Newsletter: Essential California: Unrest on another college campus

Good morning. It is Friday, Nov. 13. The theme of the 2016 Pageant of the Masters will be "partners." Here's what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Capital punishment

A federal appeals court knocked down a judge's ruling that California's death penalty is arbitrary and therefore unconstitutional. The decision, however, does not address whether the capital punishment system is so dysfunctional that it violates the U.S. Constitution. Meanwhile, both pro- and anti-death-penalty groups are expected to have measures on the November 2016 ballot. State executions were halted in 2006. Los Angeles Times

Deportation memories

Former Rep. Esteban Torres of Pico Rivera remembers when his father was deported as part of campaigns in the 1930s, '40s and '50s that rounded up Mexican nationals and sent them back across the border. "One day, my father didn't come home. My brother and I were left without a father. We never saw him again," Torres recalled. One such deportation program was praised by GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump during Tuesday night's debate. Los Angeles Times

College resignation

The dean of students at Claremont McKenna College resigned under pressure over racial tensions. Back in April, 30 students wrote to the college's president to say they felt excluded, isolated and intimidated. Tensions escalated after a self-described low-income Latina student penned an Op-Ed about her discomfort on campus. In response, Mary Spellman wrote that she would help students who don’t "fit the CMC mold." Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Top water user: There's a new water guzzler to look out for. Someone in Rancho Santa Fe used 13.8 million gallons of water over the course of a year. That's enough water to supply 110 average households. "I thought 11.8 million was shocking for a single-family home, but [this] is astounding," said Tracy Quinn, a water policy analyst for the Natural Resources Defense Council, referring to a previous mark racked up by a thirsty Bel-Air household. Los Angeles Times

Increasing rates: The cost of water in Anaheim could increase 9% beginning Feb. 1. Residents have done such a good job of conserving, and thus spending less on, water that the city's public utilities department has to find a way to reduce a budget deficit. Orange County Register

Unanswered questions: Need a quick update on the drought? Here are 10 key facts. Zagat

L.A. AT LARGE

Champion for women: It should be no surprise that Gloria Allred is the attorney taking on Bill Cosby and representing women who say they were assaulted by the comedian. Her entire career has been dedicated to giving a voice to women who have been wronged. "She has always been a force to reckon with," said one of her law partners, Nathan Goldberg. Los Angeles Times

Buy a lady a drink? A South L.A. bar was shut down by the city for allegedly using women to upsell male patrons on expensive drinks. The "fichera" would then sit or flirt with the man while splitting profits with the bar. The practice has expanded in South Los Angeles as the traditionally African American community experiences an influx of residents from Mexico and Central America. Los Angeles Times

Military exercises: South L.A. residents can expect a few more nights of flyovers as the military continues to conduct exercises in the airspace west of LAX. Throughout the night, a plane is expected to land every seven minutes, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The airspace will reopen on Sunday. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Political warfare: There's a new political rift between state Senate leader Kevin de León and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom. Just weeks after Newsom introduced a ballot measure that includes one of the Senate leader's pet policy issues, gun control, De León moved to reduce the size of Newsom's staff. "De León is playing tough. He wants people to know that he can and will be tough if it's necessary, so don't cross him," said Jaime Regalado, professor emeritus of political science at Cal State Los Angeles. Los Angeles Times

A do-nothing? The Santa Monica-based Consumer Watchdog wants city officials to kick out the Department of Water and Power's ratepayer advocate, Fred Pickel. The president of the group accused Pickel of largely being absent and doing "almost nothing." So far, Mayor Eric Garcetti has defended him and the job he's done in reviewing the work of the DWP. Los Angeles Times

Cross conflict: Attorneys made their final arguments in a lawsuit over whether a cross should appear on the Los Angeles County seal. The saga has gone on for more than a decade. A judge must decide whether the small cross will remain atop the San Gabriel Mission depicted within the seal. Los Angeles Times 

CRIME AND COURTS

Not going by the book: A copyright infringement case against musician Taylor Swift was dismissed in unusual fashion by U.S. District Judge Gail Standish. The judge used Swift's lyrics to explain why R&B singer Jesse Braham did not, in fact, have a $42-million copyright infringement case against the singer for her hit "Shake It Off." Los Angeles Times

Search warrants: Police served search warrants on three locations in connection with the deaths of two teenage girls who were found in a Montecito Heights park. The girls were found last month in the bushes along a park trail. Los Angeles Times

EDUCATION

Nursing program: With an eye on California's nursing shortage, UC Davis broke ground on a $50-million building for its nursing program in Sacramento. When the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing moves into its new digs, it will be able to triple enrollment. Sacramento Bee

The case for charters: The Broad Foundation is defending its proposal to greatly expand the number of charter schools in Los Angeles. "Charters take all kids, and that's what they are required to do," said Gregory McGinity, the foundation's managing director of policy. Los Angeles Times

HOUSING

Housing fight: At a meeting in Paris, Airbnb executives are pushing an "us versus them" narrative to promote the California-based home-sharing business. The company's head of public policy did not mince words: "Home sharing is a big idea. So big that no army could ever really stop it. You are on the side of history." Mashable

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Implosion scheduled: The largest remaining pier of the old Bay Bridge's eastern span is expected to be demolished on Saturday morning. The six-second implosion will take place between 6:45 a.m. and 7 a.m. SFGate

Preserving language: In the San Joaquin Valley, an 81-year-old woman is trying to revive Wukchumni. Marie Wilcox is believed to be the last person to speak the Native American language fluently, so she is making a dictionary in the hopes of preserving it. New York Times

Slow connection: Near the small coastal town of Point Arena in Northern California, a cable rises from the sea. It's America’s link to the Internet. So why don't residents have a better connection? "At the heart of the struggle over rural broadband and digital divides in America is a question of whether the Internet is understood as a utility or as a product." The Atlantic

Not exactly Disney: a map of Southern California’s lost amusement parks. Curbed LA

Top model: A man whose day job is with the Santa Clara County Housing Authority is one of the most popular models for the covers of romance novels, writes columnist Robin Abcarian. Now, Jason Baca is trying to break Fabio's record of 460 covers. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

San Francisco will be sunny with a high of 63 degrees. In San Diego, it will be 76 and sunny. Riverside will see wind and sunshine with a high of 80 degrees. Los Angeles is expected to be sunny and 81.

AND FINALLY

Today's California Memory comes from Lee Zontine:

"I grew up in the Antelope Valley when it was rural and agricultural. My first memory of L.A. was in 1951 of my father's strong arm hoisting me up to the trolley downtown around Spring Street. The next time I was on Spring Street was going to the old Army induction center there in 1967. By that time the trolleys were long gone, as were my romantic feelings about downtown."

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.