Rents Are Down in California; Temecula and Florida Keep Acting Like Temecula and Florida–Coachella Valley Independent’s Indy Digest: Sept. 14, 2023

Indy Digest: Sept. 14, 2023

If the tone of this Digest is a little, uh, edgier than normal, it’s because I’m writing this while I am … I believe the term is hangry.

Here’s why: Like many folks, I could really, really stand to lose some weight. That’s easier said than done, of course. My job is pretty sedentary, and I work a lot of hours during which I’m not burning many calories. Meanwhile, I love food; my diet’s not too bad, but do I have my chips-and-salsa-binge moments.

A lot of my social life, as well as some of my work life, involves dinner events. So, after consulting with my doctor, I’ve decided that intermittent fasting—specifically, eating one meal per day (OMAD), that meal being dinner most days—is the way to go.

For various schedule reasons, yesterday was the first day I tried it … and it didn’t work. A little after 2 p.m., my stomach started to hurt. It was affecting my work and my concentration, so I grabbed a slice of leftover pizza—just one slice, and a small one at that. I was disappointed, but apparently my body needs time to adjust to what I am hoping will become a new normal.

Today, I started getting the same stomach ache around 2 p.m.—but it was less severe, and after about 15 minutes, it subsided. Whew.

So … as of this writing, it looks like I may make it to dinner without eating today. (Should that change between now and when I hit “send,” I’ll disclose that. So if you’re reading this, I made it!) That makes me happy.

Well … logically it makes me happy. Physically and emotionally … bleh. I’d murder (not really) (at least I hope not) for a slice of pizza right now. Heck, even broccoli sounds pretty good, a fact that the logical side of me finds both peculiar and mildly disturbing.

But I need to do something—and I am putting this out there to the world, in part, for accountability’s sake. So wish me luck .. and if I am crabbier than normal over the next week or so, please understand and accept my apologies.

—Jimmy Boegle

More News

• The disconcerting restrictions keep coming from the Temecula school board. The Press-Enterprise reports: “The Temecula school board approved a policy to limit which flags can be flown on school property, a rule that some called a way to ban pride flags, at its Tuesday night, Sept. 12, meeting. A similar policy was adopted by the Chino Valley Unified School District board in June. The Temecula Valley Unified School District board proposal passed 3-2, with the board’s conservative majority in favor and trustees Allison Barclay and Steven Schwartz voting no. The proposal, which was adopted before an overflow crowd with some small language changes, does not specify which flags are barred. It contains two alterations to the district’s flag protocols. One reads: ‘No flag other than the United States of America and State of California may be displayed on school grounds, including classrooms, unless it is a country, state, or United States military flag used solely for educational purposes within the adopted curriculum.’ Other flags would need the superintendent’s approval.”

• The Orange County Register reports that rents are indeed falling in the state. A subscription is required to read the piece, but here’s the skinny: “The typical California apartment cost $1,958 a month in August, that’s off 2.4% in a year—the biggest drop since March 2021 as pandemic-era lockdowns were still chilling the economy. Nationally, rents fell 1.2%. The previous year’s decline is a relief for Golden State tenants who’ve seen rents rise statewide at an annual rate of 4.6% over the previous four years. … The statewide vacancy rate was 5.1% for the third month in a row in August—up from 4% a year earlier. This is the biggest number of rentals landlords have to fill since March 2021. Nationally, 6.4% of units were vacant in August. Still, it’s relatively hard to find a place. California vacancies remain below pre-pandemic norms—they averaged 5.4% in 2018-19.”

• Meanwhile, Florida unfortunately continues to, well, be Florida. Politico reports: “Gov. Ron DeSantis’ hand-picked surgeon general on Wednesday warned healthy adults under the age of 65 against taking a new COVID-19 booster, contradicting the Centers for Disease Control and Food and Drug Administration. Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, speaking during a roundtable that DeSantis hosted, said that after three years of Covid, most healthy people don’t need to worry about getting infected from a virus that has killed more than 1 million people across the country. Ladapo is a well-known vaccine skeptic who has claimed some shots pose risks to healthy young men. … Previous guidance by Ladapo about COVID-19 vaccine safety has been widely rejected by the medical community. Daniel Salmon, director of the Institute for Vaccine Safety at Johns Hopkins University, said Wednesday it appeared that Ladapo and the others at the roundtable were selectively highlighting data to show problems with the new boosters.”

• This year’s California Legislature session is about to come to a close, so expect to see a lot of legislation-related stories popping up in your news feed. Some pieces that may be of interest: Calmatters reports that the “the effort to allow California’s legislative staff to unionize—at least 23 years in the works—is nearly across the finish line,” and: “Legislators weren’t able to reach a compromise that helps insurers with wildfire risk while also protecting homeowners. Interest groups hope to find one in meetings this fall.” The Los Angeles Times says: “A ban on several food additives found in popular snacks, including Skittles, passed its final vote in the California Legislature on Tuesday, sending the bill to the desk of Gov. Gavin Newsom.” The paper also reports: “Striking workers in California, including writers and actors still picketing Hollywood studios, would be eligible for unemployment benefits under legislation state lawmakers passed on Thursday. Gov. Gavin Newsom now faces a critical decision on whether to sign the bill into law and help provide financial relief to striking entertainment workers and other union members walking out during an era of rising tensions rise between labor and employers in California.”

• Former Desert Sun reporter Sam Metz is in Morocco, and is reporting for The Associated Press on the deadly earthquake. Here’s a piece from him covering some of the destruction: “Of the 2,946 deaths reported as of Wednesday, 1,684 were in Al Haouz, a region with a population of around 570,000, according to Morocco’s 2014 census. In certain villages such as Tafeghaghte, residents say more than half the population died. The United Nations has estimated that 300,000 people were affected by Friday night’s temblor.”

• Floods are ravaging parts of Libya—and the devastation is stunning. NBC News reports (and be prepared, because this is unpleasant): “At least 11,300 are now believed to have died after torrents of water ripped through eastern Libya—a devastating toll that could largely have been avoided, global officials said Thursday. Marie el-Drese, secretary general of The Libyan Red Crescent, told The Associated Press by phone that a further 10,100 had been reported missing in the ruined city of Derna. Earlier, city officials said the death toll could reach 20,000. A precise tally of the rising number of people killed is incredibly difficult given the level of destruction and the chaotic political situation in the region, with bodies still washing up on the shore and burials being held in mass graves. As rescuers searched underwater and under rubble, fears grew that rotting bodies could lead to a deadly outbreak of disease in the wake of this week’s floods. … A deluge of rainfall from Mediterranean storm Daniel caused two dams to collapse, sending waves more than 20 feet high through the heart of Derna, a port city in the country’s east.”

• And finally: A popular over-the-counter drug ingredient that makes pharmaceutical companies big bucks apparently does not work. CNN says: “Phenylephrine, a popular ingredient in many over-the-counter allergy and cold medicines, is ineffective in tablet form, an independent advisory committee to the US Food and Drug Administration agreed Tuesday. Phenylephrine is the main ingredient used in products like Benadryl Allergy Plus Congestion, Sudafed PE and Vicks Sinex. The ingredient is considered safe to use; that was not up for debate. But many doctors have questioned phenylephrine’s effectiveness for years. These products generated nearly $1.8 billion in sales last year alone, according to data from the FDA that was presented to the Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee on Monday during the committee’s two-day meeting.”

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