Newsletter: Essential California: How the drought led to cleaner water

Good morning. It is Friday, May 27. If you’re in the Bay Area this weekend, take note that the parking lots on either side of the Golden Gate Bridge will be closed. Here’s what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Juvenile justice

The California Supreme Court upheld the 50-years-to-life sentence of a man who killed a fellow teenager when he was 16 years old. The court found that a recent state law that will give such offenders a chance at parole after 25 years behind bars satisfies Tyris Lamar Franklin’s legal challenge. Franklin, now 21, argued that because he would not be eligible for parole until he’s 66 years old, his punishment amounted to a life sentence. Los Angeles Times

Big business

Small marijuana growers are concerned that big distributors, a.k.a. “Big Alcohol,” will push them out of the market when new regulations take effect regarding the sale and distribution of pot. “We had the sudden feeling we were in the belly of the beast,” said Sunshine Johnston, a grower in Redcrest. Los Angeles Times

Cleaner waters

The drought is helping California’s water quality improve. Typically, rainwater runs off into the ocean, bringing with it lots of bacteria. But the lack of rain means less bacteria and cleaner beaches. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

New water: Can fog be a water source for drought-troubled California? Some think so. Vogue

L.A. AT LARGE

Street design: New lights and artwork are coming to Temple Street in Historic Filipinotown. They’re the work of artist Roel Punzalan. “This piece draws on the beauty and values that are central to L.A.’s Filipino community,” he said. Eastsider LA

Defendant’s intentions: An actor on trial for killing his wife told detectives he only meant to hurt her. Michael Jace was allegedly distraught because his wife, April Jace, wanted a divorce. “I was just angry. All I intended to do was shoot her in the leg. And then I shot her in the leg, and that was it,” he told investigators, according to testimony given in his murder trial. Closing arguments in the case are expected to begin today. Los Angeles Times

Getaway weekend: Just days ahead of what’s expected to be a busy travel weekend, flights were grounded at LAX on Thursday morning thanks to a computer glitch. The Auto Club of Southern California expects 4.67 million people statewide to travel during the three-day weekend. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Pink or blue: A bill passed by the state Senate would prevent businesses from charging different prices for similar goods on the basis of gender. That means, for example, shaving razors would have to be sold at the same price regardless of whether the product was intended for a man or woman. “We understand that women already earn less income. Why are we charging them more for essential products that they need in their everyday lives?” said state Sen. Ben Hueso (D-San Diego). Los Angeles Times

Contraception confusion: A new California state law makes most types of hormonal birth control available to women without a prescription, but that doesn’t mean contraception is readily available. Many pharmacists say they still need to undergo state-mandated training. And the state does not maintain a database that identifies which pharmacists have had such training. NPR

CRIME AND COURTS

Sad discovery: Construction crews digging under a home in the Richmond District of San Francisco made a macabre discovery — a child’s coffin. Windows on the coffin revealed a perfectly preserved blond girl in a white dress holding a rose. The area was home to several cemeteries in the 1800s, but they were moved to make way for development in the 20th century. It’s believed that this casket, which is probably 145 years old, was inadvertently left behind. Los Angeles Times

Free speech: A ruling from the California Court of Appeal’s 2nd District should be seen as a victory for free speech, but columnist Robin Abcarian writes something just doesn’t feel right about the case. On one side is a couple who provided pony rides at the Santa Monica Farmers Market, and on the other is activist Marcy Winograd, who sought to close down the rides by painting the operators as racist, sexist alcoholics. Los Angeles Times

Amber Alert: A man wanted on suspicion of abducting a 15-year-old Bay Area girl was killed in a shootout with sheriff’s deputies in Santa Barbara County after a high-speed chase, authorities said. Police were still looking for Pearl Pinson, who was last seen screaming and begging for help as an armed man dragged her away. Los Angeles Times

Police beating: Sacramento County will pay a $150,000 settlement to a man who says he was needlessly beaten with a flashlight by a sheriff’s deputy. Dashcam footage shows Mickey Donohue being beaten after he was pulled over on suspicion of driving a stolen car in 2014. “This is a case that turns squarely on the fact there was dash-camera footage available. It shows the importance of this type of evidence instead of a he-said-she-said standoff,” said attorney Mark Merin. Sacramento Bee

Subject to harassment: Cellphone footage shows a man harassing two Muslim women in headscarves inside of an Orange ice cream shop. The shop’s owner kicked the man out of the store. In 2015, hate crimes against Muslims doubled in Orange County compared with the previous year, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Orange County Register

EDUCATION

School funds: A panel of lawmakers wants to audit Alliance College-Ready Public Schools to determine whether instructional funds were spent to fight the United Teachers Los Angeles’ efforts to organize the system’s 27 schools. School administrators believe the audit is politically motivated because it was requested by state Sen. Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia), a former UTLA board member. Los Angeles Times

Higher ed: Northwestern Polytechnic University on the edge of the Silicon Valley is falsifying grades and allowing thousands of foreign students to stay in the country legally on visas, according to a BuzzFeed investigation. “What emerged is a portrait of a university that epitomizes many of the key weaknesses in the American higher education and immigration systems: an institution that has used its nonprofit status to enrich its leaders and used its accreditation to dodge more stringent national security requirements.” BuzzFeed

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Away from it all: New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof finds solace with his daughter on the Pacific Crest Trail. “For me at least, a crazy jaunt in the outdoors is the perfect antidote to the absurdity of modern life,” he writes. New York Times

Lost to time: Agua Mansa in what is now San Bernardino County was once the largest settlement between New Mexico and the Pacific Ocean. Here’s what happened to the town. Curbed LA

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

San Diego will be partly sunny and 70. In Los Angeles, there will be clouds as temperatures reach 74 degrees. Riverside will have sunshine and a high of 82. San Francisco will be mostly sunny and 70. Sacramento will have sun and a high of 90 degrees.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California Memory comes from Nazario A. “Tito” Gonzales:

“Just after WWII ended, my parents, siblings and I, age 7, moved to L.A. We lived on East 77th Street and I attended the 79th Street School. It was an idyllic place to live. My cousin, friends and I would explore the alleys, climb trees to pick plums and apricots and explore the neighborhood. On one occasion, my cousin and I decided we needed to earn money, so we made a shoe shine box and went to the corner of what I believe was Central and Manchester. An old lady took pity on us and hired us to shine her shoes for a quarter. This was my first effort at private enterprise and I was so proud.”

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.