It's Thursday. A growing number of Ukrainians are seeking entry into California from Tijuana. Plus, the police provide new details on the Sacramento shooting. |
 | | More than 2,000 Ukrainians have made their way to the U.S. border with Mexico over the past 10 days.Mark Abramson for The New York Times |
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A new chapter in the Ukrainian refugee crisis is playing out along California's southern border. |
As Russia continues its brutal invasion of Ukraine, more than 2,000 Ukrainians have made their way to the Mexican side of the border in the last 10 days in the hope of gaining entry into the United States, my colleague Miriam Jordan reported in today's newspaper, and many of them have flooded into Tijuana. |
The immigrants sometimes wait days to be allowed entry into California. The surge has created confusion and a backlog, and has drawn volunteers from across the state who are trying to provide shelter, food and other assistance. |
"The system at the border is incredibly inefficient," Olya Krasnykh, who took time off from her real estate development job in San Mateo to help, told Miriam. "I don't know how long we can sustain the volunteer-run effort." |
Since the invasion began, roughly 4.3 million Ukrainians have fled their country, according to the U.N. Refugee Agency. Many have escaped to Poland, Romania or other nearby European nations. |
President Biden announced last month that the United States would accept 100,000 Ukrainian refugees, but details about the program have not been released, prompting some refugees to seek entry more quickly. As Miriam wrote, Ukrainians who can afford the journey are traveling to Mexico, a country they can enter without a visa, to try to seek asylum in the United States, a country they cannot. |
That has led to a stream of Ukrainians entering California in recent days. A church in the San Diego area has been converted into a place to sleep for new arrivals with nowhere else to go. |
It's likely that many of the new arrivals will eventually join relatives in the New York region, which is home to more Ukrainian immigrants than anywhere else in the nation. Some, however, may stay in California. |
Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego are also among the nation's biggest Ukrainian population centers, according to the Migration Policy Institute. And the Sacramento area has the highest concentration relative to its size: One in every 125 residents is of Ukrainian descent. |
One Ukrainian refugee who is now staying in San Diego told KQED about her path to the United States: She flew to Germany with her two young daughters, then to Mexico City and then to Tijuana. A family friend crossed over from San Diego to pick them up and drive them back into California. |
Once at the passport control booth on U.S. soil, the woman, whom KQED identified only as Maryna, told Customs and Border Protection officers that her family was seeking asylum. Though she was relieved to have made it into the country, she still thought about what she left behind. |
"At night, I couldn't sleep because of the emotions," because her family was far away, she told the news outlet. "Yes, everything is pretty, everything is great here, but I can't enjoy it or relax." |
 | | Six people were killed in downtown Sacramento in a shooting on Sunday.Max Whittaker for The New York Times |
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If you read one story, make it this |
 | | A warning to a house that was using water against conservation rules in Calabasas.Jane Hahn for The New York Times |
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- Drought: Californians reduced water usage by less than 1 percent in February, a far cry from Gov. Gavin Newsom's call for a 15 percent reduction, The Los Angeles Times reports.
- Armenian genocide: The California State Bar will investigate Armenian genocide victim payments following a Los Angeles Times investigation, the newspaper reported on Tuesday.
- The dangers of climate change: California's typically reserved nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office released a series of reports on Wednesday laying out in stark terms the alarming, sweeping effects of climate change, CalMatters reports.
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- Sacred land: Advocates and historians are working to preserve the Wintersburg Japanese Presbyterian Church in Huntington Beach, The Associated Press reports.
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- House seat: Connie Conway, a former Trump administration appointee, is headed to a June runoff election to represent the San Joaquin Valley's 22nd Congressional District, The Associated Press reports.
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- Vaccine fraud: A naturopathic doctor in Napa pleaded guilty to selling hundreds of fake Covid vaccination cards, The Associated Press reports.
- Animal rights protest: A legislative meeting was interrupted when an activist protesting factory farming glued her hand to a table, The Associated Press reports.
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 | | Christopher Simpson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. |
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Today's tip comes from Carol Stanley: |
"For me there is no more magical place in California than Big Sur where the Santa Lucia Mountains meet the Pacific. I find the beauty is so extraordinary that it presses on my heart until I almost can't breathe. It casts a spell and my voice becomes a whisper, as though I am in a library because I want to do nothing to disturb the magic. Whether you are camping or staying at the Post Ranch or Ventana, Big Sur captures you in its big, wild arms. Then there's Nepenthe, a wonderful place to eat and enjoy a spectacular view, or Esalen to learn and expand. Carmel is near, as is San Simeon. But there are no resorts in Big Sur, no golf courses or tennis courts — it's where you learn the most valuable lesson of doing nothing. |
Tell us about your favorite places to visit in California. Email your suggestions to CAtoday@nytimes.com. We'll be sharing more in upcoming editions of the newsletter. |
What's the best part of spring in California? Email us at CAToday@nytimes.com and your submission may be included in a future newsletter. |
 | | Liz Martinez at Capuli Dental Corp. in San Francisco.Christie Hemm Klok for The New York Times |
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And before you go, some good news |
When the pandemic struck in 2020, entire industries were decimated overnight, leaving workers to survive on unemployment benefits. |
One of them, Liz Martinez, started training to be a dental assistant last year after the Sephora she worked at in San Francisco closed. |
Martinez had assumed that working in a dentist's office would be drastically different from her work as a beauty adviser. But she found surprising commonalities: She practices the technical skills until they feel seamless, and she connects with clients and tries to ease their day. |
As a dental assistant, "you have no choice but to be really good at it," she said. "It's nice not being nervous." |
Thanks for reading. I'll be back on Monday. Enjoy your weekend. — Soumya |
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