• The California legislature will pass a budget by the June 15 deadline, but it’s a completely bogus budget that will not pass, and they’re only doing it so they can get their paychecks. CalMatters has an interesting historical review of how California passed a law under the Schwarzenegger administration that lawmakers don’t get paid unless they pass a budget by June 15, but legislators can just approve some completely fictional budget that will never pass, and then they still get their paychecks. [CalMatters]
  • We have another report of a scary malfunction of a Boeing 737 Max 8 last Thursday, this one belonging to Southwest Airlines, where the plane did a “Dutch roll” at 32,000 feet in the middle of the flight, though no one was injured. A “Dutch roll” is where the aircraft simultaneously rocks from side to side while swinging from left to right, described as the nose of the plane doing a figure 8, and it reportedly happened because of a power control unit that was damaged. [Chronicle / CNN]
  • Twitter/X CEO Linda Yaccarrino held a weird all-hands meeting last week that had staff bracing for layoffs, and a lot of employee questions about raises and performance reviews were just plain ignored. Also, Elon Musk didn't show up for the meeting, despite being in town. This seems to be because of Xitter’s advertising and revenue woes, and as you may have noticed on that site, there aren’t many advertisers these days outside of knock-off Viagra pills and Cheech and Chong gummies. [The Verge]
  • A car that crashed into a San Leandro liquor store just to rob it early Thursday morning is suspected of being the same as the car that crashed into an Oakland dispensary not long after, also to rob it. [KGO]
  • A San Jose restaurateur got 30 months in prison for using $5.6 million in PPP loan money on his mortgage, a Lexus, and at the casinos. [KRON4]
  • A potential arson left UC Berkeley’s Koshland Hall in flames just after noon Thursday, though there are currently no reported injuries. [KTVU]

Image: LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 24: Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-7H4 arrives at Los Angeles International Airport during Memorial Day weekend on May 24, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)