Newsletter: Essential California: South L.A.’s violent weekend

Good morning. It is Monday, July 27. Here's what's happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Wage ordinance

Should a new minimum wage law in Los Angeles include an opt-out provision for organized labor? The consequences of such an exemption are complicated. “A wage is a wage is a wage. It’s very hard to justify why you’d want any worker to make less than the minimum wage,” said David Rolf, an SEIU leader in Seattle. That city’s minimum wage law does not include a carve-out for unions. Los Angeles Times 

Changing tastes

The closure of a Ralphs supermarket in the San Gabriel Valley, and subsequent opening of 99 Ranch, has come to embody longtime residents’ fears of a changing community. The Asian population here has exploded, and markets like this remind them of home. But for longtime white residents, the change can be uncomfortable. Los Angeles Times 

Escalating violence

Eleven people were shot this weekend in South L.A.’s 77th Street Division. As police worked to find the gunmen, rumors spread on social media that one gang was vowing to continue the violence. “People are scared. Grandmothers, mothers, aunties, uncles, even the O.G. gangsters.... They don’t know what to do,” said one resident. Police were reaching out to clergy and gang intervention workers to bring some calm to the area. Los Angeles Times 

DROUGHT

Wasteful use: No surprise here -- Los Angeles renters whose landlords pay for their water haven’t being doing their share to conserve water. In part that’s because their individual units don’t have their own water meters. Most renters have no idea how much water they are actually using. Los Angeles Times

Saltwater: The drought could be making the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta saltier. Rivers typically push back the saltwater that comes in from the San Francisco Bay, but low water levels have allowed ocean water to come into the estuary. A rock barrier installed this year is keeping that water out of the heart of the Delta, where it could seriously impact drinking water. Stockton Record

Landscaping tips: Can you have your cake and eat it too when it comes to landscaping during a drought? Here are five ways to keep grass in front of your house, including Dune sedge and Native California bent grass. Los Angeles Times

From the air: The #drylandsCA road team shared drone footage of the Russian River. Warning: it’s going to get a little dusty. Los Angeles Times (video)

L.A. AT LARGE

Downward-facing dog: In Los Angeles, it’s not enough any more to be fit and Zen. Your dog has to be too. At least that’s what some people think as columnist Steve Lopez discovered when he looked into yoga and massages for dogs. “Maybe, as an Eastside dog with turf and trust issues — Dominic was rescued from the streets of Bell (we thought he'd at least have a good pension) — he wasn't buying this stuff about meridian therapy and healing energy,” Lopez writes. Los Angeles Times

More-healthful options: Four corner stores in Filipinotown are now selling fresh health foods as part of a campaign to turn around this “food desert,” which doesn’t have a supermarket but does have an overabundance of fast-food restaurants. “The alliance decided to focus on improving the corner stores because they tend to be places where people stop often — sometimes daily.” Los Angeles Times

Criminalizing the homeless: Even more disturbing than the rise in homelessness in L.A., some say, are efforts to criminalize those who don’t have a home. “More than half the $100 million a year L.A. spends combating homelessness — as much as $87.3 million — goes to the police, who use it to patrol homeless communities and put people in jail.” The Intercept

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Influential friends: Uber is fighting the state of California over two major issues -- whether its drivers are employees and if it should have to turn over ridership data. For those reasons, the company now spends more on lobbyists here than Walmart or Bank of America. “Navigating the California challenges will be crucial as Uber faces increased pressure and scrutiny around the globe.” Los Angeles Times

Undercover investigation: State Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris will investigate whether the Irvine-based Center for Medical Progress violated any laws when it went undercover and taped interviews with Planned Parenthood doctors. That news comes after four Members of Congress asked Harris whether the center’s founder had filed paperwork to create a phony entity. Sacramento Bee

Fire cameras: Scientists in California and Nevada are working with the Bureau of Land Management to mount cameras on remote mountain peaks, which can spot wildfires in real-time. "With the system we have developed here in Nevada and eastern California, I think we are on the cusp of a new era in the way we fight fires," said Graham Kent, director of the lab at the University of Nevada, Reno. Sacramento Bee

COURTS AND CRIMES

Second act: Mike Bostic was a longtime LAPD officer who never expected to put his uniform back on after retirement. But now he finds himself the chief of police in Calexico, Calif., a border town whose police department is under an FBI investigation. “There could be nothing more embarrassing than to have your department under that kind of scrutiny.… It was literally the most disappointing day in all my years of policing,” Bostic said. Los Angeles Times 

Arrest and motive: Police believe they’ve had a break in the mysterious shooting death of a 32-year-old woman in Hollywood. A former security guard with a fledgling clothing line was arrested on suspicion of killing Carrie Jean Melvin. Authorities believe Ezeoma Obioha owed Melvin hundreds of dollars for work she had done for him. After a check bounced and Melvin threatened to take him to court, Obioha shot and killed her, police say. Los Angeles Times

Jailhouse investigation: Orange County  Sheriff Sandra Hutchens says she does not have confidence in a state investigation into the use of jailhouse informants. Speaking to the Board of Supervisors, Hutchens questioned whether state investigators had already concluded that her deputies, and not the district attorney’s office, are to blame. Orange County Register

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Making L.A. accessible: As the American With Disabilities Act celebrates its 25th anniversary, a look back at what it was like to be in a wheelchair in Los Angeles during the 1970s. “Back then, disabled people struggled to cross streets, park their cars and find alternatives to stairs — all big barriers to holding a job.” Los Angeles Times 

GOLDEN STATE PERSPECTIVES

Political report card: The Los Angeles Times editorial board thinks L.A. City Atty. Mike Feuer deserves a B+ because he “is fast on his way to being Los Angeles' best city attorney in decades.” He’s given credit for finding creative solutions to legal stalemates and upgrading the overall quality of the office’s work. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Los Angeles will start with clouds and reach a high of 82. San Diego will have low clouds and 77 degrees. In Riverside, it will be mostly sunny and 89. Parts of San Francisco will have low clouds and 75 degrees.

AND FINALLY

A tip sheet on how to predict California’s weather based on the clouds. 

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.