Newsletter: Essential California: Police arrest armed man headed to L.A. gay pride parade
Good morning. It is Monday, June 13. How much should food cost in San Francisco? Is $8 too much for a loaf of bread? What about $15 for a brisket sandwich? Here’s what else is happening in the Golden State:
TOP STORIES
Armed man arrested
Authorities are working to determine the intentions of an Indiana man who was found in Santa Monica with a car full of weapons, ammunition and explosive-making materials and who planned to attend the L.A. Pride festival in West Hollywood. The 20-year-old man was arrested hours after a gunman killed 50 people and injured 53 others at a gay nightclub in Orlando. The annual West Hollywood parade and festival went on as planned with the addition of a heavy police presence. Los Angeles Times
Coveted job
One of the most lucrative jobs in Los Angeles city government: port pilot, which pays $434,000 a year in salary and bonuses. So how did this coveted position go to the boss’ son? “When you’re using taxpayer dollars, particularly so many taxpayer dollars, the job needs to go to the best-qualified person, not the son of a boss. So many questions I get are tough calls. This is not one of them,” said Jessica Levinson, president of the Los Angeles Ethics Commission. Los Angeles Times
DROUGHT AND CLIMATE
Tree die-off: Drought, sudden oak death disease and bark beetles have led to the demise of 29 million trees in California. The destruction can really be seen in the Sierra Nevada. “The tree mortality that we’re experiencing, it’s really unprecedented,” California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Director Ken Pimlott said in a video for the California State Assn. of Counties. Weather Channel
Weather extremes: One climate scientist tries to explain California’s weather patterns. “A more useful way to think about our certainly warmer future is to ask whether the driest or wettest years are occurring more frequently or more intensely. Having wider swings between drought and flood — that might actually be the new normal,” said Daniel Swain, founder of the California Weather Blog and a Stanford University climate scientist. Public Policy Institute of California
L.A. AT LARGE
Show must go on: The annual L.A. Pride Parade in West Hollywood took on a mournful tone Sunday, just hours after the worst mass shooting in American history took place at a gay nightclub in Orlando. “Of course we are grieving and angry and we need to express that. We also need to make sure we don’t allow this hateful incident to silence us,” said Lorri L. Jean, chief executive of the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Los Angeles Times
Deadly weekend: Gunfire killed seven people and injured another five in a 24-hour span in Los Angeles County this weekend. The violence kept sheriff’s deputies busy from Carson to the San Gabriel Valley. Los Angeles Times
POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
Election chaos: Los Angeles County poll workers aren’t surprised voters had so many problems on election day. Some locations ran out of ballots. At other places, voters were distressed to learn they had registered for the wrong political party and were prevented from voting for the candidate of their choice. “A series of interviews with L.A. County poll workers painted an occasionally chaotic picture of Tuesday’s primary.” Los Angeles Times
Deceased donor: The father-in-law of Rep. Scott Peters (D-San Diego) died in 2013, so how was he able to make campaign donations in 2015? A representative for the congressman said the donations probably came from Vincent Gorguze’s widow or daughter. San Diego Union-Tribune
CRIME AND COURTS
Police investigation: More details are emerging about the sexual misconduct investigation into the Oakland Police Department. Fourteen Oakland police officers, three Richmond police officers and four Alameda County sheriff’s deputies are accused of having sex with a girl who was an underage sex worker. East Bay Express
Girl shot: A 10-year-old girl was shot in the head Friday in Boyle Heights, police said. Authorities believe it may have been a gang-related attack meant to target another person. The girl was conscious and breathing when she was taken to the hospital. Los Angeles Times
Shooting settlement: The city of Inglewood will pay $4.6 million to a man who was shot in the head by police during a routine traffic stop. For four years, attorneys for the police and the victim, Juan Jose Palma, have argued over what happened. The officer who fired the shot said he feared Palma was reaching for a shotgun; Palma said he was getting his license and registration. Los Angeles Times
Vulnerable inmates: At any given time, 1 in 5 jail inmates suffers from a mental illness, according to a new report from the Orange County grand jury. And the jail system continues to lack the expertise and manpower needed to help those inmates. “Most mentally ill inmates – about 89 percent – were housed with the general jail population, where they’re more likely to be sexually assaulted, attempt suicide, and break rules that lead to harsh disciplinary action.” Orange County Register
CALIFORNIA CULTURE
Women in media: Filmmaker Jennifer Siebel Newsom continues to speak out about the media’s treatment and portrayal of women. “We need more women, across the board, to run for elected office and aspire to be in the c-suite and to start companies and be judges and partners in law firms, because women’s voices haven’t been equally represented for a long time across all industries,” she says. Women’s Wear Daily
Legendary visit: People are still reminiscing about a visit Muhammad Ali made to Riverside 40 years ago. “In Riverside, you always saw L.A. as the big city. To know somebody like him would come to our city made you feel like, ‘Wow, we matter,’ ” said Wendy Gladney Dean, who was a high school sophomore when she met the Greatest. The Press-Enterprise
CALIFORNIA ALMANAC
San Francisco will have a mix of sun and clouds with a high of 66 degrees. Sacramento will be sunny and 85. In Los Angeles, clouds will make way for sun, as temperatures reach a high of 71. There will be clouds and a high of 78 in Riverside. San Diego will have a high of 70 degrees.
AND FINALLY
This week’s birthdays for notable Californians:
Former Dodger pitcher Don Newcombe (June 14, 1926), rapper Ice Cube (June 15, 1969), Nobel winner George Akerlof (June 17, 1940), Rep. Scott Peters (June 17, 1958), tennis player Venus Williams (June 17, 1980), rapper Kendrick Lamar (June 17, 1987) and Rep. Jerry McNerney (June 18, 1951).
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.
