State Tax Credit Backs Shrek Prequel

California awarded tax credits to 41 new film projects Tuesday, headlined by DreamWorks’ Shrek prequel Donkey, featuring Eddie Murphy.

Animated feature films became eligible only last year, and four animated titles from Disney, DreamWorks, and Pixar, among them Donkey and Disney’s Hexed, claimed $71.6 million in this round.

The slate also features a new Pixar film and Oscar winner Ben Affleck’s Gingerbread Men, from his Artists Equity studio.

The awards close the expanded program’s first full year after the annual cap rose to $750 million. The state expects the year’s 170 credited productions to drive $6.6 billion in economic impact and nearly 35,000 cast and crew jobs.

Sacramento Fights Mosquitoes With Mosquitoes

The Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito & Vector Control District released 140,000 sterile male mosquitoes over Rosemont on Tuesday.

It’s the start of a 16-week campaign to release more than 2 million additional sterile males, which don’t bite. The insects mate with wild females, producing eggs that don’t hatch.

The target is Aedes aegypti, an invasive mosquito that can spread Zika, dengue, and chikungunya and has been turning up across Sacramento and Yolo counties since 2019.

The district says a similar pilot last year in South Natomas cut mosquito numbers by 25% to 40%. The program’s insects cost $136,000 and were purchased from a vendor in Kentucky.

Rider Solves Mount Shasta Speaker Mystery

A horseback rider who found about 200 solar-powered speakers scattered across a hillside near Mount Shasta has tracked down the person behind them.

Karrie Ann Snure came across the devices off Highway 97 while riding, and her videos of the buzzing, static-filled slope drew millions of views online. Using local connections, Snure reached the property owner, who asked to stay anonymous and keep the exact spot quiet to deter trespassers.

According to Snure, the owner said each speaker loops a message about peace, compassion or veganism, all meant to lift the consciousness of anyone within earshot.

Up close, a single unit sounds like a sermon. Spread across the hillside and slightly out of sync, hundreds of them blur into an eerie wash of white noise.

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Napa County: A preliminary magnitude 3.6 earthquake struck the small community of Angwin Tuesday, followed minutes later by a magnitude 2.6 aftershock. The shaking was felt in nearby communities, and no damage or injuries were immediately reported. (More)

➤ San Mateo: Two 15-year-olds were detained Monday after Waymo reported they were drinking and firing gel-based pellets from a driverless vehicle. The company remotely stopped the robotaxi near El Camino Real, telling the teens the vehicle was having mechanical trouble until police arrived. (More)

➤ San Francisco: The Board of Supervisors advanced a measure that would allow cannabis dispensaries to serve food, nonalcoholic drinks, and host entertainment, creating Amsterdam-style cannabis cafes. The proposal passed its first vote Tuesday and faces a final vote next week. (More)

➤ Del Norte County: A man lost a hand while clearing Fourth of July firework debris at Point St. George Beach near Crescent City when a homemade bomb-like device exploded, his family’s GoFundMe says. He remained in intensive care Tuesday, awaiting more surgery. (More)

➤ Sacramento: Caltrans says the five-year Fix 50 project is on track to finish by the end of the summer. Major paving is complete, with overnight work continuing on ramps, striping and traffic signals. (More)

Enjoy reading The California Flyover? Click here to share with your friends and family.

➤ Central Coast: Strawberries remained Monterey County’s top crop, but the latest crop report shows growers squeezed by pests, rising costs and weakening wine demand, which drove the value of wine grapes down 25%. (More)

➤ Vandenberg Village: A judge approved a stress-ball accommodation for Ashlee Buzzard, charged with murdering her 9-year-old daughter, Melodee, ahead of her September preliminary hearing. Deputies will provide the stress ball each day, and Buzzard must keep her hands visible while using it. (More)

➤ Morro Bay: A proposed marine protected area could restrict most fishing, drawing opposition from local fishing families who say it would hurt their livelihoods. State regulators are expected to consider the proposal this fall. (More)

➤ Vandenberg Space Force Base: The first three FireSat satellites reached orbit after launching aboard a SpaceX rocket, marking the start of a global wildfire detection network designed to spot new fires in near real time. Once more than 50 satellites are deployed, the system is expected to provide updates every 20 minutes. (More)

➤ Fresno: Rosa Brothers Milk Company is celebrating National Ice Cream Month with a new lemon ice cream flavor and a limited-edition “Home of the Brave” glass milk bottle marking America’s 250th anniversary. (More)

Enjoy reading The California Flyover? Click here to share with your friends and family.

➤ Encino: An 8-acre brush fire near the Encino Reservoir and Sepulveda Basin, believed to have been caused by downed power lines, prompted brief evacuation warnings Tuesday. A police helicopter responding to the fire was struck by a drone and made an emergency landing at Van Nuys Airport. No injuries were reported. (More)

➤ Irvine: Hazmat crews responded Tuesday after a chemical odor was reported at the home of UC Irvine student Amalvin Fritz. His attorney said the odor was linked to the same lab chemicals involved in an earlier FBI investigation after they were unpacked at the family’s new home. (More)

➤ Crestline: Clifton Bedore, 46, was arrested on suspicion of burning down his family’s home in the San Bernardino County mountain community after a July 4 argument with his brother, authorities said. Firefighters participating in a nearby parade broke away to battle the blaze. (More)

➤ Murrieta: The 200-acre Volcano Fire was 25% contained Tuesday evening after prompting evacuation orders and warnings. Most evacuation orders were later downgraded, and no injuries were reported as nearly 190 firefighters battled the blaze. (More)

➤ Rancho Santa Fe: Seven French bulldog puppies, all believed to be under a year old, were found abandoned at several locations in Rancho Santa Fe in early June. Neighbors and a local veterinary clinic are caring for the dogs as county officials investigate who left them behind. (More)

Enjoy reading The California Flyover? Click here to share with your friends and family.

