Closing Arguments Begin in Palisades Trial

Closing arguments began Tuesday in the federal arson trial of Jonathan Rinderknecht, charged with sparking the brush fire prosecutors say became the Palisades Fire.

Prosecutors say Rinderknecht, 30, lit a brush fire in Pacific Palisades on New Year’s Day 2025 that smoldered underground before Santa Ana winds rekindled it on Jan. 7. He faces three federal counts and up to 45 years in prison.

Prosecutors cited his recorded statements, including expressions of resentment toward the wealthy and a remark they characterize as an admission. Defense attorney Steven Haney argues the government has not produced evidence proving his client ignited the fire and says fireworks are the more likely cause.

A defense expert, a retired arson investigator, testified the blaze was probably not arson and most likely started with fireworks. One firefighter testified he heard fireworks the night the fire started, though his captain said he heard none.

U.S. District Judge Anne Hwang dismissed a juror who thanked a firefighter for his service. Jurors are expected to begin deliberations after closing arguments conclude.

The fire killed 12 people and destroyed about 6,800 structures, making it the most destructive wildfire in Los Angeles city history.

Health Plan Tax Could Lift Premiums

California lawmakers approved a redesigned tax on health insurers that the industry says could push premiums higher for privately insured residents.

Senate Bill 125 would set the state’s managed care organization tax at $8.85 per enrollee per month for both Medi-Cal and private plans. The change is intended to preserve billions in federal Medi-Cal funding after new federal rules barred states from taxing Medicaid plans at higher rates than private ones.

Private plans say they will pass the cost on, which the insurance lobby estimates could amount to about $100 more per person a year, or $400 for a family of four.

Consumer advocates say maintaining strong health plan tax revenue is essential to support Medi-Cal services. The California Medical Association opposed the bill, with its president calling it “robbing Peter to pay Paul.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to sign the measure. It still needs approval from the Trump administration before California can continue drawing matching federal funds under the revised tax plan.

Workday Must Face AI Bias Suit

A federal judge in San Francisco ruled that Workday must face a proposed class-action lawsuit claiming its AI hiring software discriminated against applicants who were black, disabled, female, or over 40.

U.S. District Judge Rita Lin rejected the company’s argument that California’s anti-discrimination law does not reach applicants outside the state. She let stand a claim that the software uses “proxy indicators” of disability, such as gaps in work history.

The 2023 case is one of the first to broadly target the algorithms behind AI hiring tools, which more than 80% of U.S. employers and nearly all Fortune 500 companies use.

Workday says the claims are false and that its recruiting tools do not make hiring decisions “in California or anywhere else.” The company maintains that employers, not software vendors, choose whom to hire.

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➤ Chico: Two people were killed in a shooting Monday afternoon at the Butte County Library’s Chico branch, and an 18-year-old man was taken into custody, police said. A child suffered a minor injury. Investigators said the suspect acted alone and appeared motivated by an obsession with the Columbine massacre. (More)

➤ San Francisco: Two tourists were rescued by helicopter Monday after becoming stranded about 150 feet off trail near the Golden Gate Bridge, fire officials said. The pair were uninjured but were cited by National Park Police for leaving the designated trail. (See Details)

➤ San Mateo: Nearly five years after B Street became permanently pedestrian-only, city leaders say downtown’s revival offers a playbook for other California cities. The district added 50 businesses in 2025 and now includes about 600, with new restaurants, boba shops, and community events helping draw steady crowds. (More)

➤ Sacramento: Bad roads, crashes, and congestion cost the average Sacramento-area driver about $3,110 a year, a new report found. The tally combines extra vehicle wear from rough pavement, the price of collisions, and hours lost sitting in traffic. (More)

➤ Saratoga: Three people, including a 17-year-old San Jose boy, died Monday night when a BMW plunged about 300 feet off a cliff near Highway 9, authorities said. CHP said the driver lost control, and the highway was closed for about three hours while crews responded. (More)

