Newsletter: Essential California: Donald Trump and his ‘yuge’ fans in Bel-Air

Good morning. It is Saturday, Sept. 10. Here’s what you don’t want to miss this weekend:

Violent city: San Bernardino has seen a major surge in violence this year, with 150 shootings and 47 slayings. The city is on track to have more murders than a year since 1995. “Our city right now is bad. It’s like everyone is on edge, and nobody really knows how we’re going to fix this,” said one resident. Los Angeles Times

Day of terror: Graphic new details about the San Bernardino terrorist attack last December. Los Angeles Times

Charges for officers: Seven Northern California police officers will be charged with having sex with a teenager. The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office is filing charges against officers with the Oakland and Livermore police departments and Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Department. “We left no stone unturned,” Dist. Atty. Nancy E. O’Malley said of the investigation into allegations a 19-year-old woman had sex with the officers in exchange for information on prostitution raids. Los Angeles Times

Fireball investigation: Last week’s explosion of a Falcon rocket is still under investigation, said SpaceX founder Elon Musk. “Still working on the Falcon fireball investigation. Turning out to be the most difficult and complex failure we have ever had in 14 years,” Musk wrote in a Twitter message. Reuters

Dark stories: There are some pretty dark things happening in Kern County. “Its police force is one of the most dangerous in America. Its water supply is disorganized and widely contaminated. Many of its residents — particularly its immigrant farm-working population, many of them undocumented — lack access to adequate health care.” Fusion

Future uncertain: An Orange County pediatrician who has become a nationally-known critic of vaccinations could lose his medical license. Dr. Bob Sears is accused of improperly excusing a toddler from immunizations. Los Angeles Times

Tagging a landmark: Someone tagged Angels Flight, the tiny rail line that’s been out of service since 2013. The president of the Angels Flight Railway Foundation called it a “tragedy.” Curbed LA

Fire danger: Do you have a Samsung Galaxy Note 7? If so, federal safety regulators say you should stop using it. The phone’s lithium-ion batteries have caught fire and exploded during normal use. Los Angeles Times

Closing act: Anaheim native Gwen Stefani will play the final show at the Irvine Meadows. “For me to get up there and have this record and to have gone through what I went through last year, to end up back in Orange County and closing Irvine Meadows, it’s such a triumph for me,” she said. Orange County Register

This week’s most popular stories in Essential California:

1. This photographer was in the right place at the right time to capture a gorgeous image of a bride and groom in Yosemite. NBC Bay Area

2. Kristin Smart disappeared 20 years ago from the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo campus. This week, FBI agents and sheriff’s deputies announced they would excavate three sites near the university’s dorms. It’s unclear whether this week’s activity will lead to a break in the case. Los Angeles Times

3. Brock Turner received a cold reception when he arrived in Ohio from jail. Buzzfeed

4. How did this family rack up $49,000 in fees and fines on an Orange County toll road? Orange County Register

5. The new Wilshire Grand points to the future of downtown L.A.’s skyline. Los Angeles Times

ICYMI, here are this week’s Great Read

Danger zone: San Francisco is building massive amounts of new housing in areas that experts say could be in danger of a sea-level rise from the San Francisco Bay. Here’s how developers and city officials are dealing with the threat. San Francisco Chronicle

Big fans. Yuge: Meet the real Trump housewives of Bel-Air. Donald Trump might not be that popular in California, but he has some outspoken friends in one of L.A.’s richest communities.The group is “largely dismissive of criticism that Trump’s campaign has played off racial tensions (‘Black Lives Matter and all that bullshit’) or that some of his supporters are motivated by bigotry (‘I was raised by a black nanny, there’s no prejudice on my side’).” Politico

Cruise control: How Los Angeles, the birthplace of car culture, is planning to deal with the next transportation revolution: Self-driving cars. Curbed LA

Looking Ahead

SUNDAY: Various events across the region marking the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

MONDAY: A town hall meeting in Canoga Park on the issue of homelessness in the San Fernando Valley.

SATURDAY: The Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa celebrate its 30th anniversary; the third-annual LA River Boat Race takes place.

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.