Newsletter: A tale of two California droughts
Good morning. It’s Thursday, Dec. 15, and here’s what’s going on around California:
TOP STORIES
Tale of two droughts
Through five years of an unrelenting drought, Californians shared the pain of the dry conditions and water shortages. But that’s beginning to change. Northern California has seen some real relief thanks to a series of storms that have built up snowpacks and filled reservoirs. It’s another story in Southern California, where unprecedented dry conditions continue. These diverging fortunes pose new challenges for officials trying to manage the drought. Los Angeles Times
A tame Trump?
The nation’s top tech executives didn’t know what to expect when they headed to Trump Tower in Manhattan on Wednesday for what President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team had billed as an innovation “summit.” They had reason to fear an ambush. But if Trump holds grudges against Silicon Valley for the way that many of its denizens maligned and ridiculed him at every step of the presidential campaign, he worked hard not to let them show. Los Angeles Times
Brown broadside
Gov. Jerry Brown has been somewhat quiet since Trump was elected. But that ended Wednesday, when the governor warned the president-elect in no uncertain terms that California will push back against any effort to stop or reverse policies fighting global climate change. “We’ve got the scientists, we’ve got the lawyers and we’re ready to fight,” Brown said to applause during a speech to the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco. Los Angeles Times
L.A. STORIES
Trump and Garcetti: So what did Mayor Eric Garcetti and Trump talk about during their phone call a few weeks ago? Garcetti won’t divulge details but did offer some hints to talk-show host Chelsea Handler. “I encouraged him to work with us to figure out a way to fix the system instead of just going after the immigrants as scapegoats,” he said. “I always respect private conversations, but in broad terms, he said, ‘I want to fix a broken system,’ so I think there was an opening there.” Los Angeles Times
Odd landmark: The strange Hollywood structure long-rumored to be the onetime home of Jack London might get landmark status. Curbed Los Angeles
Bear encounter: Here’s a story of life on the urban/wilderness interface. An off-duty Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy shot at and possibly wounded a bear that charged at his three young children Tuesday as they walked toward their home in the San Gabriel Mountains. Los Angeles Times
Bike safety: Cyclists held a “die in” to demand more safety measures on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, a popular and scenic bike riding area. Daily Breeze
POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
Watch list: Orange Coast College professor Olga Perez Stable Cox made national headlines for her recorded in-class comments critical of Trump. It turns out she is one of more than 120 instructors named on a website that says it identifies professors “who discriminate against conservative students and advance leftist propaganda in the classroom.” Los Angeles Times
No voter fraud? Contradicting claims made by Trump, the state Assembly’s top Republican said Wednesday that he doesn’t believe there was rampant voter fraud in California on Nov. 8. Los Angeles Times
New world order: Governors of Western states are trying to understand what to expect from Trump. Los Angeles Times
CRIME AND COURTS
Answers wanted: The family of an unarmed 73-year-old man who was killed by a Bakersfield police officer is demanding state and federal investigations into the shooting. He was carrying a dark, faux wood crucifix when he was shot. Los Angeles Times
She’s back: Doris Payne is an octogenarian jewel thief with a long rap sheet in Southern California. Even at 86, she’s still allegedly in the game. Officials said she’s been arrested on larceny charges in an Atlanta suburb. The charge? Trying to steal a $2,000 diamond necklace from a Von Maur department store. Los Angeles Times
Baca witness: A former Los Angeles Times reporter who uncovered a scheme by L.A. County Sheriff’s Department officials to interfere with an FBI probe into abusive deputies testified Wednesday that retired Sheriff Lee Baca was aware of the scandal as it unfolded and helped plan part of it. Los Angeles Times
New Yahoo hack: Hackers stole data that could be connected to more than 1 billion Yahoo accounts — believed to be the most users affected in a single breach. The hack occurred in 2013. Los Angeles Times
Dog day: Orange County prosecutors charged a woman who allegedly left her golden retriever at a Newport Beach animal hospital after the dog was stricken with a 42-pound malignant tumor. Los Angeles Times
DROUGHT AND CLIMATE
What drought? Lake Tahoe water levels have been rising rapidly thanks to a series of rainstorms. What are the implications of this fill-up? SFGate
Rain time: What you need to know about the new storms moving into California today. Los Angeles Times
CALIFORNIA CULTURE
South L.A. roots: Director Ava DuVernay talks about how her upbringing in South Los Angeles helped her rise in Hollywood and about her choice in movies. LA Weekly
Small world: Meeting the husband-and-wife team who are the voices of Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. Orange County Register
Driverless battle: Uber is gearing up for a legal showdown with state regulators over its rollout of driverless cars in San Francisco. Mercury News
Show me the money: A pop-up video store with 14,000 copies of “Jerry Maguire” on VHS is coming to, you guessed it, Echo Park. LAist
CALIFORNIA ALMANAC
It’ll be rainy across the state. L.A. will have highs in the mid-60s, while San Francisco and Sacramento will be in the 50s. Stay safe out there.
AND FINALLY
Today’s California memory comes from JD Eveland:
“On Dec. 1, 1951, the Golden Gate Bridge was closed due to high winds causing it to sway back and forth. My father was driving a 1950 Ford full of Cub Scouts across the bridge to a Pack meeting at the Presidio, and we were one of the last cars across before the closing. No seat belts in those days, and we kids were bounced around in the back seat a lot. By the time we really got scared, we were off the bridge. In the following days, we took credit for being brave, nonetheless.”
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 Shelby Grad.
