Newsletter: Essential California: Deadly shooting at a Las Vegas concert
At least 50 are dead and 200 injured after a shooting on the Las Vegas strip. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson hinted Saturday at a diplomatic breakthrough with North Korea. O.J. Simpson was released from a Nevada prison early Sunday. About 90% of C
Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Monday, Oct. 2, and here’s what’s happening:
TOP STORIES
A deadly shooting in Las Vegas
More than 50 people were killed and at least 200 others injured after a gunman opened fire Sunday night at a country music festival opposite the Mandalay Bay hotel and resort on the Las Vegas Strip, authorities said. Police reported that the suspect, a Las Vegas resident, was dead. “Right now we believe it’s a solo act, a lone wolf attacker,” Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Sheriff Joe Lombardo said during an early-morning news conference. Concertgoers at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival said they heard a burst of weapons fire as singer Jason Aldean performed on stage. “I thought it was like bottle rockets going off,” Seth Bayles of West Hollywood said. “Then we saw people dropping. We saw someone get hit and then we started running.” Los Angeles Times
The investigation: With the gunman dead, Las Vegas police made an urgent appeal to find two vehicles and the suspect’s companion. Los Angeles Times
Video: Chilling videos on social media captured the scene and its aftermath. Los Angeles Times
Plus: Aldean was scheduled to be the final act of the three-day festival, while dozens of others had played, including Eric Church, Sam Hunt and Maren Morris. In numerous tweets, artists communicated with fans and followers, expressing their sorrow and prayers for anyone injured and telling loved ones that they were safe. Los Angeles Times
And: The mass shooting temporarily shut down nearby McCarran International Airport. Los Angeles Times
The newlyweds and the suspicions
Debra Newell was a well-known Orange County interior designer who, at 59, had met a man with whom she thought she could spend the rest of her life. But her family was suspicious, and those seeds of doubt would reveal a shocking truth. Over the next week Times reporter Christopher Goffard will chronicle the twisted tale of “Dirty John” in a series of stories and a podcast. As each installment hits, you’ll be the first to know by reading Essential California.
Chapter One: Los Angeles Times | Chapter Two: Los Angeles Times | The Podcasts: iTunes
Ask the author anything: Have questions about our “Dirty John” series? Join Goffard for a Facebook Live Q&A on Wednesday, Oct. 11, at noon. Leave your questions in advance here: Los Angeles Times
Tell us your story: Have you ever tried to convince a loved one to leave a toxic relationship? Los Angeles Times
Where did all the pot go?
California produced at least 13.5 million pounds of marijuana last year — five times more than the 2.5 million pounds it consumed. Where did all that extra pot go? The answer, experts say, is that much of it ended up in other states, including some where marijuana is still illegal. As California prepares to allow cannabis sale for recreational use, that surplus has become a problem. Los Angeles Times
Plus: Los Angeles might restrict who can lodge appeals when marijuana businesses get city licenses, blocking challenges from people who do not live, work or own property nearby. The controversial idea was tucked into draft rules that would lay the groundwork for what is widely expected to be one of the hottest marijuana markets in the country. The industry could pump more than $50 million in tax revenue into city coffers next year. Los Angeles Times
This city’s big influence
“Sure, there was once an East Coast attitude of belittling the arts in La La Land, the Land of the Plastic Lotus, or whatever. But that’s as old as an early Woody Allen film,” writes Times classical music critic Mark Swed. “Indeed, Los Angeles has been a mecca for classical music since the 1930s, a place where art can invent away from, as well as absorb, old-world traditions. (Let’s not forget that even Allen, with witty irreverence and a wink to Hollywood, directed an opera in — and only in — L.A.) For fresh proof of just how stale those old pop-culture stereotypes have become, look to the new classical season.” Los Angeles Times
L.A. STORIES
In Highland Park: The Prestons are accomplished artists, the kind of creative types who came to California not to make a lot of money but to pursue their passions. Now, they cannot afford their rent. Is that kind of California dream still affordable? Los Angeles Times
Gearing up for a big push: Up to 600,000 people are expected to apply when L.A. reopens the list for Section 8 housing vouchers this month for the first time in 13 years. Los Angeles Times
Fatal plunge: Federal investigators said Sunday that a man apparently jumped from a helicopter to his death off the coast of Malibu on Saturday afternoon. Los Angeles Times
Rams win! The Rams are no illusion. They proved it Sunday by going into AT&T Stadium and defeating the Dallas Cowboys, 35-30, before a crowd of 91,869. Los Angeles Times
POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
Beach life: Los Angeles is heading toward another collision over its 30-year-old beach curfew that could decide who rules the city’s segments of the coastline after dark. In a court settlement, the city agreed to go before the California Coastal Commission to defend its midnight-to-5 a.m. closure of 11 miles of shoreline within its limits from Pacific Palisades to San Pedro. Los Angeles Times
Major milestone: About 2 million California homeowners are lucky enough to be living in their homes mortgage free. Orange County Register
Time to vote again: A flood of candidates are seeking to fill the Assembly seat once held by Jimmy Gomez, who left the California Legislature to serve in Congress this year, and Los Angeles voters have a chance to start sorting through them in Tuesday’s primary. Los Angeles Times
CRIME AND COURTS
Flute investigation: Two Southern California school districts were giving conflicting messages over the weekend as they attempted to guide parents through a scare touched off last week by a state and federal investigation of a music specialist suspected of contaminating musical instruments with semen. Los Angeles Times
Simpson goes free: Former football star O.J. Simpson was released from a Nevada prison early Sunday after serving nine years for a 2007 armed robbery and kidnapping in Las Vegas. Los Angeles Times
Plus: Simpson’s release launched a renewed effort to collect from him a 1997 civil jury award that held him liable in the deaths of his estranged wife and her friend, a family attorney said. Los Angeles Times
Another celebrity heist: Jewelry, watches, cash and high-end purses are missing from the home of former Lakers coach Byron Scott after a burglary of his Hermosa Beach residence Saturday, police said. Los Angeles Times
See you in court: Performer Cher filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday, alleging that Los Angeles billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong and others duped her into selling her shares in a promising drug company at a fraction of the stock’s value. “The lawsuit has no merit. We intend to vigorously defend against it,” Soon-Shiong’s spokesman, Michael Sitrick, said in a statement. Los Angeles Times
THE ENVIRONMENT
An ancient tree is threatened: For thousands of years, wind-whipped, twisted bristlecone pines have been clinging to existence on the arid, stony crests of eastern California’s White Mountains, in conditions inhospitable to most other life. But the world’s oldest trees may never have experienced temperature increases as rapid as those of recent decades. Los Angeles Times
Something stinks along the coast: A recurring foul odor that some residents say causes headaches and nausea is a serious issue and needs more focus, says a Huntington Beach city councilman who wants a special committee to be formed on the issue. Los Angeles Times
Scary stuff: Harrowing stories are emerging about two massive rockfalls at Yosemite National Park that killed one man and injured at least two others. Los Angeles Times
CALIFORNIA CULTURE
Unwrapped: After 27 years in a warehouse, a once-censored mural rises in L.A.’s Union Station. And the artist is glad she stood her ground for all those years. Los Angeles Times
Music man: L.A.’s beloved musical master Randy Newman on how President Trump has changed, and not changed, his work. San Francisco Chronicle
Time for the playoffs: In a meeting with Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw in the middle of September, manager Dave Roberts informed Kershaw that the team does not intend to use him on short rest in the first round of the playoffs, bucking a trend from the last four postseasons. Los Angeles Times
#PRstrong: The Cal State L.A. women’s volleyball team has been rallying around its Puerto Rican teammates and coach since Hurricane Maria destroyed the island. Los Angeles Times
About the Olympics: “In 2017, encampments for the homeless again line the streets of L.A. There are tent cities all over downtown, as Skid Row, the historic neighborhood for the homeless, cannot support the size of its growing population.” Yet the Olympics are still coming. The New Yorker
“Curb” is back: J.B. Smoove has become such a favorite of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” fans, it’s easy to forget that his character, Leon Black, Larry David’s eminently quotable sidekick/seemingly permanent houseguest, only joined the HBO series in Season 6. Los Angeles Times
CALIFORNIA ALMANAC
Los Angeles area: Partly cloudy, 77, Monday. Partly cloudy, 73, Tuesday. San Diego: Partly cloudy, 72, Monday and Tuesday. San Francisco area: Sunny, 71, Monday. Sunny, 73, Tuesday. Sacramento: Sunny, 80, Monday and Tuesday. More weather is here.
AND FINALLY
This week’s birthdays for those who’ve made a mark in California:
Actress Julie Andrews (Oct. 1, 1935), Padres bench coach and former slugger Mark McGwire (Oct. 1, 1963), Rep. Devin Nunes (Oct. 1, 1973) and Rep. Karen Bass (Oct. 3, 1953).
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.
