Ian Rankin recommends a gritty crime novel and a Jilly Cooper romance

• December 14, 2024

Ian Rankin is the best-selling author of the Inspector Rebus mysteries and other books. A multiple-award winner, the Edinburgh-based novelist has received an OBE and knighthood for his service to literature. Early one morning while traveling in Paris recently, Rankin took the Q&A and shared a wealth of book recommendations and more.

Q. Please tell readers about your new Rebus novel, “Midnight and Blue.”

“Midnight and Blue” sees retired cop John Rebus imprisoned for murder. He is surrounded by people who mistrust him, hate him, wish harm on him. But when a seemingly impossible crime takes place in a locked cell Rebus is best placed to solve it before the prison erupts.

Q. How challenging is it to deal with changing technology as you write your books?

Technology does give me headaches. Cellphones and surveillance have to be taken into account. Scientific methods of crime-solving evolve rapidly. Vehicles have trackers et cetera. Detailing all of this can become tedious for the reader so I tend to mention it in passing while my main characters focus on the physical detecting.

Q. Music has been an important part of the Rebus books as well as your life. Can you talk about how your use of music has informed the books over time?

Like many authors, I am a frustrated rock star. I bring music into my books to help me get over that fact. And because there is so much music in my books, musicians have become fans and in some cases I have been able to work with them. I interviewed Van Morrison onstage, wrote lyrics for The Charlatans, and made an album with the late great Jackie Leven.

Q. Is there a book or books you always recommend to other readers?

My favourite book is probably “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” by Muriel Spark, a masterclass in concision. It’s only 125 pages long but it is morally and structurally complex, funny and tragic, and says a lot about Edinburgh and Scotland.

I met the author once and got her to sign my copy.

Q. What are you reading now?

I’ve just finished reading “White City” by Dominic Nolan. If James Ellroy were English and writing about London in the 1950s, this would be his book. It’s tough-minded, poetic and bloody, and twistily plotted.

Q. How do you decide what to read next?

I have piles of books waiting to be read. If I’m travelling I might slip a slim novel into my pocket. Or a cover or title might pique my interest.

Q. Do you remember the first book that made an impact on you?

“A Clockwork Orange” by Anthony Burgess. A friend loaned me his copy in high school. The film wasn’t available to view in the U.K. and I knew it was a controversial book. But it was also an experimental novel in terms of its language. It showed me what literature could do. It lit a flame.

Q. Is there a book you’re nervous to read?

I’m always nervous to read the latest book by authors I hold in high esteem – especially if I know them personally! Because at some point I’ll meet them and they’ll ask me what I think. Please be good, I tell the book as I open it…

Q. Can you recall a book that felt like it was written with you in mind?

My wife and I were snowed in one winter in rural France. The only book in the house I hadn’t read was my wife’s copy of “Rivals” by Jilly Cooper – a frothy concoction set in a mythically posh England with lots of romance, sex and intrigue – not my usual fare! But I devoured it and have reread it with pleasure since. You never know what type of book might be just your thing!

Q. What’s something – a fact, a bit of dialogue or something else – that has stayed with you from a recent reading?

I reread “The Big Sleep” by Raymond Chandler recently and the opening paragraph is just perfect. We learn a lot about the detective Marlowe from his clothes choices. Then we learn he is about to commence work on a case involving big money. The reader has to read on. We’ve been hooked.

Q. Do you have any favorite book covers?

I remember at high school we studied “Catch-22.” The cover contained no clues, just the title. I was intrigued. I wanted to know what was inside those pages.

Q. Do you listen to audiobooks? If so, are there any titles or narrators you’d recommend?

I don’t listen to audiobooks but when my son was small we had the [U.K. edition] Harry Potter cassettes narrated by Stephen Fry and he was unimprovable.

Q. Is there a genre or type of book you read the most – and what would you like to read more of?

I read mostly crime fiction and literary fiction. I’d like to read more historical non-fiction but I find that my mind wanders, just as it did in lecture theatres!

Q. Which books are you planning to read next?

I’m about to start reading “Tommy the Bruce” by James Yorkston. James is a very fine Scottish musician who’s also a nifty novelist.

