Newsletter: Essential California: Hollywood to get taller, denser

Good morning. It is Wednesday, March 23. This intimate portrait of the late Elizabeth Taylor takes the audience right inside her longtime home. Here’s what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Security systems

What if the Apple iPhone’s encryption system is more easily hackable than many thought? It would have big implications for both Apple and the federal government, which wants access to one of the San Bernardino shooter’s phones. Los Angeles Times

Under the sea

The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach is getting a $53-million makeover that will include a new building wing and an “immersive theater.” “New technologies will help us provide visitors with a deeper emotional understanding of how their own lives and those of the species on exhibit here are intertwined,” said Jerry Schubel, the aquarium’s president and chief executive officer. Los Angeles Times

Hollywood towers

L.A.’s development wars just heated up. The City Council approved plans Tuesday to build two 30-story towers next to the Hollywood Palladium. The approval came over the objections of the project’s neighbor, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which had tried to make the development part of a larger campaign against mega-developments. The density question could be decided by voters next year. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Lifting restrictions: Folks in Auburn want to start watering their gardens again. “[O]ur position is that we don’t have a drought, and we should not be required to continue to conserve,” said Einar Maisch, the general manager of the Placer County Water Agency. Vice

Water levels: The “March Miracle” is a boom for water districts. “We’re optimistic. We’re seeing this kind of precipitation we’ve had and the reservoirs in the north are better than they’ve been for some time,” said Doug Carlson with the Department of Water Resources. San Gabriel Valley Tribune

L.A. AT LARGE

Sober up: Skid Row will soon get a “sobering center” where police can take intoxicated people. The center will be an alternative to taking individuals to the emergency room at county hospitals. “There’s no good alternative right now, so this sobering center fills a huge void,” said Marc Eckstein with the Fire Department. Los Angeles Times

Party house: Danny Fitzgerald is well-known for leasing out his mansions to Hollywood celebrities (and wanna-bes) and blowing off neighbors’ complaints about noise, trash and parties. Now, he’s met his match in Saudi Prince Aziz al Saud, who leased one of Fitzgerald’s homes for one month and allegedly caused at least $86,000 in damages. The prince allegedly threw drug-fueled parties that lasted all night. Los Angeles Times

Soil contamination: More than 99% of the homes tested near the old Exide battery plant have lead levels that are so high they require cleanup. Eventually, as many as 10,000 homes within a 1.7 mile radius of the shuttered facility will be tested. Health officials advise parents to keep their children away from the soil, take off their shoes in the home, and frequently wash their hands and toys. 89.3 KPCC

No parking: Someone wrote a defense of the tiny parking lots at Trader Joe’s stores. “Building smaller stores — with tinier parking lots — is part of the Trader Joe’s business model; a way to keep their costs down and pass the savings down to customers.” Los Angeles Magazine

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Border crossing: There are concerns that a pedestrian bridge connecting the United States with Mexico may not open on time because Mexican authorities don’t have enough money to finish the project on their end. An average of 24,000 pedestrians cross the border every day. Outdated infrastructure means they sometimes have to wait two or three hours to cross. Los Angeles Times

New projects: The Orange County Transportation Authority has $20 million to spend on bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly projects. “As Orange County gets more crowded, as our streets and freeways get more crowded, people are looking for alternatives,” said agency spokesman Joel Zlotnik. Orange County Register

Teacher hiring: The Long Beach Unified School District is expecting an extra $107 million in state funding this year, and that will allow it to hire 55 additional teachers. It’s a welcomed change from 2010, when Long Beach Unified had to lay off hundreds of employees, most of whom were teachers. The additional funding will also provide musical instruments for students. Long Beach Press-Telegram

CRIME AND COURTS

Security footage: What happened after Elisa Lam entered an elevator at the Hotel Cecil in 2013? BuzzFeed

Terror network: Why were the terrorist attacks in Brussels and Paris so much more extreme than what happened last year in San Bernardino? Experts say it has to do with the terror infrastructure of Europe. “The big difference between here and Europe and what has made Europe so dangerous is they have a far larger number of returning foreign fighters from Syria, and they, more importantly, have a logistical support network in place,” said Brian Jenkins, a senior advisor to the Rand Corp.’s president. Los Angeles Times

Defense’s turn: Is Lonnie Franklin Jr. the Grim Sleeper, the serial killer believed to have murdered 10 women? On Tuesday, defense attorneys presented testimony from a sheriff’s deputy who drew the police sketch of the “Grim Sleeper” based on the description of the one victim who escaped. “The picture bore little resemblance to the stocky 63-year-old with close-cropped receding hair now on trial.” Los Angeles Times

Snake and sushi: Hiroshi Motohashi did not have a very good dinner Sunday night at Iroha Sushi of Tokyo so instead of leaving a tip, he screamed “[Expletive], you guys,” and then dropped a 13-foot-long python in the middle of the Studio City restaurant. Firefighters and animal control officers were called to the scene to rescue the snake, which had gotten stuck near a cash register. Los Angeles Times

K-9 unit: Who’s a good girl? Indiana Bones, the top dog for the L.A. County Coroner’s Office. L.A. County Annual Report

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Sexist comments: The CEO Of the Indian Wells tennis tournament resigned after saying female tennis players “ride on the coattails of the men.” Raymond Moore also said, “If I was a lady player, I’d go down every night on my knees and thank God that Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal were born because they have carried this sport. They really have.” Los Angeles Times

Alternative transportation: A man is riding a motorized papasan chair all over the Westside. Curbed LA

Sad sandwich: Life can be tough as one Dodger fan discovered when he moved to San Francisco. At Jay’s Cheesesteak, Vincent Samperio found the “Dodgers Suck Cheesesteak.” “This is what I gotta deal with, man. I just want lunch,” he tweeted. SFGate

Narco culture: Maywood now has a drug lord-themed taqueria. Los Angeles Magazine

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

San Diego will be sunny and 74. Riverside will be sunny with a high of 76. It will be sunny and 75 in Los Angeles. San Francisco will be mostly sunny with a high of 63. Sacramento will be mostly sunny with temperatures reaching a high of 67.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California Memory comes from Fritzi Lareau:

“A midnight beach picnic in the summer, full or new moon to watch the grunion run is one of my happiest memories of growing up in L.A. I was so excited to imagine hundreds of silvery fish spawning on the wet sand. My father brought a cold thermos of martinis to go with the egg salad sandwiches. We never did see the grunion run. One year my brother caught one grunion.”

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.