Newsletter: A behind-the-scenes brawl over ownership of the Lakers
Good morning. It is Saturday, March 4. Here’s what you don’t want to miss this weekend:
TOP STORIES
Lakers fights: There’s a war going on over which member of the Buss dynasty will be the controlling owner of the Lakers. Jeanie Buss has thwarted her brothers’ efforts to wrest the team away from her in a fight that’s moved into the courtroom. Los Angeles Times
Slain police officer funeral: Mourners came together Friday morning to honor the life of slain Whittier Police Officer Keith Boyer, who authorities say was gunned down last week by a reputed gang member. He was the first Whittier officer in 37 years to die on the job. Los Angeles Times
Fear and loathing: The arrest of a 48-year-old man shortly after he dropped off his daughters at their school in Highland Park has raised concerns about whether ICE agents are eschewing unwritten rules about how and when they detain immigrants in the country illegally. Los Angeles Times
Start-up city: The Los Angeles tech scene is basking in the humongous IPO of Snap Inc. Here’s what the $37-billion valuation could mean for the company and its technology competitors on Silicon Beach. Los Angeles Times
Sandbagged: One California company continues to suck up sand from Monterey Bay despite warnings from the state to stop. San Francisco Chronicle
The outrage! A recent audit of public employee misconduct reads like a who’s-who of naughty government employees. There’s the Caltrans analyst who spent seven hours each week taking extended smoke breaks. There’s the librarian who spent most of his time reading about video games. There’s even the parole agent who used a state vehicle for his personal commute. Sacramento Bee
Smog plan: Southern California air quality officials voted Friday to impose tougher rules on oil refineries but rejected a proposal to regulate pollution from ports and warehouses, which are responsible for much of the region’s harmful emissions. Los Angeles Times
Back in business: For the first time since a crisis at Oroville Reservoir forced the evacuation of more than 100,000 people almost three weeks ago, engineers reactivated a vital hydroelectric plant at the base of the towering dam on Friday. Los Angeles Times
Questions raised: Curren Price, a Los Angeles City Council member running for reelection, is facing questions about whether his divorce became final before he remarried. Los Angeles Times
Talk about a #TBT: Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange are starring in a show about the feud between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. Their battles feel contemporary in this new limited series as women struggle for equal footing in Hollywood today. New York Times
This week’s most popular stories in Essential California:
1. How could the best picture mix-up happen? Duplicate cards await on both sides of the stage. Los Angeles Times
2. “Oh my god, he got the wrong envelope” — backstage during the Oscars’ best picture chaos. Los Angeles Times
3. Twenty years ago, a dramatic North Hollywood shootout changed the course of the LAPD and policing at large. Los Angeles Times
4. Yes, California’s drought is all but over, and the dramatically revived Cachuma Lake proves it. Los Angeles Times
5. “What is happening???” A Times photographer explains how he captured that viral Oscars moment. Los Angeles Times
ICYMI, here are this week’s Great Reads
How about this for a cultural smoothie: Fried chicken, served by Cambodian refugees to black and Latino customers, from a chain founded by a white man from Michigan. Well that’s what you get at Louisiana Famous Fried Chicken — a chain of restaurants where 80% of the franchises are owned by Cambodian Americans. Los Angeles Times
The chef from hell: Chef Hiroyuki Urasawa became one of the city’s most famous chefs for serving up $400 omakase dinners to wealthy Angelenos. But his acclaim may now be undone by a series of lawsuits filed by frustrated employees who allege that he was a horrible and even abusive boss. The Hollywood Reporter
A Vallejo mystery: Five months after noxious fumes sent Vallejo residents to the hospital, city and state agencies still have no answers about how this happened. The onset of the odor appears to have coincided with a petroleum spill at the Phillips 66 refinery the same evening. But all of the public agencies — local, state and federal — have either dropped investigations into the Sept. 20 incident that sickened dozens of people or are withholding results. KQED
Curious cash: A controversial California nonprofit, the Freedom Center, could be in trouble for donating money to Geert Wilders, who is seen as the Donald Trump of the Netherlands. The Intercept
Photo essay: The concept of a California girl occupies an outsize space in the American imagination. “Here are the real girls of California, the ones loitering on the Huntington Beach pier where [Ed and Deanna] Templeton, married for 25 years, take their daily stroll, cameras in hand.” Vogue
Do Something!
Joy rides: If you’re not in the mood to sweat, here are some recommendations for the most scenic drives in Los Angeles. KPCC
Bowling: Coffee and music mornings at the Hollywood Bowl. It’s a thing. Los Angeles Times
Looking Ahead
Tuesday: L.A. voters go to the polls to elect a mayor, council members and decide on the controversial Measure S growth limits proposal.
Wednesday: The Midnight Mission in downtown L.A. opens a new center for women.
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.