Q. Do you have a favorite character or quote from a book?

My favourite character has to be John Rebus (sorry). I wouldn’t have spent 40 years of my life with him if that weren’t the case!

Q. Is there a person who made an impact on your reading life – a teacher, a parent, a librarian or someone else?

I had a terrific English teacher at high school, Mr. Gillespie. He taught us that great song lyrics are poetry. He also admired my earliest attempts at fiction writing.

Q.What do you find the most appealing in a book: the plot, the language, the cover, a recommendation? Do you have any examples?

I’m a plot guy. I want a good story that keeps me on my toes and hungry to know what happens next. I remember reading Gillian Flynn’s “Gone Girl” and thinking at the end – how did the author do that? So I started again from the beginning, this time reading it as an author rather than a reader.

Q. What’s a memorable book experience – good or bad – you’re willing to share?

My wife and I went on safari in Kenya some years back. I needed a long book so packed “War and Peace.” At night it was stiflingly hot in our tent and I would read aloud the sections set during the Russian winter – this was our equivalent of air conditioning!

Q. Do you have a favorite bookstore or bookstore experience?

We are blessed in Edinburgh to have several independent book stores. I use The Edinburgh Bookshop most frequently as it is closest to my home.

Q. What’s something about your book that no one knows?

The character of Christine Esson (one of my detectives) is a real person. She’s a local businesswoman who paid at a charity auction to become a character in my book.

Q. If you could ask your readers something, what would it be?

What is it about John Rebus that you like? I find him complicated and sometimes infuriating. And yet…

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​ Orange County Register 

LA County judge weighing shutdown of Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall

• December 14, 2024

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge has ordered Probation Department officials to appear for a Dec. 23 hearing to explain why Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall should not be shut down.

The judge’s order came a day after the Probation Department refused to close Los Padrinos in defiance of state law and the Board of State and Community Corrections, the regulatory body overseeing California’s jails and juvenile halls.

The BSCC declared Los Padrinos “unsuitable” for the confinement of youth in October and required L.A. County to either fix severe understaffing or close the facility by Thursday, Dec. 12, a deadline that came and went without the county addressing the issue, according to state inspectors.

Judge Miguel Espinoza’s order to show cause requires the Public Defender’s Office, the Probation Department and the District Attorney’s Office to address why the court shouldn’t transfer all youth housed at Los Padrinos to other secure facilities deemed suitable by the BSCC and bar the use of Los Padrinos until improvements are made.

Espinoza issued his order in a case involving a juvenile accused of robbery and murder, though his decision could impact every youth held inside the juvenile hall. The judge acknowledged the youth in question and “hundreds of other youth currently detained at Los Padrinos remain confined in a facility deemed unsuitable by BSCC” in violation of the state’s Welfare and Institutions Code.

The Probation Department filed a last-ditch appeal with the BSCC one day before the deadline to empty the facility, stating it will present evidence within 30 days showing it failed a recent inspection only because of the BSCC’s “misappropriation and capricious enforcement” of the state’s regulations.

BSCC: Appeal misguided

The BSCC, however, in a Friday letter to L.A. County’s attorneys, denied part of the appeal request because L.A. County had missed the window to challenge certain decisions. Aaron Maguire, executive director of the BSCC, warned that the appeals process does not freeze L.A. County’s legal obligation to close Los Padrinos.

“The only basis to rescind the Board’s Notice of Unsuitability is for the county to remedy the conditions that rendered the facility unsuitable,” Maguire wrote. “The probation department has had over 120 days to improve conditions at Los Padrinos since the initial inspection report was issued and the Welfare and Institutions Code does not provide for additional delays. Los Padrinos remains unsuitable for the confinement of juveniles.”

The BSCC is scheduled to meet Wednesday, Dec. 18, to discuss its options for forcing Los Padrinos to comply with the closure.

Los Padrinos has struggled to maintain consistent staffing since the day it opened in July 2023. Some of the county’s efforts, such as a controversial mandate redeploying field officers from the traditional probation side of the department to Los Padrinos, have led to short-lived stability that crumbled as the number of officers calling out and taking leaves began to rise again.

