Newsletter: Election day in the Golden State

Good morning. It is Tuesday, Nov. 8. Keeping Hollywood celebrities safe sure isn’t cheap. Here’s what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Where’s the suspense?

California hasn’t voted for a Republican presidential candidate since 1988 — and that’s unlikely to change today. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is expected to pick up the Golden State’s 55 electoral votes. “In California, even if I don’t vote, it doesn’t matter,” said Dexter Jayawardhana, a supporter of Republican nominee Donald Trump. “It’s like throwing your vote into the river.” Los Angeles Times

The end is here

Let’s talk about our feelings regarding the campaign on this election day. Los Angeles Times

Helping hand

In case you missed it: Here’s our guide to the 17 propositions on California’s ballot. Los Angeles Times

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L.A. AT LARGE

Set for trial: Eccentric New York real estate scion Robert Durst pleaded not guilty Monday to the killing of his good friend Susan Berman. He was arrested last year after the HBO documentary “The Jinx” re-examined his role — or lack thereof — in the disappearance of his first wife and the dismembering of a onetime neighbor. The murder trial is expected to begin a year from now. Los Angeles Times

Dangerous levels: Air quality officials are investigating metal-processing plants in Paramount after detecting a cancer-causing metal at 350 times normal levels. Hexavalent chromium is known to cause lung cancer. “We’re really focused on finding the precise source of these high levels,” said Philip Fine, a deputy executive officer with the Air Quality Management District. Los Angeles Times

Big spender: The AIDS Healthcare Foundation, a nonprofit, spent $22 million to back two state ballot measures this election cycle and an additional $1 million on local measures. “It is unusual for a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to spend multiple millions of dollars,” says Kathay Feng, executive director of California Common Cause. LA Weekly

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Fight over land: The developer behind the Banning Ranch project is suing the California Coastal Commission for voting down its plan to build hundreds of homes on an oilfield overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Newport Banning Ranch LLC is seeking $490 million. Los Angeles Times

A serious misstep: It was a nightmare commute for many in the Bay Area on Monday — all because a woman’s shoe got caught in an escalator at the BART station at Embarcadero. SFist

Living debt free: What can California learn from Stockton’s financial woes? “The city had little cushion because it had borrowed aggressively in the previous decade to pay for various public buildings, an arena, housing projects, and marina and downtown improvements.” Zocalo Public Square

Out of control: Peter Sellers and Blake Edwards famously satirized the Hollywood Hills party scene in the 1968 movie “The Party,” whose tagline was “if you’ve ever been to a wilder party... you’re under arrest.” Now, some residents think arrests might actually be necessary to quell loud “party houses.” And they’re not joking. Los Angeles Times

CRIME AND COURTS

Fishy tale: A mother faces jail time for selling homemade ceviche after she was arrested in an undercover sting. Did authorities go too far? Los Angeles Times

Motive unknown: It was a case that puzzled investigators. Who would want to shoot a mother and her 4-year-old daughter just feet from their Long Beach home this summer? After weeks of mystery, police say they have a suspect but the motive is still unclear. Los Angeles Times

Life in prison: The man who killed a TSA agent and injured three people at LAX three years ago was sentenced to life in prison Monday. Paul Ciancia, 26, apologized to a teacher who was injured in the attack in Terminal 3 but otherwise appeared unapologetic about the violence. “I knew exactly how I was going to die. I was going to take up arms against my own government,” he said in court. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Worth a thousand words: Dramatic photos show California’s water crisis. New York Times

Dead fish: Thousands of steelhead are dying on the coast north of Santa Cruz, prompting fears and action. Mercury News

Sick trees: The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service will provide financial assistance to private landowners with dead and dying conifer forest trees. “The dry conditions posed by California’s ongoing drought have increased the potential for devastating wildfires and insect-related tree mortality,’’ said Carlos Suarez, NRCS California state conservationist. City News Service

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Take a look inside: Marilyn Monroe lived in 43 homes during her 36 years on earth but owned only one — a stunning mansion in Brentwood. Here’s a rare look inside. House Beautiful

Can I get that on the side? Here are the off-menu dishes to order in Los Angeles and a few other cities in the U.S. Bloomberg

Babies not welcome: TEDWomen in San Francisco is a conference about the “power of women and girls.” So why were a nursing mother and her baby kicked out? Quartz

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Sacramento will be partly sunny with a high of 74 degrees. San Francisco will be partly sunny with a high of 72. Los Angeles will be sunny and 87. It will be sunny with a high of 92 in Riverside. San Diego will be 80 degrees and sunny.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California Memory comes from Andy Garcia:

“Over the weekend my Jewish wife, born in Milwaukee, and I, a Puerto Rican from New York City, ate out two times: first at a great old funky Mexican restaurant in Boyle Heights that serves the best huevos rancheros this side of the border. Then, at a great Lebanese restaurant in Long Beach for mouthwatering chicken tawook and baba ganoush. In East L.A., we sat next to the neighborhood folks and some Asian, black and Hispanic doctors and nurses down from county hospital. In Belmont Shore, there were people from our own neighborhood in Long Beach, including a number of people of Middle Eastern descent who were as distraught as we were over how this election has divided the country. We are proud to live in California, a melting pot that welcomes and appreciates diversity. I hope that at the end of this next four years we will still be so.”

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.