Newsletter: Essential California: Rampage in a Northern California town

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Wednesday, Nov. 15, and here’s what’s happening across California:

TOP STORIES

Shooting rampage in Northern California

A gunman killed four people and wounded at least 10, including two children, in a shooting rampage in Tehama County on Tuesday morning before he was fatally shot by law enforcement. Authorities described a chaotic scene in which a gunman in a stolen car appeared to pick targets at random in the rural Northern California county. They said the gunman killed a man and a female neighbor with whom he had an ongoing feud; the gunman had been arrested for attacking the woman during a dispute in January. Los Angeles Times

Quick thinking: Authorities say teachers and staff at an elementary school heard shots a quarter-mile away and put the school on lockdown. When the gunman arrived, he shot at walls and windows, wounding two students, but could not enter the classrooms. Los Angeles Times

Plus: This is what witnesses saw at the school. Los Angeles Times

Should shops be able to veto sidewalk vendors?

Los Angeles is planning to legalize and regulate sidewalk vending, handing out city permits to the pushcarts and stands that are an everyday sight in the city. Despite a longstanding ban, about 50,000 vendors ply their trade on its sidewalks, selling ice cream, tamales and other food and goods, according to city officials. But brick-and-mortar shops, which have complained about blocked walkways, leftover trash and what they see as unfair competition from unregulated sidewalk vendors, could stand in their way. Under a proposal being vetted at City Hall, property owners could prohibit vending on the adjacent sidewalks. Los Angeles Times

The power of LGBTQ politics in Palm Springs

When the two new members of the Palm Springs City Council are sworn in next month, it will be a milestone moment for the desert city: Every person on the council will be a member of the LGBTQ community. Los Angeles Times

Weather alert

The first atmospheric river-fueled storm of the season is expected to make landfall in California on Wednesday afternoon, when it will dump inches of rain in the Bay Area, disgorge up to a foot of snow over the Sierra Nevada and likely trigger flash floods in fire-scorched wine country. Los Angeles Times

L.A. STORIES

Back home, but ...: The three UCLA freshman basketball players detained in China have finally come home, but the embarrassing story isn’t over. What do the Bruins do with them now? Columnist Bill Plaschke weighs in. Los Angeles Times

Plus: The Trump connection to this international incident. Los Angeles Times

Eeesh: Delta Air Lines and Virgin Australia have stopped serving hot meals from Gate Gourmet at Los Angeles International Airport after listeria was found in the caterer’s local kitchen. Los Angeles Times

Trouble in the stacks: “An NBC4 I-Team undercover investigation has exposed rampant illegal behavior at Los Angeles public libraries.” NBC LA

Yes, dolphins can fly: This dolphin put on quite the show off Newport Beach. Orange County Register

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

How will they vote? Orange County Reps. Dana Rohrabacher and Ed Royce aren’t ready to take a position on the House GOP tax bill they are scheduled to vote on Thursday. Los Angeles Times

Rich people’s problems: Newport Beach is trying to determine a proper anchorage fee structure for visiting superyachts in Newport Harbor. The city’s Harbor Commission also has been studying a fair price for temporary moorings of extra-large vessels but will wait until a draft appraisal has been submitted before sharing its suggestions. Los Angeles Times

Vaccine shortage: “San Diego County, battling a deadly outbreak of hepatitis A, is postponing an outreach campaign to provide the second of two inoculations against the contagious liver disease until a national shortage of the vaccine is resolved, the county’s chief public health officer said.” Kaiser Health News

Unfortunate milestone: This year is shaping up to be the worst on record in California for people infected with valley fever, a lung infection caused by a fungus found in soil. Los Angeles Times

CRIME AND COURTS

What happened here? Newport Beach police are seeking witnesses who might help them find a man who attacked a San Bernardino County deputy district attorney while she was jogging in Newport Beach on Aug. 31. Los Angeles Times

Impact: The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office is looking into votes made by a Santa Monica school board member who approved contracts with companies that did business with her husband, a spokesman said. Los Angeles Times

Big jury award: A jury has awarded $5.5 million to the family of a man who died after Los Angeles police repeatedly shot him with a stun gun. Los Angeles Times

THE ENVIRONMENT

How they’ll bounce back: Ten Napa Valley wineries have begun to assess the long-term effects of wildfires as the recovery from one of the deadliest ever begins. Associated Press

Sad story: Officials say a dentist who lost his home in last month’s wildfires returned to the ruins of his rural Santa Rosa neighborhood and apparently died in a suicide. Santa Rosa Press-Democrat

Telescope news: “Astronomers in California have taken a telescope built before most of them were born and converted it into a new instrument dedicated to one of the newest and fastest-moving branches of astronomy: spotting objects in the sky that change from one day to the next.” Science Magazine

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Weinstein sued: An anonymous actress represented by attorney Gloria Allred has sued movie mogul Harvey Weinstein for sexual battery and assault incidents that allegedly took place in 2015 and 2016. In a complaint filed Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, the actress also accused Weinstein Co. of negligence. Los Angeles Times

Fast seller: Just past the halfway point of its first week of release, Taylor Swift’s sixth album, “Reputation,” has surpassed the 1-million-sales mark, Nielsen Music reported Tuesday. Los Angeles Times

Villa 2.0: The renovated Getty Villa is ready for its close-up. New York Times

G.O.A.T.s: Comedian Lucille Ball, former Oakland Raiders and Stanford University quarterback Jim Plunkett and moviemaker Steven Spielberg are in the latest class of California Hall of Fame inductees. Sacramento Bee

New ride: “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” doesn’t open in theaters until Dec. 15, but Disneyland visitors who board a vehicle on the Star Tours attraction will get an early glimpse of scenes from the film starting this week. Los Angeles Times

That’s a lot of clams: The largest private home parcel in Orange County has finally sold after nearly a year on the market. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Los Angeles area: Partly cloudy and 77. San Diego: Partly cloudy and 74. San Francisco area: Rainy and 65. Sacramento: Rainy and 65. More weather is here.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California memory comes from Tamara A. Smith:

“During long, cold, ’50s Michigan winters, my parents’ postman regaled my parents of the glories of Southern California. He often talked of his plans to move to Los Angeles, and, after a short vacation there, my parents decided to move there. They bought a new car in Detroit, drove it to Pasadena, where Dad immediately got a job as a typesetter. They sold the car to pay for a down payment on a nice tract house in a new development called La Mirada. A few years later, Dad’s neighbor came to visit, and they went to a Dodger game. After a couple of innings, they heard a voice behind them yelling out their old Michigan addresses, and it was their old Michigan postman, finally a resident of Los Angeles.”

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 Benjamin Oreskes and Shelby Grad. Also follow them on Twitter @boreskes and @shelbygrad.