The understaffing has created a tense environment rife with violence within the county’s largest juvenile detention facility. The Probation Department reported 800 uses of force in the 181 days from Jan. 1 to June 30, according to a report to the Probation Oversight Commission. That’s four incidents per day in which officers intervened with either physical force, or by using pepper spray, and that figure doesn’t include any violence that resolved before officers could intervene.

The BSCC’s most recent inspection, completed just days before the Thursday deadline, found that nearly a quarter of the shifts at Los Padrinos still do not meet the minimum ratios of staff to youth, an increase from about 20% in July.

In a statement, Probation Department spokesperson Vicky Waters doubled down on the argument that the BSCC erred in its determination.

“The Department strongly believes our staffing at Los Padrinos is compliant with state regulations, and have appealed the BSCC’s recent findings,” Waters said. “We’re currently evaluating Judge Espinoza’s order and will respond as required. We also will continue working with our leaders and partners to minimize impact to public safety and the youth in our care.”

Intervention applauded

The Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office, as well as other defense attorneys, planned to file motions requesting new placement on behalf of the hundreds of clients still held within Los Padrinos. Those cases, plus any private lawsuits challenging Los Padrinos’ continued operation, will likely be on hold until after Espinoza makes a ruling.

“We are heartened by the Court’s decision to prioritize the well-being of our youth and ensure that they receive the safety and care they deserve,” county Public Defender Ricardo Garcia said in a statement.

Earlier this week, Loyola Law School’s Center for Juvenile Law & Policy sent demand letters through its attorneys urging the Superior Court and the Probation Department to stop using Los Padrinos. Roshell Amezcua, director of the center’s Juvenile Justice Center, said the youth remaining inside the unsuitable facility face risks every day to their physical and mental well-being.

Espinoza’s order is the “first step in getting actual answers to what the court and probation plan to do, a step that should have been taken awhile ago,” she said.

“We at the CJLP are seeking quick action to release our youth to their families and communities, including innovative and creative ways to address behaviors and trauma,” Amezcua said. “We join community members in asking the Juvenile Judges to release our youth and shut it down.”

Eduardo Mundo, chair of the Los Angeles County Probation Oversight Commission, welcomed Espinoza’s intervention. Mundo, who often sits in on juvenile cases, described the East L.A. judge as measured and thoughtful in his deliberations.

The Probation Department’s own data, particularly the 800 uses of force, shows “how bad the hall is,” the commissioner said. The short staffing has left officers unable to do “the most mundane things like walk kids to class on time,” he added.

“They can’t even do that, how can they argue that they can keep the kids safe,” Mundo said. “I don’t know how they’re going to convince him that they’re safely able to supervise these kids with the number of uses of force and the number of problems they have.”

Where can detainees go?

One possible outcome may be the removal of a portion of the youth from Los Padrinos by either sending them to other counties, or to community detention programs where appropriate, he said. Though some advocates strongly oppose the idea, those over 18 could be sent to the county jail temporarily, according to Mundo.

If Los Angeles County can get the population down enough, Los Padrinos may finally stabilize and could shift from fighting constant fires to making actual, long-lasting reforms, he said.

“They can probably remain there if we reduce the population to a number that is equal to the number of staff that regularly come to work and feel safe,” Mundo said.

​ Orange County Register 

Illegally trafficked live turtles found in Torrance lead to guilty plea in federal court

• December 14, 2024

A 54-year-old man pleaded guilty Friday to federal charges after wildlife inspectors at a Torrance mail facility intercepted packages containing protected eastern box turtles addressed to one of the defendant’s aliases in China.

Sai Keung Tin, of Hong Kong, entered his plea in Los Angeles federal court to four counts of exporting merchandise contrary to law, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

According to the indictment, Tin illegally aided in the exportation of 40 eastern box turtles to be sent from the United States to China. Wildlife inspectors at an international mail facility in Torrance intercepted four packages addressed to “Ji Yearlong,” a name believed to be one of Tin’s aliases, and which were to be shipped to Tin’s home in Hong Kong, court documents stated.

