Newsletter: Essential California: L.A. County jail reformer leaves post

Good morning. It is Tuesday, April 26. Doughnuts stuffed with ice cream are all the rage in Pasadena. Yummy! Here’s what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Changing of the guard

Terri McDonald brought a gentler approach as head of the L.A. County Jail system, taking time to chat with inmates about their concerns. She sought to revamp a culture where deputies viewed the jails as an unsavory assignment before moving to patrol. In 2013, the year she arrived, there were 10 jail suicides. Last year there was one. But problems remain as she steps down. Los Angeles Times

Senate debate

The top five of the 34 candidates running for the U.S. Senate this year faced off in Stockton on Monday night. Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, the front-runner, largely stayed out of her rivals’ cross-hairs, and the debaters’ answers tended to be civil and short. They’re competing for the seat being left open by Sen. Barbara Boxer. Los Angeles Times

Making amends

Some residents of the Owens Valley are feeling skeptical about a new art sculpture paid for by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. They’re also questioning plans to open a hiking trail. “It was all intended as a $4.6-million olive branch from Los Angeles to the people of Owens Valley, where animosities have simmered since the city’s aqueduct, completed in 1913, drained Owens Lake, turning it into a noxious dust bowl.” Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Surf’s up: El Niño helped surfers set new records this year. The system led to massive waves around the world. Orange County Register

Evolution: California’s field mustard evolved between 1997 and 2004. Why? The drought, according to researchers. Popular Science

L.A. AT LARGE

Learning independence: In Long Beach, the College Internship Program is helping young people with autism learn to be self-sufficient. The program specifically addresses the challenges that may come when “they’re no longer entitled to federally guaranteed services such as public school, behavioral therapy, speech therapy or special teacher’s aides.” Los Angeles Times

Modern women: A new report from the United Way of Greater Los Angeles found three significant ways L.A. is changing for women. Women in Los Angeles are increasingly Latina. They make less money than men. And they’re being hired in nontraditional sectors. “We’re seeing this transition into these male-dominated industries. And that is surprising, and that was a new finding,” said Taulene Kagan with the United Way. 89.3 KPCC

Time for Dodger baseball: Vin Scully is the voice of Los Angeles. “It was a born gift, yes, but the voice that raised L.A. was also loss-made.” The Atlantic

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

GOP money: California’s Republican donors are closing their checkbooks to the presidential candidates. Republican donors in the Golden State have given $55 million, but an analysis by the Times finds most of that money went to candidates who have dropped out of the race. “Republican donors shifting their money into House and Senate races is essentially raising the white flag on the Republican presidential campaign,” said Dan Schnur, director of USC’s Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics. Los Angeles Times

Presidential recognition: A San Diego woman who helps inmates transition back into society will be recognized this week by President Obama. Samantha Galarneau is the executive vice president of California Marketing Group, which trains federal inmates in a telemarketing work program. City News Service

CRIME AND COURTS

Behind bars: A documentary filmmaker spent seven years getting to know the inmates at Soledad Prison. “Soledad is an old-school prison. It’s not used to the kind of coverage and attention that a place like San Quentin gets. Nobody goes inside, nobody listens to these people,” said Noel Schwerin. KQED

Calls for help: A couple whose 3-day-old baby was attacked by their dog made two unsuccessful calls to 911 before they drove the newborn to the hospital, police said. San Diego dispatchers received 73 calls during the half-hour period when the parents called. The baby died as a result of its injuries. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Intellectual circles: The “Los Angeles Review of Books” started as a Tumblr in 2011. Now, it’s an intellectual powerhouse for the city. Hollywood Reporter

Moving home: Here’s what might happen if you move from Los Angeles back to New York. LA Weekly

Dog seeking man: Laura Gordon writes biographies for homeless dogs. Her goal is to place canines with the Labrador Retriever Rescue of Fresno into forever homes. “Dogs don’t care what address you have, they don’t care what car you drive, they just love you — and people could learn a lot from that,” Gordon said. Fresno Bee

Bite to eat: Head to Bamboo Inn and take a journey back in time. “The only thing left to do is enjoy the fleeting ambiance — and wonder how Quentin Tarantino managed to never film a scene here.” LA Weekly

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

San Francisco will have patchy clouds and a high of 63 degrees. Los Angeles will be sunny with a high of 72. It will be sunny and 73 in Sacramento. Riverside will be sunny and 75. It will be sunny and 70 in San Diego.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California Memory comes from Peter Weinberger:

“On cold nights in Claremont in the 1960s, we would hear the propellers from huge machines fanning the citrus groves to keep them from freezing. Coyotes would howl all night. The coyotes are still here, the trees are not.”

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.