Newsletter: Essential California: Could San Francisco be losing its liberal edge?

Good morning. It is Tuesday, July 28. In San Francisco, cyclists plan to protest by obeying all traffic laws. Yep, they’re doing it to show that laws put in place for vehicles don’t necessarily work for bicycles. Here's what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

21st century threats

Gang members no longer spray-paint their threats onto the sides of buildings. Instead, they use social media to spread intimidation and fear. That’s what happened in the days after a 27-year-old South L.A. man was gunned down. Police are investigating whether the hashtag #100days100nights is an actual threat of violence for the next 100 days and if it is, if it’s coming from an L.A. gang. Los Angeles Times

Dust off the rings

Los Angeles could be back in the running for the 2024 Olympics. The U.S. Olympic Committee is back to square one after the mayor of Boston, which won the bid back in January, refused to sign a contract that would have made the city responsible for any cost overruns. L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti says he’s open to talking to Olympic officials about revising the city’s bid. L.A. leaders hoped to cut down on construction costs by hosting many of the events in existing sports facilities, like Staples Center and UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion. Los Angeles Times

Law school investigation 

California is one of the few states that allows graduates from unaccredited law schools to take the bar exam. As a result, there are 22 of these institutions in the state and they’re held to few academic standards. A Los Angeles Times investigation found that nine out of 10 students drop out of these programs. “They aren't even diploma mills, they are failure factories," said Robert Fellmeth, the Price Professor of Public Interest Law at the University of San Diego School of Law. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT

Saving the fish: A fight to save the Santa Ana sucker fish may ultimately reach the U.S. Supreme Court. To prevent the fish’s extinction, U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials want 9,000 acres of land to be designated as a critical habitat. But two cities and 10 water agencies believe that would impose too many restrictions on water conservation, groundwater recharge and flood control operations. Los Angeles Times

Beloved roses: In Butte County, one man is using dishwater to keep his late wife’s roses alive. “Roses do love water. But with just a little tiny bit, each day, I can pull them through,” said Ronald Bretherton. Los Angeles Times

Drought playlist: A music playlist for Californians who are dreaming of rainy days and snowcapped mountains. KQED

L.A. AT LARGE

Seeking a refund: A consulting firm says its audit found that the city of Los Angeles could have recouped $17 million from telephone companies that overcharged for cell service. But Mayor Eric Garcetti and City Attorney Mike Feuer refused to take any action to recover the funds, Cost/Benefit Corp. officials alleged in a lawsuit seeking unpaid fees. A spokesman for the City Attorney’s Office said L.A. would file a countersuit as Cost/Benefit Corp. failed to fulfill its obligations to the city. Los Angeles Times

Sidewalk repairs: One L.A. city councilman knew his buckled sidewalk wouldn’t be repaired any time soon so he got his father, uncle and son together to do the job themselves. Joe Buscaino’s office filmed the sidewalk repair as a how-to video. YouTube

Literary L.A.: Times staffer Carolina Miranda talked to writers D.J. Waldie, Lynell George and Josh Kun about how they try to get their arms around such a large, complex city. “Collectively, we touch on California's fantastical origins (its very name hails from 16th century Spanish fiction), the city's realities (one in which the Midwestern transplants' narrative is being supplanted by narratives about immigrants who hail from Latin America and Asia) and how a city that was built on tropes, to some degree, is still defined by them,” she writes. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Will S.F. turn red? Will San Francisco, the city that led the way on same-sex marriage, the plastic bag ban and a higher minimum wage, become more conservative as its residents become wealthier? Pro-business forces appear to be gaining a foothold in the city. “If all the ground troops needed to advance progressive causes are priced out of the city, who will fight for tenants' rights and unions and against conservative policies?” Salon

Insurance rates: Insurance rates for plans under Covered California will increase 4% next year. That’s in sharp contrast to other healthcare exchanges where insurers are pursuing rate hikes of 20% to 40%. “For the second year in a row, Covered California has delivered premium increases dramatically below the rates we have seen historically in the individual market,” said Peter Lee, executive director of Covered California. Los Angeles Times

COURTS AND CRIME

Violent ending: It was a marriage dominated by violence and infidelity until one day when former Bell Gardens Mayor Daniel Crespo turned his fury on his teenaged son. That’s when his wife shot and killed Crespo in their home. Court records, interviews and text messages help to piece together what it was like inside the marriage of Daniel and Lyvette Crespo. LA Weekly

Missing child found dead: After searching more than 24 hours for a missing 8-year-old girl who had been last seen riding her scooter in Santa Cruz, Madyson "Maddy" Middleton was found dead in a dumpster behind the Tannery Arts Center on Monday night, police said. A 15-year-old male is being detained and questioned.Santa Cruz Sentinel

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Malibu wines: Will L.A. County start issuing new land use permits to winemakers in the Santa Monica Mountains? Vintners there want the county to lift a temporary ban that prevented any new vineyards from opening. They point out that grapes actually do well during the drought and most winemakers in the area farm on small plots of land. Los Angeles Times

Vietnamese variety: “Paris by Night” is a popular variety show in Orange County’s Vietnamese community. And while it performs to sold-out audiences and sells thousands of DVDs, the show is struggling to make it. Sales plummeted as Internet piracy gained popularity. “Profit? We are barely making it,” said Marie To, CEO of Thúy Nga Productions. Orange County Register

GOLDEN STATE PERSPECTIVES

California loves Obamacare: Early reports of double-digit increases in health insurance premiums don’t reflect the reality with California’s state-run insurance exchanges, write Peter V. Lee, Covered California executive director, and UC Berkeley health economist James C. Robinson. Other states would do well to practice what California has learned in holding down costs, they say: “Free market forces can be a powerful tool to contain health costs. But for that tool to work, consumers need the support of an active purchaser that can go toe-to-toe with the insurers.” Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

San Francisco will have low clouds then sun and 77 degrees. In Riverside, it will be sunny and 96. Los Angeles will start with low clouds before the sun comes out and temperatures reach 84. San Diego will also start with clouds and reach 77 degrees.

AND FINALLY

Why do filmmakers love destroying San Francisco? It must have something to do with the Golden Gate Bridge and special effects.

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