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ALDER CREEK GROVE, Tulare County— The all­terrain vehicle cut through heavybrush, bounced over rocks and slicedthrough the undergrowth as it rumbled up asteep trail toward a meadow dominated bygiant sequoia trees high in the southernSierra Nevada mountains.

The tawny goliaths were among nearly 500old­growth trees poking above the mistyforest at Alder Creek Grove, the largest pri­vately owned sequoia forest in the world anda remote oasis virtually unknown to thegeneral public.

Until now.After 20 years of negotiations, the San

Francisco conservation group Save the Red­woods League was to announce Tuesday thatit had agreed to pay $15.6 million by the endof the year for the 530­acre hillside grove,which includes the 3,000­year­old Stagg Tree— the fifth­largest tree in the world.

“We are at the heart of one of the mostunique pieces of ground in the world,” saidSam Hodder, president and CEO of the Red­woods League, after he climbed out of the

Tomas Ovalle / Special to The Chronicle

Sam Hodder, president and CEO of the Save the Redwoods League, stands beneath theStagg giant sequoia tree, the fifth­largest tree in the world, at Alder Creek Grove in June.

Big deal for big trees:Sequoia grove savedRedwoods League to pay $15.6 million for 530 acres

By Peter Fimrite

Redwoods continues on A8

Gov. Gavin Newsom gavePresident Trump a wish listfor the president’s visit to theBay Area on Tuesday: Don’tjust talk about the “disgrace”of homelessness in California— give us more federal help tocombat the problem.

“We can all agree that home­lessness is a national crisisdecades in the making thatdemands action at every levelof government — local, stateand federal,” Newsom wrote ina letter to Trump on Mondaythat was signed by leaders oforganizations representing thestate’s counties and cities.While California and localgovernments have taken actionon homelessness, “your ad­ministration has proposedsignificant cuts to public hous­ing and programs like theCommunity DevelopmentBlock Grant,” Newsom said.

Trump is expected to attenda fundraiser Tuesday in theBay Area, the same day BenCarson, the secretary of hous­ing and urban development, isscheduled to be in San Fran­cisco. Carson will tour a Potre­ro Hill public housing projectand visit with HUD employ­ees, according to a spokesmanfor House Speaker NancyPelosi, D­San Francisco.

It will be Trump’s first visitto the Bay Area as president.He is expected to attend afundraiser for his 2020 re­election campaign, but it is notknown whether he will makeany public appearances re­garding homelessness or anyother issue.

Trump is also expected tovisit Los Angeles, where anadministration task force vis­ited last week to talk withofficials about that city’s home­lessness problem.

Trump railed on the “hor­rible, horrible” conditions on

Leadershave ideasfor visitby TrumpGovernor, mayor seek federal helpon homelessness instead of insults

Trump continues on A8

By Joe Garofoli,Kevin Faganand Tal Kopan

Even as San Franciscomoves toward the unprece­dented closure of its juvenilehall to end the jailing of youngpeople, a new proposal byprobation officials could signif­icantly increase the number ofyouths held there.

The idea to create a “deten­tion­based therapeutic pro­gram” shocked many city offi­cials, who criticized the plan asan unvetted move by juvenileprobation officials to fill emptycells and save the facility.

The “Commitment to Suc­cess” plan, aimed at males age16 to 18, would require youthsto spend at least six months in

the maximum security setting,participating in a range ofprograms including angermanagement, financial literacy,health education, vocationaltraining and social skills devel­opment, according to an over­view submitted to the JuvenileProbation Commission.

The program would targetyoung people who have escalat­

‘Stunning’ proposalto putmore youthsin city’s juvenile hallBy Jill Tucker andJoaquin Palomino

Juvenile continues on A7

Gov.GavinNewsomonMon­dayannouncedanexecutiveorder tocurbyouthvaping—makingCalifornia the thirdstateto takeexecutiveaction in thepast twoweeks toaddresswhatfederalhealthofficials are callingagrowingepidemicamong teens.

The order, aimed at bothnicotine and cannabis vapingproducts, calls on theCaliforniaDepartment of PublicHealth todevelop recommendations toincrease enforcement effortsagainst the sale of illicit and

counterfeit vapingproductsand the sale of anyvapingprod­ucts to youthunder 21, and toestablish standards forwarn­ing signs and labels in retailstores andon e­cigarette pack­aging. The agency is to submitits recommendations to thegovernor’s office byOct. 14.

The executive order also

Newsom targetsyouth vapingwithexecutive order

There’s a lot to like about theBay Area’s efforts to preparefor sea level rise: the collab­orative efforts, the detailedstudies and, laudably, the vot­ers who are willing to taxthemselves with an eye to fu­ture needs.

