Newsletter: Essential California: Rose Parade tightens security

Good morning. It is Thursday, Dec. 24. Will your Christmas adventures be as amazing as the one experienced by this bear in Fresno? Here’s what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Soft target protection

Call it the San Bernardino affect. Officials announced tighter security measures for the Rose Parade. They emphasized that there is no credible threat, but the attacks in San Bernardino and Paris have underscored the vulnerability of “soft targets.” Los Angeles Times

Drought makes El Niño effects worse

Four years of drought are likely to make the effects of this season’s El Niño rains even worse, experts say. The drought has shriveled vegetation, allowing the topsoil to easily gave way with heavy rains. And that causes mudflows that sweep up anything in their way — loose boulders, tree limbs, cars, even homes. Los Angeles Times

Two views

Is Enrique Marquez Jr. the cunning would-be terrorist as described by federal prosecutors or a quiet, kind-hearted, somewhat hapless person many friends speak of? Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Snowpack turnaround: A series of powerful storms has fattened the mountain snowpack to levels California hasn’t seen for two years. Statewide, the snowpack is 111% of average for the date. In the northern Sierra, it is 116% of the norm; in the central Sierra, 121% of average; and in the southern Sierra, 85% of the norm. But experts warn this is not drought relief — yet. Los Angeles Times

A lot of water: So how much water has Lake Tahoe recieved? Try 6.4 billion gallons in 24 hours. SFGate

L.A. AT LARGE

Relocation plan: Under pressure from Los Angeles, Southern California Gas Co. agreed to speed and broaden its relocation program for Porter Ranch residents. The gas company must find temporary housing within 72 hours for residents who ask for relocation to escape the fumes of a gas leak. Los Angeles Times

Video view: Video has emerged of a violent struggle in 2014 between two Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies and a suspect who was later killed. The video has prompted prosecutors to reopen the case. Los Angeles Times

Crowning moment: The downtown L.A. skyline got a new look this week when the USC logo was placed atop the 32-story building that until now was known as the AT&T tower. Each letter weighs 500 pounds. Curbed LA

Landmark remade: After 70 years, the hilltop Temple Community Hospital off the Hollywood Freeway closed down. It will be replaced by apartments with some commanding views. The Eastsider

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Payday: An across-the-board pay raise to its approximately 900 employees is raising eyebrows at the California Senate. Sacramento Bee

CRIME AND COURTS

Dog days: Fed up with thieves stealing holiday packages, some Corona residents have taken matters into their own hands. They’ve set out fake packages filled with … well, dog droppings. “They’re calling it a movement,” one resident says. Orange County Register

Mystery solved: So what was that bright light streaking across the sky over California and Nevada? After much speculation, officials say it was debris from a Russian rocket returning into Earth’s atmosphere. Los Angeles Times

Her story: A woman whose body was found in an Orange County refrigerator died in August 2014, officials said. Her family had not wanted to report the death to authorities because of their immigration status, police said. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Misty-mania: A populist ballerina if ever there was one, San Pedro’s Misty Copeland has become a pioneering hero not just to dance hopefuls but to a generation of young women looking for inspiring, boundary-breaking athletic and artistic role models. Los Angeles Times

On a mission: How an upscale mega-church in Orange County got a taste of Africa. Boom

Christmas story: Did California really invent the modern Christmas? Washington Post

Push-pull: How hand-pulled Chinese noodles are really made in the San Gabriel Valley. LA Weekly

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Cooler temperatures will continue across Southern California over the next few days. There is a 20% chance of rain Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California Memory comes from Art Weintraub:

“It was Christmas week of 1980. I had moved to Los Angeles from New York the previous summer to marry my college girlfriend after a 20-year separation. We decided to spend the holiday week in Palm Springs. On Christmas Day we took a selfie on the main street with all the surrounding wreaths and Christmas trees. We also included a large outdoor thermometer showing 80 degrees in the photo. Naturally we sent it to all our snowbound family and friends back East. A very warm and happy day with a new wife and new home.”

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.