UFW Cancels César Chávez Celebrations

The United Farm Workers (UFW) called off César Chávez Day events nationwide after acknowledging allegations that Chávez may have engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior involving women and minors during his years leading the union.

UFW co-founder Dolores Huerta, now 95, said Wednesday that Chávez manipulated her into one sexual encounter and forced her into another in the 1960s, resulting in two pregnancies, according to reports citing her statement.

The UFW said it has no firsthand knowledge of the claims but called them “incompatible” with its values, and the César Chávez Foundation said it was “deeply shocked and saddened.” 

Fresno Unified School District withdrew students from a planned celebration at Warnors Theatre, while Contra Costa County rescheduled an event. Events were also canceled in Houston, San Antonio, Tucson, and San Bernardino.

Chávez co-founded the UFW in California in 1962 and died in 1993. His birthday, March 31, is a state holiday.

Marine Report Details Shrapnel Incident

A Marine Corps investigation found a rare malfunction during a live-fire demonstration at Camp Pendleton last October sent shrapnel onto Interstate 5, striking two California Highway Patrol vehicles that were part of Vice President JD Vance’s security detail.

The 666-page report found no negligence and no definitive cause, though it cited possible factors such as blast overpressure and anomalous electromagnetic energy that may have triggered the round’s premature detonation at about 1,480 feet.

The Oct. 18 event marked the Marine Corps’ 250th anniversary and was attended by Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Officers reported hearing “pebbles” hitting a motorcycle, and shards dented an unoccupied patrol car. No injuries were reported.

The incident drew sharp criticism from California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office, which called the exercise “dangerous and performative,” while military officials said the malfunction was rare and found no wrongdoing.

Sesame Workshop Sues SeaWorld

Sesame Workshop has filed suit against SeaWorld’s parent company, seeking to end the two organizations’ 45-year licensing relationship over unpaid royalties and alleged contract breaches.

The lawsuit accuses United Parks & Resorts of failing to pay millions in royalties, including disputes tied to the Sesame Place park in Pennsylvania, and of halting payments in 2025.

Sesame Workshop says SeaWorld refused royalty payments in 2022, forcing arbitration, and later stopped payments altogether while allegedly taking actions that harmed the brand. SeaWorld says it is aware of the lawsuit and “look[s] forward to setting the record straight in court.”

The original licensing agreement dates back decades. Sesame Workshop called severing the deal the “only path forward.”

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Tech Giants Are Betting on the Next Computing Shift

Tech leaders are already preparing for what could replace the smartphone: Spatial Computing.

Companies like Apple, Samsung, and Meta are pouring billions into XR devices that blend digital work with the physical world. Now, a fast-growing startup is emerging alongside them.

Immersed built the No. 1 productivity app on the Meta Quest Store, already used by 1.5 million people, including teams at Fortune 500 companies who spend up to 60 hours per week inside the platform.

But software was just the beginning.

Immersed is now launching Visor, an XR headset designed for productivity that features 2 million more pixels than Apple’s Vision Pro for 70% less money and at 70% less weight. The company projects $71 million in first-year sales.

Major industry players are already taking notice. Immersed has partnerships with Qualcomm and Samsung, while executives and founders from Intel, Reddit, and Sailpoint have already invested.

The company has already grown its valuation 4,000% and has reserved the NASDAQ ticker $IMRS as it prepares for public markets. For investors, the real opportunity may be getting in before a potential IPO.

You can still invest pre-IPO at the current valuation, but not for long.

➤ Northern California: About 23,000 Kaiser nurses joined 2,400 mental health therapists in a one-day sympathy strike Wednesday, protesting what the union says are plans to shift patient screening to lower-credentialed staff and AI-assisted tools. Kaiser disputes that, saying tech supports clinicians. Hospitals remain open. (See Details)

➤ Piedmont: The sole survivor of a 2024 Cybertruck crash that killed three others has sued Tesla, alleging the vehicle’s electronic door system and lack of accessible emergency release trapped occupants inside the burning vehicle. (More)

➤ San Jose: East Side Union High School District is laying off more than 80 workers—including special education teachers, counselors, and social workers—as it faces a $30 million budget deficit driven by declining enrollment of about 4,200 students since 2017-18 and the loss of federal COVID-19 funds. (See Details)

➤ San Francisco: The Bay Lights return to the Bay Bridge Friday after about two years, with a rebuilt $11 million installation featuring 48,000 LEDs across the 2-mile western span, funded entirely through private philanthropy. An official lighting ceremony is scheduled. (See Details)

➤ Bakersfield: A preliminary hearing began in Kern County for former Cal State Bakersfield assistant basketball coach Kevin Mays, who faces charges including pimping, pandering, drug and weapons offenses, and possession of child sexual abuse material, with investigators alleging 28 such videos were found on his phone. (More)

