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California Today

The Debate About Ethnic Studies for California Students

Monday: The new curriculum could devolve into a political scrum, while still being great for engaging students. Also: Kamala Harris’s fund-raising turning point.

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Protests at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1969. Ethnic studies was born of student activism at Berkeley and at San Francisco State University.Credit...Stephen Shames/Polaris

Good morning.

Last week, my colleague Dana Goldstein, who covers education, took a deep dive into the pitched debate around efforts to require California students to take ethnic studies.

I asked her to tell us more about what’s ahead and some of the reactions to the piece. Here’s what she wrote:

Earlier this year, the California State Legislature looked to be on the verge of passing a law to make ethnic studies a high school graduation requirement. But movement toward that goal slowed last week after a growing chorus of voices protested a draft of a model state ethnic studies curriculum, saying it contained too much jargon, veered into left-wing propaganda and excluded ethnic groups such as Jews and Indian-Americans.

Now the materials will be significantly rewritten before the State Board of Education officially adopts them, probably some time in 2020.

After we published a front-page story on the debate on Friday, I heard a range of opinions from readers.

Some were turned off by the draft curriculum’s overt politics, but others focused on the potential of ethnic studies to engage students, especially students of color like Faith Palileo, whom I featured in my story.

Tom Dee, a Stanford professor whose research found that ethnic studies classes in San Francisco helped struggling students earn higher grades and improve their school attendance, wrote on Twitter that the state’s push on the subject always carried the risk of “devolving into just another fractious political scrum.”

But, he added, “Inclusive social studies curricula are laudable simply because they honestly reflect the breadth of our actual experiences. That’s unequivocally good, right? Second, they can also unlock students’ academic motivation by promoting critical thinking and school belonging.”

[Read the full story here.]

(We often link to sites that limit access for nonsubscribers. We appreciate your reading Times coverage, but we also encourage you to support local news if you can.)

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Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Senator Kamala Harris during the second round of primary debates for the Democratic nomination for president.Credit...Paul Sancya/Associated Press

— There are 23 people now running for president as Democrats. A handful of them, including Senator Kamala Harris, have become money front-runners. Here are the five big days that helped them get there. [The New York Times]

The jury in the Ghost Ship fire trial ended its second week of deliberations on Thursday and one defense lawyer speculated that jurors could be nearing a decision. “Once again, I’m silently choking with anxiety,” the lawyer said. [The East Bay Times]

— California jumped into another legal fight against the Trump administration. This time, it was a challenge to new rules blocking immigrants from getting green cards if they use public assistance. Almost half of American citizens would be considered public charges according to those rules. [The Associated Press]

— A 72-year-old man who survived the Camp Fire’s deadly march through Paradise nine months ago died from burn complications earlier this month. He was counted as the fire’s 86th death. [The Chico Enterprise-Record]

Life in a Los Angeles homeless encampment is hard, but it’s a community. When that community is able to move into apartments, there are new challenges. Journalists spent more than a year with longtime homeless residents of Broadway Place to follow their journey. [The Los Angeles Times]

A landlord in Alameda has worked to evict an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor from his home of 17 years. His ailing son, who lived with him, died fearing that he would be cast into the street. [The Guardian]

If you missed it, here’s why older Californians are being hit especially hard by the state’s housing crisis. [The New York Times]

— California’s legal pot market is expected to keep growing, to the tune of $3.1 billion this year. But it’s still outmatched by the state’s illegal market. [The Associated Press]

If you missed it, here’s more about why the illegal marijuana market is thriving. [The New York Times]

— This summer, Pacific Standard and Topic, two online magazines that aimed to provide more in-depth stories as older media organizations shrink, shut down. Their closings show the perils of relying on rich supporters. [The New York Times]

— A global helium shortage and rising operating costs are squeezing the big orange balloon that has floated above the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, which is at once a landmark and a symbol of the park’s fraught development. City leaders are considering shutting the attraction down. [The Orange County Register]

Peter Fonda, the prolific actor and Hollywood scion, died on Friday at 79. [The New York Times]

— He’s worked with Solange Knowles, Stanley Kubrick and Spike Lee. At 58, Arthur Jafa, the polymathic artist whose studio is in L.A.’s West Adams neighborhood not far from his home in Ladera Heights, is in bloom. [T Magazine]

— No matter where Channel Tres goes, Compton goes with him. The Southern California-raised beat-maker has caught the attention of Elton John, Childish Gambino and Vince Staples. [Billboard]

A brief history of the red “Baywatch” one-piece and why it’s back. (Or maybe it was never out.) [The New York Times]

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Wading amongst redwoods near Santa Cruz, Calif.Credit...Angal Field for The New York Times

When I lived in Tennessee and Texas, I learned about all the ways people cool off during the summer that don’t involve the ocean.

There are smaller rivers for floating or kayaking, their currents gentler — not to be feared. In the Lone Star State, there are big, man-made lakes where revelers knock back beers on party boats before diving in.

And then there are swimming holes.

I assumed that the cool, secluded refuges were just one of nature’s consolation prizes for places that aren’t California.

But I was wrong. As Jenny Odell wrote in this essay, there are plenty of swimming holes in California, and like their counterparts in the Southeast, they are magical.

Give it a read and take a look at the photos here, and figure out which one is closest to you.

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Mirror Lake in Yosemite National Park, Calif.Credit...Angal Field for The New York Times

California Today goes live at 6:30 a.m. Pacific time weekdays. Tell us what you want to see: CAtoday@nytimes.com. Were you forwarded this email? Sign up for California Today here.

Jill Cowan grew up in Orange County, went to school at U.C. Berkeley and has reported all over the state, including the Bay Area, Bakersfield and Los Angeles — but she always wants to see more. Follow along here or on Twitter, @jillcowan.

California Today is edited by Julie Bloom, who grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from U.C. Berkeley.



Jill Cowan is a Los Angeles-based reporter for the National desk covering California. More about Jill Cowan

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