Newsletter: Essential California: On the run

Good morning. It is Tuesday, Feb. 2. The Super Bowl is just days away. Panthers quarterback Cam Newton arrived in San Francisco sporting $849 zebra-striped pants from Versace. Meanwhile, the Broncos team bus was in a minor crash on the 101. Here’s what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

On the run

For five days, a taxi driver was the prisoner of three prisoners who escaped from an Orange County jail. He was forced to join them on a journey from Southern California to the Bay Area. Their ability to move through the state undetected ended, however, when two of the inmates got into a fight over whether to kill the cabbie. Sheriff’s officials believe two of the inmates began plotting their escape six months ago. Los Angeles Times

Police review

The U.S. Department of Justice is stepping in to review the San Francisco Police Department, which has been criticized since officers shot an African American man in December. Cellphone video appeared to show cops shooting Mario Woods, 26, as he walked away from them. “The findings will allow the police department to implement best practices in law enforcement and empower the community to hold the department to those standards,” according to the director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. Los Angeles Times

Coastal fight

Thirty-five former members of the California Coastal Commission are calling on the current commissioners to keep Charles Lester in place as executive director. Their letter is among the more than 11,000 the commission has received since the panel announced it was considering firing the longtime leader. Many people are concerned that the termination is motivated by pro-development interests rather than Lester’s job performance. A hearing on Lester’s fate will be held on Feb. 10 in Morro Bay. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Fewer fish: Federal and state efforts to save the Chinook salmon appear to have failed. Just 3% of the species’ juveniles survived along the Sacramento River last year. “Despite the many eggs laid by returning adult salmon, only 3% survived to reach Red Bluff. Those few survivors face further high mortality as they continue through the Delta and into the ocean,” according to the fisheries service. Sacramento Bee

Defensive driving: There was a 44-car pileup in Truckee on Sunday because of ice- and snow-covered roads. SFGate

L.A. AT LARGE

Not so green: Officials with the Port of Los Angeles say they failed to meet pollution-reduction requirements at a second terminal. The TraPac container terminal did not comply with environmental standards set by the city years ago. It was revealed last fall that another company, China Shipping, failed to comply with air quality improvements. Los Angeles Times

Endorsement reversal: Father Greg Boyle of Homeboy Industries has withdrawn his support of a ballot measure that would limit mega-developments in Los Angeles. After additional consideration, Boyle decided the proposal wouldn’t do anything to create housing for the working poor. In a letter to The Times, he suggested he had signed onto the measure on the advice of two unnamed friends. Los Angeles Times

Temporary housing: Secretary of State Alex Padilla and his family have been living in a Burbank hotel for the last six weeks. The politician and his family left their Porter Ranch home after experiencing symptoms from the odorants leaking out of nearby Aliso Canyon. “What we don’t know about methane leaks and the amount of gas that has come out of that Aliso Canyon facility is very concerning to me as a father and a husband,” Padilla said. NBC 4

Home makeover: In case you needed another reminder that the Los Angeles housing market is heated, here is a listing for a Northridge home priced at $475,000. The listing, which solicits an all-cash offer, describes the condition of the home as “truly the worst home in the best neighborhood.” Daily Mail

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Conservation measures: Sen. Dianne Feinstein could cement her reputation as a conservationist this week if President Obama declares three national monuments in the Mojave Desert along Route 66. “Six years ago, these lands were on the verge of being bulldozed for industrial solar and wind installations amid an all-out drive by the Obama administration and national environmental organizations to boost renewable energy in the fight against climate change.” The senator and the Wildlands Conservancy were the only two things that stopped those developments. San Francisco Chronicle

Reelection funds: L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti raised about $7,300 for his reelection campaign during the second half of 2015. That brings his total campaign war chest to $2.23 million. The mayor’s campaign doesn’t plan to raise beyond $2.237 million so he can remain eligible for public financing. Los Angeles Times

Safe sex: Officials with the San Francisco Unified School District want to reduce the number of pregnancies and STD infections among students, so they’re considering a proposal to hand out condoms in middle schools. Under the plan, a student would have to meet with a social worker or school nurse before receiving condoms and other educational materials. San Francisco Examiner

CRIME AND COURTS

History of flight: Years before he escaped an Orange County jail, Hossein Nayeri fled the U.S. Marine Corps. Military records show he went missing shortly after completing boot camp at Camp Pendleton. “When he was found, the Marines put him in the brig for 47 days, court-martialed him and kicked him out under a ‘bad conduct’ discharge.” Los Angeles Times

At war: How does San Bernardino view the Dec. 2 shooting? “San Bernardino has long been at war, and losing. The steady erosion of the American working class, with a commensurate rise in local poverty, has been killing the city for decades.” Bloomberg

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Party house: Nightclub owner Jeff Beacher is planning to make an offer on the Playboy Mansion in the hopes of turning it into a high-end night club. One problem — he’s expected to offer $90 million, even though the mansion is listed for $200 million. If the sale were successful, Beacher would still have to petition the city to change the home’s zoning so it could operate as a club. Curbed LA

No. 19: What’s for lunch? Every sandwich at Langer’s Deli, apparently, plus some Matzo ball soup and pastrami chili cheese fries. Got any Tums? Eater LA

#loveisblind: A Murrieta woman who communicated with a man on Instagram married him just moments after meeting him at the airport in Ontario. “Don’t listen to your thoughts. Don’t listen to your head. Follow your heart. Follow your soul,” Arte Vann said after embracing Erica Harris in the airport terminal. CBS 2

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

San Diego will be mostly sunny with a high of 61 degrees. Los Angeles will be sunny and 64 degrees. In Riverside, it will be mostly sunny and 58. San Francisco will have morning showers and clouds. Highs are expected to reach 53 degrees.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California Memory comes from Steve Smith:

“In 1967, at the age of 12, my parents took my brother and me to Yosemite National Park. Burned in my memory is the view exiting the Wawona Tunnel overlooking Yosemite Valley. In front of me on that clear day was El Capitan, Half Dome and Bridalveil Fall, and I was mesmerized. Yosemite was the location of the happiest single moment of my life and was the favorite place of my late wife. I return twice a year to honor her and to, as she would say, ‘clear out the cobwebs’ from my mind.”

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.