But if the long­term threat isas grim as scientific projectionsindicate, local experts say theregion needs to respondwithincreased urgency— an urgen­cy that is at odds with the BayArea’s often cumbersome deci­sion­making processes.

“Are wemoving fast enough?I don’t believe we are,” saidDave Pine, a SanMateo Countysupervisor. “It’s hard for policymakers— or humans in gener­al — to internalize themagni­

OURCLIMATE CHALLENGE

Arewemoving quickly enoughto prepare for rise in sea level?By JohnKing

Yalonda M. James / The Chronicle

Dirt is prepared for use in raising the grade to accommodatesea level rise at a park area for the Pier 70 redevelopment.

Learn moreFor more resources on sea level rise and to read other articlesfrom this series, go to sfchronicle.com/climatechallengeSea level continues on A9

Vanishing ViolenceRead The Chronicle’s seriesabout the drop in serious

youth crime and the cost ofmaintaining nearly empty juve-nile halls. sfchronicle.com/vanishing-violence

1 Spiked e-cigarettes: Syn-thetic marijuana is being sub-stituted for CBD, and some usersare ending up in the hospital. D1

By Catherine Ho

Vaping continues on A7

Online videoTake a tour of the Alder Creek Grove:http://bit.ly/aldercreek-video

San Francisco Chronicle, 9/17/2019 Cropped page Page: A8

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FROM THE COVER

ATV to stand beneath the an­cient trees,most at least 2,000years old. “Youhave pristinealpinemeadows dappledwithancient trees that have beengrowing since the TrojanWar.... An opportunity to save it andto inspire theworldwith thepower of nature— I think thereis nothingmore important thatwe could do.”

The forest, in Tulare County,is surrounded byGiant SequoiaNationalMonument and Se­quoiaNational Forest. Ownedsince 1946 by theRouch family,it contains 483 giant sequoiasthat are at least 25.5 feet in di­ameter. The ancient stand isabout the same size asYosemi­te’s famousMariposaGrove ofgiant sequoias,whichwas es­tablished in 1864 andhelpedinspire the creation of theNa­tional Park System.

The 34.7­foot diameter StaggTree, named in 1960 after leg­endary football player andcoachAmosAlonzo Stagg, isolder and bigger than theMari­posaGrove’sGrizzlyGiant,which is 30 feet in diameter.

“This is perhaps themostsignificant sequoia conserva­tion opportunity in the last 75years,” said BeckyBremser, thedirector of land protection fortheRedwoods League. “Byprotecting this property,wewill not only safeguard thebiological richness and ecologi­cal resilience of a forest unlikeany other onEarth ... we arecreating the opportunity forthis extraordinarymountainforest to inspire the public.”

Forestry officials say the realvalue ofAlder Creek is its di­versity.Unlikemost other se­quoia groves inCalifornia, it ismade up of trees ofmany differ­ent ages and sizes, from seed­lings to 3,000­year­old giants.There are alsomature stands ofred fir, white fir, ponderosa pine

and sugar pine. There are alsomeadows,wetlands and ripari­anwoodlands.

“This is theway a healthygiant sequoia forest should be,”said JimCampbell­Spickler, aforest canopy ecologist atHum­boldt StateUniversity and aRedwoods League consultant.

Giant sequoias,which canlive for 3,000 years, are amongthe oldest living things onEarth. They are similar to theircoastal cousins, the coast red­wood, but growonly in a nar­rowband on thewestern slopesof the Sierra, generally at be­tween 5,000 and 8,000 feet ofelevation,where there is snowin thewinter.

Old­growth trees once cov­ered the SierraNevada and theCalifornia coast all theway totheOregon border. Starting inthe 1850s, loggers began cuttingthemdown.A recentRedwoodsLeague report said 95%of Cali­fornia’s old­growth redwoods,

including coast redwood,werewiped out in a frenzy of loggingthat lastedmore than a centuryfollowing theCaliforniaGoldRush.

About 11,000 acres of the48,000 acres of giant sequoiaforest in 73 groveswere onceheavily logged, and another5,000 acreswere partiallylogged.Most ofwhat’s left isnowpublic or owned by tribalgroups.About 1,200 acres are inprivate hands.

And the trees are facingmoreserious obstacles as the climatewarms.

ARedwoods League studythis year found that as a resultof climate change and the accu­mulation of brush and ladderfuels that allow fire to climbinto the tree canopy, recentwildfires burned so hot thatthey killedmany of the giants,which are largely resistant tofire.Warming temperatures,increased fire danger and ashrinking snowpack in theSierrawere all issuesmen­tioned last year in the league’sState of RedwoodsConserva­tionReport.

The stand atAlder Creek hasnot been immune from theseand other disturbances. Thegrovewas last logged in the1950s, but the old­growth treeswere apparently left alone.A

236­lot subdivision ofmostlysummer cabins, called SequoiaCrest, was built next to thegrove at about the same time. Itis not part of theRedwoodsLeague deal.

