Newsletter: Venice Beach fights for its identity

Good morning. It is Tuesday, Oct. 18. People lose 30 to 40 pounds’ worth of keys on BART trains every month. Sounds like it’s time for folks to invest in keychains. Here’s what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Land of opportunity

Donald Trump may have enjoyed big success in the New York real estate market. But in Los Angeles, he largely struck out and was outbid, out-hustled and out-maneuvered on projects including a proposed 125-story skyscraper on Wilshire Boulevard. Los Angeles Times

Housing the homeless

Venice Beach is at the heart of the city’s struggle with homelessness and gentrification. Wealthy tech employees have pushed out low-income residents. Funky bodegas have given way to luxury shops. And now residents, politicians and advocates for the homeless are fighting over how best to help men and women living on the street. Los Angeles Times

Voting month

In California, election day has become election month. And that has major implications for the campaigns. California voters, it turns out, generally fall into one of three groups: Those who return ballots more than 10 days before the election; those whose hand in the ballot during the final 10 days; and those who vote at the polls or turn their absentee ballot in on election day. “Campaigns are now treating time as a factor just like race or ethnicity. And that’s totally new,” said Paul Mitchell of Political Data Inc. Los Angeles Times

L.A. AT LARGE

Cruisin’ together: Carnival Cruise Line will double the size of its footprint at the Port of Long Beach. The company plans to entirely take over the dome that once housed Howard Hughes’ Spruce Goose aircraft. Ships out of Long Beach currently cruise to Baja California, the Mexican Riviera, Hawaii and Alaska. Los Angeles Times

Medium, please: When it comes to steak, which L.A. restaurant has the best meat at the best price? Two writers ate steaks priced at $11, $72 and $306. BuzzFeed

Studio space: Netflix has signed a 10-year deal to lease space at Sunset Bronson Studios. Deadline Hollywood

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Ready to run: Former hedge fund manager Tom Steyer appears to have launched a “shadow campaign” that lays the groundwork for a 2018 gubernatorial run. He’s crisscrossing the state and pouring money into state ballot measures. “Steyer, who has never run for public office, would be taking a significant risk given that California is a state that has repeatedly rejected wealthy political neophyte candidates.” Politico

History lesson: This video examines what Proposition 13 has meant for California. “People want their roads repaired, streetlights installed and schools kept open. All of them cost money. And that means taxes.” New York Times

Government relations: Running a government is not like running a business, according to President Obama. “Government will never run the way Silicon Valley runs because, by definition, democracy is messy,” the president said. Los Angeles Times

What’s a ballot: L.A. County’s registrar Dean Logan participated in a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” to answer questions about the Nov. 8 election. Reddit

Drug prices: Why big pharma’s biggest headache right now might be in California. Wall Street Journal

CRIME AND COURTS

Coffee break: A man carrying a heavily modified, military-style weapon was shot by police Sunday after he confronted two Vallejo officers at a Starbucks, officials said. “The attempted assassination of two Vallejo police officers while on a coffee break underscores the extreme danger that police officers face on a daily basis,” according to the department. Los Angeles Times

Are you high? Prosecutors and police officers are warning that if Proposition 64 passes and recreational marijuana use is legalized, California will be unprepared to handle cases of impaired driving. That’s because there are no set standards on how much THC in the blood renders a driver unsafe. Los Angeles Times

Another victim: A fourth person has died from wounds suffered during the weekend shooting at a Jamaican restaurant in the West Adams area. Police believe gunfire erupted over a drug deal gone bad. Los Angeles Times

HOUSING

That’s kinda far: Just 24% of Angelenos live within a kilometer of a Metro light rail or rapid bus stop. Curbed LA

Escaping it all: Home prices near Joshua Tree National Park have increased by as much as 30% in the last year as young people look to escape Los Angeles and Silicon Valley. “The trend is most pronounced on the edges of cities, on large lots close to the national park or surrounded by boulders.” Desert Sun

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Wacky weather, man: Yes, it rained a little bit in Los Angeles on Monday but by Wednesday the forecast is hot temperatures and fire danger due to winds. Welcome to October. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

A con: One of the world’s great wine fraud cases and its roots in a Los Angeles suburb. The New Yorker

Sincere plea: A new documentary about music mogul Clive Davis includes a letter he wrote to singer Whitney Houston after he saw her looking gaunt at a concert in 2001. “My dear, dear Whitney, the time has come. Of course I know you don’t want to hear this,” it reads. Hollywood Reporter

Silent protest: Adrián González of the Dodgers, who is Mexican American, refused to stay at the Trump International Hotel and Tower when the team played the Cubs back in May. “I didn’t stay there. I had my reasons,” he said. Daily News

Everyone’s a writer: Disney CEO Bob Iger has signed on to write a book about leadership. “The experience of managing a company whose primary business is storytelling is a story unto itself,” he said in a release. Los Angeles Times

Get a move on: The Raiders’ move from Oakland to Las Vegas seems more likely than ever. ABC 7

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Riverside will be sunny with a high of 84. San Diego will be 74 degrees and sunny. There will be sun and a high of 79 in Los Angeles. It will be mostly sunny and 69 in Sacramento. San Francisco will be mostly sunny with a high of 69.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California Memory comes from Ellen Rooney:

“My husband and I spent the first night of our honeymoon camping at Carpinteria State Beach. We arrived late, because we’d stopped at a great-aunt’s 90th birthday party along the way, and lost track of time. In the pitch dark, we managed to find our spot, set up our tent by flashlight, and settle in for the night. At about 3 a.m., we were jolted awake by what sounded like a train headed straight for our tent. We both bolted out of the tent in time to see the train passing, safely, about 20 yards away. The sound of trains at night still stirs up a little fear — and a little romance — in me.”

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.