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➤ Fresno County: A Tennessee man pleaded guilty to a wire-fraud scheme that diverted more than $1.5 million in Fresno County payments meant for a local nonprofit. Prosecutors said he and a Germany-based accomplice posed as the nonprofit’s finance director and rerouted funds before the transfers were flagged. (See Details)

➤ Central Valley: Warm weather has pushed the Valley’s cantaloupe harvest ahead of schedule, putting the summer melons in roadside stands early. The crop normally runs from July through mid-October, but growers say this year’s heat ripened the fruit sooner. (More)

➤ Tulare: A fire at Villareal Tire Shop destroyed a container of new tires and a stack of used ones, sending thick black smoke over the city. The shop estimated damage at more than $30,000, but firefighters kept the blaze from spreading to nearby homes. The cause is under investigation. (More)

➤ Central Coast: Safe-and-sane fireworks stands are returning to several Central Coast cities ahead of the Fourth of July, with sales beginning June 28 in parts of Monterey and San Benito counties. Only state-approved safe-and-sane fireworks are legal where permitted, while many communities continue to ban fireworks altogether. (See Details)

➤ Santa Barbara County: A Sept. 16 preliminary hearing was set for Ashlee Buzzard, the Vandenberg Village mother charged with murdering her 9-year-old daughter, Melodee. Prosecutors say she fatally shot the girl in Utah after a multistate road trip. Buzzard has pleaded not guilty and remains jailed without bail. (More)

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➤ San Clemente: A visitor from New York spotted a human jawbone with teeth near Linda Lane Beach and alerted lifeguards without touching it. Authorities said the remains are believed to be of Native American ancestry, adding that similar discoveries have been made near Orange County beaches in the past year. (More)

➤ Santa Monica: Photos show teenagers hanging out the windows and perched on the ledges of a Waymo vehicle as it moved through rush-hour traffic on Olympic Boulevard. A witness said she called Waymo, which told her it could stop the car, but the vehicle kept going with the boys still hanging on. (More)

➤ Inland Empire: Chino police will fly several drones this Fourth of July to help spot people setting off illegal fireworks, up from one drone last year, with 65 officers assigned to enforcement. Neighboring San Bernardino will also use drones for the first time and has adopted a new ordinance targeting illegal fireworks. (More)

➤ Spring Valley: A 76-square-mile quarantine has been declared after a mated female Mexican fruit fly was found in the area, state agriculture officials said. Residents are asked to eat homegrown fruit at home and not move it, and crews will release sterile flies to help eradicate the pest. (More)

➤ Los Angeles: New 3D airport security scanners are being rolled out at LAX as part of a $781 million nationwide upgrade. The machines let officers rotate and zoom into a bag’s image, so travelers can leave laptops and approved liquids packed, though tighter scanner tunnels mean oversized carry-ons may be pulled before screening. (More)

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➤ All four of California’s NBA franchises picked in last night’s draft, headlined by the Clippers taking Keaton Wagler at No. 5 overall. (More) 

➤ Meanwhile, the Kings picked Darius Acuff at No. 7, the Warriors took Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg at No. 11, and the Lakers took Baylor sharpshooter Cameron Carr at No. 24. (See Full Draft)

➤ LeBron James has not committed to returning to the Lakers or even playing next season. With free agency opening June 30, agent Rich Paul said 10 to 12 teams have expressed interest should the NBA’s all-time leading scorer decide to leave Los Angeles. (More)

➤ Several San Francisco 49ers are joining George Kittle in Nashville this week for his annual Tight End University camp. Quarterback Brock Purdy will attend for the first time, while fullback Kyle Juszczyk is participating as an honorary member of the tight end group. (More)

➤ Nike extended its apparel partnership with UCLA through 2029, keeping Nike and Jordan Brand as the Bruins’ official provider across all 25 varsity sports. The deal includes more than $7 million in gear annually plus $500,000 in cash. (More)

