Oakland Approves $125M Coliseum Sale

Oakland’s City Council approved a revised $125 million deal to sell the city’s stake in the Coliseum complex to the Oakland Acquisition Company.

The buyer will pay $50 million at closing, with the balance paid over time with interest. The city will also receive 6% of future ticket fees generated at the site.

The purchasing group includes the African American Sports and Entertainment Group, which has been working to redevelop the site. The agreement also recognizes a $5 million deposit already paid.

Mayor Barbara Lee said the deal would “bring in city revenue, create good paying jobs and drive real economic opportunities for our residents.”

The agreement replaces a 2024 sale arrangement that was delayed and ultimately restructured after years of negotiations over the site’s future.

Sierra Mining Revives Amid Metals Push

Blue Moon Metals is developing the Blue Moon Mine at a preexisting underground mine site near Hornitos in Mariposa County, focused on critical metals including silver, copper, and zinc.

CEO Christian Kargl-Simard said the company has spent more than $20 million, with a crew of about 25 now developing an underground tunnel. He expects the mine to be fully operational by 2029.

The ore would ship to the company’s Nevada processing facility, and the project is expected to generate $50 million in free cash flow each year for about a decade.

A second firm, Lode Gold, is working the historic Fremont Mine nearby. President Trump designated Mariposa an Opportunity Zone and signed an executive order intended to help fast-track mining permits.

The environmental group Earthworks criticized the order, saying it removes protections for communities and the environment.

Surgeons Perform First Gorilla Mastoid Surgery

Surgeons at UC San Diego Health operated on the infected mastoid bone behind the ear of a 12-year-old gorilla at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, in what is believed to be the first reported such procedure on a gorilla.

The gorilla, named Mizani, had developed sinusitis and a bone infection called mastoiditis. A CT scan confirmed the diagnosis.

Keepers first noticed trouble in March, when Mizani began holding his head, squinting, and eating less.

Doctors Jeffrey Harris and Krish Suresh adapted human microsurgery techniques, with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance finding no record of the procedure ever being performed on a gorilla.

Mizani has recovered well. The condition appears to have predated his arrival at the park in November 2024.

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➤ Oakland: Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 179 on Monday at a Chinatown affordable-housing site, enacting finance reforms the state estimates will cut the cost of building each affordable unit by $60,000 to $70,000. The measure also adds $900 million for homeless-housing programs. (More)

➤ Sonoma County: Crews downgraded evacuation orders to a warning after stopping the 17-acre Ledson Fire near Santa Rosa. The blaze started Monday near Kenwood in the burn scars of the 2017 Nuns and 2020 Glass fires. No structures were damaged. (More)

➤ Napa County: Meanwhile, crews held the Hardin Fire to 79 acres of grassland in rural Pope Valley on Monday, reaching 60% containment by nightfall with no structures damaged. No evacuations were ordered. (More)

➤ Santa Clara County: Officials are going door-to-door to recover more than 1,000 Costco grapevines that may carry the invasive glassy-winged sharpshooter, which spreads Pierce’s disease. The plants were sold this spring, and crews are racing to protect local vineyards and farms. (More)

➤ San Francisco: Sweet Joanna’s Cafe, a fixture at the University of San Francisco’s downtown campus for nearly 35 years, faces closure after the school declined to renew its lease. Owner Joseph Abughosh rallied regulars with protest posters but struck a more hopeful tone after a call from USF’s president. (Read Story)

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➤ Modesto: Federal prosecutors indicted Samian Sivansay, 27, on a felon-in-possession charge after alleging he posted photos and videos of guns on Instagram in June. Officers tracked him from Arizona, and after a brief chase found nine firearms in his abandoned car. (More)

➤ Stanislaus County: The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is accepting applications through Aug. 3 for 11 limited deer-hunting permits at the Los Banos and North Grasslands wildlife areas for the final week of A Zone deer season, Sept. 16-20. Winners will be selected Aug. 4. (More)

➤ Fresno: A judge ruled Monday that Stewart Coleman must stand trial for murder in the August shooting death of Carl Johnson, who had come to Coleman’s northwest Fresno home to look at fishing gear. Coleman has pleaded not guilty. (More)

➤ Farmersville: The city council endorsed the bipartisan Dignity Act, becoming the sixth Central Valley city to back the bill, which would grant eligible immigrants a renewable seven-year legal status and work authorization. Some speakers criticized its $1,000 annual fee and lack of a path to citizenship. (More)

➤ San Luis Obispo County: Caltrans began full overnight closures of ramps along Highway 1 and US 101 on Monday, from 7:30 p.m. to 7 a.m. through Aug. 7, as crews remove existing striping and install updated lane delineation. (More)

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➤ San Bernardino: A procession Monday brought home Lt. Col. Gabriel Estrella, 39, one of eight people killed when a B-52 bomber crashed shortly after takeoff from Edwards Air Force Base on June 15. Firefighters saluted from freeway overpasses as the motorcade traveled along the 10 Freeway. (More)