Tin falsely labeled the packages containing the protected turtles as containing almonds and chocolate cookies.

Three of the packages contained between eight and 12 live eastern box turtles each — all bound in socks, according to court papers. The fourth package contained seven live eastern box turtles and one that had died. A special agent also searched property records and learned that the name listed as the sender on each of the packages was fake, federal prosecutors said.

The eastern box turtle is a subspecies of the common box turtle and is native to forested regions of the eastern United States with some isolated populations in the Midwest. Turtles with colorful markings are especially prized in the domestic and foreign pet trade market, particularly in China and Hong Kong.

The animals are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, an international agreement to protect fish, wildlife and plants that are or may become threatened with extinction. The United States and China are parties to this agreement, prosecutors said.

An affidavit filed in the case said Tin was associated with Kang Juntao, 27, of Hangzhou City, China, a convicted felon and international turtle smuggler. Kang recruited turtle poachers and suppliers in the United States to ship turtles domestically to middlemen, who would then bundle the turtles into other packages and export them to Hong Kong.

The turtles were bound in socks to protect their shells and so they could not move and alert authorities, officials said.

Court papers say that from June 2017 to December 2018, Kang caused at least 1,500 turtles — with a market value exceeding $2.25 million — to be shipped from the United States to Hong Kong. Middlemen shipped around 46 packages containing turtles from New York and New Jersey, which were routed through an international mail facility at JFK, to addresses in Hong Kong, including Tin’s.

Kang pleaded guilty to a money laundering charge after his extradition from Malaysia in 2019, and later was sentenced to 38 months in federal prison. Since Kang’s arrest, prosecution and conviction, law enforcement has continued to intercept packages addressed to Tin and others, according to court papers.

​ Orange County Register 

Here’s where burrowing owls have disappeared in California

• December 14, 2024

Bird counts

The National Audubon Society’s 125th Christmas Bird Count will be held through Jan. 5. Today we show you some of California’s owls, particularly the burrowing owl, a candidate for the state’s endangered species list.

Frank Chapman and 26 other naturalists initiated the Christmas Bird Count in 1990 as a way of promoting conservation by counting, rather than hunting, birds on Christmas Day. Some counts have been running every year since, and the phenomenon has spread to more than 20 countries in the Western Hemisphere. You can sign up for the count at audubon.org.

You can learn more about the bird count here.

On March 5, the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, Burrowing Owl Preservation Society, Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society, Urban Bird Foundation, Central Valley Bird Club and the San Bernardino Valley Audubon Society submitted a petition to the California Fish and Game Commission to list the western burrowing owl as a threatened or endangered species. The commission published the findings of its decision to make the species a candidate for listing in October, and the western burrowing owl now receives the same legal protection afforded to an endangered or threatened species. As of Oct. 25, California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife had a year to conduct a status review that will inform the commission’s final decision.

Because burrowing owls spend so much time on the ground and nest underground, a major threat to the species is nest predation. The scientific name of the burrowing owl is Athene cunicularia. “Cunicularia” means “to mine” or “burrow” in Latin.

According to the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity, burrowing owls have been eliminated as a breeding species from “almost all” of the California coast and are “rapidly” facing localized extinction in the Bay Area, where less than 25 breeding pairs remain.

Burrowing owls have been eliminated or are nearly wiped out as a breeding species in nearly one-third of their former range in California.

Range in North America

Observation tips

Burrowing owls arrive at their breeding grounds in March throughout the western Great Plains and southern Florida and begin to migrate south in August and September. They use open grasslands, deserts, prairies and agricultural areas, and can often be seen perched on fence posts looking for prey and keeping an eye on predators. Burrowing owls prefer grasslands grazed heavily by cattle or prairie dogs. They are very well camouflaged and amazingly small, given the wide-open areas where they live. The best chances for seeing them are at dawn or dusk. They often reuse nesting sites and may return to the same breeding area for multiple years.

