Newsletter: Essential California: What was that UFO?

Good morning. It is Monday, Nov. 9. Here's what is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

LAUSD discipline

A move to more “progressive” discipline policies in L.A. schools has brought dramatic changes: Suspensions districtwide plummeted to 0.55% last school year compared with 8% in 2007-08, and days lost to suspension also plunged, to 5,024 from 75,000 during that same period, according to the most recent data. But teachers complain it has caused disruptions and sometimes chaos in classrooms. Los Angeles Times

Water storage

What to do with that El Niño rain? More and more attention is being focused on storing water underground, which is often cheaper and less damaging to the environment than building big dams or reservoirs. "When the California Water Commission this year surveyed water agencies about storage proposals that might qualify for funding under Proposition 1, the 2014 water bond approved by state voters, half the responses involved groundwater projects." Los Angeles Times 

Grocery store woes

Billionaire investor Ronald W. Burkle has a long history of know-how to make money on grocery stores in Southern California, running chains like Food 4 Less and Ralphs. But he and his company failed to turn around Fresh & Easy. It speaks to larger changes shaping the local supermarket scene. Los Angeles Times 

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Major undertaking: Work is getting underway on $3.5-million project to restore 420 acres of Red Hill Bay on the southeastern shore of the Salton Sea. The project could be a signal that officials have not given up on the Salton Sea, which activists say is facing an environmental catastrophe. “The decline of the Salton Sea poses immense health and economic risks to families and children across Southern California,” said Rep. Paul Ruiz (D-Palm Desert). Los Angeles Times

Excessive water: One grocery store in Pleasanton is using 1,000 gallons of water an hour. Water officials can’t figure out how 99 Ranch Market could possibly be using so much. SF Gate

Affordable but risky: In some parts of California, like La Conchita, embracing the risk of a landslide is just part of life. “When you wake up every morning to a million-dollar view at a fraction of the price in a place where people care about each other, you have every reason to want to stay,” writes columnist Robin Abcarian. Los Angeles Times

L.A. AT LARGE

Light in the sky: Military officials say that the bright light that swept over the West Coast on Saturday, prompting many online to speculate about UFOs, was a missile test by the Navy. “The confusion and social media uproar that erupted Saturday night as a mysterious white cone of light coursed across the night sky is an unfortunate but necessary tradeoff” of secret tests, according to an analyst. Los Angeles Times

Real estate transaction: USC has agreed to buy the United University Church, which has long been within the university’s campus. Since the 1970s, though, USC has had to rent space in the church. It’s unclear how university officials plan to use the space. Los Angeles Times

Economic prospects: Columnist Michael Hiltzik questions how much Los Angeles would benefit from hosting the 2024 Olympics. “Whether the Olympics would be good for L.A. may not be answerable until the event takes place. The civic pride that emerged from the 1984 Games harks back to a time before the riots of 1992, the Northridge earthquake of 1994 and the housing crash of 2008,” he writes. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Two paths: Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa are taking totally different paths toward the same spot on the ballot: governor. The former mayor of San Francisco is focused on staking on policies on the left, from same-sex marriage to marijuana and gun rights. But Villaraigosa, who has not yet officially declared for the race, has spent his time focusing on the more conservative parts of the state, writes columnist Cathleen Decker. Los Angeles Times

Voters’ feelings: A USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll finds voters both nationally and California are more worrisome than hopeful. As for California, "the state’s voters are slightly more upbeat than voters nationwide about their potential for a prosperous future, but a sharp divide separates the optimism of upscale coastal regions from the anxiety of financially stressed inland areas." Los Angeles Times

Delayed decision: Huntington Beach residents will have to wait a bit longer for any resolution about the pollution from a dump and waste transfer facility. Despite a marathon hearing that included testimony from more than 100 residents and treatment plant employees, the South Coast Air Quality Management District and an independent hearing board delayed any action. Orange County Register

Young activism: Students in Santa Ana worked to get their city a $2.37-million grant for bicycle lanes. “Santa Ana is full of Latino people that are low-income, and not everyone has access to cars. So that’s one of the major reasons a lot of people are biking, and that’s why we started getting involved in biking and the campaign,” said Maribel Mateo, an 18-year-old with the group. Orange County Register 

CRIME AND COURTS

Promise cut short: What happened to the two teenage girls whose bodies were found in Ernest E. Debs Regional Park in Montecito Heights? As investigators work on the case, those who knew the teens mourn the young lives that held promise. Los Angeles Times

Trial begins: The trial of Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow is expected to get underway today in San Francisco. “Last month, the U.S. attorney's office upped the ante on the 140-count indictment, adding charges that the 55-year-old Chow had arranged the 2006 murder of his Ghee Kung Tong predecessor and conspired to kill another man who was shot to death in 2013 along with his wife.” Los Angeles Times

Hazardous fire: Black smoke from a tire fire in San Francisco’s Mission District stretched out to Marin County and North Beach early Sunday morning. As a result of the fire, 21 residents were evacuated. SF Gate

EDUCATION

Under the radar: Michelle Rhee was once the face of education reform in America, but lately she’s been absent from public view. What’s next for Rhee, who is also the first lady of Sacramento? “Michelle is doing what she always has – fighting for better schools and supporting the mayor’s efforts – but out of the public spotlight,” according to a spokesman for her husband, Mayor Kevin Johnson. Sacramento Bee

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Outdoor shows: Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre will celebrate its final season next year before it is torn down. It’s the largest outdoor music venue in Orange County, and a replacement could be years away. Orange County Register

Artistic influence: A look at how the “promised land,” Los Angeles, influenced the work of artist David Hockney. “The strangeness of this dry, desert paradise with its bright lawns and cultivated gardens and open lifestyle became a primary source of inspiration for his art-making.” Zocalo Public Square

Cultural enclave: Orange County’s Little Saigon is coming of age. The neighborhood that once catered to Vietnamese refugees is reaching out to new customers. “It's not your grandmother's Little Saigon,” said one business owner. Los Angeles Times 

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

San Francisco is expected to have thunderstorms and a high of 57 degrees today. Los Angeles will be mostly cloudy with a chance of showers. Highs are expected to reach 68 degrees. Chance of a shower and a high of 68 degrees expected in San Diego. Riverside will have some sun and a shower, with a high of 66.

AND FINALLY

This week’s birthdays for notable Californians:

Lakers executive vice president Jim Buss (Nov. 9, 1959), UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero (Nov. 10, 1951), Sen. Barbara Boxer (Nov. 11, 1940), L.A. City Council President Herb Wesson (Nov. 11, 1951) and late-night host Jimmy Kimmel (Nov. 13, 1967).

Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to Alice Walton or Shelby Grad.