Becerra’s ‘Power Hour’ Faces Cost Questions

An energy expert estimates Gov.-elect Xavier Becerra’s “Power Hour” electricity plan would be unlikely to save a typical household more than $200 a year.

Becerra unveiled Power Hour in August: two hours of free midday electricity for lower-income households eligible for existing utility-assistance programs, meant to tap California’s surplus solar.

Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Hollister, and Senate President Pro Tempore Monique Limón, D-Santa Barbara, declined to commit after meeting Becerra last week, and he has yet to attach a price tag. Becerra said he “can’t make a commitment without knowing what exactly I face.”

Meanwhile, Becerra named a seven-member transition team led by Liz Saldivar, a longtime aide who has worked with him since 2009, under the banner “California Dreams, California Delivers.” He takes office Jan. 4.

$1,500 in College Money Goes Unclaimed

State Treasurer Fiona Ma is urging California families to claim up to $1,500 in CalKIDS college savings, part of more than $2.4 billion set aside for 6.1 million children, with millions in scholarship funds still unclaimed.

Eligible public school students can receive up to $1,500, and children born in the state on or after July 1, 2022, up to $175. The money covers tuition, books, and other education expenses at qualifying colleges and career training programs, and students can use it until age 26.

The program requires no essays, GPA minimums, or traditional applications; scholarships are automatically allocated, but families must claim them. Families can check eligibility at CalKIDS.org under “Confirm Eligibility,” using a student’s Statewide Student Identifier or a newborn’s Local Registration Number.

The state says 60% of public school students in grades 2-12 qualify, and officials are using National Scholarship Month in November to push families to claim money many don’t know is theirs.

UCLA Explains a Vanishing Planet

UCLA-led astronomers have identified the first known “disappearing planet,” a gas giant about 1,000 light-years away that was observed passing in front of its star over seven years before vanishing from view in 2026.

The planet, TOI-2535 b, is a “hot Jupiter” that laps its star every 8.25 days. NASA’s TESS telescope tracked it from 2019 until the transits ran up to six hours off schedule, grew fainter, and then stopped.

The planet hasn’t truly vanished. Astronomers say an unseen neighboring planet is tugging on TOI-2535 b, tilting its orbit until it wobbles like a spinning top and no longer passes in front of its star as seen from Earth.

Lead author Samuel Yee said the orbit tilted so fast that “its transit disappeared while we were watching,” calling it the most extreme case yet found. The team, writing in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, expects the planet’s transits to resume in 30 to 50 years.

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➤ Capitola Beach is closed after nine children from Santa Cruz County and the Bay Area contracted E. coli infections linked to likely exposure at the beach. Health officials are investigating the source and testing the water. (More)

➤ Bay Area Coast: The National Weather Service warned of dangerous surf, with waves of 15 to 20 feet expected ahead of a high surf warning Friday evening. Breaking waves could reach 30 feet this weekend, bringing dangerous rip currents and sneaker waves. (More)

➤ San Francisco: Nima Momeni was sentenced to 16 years to life in prison for the 2023 stabbing death of Cash App founder Bob Lee, after a judge denied his attorneys’ request for a new trial. (More)

➤ Oakland: Defense attorneys in the federal corruption trial of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao raised the possibility of a mistrial Tuesday after a key prosecution witness, Mario Juarez, gestured toward Thao and appeared to suggest lawyers question her directly. (More)

➤ Santa Clara: Police arrested Stephan Ramirez, 32, of San Jose, after identifying him as the man in a viral video punching and kicking an unconscious person in a Levi’s Stadium parking lot during Sunday’s 49ers-Raiders game. Eleven people were arrested that day. (More)

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➤ Tracy: Jeffrey Pribble, 48, the longtime Tracy High School football coach, appeared in court Tuesday for arraignment on a misdemeanor charge of secretly recording students in a locker room. He entered no plea, remains on leave, and is due back Feb. 16. (More)

➤ San Luis Obispo County: Health officials confirmed one death in an E. coli outbreak that sickened five people. Brookshire Farms temporarily closed after patients reported visiting the farm, but tests found no source. The farm reopened Nov. 6, and officials say the public health threat has ended. (See Details)

➤ Santa Cruz County: Authorities suspended their search for Senah Park, 24, of San Bruno, who is believed to have been swept out to sea Sunday night at Panther State Beach. The Coast Guard and other agencies searched for two days. (More)

➤ Bakersfield: A family is pleading for the return of Ron Horlacher’s ashes, stolen along with other belongings when their longtime family home was broken into Oct. 28. They had planned to bury the ashes beside his wife’s in Utah. (More)

➤ Also Bakersfield: After beavers moved into Mill Creek Park downtown and felled two trees, residents are asking the city to relocate them. Parks crews are instead wrapping trees in wire and plastic, saying the animals will eventually move on. (More)

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➤ North Hollywood: A driver struck pedestrians and street vendors outside the North Hollywood Metro station Tuesday evening, killing three women and injuring two others. Ihor Demianenko, 61, was arrested on suspicion of felony DUI and faces three murder counts. (More)