Ideal habitat

Throughout the West, the burrows they use most commonly for nesting are in black-tailed prairie dog colonies. Owls depend on these mammals for maintaining the burrow structure for breeding success. When burrowing mammals are eradicated, owls will abandon the area. The surrounding landscape is primarily short grass pasture or heavily grazed mixed-grass prairie where vegetation is more than 4 inches tall on gently sloping areas with less than 50% herbaceous cover and with few trees (less than 5%). Because owls forage in tall grass (small rodents hide in taller grass), and nest and roost in short grass areas, a mosaic of habitats close by is important. They seem to prefer black-tailed over white-tailed prairie dog colonies, presumably because the habitat is more open and vegetation is shorter. They sometimes concentrate their nests at the edges of prairie dog colonies, where the birds may benefit from increased perch availability and high insect populations

Some of California’s owls by size

California is home to at least 16 owl species. According to California’s Department Fish and Wildlife, the northern spotted owl populations are in serious decline due to competition from the invasive and nonnative barred owl. Barred owls are larger and more aggressive and have a broader suite of prey and habitat preferences than spotted owls. A study is being conducted on a rangewide experimental barred owl removal.

Sources: U.S. Fish and Wildlife, California Department of Fish and Wildllife, wildcalifornia.org, Center for Biological Diversity, The Birds of North America Online and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Owlresearchinstitute.org

​ Orange County Register 

Aaron Craver hired at University after being fired as Woodbridge football coach

• December 14, 2024

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Aaron Craver landed quickly on his coaching feet on Friday.

Craver, who was fired as Woodbridge’s football coach on Wednesday, became the defensive coordinator with head coaching duties at rival University, he and Trojans football coach Vince Mesa said.

“It’s good to be wanted,” Craver said. “It’s a great next step for me.”

Craver confirmed that he was fired after five seasons at Woodbridge. He was informed that the school wanted to “go in a different direction” after the Warriors finished 4-7 this past season.

Craver, who hoped to continue coaching football at Woodbridge, said the main feedback that he received from administration concerned his coaching staff not being large enough.

He said his season-ending suspension for not completing a league game against Pacifica on Oct. 11 didn’t factor in his departure.

The Omicron League game, Craver said in October, was heated and featured a skirmish after Pacifica opened a 29-0 lead with 8:32 left in the fourth quarter.

Irvine Unified stated that Woodbridge “initiated the end of the game” and was notified by the CIF Southern Section of a violation of bylaw 125.2, which covers “failure to complete a contest.”

The usual penalty in the section for the violation is for the coach to be suspended for the remainder of the season.

Woodbridge finished third in the Omicron League behind Pacifica and Portola and fell to Palmdale 48-7 in the first round of the Division 12 playoffs.

In league, the Warriors defeated rival University 19-14.

“We’re familiar with how good of a coach he is,” Mesa said of Craver. “We’re excited.”

Woodbridge finished 1-9 in 2023 but made the playoffs in 2021 and 2022 under Craver. In 2021, the Warriors reached the Division 12 semifinals.

Craver remains a track coach at Woodbridge, the district confirmed. He said two of his children — ages 12 and 10 — project to attend University.

​ Orange County Register 

Here’s why December is National Pear Month

• December 14, 2024

Famous fruit

December is National Pear Month, not just because we hear about them in a famous Christmas carol, but because most of the varieties are in season.

There are six main states in the U.S. that produce pears: California, Michigan, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington. Of these states, California, Oregon and Washington make up the majority of production.

In 2023, Washington led in pear production with 290,000 tons, Oregon produced 190,000 tons, and California produced 165,000 tons.

Exports and imports

During the 2022 market year, the U.S. exported 244.3 million pounds of fresh pears valued at $148 million, and exported 6.2 million pounds of prepared/preserved pears valued at $3.9 million. The top two countries for fresh and prepared/preserved exported pears are Mexico and Canada.

The U.S. imports the most from Argentina (54.8%) and the second-most from China (15.6%).

Bartlett pears change color from green to yellow as they ripen. Anjou and other varieties show little color change as the ripen.

The Bartlett is one of the older pear varieties, first developed in the late 1700s in the U.S.

Most canned and processed pears are made from Bartletts.

According to Pear Bureau Northwest, about 3,000 known varieties of pears are grown worldwide.

