Newsletter: Trump directives rattle L.A.’s undocumented immigrants
President Trump has withdrawn protections for transgender students. Lawmakers are getting grilled at raucous town-hall meetings. Scientists have found a seven-planet solar system 39 light-years away. Weird Al Yankovic’s latest album debuted at No. 1
Good morning. It’s Thursday, Feb. 23, and here’s what’s happening across California:
TOP STORIES
Trump’s orders shake communities
Undocumented immigrants in the Los Angeles area are being “forced to rethink their daily routines and rewrite their futures” as they make sense of the sweeping executive orders signed by President Trump on immigration. There had previously been a reprieve for some of these residents under then-President Obama, but now, “There’s no salvation for anyone,” said Juan Rosas of Huntington Park. Los Angeles Times
Fewer Dreamers apply for college aid
The chilling effect of President Trump’s immigration policies is far reaching. “Far fewer students than last year have applied for financial aid through the California Dream Act so far this year” even as state officials attempt to assure these students without immigration papers that they will be protected. Los Angeles Times
More Trump reaction
State Supt. of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson said the state will continue to protect the rights of transgender students even after the Trump administration rolled back protections that had been instituted under President Obama. Los Angeles Times
San Jose flooding
San Jose was hit by some of the worst floods the area had seen in a century, and to make matters worse, there was little warning of this impending disaster. With public anger growing, local officials acknowledged miscalculations and vowed a full investigation. Los Angeles Times
L.A. STORIES
Olympic troubles: The International Olympic Committee will choose between Paris and Los Angeles to host the 2024 Olympics. Two gold-medal-winning American sprinters believe that the controversial policies of President Trump will make it impossible for the City of Angels to get the competition. The Independent
A Boyle Heights brawl: A fight over gentrification in Boyle Heights has claimed a victim: an arts nonprofit, which had opened in the neighborhood last year. “Our young nonprofit struggled to survive through constant attacks,” the co-founders of the PSSST said in a statement. Los Angeles Times
Go West: The offices of High Times — a magazine devoted to all things marijuana — are moving out west to new space in the mid-Wilshire district. The Mercury News
Reaching toward the clouds: The skyline of Los Angeles has been rapidly changing with new buildings going up everywhere, and more are on their way. Here’s a map of some of the planned developments that can be classified as skyscrapers. Curbed LA
POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
Lawmaker faces the fire: As anger grows about a raft of President Trump’s proposals, Republican lawmakers across the country have been assiduously avoiding town halls with constituents, but not Rep. Tom McClintock. He hosted a meeting Tuesday with more than 600 people, “many of them shouting and waving protest signs.” Politico
Plus: The town hall meeting, a throwback to a time of more intimate connection, has become in the social media age a political organizing tool, a piece of performance theater and a worldwide stage. Los Angeles Times
Goodbye to all that … manufacturing work: A new report finds that manufacturing jobs in L.A. have dropped off dramatically and have been replaced by lower-paying gigs in industries like food services. Los Angeles Times
CRIME AND COURTS
Baca back in court: Lee Baca is back in court this week gearing up for a retrial on charges that he obstructed an FBI investigation. The first trial of the former L.A. County sheriff resulted in a mistrial after all but one of the jurors voted to acquit him on charges alleging that he tried to thwart a federal probe concerning widespread abuse and corruption by deputies working in county jails. Los Angeles Times
Anaheim encounter: About 300 demonstrators took to the streets of Anaheim to protest a day after an off-duty Los Angeles police officer fired his gun during a confrontation with a group of teenagers there. Videos purportedly showing the encounter spread online. Los Angeles Times
Sheriff’s deputy in trouble: A former L.A. County sheriff’s deputy pleaded no contest to killing his former neighbor in Sylmar, and he could serve 25 years to life in prison. Los Angeles Times
More details about a young victim: The 8-year-old victim of a shooting in Pomona earlier this week “was a playful brother whose family adopted him from Taiwan.” The family of Jonah Min Hwang started a fundraising page to help cover costs of the boy’s funeral. Los Angeles Times
DROUGHT AND CLIMATE
100% renewable, please: Senate leader Kevin de León has introduced legislation that would require the state to generate all its electricity from renewable sources by 2045. Los Angeles Times
CALIFORNIA CULTURE
The making of “Mulholland”: David Lynch’s “Mulholland Drive” was a critical sensation when it came out, but few know that it was initially a failed TV spin-off of Lynch’s cult classic “Twin Peaks.” Vanity Fair
California’s Galapagos: Just 11 miles off the coast of California, the Channel Islands National Park is the region’s closest stand-in for the Galapagos islands. New York Times
New recipe: Starting next month there will be a new ingredient in San Francisco’s tap water. San Francisco Chronicle
“Jaws” redux? A fisherman in Huntington Beach inadvertently reeled in a 500-pound, 8-foot-long great white shark. It’s illegal to hunt the species, so a group of five men resorted to pushing the imposing predator back into the Pacific. Orange County Register
Watch: The record-breaking rainfall has created an incredible sight at a lake west of Sacramento. Check out this footage of a massive hole pulling water out of the lake. Los Angeles
CALIFORNIA ALMANAC
Los Angeles and San Diego area: sunny Thursday and Friday. San Francisco and Sacramento: sunny Thursday, partly cloudy Friday. More weather is here.
AND FINALLY
Today’s California memory comes from Martha Mitchell:
“I grew up in Berkeley in the ’50s when milk trucks dripped with melting ice. People called Berkeley “The Garden City,” harking back to times when wheat fields and orchards crowded the gentle slopes down to the bay. On clear days we could see the Farallon Islands beyond the Golden Gate.”
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 Benjamin Oreskes and Shelby Grad. Also follow them on Twitter @boreskes and @shelbygrad.
