Newsletter: Essential California: USC is flooded with reports about doctor accused of misconduct

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It is Saturday, May 19. Here’s what you don’t want to miss this weekend:

TOP STORIES

The University of Southern California said Friday it had received about 200 reports from former patients of gynecologist Dr. George Tyndall after a Los Angeles Times investigation detailing years of misconduct complaints. USC said it is establishing a process to forward some of those accounts to the Los Angeles Police Department for criminal review. In a letter to the university community, USC President C.L. Max Nikias said he has personally read reports from Tyndall’s patients over “many difficult hours” and that it left him profoundly disturbed. The letter came the day after the university ousted two top administrators at the clinic where Tyndall practiced for nearly three decades. Los Angeles Times

Diversity adds up

How an L.A. agency became a Hollywood go-to for connecting with multicultural audiences. For over a decade, the staff of about 50 at the Cashmere Agency has been doing just that, working behind the scenes with major Hollywood studios like Netflix, Universal and Sony to ensure content reaches diverse millennials in fresh and authentic ways. Los Angeles Times

AROUND CALIFORNIA

Jobs, jobs, jobs: California added 39,300 net new jobs in April as the unemployment rate fell from 4.3% to a new record low of 4.2%, according to data released Friday by the state Employment Development Department. Los Angeles Times

Big bucks: Healthcare giant Kaiser Permanente plans to invest $200 million in community efforts across the country to reduce homelessness, joining a growing list of health systems that are moving to address the housing crisis afflicting many large cities. Los Angeles Times

Oops! The nonprofit organization that operates Los Angeles County’s social services hotline inadvertently exposed personal information that was stored online, according to county officials. Los Angeles Times

In Solano County: “Ten children rescued from a Northern California home this week told authorities they were struck with baseball bats ... shot at with BB guns and crossbows, and subjected to waterboarding by their parents — but, due to privacy laws and loopholes, school officials never knew they existed.” BuzzFeed

Allan Carr: The rise and fall of a Hollywood hedonist. Agence France-Presse

Out on the town: Elon Musk brought his tunnel vision, and charm offensive, to West L.A. earlier this week. Los Angeles Times

Wow: Forensic genealogy has reportedly cracked a second major case less than a month after the arrest of Joseph James DeAngelo, alleged to be the Golden State Killer. BuzzFeed

Mark your calendars: Taye Diggs has a thing for the Disney animated classic “Beauty and the Beast,” so he’s pleased as punch to sing along with the Oscar-winning score beside a cast that includes Zooey Deschanel, Rebel Wilson, Jane Krakowski, Anthony Evans and Kelsey Grammer at the Hollywood Bowl on May 25 and 26. Los Angeles Times

Eeesh: The cost of buying health insurance from the state-run marketplace is expected to rise by 11% in 2019. San Francisco Chronicle

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THIS WEEK’S MOST POPULAR STORIES IN ESSENTIAL CALIFORNIA

1. Riverside barista refuses to serve man who criticized Muslim woman. Press-Enterprise

2. She was the driving force behind one of the largest Latino grocers — and Abuelita Tere to 53 grandchildren. Los Angeles Times

3. While out for a jog, she discovered a baby buried alive. Twenty years later, they reunite. Los Angeles Times

4. A USC doctor was accused of bad behavior with young women for years. The university let him continue treating students. Los Angeles Times

5. “Why Don’t People Who Can’t Afford Housing Just Move Where It’s Cheaper?” New York Times

ICYMI, HERE ARE THIS WEEK’S GREAT READS

What happens to Thrifty ice cream? In February, Albertsons Cos. — which owns grocery chains including Vons, Pavilions and Safeway — said it would acquire Rite Aid, a purchase that includes the Thrifty brand and the El Monte factory where the ice cream is made. A Rite Aid executive said Tuesday that Albertsons plans to keep the Thrifty brand alive and will sell the ice cream in its grocery stores. But the two companies did not answer questions about whether the ice cream will continue to be made in El Monte or whether they might change the flavors and pricing that customers love. Los Angeles Times

Amazing story: Was Kevin Cooper framed for murder? New York Times

Gulp: “A powerful West Coast earthquake will one day shake the entire U.S. economy,” writes Lucy Jones. “We envision the consequences of earthquakes to be only the deaths and the buildings and infrastructure lost. But this focus on the moment keeps us from seeing the true cost of the earthquake and from understanding that much of the loss could be prevented.” MarketWatch

Moscow on the California coast: How a Russian oligarch linked to Trump lawyer Michael Cohen turned a California state park into a mini Moscow. CNBC

Of course: A California tax department where almost a third of managers are related to another employee is unwinding nepotistic chains of supervision six months after a state audit revealed a problematic concentration of personal relationships among staff. California Department of Tax and Fee Administration Director Nicolas Maduros reported Thursday that 141 of his department’s 484 managers have a familial or other close personal relationship to another employee. Sacramento Bee

Recall battle: “Judge Aaron Persky says he has no regrets. The Northern California judge says he would handle the sexual-assault case of former Stanford University swimmer Brock Turner the same way today as he did almost two years ago, though it’s the reason he is the target of a June 5 recall election and has become the self-described ‘most hated man on the internet.’ ” Associated Press

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.