Newsletter: Essential California: Monument status for the desert

Good morning. It is Friday, Feb. 12. Need a book this weekend? Check out the floating library on Echo Park Lake. Here’s what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Leak is controlled

The gas leak in Aliso Canyon above Porter Ranch has stopped. Crews reached the leaking well Thursday morning, drilled through the pipe casing and began filling it with fluids that would prevent the gas from escaping the reservoir. As early as today, crews will pump concrete into the well. Residents who are eager to return to their homes, however, are filled with trepidation. “They still want to know that their homes are safe,” said the president of the Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council. Los Angeles Times

Closed-door decision

In his first comments since being fired by the Coastal Commission, former executive director Charles Lester says his independence led to his termination. “This commission seems to be more interested in and receptive to the concerns of the development community as a general rule,” he said. Several commissioners denied that allegation Wednesday. However, they chose to debate the issue in closed session, even though their attorney said that was unnecessary. Los Angeles Times

New monuments

President Obama designated three national monuments in the California desert Thursday, which will protect 1.8 million acres of land — Mojave Trails, Sand to Snow and Castle Mountains. It’s something Sen. Dianne Feinstein has been working toward for a decade. “This kind of landscape is so much a part of what the West once was, and these monuments are icons of our cultural heritage. Simply put, the California desert is a national treasure,” she said. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Warning lifted: It’s safe to eat Dungeness crab caught near Monterey, Half Moon Bay, San Francisco and Point Reyes. The state Department of Public Health lifted its ban Thursday. However, that doesn’t mean the commercial fishing season is open. It’s up to the Department of Fish and Wildlife to decide when boats can head back out to the water. San Francisco Chronicle

L.A. AT LARGE

Olympic plans: Plans to build an athletes’ village at Piggyback Yard under Los Angeles’ 2024 Olympic bid were shelved when it became clear the plans were financially irresponsible, said Mayor Eric Garcetti. “I don’t think we could have financially built the sports facilities and not have them also be white elephants and meet anything of the river plan,” he said. Los Angeles Times

Safety first: Hoverboards may soon be outlawed in Long Beach. The City Council wants to prohibit the use of hoverboards on sidewalks in commercial areas. That’s similar to the city’s policy on bicycles, though strangely Segways remain legal. CBS 2

Back in town: This is the inside fight on how the NFL decided to bring a professional football team back to Los Angeles. “In contentious closed-door meetings in Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, New York and, finally, Houston, owners belittled, undercut — even bullied — each other in ways never before witnessed.” ESPN

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

New bills: Female lawmakers unveiled a package of proposals Thursday intended to help California’s women. The bills ranged from pay equity to family leave to childcare and early childhood education. “Women and families must be part of California’s public policy priorities for this year,” said Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara), chair of the Legislative Women’s Caucus. Los Angeles Times

Old friend: Jim Harding went to college with San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee. He later became a nuclear power expert with a wife and home in Washington. So how did he end up living in a homeless shelter? San Francisco Chronicle

CRIME AND COURTS

Retirement benefits: Former Sheriff Lee Baca will not lose his county pension now that he’s pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators. A law that strips pensions away from public employees who commit job-related offenses only applies beginning from the date of the crime. In Baca’s case, that would be April 12, 2013. He was with the Sheriff’s Department for 48 years. Los Angeles Times

Jail conditions: The High Desert State Prison in Susanville has been described as a place steeped in racism and violence. It can be a dangerous place for inmates — and guards, too. In the last seven years, five guards have committed suicide. Al Jazeera America

Freeway attack: The California Highway Patrol is looking into a case of serious road rage caught on camera. The driver of a Volkswagen Jetta allegedly cut off an Infiniti on the 134 Freeway on Saturday. Dangerous driving ensued, with the Infiniti driver pulling in front of the other vehicle and coming to a complete stop. The driver of the Infiniti went over to the Jetta to strike and shake that driver, who suffered minor facial injuries. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

A viral sensation: Here’s the inside story on UCLA gymnast Sophina DeJesus, whose floor routine at a weekend competition went viral. Los Angeles Times

Back in the day: These color photos show Disneyland just days before opened to the public. Curbed LA

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

San Diego will be sunny with a high of 80 degrees. Los Angeles will have a high of 85. In Riverside, it will be sunny and 86. Sacramento will have clouds and sun with temperatures reaching 71 degrees. San Francisco will have some clouds and a high of 63.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California Memory comes from Michael Rokeach:

“I remember my very first trip to the Golden State in 1972 when I came from Florida to interview for my medical residency at several hospitals. What I remember most is the first time I crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and went through the Waldo Tunnel with the rainbow across it. I was sure every person driving next to me was a famous folk rock star whose records I listened to all the time. I moved to San Francisco the next year and ended up in Marin County, where my children and grandchildren also live. Boy, was I ever lucky to have landed here, and I never left. By the way, the bridge toll was only 25 cents!”

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.