Thursday, June 4, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 2010, John Wooden, the "Wizard of Westwood," who coached UCLA to 10 national basketball titles, died in Los Angeles at 99.

Los Angeles already has hundreds of little robots rolling around delivering meals, and now they're taking on a new household chore. As we report below, one California company is testing whether your laundry can hitch a ride, too.

Vote in our Poll or reply to this email and let us know: Would you let a robot pick up and deliver your laundry?

Social Security's full retirement age just climbed again, and if you're thinking about retiring this year, the timing could permanently cost you. What's actually driving the change? On today's episode of The Flyover Podcast, Ayla shares how much your retirement could be cut depending on timing, plus exclusive tips on how to squeeze the biggest possible check out of your benefits. Tune in here!

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Take The Flyover with you. Busy day? Listen to our daily 15-minute podcast while commuting, cooking, or walking the dog—your Flyover fix, anywhere.

Vote Count Continues across California

As counting resumed Wednesday, Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra held the top two spots in the race to succeed termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom, with vote counting still underway.

Democrat Tom Steyer ran third and has not conceded, with his campaign expecting later-counted ballots to lift him. Democrats Katie Porter, Antonio Villaraigosa, and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan have conceded.

In Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass is now projected to reach a November runoff, though her challenger is unsettled, with Republican Spencer Pratt leading Councilmember Nithya Raman, a Democrat, in the race for second.

Statewide, Democrat Rob Bonta will face Republican Michael Gates in the attorney general race, while Democrat Shirley Weber will face Republican Don Wagner in the secretary of state race.

Polls closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday, and with most votes cast by mail, the count will stretch on, with results due to be certified by July 10.

Suspect Killed, Hostages Freed in Bakersfield

A roughly 15-hour hostage standoff at a downtown Bakersfield office building ended early Wednesday when FBI personnel shot and killed the barricaded suspect.

All 10 hostages, employees of the Kern County Superintendent of Schools, were freed unharmed. Authorities said five had been tied up, and the suspect claimed to have attached explosives to himself and some captives.

The standoff began about 1 p.m. Tuesday when officers responded to a reported bomb threat at the Chase Bank building. Negotiators freed two hostages that evening before the suspect was killed around 4:20 a.m. Wednesday.

Authorities identified him as Anthony Scott Searles-Harris, 41, a registered sex offender with a violent criminal history who previously served in the U.S. Army.

The standoff gripped downtown during Tuesday's primary, and congressional candidate Jasmeet Bains, a Democrat, canceled her election-night event as officials urged the public to avoid the area.

Gender-Reveal Blaze Ends in Settlement

Three companies will pay more than $4 million to the federal government to settle claims over the 2020 El Dorado Fire, the blaze a gender-reveal smoke device sparked near Yucaipa.

The smoke bomb's Ohio-based maker, Wholesale Fireworks Corp., and a subsidiary will pay $4 million. A Florida marketer, Pink or Blue Gender Team Inc., will pay $50,000.

The fire ignited Sept. 5, 2020, at a Yucaipa park, spread into the San Bernardino National Forest, burned 22,744 acres, and killed Big Bear Interagency Hotshots firefighter Charlie Morton.

The United States sued in 2023 to recover firefighting costs, alleging the companies failed to safely design, label, or warn about a device that was illegal to sell in California.

The settlement resolves allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability. The couple who hosted the party later pleaded guilty to criminal charges.

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➤ Sacramento: Rep. Kevin Kiley led the primary for the 6th Congressional District U.S. House seat with 27% of the vote. Republican Michael Stansfield was narrowly ahead of Democrat Richard Pan for the second runoff spot, 22% to 21%, with about 48% of expected votes counted as of Wednesday afternoon. (See Details)

➤ San Francisco: State Sen. Scott Wiener led the race for the seat being vacated by Nancy Pelosi with 41%. Supervisor Connie Chan, whom Pelosi endorsed, held second at 29% as both candidates advanced to the November runoff, while Saikat Chakrabarti trailed in third after spending about $10 million of his own money on the race. (See Details)

