Monterey County Rescues Scores Of Emaciated Brown Pelicans

Here are the morning’s top stories on Friday, May 17, 2024:

• Brown pelicans are starving up and down the coast of California. Monterey County has proven to be a hot spot. A wildlife rescue center there has taken in more than 100 emaciated birds over the past month.  
• Sonoma State’s President Mike Lee is retiring. The announcement comes a day after he was placed on leave by California State University Chancellor Mildred García for insubordination. Lee had reached a divestment agreement with pro-Palestinian protesters, but the CSU system said the memo he sent to the campus community announcing the agreement was sent without the appropriate approvals. 
• A bill requiring an official apology for California’s role in advancing slavery is moving closer to passage. The bill passed the state Assembly on Thursday. An apology was a key recommendation from a task force that spent years studying ideas for reparations for Black Californians.
• Advocates in Sacramento are pushing back against the city’s plans to close a self-governed homeless encampment. The encampment, known as “Camp Resolution,” was formally recognized by the city last year. A first-of-its-kind lease provided 33 city-owned trailers for residents and allowed the camp to become a self-governing site. 

More Than A Hundred Brown Pelicans Rescued In Monterey County 

Hundreds of brown pelicans have been found starving along the California coast in recent months. In Monterey County, the local SPCA has taken in more than 100 birds over the past month.

So far, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife isn’t totally sure why the sick birds are washing ashore. But the agency’s Tim Daly said the state’s working hypothesis is that this situation, and a similar one that happened in 2022, were likely caused by late spring storms. 

That’s led to murky waters and pelicans not being able to see food, like anchovies and other fish.

Sonoma State President Announces Retirement 

A deal reached between Sonoma State University and pro-Palestinian student protesters is in limbo after the campus president was placed on administrative leave over his letter announcing the agreement, then retired.

In his Tuesday letter, President Mike Lee agreed to disclose where the university foundation invests its money and to review all investments and vendor contracts for possible areas of divestment – concessions in line with deals also reached this week at San Francisco State University and UC Berkeley, reflecting two of the largest demands made by student protesters across the country.

However, Lee went further, agreeing not to pursue formal collaborations with Israeli state-affiliated academic and research institutions, including study abroad programs or faculty exchanges. That led to Lee being put on administrative leave by California State University Chancellor Mildred García, who said the letter was sent without the appropriate approvals. 

State Assembly Passes Bill Apologizing for California’s Role in Supporting Slavery

California’s state Assembly voted Thursday to offer a formal apology for the state’s role in supporting chattel slavery, marking a key milestone in the first-in-the-nation effort to provide state-level reparations to Black Californians.

The idea for an apology was born from the state’s Reparations Task Force, which studied the harms committed by the state government against Black residents and published dozens of policy recommendations for the Legislature. The apology bill, Assembly Bill 3089, requires an acknowledgement of the actions of members of the state’s government in advancing slavery and decades of discriminatory policies — and requires a plaque memorializing the apology be installed at the state Capitol.

Advocates Push Back Against Sacramento’s Plans To Close Self-Governed Homeless Camp

Advocates for a large, self-governed homeless encampment in Sacramento called “Camp Resolution” are trying to stop the city from closing it.

Camp residents and supporters marched through the streets of downtown Sacramento on Wednesday, eventually making their way to City Hall. They demanded that the city drop its plans to evict people from the tight-knit community.

One year ago, the city formally recognized the camp. It signed a first-of-its-kind lease providing 33 city-owned trailers for residents and allowed the camp to become a self-governing site.

But in late March, the city sent a letter ordering the approximately 50 camp residents to leave the property by May 16 due to its contaminated soil.