Newsletter: Essential California: Chaining jailhouse inmates

Good morning. It is Tuesday, Dec. 29. Someone reprogrammed a Caltrans sign in the Inland Empire to read: Vote Donald Trump. Here’s what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Starter home

“San Bernardino is a place for people to start.” That’s according to a high school student who dreams of going to college and then making enough money to help his parents, who struggle to get by in a city with the lowest median income in the state. It’s a place that immigrant families hope will launch their children into the middle class. Los Angeles Times

Revised policy

At an L.A. County jail, it was once standard practice to handcuff inmates to the wall partially or fully naked as deputies waited for contraband to be expelled from the inmates’ bodies. The policy has since been rescinded, and 24 cases were sent to the District Attorney’s Office for prosecution. The union for sheriff’s deputies says it’s unfair to discipline low-level employees for following orders. “The handcuffings are the latest in a series of problems facing the nation’s largest county jail system, which is under federal oversight because of a long-term failure to properly care for mentally ill inmates.” Los Angeles Times

Visa application

San Bernardino shooter Tashfeen Malik told U.S. authorities she was pregnant when she applied to be a permanent U.S. resident. The detail may have been a way to show that her marriage to Syed Rizwan Farook was legitimate. Their daughter was born in May of this year. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Damaged trees: The California drought has put tens of millions of trees in danger. A study found more than 58 million trees have lost one-third of their canopy water. “The drought put the forests in tremendous peril, a situation that may cause long-term changes in ecosystems that could impact animal habitats and biodiversity,” said ecologist Greg Asner. NBC News

Down it goes: The Central Valley could face billions of dollars in repairs thanks to its sinking land. The drought put new pressures on groundwater supplies and the constant pumping led to sinking in some parts. “The most severe examples today are in San Joaquin Valley, where the U.S. Geological Survey in 1975 said half of the land is prone to sinking. USGS researchers later called it one of the ‘single largest alterations of the land surface attributed to humankind.’” Associated Press

L.A. AT LARGE

Across borders: As thousands of people go missing in Mexico, more and more of them have ties to family back in Los Angeles. “This year, though still a small minority, families who are searching for lost loved ones have started to grow more visible by using social media, visiting Mexico and organizing public gatherings in L.A.” 89.3 KPCC

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Home on the range: Take a tour of the California ranch that has been in Gov. Jerry Brown’s family for 150 years. There’s no electricity or running water; just a cabin large enough for an air mattress and an outhouse about 200 feet away. “Nobody likes this place except me,” Brown said. New York Times

New jobs: A new warehouse could bring an influx of jobs to Compton, where the unemployment rate is substantially higher than the rest of Los Angeles County. “We are really focusing on learning opportunities to create that skilled workforce to make certain that they can be trained and able to work right here in their own community,” said Compton Mayor Aja Brown. 89.3 KPCC

CRIME AND COURTS

Future of probation: Should L.A. County’s Probation Department be split in two — one department for adults, another for minors? It’s an idea that’s been around for a long time but is only just now picking up some support on the Board of Supervisors. “There’s no one model that’s better than another model, but it is important to make sure we don’t treat juveniles and adults in the same way,” said Susan Burke, president of the American Probation and Parole Assn. Los Angeles Times

Hate crime: A Sikh man who was attacked in Fresno was the victim of a hate crime, according to police. The 68-year-old man was hit by a pickup truck and beaten about 7 a.m. Saturday as he waited for a ride to work. Los Angeles Times

Prison chief: California’s prison system has a new leader. Gov. Brown appointed Scott Kernan, who most recently served as second-in-command of the system, though from 2011 to 2015 he ran a corrections consulting company and worked as a subcontractor to firms that had contracts with the state agency. Los Angeles Times

Child missing: Los Angeles police are searching for a 2-year-old girl who disappeared after a supervised visit with her father, a British national with access to money and a private airplane. Lucia Perry was last seen wearing pink sweatpants, a yellow T-shirt and pink Nike sneakers, authorities said. The two were visiting the Grove on Christmas Eve when the person monitoring their visit lost sight of them. They were last seen outside a Beverly Hills hotel Dec. 27. Los Angeles Times

Plane graffiti: Three multimillion-dollar private jets were tagged with graffiti inside Van Nuys Airport on Sunday night. It’s the second time in two years that planes at the airport have been defaced. NBC News

Perspective: Crime may be on the rise in Los Angeles, but it’s worth remembering that there were 800 fewer homicides last year than in 1992. “At the time, detectives in South Los Angeles had an average of about 80 hours to investigate a ‘fresh blood’ case. And then, whether they had solved it or not, they were on to the next case.” Zócalo Public Square

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Surfing pro: In San Luis Obispo, there is a 3-year-old who has already mastered surfing. “While plenty of kids jump on a boogie board and frolic in shallow water, Triston (Gailey) actually surfs standing up — an impressive feat for a kid who wears Thomas the Tank Engine shirts.” The Tribune

Dying wish: A visit to the Pacific Ocean was the one place 13-year-old Delaney Clements wanted to go after she entered hospice care. On Christmas Day, she got her wish when a Laguna Beach resident donated a private plane for Delaney and her family. Orange County Register

Bundle up: Get ready, San Francisco, because it’s going to stay cold for a while. SFist

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

San Diego will be sunny and 60 degrees. Los Angeles will be sunny and 61. In Riverside, there will be sunshine and a high of 59 degrees. San Francisco will be sunny with a high of 52.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California Memory comes from Melissa Franklin:

“I moved to Los Angeles in February of 1984 from Chicago. Our home was in Rancho Palos Verdes. I will never forget the first day there. We drove to a ramshackle stand overlooking the ocean. A Japanese lady sold fresh strawberries and poppies. I have never had such sweet strawberries nor had I seen poppies. My love affair with California began then. Thirty-plus years we are returning to Southern California to continue our love affair.”

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 Alice Walton or Shelby Grad.