Newsletter: Essential California: California lawmakers take annual trip to Hawaii

Good morning. It is Friday, Nov. 20. You’re so vain, you probably think this newsletter is about you. Carly Simon reveals one of the inspirations for her famous song. Here's what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Officer killed

Three people were arrested Thursday in connection with the killing of a 29-year-old Downey police officer in a botched robbery attempt. Officer Ricardo Galvez was shot late Wednesday night as he sat in his BMW, which was parked in an city employee-only lot. Authorities said the suspects, two men and a 16-year-old, did not know Galvez was an officer. "There was nothing indicating that he was a police officer when he was shot. I don’t think he even really saw these guys coming up on him,” said Lt. John Corina of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Los Angeles Times

Campus protest

Students have taken over an administrative building on the Occidental College campus in protest over what they see as racial insensitivity on campus. But the scene in Coons Hall is relatively tame, with students bringing in air mattresses, snacks and phone chargers. They’re calling for the resignation of president Jonathan Veitch, but so far he has the full support of the board of directors. Los Angeles Times

Growing population

Los Angeles city and county are home to the most chronically homeless people in America, according to new figures from the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department. The chronically homeless population in L.A. has grown 55% since 2013. “We have a long way to go,” said HUD Secretary Julian Castro. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Funding priorities: Columnist George Skelton examines the suggestion that money for the state’s high-speed train be used for water projects instead. “The proposal's primary purpose apparently is to reduce water for the environment and provide more for agriculture. It would amend the state constitution to make domestic use and crop irrigation the top priorities for California water,” he writes. Los Angeles Times

Tearing up: In a new PSA, talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres shows how singer Adele could end the California drought. USA Today

Capturing rains: When it rains in Southern California, most of the water ends up dumping into the ocean. So what does that mean for the winter storms that will likely be created by El Niño? “All experts agree that the best possible outcome is ample snowfall in the northern Sierra Nevada. A heavy snowpack would replenish California’s main reservoirs and canals with gradually melting runoff well into next summer.” Sacramento Bee

L.A. AT LARGE

Luxury waiting room: File this one under: All people are equal but some people are more equal than others. LAX is the latest airport to approve an exclusive lounge area for celebrities, athletes, diplomats and anyone else who might show up on TMZ. The privacy could cost travelers as much as $1,800 a trip. Los Angeles Times

State of the county: Supervisor Don Knabe, who will be termed out of office next year, used the annual “state of the county” address to take a swipe at the spending habits of his more liberal colleagues. “Throwing money at these issues without a sustainable plan isn’t fair to those we are trying to help, or to those who have put us in office to fix these problems,” Knabe said. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Political spending: Vintner John Jordan is used to writing large checks to politicians. Now, he’s using his own fund, Baby Got PAC, to cut out the middleman and promote his own message. So far in this election cycle, that means spending $100,000 on ads for GOP presidential candidate Marco Rubio. Los Angeles Times

University expansion: The campus of UC Merced is getting an expansion. The UC Board of Regents signed off on a plan to build classrooms, dorms and labs over the next five years. University officials also plan to boost enrollment by 4,000 students. Los Angeles Times

Hawaiian junket: What could be better than a trip to Hawaii? How about having someone else pay for it. The Independent Voter Project hosted its annual conference this week for California lawmakers, who receive about $2,500 for airfare, hotel rooms and food. “Nobody thinks you’re going to Maui to learn things,” said Jack Pitney, a professor of politics at Claremont McKenna College. “If the purpose of the trip were to educate lawmakers about the problems of California, they would go to Fresno.” Sacramento Bee

Savings account: By the summer of 2017, California could have $7.2 billion saved in its rainy day fund. “The state budget is better prepared for an economic downturn than it has been at any point in decades,” according to a report from legislative analysts. Los Angeles Times

Plant clean up: The state Department of Toxic Substances Control wants a battery recycling company in the City of Industry to test its soil for lead contamination. Quemetco, Inc. must submit a testing schedule by the end of the month. 89.3 KPCC

CRIME AND COURTS

Using wiretaps: Authorities in Riverside used wiretaps to make hundreds of arrests, according to an investigation. The district attorney in Riverside County allegedly gave lower-level lawyers the authority to authorize wiretaps — a move that may have violated the federal wiretapping law. “That’s potentially catastrophic,” said Clifford Fishman, a Catholic University of America law professor who studies wiretapping. USA Today

Bar raided: An Oakland speak-easy was raided by authorities because they said the underground, after-hours clubs was selling alcohol without a permit. Police also found bags of what they believed to be drugs. Undercover agents infiltrated the club before the raid, officials said. SFGate

HOUSING

Year-round shelters: The Orange County Board of Supervisors is considering whether to turn the shuttered  Santa Ana Transit Terminal into a year-round shelter for the homeless. The depot was built with federal dollars, which means the county would probably have to reimburse the federal government if the property were to be sold. In a separate transaction, the county is spending $4.2 million on an Anaheim warehouse that will be turned into a shelter. 89.3 KPCC

New apartments: Four buildings near downtown L.A.’s Skid Row could soon be turned into “microunits.” The apartments would be more affordable than the average unit and therefore seen as “entry level” living spaces. The average microunit is 277 square feet. Curbed LA

HEALTH

Safe sex: Cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis are at an all-time high in California. “America’s worsening STD epidemic is a clear call for better diagnosis, treatment and prevention,” said Dr. Jonathan Mermin, director of the CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Migration trends: The United States isn’t as attractive to Mexican immigrants as it once was. A study from the Pew Research Center found there are more Mexican nationals leaving the U.S. than entering. Los Angeles Times

Goodbye letter: The San Francisco Chronicle’s Jon Carroll signs off after five decades in journalism. “I didn’t really notice the time go by; a daily deadline tends to do that. And I didn’t notice enough all the Chronicle people who helped me. So I’m thanking them now, for their support and their generosity,” he writes. San Francisco Chronicle

Animal safety: Bobcat trapping is now illegal in California. KCET

Posthumous earnings: Dead authors are making a killing in Hollywood. “Part of the trick of keeping a dead author's activity brisk is finding just the right voice to take his or her place.” Hollywood Reporter

Weekend game: This weekend will be the 118th matchup between Cal and Stanford. It’s the oldest football rivalry on the West Coast. San Francisco Chronicle

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

San Francisco will be 65 degrees and mostly sunny. Los Angeles will have sunshine and a high of 85. In San Diego, it will be 78 and sunny. Riverside is expected to have sunshine and a high of 87.

AND FINALLY

Today's California Memory comes from Danna Stroud:

“When I was a kid, summers in Paso Robles were hot. In August each year, our family rented a beachfront cabin in Cayucos for a week before school started. The pace was leisurely and without a TV. Mornings were spent watching the pelicans dive-bomb into the waves outside the kitchen window, searching for their breakfast, while we devoured stacks of hot cakes fresh off the griddle. We played Yahtzee for hours and took walks along the beach searching for sand dollars, shiny rocks and 'popping' seaweed pods along the way. We fished off the pier and splurged on a soft-serve ice cream cone at the local burger stand. A little sand, saltwater and sunburned shoulders are forever engrained in my childhood memories. Cayucos was, and still is, a special summer vacation!”

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.)

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