. Eric Swalwell vacated earlier this year, serving through January before a November rematch for a full term.

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➤ Oakland: MacArthur Maze ranked among the nation’s worst commutes in a survey of 3,000-plus commuters, with regular drivers saying they would pay more than $3,000 a year to avoid it. (See Report)

➤ Morgan Hill: Andy’s Orchard, one of Santa Clara County’s last fruit orchards, could be sold and replaced by 376 homes if county officials approve the plan. Owner Andy Mariani, 80, whose family has farmed the site since 1957, blames warmer winters that left the orchard with just 5% of its cherry crop this year. (Read Story)

➤ San Francisco: Garbage and illegal dumping in Chinatown have sparked a grassroots cleanup effort. Community leader Lily Lo is cleaning streets herself, while restaurant operator Jimmy Quan says he pays an extra $20,000 a year in waste-related penalties. (Read Story)

➤ Also San Francisco: A new invite-only dating site, WMAF Meet, that markets pairings of Western men and Asian women as the city’s “most in-demand” match has drawn online backlash, with one post about it drawing more than a million views. (More)

➤ Wheatland: An AI-generated voice made an anonymous overnight bomb threat against Wheatland Union High School in Yuba County, demanding $15,000 and forcing Tuesday classes to be canceled. Police swept the campus and found no threat. (More)

➤ Suisun City reopened City Hall this week, nearly two weeks after an Aug. 7 cyberattack knocked out its computer network and forced emergency dispatch operations to shift to the Solano County Sheriff’s Office. (More)

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➤ Central Valley farmers, Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, and state agriculture Secretary Karen Ross met Tuesday over stalled U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade talks. Agriculture leaders warn prolonged uncertainty could threaten billions in farm exports to Canada and Mexico. (More)

➤ Oakhurst: The Snowline Saloon was destroyed by a fire late Tuesday night after crews found the building fully engulfed near Highway 41. One firefighter was treated at a hospital, and the cause remains under investigation. (More)

➤ Kern County: Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff secured about $42 million to upgrade Amtrak’s Gold Runner route through Bakersfield, Wasco, and Shafter. The funding will build an overpass at the Cherry Avenue crossing to separate trains from vehicle traffic. (More)

➤ Also Kern County: Almond harvest is underway across Kern County, kicking up clouds of dust from shakers and blowers that worsen allergies and asthma. A physician assistant at a Bakersfield allergy clinic says the dust inflames airways, eyes, and lungs, and advises sufferers to stay indoors when possible. (More)

➤ Fresno: Fashion Fair Mall has begun its largest renovation in more than 40 years, overhauling its main entrance, landscaping, lighting, and restrooms. A $22 million Dick’s House of Sport is planned for the former Forever 21 space, opening in late 2027 or early 2028. (More)

➤ Central Sierra: The U.S. Forest Service has proposed rescinding the 2001 Roadless Rule, which restricts road-building across nearly 45 million acres nationwide, including parts of the Sierra in Mariposa, Madera, Fresno, and Tulare counties. Backers cite better access for wildfire thinning, while critics warn more roads could mean more ignitions. (More)

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➤ Los Angeles leads the nation in wire and cable thefts, more than double second-place Houston, as rising copper prices help fuel the thefts. Officials say some cuts knock thousands offline for nothing, since the lines are fiber, not copper. (More)

➤ Hawthorne: Demolition has begun at Hawthorne Plaza, the 35-acre mall that has sat empty since 1999, after a court ordered its owners to start tearing it down. Crews and heavy machinery moved in this week on the Hawthorne Boulevard site, long plagued by trespassing, vandalism, litter, and safety concerns. (More)

➤ Newport Beach: Powerful swells have stripped sand from the Wedge, exposing decades-old pipes, rocks, and remnants of 1930s harbor construction. Scientists say this year’s erosion is much worse than normal. (See Details)

➤ San Diego County: County supervisors voted 3-2 Tuesday to end agreements letting federal immigration agents train at two county firing ranges, with supporters opposing the use of county facilities for immigration enforcement. Opponents said agents need more training, not less. (More)

