Pilot says he was blinded by flash of light before crash, California renews deal to farm out inmates, poll says most Americans view Edward Snowden as a whistleblower, more.
Top of the news
The Asiana Airlines pilot who was flying the jetliner that crashed at SFO told investigators that a flash of light temporarily blinded him 34 seconds before impact. Chronicle
The inquiry into Flight 214 raises questions about why neither of the pilots aboard appeared to question the aircraft’s unsustainably low air speed in the fateful seconds before the crash. Chronicle
Politics and government
Ro Khanna raised three times as much campaign money in the second quarter of the year as incumbent fellow Democrat Mike Honda of San Jose in his bid to unseat the congressman next year. Mercury News
California has abandoned the delay-plagued defense of its lethal injection procedures in favor of a single-drug option used by other states trying to enforce death penalty laws. Mercury News
Google is taking heat for hosting a fundraiser for Oklahoma Republican senator Jim Inhofe, an outspoken disbeliever on climate change. Political Blotter
Under pressure to reduce prison overcrowding, California has renewed a deal with a private prison operator to keep as many as 8,200 prisoners in Arizona, Oklahoma and Mississippi for three years. SF Business Times
Other news and items of interest
Law enforcement officers uncovered a grow of more than 10,000 marijuana plants in Henry Coe State Park near Gilroy. Mercury News
A developer is seeking to nearly double the height of an approved residential tower on Howard Street near the future TransBay Center to 44 stories. SF Business Times
More than half of Americans in a new poll see NSA leaker Edward Snowden as a whistleblower, not a traitor. NPR
Palo Alto-based Hewlett-Packard has lost its long-held distinction as the world’s largest manufacturer of personal computers to Chinese computer maker Lenovo. Mercury News
With costs declining, the state’s campaign to push rooftop solar panels to reduce dependence on fossil fuels is gaining momentum. Mercury News
The Oakland Tribune is teaming with the Maynard Institute to sponsor a July 24 forum on what to do to curb violence.
Larkspur ferry ridership is growing at between 6 and 8 percent and officials are talking about expanding service along with perhaps adding a shuttle bus from Ross Valley. Marin IJ