➤ Eel River: PG&E is moving to remove Scott Dam and Cape Horn Dam, a step supporters say would restore natural river flows and reopen more than 280 miles of habitat for native fisheries. The plan would keep a modified water diversion to the Russian River, but only during wetter periods when the Eel can spare the water. (See Details)

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➤ Hanford: Republican Rep. David Valadao advances from the redrawn 22nd District, a Central Valley seat reshaped after voters passed Proposition 50, in a race with major implications for control of the U.S. House. Democrats Jasmeet Bains and Randy Villegas are battling for the second spot on the November ballot. (See Details)

➤ Carmel Valley: A 36-year-old Mountain View woman was arrested in the March fire that severely damaged Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, the nation’s oldest Japanese Soto Zen monastery. She faces arson, hate crime, and terrorizing charges after investigators linked her to online threats against Buddhist temples. (More)

➤ Fresno County: A 40-year-old woman was booked on suspicion of grand theft of crops after deputies found a crate of nectarines in her trunk and a nearby pickup loaded with fruit. She also faces a drug paraphernalia charge and was wanted on outstanding warrants. (See Details)

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➤ Orange County: Federal prosecutors charged Newport Beach resident Jamshid Ghomi, 63, with conspiracy to violate U.S. sanctions, alleging he supplied American networking and encryption equipment to Iranian customers, including agencies tied to Iran's nuclear and military programs. He was arrested Wednesday. (See Report)

➤ San Diego County: Republican Jim Desmond led early returns in the redrawn 48th District, with Democrat Marni von Wilpert securing the second spot to advance to November. (See Details)

➤ Dulzura: The Border 6 Fire, which crossed from Mexico into rugged East County terrain, had burned roughly 1,000 acres on the U.S. side and more than 500 acres in Mexico by Wednesday, remaining largely uncontained as crews battled the blaze under evacuation warnings. (More)

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➤ Angels outfielder Jo Adell had a fly ball glance off his glove, bounce off his head, and fall over the wall for a Rockies home run. (Watch)

➤ Meanwhile, former Angels outfielder Jordyn Adams is switching sports, signing with SMU (Southern Methodist University) to play college football at age 26. Adams was a five-star wide receiver recruit before being selected 17th overall in the 2018 Major League Baseball draft. (More)

➤ Former Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald said the team’s trade for Myles Garrett has him considering coming out of retirement. Coach Sean McVay said the team would welcome him back if that’s what he decided. (More)

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➤ Vallarta Supermarkets will open its first Merced store June 10, a 52,000-square-foot market in the Marketplace at Merced that will create about 175 jobs. The opening expands the family-owned chain's footprint in Central California and marks its third new store of 2026. (More)

➤ Serve Robotics, whose roughly 500 sidewalk robots already deliver food across Los Angeles, is launching a pilot program to deliver laundry for the on-demand service NoScrubs, its first move beyond meals. (Read Story)

➤ Helium Mobile, the consumer phone service from San Francisco-based Nova Labs and its crowdsourced Helium wireless network, is being acquired by Noble Mobile, the low-cost carrier founded by former presidential candidate Andrew Yang. Noble says it will continue using the Helium Network to expand coverage for subscribers. (See Report)

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➤ Scott Luft, a Los Angeles firefighter at Station 86 in Toluca Lake, has turned the meals he cooks for his crew into an Instagram account, LufttoCook, that has attracted more than 28,000 followers, many of them firefighters from around the country. (See Video)

➤ Fresno's "hermit-crab" restaurants occupy the barely changed shells of old fast-food joints and diners, from a taco shop in a former Popeyes to another in an old Wienerschnitzel. (See Photos)

➤ Logging sports come to Chester on Saturday as the Maidu Summit Consortium hosts its fifth Big Time Logging Jamboree at Collins Pine Lawn, featuring 10 timber-sport contests and a celebration of the region's logging heritage and Native American culture. (See Details)

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Would you let a robot pick up and deliver your laundry?

Yesterday's Results:

It’s heating up across California. What’s your go-to way to beat the heat?

Crank the AC: 27%
Pool or beach day: 21%
Go to the mountains or lake: 20%
A frozen treat: 16%
Other: 16%

Monterey's famous Cannery Row wasn't always called that. The waterfront street was officially renamed in 1958 to honor which California author's novel?

Show me the answer

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