Newsletter: Medical marijuana community split over legalization of pot

Good morning. It is Thursday, Oct. 6. Some L.A.-themed art for the Angeleno in your life. Here’s what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Officer killed

An L.A. County sheriff’s sergeant was killed Wednesday while responding to a burglary call. Steve Owen was a 29-year veteran of the department who was awarded a Medal of Valor in 2014. “It was a roll-up burglary call. It was a simple call. We don’t know if it was an ambush or anything,” said Sheriff Jim McDonnell. Los Angeles Times

Green divide

The medical marijuana community is divided over Proposition 64, which would legalize the drug for recreational use. Many operators fear they’ll be run out of business by big operators or new government-imposed taxes. Because of the division, the California Growers Assn. decided to stay neutral on the ballot measure. “We are totally divided. We have strongly mixed opinions,” said Hezekiah Allen, executive director of the group. Los Angeles Times

Questions unanswered

There are few answers about what happened in August inside a state-licensed and -funded home for severely disabled adults. Four men and the home’s administrator were found dead inside the burned remains of the house. “They were disabled. They were vulnerable, and they were not able to help themselves,” said the sister of one of the victims. “Why am I not able to get any information at all?” Los Angeles Times

L.A. AT LARGE

Biggest house: The Manor was the spectacular home built by television producer Aaron Spelling and his wife Candy. Petra Stunt, the daughter of a billionaire, bought the home for $85 million five years ago. Now she’s ready to sell — for $200 million. Los Angeles Times

Classic Hollywood: The Holmby Hills home of William and Edie Goetz was the scene of many lavish dinner parties (and one of Frank Sinatra’s wedding receptions). For the first time since 1990, the home is on the market with a $79-million price tag. Curbed LA

Foot traffic: Santa Monica is pushing residents to go car-free — at least on Fridays. LA Weekly

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Back in town: Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was back in Sacramento to mark the 10-year anniversary of AB 32, a landmark environmental bill. “How stupid must you be to say that greenhouse gas is not a pollutant. We pushed back and pushed back and we terminated them,” he said. Sacramento Bee

The debate: State Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris and Rep. Loretta Sanchez took to the stage Wednesday for their one and only face-to-face debate before election day. The U.S. Senate candidates’ frenzied debate was marked by clashes over style and substance. “The women returned time and again to their different approaches to public service.” Los Angeles Times

Seat switch: Orange County supervisors and United Airlines are preparing for a fight over gender discrimination. Politicians were angered to hear of the practice of moving female passengers at the request of male passengers whose religious beliefs prevent them from sitting next to women. “What’s surprising is that anyone, including airline employees, puts up with the practice.” Orange County Register

CRIME AND COURTS

Under attack: Hackers tried to disrupt San Diego’s computer system during the 2016 Major League Baseball All-Star Game this summer. The attack slowed computers but did not affect police services. San Diego Union-Tribune

Rape trial opens: The civil rape trial of NBA player Derrick Rose and two friends is underway. During opening statements, jurors heard starkly different takes on a night that the defendants say ended in a consensual act and which a woman says ended in assault. Rose and the accuser are expected to testify today. Los Angeles Times

Allergy death settlement: The family of a 13-year-old girl who died of an allergic reaction after eating a peanut butter snack at camp has reached a $15-million settlement with the city of Sacramento. Natalie Giorgi went into anaphylactic shock in July 2013 during her family’s stay at Camp Sacramento near Lake Tahoe. In their lawsuit, Natalie’s parents said they told camp personnel about their daughter’s allergy numerous times in writing and in person. Sacramento Bee

EDUCATION

Birth control: In an op-ed, three students at UC Irvine School of Law question why the University of California system has not yet implemented SB 493. The law allows women to obtain birth control without undergoing an annual pelvic exam or obtaining a prescription from a physician. “The UC system has a constitutional duty to provide services to students equally, yet its choice not to adopt the protocol in its health centers disparately affects women,” they write. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Water, water everywhere: Californians’ water conservation efforts slipped for the third straight month. The new figures have water officials worried that Californians are returning to their old habits. Los Angeles Times

Another word for brown: Times writer Thomas Curwen finds his beloved High Sierra changing. “The dying trees, stippling these slopes, threaten what I want to take for granted, a refuge of sorts providing continuity beyond the commotion of urban life,” he writes. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Silicon insider: Inside the startup accelerator Y Combinator. The New Yorker

Take a hike: More minorities are embracing the great outdoors. That’s good news for state and national parks as well as the industry that caters to outdoorsmen and -women. “It’s not just a numbers game. It’s an appreciation,” said Karl Knapp with California State Parks. Los Angeles Times

Morning Joe: Silicon Valley’s favorite coffee chain is growing, and here’s why. SFGate

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

It will be 78 and sunny in San Diego. Los Angeles will be sunny with a high of 86 degrees. Riverside will be windy and sunny with a high of 88. It will be sunny and 70 in San Francisco. It’ll be sunny and 79 in Sacramento.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California Memory comes from Dennis Evans:

“In the mid 1940s, just after the war, one of our neighbors in Riverside would have summer deliveries by horse-drawn wagon of large blocks of ice. I remember the delivery man always chipped off a few pieces of ice for us kids to suck on. He would then pick up the block of ice with steel tongs, sling it over his shoulder onto a pad on his back, and walk down the driveway to the house. The horse wagon always surprised me, because milk bottles with cream floating on top were delivered to our house, only by truck.”

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.