Newsletter: Essential California: Living in fear of a hashtag

Good morning. It is Saturday, Aug. 1. Here’s what you don’t want to miss this weekend:

Top stories

Seeing the drought: There’s nothing like a visit to the Oroville Dam to drive home the severity of the state drought for the #drylandsCA reporting team. The lake, which supplies drinking water to 23 million people, is at 33% capacity. “People aren’t coming as often – but maybe they should: Lake Oroville’s drop has become a symbol of the California drought. And there’s a difference between knowing something and seeing it.” Los Angeles Times 

Church fight: The battle over a hilltop convent in Los Feliz is far from over, according to columnist Steve Lopez. A judge found the nuns who once occupied the space didn’t have the right to sell the property to Dana Hollister, who is expected to convert the building into a hotel. However, Judge James Chalfant noted the nuns were right to question whether the Los Angeles Archdiocese, which is trying to sell the property to pop singer Katy Perry, had their best interests at heart. Los Angeles Times

Growing fear: The social media hashtag that suggested there would be 100 days of violence in South L.A. may not have been accurate, but columnist Sandy Banks found people there are still frightened. Family reunions, birthday parties -- any events that draw a crowd -- have been canceled. “A lot of us thought we had moved past some of this stuff. To be revisiting it now, it’s kind of disheartening,” said one former gang member. Los Angeles Times

Job search: John Deasy left the L.A. Unified School District nine months ago, but the Board of Education is just now starting the search for a new superintendent. At that pace, a new superintendent would not start until next school year. That raises questions about how long Ramon Cortines will stay at the helm. The 83-year-old came out of retirement to run the district and has said he would prefer to leave by the end of the year. Los Angeles Times

New public transit: A car-sharing program that is dominated by electric vehicles is expected to roll into L.A.’s low-income neighborhoods beginning next year. The program could help families significantly reduce their transportation costs. “If they can then defer purchase of a vehicle or sell off a vehicle, there can be tremendous savings that can help stabilize a family,” according to the executive director of T.R.U.S.T. South L.A. City Lab

Developers’ fees: Residential developers in San Francisco may soon have to pay a fee that would go toward the city’s overworked transit system. Specifically, the money would be used to buy additional buses or rail cars and keep up on routine maintenance. The fees could generate $14 million a year. City Lab

Unfunded liabilities: The state’s pension costs have grown more than 3,000% over 11 years, according to the state Controller’s Office. Critics say the unfunded liabilities spiked between 2003 and 2004 because of “new, more generous, retroactive retirement formulas adopted by one public agency after another.” Orange County Register

Healthcare policies: Fifty years ago, two brothers helped usher in Medicare. Today, the son of one of those men oversees Covered California. The Lees just might be the first family of healthcare. Kaiser Health News

No parking: The Metro Expo Line station in Culver City will lose parking spaces to a mixed-use development. The parking is needed as many Angelenos don’t live within walking distance to a transit stop. However, Metro officials believe fewer riders will have to drive once the line is extended to Santa Monica. Los Angeles Magazine

Getting schooled: Here are 20 lessons learned after going through the experience of buying a house in San Francisco. Buzzfeed

This week’s most popular stories in Essential California

1. A new grocery store in Alhambra is the latest sign that the demographics of the San Gabriel Valley are changing. The 99 Ranch makes the area’s growing Asian population feel more at home, but longtime residents who are predominantly white feel lost. “I know the city's changing. That's just inevitable. But does it have to change our supermarket?" said one resident. Los Angeles Times

2. Pilot Peter Siebold was 10 miles above the Mojave Desert, having just passed the sound barrier, when he knew something was wrong with Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo. Seconds later, there was a loud bang and then the rocket plane broke apart, sending him plummeting back toward earth. Los Angeles Times

3. Seven shootings in Los Angeles’ South L.A. community left 11 people injured and one person dead last weekend. “People are scared. Grandmothers, mothers, aunties, uncles, even the O.G. gangsters. ... They don't know what to do,” according to one longtime resident. Los Angeles Times

4. The latest large objects to be moved through Los Angeles’ streets were two Victorian homes near USC. The move saved the hundred-year-old homes from demolition. Curbed LA

5. Doing your part to save water doesn’t have to mean tearing out the grass around your home. There are five kinds of grass that would actually survive California’s drought quite well. Los Angeles Times

ICYMI, here are this week’s Great Reads

Reconciling identities: Can a person be Muslim and transgender? That’s the struggle facing Alex, a transgender man who is trying to reconcile his new identity with his religion. “Still, maybe, somehow, Alex believed there was a way that Islam would help ease the bewilderment of his situation, providing his life with structure and meaning.” Los Angeles Times

New chief: When Mike Bostic retired from the LAPD, he didn’t expect to ever wear a police uniform again. But that changed when Calexico city officials asked him to come in and turn around its police department. “I just know that this is one of those things that God wanted me to do. If you are a believer, you can't ignore it,” he said. Los Angeles Times

Immigration hold: In Texas, one nun waits for a mother and daughter to be released from a detention center. They’ve been there for 11 months since crossing into the country from El Salvador. “Waiting is woven into life here at one of the nation's largest immigrant family detention centers.” Los Angeles Times

Looking Ahead

Tuesday: Police agencies throughout Southern California will participate in National Night Out.

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.