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

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➤ Vine Hospitality, the Bay Area group behind the Left Bank brasseries, is closing all seven of its restaurants by week’s end, affecting about 300 workers. CEO Alistair Levine said the business was not successful enough to continue and has no plans to reopen. The group was founded in 1994. (More)

➤ Unemployment in San Diego County fell to 3.9% in May, down from a revised 4.1% in April and below both California’s 4.7% rate and the nation’s 4.1%. The region added 4,300 jobs during the month, led by leisure and hospitality, while government employment posted the largest year-over-year decline, driven largely by federal job losses. (More)

➤ Six California companies will receive state CalCompetes Tax Credits in deals expected to create more than 2,000 jobs at an average salary near $110,000 and draw $1.3 billion in private investment. Awardees range from AI and fusion energy to advanced manufacturing in Chula Vista. (More)

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Musk: This Will Make Everyone Wealthier Than Me

After SpaceX’s history-making IPO, Elon Musk has become the world’s first trillionaire. But he says the forthcoming AI and robotics boom will make everyone wealthier than him.

Over 44,000 people are tapping into this boom by investing in a private robotics company: Miso Robotics.

Miso’s AI and robots are becoming fixtures across the $1 trillion fast-food industry, serving customers at Cinnabon, Jersey Mike’s, Jamba, and many more. In fact, Miso’s Flippy Fry Station AI robot has already logged over 200,000 hours in real kitchens like White Castle. 

Now Miso’s scaling Flippy across a $4 billion/year US revenue opportunity.  And it’s only one piece of Miso’s growing platform.

This is your chance to tap into this growth as a Miso shareholder. Invest before Miso hits their $2.5 million raise goal for June.

➤ The World Dog Surfing Championships will mark its 10th year in Pacifica this summer after organizers nearly called it off over rising city fees, then met their $12,000 fundraising goal. The free competition runs at Linda Mar Beach on Aug. 1 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (More)

➤ Brian Vincent, a San Jose software engineer, has cracked the third puzzle of Adobe’s San Jose Semaphore, a rotating LED-wheel installation that had challenged solvers since May 2023. Adobe says a fourth code is already in the works. (More)

➤ Vanguard Theater is staging the Tony-winning musical 1776 at the red-brick Point Loma Community Presbyterian Church to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Directed by John Spafford, the production runs June 26 through July 12. (More)

➤ Guinness the alligator is back on exhibit at the Sacramento Zoo after swallowing a plush toy that fell into his habitat on June 12. The American gator later regurgitated the toy on his own, and keepers are still monitoring him. The zoo urged visitors to keep objects out of habitats. (More)

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➤ A Harvard scientist discovered a new “facelift protein” that smooths wrinkles, shrinks pores, and evens-out red blotchy skin in just 7 seconds a day. What surprised researchers the most wasn’t just the results…It was that women with higher levels of this “facelift protein” appeared to age dramatically better than their peers. Learn about this new discovery 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:

➤ Savannah Guthrie made a tearful on-air plea as new details emerge in her mother’s disappearance. (Listen Here)

➤ Should weight-loss drugs be banned in sports? Serena Williams reignited the debate. (Hear More)

➤ These are the 20 highest-paying jobs in America that aren’t doctors. (Tune In)

What’s your favorite summertime fruit?

1. Watermelon
2. Cantaloupe
3. Peaches
4. Berries
5. Cherries
6. Other (reply to let us know)

Yesterday’s Results:

Have you ever waited in a long line for a hyped product like Trader Joe’s totes?

1. No, I don’t do lines: 50%
2. Depends what it is: 18%
3. Yes, and worth it: 16%
4. Yes, and never again: 16%

 Long before it was the world’s tech capital, the Santa Clara Valley, today known as Silicon Valley, was famous for its orchards and went by a much sweeter nickname. What was it?

Show me the answer