Nutritional Benefits

Pears are rich in essential antioxidants, plant compounds and dietary fiber. They are also free from fat and cholesterol. They can benefit a person’s digestion, cholesterol levels and overall wellbeing. One medium pear provides around 100 calories.

Pears contain high levels of antioxidants, including vitamin C, vitamin K and copper. These chemicals counter the effects of free radicals, protecting cells from the damage they can cause.

Threats

Pear trees are highly susceptible to a bacterial disease called fire blight, caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora. There are some slightly tolerant varieties available. Fire blight is most likely to occur when temperatures of 75° to 85° are followed by sporadic rain. Proper management can lessen the disease from occurring.

Forbidden fruit?

“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it” (Genesis 3:6).

The Bible doesn’t specify what type of fruit Adam and Eve ate. According to compassion.com, a Christian website, “Some religious scholars say the apple’s association with the forbidden fruit might have started when the Bible was translated from Hebrew into Latin. The Latin words for “evil” and “apple” are both versions of the word malus. More specifically, the Latin word for “apple” is mālum, while the Latin word for “evil” is mălum.”

Historians have speculated it could have been a pomegranate, mango, fig, grape, etrog or citron, carob, pear, quince or mushroom.

Tree wood

Pear wood is one of the preferred materials in the manufacture of woodwind instruments, recorders, guitars, mandolins and furniture. Pearwood is used in recorders mostly because it is resistant to moisture and saliva.

Partridge in a pear tree

The origins of the song are unclear, but it originated in France. The first time the song appears in literature is in ‘Mirth Without Mischief,’ a children’s book published in 1780 in England.

In modern folklore, each element of the carol is said to be a code word for a religious reality which children could remember. Some claim it was a way for Catholics to teach kids about the Bible when they were persecuted.

• The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.

• Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.

• Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.

• The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.

And so on.

But the song’s origin in France, and its secular and playful manner lead myth busters to believe it is a simple French memory song for children during Christmas.

Sources: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Marketing Resource Center, USApears.org, Epicurious, stokemuseums.org.uk, Medical News Today

​ Orange County Register 

Accused violent white supremacist who lived in Huntington Beach gets time served

• December 13, 2024

An accused founder of a violent Southern California white supremacist organization who lived in Huntington Beach was sentenced on Friday, Dec. 13, in downtown Los Angeles to the two years he already served on a federal charge of inciting brawls at political rallies across the state.

Robert Rundo, 34, who lived in Huntington Beach, pleaded guilty in September to one count of conspiracy to violate the federal Anti-Riot Act, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Rundo was extradited from Romania last year after spending nearly a year on the run. Rundo was expected to be released from custody sometime Friday, Dec. 13, prosecutors said.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Rundo was a founding member of a now-defunct South Bay organization that represented itself as “a combat-ready, militant group of a new nationalist white supremacy and identity movement.” An indictment also says that Rundo and his colleagues attended a number of peaceful protests, where they chased down and violently attacked counter-protesters.

“Mr. Rundo’s cowardly and unprovoked acts of violence were unjustly carried out upon his victims, leaving those who were victimized, their families, and our community torn by hate,” Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, said in a statement after Rundo pleaded guilty.

The indictment was dismissed in February for the second time in five years by then-U.S. District Judge Cormac Carney. The now-retired judge had rejected criminal charges in the case in 2019, after Rundo’s attorneys argued that the Anti-Riot Act cited by federal prosecutors was “unconstitutionally over-broad.”

Carney concluded that the government selectively prosecuted Rundo and Robert Boman, 31, of Torrance while ignoring violence by members of far-left extremist groups because the white supremacist organization engaged in what the government and many believe is more offensive speech.

Boman — who is charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the Anti-Riot Act and one count of rioting — has a February trial date set, according to court records.

In the 9th Circuit opinion in July, Judge Milan D. Smith Jr., a nominee of President George W. Bush, knocked down Carney’s selective prosecution theory, writing that the opposing left- and right-wing groups were not similar enough to meet the required standard.

The rallies involved in the case were on May 25, 2017, at Bolsa Chica Beach in Huntington Beach; April 15, 2017, in Berkeley; and June 10, 2017, in San Bernardino.

