In California: DMV sued over censorship; Coachella, Stagecoach latest cancellations
A Californian sends a dispatch from a cruise ship set to return on Friday. But will she be allowed off? And amid coronavirus concerns, Coachella and Stagecoach are canceled — find out about getting a refund. Plus, residents sue the DMV for censoring their personalized license plate requests.
It's Arlene with news to help you navigate the coronavirus and other life concerns.
But first, singer/songwriter Chris Isaak's former beachfront property in San Mateo County is on its way to becoming a public park. You may know him best from "Wicked Game," which was featured in a special "Friends" episode and the holiday classic "The Family Man."
In California handpicks the most relevant, useful stories from across Paste BN Network newsrooms and beyond. Sign up for free, weekday delivery.
Suit: DMV is morality policing
Some residents have reported waiting and waiting to get their REAL ID from the California Department of Vehicles. Is it because officials are too busy censoring vanity plates?
I can't prove causation, but a new lawsuit claims the DMV is crossing the line into First Amendment censorship. The Pacific Legal Foundation on Tuesday announced the lawsuit on behalf of five residents who believe they were unfairly targeted in their request for personalized plates. It’s the libertarian organization's second such lawsuit in the past two years.
Among the plates rejected: SLAAYRR, a nod to the band but which the DMV felt was "threatening, aggressive or hostile."
Another wanted QUEER on his plate — he's gay — but the DMV felt it insulting to a specific group.
A skateboarding Olympian + what $5,900 in S.F. will rent you
One of skateboarding's most prolific athletes in part credits her after-school choices for her success. It was the skate park ... or the library. Tony Hawk protégé Lizzie Armanto is headed to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where skateboarding will make its debut.
You just got promoted and now you've got $5,900 to spend on rent in San Francisco. Here's what you can get.
After 43 years, the Black Angus in Fresno says goodbye.
On a cruise ship, with no clear exit
The cruise to Hawaii would have brought the project full circle. Denise Goolsby interviewed 400 World War II veterans for a series she wrote for The Desert Sun in 2009, and over a decade later she would finally visit the site so central to the country's entrance into the conflict. She left Los Angeles on Feb. 27, the coronavirus not prominent in her thoughts.
At the Pearl Harbor Memorial a few days later, she felt the spirits of her friends who survived the attack but have since died.
Back onboard the cruise, she started noticing the coughing, hearing the news, seeing changes in how food and coffee were served.
Goolsby is still on that cruise ship, which is scheduled to return Friday. She wonders what awaits. A quarantine? Read her dispatch from the sea here.
In related news:
Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals are postponed, organizers confirmed Tuesday afternoon. But there are reasons to be excited for both, which are now scheduled for October. Here are six right here.
And you may be wondering how to get a refund or credit for the fall show. We've got that information too. Other news to know:
- Santa Barbara city officials are asking cruise ships to bypass town until the feds remove a travel advisory on the voyages.
- Can the U.S. government force you to stay in quarantine? In some cases, yes.
- The relationship between oil prices and coronavirus is an old-fashioned case of supply and demand, which has dropped sharply along with leisure and business travel.
- More than 790 people in the U.S. have been infected with the virus. Here's where they are (MAP).
- Coronavirus is mysteriously sparing kids and killing the elderly. Understanding why may help defeat the virus.
- A couple on the Grand Princess cruise ship now docked at the Port of Oakland is suing the operator, claiming it lacked health screenings to protect them from the virus. The two Floridians boarded the ship the day the first known Californian to die got off.
- Ventura County has its first confirmed case of coronavirus.
- San Jose State University joins campuses including Stanford University, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UCSB, Santa Clara University and San Francisco State University in canceling on-site classes.
- Santa Clara County, where SJSU is located, confirmed its first death from coronavirus this week. Effective Wednesday at midnight, no gatherings over 1,000 people are allowed, which will, among other events, impact sports matchups.
Marine killed in ISIS stronghold + other stories we're tracking
A highly decorated Ventura County Marine known for his “larger-than-life” personality was killed during a mission against an Islamic State stronghold in Iraq, Defense Department officials said. He was 34.
The response by officers during last year's shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival shooting "undoubtedly saved lives," Santa Clara County officials said. Three people were killed at the July festival.
You might have this: An IKEA dresser that didn't meet safety standards, but which company officials kept on the shelves anyway (there's been a recall).
A year after Varsity Blues, what's changed in admissions?
A year ago, higher education was reeling from a scandal that became known as Varsity Blues, a college admissions scandal involving celebrities and accusations of bribes, faked athletic credentials and falsified test scores.
Many Americans, it became clear, were convinced the college admissions process was rigged, and the only way to get a leg up was to cheat. Six leaders of some of the country's most selective colleges say they, too, have been questioning the fairness of college admissions.
Paste BN interviewed six presidents of selective colleges — including Carol Christ, a chancellor at UC Berkeley — to see what has changed in higher education since the admissions scandal, and what hasn't.
Christ said at Berkeley, where 35,600 applicants for its Fall 2019 freshman class with weighted GPAs of 4.0 or higher were turned away, a challenge is how to find spaces for both those who had every privilege and those who had little to none.
I'll leave you with this, in case you suddenly needed more Chris Isaak. It's an interview with him from 2018, which includes that time he met Bob Dylan.
In California is a roundup of news from across Paste BN Network newsrooms. Also contributing: San Jose Spotlight, Journalist's Resource, Fresno Bee, San Jose Mercury News, Washington Post, Santa Cruz Sentinel, SF Curbed, Los Angeles Times.