Here are some headlines you might have missed this week.
Blue whale in Monterey Bay recorded with majestic video, KSBW
Whale watchers off the coast of Monterey witnessed a most awe-inspiring sight this week. The biggest (and rather elusive) animal on Earth, a blue whale, was captured on film by a drone while diving for food in Monterey Bay. Watch the video here.
California's most celebrated beaches are also the most likely to make you sick, The New York Times
Heal the Bay, an environmental nonprofit organization focused on cleaning up California's coastal waters, recently released a report that singled out the most bacterially polluted beaches on the Pacific Coast, including Santa Cruz's Cowell and Capitola beaches. Clam Beach in Humboldt County was named the most polluted beach. Read more.
Twenty percent of San Francisco millennials somehow own a home, Curbed SF
Despite an unquenchable desire for avocado toast, 20.5% of millennials in San Francisco own a home, compared to 31.2% nationally. While this number appears woefully diminished next to the national average, consider that the average price of a home in SF is between $1.1 million and $1.3 million and that it would take most young people about 28.7 years to save up for a down payment. Read more.
(Courtesy of Iris Sparrow, via Twitter)
She Was Named World's Ugliest Dog, but 'She's Just Darling', The New York Times
Martha, a 125-pound Neapolitan mastiff, won the World's Ugliest Dog competition at the Sonoma-Marin County Fair. When asked whether Martha knows she's that ugly, her owner said, "No, Martha thinks she's beautiful. We tell her every day." As you should. Read more.
Should a Tech Whiz Be in Charge?, The New York Times
If you haven't noticed, the current political system isn't doing too well, and the president of start-up incubator Y Combinator, Sam Altman, thinks that tech leaders should spearhead politics. He's looking for someone in the tech industry to run for governor to help solve problems in a new way: "The fight about government in the U.S. has basically been reduced to either raise taxes or cut services. I think there's a third answer, which is use technology to do more with less," he says. Read more.
California farmers unite to uphold Paris Agreement goals, San Francisco Chronicle
In response to President Trump reneging on the Paris Climate Agreement, the Community Alliance with Family Farmers and the Farmers Guild have come together to create the California Farmers Climate Pledge, which more than 80 farmers and ranchers have signed already. California farmers, as well as 12 states and multiple cities, universities, and corporations, have taken it upon themselves to fight climate change and to show that California farmers are committed to environmental concerns. Read more.
Trader Joe's Can't Keep $1 Canned Wine on Shelves, SFist
A delectable wine perfect for beach-going, Trader Joe's Simpler Wines are being plucked off shelves faster than they can stock them. Trader Joe's revealed these $1 beauties in April and promptly sold out. Read more.
