Newsletter: Essential California: Students falling short with new tests

Good morning. It is Thursday, Aug. 25. Donald Trump is less than impressed with Hillary Clinton’s support in Hollywood. According to The Donald: “The only enthusiastic supporters of her campaign are Hollywood celebrities, in many cases celebrities that aren’t very hot anymore.” Here’s what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Fire marshal out

The Los Angeles fire marshal is stepping down. Several inspectors had told The Times that John Vidovich encouraged them to cut corners on safety checks to clear a backlog of fire inspections. Earlier this year, the union representing city firefighters voted that they had “no confidence” in Vidovich. “We’re very happy,” said Capt. Frank Lima, president of United Firefighters of Los Angeles City. Los Angeles Times

Failing results

Test results show fewer than half of California’s students are meeting the Common Core learning standards in English and math. The Los Angeles Unified School District lagged behind the rest of the state, while communities like Montecito, San Marino and La Cañada did the best. This database allows you to look up the scores for your individual school. Los Angeles Times

Allegations of child abuse

An 11-year-old boy found dead in the closet of an Echo Park home had been the subject of at least three earlier reports of possible child abuse to L.A. County social workers, police said Wednesday. The boy showed signs of physical abuse and appeared to be malnourished. Los Angeles Times

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L.A. AT LARGE

Too much traffic: Santa Monica’s city manager says traffic in the beachside community has reached a tipping point. The problem has become so bad, he adds, that one motorist was trapped in a city parking garage for an hour because of the gridlocked streets. Curbed LA

City settles: The city of Los Angeles will pay $450,000 to a group of USC students who accused LAPD officers of using excessive force when breaking up a predominantly black off-campus student party in 2013. In June, a jury found officers “used excessive force, did not have probable cause for an arrest and acted with malice.” Los Angeles Times

Few treated: When it comes to hepatitis C, San Francisco’s health department is treating hundreds more patients than Los Angeles County, despite having a significantly smaller population. “We identify the individuals for initial treatment right now, based on how we can offer the most care to the most people, who are going to benefit from it the most now,” said Dr. Hal Yee, L.A. County Health Services’ chief medical officer. 89.3 KPCC

Powering through: Whatever happened to those threats of blackouts this summer? “So far — knock on wood — we’ve gotten through,” said Robert Weisenmiller, chairman of the California Energy Commission. Southern California will probably be OK this winter if typical weather patterns hold. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Green policy: The state Legislature gave its OK to two climate change bills that deal with greenhouse gas emissions and oversight of state regulators. “This is a real commitment backed up by real power,” said Gov. Jerry Brown, who plans to sign the bills. Los Angeles Times

Election day: A proposed state bill would drastically change the way Californians vote. The proposal would include closing thousands of election day polling locations and relying heavily on mail-in ballots. It would also allow for voting centers, where Californians could vote early or do same-day registration. “We’re trying to make it easier for people to participate, given the complexities of modern life,” said state Sen. Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica). Los Angeles Times

DWP reform: Environmentalists and unions are coming together to oppose a November ballot measure that would overhaul the L.A. Department of Water and Power. Charter Amendment RRR would give the utility’s officials more control over contracts and hiring. “We want more accountability, not less,” said a consultant for the group Neighborhoods Against the DWP Power Grab. Daily News

Off to Tahoe: President Barack Obama, Gov. Jerry Brown and Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer will all attend the 20th annual Lake Tahoe Summit next week. The band The Killers will be there, too, for a performance. Los Angeles Times

Water politics: A bill backed by Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens) would change how members are elected to the Central Basin Municipal Water District, which has been accused of doing favors for the family members of politicians. “It is important to have a governance structure that will protect consumers moving forward,” Garcia said. Los Angeles Times

Official resigns: The city manager of South El Monte resigned just weeks after the mayor pleaded guilty to a federal bribery count. Anthony Ybarra had been with the city for more than a decade. “He allowed this climate to exist,” Councilman Joseph Gonzales said of Ybarra. Los Angeles Times

CRIME AND COURTS

On death row: Times reporter Paige St. John leads a virtual-reality tour through San Quentin and stops to talk to a condemned inmate. YouTube

Children found: The three missing children of a woman who was found dead in rural Los Angeles County were found safe in a New Mexico motel. The victim’s sister and that woman’s boyfriend are considered persons of interest in the death. Brittany Humphrey, 22, and Joshua Robertson, 27, remain at large and are considered armed and dangerous, authorities said. Los Angeles Times

Fraud sentence: A Pasadena doctor was sentenced to four years in federal prison for falsely claiming that patients were terminal in order to bilk Medicare and Medi-Cal. Boyao Huang, 43, was also ordered to pay $1.3 million in restitution. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Cooler waters: The La Niña cooling trend could reset ocean temperatures that have been out of whack from Australia to California. “You can see the cooling right along the equator, but there are these vast spaces of really warm upper-ocean conditions that it’s trying to push its way through,” said Art Miller, head of the ocean and atmosphere section at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Film fallout: AFI canceled a screening of “The Birth of a Nation,” the film about the slave rebellion led by Nat Turner. More such moves could follow amid the intense criticism of filmmaker Nate Parker, who was tried for rape when he was a student at Penn State. Parker was found not guilty. Los Angeles Times

What is celebrity? Kanye West used to keep off of his wife’s reality TV show for fear of tarnishing his brand. Slowly, though, he’s appeared on the show, and now Kim Kardashian and “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” are finding a way to humanize “a publicist’s nightmare.” New Yorker

Defining moment: Jacqueline Adan weighed 500 pounds when she got stuck in a turnstile at Disneyland. That was motivation enough to shed 350 pounds and document the journey on Instagram. CBS Los Angeles

Blast from the past: A woman shows up in Los Angeles with suitcases leaking blood. She disappears for four days and returns with an improbable story. It’s the murder case that captured Los Angeles in 1931. LA Weekly

Street art: Los Angeles and San Francisco are among the top 10 cities for the best graffiti. New York Post

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

In San Francisco, clouds will make way for sunshine and a high of 68 degrees. Sacramento will have plenty of sun and a high of 90. Los Angeles will be mostly sunny and 81. Riverside will be sunny and 92. There will be low clouds and a high of 77 in San Diego.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California Memory comes from Sallie A. Rodman:

“We moved to Fresno from Manhattan Beach when my hubby Paul was transferred for his job. I missed the beach terribly, and it was my first time living away from my friends and family. I didn’t know anyone, had two toddlers and Paul traveled all week. He knew I was ready for a meltdown, but one Sunday we drove up to the Sequoias. The beautiful forest soothed my soul. From then on we spent almost every weekend for the next year camping: Big Creek, Shaver, Edison and Huntington Lakes. We camped them all. That time is now dear to my heart.”

If you have a memory or story about the Golden State, share it with us. Send us an email to let us know what you love or fondly remember about our state. (Please keep your story to 100 words.)

Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to Alice Walton or Shelby Grad.