In California: GOP aims to take back the state, one shopper at a time

A Republican Values Center lets shoppers buy and plot to their red heart's content. A group of immigrants illegally deported return to their children after a year and a half apart. And a long-awaited preserve to take in the Central Coast's beauty at last opens.

It's Arlene, bringing something for everyone on this Thursday. 

But first, the Trump administration's rollbacks of the Clean Water Act could remove federal protections for waterways around the country, including as many as two-thirds of those in California. Bottoms up. 

In California is a daily roundup of news from across Paste BN Network newsrooms and beyond. Click here for free, straight-to-your-inbox delivery. 

Sometimes you wanna go where everybody shares your values 

It's called the Republican Values Center, and it was launched by four women looking to do one big thing: Wrest control back from California's Democrats. 

Inside the 3,600-square-foot business in the conservative heartland of Simi Valley, space is leased by vendors ranging from a boutique and a digital marketing company to a campaign for Congressional candidate and onetime Trump aide George Papadopoulos, as well as the 40 Days for Life group that advocates ending abortion.

There's a sofa in what organizers call the Lincoln Lounge, a nearby big-screen TV sometimes tuned to Fox News and literature on issues ranging from gun rights to California's controversial gig economy labor law, AB 5.

"We hope there is one on every corner," the company's president, Patricia Saraceno, said of expansion plans. "The goal is to turn California back to the conservative red state it once was."

Golden State renters, know your rights

A loudspeaker security system accused of profiling people based on race, ethnicity and income is no longer in use after neighbors complained about it. Could a block party bring everybody back together again?  

Oakland becomes the first city to ban criminal background checks on potential tenants in most public and private rentals.  

And since we're talking housing, renters, do you know your rights?

10-year-old girl caught in a crossfire 

A 10-year-old student in Ventura County was struck by a stray bullet just before 11:30 a.m. on Thursday after a nearby car-to-car shooting. 

The girl, a student at McAuliffe Elementary School in Oxnard, was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, authorities said. 

The school remained on lockdown for the duration of the day. Police didn't think there was any immediate threat to other students or staff.  McAuliffe has about 700 students from pre-kindergarten to fifth grade.

Follow this developing story at vcstar.com.

Separated by zero-tolerance, families reunite at LAX

Nine parents this week won the exceedingly rare chance to return to the U.S. after being deported under family separation. At Los Angeles International Airport, they reunited with children they hadn’t seen in a year and a half or longer under the order of a federal judge who found the U.S. government had unlawfully prevented them from seeking asylum.

“They all kind of hit the lottery,” said Linda Dakin-Grimm, an attorney who represents one of the parents returning to the U.S. “There are so many people out there who have been traumatized by the family separation policy whose pain is not going to be redressed.”

More than 4,000 children are known to have been separated from their parents before and during the official start of zero tolerance in spring 2018. Under the policy, border agents charged parents en masse with illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, then placed their children in government facilities.

The policy drew condemnation from around the world as stories emerged almost daily about screaming children, including babies, forcibly taken away from parents.

ProPublica in 2018 obtained audio from inside a federal immigration facility, revealing their desperate cries. 

What else we're talking about 

Prosecutors in May will have their day in court to prove they have enough evidence to bring the man accused of being the Golden State killer to trial.

Former NFL player and Redding native Ryan O'Callaghan, an LGBTQ activist, talks about being in a Netflix docuseries, "Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez." The doc raises questions about whether Hernandez, who took his life after being convicted of killing another football player, struggled with his own sexual identity.

An LAX passenger from Mexico City receives medical treatment amid coronavirus fears.

California's monarch butterfly population remained at critically low levels for the second straight year. By year's end, the feds will decide whether to add the flying beauty to the list of threatened species.

Bed, Bath & Beyond's 20% coupons will remain in full effect, despite store closures.

I'll leave you today from a place of excitement for outdoors lovers:

Grand opening: 11 miles of coastal beauty

This weekend, the long-awaited Pismo Preserve will open to dogs, horses, mountain bikers, walkers and runners. It's 11 miles of trails that traverse oak woodlands and offer coastal panoramic views of one of the most beautiful regions in the state. 

Before I go on any longer, here's one more highlight: It's free.

The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County raised $12 million to purchase the 880-acre property six years ago. A lot of critters call it home, including deer, fox, mountain lion, coyote, skunk, red-tailed hawk, raccoon, turkey, opossum and bobcat.

Here's a map to get you started, along with directions, hours, parking and other info for visiting. And the San Luis Obispo Tribune put together these helpful tips: 

• Bring the little ones: Vamonos Canyon is a 3/4-mile, family-friendly trail with no mountain bikes allowed.
• Take a moderate hike: The Lone Oak trail is a 2.2-mile hike with gentle elevation gain that will take about 90 minutes.
• Explore oak-studded canyons: Spring to Spring trail is a fun, longer hike at 3.4 miles with mid-level elevation gain.
• See the best views: Haul yourself up to the ridge top with a strenuous hike on the 5.2-mile loop Discovery trail and take a short jaunt out to Lover’s Point at 780 feet.

In California is a roundup of news from across Paste BN Network newsrooms. Also contributing: Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, San Luis Obispo Tribune, Mission Local.

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