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Newsletter: Essential California: China’s building boom in Los Angeles

Winston Yan, CTO and vice president of Los Angeles Greenland USA, walks through nearly completed units in a collection of residential towers in downtown. The $1-billion mega-project is one of several by Chinese developers that are reshaping the downtown L.A. skyline.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Good morning. It is Saturday, Aug. 27. Here’s what you don’t want to miss this weekend:

TOP STORIES

Changing skyline: The building booms of Beijing and Shanghai are being replicated in downtown Los Angeles. “When all these mega-projects are finished, they’re going to have to re-shoot the postcard picture of downtown L.A.,” said Mark Tarczynski, executive vice president for Colliers International’s L.A. office. Los Angeles Times

Running late: The downtown to Santa Monica Expo Line is proving a hit with riders. But it’s also showing the growing pains of L.A.’s expanding light rail system. Expo Line trains are packed, and some are frustrated with how late the trains sometimes are. Los Angeles Times

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Records fight: The First Amendment Coalition is suing the city of Los Angeles over the destruction of records related to former L.A. City Councilman Tom LaBonge. The group, which advocates for open government, believes the city violated the California Public Records Act by withholding or illegally destroying the records. A spokesman for the city attorney declined to comment. Los Angeles Times

Famous case: It was seven years ago Friday that Jaycee Dugard was rescued in one of the nation’s most notorious abduction cases. Dugard was just 11 when she was kidnapped near her South Lake Tahoe home. She was held captive for 18 years, during which time she gave birth to two girls. Sacramento Bee

Court loss: Also on Friday, a federal appeals court found that Dugard could not hold federal parole agents liable for failing to supervise their parolee, Phillip Garrido. “While our hearts are with Ms. Dugard, the law is not,” Judge John B. Owens wrote in an opinion for the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Los Angeles Times

Counterfeit bills: The Secret Service believes there’s a lot of funny money coming out of the Bay Area. Agents have found $5-million worth of phony $100 bills. Mercury News

Forever young: Assembly Bill 1687 is pitting Hollywood against Silicon Valley. SAG-AFTRA wants websites to scrub actors’ birth dates to prevent age discrimination, but power-players like Amazon, Google and Facebook oppose the move on the grounds of free speech. 89.3 KPCC

Prime real estate: LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton just paid $19,405 a square foot for space on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. “There are only 2½ blocks on Rodeo Drive and every luxury retailer wants to anchor their brand on Rodeo,” said Marc Schillinger, a director with commercial real estate company HFF. Los Angeles Times

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THIS WEEK’S MOST POPULAR STORIES IN ESSENTIAL CALIFORNIA

1. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art will open a retrospective of photographer Anthony Hernandez’s work next month. See L.A. through his lens. New York Times

2. New test scores are in for California’s kids. How well did your child’s school do? Los Angeles Times

3. There’s a new baby at the San Francisco Zoo. SFist

4. A leaking suitcase. An injured woman. What was Winnie Ruth Judd doing in Los Angeles? LA Weekly

5. Here’s what you need to know to have a successful ride on the Metro Expo Line. Los Angeles Magazine

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ICYMI, HERE ARE THIS WEEK’S GREAT READS

Childhood traumas: Can poverty and violence affect the brains of children? Researchers examined Los Angeles teenagers and believe viewing violence and other factors changes their brains. Newsweek

Death row: California hasn’t executed anyone in years. But Los Angeles and Riverside counties still play a controversial role in the debate about capital punishment. New York Times

Capturing the drug war: Police and vigilantes have killed 1,900 people since Rodrigo Duterte came to power in the Philippines on June 30. That’s created a lot of opportunity and work for photographers on the overnight shift. But the powerful images have yet to ignite anger or outrage. Los Angeles Times

Questionable sentences: A Santa Clara County judge sparked a national debate for what many say was a light sentence for a Stanford University student found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman. Now, a second case of questionable sentencing has emerged. BuzzFeed

LOOKING AHEAD

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Sunday: The annual Go Topless march will be held in Venice Beach.

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.

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