Newsletter: Essential California: Deputies convicted of beating mentally ill inmate
Good morning. It’s Tuesday, May 17, and here’s what’s going on across California:
TOP STORIES
Staying away
The Republican convention this summer is likely to be historic, but some California Republicans are fine to stay as far away as possible. Five of the 14 Republicans in California’s delegation say they won’t be in Cleveland for what is expected to be Donald Trump’s nomination as presidential candidate. Los Angeles Times
Green Book memories
In its heyday, the Hayes Motel in L.A.’s Southside was a refuge for African American travelers on Route 66 who made their way guided by a rich and illuminating travel publication known as the Negro Motorist’s Green Book. Now there is a push to preserve some of these black-friendly institutions before they all disappear. Los Angeles Times
Deputies convicted
Two Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies were found guilty of beating an inmate and falsifying reports to cover up the attack, the latest in a series of convictions connected to the county’s jail abuse scandal. Los Angeles Times
DROUGHT & CLIMATE
Unequal? Is there an inherent inequity in California’s response to the drought? Stanford Daily
Free markets to the rescue? And can free markets help ease the drought? Reason
L.A. AT LARGE
The old neighborhood: L.A. once had a bustling Little Italy neighborhood near Chinatown. It’s long gone, but there is a new effort to memorialize its place in the city’s history. KPCC
Gang overblown? A surfer gang running wild in Palos Verdes Estates? The mayor of the upscale beach town says it’s all overblown and blames the media. Daily Breeze
Weather report: Was a KTLA weather reporter’s on-air coverup an outrageous example of sexism in television or an inside joke by members of the morning newscast? Los Angeles Times
POLITICS & GOVERNMENT
Big money: Unions representing Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies and firefighters have pumped at least $800,000 into an independent expenditure committee supporting Kathryn Barger, chief of staff to county Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, in her bid to replace him. Los Angeles Times
Affordable housing: A coalition of labor unions and housing advocates said Monday it had gathered nearly 100,000 signatures for a ballot measure that would force real estate developers to provide affordable housing when they want to build bigger projects than city rules would otherwise allow. Los Angeles Times
CRIME & COURTS
School settlement: The Los Angeles Unified School District will pay $88 million to settle sexual abuse cases at two elementary school campuses, officials said. The settlement with 30 children and their families is the second largest in district history. Los Angeles Times
Tesla problems: Tesla’s plant in the Bay Area is using inexpensive foreign labor. But is the company violating the law? Mercury News
Gun rules: A federal appeals court decided Monday that a zoning requirement restricting the location of gun stores may violate a constitutional right to bear arms. Los Angeles Times
Prisoner’s tale: The California prison inmate who hand-wrote a case that was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. Sacramento Bee
CALIFORNIA CULTURE
Pot year: This might be the year California goes all in on marjiuana legalization. Right now, a majority of Californians favor legalization. Latino voters, who strongly opposed a failed legalization measure in 2010, are increasingly leaning toward it as well. Los Angeles Times
Marvel Land? Disney is doing well with superhero movie characters from the Marvel world. But for a variety of complex legal reasons, fans should not expect a “Marvel Land” at Disneyland anytime soon. Orange County Register
Disappearing creatures: The population of the vaquita, a small porpoise endemic to Mexico’s upper Gulf of California, has plummeted to about 60 survivors, according to a new study by an international team of scientists that urges stronger measures to protect the species. Los Angeles Times
Museum on the move: With the planned Chicago site for his new museum now in jeopardy, George Lucas has turned his attention elsewhere for his $700-million passion project — and San Francisco has once again returned to the spotlight. Los Angeles Times
Homeless team: San Francisco news organizations are teaming up to provide extensive coverage of the city’s homelessness crisis. New York Times
Drink up? No, not all Mexican Americans are tequilla fans. Buzzfeed
Angry bees: A hive of angry, displaced bees terrorized a Bay Area neighborhood over the weekend. Los Angeles Times
CALIFORNIA ALMANAC
A cooling trending is coming to Southern California, with temperatures hovering between the 60s and 70s by midweek. In San Francisco, it will be sunny and get up to 78 degrees. Riverside will be partly cloudy and reach 81. Sacramento will be hot: It’s expected to be 94 degrees.
AND FINALLY
Today’s California Memory comes from Willa R. Green:
“One day in L.A. in August 1962, when I was 12 years old, I woke up and the family was very emotional because it was in the news that Marilyn Monroe had passed away that night. My mother took us to Grauman’s on Hollywood Boulevard that day, and it was teeming with crowds and news vans everywhere. A reporter stuck a mic in my face and asked me how I felt about Marilyn’s passing. Hollywood Boulevard was absolute chaos with everyone grief-stricken over Marilyn’s death, so we went next door to Brown’s to have hot fudge sundaes to get away from the crowds.”
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.