➤ Central Valley: The Trump administration announced $540 million in federal funding for California water projects, including upgrades to the Delta-Mendota and Friant-Kern canals, aimed at improving delivery, reliability, and conservation across the region. (See Details)

➤ Fresno: Highway 41 will close overnight tonight from Highway 46 to Highway 33 as crews finish repairs from a December 2025 rockslide that blocked lanes and required temporary barriers. Detours are expect to add 30 minutes of travel time. (More)

➤ Westlake Village: A state appeals court upheld the murder conviction of Grossman Burn Foundation co-founder Rebecca Grossman, who is serving 15 years to life for striking and killing 11-year-old Mark and 8-year-old Jacob Iskander in a marked crosswalk in 2020. Prosecutors said she was speeding at the time of the crash. (More)

➤ Simi Valley: While film and TV shoots in the city of Los Angeles fell 24% in 2025, Simi Valley logged 296 filming days across 87 productions and $5.25 million in local economic impact, emerging as a rising production hub with a streamlined permitting process and no monitoring fees. (More)

➤ Los Angeles: An Australian man faces a federal charge after allegedly assaulting a Transportation Security Administration officer at Los Angeles International Airport, grabbing his hair, and shoving him into a wall after accusing him of taking his belongings. The items were later found, and he was re-arrested before boarding a flight to the UK. (More) 

➤ LAFC co-owner Will Ferrell was named a community ambassador for the Los Angeles World Cup 2026 Host Committee: “I promise not to jump in as goalkeeper,” he joked, “unless [it’s] absolutely necessary.” (More)

➤ UC Davis women’s basketball squares off against Pepperdine today in the NIT basketball tournament. Tip off from Malibu is scheduled for 6 p.m. (More)

➤ USC women’s basketball landed a third five-star recruit this week, catapulting them to No. 1 in ESPN’s 2026 class rankings. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NBA | NHL | NCAAM | NCAAW | NCAAB | NCAASB | Soccer | Tennis

➤ Sacramento-based Sutter Health plans to acquire Minneapolis-based Allina Health, investing more than $2 billion in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The combined system would span 39 hospitals and 400 care sites across three states, serving about 5 million patients, pending approval. (More)

➤ Domino’s franchise operator North County Pizza Inc., based in San Diego, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, reporting up to $10 million in liabilities and leaving several Southern California locations in limbo. (More)

➤ Monrovia-based Trader Joe’s is restocking its springtime mini canvas tote bags this month in light blue, pink, lilac, and mint green for $2.99 each, for a limited time, with availability varying by store. A new large canvas tote with lavender handles and a pink logo is also expected to arrive soon. (See Details)

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This Pre-IPO Company’s facing the Tech Giants 

As Tech Giants reshape how people work, a $250 billion+ opportunity is up for grabs. With the help of partners like Meta, Qualcomm, and Samsung, Immersed is perfectly positioned to seize it.

Immersed combined the world’s most-used remote work XR software ($127 billion by 2030), AR/VR hardware ($100 billion+ by 2026), and AI productivity tools ($36 billion) to create a productive, communal, and distraction-free virtual workspace. That’s why 1.5 million+ professionals, including Fortune 500 teams, already use it.

Now, Immersed is preparing to ship the first units of its productivity-designed Visor headset. 75,000+ already waitlisted, representing $71 million in projected first-year sales. No wonder executives and founders from Intel and Sailpoint have already invested. 

You have one week left: Invest in Immersed at $0.66/share before March 26.

This is a paid advertisement for Immersed Regulation A+ offering. Please read the offering circular at https://invest.immersed.com/

➤ Bluey and Bingo are coming to Disneyland, debuting March 22 at the Fantasyland Theatre in Anaheim with a live show featuring music, games, and characters from the series, timed to the park’s 70th anniversary celebration. (See Details) 

➤ California’s Antelope Valley reserve northwest of Los Angeles is showing its first blooms of the season, with bright orange wildflowers beginning to spread across the Mojave Desert grasslands. The bloom typically runs from mid-February through May along the reserve’s eight miles of trails. (See Details)

➤ A Huntington Beach community organized an early graduation ceremony so a youth sports coach with terminal cancer could see his daughter graduate. On Monday evening, school officials and local leaders, including a county supervisor, gathered at a park where he presented his daughter with her diploma. (More)

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Which grocery store are you most loyal to?

1. Trader Joes
2. Costco
3. Whole Foods
4. Safeway/ Vons /Albertsons
5. Ralphs
6. Grocery Outlet
7. Other

Yesterday’s Results:

Did you fill out a March Madness bracket this year?

1. Yes, and I feel good about it: 32%
2. Yes, but it’s already doomed: 24%
3. No, I just watch the games: 22%
4. What’s a bracket?: 22%

What is the official state flower of California?

Show me the answer