➤ Ramona: A local egg rancher is disputing San Diego County findings linking her farm’s unpasteurized eggs to a salmonella outbreak that sickened 22 people, seven of them hospitalized. Happy Hens owner Chloe Nevarez says investigators never obtained a test sample from her farm, calling the connection unproven. (More)

➤ Long Beach: The Port of Long Beach is warning drivers of three weekend closures on the 710 Freeway and Shoemaker Bridge in September as crews demolish old ramps. Closures run 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday on Sept. 11-14, Sept. 18-21, and Sept. 25-28. (More)

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➤ Los Angeles Chargers center Tyler Biadasz was carted off with an apparent left leg injury during a joint practice with the San Francisco 49ers. Biadasz signed with the Chargers in March after playing for the Washington Commanders last season. (More)

➤ A pair of Shohei Ohtani’s game-worn cleats from the 2025 Tokyo Series opener sold at auction for $440,055, nearly five times the previous baseball footwear record set by Michael Jordan’s minor league cleats. (More)

➤ Stanford named transfer Davis Warren as its starting quarterback for the season opener against Hawaii on Aug. 29. Warren started nine games for the Michigan Wolverines in 2024 before missing all of last season with a torn ACL. (More)

➤ San Francisco’s Chase Center will host the 2027 WNBA All-Star Game, the league announced this week. It will be the first time the Bay Area has hosted the event. (More)

➤ San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. robbed Francisco Lindor of a grand slam and hit two home runs in a 5-2 win over the Mets. It was his 14th career two-homer game, tying him for second in franchise history. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | Tennis | WNBA | Little League World Series | Soccer

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➤ Online retailer Carvana is building a 172,000-square-foot vehicle reconditioning center in Visalia’s Industrial Park that could create 500 or more jobs. Mayor Brett Taylor said the facility would bring mechanic and other career jobs paying above minimum wage. (More)

➤ Small businesses and nonprofits hurt by June’s Lineage cold-storage warehouse fire in Boyle Heights can now apply for low-interest federal disaster loans of up to $2 million after the Small Business Administration approved California’s request for disaster assistance. Cleanup of the burned warehouse is still underway. (More)

➤ San Francisco-based OpenAI is rolling out ChatGPT for Teens with added safeguards for users under 18 amid mounting scrutiny and lawsuits over child safety. The protections include break reminders, quiet and study hours, and stronger content safeguards. (More)

➤ California grows more than 90% of America’s fresh broccoli, leaving the national supply vulnerable to drought in the state, according to a Cornell study. Researchers estimate a severe drought could cut California broccoli shipments by about 20%. (More)

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➤ A Texas man who worried he had forgotten to tip at Langer’s Deli in Los Angeles mailed the iconic restaurant a $50 bill and an apology letter asking that the money go to his server. Langer’s made sure she received the tip and thanked him for “going out of your way to do the right thing.” (More)

➤ Two California condors, critically endangered birds once nearly extinct, photobombed a wildfire camera southeast of Bakersfield, perching there for hours. Roughly 400 now fly free in California, Arizona, Utah, and Baja California. (See Photos)

➤ Big figeater beetles are hitting their August peak across Southern California, sometimes careening into people and other objects. The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County says they fly “with the grace of a charging rhinoceros,” but the clumsy scarabs do not bite and are not considered pests. (More)

➤ Sweet, a Southern California dog, has gone viral for her quick reaction time on a surfboard, a sport she started at just eight weeks old. She is the pup of Sugar, the five-time World Dog Surf Champion from Huntington Beach who died in March. (See Photos)

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The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes. Clicking the links will take you directly to these stories:

➤ Remodeling triggers regret in 74% of homeowners, with these 10 “upgrades” causing the most trouble. (Hear Details)

➤ American forces are reportedly running a secret nightly operation to move millions of barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz. (Hear Episode)

➤ Russia has placed RFK Jr.’s son on its most wanted list over accusations that he fought for Ukraine. (Listen Now)