Newsletter: Essential California: Sewage plants are a fertile ground for superbugs

Good morning. It’s Tuesday, March 8, 2016, and here’s what’s going on in the Golden State.

TOP STORIES

L.A. County Sheriff Jim McDonnell is trying to crack down on deputies who make false statements. But that’s turning out to be easier said than done. Los Angeles Times

At hospitals across California, administrators are pushing doctors to perform fewer cesarean deliveries, hiring birth coaches and asking pregnant women to stay in labor longer. The scramble to bring down the rates isn’t the result of new discoveries about the dangers of C-sections, but because of the new, cost-conscious approach of the healthcare industry. Los Angeles Times

A growing number of studies show sewage plants can’t kill the superbugs. Instead the facilities serve as “a luxury hotel” for drug-resistant bacteria, a place where they thrive and grow stronger. Some of that ends up in the Pacific Ocean. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

The latest El Niño storm dumped up to 5 inches of rain in the Sierra. But Southern California communities didn’t do so well. There was thunder, lightning and hail. But downtown L.A. got only about an inch of rain. Los Angeles Times

“Ending” the drought might not be the best way of looking at the endgame for California and El Niño. The Atlantic

L.A. STORIES

In the San Gabriel Valley and other Chinese communities nationwide, immigrants rich and poor have embraced daigou as a way to earn a living at the intersection of the world’s largest economies, reaching for American prosperity by serving China’s wealthy. Los Angeles Times

The Westside Pavilion might be joining Beverly Center in adding more windows and light in a bid to draw back customers who have stopped coming. Curbed LA

A new proposal for condominium towers around the Beverly Hilton Hotel at the iconic corner of Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevards comes with a twist — a grand new park built around a grand Italian fountain. Beverly Hills Courier

A piano at Disneyland is said to be one of the most played in the world. Orange County Register

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

New Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) outlined three priorities Monday: poverty, oversight and participation. Los Angeles Times

The heated Republican presidential primary is prompting some to wonder whether California’s late primary will finally matter this time. L.A. Daily News

So whatever happened to that plan to declare a “state of emergency” over L.A.’s homeless problems? Los Angeles Times

CRIME AND COURTS

A postscript to all the O.J. Simpson news: Nicole Brown’s family is selling their longtime home in Orange County’s Monarch Beach. Orange County Register

Add a new one to the police pursuit list: A woman driving a minivan painted to resemble “Scooby-Doo’s” Mystery Machine evaded Northern California police in a high-speed chase Sunday. Los Angeles Times

Lana Meisner, wife of famed Eagles member Randy Meisner, suffered a fatal gunshot wound Sunday evening when she lifted a rifle that accidentally discharged, Los Angeles police said. Los Angeles Times

Are police departments moving too fast — and cutting corners — when buying officer body cameras? Wall Street Journal

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

There are perhaps few places where Donald Trump’s presidential bid is feared more than in Silicon Valley. San Francisco Chronicle

If you’ve spearheaded a bake sale or donated a little money to your school lately, be prepared to feel inadequate. Superstar Beyoncé performed at the 75th anniversary gala for the Center for Early Education, the private West Hollywood school. Los Angeles Times

A homeless man in the Sacramento area was able to get a job — by handing out his resume at a Smart & Final market. “I don’t like to beg and I won’t. I refuse to,” he said. BuzzFeed

AND FINALLY

Today’s California memory comes from Bill Slugg:

“In 1964, when I was 11, Dad moved us from Philadelphia to 4910 Cline Road, La Mesa in San Diego County. I remember watching Ronald Reagan narrate ‘Death Valley Days’ every day after school in black and white. He was a famous actor whose last movie, ‘Bedtime for Bonzo,’ had come out 10 years prior. Other than that he was head of the Screen Actors Guild and he did a lot of speaking for GE. When he announced for governor, I remember the adults around me laughing about it. ‘The guy is a washed-up actor, he will never get near the governor’s mansion.’ Through my adult years, I always keep that memory close when I hear folks making disparaging comments about others’ potential for success.”

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.