Hodder said $7million of the$15.65million has been raised.The league is launching a fund­raising campaign thismonthandhopes to raise the rest of themoney through private dona­tions and grants beforeDec. 31,when the deal closes.

Once the deal is finalized, theRedwoods League plans tospend another $4.75million onecosystem studies and restora­tionwork, including the clear­ing of dense stands of trees andunderbrush tomake room forsequoia cones,which need fireand open space for their seedsto grow.

The league plans to sell AlderCreek to theU.S. Forest Servicefor incorporation intoGiantSequoiaNationalMonument infive to 10 years,Hodder said. Inthemeantime, he said, trailsand other serviceswill be builtor enhanced andpublic accesswill be a priority.

SkipRouch, one of the fourowners of the property, said hisfamilywill retain a quarter­acreplot of landwith a smallA­framehouse on it. They agreedto sell because,with 16 children

slated to inherit the land, itwasonly going to getmore difficulttomake decisions about how tomanage the property.

“I’m sure itwill bewell pre­served andnot developed,which iswhat’s important,”said the bearded, 68­year­oldRouch,who remembers beingon the landwith his lumberjackfather as a childwhenhe ran abulldozer, built the road in andout of the property andheld thededication for the StaggTree,which he believes his fatherdiscovered. “If it had gottenbought by a developer itwouldhave changed everything.”

The purchase comes a yearafter theRedwoods Leaguebought the nearby 160­acreRedHill sequoia grove, borderingthe SouthFork of the TuleRiv­er. The 110 ancient trees at RedHillwill also be incorporatedintoGiant SequoiaNationalMonument and opened to thepublic by 2021.

“WithAlder,we’ve nowprotected the two largest un­protected sequoia groves in theworld,”Hodder said. “This is aspectacular and inspiring placethat people need to see.”

Peter Fimrite is a San FranciscoChronicle staff writer. Email:pfimrite@sfchronicle.comTwitter:@pfimrite

Biggest privategrove to be savedRedwoods from page A1

Tomas Ovalle / Special to The Chronicle

Jim Campbell­Spickler (left), a forest canopy ecologist at Humboldt State University, and BeckyBremser, director of land protection for the Redwoods League, view a sequoia stump in June.

SEQUOIANATIONALFOREST

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Park

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SESEQUOIANATIONALFOREST

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tervilleterville

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Todd Trumbull / The Chronicle

Sources: Nextzen,OpenStreetMap

WASHINGTON — As Jus­tice Brett Kavanaugh pre­pares for his second year onthe Supreme Court, newreporting has detailed howthe limits ordered by theWhite House and SenateRepublicans last year con­strained the FBI investigationinto allegations of sexualmisconduct when he was acollege freshman.

The FBI was informed ofallegations that Kavanaugh,while drunk during his fresh­man year at Yale, exposedhimself to two heavily in­

toxicated female classmateson separate occasions. Thebureau did not interviewmore than a dozen peoplewho said they could provideinformation about the in­cidents.

One of the accounts, re­ported by Deborah Ramirez,was made public at the timeof Kavanaugh’s confirmationhearings.

The other, not publiclyknown until this weekend,was reported by a male class­mate who said he witnessedthe incident. He unsuccess­fully sought to get the FBI toinvestigate with help from a

member of the Senate Judi­ciary Committee who askedFBI Director ChristopherWray to look into the allega­tion.

The new details are basedon interviews conducted bythis reporter and two report­

ers for The New York Timesfor books about the confirma­tion. The New York Timesreported some details lateSaturday from its reporters’new book. (The Times hasalso apologized for an offen­sive tweet sent to promotethe article. The tweet said, inpart, that “having a penisthrust in your face at adrunken dorm party mayseem like harmless fun.” )

Wray has declined requestsby this reporter to be in­terviewed about the bureau’sperformance. Kavanaugh alsodeclined to be interviewed.

The best­known allegationagainst Kavanaugh was theaccusation by Christine Bla­sey Ford, a psychology pro­fessor from Palo Alto, that heassaulted her when they werehigh school students. Kava­naugh heatedly denied herallegation when he and Fordtestified before the JudiciaryCommittee in a televisedhearing.

The committee’s GOP ma­jority declined to give a pub­

lic hearing to Ramirez, and itis unclear how many senatorsknew of the allegation of asecond, similar incident atYale. The committee’s chair­man, Sen. Charles Grassley,R­Iowa, and its senior Demo­crat, Sen. Dianne Feinstein,were both informed of theallegation.

Ramirez alleged that Kava­naugh exposed his penis andcaused her to touch it whilethey were inebriated during adrinking game in a dormitorysuite in late 1983 or early1984. Kavanaugh denied herallegation.

