Newsletter: Essential California: Who is using all that water in Beverly Hills?

Good morning. It is Monday, March 14. Cross a meatball with a pot sticker and you’ll get manti. Here’s how one family is cooking them up in Pasadena. Here’s what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Conspicuous consumption

After missing its conservation target month after month, Beverly Hills cracked down on the city’s biggest water users. They included comedian Amy Poehler, developer Geoff Palmer and media mogul David Geffen. The shaming appears to be working. “The city cut its water usage by 26% in January — its highest percentage in eight months of reporting and more than double its effort in December.” Los Angeles Times

Visa requirements

New federal requirements on who may travel to the United States without a visa could have serious effects in Silicon Valley. Tech firms there say the new restrictions will make it more difficult for them to do business, and they fear that European countries could retaliate with similar rules. “We protest this just as vigorously as if Congress had mandated special travel papers for citizens based on their faith or the color of their skin,” according to a letter from leaders at 30 companies including Twitter, DropBox and Pinterest. Los Angeles Times

Conflicting interests

What does it mean to be a Democrat in San Bernardino, where concerns over jobs often clash with environmental policies? One politician is about to find out as she faces a tough reelection campaign for opposing a bill key to cutting petroleum use by vehicles. Assemblywoman Cheryl Brown (D-San Bernardino) will face attorney Eloise Gomez Reyes in the election. “They are after me, and I still don’t know why. I don’t know who ‘they’ are. But I will find out soon,” Brown said. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Damaged habitat: An East Bay developer will have to pay $1 million and preserve 107 acres of land after polluting a pond that protected the California tiger salamander. James Tong and his company admitted that while working on the Dublin Ranch North, they caused sediment to run into a nearby pond. The California tiger salamander has been a threatened species since 2004. SF Gate

Filling back up: An aerial view shows some lakes and reservoirs are being restored. “Farmers and ranchers can spend night after night awake thinking about water, and as spring approaches — with two monster storms in 10 days — they’re sleeping well again.” SF Gate

Housing removed: A 20-unit complex in Pacifica, which has been dangling over a cliff for six years, was finally torn down. It has been years since anyone lived there. The building was demolished after El Nino rains created more uncertainty about the complex’s integrity. SFist

L.A. AT LARGE

Water problems: It has been a year since residents in Gardena started complaining about black and brown water that smelled like rotten eggs. Officials say the water has since been cleaned up, but residents are skeptical. “Just in the last two weeks I’ve received 75 postcards on the subject of water. And yet nothing has happened and we have very few tools at our disposal, it seems,” said Assemblyman David Hadley (R-Torrance). Los Angeles Times

Cleaned up: Southern California Gas Co. has wrapped up its cleanup efforts at public parks in Porter Ranch. Residents there have complained of oil droplets that probably came from a leaking well in nearby Aliso Canyon. Crews with the gas company will also clean Shepherd of the Hills Church. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Running for office: Former L.A. City Councilman Richard Alarcon will run for Congress now that his convictions for perjury and voter fraud have been tossed out. He plans to challenge Rep. Tony Cardenas, his former colleague from the City Council and a fellow Democrat. The primary is set for June 7. Los Angeles Times

Partisan flicks: Hollywood is marking this election year by mixing up politics and entertainment. “Schedules will shift. New films will surface. But these movies are already a fair bet to touch the political conversation.” New York Times

Voter feedback: What do people at the corner of Sunset and Vine think about GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump? “Scary.” Buzzfeed

Air standards: Activists in the Inland Empire are concerned that the recent decision to fire the executive director of the Air Quality Management District will lead to worsening air conditions in a community that’s already home to some of the dirtiest air in America. “This is a concerted effort to deregulate and leave our communities in harm’s way and it’s very disturbing,” said Penny Newman, executive director of the Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice. Los Angeles Times

Financial condition: The Orange County Fire Authority is seeing red thanks to unfunded pension liabilities. And its largest funding partner, the city of Irvine, is threatening to leave the agency. If that happens, the Fire Authority could lose 20% of its budget and find that borrowing is more expensive. Orange County Register

CRIME AND COURTS

Testing evidence: For two years, the Alameda County district attorney’s office has been working to clear a backlog of 1,900 untested rape kits. “What we are seeing across the country is that predators will assault many people and we are linking those cases through DNA,” said D.A. Nancy O’Malley. San Francisco Chronicle

Traumatic memories: What is it like to survive a mass shooting? Mindy Finkelstein lived through the 1999 shooting at the LA Jewish Community Center. The gunman shot five people, including three young children. “I lost a lot of blood, and I couldn’t keep running. I lay down and played dead until I heard sirens,” she said. Buzzfeed

Online dangers: In an open letter, Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell is warning parents that their children may be taking nude photos of themselves and unwittingly attracting online predators. “Online forums and websites that market themselves as platforms where these images ‘disappear’ are very misleading; let me be clear; these images NEVER disappear,” he wrote. Los Angeles Times

EDUCATION

New policy: University of California President Janet Napolitano is spearheading a new sexual harassment review process for administrative leaders. The announcement follows complaints over the handling of sexual harassment allegations at UC Berkeley and UCLA. “At a minimum, our employees are entitled to come to work without fear of sexual harassment or sexual violence,” Napolitano said. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

All together: The artist Fritz Haeg is looking to bring back communal living in Mendocino County with a 35-acre parcel that was once a commune. “Haeg imagines something between an arts colony and a gathering place, somewhere to come when you want ‘to take a step back from contemporary society.” New York Times

Classic shoe: Southern California’s Vans shoe company will celebrated its 50th anniversary on Wednesday. What was once a rubber company is now a multibillion-dollar action sports brand. “That Vans, which has come to symbolize Southern California youth culture, is old enough to join AARP is surprising enough, but, as it notches the half-century mark, Vans isn’t just surviving, it’s thriving.” Los Angeles Times

Mascot makeover: Musician Kanye West wants to redesign the Clippers’ new mascot. Chuck the Condor has not been well received since he was introduced this season. LAist

Taste test: New York’s Shake Shack will open this week in West Hollywood. Will it be able to compete with California’s burger culture? “We are a much more mature burger culture. The burger culture on the East Coast is 10 years old at most,” said Adam Fleischman, founder of Umami Burger. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

San Francisco will be mostly cloudy with a high of 59 degrees. Sacramento will be cloudy and 62. In Los Angeles, it will be cloudy with a high of 68 degrees. Riverside will have a mix of clouds and sun with temperatures reaching 70 degrees. San Diego will have clouds and sun with a high of 66.

AND FINALLY

This week’s birthdays for notable Californians:

Music producer Quincy Jones (March 14, 1933), former football quarterback Rodney Peete (March 16, 1966), Clippers player Blake Griffin (March 16, 1989), Orange County Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas (March 18, 1943), singer Adam Levine (March 18, 1979), L.A. City Councilman Mike Bonin (March 19, 1967), Dodgers player Clayton Kershaw (March 19, 1988) and former state Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (March 20, 1934).

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.