Newsletter: Essential California: California wants to change your toothpaste

Good morning. It is Friday, Oct. 9. Facebook wants you to get in touch with your emotions. It’s expanding its “like” button to include "love," "haha," "yay," "wow," "sad" and "angry." Yay! Here's what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Stolen goods

A top official with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department bought a stolen luxury sedan last year from the owner of a towing company that contracts with the department. The 2012 Audi A4 was sold to Assistant Sheriff Michael Rothans for $3,000, according to DMV records. Rothans said he didn't know sheriff’s deputies had seized the car from a suspected gang member. The car was stolen from a dealership in Mission Viejo. Los Angeles Times

Free use

A sequence of yoga poses may not be copyrighted. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals made that ruling in a case involving Bikram Choudhury, who popularized "hot yoga" in America. He alleged that a rival yoga studio violated his copyright to a sequence of poses and two breathing exercises. Los Angeles Times

Leadership void

Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s decision to withdraw from the race to be speaker of the House has left the Republican Party in disarray. The California Republican said he didn’t believe he could unite the party after failing to win support from the more conservative members of the GOP. “We're servants. We should put this conference first,” he said. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT

Off the system: In Matheny Tract near Tulare, residents are subjected to the strong odor of sewage. It’s a particularly noxious smell given that those residents can’t even connect to the system. “Right now, the biggest problem is naturally occurring arsenic, exacerbated by an ever-shrinking volume of groundwater — partly a result of excessive pumping by farmers in the midst of California’s record-breaking drought.” City Lab

L.A. AT LARGE

Out for the season: The voice of the Dodgers will miss the postseason. Vin Scully underwent an undisclosed medical procedure and will not be back on the air this year, according to the team. He had previously announced he would return next year for his 67th consecutive year of calling Dodger baseball. Los Angeles Times

Dangerous dives: Off the coast of California, divers risk their lives for abalone. Almost as many abalone are poached as are caught legally. State officials heavily restrict the ability to find and capture the sea snail, writes columnist Robin Abcarian. Los Angeles Times

Lack of oversight: By their own account, oil regulators have consistently failed to properly regulate oil production in the Los Angeles basin. An internal audit by the state's Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources found that since 2007, most oil projects in Los Angeles had not been subjected to a required annual review. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Drug bill vetoed: A bill that could have protected immigrants convicted of a drug crime from deportation was vetoed by the governor. AB 1351 would have allowed people charged with possession to attend drug treatment in lieu of a criminal proceeding. “The bill eliminates the most powerful incentive to stay in treatment — the knowledge that judgment will be entered for failure to do so,” said Gov. Jerry Brown. Los Angeles Times

Confusion and anger: There’s anger and sadness in Bakersfield as Republicans there try to come to terms with Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s decision to bail on the campaign to be speaker. “It’s a disaster. They’re a floundering ship without a rudder,” said Larry Starrh, an active member of the Kern County Republican Party. Los Angeles Times

New recipes: Your toothpaste and facial scrubs are about to get a makeover. A new law prohibits personal care items from including plastic microbeads. Environmentalists argued the plastic beads were small enough bypass water treatment plants and pollute California’s waterways. The law takes effect Jan. 1, 2020. Los Angeles Times

In demand: Why do California’s poor cities keep attracting new residents? That’s the question posed by writer Joe Mathews. “If you’re poor, California offers services that are more generous than those of many other states. California’s poor cities also provide another amenity: warm weather,” he writes. San Diego Union-Tribune

CRIME AND COURTS

Buried treasure: What did FBI agents find when they dug up the Fontana backyard of an armored-truck driver? Cash -- as much as $600,000. Prosecutors said the home’s owner, Cesar Yanez, and fellow driver Aldo Esquivel Vega took $1 million from the cash they carried in their truck for Bank of America. Inside the house was about $85,000. Los Angeles Times

Hero stabbed: Some guys just can’t catch a break. Spencer Stone, one of three Americans who helped tackle a terrorist on a French train in August, was stabbed early Thursday morning in Sacramento. Authorities said the stabbing was not terror-related. Rather, a “very unfortunate altercation between two groups of folks who were enjoying the nightlife.” Los Angeles Times

Child porn allegations: A former Mrs. Orange County was arrested on suspicion of sharing a sexually explicit picture of a 4-year-old relative with a Marine. In exchange, the serviceman gave Meghan Breanna cash and gifts, according to police. Los Angeles Times

EDUCATION

Cost of damages: Officials with the Los Angeles Unified School District admit they were negligent in hiring and retaining an elementary school teacher who molested students, but they pushed back on demands that they should pay for the emotional and psychological harm done to two of the victims. “The harmful effects of the abuse should be separated from other stressful factors in the boys' lives at the time, such as the death of their fathers, their tough Pacoima neighborhood and such medical conditions as ADHD,” according to an attorney for the district. Los Angeles Times

Campus protest: Some UCLA students who attended a Kanye West-themed party decided it would be a good idea to go in blackface. That triggered protests, with students filling up Chancellor Gene Block’s office Thursday. “It’s one thing to suggest you are actually focusing on one celebrity who is African American; it’s another thing to take it as a license to perform every attribute, every stereotype, every grotesque minstrelsy that you see,” said Jerry Kang, vice chancellor for UCLA’s Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

That’s affordable? A new San Francisco building, the Panoramic, is being marketed to students and interns as an affordable place to live. A 282-square-foot studio rents for $2,980 a month. SFGate

Old look: Tower Records is not returning to its old spot on Sunset Boulevard, but you wouldn’t know that from its new look. The building appears to be getting a paint job to promote Colin Hanks’ documentary on the music store. Los Angeles Magazine

Champagne problems: There are serious problems in San Francisco, from cold beaches and fog to having to choose between love and rent control. BuzzFeed

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

San Diego will be mostly sunny and 88 degrees. In Los Angeles, it will be sunny with a high of 96. Riverside will be hot at 101 degrees. San Francisco will be partly sunny and 72.

AND FINALLY

Today's California Memory comes from Earl Chaffee:

“When I was 16 in 1940, I had been walking most of the night from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Very cold and tired, I waved down a Greyhound bus. I was homeless and only had 50 cents. Giving the bus driver the 50 cents, I asked him to take me as far as it would take me. He didn't just let me out down the highway; he took me all the way into San Luis Obispo as the morning sun was coming up. Hard to forget generosity like that.”

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.