Newsletter: Essential California Week in Review: L.A. hotel workers are back on the job but say more strikes will come

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It is Saturday, July 8.

Here’s a look at the top stories of the last week

L.A. hotel workers are back on the job but say more strikes are to come. Thousands of Southern California hotel workers were back on the job Wednesday after three days of strikes. Their union says more walkouts are ahead.

• To pay off a house outside of L.A., this hotel worker sleeps in her car four days a week.
• Southern California hotels hit by strike say the union is unlawfully pushing a housing agenda.

‘Are you two the token Black kids of the department?’ The snubs and insults that accompanied affirmative action. An unintended consequence of affirmative action — a policy meant to boost diversity — is that it can be wielded like a weapon to make people of color feel like they don’t belong. The Times spoke with Black and Latino Americans who wonder if this stigma will persist.

• High-stakes, high-stress college essay stirs more anxiety under the affirmative action ban.

Anti-cruelty law that gives pigs more space could raise prices of ham and bacon. California’s law requiring pork farmers to give pigs enough room to turn around in their stalls finally takes effect.

The week in photos

Roads that once connected thousands of acres of farmland now abruptly stop at a reborn Tulare Lake.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Tulare Lake’s ghostly rebirth brings wonder — and hardship. Inside a community’s resilience. Tulare Lake’s rebirth will reshape life in the San Joaquin Valley for years to come. But longtime residents remain committed to the region and its remarkable seasonal rhythms.

Two years after an LAPD fireworks explosion, residents are still trying to rebuild. Some residents are still living in a hotel downtown. Others have moved more than once. Life has been tough since a botched fireworks detonation blew up their South L.A. neighborhood.

What California can learn about earthquake safety from Santa Monica. In a milestone for earthquake safety, more than half the 2,000 buildings that Santa Monica deemed as vulnerable have been retrofitted since a 2017 city law went into effect.

As toxic algae sickens sea lions and other marine animals, a California wildlife center needs help. The San Pedro-based Marine Mammal Care Center is in need of donations and volunteers as it combats an algae bloom that has killed or sickened more than 1,000 creatures.

L.A. County leaders vow to continue supporting migrant Angelenos based on a State of Immigrants report. This year’s report on immigrants in Los Angeles County showed that historic investments in resources have been made but identifies areas that should be addressed to continue the momentum.

After years of ups and downs, Los Angeles moves forward on the creation of a public bank. The City Council voted to fund a feasibility study for a public bank. Advocates say a public bank will better serve the community.

Veterinarian sues after dog dies in a hot patrol cruiser. Dr. Yolanda Cassidy says Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officials fabricated and backdated a memo to cover up the 2020 death of a bomb-sniffing black Labrador named Spike who overheated in an unattended patrol car.

California officials join Texas sheriff in calling for a federal investigation into Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ migrant flights. Gov. Gavin Newsom and state Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta call for a federal investigation into migrants sent to Sacramento.

Employers are not responsible for COVID spread to workers’ families. Employers in California are not legally responsible, the California Supreme Court has ruled.

West Hollywood will have the nation’s highest minimum wage. Business owners are not happy. Many low-wage workers will see a pay increase on Saturday as the city’s minimum jumps to $19.08 an hour.

A payment overhaul is coming to California child care, along with a 20% raise for workers. Child-care providers reached a tentative agreement with the state to raise wages and change the way California calculates subsidies for low-income families.

ICYMI, here are this week’s great reads

VIDEO | 00:02

Ranch 99 Shelves

How second-generation owners of 99 Ranch are turning the Asian supermarket into a national powerhouse. They grew up at the nearly 40-year-old Asian grocery chain in the San Gabriel Valley. Now, siblings Alice and Jonson Chen are overseeing the national expansion of 99 Ranch Market.

Go inside the Museum of Neon Art’s storage facility for a rare glimpse of vivid treasures. The museum will open its Pomona storage warehouse, housing 250 to 300 enormous pieces, to visitors Sunday. The collection is rarely open to the public.

How this Los Angeles collage club is using DIY art for collective self-care. Having trouble being present? This weekly class is a meditation and a chance to build community. The magazines, scissors and glue are ready.

Today’s week-in-review newsletter was curated by Elvia Limón. Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.