Don’t fear the fin: Great whites and humans are closely sharing California’s coastal waters

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Monday, June 5.

How likely would you be to take a dip or catch some waves off California’s coast if you knew that great white sharks were swimming just beyond the break?

A new study out of Cal State Long Beach indicates great white sharks are more common in the waters off California beaches and swimming much closer to ocean-goers than previously believed.

That might cue up a certain pair of ominous musical notes in your mind. But as Times reporter Christian Martinez recently wrote, “scientists say it should instead be a reminder of how rare shark bites are” given the previously unrealized number of encounters.

During the two-year study, researchers with Cal State Long Beach’s Shark Lab used drones to monitor more than two dozen beaches in Southern California’s oceanfront counties: Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego. The findings provided by the drones surprised researchers.

“Juvenile white sharks, between the ages of 1 and 5, were found congregating at two spots in southern Santa Barbara County and central San Diego County,” Christian reports. “At those locations, sharks and people were found swimming together 97% of the time.”

The young sharks hang around for a few years to munch on stingrays and small fish on the seafloor. Researchers said they’re often seen swimming within 50 yards of where waves are breaking — prime ocean real estate for surfers, paddle boarders and kayakers.

“They come up within like 10 feet of people, and that’s happening daily,” Patrick Rex, a lab technician with the Shark lab, told Christian. “It was assumed that sharks are miles out, but you could be wading and then have a shark swim right next to you.”

Despite that frequent proximity, great whites have been sticking to their usual diet. No shark bites were reported at any of the beaches researchers observed during the two-year study.

Researchers have hypothesized that great white sharks have started to identify humans as a nonedible presence in SoCal waters.

Shark bites are incredibly rare in the state and around the world. Statistically, it’s much more likely the ocean itself will kill you than the sharks swimming in it. In 2017 alone, 17 people drowned in California’s coastal waters, according to the National Weather Service.

In more than 70 years of reporting — 1950 to November 2022 — there were 209 documented “shark incidents” in California, per the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. “Incidents” are broadly defined as anytime a shark makes contact with a person or their surfboard, kayak or other equipment. Of those 209 documented encounters, 81 did not cause any injury, 113 caused a nonfatal injury and 15 were fatal.

Of course, you might take these findings differently. Knowing how often sharks are swimming around us and almost always not bothering us may put your fear of the fin at ease. Or maybe ignorance was beach-going bliss?

And now, here’s what’s happening across California:

Note: Some of the sites we link to may limit the number of stories you can access without subscribing.

L.A. STORIES

The union representing roughly 500 ushers, groundskeepers, security officers and other workers at Dodger Stadium have a message for the ball club: meet their contract demands this month or they’ll go on strike. “These workers understand that this is a moment for them to be able to negotiate what they consider what they need to be able to survive in this city,” SEIU USWW President David Huerta told The Times. Los Angeles Times

Dueling protests outside Saticoy Elementary School in North Hollywood turned physical last week, with one group criticizing school officials for holding a Pride assembly. This comes after a transgender teacher’s Pride flag was burned on the campus, which police are now investigating as a possible hate crime. The teacher spoke with LAist to share their story, though they asked not to be named due to safety concerns. LAist

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Citing newly reviewed documents, California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta says the state of Florida was behind a chartered flight that brought 16 migrants from New Mexico to the Sacramento diocese’s doorstep. In a statement, Gov. Gavin Newsom said his office is working with the California Department of Justice to investigate “whether the individuals orchestrating this trip misled anyone with false promises or have violated any criminal laws, including kidnapping.” Los Angeles Times

There’s a renewed effort to remove a statue of Pete Wilson, California’s 36th governor, from downtown San Diego. Longtime labor leader Dolores Huerta said Wilson, who was also the mayor of San Diego in the 1970s and early ‘80s, “instigated a lot of hatred against undocumented people and against Hispanics in general.” San Diego Union-Tribune

Speaking of Wilson, his anti-immigrant policies as California’s governor and the reaction by the state’s Latino voters is one of several factors that helped turn the Golden State blue. That’s according to Times columnist Mark Z. Barabak, who has started a new series chronicling California’s shift from the land of Nixon and Reagan to a Democratic powerhouse — and the effects that’s had on national politics. Los Angeles Times

CRIME, COURTS AND POLICING

A nearly century-old church in Watts has been damaged by fire for the second time in 16 months. An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the blaze at St. John’s United Methodist Church. Los Angeles Times

Since July, about 20% of California’s 2.3 million community college applications have been scams, according to the state Chancellor’s Office. One scheme involves thousands of “ghost students” applying with stolen identifies to swindle financial aid. San Francisco Chronicle

Surveillance video from Men’s Central Jail obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union shows an L.A. County sheriff’s deputy slamming a handcuffed inmate’s head into a concrete wall. The Sheriff’s Department says the case is being handled by its Internal Criminal Investigations Bureau. The video is a rare visual documentation of the violence used by deputies, which is the subject of an ongoing lawsuit against the county. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Elliot Page is shown in the West Hollywood Edition Hotel in Los Angeles on April 27.

(Ryan Pfluger / For The Times)

Times columnist Amy Kaufman talked with Elliot Page, who has a new book out this month, to discuss what inspired him to share his often-traumatic journey to self-acceptance as the most famous trans man. “Page’s book arrives, as if on cue,” Kaufman writes, “in a moment when the trans community is facing even more danger than when he started writing it just over a year ago.” Los Angeles Times

The number of California kids being home-schooled skyrocketed during the pandemic, though the state does not have a full and accurate count of the various forms at-home learning can take. But even after in-person learning resumed, most have not returned to the state’s public school classrooms. The Mercury News

AND FINALLY

Today’s California landmark is from Zachary Wyman of Los Angeles: Red Rock Canyon State Park.

The sculpted cliffs at Red Rock Canyon State Park are shown in March 2021.

(Zachary Wyman)

Zachary writes:

What are California’s essential landmarks? Fill out this form to send us your photos of a special spot in California — natural or human-made. Tell us why it’s interesting and what makes it a symbol of life in the Golden State. Please be sure to include only photos taken directly by you. Your submission could be featured in a future edition of the newsletter.

Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments to [email protected].