➤ South Los Angeles: Federal prosecutors charged local native Roberto Gomez, 51, Tuesday with allegedly helping former Canadian Olympian Ryan Wedding’s international drug trafficking ring and helping him evade law enforcement. Gomez is believed to be hiding in Mexico. (More)

➤ Pacific Palisades: At Jonathan Rinderknecht’s federal retrial over the deadly 2025 Palisades Fire, defense attorneys revealed a potential new witness with evidence of fireworks near the initial blaze. His first trial ended with jurors deadlocked 10-2 toward acquittal. (More)

➤ Glendale: More than 40 residents spoke at a city council meeting Tuesday, most opposing a proposed 53% first-year water rate hike. Glendale Water and Power says the increase is needed to upgrade aging infrastructure and cover rising costs. (More)

➤ San Diego: SeaWorld welcomed two rescued Alaskan ringed seals, Mavsaq and Taku, to its Wild Arctic exhibit. Unable to return to the wild, they join resident seal Natchek at one of just two North American facilities where visitors can see the threatened species up close. (Read Story)

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➤ Unbeaten UCLA landed at No. 4 in the second College Football Playoff rankings after a 34-20 road win over Minnesota. USC came in at No. 18 ahead of Saturday’s trip to No. 9 Indiana. (See Rankings)

➤ Daiyan Henley is headed to the Denver Broncos after the 0-8 Los Angeles Chargers traded the linebacker Tuesday for 2027 fourth- and 2028 fifth-round picks, pending a physical. (More)

➤ Harrison Bader is expected to remain with the San Francisco Giants as the club nears resolving a pay dispute stemming from his July scooter crash into a fire engine. (More)

➤ ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said he would be “shocked” if the Los Angeles Lakers got past the second round in the postseason, claiming he’s never seen a team whose top three players are white win a title. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NCAAF | NHL | NBA | NCAAM | NCAAW | Soccer

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➤ The Justice Department sued San Francisco-based Lyft, alleging it failed to prevent discrimination against riders with service animals or foldable wheelchairs. The government seeks $53 million in damages and policy changes. Lyft denies the allegations, citing its existing protections. (More)

➤ Masa of Echo Park, a Los Angeles pizzeria, reversed a DoorDash refund after a customer submitted an apparently AI-generated photo of a burnt pizza. Owner Rhonda Reynolds checked kitchen footage and used an AI detector that flagged the image with 96% confidence. (More)

➤ San Diego Gas & Electric’s proposed 8.6% rate hike drew pushback Tuesday as ratepayers packed a hearing in Santee. The plan would add roughly $270 a year to average gas and electric bills starting in 2028. State regulators have yet to approve it. (More)

➤ Sacramento’s City Council approved reforms to cut permitting red tape and spur housing, including incentives to convert offices into homes and rebates of $2,500 to $10,000 to help small businesses cover accessibility upgrades. (More)

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Whistleblowing Doctor Links Common Health Issues to Widespread “Grocery Scam”

One of America’s top doctors is hoping you’ll read this before you set foot in another grocery store.

➤ Yosemite’s Badger Pass, on Glacier Point Road, is the oldest ski area in any U.S. national park, dating to 1935. Its origins trace to Yosemite’s failed bid for the 1932 Winter Olympics, which helped spur development of the ski area. (Read Story)

➤ Japanese cyclist Ryo Murata was set to finish his Route 66 ride Wednesday at the Santa Monica Pier, marking the highway’s 100th anniversary and his 27th birthday. His viral journey drew support from strangers along the way. (See Details)

➤ Jean-Pierre Wolff, owner of Wolff Vineyards in the Edna Valley, was knighted in a ceremony at his San Luis Obispo County winery, honored for nearly four decades of promoting trade and economic ties between Belgium and the United States. (Read Story)

➤ Volunteers are taking turns guarding a rare olive ridley sea turtle nest just south of the Ventura Pier, where eggs were laid Nov. 1. Signs urge beachgoers to keep their distance, and hatchlings are expected in mid-December. (Read Story)

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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. 

➤ Those old family rules about swimming, sugar, and knuckle cracking are finally getting scientific verdicts. (See List)

➤ In his only interview before a new memoir, former President Joe Biden is downplaying the debate that ended his 2024 campaign. (Listen Now)

➤ Migraines hold a hidden connection to women’s health, and a leading neurologist is breaking down why women suffer from them more than men. (Hear Details)

Do you volunteer for causes you care about?

1. Yes, regularly
2. A few times
3. Not yet, but I’d like to
4. It’s not for me

Yesterday’s Results:

Which faraway-feeling California town would you most want to visit?

1. None of them: 36%
2. Mendocino: 29%
3. Ferndale: 16%
4. Dunsmuir or Murphys: 11%
5. Nevada City: 8%

The Edna Valley near San Luis Obispo is one of California’s coolest-climate wine regions, best known for which white grape?

Show me the answer

If you’re a fan of our Trivia section, you’ll love our new book, The Flyover Book of Trivia 2027, an illustrated collection of 100 of our favorite questions and answers. (Buy It Now)