In California: 'Facts' in assault weapons ruling draw scrutiny, and a solo voyage to Hawaii begins
Plus: Murder charges filed in freeway shooting of 6-year-old, and a megachurch legend is retiring
But first, did you know there are now 67 candidates — and counting — jockeying for voter attention in the race to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom? And not all of them are Republicans. Politico looks at some of the challengers, including a "hyperenergetic" Bay Area real estate executive (and Democrat) named Kevin Paffrath, who is churning out campaign messages daily to the 1.65 million subscribers of his popular “Meet Kevin” channel — a shift into politics from the past parade of motivational talks and real estate sales advice. Politico notes that during California’s first gubernatorial recall in 2003 — the one where we ousted Gray Davis and ushered in Arnold Schwarzenegger — the notable outsiders were B-list actors and a couple candidates who made their names in the porn industry. Now, the ones getting noticed include social media stars with big, if niche, followings. Read more at Politico.
Know someone who cares about the Golden State? Let them know they can sign up for the In California newsletter via this link. I'm Julie Makinen, California editor for the USA Today Network, bringing you today's key headlines.
New scrutiny on 'facts' cited by judge in overturning assault weapons ban
U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez, who last week struck down California's decades-old assault weapons ban, is facing scrutiny for some suspect facts in the 94-page decision in the case.
As the state gears up to appeal his ruling — state Attorney General Rob Bonta has dismissed it as "fundamentally flawed" — NBC reports that legal experts say scrutiny of the case goes beyond why Benitez concluded that the state's prohibition is unconstitutional to another level of concern: how he shaped his argument.
For example, Benitez wrote that studies prove "that the 'harm' of an assault rifle being used in a mass shooting is an infinitesimally rare event," adding, "More people have died from the COVID-19 vaccine than mass shootings in California."
But an analysis by Newsweek of the last 80 mass shootings in the U.S. found that 26% involved the use of AR-15 rifles. Benitez offered no citation for his claim, and his office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
"I think it's incredibly problematic when a federal judge quotes things that are factually incorrect, because it hurts the integrity of the branch," said Jessica Levinson, a law professor at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles who is an MSNBC columnist.
Man faces murder charge in shooting of 6-year-old in road rage incident
A Southern California couple was charged Tuesday in connection with the alleged road-rage death of 6-year-old Aiden Leos last month, with the man being accused of murder.
Prosecutors in Orange County charged Marcus Anthony Eriz, 24, with murder and shooting at an occupied vehicle. He also faces sentencing enhancements. Eriz’s girlfriend, Wynne Lee, 23, was charged with being an accessory after the fact and illegally carrying a concealed firearm.
“With respect to the charges against both, I absolutely am convinced they’re rock solid,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said.
The couple’s Tuesday arraignment was postponed to June 18 and a judge set their bail at $2 million for Eriz and $500,000 for Lee pending that hearing. Eriz could face 40 years to life in prison if convicted on all counts. Lee faces up to three years in prison and one year in county jail. Authorities said they believe Lee was driving and Eriz fired the shot that killed the boy.
According to the boy's mother, Joanna Cloonan, and those who stopped to help her, Cloonan made a hand gesture to a vehicle that cut her off, which then drove behind her, and someone fired into Cloonan's vehicle. Aiden, who was sitting in the back seat, was shot in the abdomen and pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
Pastor who built Saddleback megachurch stepping down after four decades
One of the most influential figures in American evangelicalism, Rick Warren, has announced he is retiring as lead pastor of Saddleback Church in Orange County.
With its main campus in Lake Forest, south of Los Angeles, Saddleback Church has grown to 14 locations in Southern California with an average weekly attendance of 30,000. There are four international campuses, in Hong Kong, Germany, the Philippines and Argentina, according to Associated Press.
Warren, who has more than 11 million social media followers, has written multiple books, including “The Purpose Driven Life.” In 2005, Time magazine named Warren one of the “100 Most Influential People in the World.”
“This isn’t the end. It’s not even the beginning of the end. It’s the beginning of the beginning,” Warren, 67, said, according to the L.A. Times. “But we’re going to start looking for the next-generation pastor who will replace me and lead our family into the future.” Warren has a rare neurological disease, spinal myoclonus, that causes spasms and blurs his vision. The condition makes preaching six services in one day tough, he said.
Tuesday sounds like a good day to sail to Hawaii
Lastly, Chris Bertish didn’t know when he woke up Tuesday that it would be the day he’d finally set sail from California to Hawaii.
In 2017, Bertish, now 46, crossed the Atlantic alone on the back of a custom-made stand-up paddleboard. He departed from Morocco, stroked 4,000 miles over 93 days until he arrived in Antigua, shirtless and weather-beaten with a scraggly beard and a world record to his name.
Now, he's trying to conquer a different ocean. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the South Africa-born surfer, who lives in the Bay Area, has been keeping a close eye on the Pacific for weeks, waiting for the right moment to launch a solo journey to Hawaii on a hydrofoil. The trip is to raise money for ocean research and preservation nonprofits including Conservation International and Sea Shepherd.
The journey could keep him at sea until August. On Tuesday, his weather adviser informed him that the blustery winds that have been blowing across the coast were finally changing direction. By 11 a.m. he had hustled his one-of-a-kind rig, a 19-foot-long hydrofoil-boat, down to Half Moon Bay and was gearing up for an afternoon launch.
“The first three days are always the most difficult,” Berish told the Chronicle. “If you can get through those, there’s no reason you can’t get to the finish.”
In California is a roundup of news from across USA Today network newsrooms. Also contributing: Los Angeles Times, Associated Press, Politico, NBC, San Francisco Chronicle. Julie Makinen is California editor for the USA Today Network. Follow her on Twitter at @Julie_Makinen.