Another right-wing White House aide from liberal Santa Monica?
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When people analyze Stephen Miller’s rise as a hard-right advisor to President Trump, they marvel that he could emerge from left-leaning Santa Monica. They see a political mutation. I see a throwback.
That’s because Miller is not the first polarizing advisor to a Republican president to emerge from the town at the western terminus of the 10 Freeway. It’s the town that was once the political base of Jane Fonda and Tom Hayden and birthplace of one of California’s most liberal rent control laws.
But long before Miller (and that lefty tilt) came another Santa Monica High School graduate — John Ehrlichman, President Nixon’s chief domestic policy advisor.
Ehrlichman graduated with the Santa Monica High class of 1942, 61 years before Miller left the campus at 4th Street and Pico Boulevard. He, too, would come to be depicted as one of the villainous advisors to a controversial Republican president.
Santa Monica wasn’t always a lefty haven
But back in his day, Ehrlichman was less of an outlier. Republican-leaning homeowners and the town’s right-of-center Evening Outlook newspaper dominated Santa Monica politics in the 1940s and ‘50s. The onetime Eagle Scout went from “Samohi” (also my alma mater) to UCLA and Stanford Law School.
During his time at UCLA, Ehrlichman befriended H.R. “Bob” Haldeman, and the duo soon hitched their futures to another Southern Californian, Nixon. The former congressman and vice president lost in the 1960 presidential campaign and the 1962 California governor’s race. When he finally took the White House in 1968, Haldeman and Ehrlichman followed, the former as chief of staff and the latter as another key member of Nixon’s inner circle.
Ehrlichman also helped Nixon cover up Watergate, the scandal that began to unravel when police caught burglars bugging Democratic Party campaign offices at the Watergate hotel, office and apartment complex in Washington.
A high school divided over its right-wing alums
Ehrlichman’s role in the scandal got him bounced out of the Samohi Hall of Fame, though sentiment about giving him the boot was not universal. Most students and residents said Ehrlichman had disgraced the school and deserved to go, according to a New York Times story in 1973. But some others said he should not lose his spot of honor in the Hall of Fame until he had been put on trial.
A jury soon convicted Ehrlichman of obstruction of justice, conspiracy and perjury. He went to federal prison for 18 months. “Although he went on to write novels, work with Native Americans and become involved in environmental issues, his role in Watergate continued to define and haunt him,” said his L.A. Times obituary in 1999, when he died at 73.
And he never got back in the Santa Monica High School Hall of Fame, an honor bestowed on dozens of others, including Dodgers star Rick Monday, writer and comedian Sandra Tsing Loh and Olympic shot put gold medalist Parry O’Brien.
Miller was also nominated for the Hall of Fame, during Trump’s first term in office. But the board of the school’s alumni association decided it was premature to judge the Republican, said alumni association President Phil Brock.
“We accept nominations from any Samohi graduate for another Samohi graduate for the Hall of Fame,” said Brock, who is also a past mayor of Santa Monica. “I think it was premature to consider [Miller] at the time and I would still say that. Let’s see how his lifetime accomplishments play out.”
Today’s top stories
Deaf, mute and terrified: ICE arrests DACA recipient and ships him to Texas
- Javier Diaz Santana was swept up in a federal immigration raid at his job in Temple City, unable to communicate in handcuffs. He was ultimately sent to an immigration detention center in El Paso.
- His experience raises serious questions, beyond whether people who are in this country legally should be seized and detained by immigration agents.
- If ICE is going to apprehend people with disabilities, shouldn’t agents follow federal law and make the required accommodations available?
East Hollywood club crash: What we know about the suspected driver and the man who shot him
- Police are still investigating a violent crash outside an East Hollywood club where 36 people were injured and the suspected driver wounded by gunfire.
- Several individuals were struck by the vehicle, and some were briefly trapped beneath it. At least 23 people were hospitalized.
- While the gunman is still outstanding, the suspected driver — identified as Fernando Ramirez — was taken into custody. Video from the scene showed Ramirez beaten bloody as police took him away.
California sues Trump for blocking undocumented immigrants from ‘public benefit’ programs
- California and a coalition of other liberal-led states sued the Trump administration Monday over new rules barring undocumented immigrants from accessing more than a dozen federally funded “public benefit” programs.
- The states argue the restrictions target working mothers and their children in violation of federal law.
- The Trump administration has defended the restrictions as necessary to protect services for American citizens and reduce incentives for illegal immigration into the U.S.
What else is going on
- Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who became America’s son Theo Huxtable on “The Cosby Show,” has died at 54.
- More than a month after President Trump sent hundreds of U.S. Marines to Los Angeles, those troops will begin withdrawing from the city, the Pentagon said.
- High school football teams in Los Angeles have been affected by ICE raids: “Everybody’s on edge.”
- Millions of above-ground pools have been recalled due to toddler drownings in California and five other states.
- In-N-Out owner Lynsi Snyder says she is leaving California.
- Three U.S. Marine brothers faced their toughest mission: Getting their dad freed from ICE custody.
Commentary and opinions
- Hunter Biden finally made news outside the MAGA mediasphere for something that’s usually the work of Fox News and other deep state disseminators, writes culture critic Lorraine Ali.
- Newsom needs to stop kidding around. He’s running for president, writes columnist George Skelton.
- Business columnist Michael Hiltzik says he finally found a U.S. government service that really works.
- Guest contributor Molly Selvin reflects on aging, loss and the quiet joy of a beloved garden she may soon leave after 45 years.
This morning’s must reads
A slew of new parking apps in the L.A. area should make paying for parking easier. Angelenos say that isn’t the case.
Other must reads
- As Theo Huxtable in “The Cosby Show,” Malcolm-Jamal Warner was integral to “America’s family.”
- Is your baby getting enough breastmilk? A new device is helping moms learn.
For your downtime
Going out
- Music venues: Joshua Tree’s hotly contested music scene gets a new gem in Mojave Gold.
- Concerts: The Vans Warped Tour, the original punk rock circus, returns to Long Beach this month.
- Film festivals: Keanu Reeves, Sydney Sweeney and Channing Tatum are starring in films heading to the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival.
Staying in
- Music: Tyler, the Creator released a new album, “Don’t Tap the Glass,” which features a funky, club-geared sound full of old-school stylistic touches.
- Television: Social media is so toxic that “The Summer I Turned Pretty” and “Love Island” are warning off cyberbullies.
- Recipes: Here’s a recipe for brothy shrimp meatballs with sungold tomatoes.
- ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.
A question for you: What are some ways you pamper your dogs?
The Times’ Deborah Vankin explores the luxury world of dog wellness in her latest story. Now we want to know how you pamper your furry best friends.
Email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.
And finally ... your photo of the day
Today’s great photo is from Times photographer Genaro Molina at the Los Angeles Zoo during a visit from some L.A. Unified migrant summer school students. The Trump administration wants to slash federal funding for programs supporting migrant children — including programs that allow some of California’s most vulnerable children to visit the L.A. Zoo twice a week.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Jim Rainey, staff writer
Diamy Wang, homepage intern
Izzy Nunes, audience intern
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, Sunday writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com. Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com.
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