In California: Cleaning up tornado damage after Christmas storm

Wendy Leung | USA TODAY

Here are your headlines for Boxing Day and the first day of Kwanzaa.

This is Wendy Leung, filling in for Arlene Martinez.

In California is a roundup of stories from newsrooms across the USA TODAY Network and beyond. Sign up and spread the word.

Who says California doesn’t have winter?

California is reeling from a blustery storm that brought a tornado to the Ventura Harbor on Christmas. At 25 to 30 feet wide, the tornado lifted paddle boats, downed trees and scattered strawberries from nearby agricultural fields.

The storm left a winter wonderland in some parts of the state but also caused traffic nightmares. Interstate 5 over the Grapevine was closed as were many other local mountain roads.

In Santa Barbara and Orange counties, residents were surprised with emergency alerts announcing tornado warnings. The warnings were eventually lifted.

Keep your eyes on the road

As if driving over the holidays under tornado warnings wasn't enough, you have to watch out for marine life.

A sea lion pup weighing 33 pounds fell more than 30 feet from a footbridge onto a highway in Laguna Beach. The pup was in critical condition but didn't break any bones or suffer internal injuries. According to the Pacific Marine Mammal Center, the pup is "still feisty."

But falling mammals aren’t the primary reason why driving in California is so difficult. For that we have high gas prices and congestion to blame.

To determine the most terrible cities to drive in, 24/7 Wall St. created an index looking at factors including average commute time, fatality rates, auto theft rates and other data. Surprise, surprise: California cities dominate the list. See which city is ranked the worst. Hint: It’s not L.A.

Real ID, real bias?

Those who have gone to the DMV to get a Real ID ahead of the October 2020 deadline know about the headache. But is the process even more onerous for women?

Some women say the process is especially frustrating because they have changed their names after marriage or divorce. They say they've been rejected even after showing the required certified, official documents to their local DMV.

"I feel that as a divorced female I'm being discriminated against," said one Monterey County resident.

Starting Oct. 1, 2020, if you don't have a Real ID, you will need your passport or another TSA-approved ID to fly domestically and enter military facilities and federal buildings.

Also in the news

The state law that puts restrictions on who can be an independent contractor or freelancer goes into effect next week and small businesses are bracing.

Harvey Weinstein is expected to go on trial in New York next month but the Hollywood mogul is also under scrutiny in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles District Attorney's office has confirmed that a special task force is reviewing eight cases presented by the Los Angeles and Beverly Hills police departments.

Every movie out this week seems to have some type of Oscar buzz. In Hollywood, "Award Season" is in high gear and Academy Award hopefuls will be converging on Palm Springs next week for the city's annual international film festival. Among those who will be honored are Jamie Foxx for his role in "Just Mercy," and Lena Waithe, who wrote "Queen & Slim." BTW, Oscar nominations will be announced Jan. 13.

When you’re in Palm Springs for the film festival, look up and admire the massive stone wall that is Inspiration Point. It just got historic status.

Students show off flower power

There will be nearly 40 floats kicking off 2020 at the Rose Parade in Pasadena. Keep your eye out for the submarine and sea creatures in "Aquatic Aspirations." It’s the only float created by students.

It takes a whole year for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Cal Poly Pomona students to design and build the float. Today, they started decorating.

Maddie Toney, who is in charge of decorations, said she and her team have been in constant contact with farmers throughout the state to get the flowers just right for the float. They’ll be using 23,000 flowers.

"You only have a few seconds for people to see your float, so it’s really critical to use things that allow people to understand what it is," Toney said.

Is it a brewery or a winery? Yes, it is

Imagine sipping a glass of cabernet franc at a brewery.

That could become common when a new state law goes into effect Jan. 1 allowing breweries, wineries and distilleries to hold overlapping licenses while operating in the same space. Currently, different beverages must be made with separate equipment in separate spaces.

For breweries that also have a winery license, like Woods Beer Co. in San Francisco and Oakland, it means they can be more creative and more competitive.

“It’s kind of like — what’s wine? What’s beer?” said Jim Woods. “Who can tell the difference anymore?”

In California is a roundup of news compiled from across USA TODAY Network newsrooms. Also contributing: Associated Press, Orange County Register, San Francisco Chronicle and 24/7 Wall Street, a USA Today content partner.