Newsletter: Essential California: Saving ‘Black Beverly Hills’

Good morning. It is Monday, July 20. Here's what is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Research fight

A dispute between UC San Diego and USC is threatening to impede research that could lead to new treatment for people living with Alzheimer's disease. The legal battle involves disease expert Paul Aisen, eight colleagues and $100 million in federal and private funding for the research study. The public nature of the fight is unusual, but the dispute is just the latest example of private universities luring faculty from public universities that have been plagued by funding problems since the recession. Los Angeles Times

Neighborhood’s identity

The Los Angeles neighborhood of View Park was predominately white until housing covenants lifted in the 1960s. That’s when affluent African Americans, including Ray Charles and Debbie Allen, moved into the neighborhood’s 5,000-square-foot homes and established what became known as the “Black Beverly Hills.” Now, residents are divided over a proposal to include View Park in the National Register of Historic Places, with some homeowners fearing it's a marketing ploy to bring in white homebuyers. Los Angeles Times

Immigration holds

Los Angeles, Orange and Alameda counties are cooperating with a new federal program that asks jail officials to notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement of soon-to-be-released inmates who may be eligible for deportation. San Francisco, where an undocumented immigrant has been charged with killing a 32-year-old woman, has refused to comply. Los Angeles Times 

DROUGHT

Uncertain future: The drought has forced the Chatsworth Reservoir to go on life support, and that has the Department of Water and Power contemplating the future of the pond. Environmentalists say the water source is needed to maintain nearby wetlands. But some scientists believe the reservoir should be allowed to dry up so non-native, invasive species will die off.  Los Angeles Times 

Preparing for the worst: The 40 million people who rely on the Colorado River for water can expect to see major shortages in the coming years. Arizona would probably face the steepest cuts under that scenario, and that has state officials trying to renegotiate how Colorado River water is divided up among the states. One exception would be in Yuma, where farmers have the most-senior water rights in the basin. Los Angeles Times

Water handcuffs: Water officials have a new tool when it comes to cracking down on water-wasters -- a flow restrictor. Essentially, the device significantly reduces how much water flows from the main pipe to any particular household. “It's like shutting down three lanes of traffic on a four-lane freeway. You have to slow down,” said Brian Dunbar, a distribution manager with San Jose Water Co. San Jose Mercury-News

L.A. AT LARGE

Wage support: L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis has signaled she will support an increase to the minimum wage when it comes up for a vote Tuesday. Last month, Solis withheld her support after hearing complaints from small-business owners. “I’ve been supportive since the beginning … but I wanted to make sure that county resources were focused in on how we move through the transition,” Solis said. Los Angeles Times

Saving history: Developers are flocking to West Hollywood to build apartments and retail spaces, but those plans often come at the expense of buildings that played key roles in establishing the city as a haven for the LGBT community. The latest building under threat is the Factory, which operated as Studio One in the 1970s. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Latino outreach: The greatest asset that Hillary Clinton’s political director brings to the campaign is her loss in a congressional race for California’s Central Valley. That’s because Amanda Renteria’s campaign was able to expose the Democratic Party’s weaknesses in connecting with Latino voters. “One of the real opportunities in a presidential election is to truly have a message that can break through, even in the little towns where I grew up,” Renteria said. Los Angeles Times

More harm than good: California Republicans have tried for years to revamp the GOP and bring more voters, particularly Latinos, into the party. Now, Donald Trump’s presence in the presidential race is thwarting those efforts. In fact, California Republicans believe their worst nightmare would be if Trump decides to remain in the race. “Yep, pretty much,” said state Assembly Republican leader Kristin Olsen. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA PERSPECTIVES

Political report cards: The Los Angeles Times’ editorial board is evaluating the city’s elected leaders. First up is Controller Ron Galperin, who received a B -. “For the most part, he's done less than we believe he is capable of, sticking mostly to the bare essentials of the job during his first two years in office.” Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Banning sales: Hesperia city officials want to make their area safer by banning single-serve alcoholic drinks, such as single cans of beer or 40-ounce bottles of malt liquor. Liquor store owners oppose the proposal, saying they’re being blamed unfairly for a growing problem of homelessness and panhandling. Los Angeles Times

Family connection: Writer Kim Masters remembers meeting Nicholas Winton, the man who saved hundreds of Jewish children during World War II, including Masters’ mother, Alice. “Survivors like my mother needed the connection to him, to find a ray of decency and courage in the black expanse of inhumanity,” she writes. Hollywood Reporter

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Los Angeles will have thunderstorms and a high of 81 degrees. San Francisco could get an afternoon thunderstorm. Temperatures are expected to reach 75 degrees.  Riverside will be 84 degrees and should expect thunderstorms. San Diego will be humid and 78 degrees.

AND FINALLY

What could be worse than fleeing a wildfire on a Southern California freeway? How about picking up your abandoned vehicle only to find you owe thousands of dollars to a towing company? That’s what happened to drivers this weekend in the wake of a fire in the Cajon Pass.

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.