Newsletter: Essential California: Protecting zoo animals from the Griffith Park mountain lion

Good morning. It is Thursday, March 17. L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti just sold his old Echo Park home, which was once featured in Dwell magazine. The home sold for above asking — $1.7 million. Here’s what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Rock the vote

With each day that goes by, California becomes more important to the Republican presidential candidates. Because Donald Trump lost the primary in Ohio, it’s unlikely that the nomination will be settled before the state’s primary on June 7. “California’s primary delegates became the pot at the end of the rainbow for the campaigns,” said Ben Ginsberg, a veteran GOP lawyer. Los Angeles Times

Major settlement

The city of Los Angeles will pay $30 million to thousands of people subjected to gang injunction-related curfews long after the injunctions were found to be unconstitutional. Most of that money will go toward job training for gang members. As many as 5,700 people may be eligible for the funds, even if they were never arrested for a curfew violation. Los Angeles Times

Wild kingdom

Zoo officials will move vulnerable animals indoors at night to avoid any future confrontations with P22. It was revealed last week that the mountain lion was suspected in a fatal attack on a koala. Doing this means the Griffith Park mountain lion will not be moved or euthanized. “This is a natural park and home to many species of wildlife. We will continue to adapt to P22 as he has adapted to us,” said a zoo spokeswoman. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

From up above: These photos show California in a diminished state, thanks to drought and wildfires. “There are also photographs of the Central Valley, its once-lush fields turned into brown scar tissue from years of desiccation. And there are images of the chilling devastation that a historic wildfire caused in Lake County last fall.” CityLab

Easing the drought: A close up look at how El Niño has filled up some drought-ravaged reservoirs. Los Angeles Times

L.A. AT LARGE

No action: Dodger outfielder Yasiel Puig will not be disciplined by Major League Baseball under the league’s new domestic violence policy. An investigation by MLB could not substantiate claims that the baseball player hit his sister during a November bar fight. Los Angeles Times

Back to an icon: It’s been two years since celebrities called for boycotting the Beverly Hills Hotel. They were upset that the hotel’s owner, the sultan of Brunei, had implemented Sharia law in his kingdom. But now, actors and moguls are returning for the swimming pool and McCarthy salads, writes Maureen Dowd. New York Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

New apartments: The Oakland City Council signed off on a controversial plan to build a 360-unit apartment building, one-third of which would be set aside for affordable housing. The proposal drew the ire of protesters, who argued the “luxury” housing would be segregated from housing for lower income tenants. SFGate

Campaign of fear: The president of the Los Angeles City Council says Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is preying on voters who are dissatisfied with their lives and looking for someone to blame. “You’re taking everything that people are afraid of and making it an issue,” said Herb Wesson. Los Angeles Times

Student enrollment: A proposed bill would limit the number of out-of-state and international students who can attend college at a University of California campus. During the recession, UC administrators frequently looked to these students to pay higher out-of-state tuition. “This was a necessary evil. They had to do this to keep the lights on,” said Assemblyman Kevin McCarty. Sacramento Bee

CRIME AND COURTS

Help needed: Do you recognize these women? When Los Angeles police searched the home of accused murderer Lonnie Franklin Jr., a.k.a. the Grim Sleeper, in 2010, they found explicit images of 1,000 women. Thirty-five of them remain unidentified. Los Angeles Times

Remembering the past: It’s been 25 years since a shooting over a bottle of orange juice brought to light the tensions between African Americans and Korean Americans in Los Angeles. On March 16, 1991, 15-year-old Latasha Harlins was shot in the back of the head by shop owner Soon Ja Du, who believed the teen was shoplifting some juice. It happened just two weeks after LAPD officers beat Rodney King. Los Angeles Times

Viral crime: A 27-year-old man who tore up San Diego’s streets with an off-road Volkswagen and then posted the video to YouTube pleaded guilty Monday to several charges, including reckless driving. Blake Wilkey was sentenced to 45 days in jail and three years on probation. His video, “Urban Assault: San Diego Shark Attack,” was viewed more than 1.1. million times on YouTube. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Clean up: Christ Cathedral’s 10,000 window panes are getting a cleaning — at a cost of $4.5 million. The project is expected to take a year. Orange County Register

Commencement speaker: Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg will give the keynote address at UC Berkeley’s commencement ceremony this spring. The Daily Californian

Green foods: Five unconventional places to grab a snack in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. LA Weekly

Pristine condition: The Palm Springs home is basically a time capsule. Its interior hasn’t been touched since the home was built in 1969. LAist

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Sacramento will be sunny and 75. San Francisco will be sunny with a high of 68 degrees. In Los Angeles, it will be sunny and 80. Riverside will have lots of sunshine and a high of 84 degrees. San Diego will be sunny and 71.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California Memory comes from Carol A. Brock:

“When I was 11, my parents and I went on vacation in a Volkswagen camper, driving from Michigan to California. First cup of clam chowder, the Redwoods, the Pacific. However, we got to San Francisco, and my parents hated it while I loved it. My father was especially undone by the hippies. They told me that they were leaving San Francisco, and asked me if I wanted to go to Los Angeles. I told them if I couldn’t stay in SF, I wanted to go home. I remember crying all the way across the Oakland Bay Bridge.”

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.