➤ The Los Angeles Lakers signed three-time NBA champion Kevon Looney to a one-year, $3.9 million deal. Looney is expected to back up Walker Kessler at center after spending his first 10 seasons with the Golden State Warriors and last season with the Pelicans. (More)

➤ San Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones said some teammates still believe an electrical substation next to the team’s practice facility could be linked to player injuries. General manager John Lynch hired a scientist to investigate and called the findings a “big nothing burger.” (More) 

➤ The LA Dodgers led California teams in ESPN’s midseason MLB grades with an A for being on a 105-win pace, while the Giants landed an F. In between, the Padres (C-), A’s (C-), and Angels (D-) all graded out as underperformers. (More) 

➤ The Warriors declined to match the Memphis Grizzlies’ three-year, $30 million offer sheet for restricted free agent center Quinten Post, letting the big man walk. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | WNBA | Wimbledon

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Summer is here and there’s still time to feel your best. If you’ve been thinking about losing weight, DirectMeds connects qualified patients with licensed providers who can prescribe GLP-1 medications like semaglutide. Start your journey toward a healthier, more confident you. See if you qualify today.

➤ First-time EV buyers in California will soon be eligible for an instant $3,500 point-of-sale rebate on qualifying EV purchases, though eligibility rules apply. (More)

➤ Four states, including California, are seeking $1.4 trillion in penalties from Meta at an August trial in Oakland, alleging Facebook and Instagram were designed to addict children. Meta calls the figure baseless. (More)

➤ Fresno ranked sixth on GoDaddy’s 2026 Most Entrepreneurial Cities list, joining San Antonio, Miami, and El Paso in the top 10. The report cites 4% year-over-year growth driven by agriculture, agtech, and food innovation. (More)

➤ Fiesta Village Family Fun Park, a Colton mainstay in the Inland Empire since 1974, will close after this weekend, with final public days July 10-11. Owners blamed rising costs and falling attendance and said they couldn’t find a buyer. (More)

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Pack 3X More in Any Bag. Checked bags cost money and time. Aerless compression bags let you fit 3X more into a single carry-on, with a pocket-sized rechargeable pump that removes excess air in seconds. Over 1 million travelers use it, backed by 50,000+ five-star reviews. Click Here

Flying together with our sponsor

The Flying Car Market Is Growing 550% By 2030

There’s a pattern to the way new markets take off. First they’re dismissed, then they’re debated, then they’re obvious. By then, the early opportunity is gone. The flying car market is somewhere between the first two stages, which is exactly where you want to be.

In 2024, the global eVTOL market was worth $4.4 billion. By 2030, it’s projected to hit $28.6 billion. That’s 550% growth in six years.

Most retail investors will watch it happen from the sidelines. A few will get in now.

AirCar is already in the market: $21 million in deposit-backed pre-orders, 1,000+ manned test flights, a $99K aircraft that’s 4X more affordable than the competition and first deliveries ~12 months out. 

Invest by the July 13 deadline to receive 10% bonus shares.

➤ Los Angeles County firefighters came home Monday night to cheers in Pacoima after 11 days in Venezuela, where the 71-member USA-2 task force and six K-9 teams searched collapsed buildings and sifted through rubble following twin earthquakes that killed more than 3,500 people. (More)

➤ Guy Fieri features StreetZlan, an Elk Grove smokehouse taqueria, on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Friday, marking the show’s first-ever visit to an Elk Grove restaurant. (More)

➤ Chez Xue, a Chinese restaurant in Foster City, went viral with 1.6 million views on X for a menu policy warning it is “not a playground” and holding parents financially liable for damage caused by their children. Owner You You Xue said it’s about respect, not money. (More)

➤ Four orphaned bobcat kittens from Concord, Carmel, and Kern County are being cared for at the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA’s 169-acre wildlife center in Saratoga. Staff are minimizing human contact so the young bobcats can develop survival skills before returning to the wild. (More)

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Researchers recently discovered why so many collagen supplements fail to deliver noticeable results. It isn’t because collagen doesn’t work…It’s because much of it never gets absorbed in the first place. That’s why scientists are taking a closer look at a delicious new way to consume collagen that helps the body absorb dramatically more than traditional powders or pills. Read the full story here.

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:

➤ More than half of retirees regret their planning, undone by five mistakes they never saw coming. (See List)

➤ Search crews have found the Boeing 737 cargo plane that vanished in the Arabian Sea. (Hear Details)

➤ Nike is being sued for allegedly copying 7-Eleven’s trademark colors days before the shoe’s launch. (Listen Now)

A Foster City restaurant went viral for warning it’s “not a playground” and charging parents when their kids break something. What do you think?

1. Great idea
2. Reasonable
3. A little harsh
4. Goes too far

Yesterday’s Results:

On a long road trip, what pit stop do you actually look forward to?

1. Gas, snacks, hit the road: 30%
2. A sit-down diner: 26%
3. A scenic overlook to stretch: 24%
4. A casino/roadside attraction: 20%

Rising over far Northern California, Mount Shasta is the most voluminous volcano in the Cascade Range. What type of mountain is it?

Show me the answer