Newsletter: Donald Trump, Mexican president split over talk of border wall

Good morning. It is Thursday, Sept. 1. Built in 1933, this Hancock Park home has a secret room in the library. It could be yours for just $4.6 million. Here’s what is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Lost in translation

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump met with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto on Wednesday, an interesting turn of events given the GOP candidate’s references to Mexicans as rapists, drug dealers and criminals. What did the two sides have to say about Trump’s plan to build a wall at the border and have Mexico pay for it? Trump says they didn’t discuss who would pay, but Peña Nieto wrote on Twitter, “At the beginning of the conversation with Donald Trump, I made it clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall.” Los Angeles Times

Saving the Earth

Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders broke through a two-year impasse in reaching a compromise on how to spend cap-and-trade funds. The plan calls for $900 million to be spent on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. “It directs hundreds of millions where it’s needed most – to help disadvantaged communities, curb dangerous super pollutants and cut petroleum use – while saving some for the future,” Brown said. Los Angeles Times

Allowing ‘granny flats’

The city of Los Angeles is on the cusp of grandfathering in hundreds of “granny flat units,” secondary living structures tucked behind homes. Lawmakers also asked the Planning Department to draft new rules on the units that take into consideration the varying needs of neighborhoods. Los Angeles Times

FRAMED: A MYSTERY IN SIX PARTS

The Prosecutor: Kent and Jill Easter believed they would get a heads-up if prosecutors filed charges against them, but Christopher Duff with the district attorney’s office had other ideas. Here is the fourth installment in reporter Christopher Goffard’s six-part series titled “Framed.” Los Angeles Times

L.A. AT LARGE

Local dialect: Hot set. Surface streets. Duuude. Toootally. And other linguistic gifts from Los Angeles. Los Angeles Times

Calling artists: Why a Hollywood talent agency is opening an art space in downtown L.A. Just don’t call it a gallery. New York Times

Mid-air crash: Thirty years ago, an Aeroméxico airliner and a small plane crashed in the air above Cerritos. The crash and death of 82 people, in the air and on the ground, became a pivotal moment in aviation safety. Orange County Register

Down and out in Beverly Hills: Sandra Spagnoli is Beverly Hills’ top cop -- and the first woman to hold that job in this town. She’s working with a social worker to address homelessness in the 90210 and notes that the city has a “pay-to-stay” jail cell that allows inmates to bring in their own food. Vogue

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Swipe right: Rep. Loretta Sanchez, a Democrat, has made a shift to the right in her campaign for the U.S. Senate. She’s appeared on conservative talk radio in San Diego and ventured to Shasta Lake to talk with ranchers about water. “Amid California’s historic Democrat-versus-Democrat U.S. Senate race, those events and a string of others offer clear signs of Sanchez’s effort to court the fertile field of Republicans, independents and moderates who feel disenfranchised by having two Democrats on the Senate ballot.” Los Angeles Times

Marital split: California Supreme Court Justice Goodwin Liu and his wife, Ann O’Leary, are getting divorced. O’Leary is a top advisor to Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Liu is now dating San Francisco Supervisor Jane Kim. San Francisco Chronicle

CRIME AND COURTS

Drug abuse: In Bakersfield, the abuse of opioids and anti-anxiety drugs is taking a toll, particularly on white women. Washington Post

Cost of security: Former L.A. City Councilman Dennis Zine is suing the city of Los Angeles, arguing that allowing on-duty cops to provide security at L.A. Rams games is an illegal gift of public funds. Zine was a longtime LAPD officer and announced his lawsuit at the police union’s headquarters. Los Angeles Times

Friends of the court: Musician Pharrell Williams is appealing a $5.3-million judgment against him and Robin Thicke that was handed down after a jury found the song “Blurred Lines” lifted from a 1977 Marvin Gaye hit. Now, more than 200 musicians have signed a legal brief in support of their colleagues. Los Angeles Times

Organized ring: Authorities say a group of gang members is responsible for 5,000 home burglaries in Southern California. Daily Breeze

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Fire season: Firefighters continue to battle blazes in Orange and Riverside counties. The fires are fueled by warm temperatures, low humidity and wind. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

ICYMI: What’s inside Sleeping Beauty’s Castle at Disneyland? Los Angeles Magazine

Cooling trend: There are new signs the red-hot San Francisco real estate market might be cooling a bit. SF Gate

Long, happy life: Betty Markoff celebrated her 100th birthday this week. By her side was her husband of 77 years, 102-year-old Morrie. “They’re involved with the world, so their minds have been very busy. They had their own lives, not just a focus on family,” said the couple’s daughter. Downtown News

Social media activism: Some veterans are tweeting in support of 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and his refusal to stand for the national anthem. Buzzfeed

Up close: A zoom feature is coming to Instagram. SFist

School daze: Forty signs you grew up going to school in the Bay Area. SF Gate

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

San Diego will start the day with fog before the sun comes out and temperatures reach 78 degrees. Los Angeles will have patchy fog and a high of 85. Riverside will be mostly sunny with a high of 97. Sacramento will be sunny and 86. San Francisco will have low clouds as temperatures reach 67 degrees.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California Memory comes from Thomas M. Montgomery

“In 1929, my dad managed the Imperial Valley holdings of Harry Chandler of The Times. On one of his visits to the Valley, Chandler was accompanied by Will Rogers. The pair had dinner at our home. Afterward, they remained, and Will told stories about many of his experiences. This was a memorable event for me, then an 11-year-old boy. He signed his autograph in a book I had about pirates, and added the language ‘to a young pirate from the Salton Sea.’ I am now in my late 90s and live in the northwest corner of California.”

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.