The other allegation, previ­ously unreported, came fromWashington lawyer MaxStier, who told Sen. ChrisCoons, D­Del., that he wit­nessed Kavanaugh exposinghimself to a different femaleclassmate during their fresh­man year.

The FBI never contactedStier.

Jackie Calmes is a Los AngelesTimes writer.

SUPREME COURT

Newdetails showhowFBI limitedKavanaugh probeBy Jackie Calmes

Susan Walsh / Associated Press

White House limitsconstrained the FBI probeinto allegations of sexualmisconduct by BrettKavanaugh while in college.

the streets inLosAngeles in arally lastmonth. “What they aredoing to ourbeautifulCalifor­nia is a disgrace to our country,”thepresident said.

InNorthernCalifornia,may­ors andother community lead­ers said that theywere skepticalTrumpwould offermuchbe­sides insults, but that theywouldwelcomehelp if it came.

SanFranciscoMayorLondonBreed said shewould tell Car­son, “Givememoney. ... Startwith $100billion andnegotiate.”

Therewereno immediateplans for the two tomeet, butthemayor said shewould “wel­come the opportunity” to speakwithCarson about “unjustpolicies” not just onhousing,but regarding immigrants andtransgenderpeople aswell.

“Unfortunately,whatwe’veseen is a significant reduction ininvestment in affordable hous­ing throughout this country

and inSanFrancisco,”Breedsaid. “Our request, of course,wouldbe that thereneeds to besome support andattentionpaid to affordable housingthroughout this country.”

Trumphimself hasnot dis­cussed specific steps the federalgovernmentmight take tohelpdealwithhomelessness andhousing, but onMonday theWhiteHouse’sCouncil ofEco­nomicAdvisers released a re­port tracingwhat it saidwerethe root causes of homeless­ness. It blamed local policiessuch ashousing regulation,inadequate policing andguar­anteed shelter for people.

In a callwith reporters, ad­ministration officials offeredfewspecifics onhow they cameto their conclusions orwhatpolicies the administrationwouldbeproposing tohelpcities instead.

The report sought to findout“what is the reason for thehighconcentration of homelessness

in theNortheast or on theWestCoast,” saidTomasPhilipson,acting chair of the council. “Inparticular, have state or localgovernment policies contribut­ed to this problem?The simpleanswer to this question is yes.”

Inhis letter toTrump,New­somasked the federal govern­ment to provide 50,000morerental subsidyvouchers forlow­incomeCalifornians.Healso asked that the value ofthose vouchers be increased tokeeppacewith the rising cost ofhousing inbig cities.

“With50,000additionalvouchers,Californiacouldad­dressasignificantportionofourunshelteredpopulation, includ­ing thousandsofveterans,withatime­testedstrategy topreventorendhomelessness: stablehous­ing,”Newsomwrote.

He added that hewas readyto “work inpartnershipwithyou to address this crisis.”

Trumphasnowhere to gobutup inCalifornia,where 60%of

likely voters surveyed in Julydisapprovedof his jobperfor­mance, according to thenon­partisanPublicPolicy InstituteofCalifornia.

Andhe could score pointsnationally if he suggests federalpolicies for homelessness. Itwould reinforcehis insistenceon somany issues that “he alonecan fix theproblem,” saidDavidMcCuan, a professor of politicalscience at SonomaStateUniver­sity.

Also, “showing the contrastbetweenhimself and theBayArea, hedrawsattention,”McCuan said. “That helpshiscampaignbecause it allowshimto grab thepublic’s attentionabove all thenoise.

“It doesn’tmatter thatmostCalifornians seehimas a carni­val barker,”McCuan said.Trump is “speaking topeople inother parts of the country.”

AndwhileTrumpreceivedonly9.3%of thevote inSanFran­cisco in the2016election,hedoes

havesomefervent fanshere.“Hemakeshismany support­

ers here veryhappyand excitedto be in the same roomwithhim,” said JoanLeone, presi­dent of the 250­memberRepub­licanWomenof SanFranciscoClub,whowill be attendingTuesday’s fundraiser. “I thinkhe’s hilarious. I absolutely lovehis rallies.”

The location of the fundraiserhasnot been released. Peoplewhoare attending it are beingtold that cell phones or otherformsof audio or video record­ingwill not be allowed.

SanFranciscoChronicle staffwriterTrishaThadani contributed to this

report.

JoeGarofoli, KevinFagan andTalKopan are SanFranciscoChronicle staff writers. Email:jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com,kfagan@sfchronicle.com,tal.kopan@sfchronicle.com.Twitter:@joegarofoli,@KevinChron,@TalKopan

Local leaders saymoneywould helpmore than insultsTrump from page A1