Newsletter: The Rose Parade beefs up its security

Good morning. It’s Thursday, Dec. 29, and here’s what’s happening in California:

TOP STORIES

Rose Parade protections

Police plan to use parked patrol cars and heavy water-filled barricades at key crossings along the 5.5-mile Tournament of Roses parade route in response to recent terrorist attacks that have used trucks as weapons. The barriers will be placed at more than 50 intersections along the route, though officials stress there is no intelligence suggesting any kind of plot. Los Angeles Times

Horrific scene

“It was horrible, horrible, horrible.” That’s how one neighbor described the scene in South L.A. on Tuesday when a fire consumed a home, leaving 2-year-old twins dead and their father in critical condition. Witnesses described the chaotic scene as would-be rescuers broke windows and doors in a desperate attempt to reach the toddlers. Los Angeles Times

Mother and daughter

Debbie Reynolds’ life was the stuff of movie legend, from her start as an ingenue playing opposite Gene Kelly in the classic 1952 musical “Singin’ in the Rain,” to her part in one of Hollywood’s most notorious scandals. And her death was the stuff of movies as well, coming only one day after her daughter, Carrie Fisher, died. Los Angeles Times

L.A. STORIES

Snow trash: The snow in the San Bernardino Mountains has left a winter wonderland that has drawn many city and suburban dwellers. But they are causing major traffic jams and leaving the mountains filled with trash. Press-Enterprise

Dreaming big: Some drawings of what L.A.’s skyline might look like in five years. LAist

Religious rites: Jews are the largest non-Christian faith in L.A. and Ventura Counties. In San Diego and Orange Counties, that title goes to Buddhists. A fascinating look at religious demographics in California. Orange County Register

L.A. Law, 2016: A generation ago, the building was world-famous as the home of the fictional law firm of “L.A. Law.” Now, Citigroup Center in the heart of the financial district plans to crack open walls to create courtyards in the sky as part of a campaign to make its old-school office tower appeal to modern tenants. Los Angeles Times

No respect: L.A. loves its street foods. But some argue that one staple — nachos — doesn’t get its proper due. LA Weekly

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

California connection: President-elect Donald Trump is considering former California Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado to lead the Agriculture department, a move that would bring greater diversity to the Republican’s Cabinet and another voice from California. Los Angeles Times

City scandal: It’s been days of political intrigue at Santa Ana City Hall, culminating with a vote — under questionable circumstances — to place the city manager on leave. Orange County Register

Plus: The drama has an elaborate backstory. Voice of OC

Insider: You might not have heard of Juan Rodriguez, but the L.A. political consultant is becoming a power player in Sacramento. Sacramento Bee

CRIME AND COURTS

Surfer patrols: Palos Verdes Estates officials have a plan for dealing with an outlaw surfer gang that has operated there for decades: more patrols, security cameras and the addition of park rangers. Daily Breeze

Target killing: A father is killed in the toy section while buying a Christmas gift for his young son. Was it cold-blooded murder or self-defense? East Bay Times

Drivers, licensed: An estimated 806,000 undocumented residents in California have received driver’s licenses under a landmark law. Mercury News

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Snowpack woes: California’s snowpack is still below normal, but officials say they expect it to get better as the winter continues. NBC Bay Area

On the farm: A photo essay on the struggles to create a small-scale organic farm in Hollister. New York Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Too upscale? In Oakland, a battle over the gentrification of a cemetery. East Bay Times

Tinseltown’s team: How the Los Angeles Rams became the football team of Hollywood, for better and worse. LA Observed

Hollywood’s memorialist: Carrie Fisher was a child of Beverly Hills. And growing up the very center of Hollywood culture made her the ultimate observer of celebrity. Hollywood Reporter

Plus: Fans create a DYI star for Fisher on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Los Angeles Times

Old school: Some shocking images of what some major Los Angeles boulevards looked a century ago. KCET

The shakes: It was a seismically active day in California, which was shaken by several sizable temblors on the Nevada border plus one in the Inland Empire. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Los Angeles area and San Diego: Mostly sunny with highs in the mid- to upper 70s, before the weather gets cold and rainy on Friday and Saturday. San Francisco area and Sacramento: Mostly sunny with highs in the upper 50s.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California memory comes from Christine Nuernberg:

“When I was a little kid in the early 1950s, my mother would drive my family to Balboa Island on Saturdays. After we passed through Santa Ana, and then by the bean fields and the blimp hangers, we would start to guess when we would first smell the salt air. As we drove to the top of each brown hill that was once the Irvine Ranch landscape, we would guess that it would be that next hill! Finally after many wrong guesses, we could take in the salty smell and see the ocean. Once on the island, the treat was to walk to the Jolly Roger, sit at the bar and drink a cherry Coke. That was living!”

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.