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Newsletter: Essential California: Will Congress kill a $101-billion tax break for Californians?

House Republicans are making another push on healthcare. L.A.’s congressional race looks to be headed to a runoff. A 78-year old woman lost her home and was living in her car with her dogs. Did gamblers at the Bicycle Hotel and Casino use dirty mone

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Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Wednesday, April 5, and here’s what’s happening across California:

TOP STORIES

A tax break that would be missed

Republicans in Washington are fixing to ax a federal tax deduction for state and local taxes. In 2014, California residents received $101 billion in deductions because of this tax break — the most nationwide, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Tax Foundation. Los Angeles Times

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Confidential wheeling and dealing

Developers are striking deals with neighborhood groups worth millions of dollars to placate concerns over building projects. Critics decry these agreements, calling them “hush money,” while the groups involved say it’s the only way to defend the city’s neighborhoods. Los Angeles Times

Big-time casino raid

Gamblers were not happy Tuesday morning when federal authorities raided the Bicycle Hotel and Casino in Bell Gardens and seized thousands of financial records as part of what law enforcement officials are calling an investigation into possible money laundering. Los Angeles Times

L.A. STORIES

One more time: With a crowded field of candidates having been narrowed to two, the race to represent L.A.’s 34th Congressional District will go to a runoff June 6. The seat went up for grabs after Xavier Becerra became state attorney general. Los Angeles Times

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No parking here? You’d better stop parking on the bedraggled patches of grass between the curb and the sidewalk. L.A. may start citing motorists again for parking on city parkways. Los Angeles Times

Big shoes to fill: Meet the man tasked with replacing Vin Scully as the Dodgers home play-by-play announcer. His name is Joe Davis, and he’s 29. Los Angeles Times

Plus: Here’s how Scully spent opening day: paying bills and buying anti-moth repellent. Los Angeles Times

Principal ousted: A popular Riverside Drive charter school principal has left her job, and parents at the school want to know why. Los Angeles Daily News

What wasn’t built: Check out this these photos of building projects in Los Angeles that never happened. One idea was an offshore freeway in Santa Monica. The Guardian

IMMIGRATION AND THE BORDER

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“Sanctuary state” legislation advances: The state Senate on Monday passed legislation that would provide lawyers for immigrants facing deportation and limit the cooperation between local and state law enforcement agencies with federal immigration officials. Los Angeles Times

Fear abounds: A new study from UCLA finds that 37% of L.A. County residents are worried that they, a family member or friend will be deported. LAist

Lots of visas coming in: At a government processing center in Laguna Niguel, truckloads of visa applications are pouring in before the door slams shut. New York Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

A big receipt: California is facing an $860-million repair bill for roadways battered by record winter storms. Los Angeles Times

How to resist: California Democrats are debating how they should respond to the Trump administration. Some are gearing up for a fight, while others think a softer approach might be better. New York Times

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Not enough train cars: A BART extension to San Jose will be completed by the end of 2017, but transit officials are worried they won’t have enough rail cars to fully service the two new stations. San Francisco Chronicle

Not as grand: Despite the rise of Trump, the Republican Party in California is still struggling. Sacramento Bee

CRIME AND COURTS

Prostitute may be deported: An escort who injected a former Google executive with a fatal dose of heroin aboard his yacht in Santa Cruz four years ago is facing possible deportation, federal officials said Tuesday. Los Angeles Times

Don’t drink and fly: California deputies responding to the emergency landing of a small plane in a warehouse parking lot arrested the pilot on suspicion of being drunk, authorities said Tuesday. Associated Press

He didn’t learn his lesson: The first stunt turned him into an Internet sensation with a freeway jump on a motorcycle. The one that followed critically injured him and put him in the hospital. Los Angeles Times

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THE ENVIRONMENT

Still saving water: The drought may be nearly over, but Californians are still saving water. “The State Water Resources Board announced Tuesday that urban Californians reduced water usage by 25.1 percent in February, compared with the state’s baseline year of 2013.Sacramento Bee

Climate agreement reached: Talk about strange bedfellows. California and the Scottish government have signed a joint agreement that sees them commit to work with one another to fight climate change. CNBC

More groundwater pumping: The Trump administration is moving to clear the way for a Cadiz private groundwater pumping venture to break ground in the Mojave Desert. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

A new take on fast food: “Why does our society always serve the worst food to the neediest people?” Chef Daniel Patterson is challenging that belief with his new fast-food joint in the heart of Watts. The California Sunday Magazine

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Write this 100 times: So this is one way to get into Stanford University. The Independent

Landscape this: Meet the woman who for the last 34 years has been the lead landscaper for the Fox Studios lot. In her long career, Kathy Jones has drawn the ire of studio executives and turned hedges into penguins, elephants and Bart Simpson. The Hollywood Reporter

The cemetery grows: The Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved plans Tuesday to add two new mausoleums to the Hollywood Forever cemetery, with a combined 30,584 crypts. Curbed Los Angeles

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

San Diego, San Francisco and Los Angeles area: partly cloudy Wednesday and Thursday. Sacramento: partly cloudy Wednesday, showers Thursday. More weather is here.

AND FINALLY

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Today’s California Memory comes from Gary De La Rosa:

“California and Los Angeles weren’t always such a blue-state haven. One incident reminds me of a different environment. I was with two fellow 16-year-olds driving to the Pick-a-Part for car parts as we exited onto Peck Road in El Monte. We soon came upon a white house set back from the street with a porch and its front door swung wide. A large, muscular man stood out front, eyeing us as we passed, and we him. Just inside the door, lighted enough to be seen from the street, was a large portrait. It stunned us. Staring back at us, unrepentant, was a large portrait of Adolf Hitler. In our own backyard of the San Gabriel Valley.”

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.

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