Newsletter: Little fanfare marks the end of the L.A. Sports Arena

Good morning. It is Tuesday, Oct. 11. Nestlé is voluntarily recalling some packages of its ice cream Drumsticks after some equipment in its Bakersfield factory tested positive for listeria. Here’s what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Water storage

Officials with the Metropolitan Water District say they’re building up the state’s storage reserves. And they’re dismissing concerns that conservation efforts have slipped. “I was very pleased that the numbers stayed as high as they did,” said Jeffrey Kightlinger, the district’s general manager. Los Angeles Times

A teardown

The Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena is being torn down with little fanfare. Though it was at various times home to the Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers and Kings as well as the UCLA and USC basketball teams, the Sports Arena never captured the hearts of Angelenos like glitzier venues. “It’s at a point where it can go quietly in hospice and make way for some vibrant thing that will serve the people of Los Angeles well,” said Louis Naidorf, design architect for the building. Los Angeles Times

Conviction reversed

A three-justice panel of the 2nd District Court of Appeal has thrown out a murder conviction over a trial judge’s comments on plumbers. During the 2014 murder trial, Judge Eleanor J. Hunter warned jurors not to pre-judge witnesses and cited her own run-ins with plumbers. The problem: a plumbing contractor was key to the alibi of defendant Vincent Tatum. Los Angeles Times

L.A. AT LARGE

Green policy: Things have turned ugly for some homeowners who ripped out their grass lawns in favor of gravel and drought-tolerant plantings from Turf Terminators. “The company’s short but profitable life span serves as an instructional fable for other cities that will inevitably face climate change-related infrastructure problems.” Bloomberg

Hiking danger: A hiker was hospitalized after a bear attack in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. The 53-year-old man was hiking when a bear appeared ahead of him and stood on his hind legs, authorities said. Then, a second bear attacked. Los Angeles Times

Walk this way: A pedestrian bridge could one day connect the Broad Museum with a transit stop at 2nd and Hope streets in downtown. Design plans were unveiled by Metro. Urbanize LA

Construction projects: A new map tracks development projects throughout Los Angeles. LAist

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Housing fight: Supporters say a measure on the March 2017 ballot would curb “mega-developments” in Los Angeles, but opponents warned Monday that the initiative could have broader implications and halt the city’s plans to house the homeless. The conflict comes down to zone changes and general plan amendments. Los Angeles Times

Temporary solution: San Jose will become the first city in the state to allow tiny homes for the homeless. A new state law will allow the city to temporarily suspend building, safety and health codes to allow for unconventional housing solutions. “It will allow us to create bridge housing opportunities — a stable place people can live and stay while they’re waiting to be placed in a permanent home,” said Ray Bramson, San Jose’s homeless response manager. Mercury News

Call for respect: Television host Nancy O’Dell is responding to the 11-year-old audio recording that captured GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump talking about how he tried unsuccessfully to have sex with her. “The conversation has got to change because everybody deserves respect, no matter the gender or setting,” she said. Entertainment Tonight

CRIME AND COURTS

Man attacked: Members of the Sikh community want prosecutors to file hate crime charges against two men accused of beating a Sikh man in Richmond. During the attack, the assailants cut Maan Singh Khalsa’s hair, a feature that Sikh men grow out as part of their faith. “Targeting a Sikh’s turban and hair is analogous to targeting a Jew’s yarmulke or a Muslim’s hijab,” the Sikh Coalition wrote in a letter to the Contra Costa County district attorney’s office. Los Angeles Times

Attack on death row: An inmate on San Quentin State Prison’s death row slashed a correctional officer with a makeshift weapon in the shower, according to authorities. Richard Penunuri engaged in a similar attack on a guard 10 years ago. This time, the officer suffered “a significant injury to his forearm” and was taken to the hospital for treatment. SFGate

Not a fan: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is not a fan of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s protest in which he refuses to stand for the national anthem. “I would point out how ridiculous it seems to me to do such an act,” she said. Yahoo

Is it real: Prominent litigator Pierce O’Donnell is in a legal case of his own. Is his painting a real Jackson Pollock? And is it worth more than $100 million? Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Eco dangers: Scientists say the ecosystem of the San Francisco Bay may be collapsing. “You don’t have to look far to find documentation of the Sixth Extinction. It’s happening now in California,” said UC Davis fish biologist Peter Moyle. SFGate

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Hopes dashed: Why the Oscar hopes for “The Birth of a Nation” are quickly fading. Los Angeles Times

Road conditions: Bikers took to the Golden Gate Bridge this weekend to show off wheelies and doughnuts. “To have amateurs doing this type of exhibition is extremely dangerous,” said California Highway Patrol Officer Andrew Barclay. SFGate

In the middle of nowhere: Rocking out to Desert Trip. New York Times

Reshaping a city: Inglewood preparing for the Rams. Curbed LA

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Sacramento will be sunny with a high of 77. San Francisco will be 65 with low clouds. There will be low clouds and a high of 75 in Los Angeles. Riverside will be 82 and mostly sunny. San Diego is expected to have a high of 74 degrees.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California Memory comes from Rosa Sue:

“Growing up in Beverly Hills in the 1960s, there was no such thing as being star-struck — my neighbors were movie stars. Going shopping one day, after coffee crunch cake at Blum’s, I found myself in front of the Beverly Wilshire Hotel staring at a man so beautiful and charismatic that I was magnetically drawn to him as if by a tractor beam. As I approached, he was swarmed by large burly men in Hawaiian shirts. ‘Let her through,’ the King said. As if in a dream, I found myself in the magnificent presence of Elvis Presley! He signed my hand and a $5 bill. He spoke to me kindly and gently in soft Southern tones. The autographed bill? I spent it in college when I ran out of money.”

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.