Newsletter: Essential California: L.A. County deputies claim abuse by an East L.A station ‘gang’

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Friday, March 8, and here’s what’s happening across California:

TOP STORIES

Late one night last September, a party for Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies was winding down. New deputies working in East L.A. were celebrating their success completing a probationary period and their status as full-fledged members of the Sheriff’s Department. But the gathering took on an ominous turn when several older deputies showed up. According to legal claims filed against the county Thursday by seven deputies, the men belonged to the Banditos, a clique of deputies whose members are alleged to routinely harass young Latino officers at the station and to mark their membership with matching tattoos of a skeleton with a sombrero, bandolier and pistol. Los Angeles Times

The cost of community colleges

A study released Thursday by the Hope Center, a research and policy institute, found that 19% of California’s 2.1 million community college students have been homeless during the past year. The survey is the most comprehensive yet done on food and housing insecurity in California community colleges, and included more than 40,000 students across 57 campuses. It echoes earlier findings that 1 in 5 community college students in Los Angeles is without stable shelter. The study also found that 60% of students in the survey were housing insecure in the past year, with 17% of those eventually falling into the homeless group. Los Angeles Times

Plus: The University of California has announced that it will not raise tuition for California students this fall, but it has not ruled out increases for students from other states and countries. Los Angeles Times

Continuing to wipe the slate clean

A week after San Francisco Dist. Atty. George Gascón moved to wipe out thousands of marijuana convictions dating back decades, he announced his support for a bill that would clear old arrest and conviction records for defendants statewide. The measure is intended to open a pathway to housing, education and new employment opportunities for millions of Californians who have been excluded because of old arrests or convictions still listed on their rap sheets. Los Angeles Times

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L.A. STORIES

Never forget: Eva Schloss, stepsister and childhood friend of Holocaust diarist Anne Frank, spoke with a group of Newport Harbor High School students, including some who had attended a party that saw students giving Nazi salutes as they stood by cups arranged in the shape of a swastika while playing a variation of beer pong. Los Angeles Times

Hollywood scandal: WarnerMedia’s handling of the sex scandal involving the head of its Warner Bros. studio, Kevin Tsujihara, is raising fresh questions about how much the company knew of his alleged extramarital affair with an aspiring actress — and whether she was given small movie roles to keep quiet. Los Angeles Times

Those crazy photos: A photographer captured some amazing lightning photos — and risked getting zapped himself. Los Angeles Times

Their bad season: On a night when Lakers fans should celebrate LeBron James’ feat, it feels awfully gloomy. Los Angeles Times

Don’t forget your TAP card: “Captain Marvel takes LA Metro, but she’s not the first movie hero to go for a ride.” LAist

IMMIGRATION AND THE BORDER

This may be unprecedented: As the U.S. Supreme Court weighs whether the Trump administration can ask people if they are citizens on the 2020 Census, the Census Bureau is quietly seeking comprehensive information about the legal status of millions of immigrants. Associated Press

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Flashback Friday: Remembering the crime-lab scandal that rocked Kamala Harris’ term as San Francisco district attorney. Washington Post

CRIME AND COURTS

Oops: An Oakland school got a $2.8-million gift of Chinese paintings. Turns out they were fake. Los Angeles Times

Good question: Palm Spring police went undercover and posed as inmates to secretly collect evidence against a quadruple-homicide suspect. Is that legal? Desert Sun

THE ENVIRONMENT

Wow: Watch this Southern California pair of bald eagles fuss over their newly laid egg. Los Angeles Times

Water wars: “The Trump administration has ordered federal biologists to speed up critical decisions about whether to send more water from Northern California to farmers in the Central Valley, a move that critics say threatens the integrity of the science and cuts the public out of the process.” KQED

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Great story: How did singer-songwriter Kehlani prep for motherhood? By calling her friends and making music. Los Angeles Times

LAT FOB! Chelsea Clinton, Dave Barry, Roxane Gay, Erica Jong and Susan Orlean are among the writers set to appear at the Los Angeles Times’ 24th annual Festival of Books, it was announced Thursday. The two-day event, the country’s largest literary festival, will be held April 13 and 14 at USC. Organizers expect 150,000 visitors to attend the festival. Los Angeles Times

Coming soon, sort of: Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, the ambitious 14-acre expansion coming to Disneyland this year, is opening earlier than expected — with a catch. Los Angeles Times

Great essay from columnist Carolina Miranda: “Before California was West, it was North and it was East: the uppermost periphery of the Mexican Empire, and the arrival point for Chinese immigrants making the perilous journey from Guangdong.” Guernica

$$$: Bryce Harper will save tens of millions in taxes by spurning the Dodgers and Giants. Los Angeles Times

$$$, Part 2: “Thousands of new millionaires are about to eat San Francisco alive.” New York Times

Destination unknown: Lyft’s IPO disclosure shows it’s not close to profitability and has no good way to get there. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Los Angeles area: partly cloudy, 60, Friday and Saturday. San Diego: partly cloudy, 59, Friday; cloudy, 59, Saturday. San Francisco area: partly cloudy, 52, Friday; rainy, 52, Saturday. San Jose: partly cloudy, 54, Friday; showers, 54, Saturday. Sacramento: partly cloudy, 55, Friday; showers, 54, Saturday. More weather is here.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California memory comes from Carol Colin:

“When I was 18, I rode a bus south with fellow students from the Portland Museum Art School to see a Georgia O’Keeffe show in S.F. I vividly remember sunshine the first morning and the clamor and smells of the brilliant city. We walked, exhilarated, for about 36 hours, ending up at City Lights Books. Across the entrance of the Vesuvius bar we saw a sign: ‘We are itching to get out of Portland, Oregon.’ Three or four of us burst through the door proclaiming, ‘WE’RE from Portland, Oregon!’ The bartender may have looked up, but nobody else did.”

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.