Giant pandas unveiled at San Diego Zoo. Newsom declares Panda Day

California’s state animal might be the grizzly bear, but today is another bear’s big moment to shine.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared Aug. 8, 2024, to be California Panda Day — a playful (but also politically significant) nod to Thursday’s public debut of two giant pandas, Yun Chuan and Xin Bao, at the San Diego Zoo.

These two pandas, in a gesture of goodwill from China, are the first…