➤ Southern California: Triple-digit heat, active wildfires, and peak king tides are creating hazardous conditions this week. Temperatures could reach 110 degrees inland as officials warn of elevated fire danger, coastal flooding, and dangerous beach conditions. (More)

➤ Ventura County: An unexploded 1950s-era Super Bazooka round washed ashore at Mugu State Beach and was detonated in place after authorities determined it was too dangerous to move. The beach and a stretch of Pacific Coast Highway were briefly closed, and officials urged the public to leave any suspected military ordnance alone and call 911. (More)

➤ Los Angeles: The police department let its agreement with license-plate-camera vendor Flock Safety expire as it works to rewrite the contract after a watchdog raised concerns about privacy and civil liberties. The report also credited the department’s automatic license plate readers with recovering 337 stolen cars over two months. (See Report)

➤ Mojave Desert: Search crews are looking for Julie Goforth, 63, of Long Beach, who disappeared Friday morning while dirt biking with a friend at the El Mirage off-highway recreation area near Adelanto. The two became separated, and ground and air searches have found no trace. (More)

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➤ New Lakers center Walker Kessler said he’s medically cleared following shoulder surgery. The 24-year-old, who arrived in a sign-and-trade with Utah, said he’ll “run through a brick wall” for Los Angeles and is eager to play alongside Luka Doncic after missing most of last season. (More)

➤ The A’s fired pitching coach Scott Emerson Monday after dropping 13 of their last 14 games heading into the All-Star break. Bullpen coach Dan Hubbs will serve as interim pitching coach for the rest of the season. At 41-55, the A’s have the American League’s worst team ERA at 5.21. (More)

➤ 2028 Los Angeles Olympics applications are now open for about 60,000 Games-time volunteer roles. Volunteers must be at least 18, speak English, and commit to at least 10 shifts. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: World Cup | MLB | WNBA

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➤ Paramount advisers are urging CEO David Ellison to consider moving the studio’s headquarters and up to $30 billion in planned spending out of California after Attorney General Rob Bonta and 11 other state attorneys general sued to block its proposed $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Paramount says it will defend the deal. (More)

➤ Hundreds of economists, computer scientists, and tech executives, including some from Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI, signed an open letter organized by Stanford’s digital economy lab warning that AI could transform the economy more rapidly than the Industrial Revolution and urging institutions to act now on job-displacement risks. (More)

➤ The Langham Huntington Pasadena’s owner will pay $320,000 and refund eligible guests to settle a lawsuit alleging it raised room rates by more than 10% during the January 2025 Eaton and Palisades wildfires, officials said. Refunds total about $216,795. (More)

➤ Bosch has begun sample production of silicon carbide chips at its Roseville plant with $225 million in federal CHIPS Act funding. The company plans to invest up to $2 billion, with commercial production slated to begin later this year. (More)

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➤ A Stanford scientist’s wireless PRIMA eye chip is helping blind patients read again by replacing lost photoreceptors and using infrared-powered glasses. In trials, 80% of patients with advanced macular degeneration regained the ability to read. Alameda-based Science Corp. expects European approval this summer. (See Details)

➤ The annual grunion run is underway on Southern California beaches through July 17, giving beachgoers a chance to catch the fish by hand during nighttime high tides. Anglers 16 and older need a fishing license, and the limit is 30 fish per person. (More)

➤ Sequoia and Kings Canyon were named the most polluted national parks in America in the National Parks Conservation Association’s latest report, ahead of Yosemite and the Everglades. The jointly managed parks sit downwind of San Joaquin Valley smog, though pollution has declined since the 2000s. (See Details)

➤ Will Ferrell worked one day at Disneyland before quitting after being assigned to a ticket booth instead of a ride. Too embarrassed to quit himself, he had a friend tell Disney he was leaving for a Dallas Cowboys tryout. (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. Clicking the links will take you directly to these stories:

➤ Hearing specialists say once hearing fades, it’s gone for good, making a few simple habits the only way to protect it. (See Habits)

➤ Newly released records show a former special counsel’s team accessed texts from dozens of lawmakers in both parties, drawing constitutional accusations. (Hear Episode)

➤ A state just cleared the way for seniors in assisted living to raise a glass together, no liquor license required. (Listen Now)

Deer-hunting permits are up for grabs in the Central Valley this fall. Are you a hunter?

1. Yes, I hunt regularly
2. Once in a while
3. No, but I’d like to try
4. No, not for me

Yesterday’s Results:

What’s your favorite classic British dish?

1. Fish and chips: 24%
2. Beef Wellington: 16%
3. Nothing for me: 16%
4. Bangers and mash: 15%
5. Sticky toffee pudding: 15%
6. Other: 14%

Which future U.S. president co-hosted the live television broadcast of Disneyland’s opening day in 1955?

Show me the answer