Newsletter: Essential California: Before leading the LAPD, Michel Moore retired and got $1.27 million

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Monday, Aug. 13, and here’s what’s happening across California:

TOP STORIES

Before Michel Moore was promoted to become the Los Angeles Police Department’s new chief in June, he took a brief, highly unusual retirement. He left as chief of operations for only a few weeks before rejoining the force in the same job at the same pay. But the move provided him with a financial windfall: a lump sum retirement payment of $1.27 million from the city, a Times investigation found. Los Angeles Times

Hot, hot heat

Columnist Steve Lopez has a personal message about California’s summer of hell: Ignore the deniers. Climate change is real. He’s felt the change in his bones: “I grew up in California, lived in the Bay Area for 30 years and in Southern California for 20 more, and yes, climate variations have always existed. I can recall many extremes of dry heat and steady rain. But this looks and feels different. The hills are drier and more combustible, the heat is hotter and more stubborn, the fires are bigger and more frightening and I can only wonder what we’ll be passing on to my daughter and future generations.” Los Angeles Times

-- The man accused of setting the destructive Holy fire was described by neighbors as a troubled man who had threatened to set fires before. Los Angeles Times

-- Redding now faces a housing crisis. Can old motels and trailers help out? Record Searchlight

-- A man deals with the tragic loss of family in the Carr fire. San Francisco Chronicle

-- A good sense of humor is helping wine country recover from devastating fires. Press Democrat

Stripping them of citizenship

Denaturalization — a complex process once primarily reserved for Nazi war criminals and human rights violators — is on the rise under the Trump administration. A United States Citizenship and Immigration Services team in Los Angeles has been reviewing more than 2,500 naturalization files for possible denaturalization, focusing on identity fraud and willful misrepresentation. More than 100 cases have been referred to the Department of Justice for possible action. Los Angeles Times

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Carla McCue, 62, and her husband, Lawrence, 75, move into their new apartment last week. The McCues, along with their dog Oreo, had been living in their Jeep for the last two years.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

L.A. STORIES

Impact: A homeless family finally gets a home, and some new hope, after being profiled in The Times. Los Angeles Times

Land battle: Twelve years ago, protesters were booted from a vast plot of land in South Los Angeles that had been one of the biggest urban farms in the country. Now those growers have thrown a wrench into plans to build warehouses on the site. Los Angeles Times

Map time: Koreatown’s building boom will transform the hip neighborhood, with even the venerable Wilshire Boulevard Temple getting into the act. Curbed Los Angeles

It eats everything: This tiny lobster might look cute, but he is causing havoc on the Santa Monica Mountains ecosystem. LAist

CRIME AND COURTS

Showdown: Changes to the money bail system have been rejected for decades. This time, advocates for revamping the system have some heavy hitters on their side, including Gov. Jerry Brown. Los Angeles Times

Take that, meddlers: California is trying to defend against cyberattacks, with little help from Washington. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Profound change: The Bay Area desperately needs housing. And Oakland is delivering. But the building boom is altering the city in dramatic ways. Mercury News

Campus fight: In a struggle being fought on many University of California campuses, Santa Cruz is finding itself squeezed by state demands to accept thousands more students with limited public funds, a shortage of beds and community protests against growth. Los Angeles Times

Red wave? Is San Diego the map to help Republicans win elections in liberal cities? Daily Beast

Drive carefully: Why so many San Francisco streets lack either stop signs or traffic lights. SF Gate

Not so fast: Scooter companies are running into serious regulatory hurdles. Wall Street Journal

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Plus and minus: A Times analysis shows a surge in “Netflix Original”-branded titles in the U.S. over the last three years. The number of new original titles released so far this year is more than triple the number from the same period in 2016. In August, more than 53% of new releases will be Netflix Originals — the first time the company has added more original than licensed content on a monthly basis. Los Angeles Times

On the move: Rogue Machine, one of Los Angeles’ more prominent small-theater companies, is heading west this fall, relocating from Hollywood to Venice. Los Angeles Times

“People have never heard of me”: The indie director who as a kid hung out with Jack Nicholson — but has made a career as an anti-Hollywood player. The New Yorker

A true original: Elinor Otto was a mother in her 20s when she picked up a riveting gun for the first time at Rohr Aircraft Corp. in Chula Vista during World War II. One of the original Rosie the Riveters, Otto, now 98, is still offering history lessons. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Los Angeles area: Sunny, 84, Monday. Sunny, 85, Tuesday. San Diego: Sunny, 82, Monday. Sunny, 81, Tuesday. San Francisco area: Partly cloudy, 63, Monday and Tuesday. San Jose: Sunny, 80, Monday. Sunny, 79, Tuesday. Sacramento: Sunny, 89, Monday. Mostly sunny, 88, Tuesday. More weather is here.

AND FINALLY

This week’s birthdays for those who made a mark in California: Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson (Aug. 14, 1959), Rep. Maxine Waters (Aug. 15, 1938), director James Cameron (Aug. 16, 1954), Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison (Aug. 17, 1944), UCLA Chancellor Gene Block (Aug. 17, 1948) and actor-director Robert Redford (Aug. 18, 1936).

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.