​ Orange County Register 

OpenAI whistleblower found dead in San Francisco apartment

• December 13, 2024

SAN FRANCISCO — A former OpenAI researcher known for whistleblowing the blockbuster artificial intelligence company facing a swell of lawsuits over its business model has died, authorities confirmed this week.

Suchir Balaji, 26, was found dead inside his Buchanan Street apartment on Nov. 26, San Francisco police and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said. Police had been called to the Lower Haight residence at about 1 p.m. that day, after receiving a call asking officers to check on his well-being, a police spokesperson said.

The medical examiner’s office has not released his cause of death, but police officials this week said there is “currently, no evidence of foul play.”

Information he held was expected to play a key part in lawsuits against the San Francisco-based company.

Balaji’s death comes three months after he publicly accused OpenAI of violating U.S. copyright law while developing ChatGPT, a generative artificial intelligence program that has become a moneymaking sensation used by hundreds of millions of people across the world.

Its public release in late 2022 spurred a torrent of lawsuits against OpenAI from authors, computer programmers and journalists, who say the company illegally stole their copyrighted material to train its program and elevate its value past $150 billion.

The Mercury News and seven sister news outlets are among several newspapers, including the New York Times, to sue OpenAI in the past year.

In an interview with the New York Times published Oct. 23, Balaji argued OpenAI was harming businesses and entrepreneurs whose data were used to train ChatGPT.

“If you believe what I believe, you have to just leave the company,” he told the outlet, adding that “this is not a sustainable model for the internet ecosystem as a whole.”

Balaji grew up in Cupertino before attending UC Berkeley to study computer science. It was then he became a believer in the potential benefits that artificial intelligence could offer society, including its ability to cure diseases and stop aging, the Times reported. “I thought we could invent some kind of scientist that could help solve them,” he told the newspaper.

But his outlook began to sour in 2022, two years after joining OpenAI as a researcher. He grew particularly concerned about his assignment of gathering data from the internet for the company’s GPT-4 program, which analyzed text from nearly the entire internet to train its artificial intelligence program, the news outlet reported.

The practice, he told the Times, ran afoul of the country’s “fair use” laws governing how people can use previously published work. In late October, he posted an analysis on his personal website arguing that point.

No known factors “seem to weigh in favor of ChatGPT being a fair use of its training data,” Balaji wrote. “That being said, none of the arguments here are fundamentally specific to ChatGPT either, and similar arguments could be made for many generative AI products in a wide variety of domains.”

Reached by this news agency, Balaji’s mother requested privacy while grieving the death of her son.

In a Nov. 18 letter filed in federal court, attorneys for The New York Times named Balaji as someone who had “unique and relevant documents” that would support their case against OpenAI. He was among at least 12 people — many of them past or present OpenAI employees — the newspaper had named in court filings as having material helpful to their case, ahead of depositions.

Generative artificial intelligence programs work by analyzing an immense amount of data from the internet and using it to answer prompts submitted by users, or to create text, images or videos.

When OpenAI released its ChatGPT program in late 2022, it turbocharged an industry of companies seeking to write essays, make art and create computer code. Many of the most valuable companies in the world now work in the field of artificial intelligence, or manufacture the computer chips needed to run those programs. OpenAI’s own value nearly doubled in the past year.

News outlets have argued that OpenAI and Microsoft — which is in business with OpenAI also also has been sued by The Mercury News — have plagiarized and stole its articles, undermining their business models.

“Microsoft and OpenAI simply take the work product of reporters, journalists, editorial writers, editors and others who contribute to the work of local newspapers — all without any regard for the efforts, much less the legal rights, of those who create and publish the news on which local communities rely,” the newspapers’ lawsuit said.

OpenAI has staunchly refuted those claims, stressing that all of its work remains legal under “fair use” laws.

“We see immense potential for AI tools like ChatGPT to deepen publishers’ relationships with readers and enhance the news experience,” the company said when the lawsuit was filed.

Jakob Rodgers is a senior breaking news reporter. Call, text or send him an encrypted message via Signal at 510-390-2351, or email him at [email protected].

​ Orange County Register