Newsletter: Essential California: Making sense of Richard Nixon’s presidency

Good morning. It is Wednesday, Aug. 17. Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles on Pico is moving to a new location. Look for it in early 2017. Here’s what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Restrictions lifted

The California drought has improved enough that state water regulators said Tuesday they would lift restrictions on hundreds of water suppliers. Of the state’s 411 water districts, 343 will have their conservation standards set to 0%. That will allow districts to use as much water as they did in 2013 — but no more than that. “We’ve stepped back and let local communities … take responsibility for maintaining adequate conservation levels,” said State Water Resources Control Board Chairwoman Felicia Marcus. Los Angeles Times

Trip through history

The Richard Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda is preparing to reopen with new exhibits and what many consider to be a more honest look at the Watergate scandal. When the library first opened in 1990, it included a Watergate exhibit that explained the scandal as being orchestrated by Nixon enemies and unethical journalists. That has since been replaced, and a $15-million renovation, set to be completed in October, will include a focus on his legislative accomplishments, like creating the Environmental Protection Agency and signing Title IX into law. Los Angeles Times

Chancellor steps down

UC Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas Dirks announced Tuesday he will resign after criticism over his handling of sexual harassment allegations and a major budget deficit. Dirks has led the university since 2013. “I have come to the personal decision that the time is right for me to step aside and allow someone else to take up the financial and institutional challenges ahead of us,” he said. Los Angeles Times

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L.A. AT LARGE

Wildfire: A brush fire broke out in the Cajon Pass northeast of Los Angeles on Tuesday. The Blue Cut fire blazed through 18,000 acres. More than 80,000 people were evacuated. Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in San Bernardino County. Los Angeles Times

No access: Columnist Steve Lopez continues his coastal journey to Malibu, where most members of the public can’t access the gorgeous stretches of beach. “With some people in Malibu, ‘it’s all about me, me, me, me,’” said former Mayor Jefferson Wagner, who thinks City Hall is often too happy to accommodate the high-and-mighty when they want to either restrict parking or build more walls,” Lopez writes. Los Angeles Times

Getting fancy: A 300-unit luxury building is about to open on the border between Century City and Beverly Hills. Rent at Ten Thousand, as it’s called, starts at $8,500. Maybe that’s a good deal when you factor in the complex’s butler service, Rolls-Royce and botox on call. Bloomberg

Professor dies: Edwin “Rip” Smith was the first black professor to receive tenure at USC’s Gould School of Law. He grew up under segregation but went on to earn degrees from Harvard and specialize in environmental and international law. He died last week at the age of 66. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Red vs. blue: Registered Democrats now outnumber Republicans in Riverside County. It’s the first time in at least 17 years that Democrats have had an edge in the red territory. “The decline in Republican voter registration is two decades in the making, and it will take a lot of effort to stop and reverse it,” said state GOP spokeswoman Kaitlyn MacGregor. Orange County Register

War memorial: Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) has spent a decade trying to get the names of 74 sailors added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. Del Francis, a 74-year-old veteran, wants the same thing, so he just completed a 1,550-mile bike ride to bring attention to the issue. “These families had no bodies to bury, they had nothing. Give them something,” Francis said. Los Angeles Times

CRIME AND COURTS

Expensive fight: A defense attorney who says he was beaten by an investigator inside an Orange County courthouse is suing the county for $30 million. According to the lawsuit, attorney James Crawford was arguing with investigator Dillon Alley on March 9 when the fight turned physical and Crawford suffered a broken bone in his face. The district attorney’s office has said Alley acted in self defense. Orange County Register

Smash and grab: Thieves broke into a vintage camera store in San Francisco, but they’ll likely be disappointed with the goods, say the owners of Glass Key Photo. The cameras take film. “Whoever did this is not the brightest. We can’t even get people to buy this stuff,” said Matt Osbourne. And in an additional twist, the stolen goods were on clearance. SFist

Predator on the loose: A $35,000 reward is being offered for information on a man wanted for a series of burglaries and attempted sexual assaults in the East Hollywood and Echo Park neighborhoods. The suspect has been caught on surveillance tape at least eight times since Aug. 1. 89.3 KPCC

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Scarce resources: A dozen Northern California communities are about to run out of water. Towns in the northern Sacramento Valley often rely on streams for their water. “All of the water systems located in that bathtub ring are struggling,” said Reese Crenshaw with the state’s Division of Drinking Water. KQED

Funny creature: Crews spotted a stubby squid off the coast of California. The purple creature, which looks like a cross between an octopus and squid, was found at a depth of 2,950 feet. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Deadly hike: A woman hiking in Joshua Tree died Saturday after suffering heat-related symptoms and falling unconscious. The 56-year-old woman was with her family on the Mastodon Peak Trail, but the group missed a turnoff and continued toward Lost Palms Oasis. Temperatures on Saturday topped out at 95 degrees. Desert Sun

Imagine the housewarming: The 33-year-old son of a billionaire who helped bring Twinkies back to life purchased the Playboy Mansion for $100 million. Daren Metropoulos already owns the property next to the famous estate. As part of the deal, Playboy’s Hugh Hefner will continue to live at the property for the remainder of his life. Los Angeles Times

Spooky stories: These will keep you up at night — 10 L.A. urban legends. BuzzFeed

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Riverside will be sunny and hot at 101 degrees. There will be fog in San Diego, which will have a high of 83 degrees. Los Angeles will be mostly sunny and 86. Sacramento will be sunny and 96. In San Francisco, there will be low clouds as temperatures reach 70.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California Memory comes from Dave Linton:

“Growing up in Pasadena during the 1950s, one of my chores was to lug the family trash to a backyard incinerator and set it alight. This was the era of ‘backyard burning’ that contributed to afternoon smog so thick that taking a deep breath after football practice gave us chest pains.”

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.