Newsletter: Essential California: L.A. could legalize ‘bootleg’ apartments

Good morning. It is Thursday, April 7. President Obama will be in Los Angeles today for campaign fundraisers. Here’s what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Verdict is in

It took jurors less than two hours to reach a verdict: guilty. Former Undersheriff Paul Tanaka was convicted of conspiracy and obstruction of justice charges and will face as long as 15 years in prison when he is sentenced on June 20. Prosecutors accused Tanaka of leading a scheme to hide an inmate who was acting as an informant to the FBI as part of an investigation into jailhouse abuses. “The undersheriff runs the department. The sheriff is the face,” said one juror. Los Angeles Times

Not a fan

It’s not unusual for cities to offer big incentives — new stadiums, tax breaks — to keep their professional sports teams, but in Adelanto, the City Council is ready to say goodbye to its minor-league baseball team. The High Desert Mavericks pay $1 a year to lease a city-owned field, and the small San Bernardino County community says it can’t afford it anymore. Local politicians even went so far as to call the lease an illegal gift of public funds. Los Angeles Times

Housing permits

The city of Los Angeles is moving forward with a plan to legitimize “bootleg” apartments. However, landlords who have their unpermitted units approved would have to provide affordable housing in exchange. Landlords warn that point could be a dealbreaker. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Water savings: Over the past nine months, Californians saved enough water to supply 6 million residents for a year. Vice

Fire lines: A fire that started in Arizona jumped the Colorado River and triggered mandatory evacuations in Park Moabi. The fire happened in such a remote area it took hours for additional firefighters to get to the scene. Los Angeles Times

L.A. AT LARGE

Wind blows: What is it about the relationship between Angelenos and the Santa Ana winds? “Can we blame the winds? Raymond Chandler isn’t the only one who holds the Santa Anas responsible for bad behavior — they’re said to cause migraines, irritability, even suicides and murders.” Curbed LA

Fries with that?: In Downey, the oldest surviving McDonald’s wants to update itself by adding a drive-through. The fast-food giant hopes adding the feature will boost sales. LAist

Name game: L.A. City Councilman Mitch Englander cannot call himself a police officer on his ballot designation for the June primary for a seat on the Board of Supervisors. A judge ruled Wednesday that the title was misleading and inappropriate as Englander is a full-time politician who volunteers as a reserve officer. Judge Robert H. O’Brien said “reserve” should also be added to Englander’s candidate statement. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Fight for GOP: Efforts to “Stop Trump” are ramping up in California, even though the state’s primary is two months away. “There’s a big fight for the soul of the party going on,” said veteran GOP consultant Rob Stutzman. KQED

Surprise passenger: San Francisco police were surprised to find Mayor Ed Lee in the passenger seat when they pulled over a car Tuesday. The vehicle was an unmarked police car driven by Lt. Luke Martin. The two men were patrolling to get a firsthand look at a neighborhood with rising property crime. NBC Bay Area

GOTV: A new program is pairing U.S. citizens with noncitizens so the two can “share” a vote. “We’re going to have them educate each other about their issues. We’re going to have them educate each other about the process,” said activist Brett Shears. 89.3 KPCC

CRIME AND COURTS

Up in the sky: It’s not a bird or Superman — it’s a government plane doing surveillance on the streets below. Agents with the FBI and Department of Homeland Security are in planes that mute their engines to go undetected. Logs show agents were patrolling above San Bernardino 90 minutes after the Dec. 2 terrorist attack. BuzzFeed

Employment dispute: Three women are suing Ray Irani, the former chief executive of Occidental Petroleum Corp., and his wife saying they allegedly underpaid and overworked them at the couple’s Bel-Air mansion. Two of the women say there were trafficked through Qatar. An attorney for the couple said he was unaware that employees had made such complaints against the Iranis. Los Angeles Times

Caught on tape: The family of a woman shot and killed by Los Angeles police released security footage Wednesday that shows the deadly encounter. About 10 seconds after exiting their car, officers shot Norma Guzman. According to police, Guzman approached them with a knife. “Show some reverence for human life. There’s no way that can be justified,” said an attorney for the family. Los Angeles Times

BUSINESS

Property values: Home sales in the Porter Ranch area were down 20% from December to February, compared with the same time last year, though prices picked up slightly. The community is still recovering from the largest methane leak in U.S. history. “Now that the leak is stopped, we are seeing an increase in activity,” said one agent. Los Angeles Times

Port traffic: More and more, Chinese exporters are bypassing California’s ports. Instead, goods are going straight to places like Houston and Savannah. The Southeast is home to a growing number of factories that import from China. Wall Street Journal

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Singer dies: Singer-songwriter Merle Haggard died Wednesday at his home near Redding at age 79. The musician was considered one of the leading artists of Bakersfield’s honkytonk scene. He was also known as a troublemaker in his youth. Haggard was one of the San Quentin inmates who watched Johnny Cash perform there in 1958. Los Angeles Times

True crime drama: Take it as another sign the ‘90s are having a comeback: NBC will do an eight-episode program on the case of Lyle and Erik Menendez. The two were just 18 and 21 years old when they shot their parents to death in their Beverly Hills mansion. Los Angeles Times

What friends are for: Here are 11 things to know about the man who never left O.J. Simpson’s side, Robert Kardashian. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Sacramento will have some sun and clouds with a high of 77 degrees. San Francisco will have clouds and a high of 65. There will be afternoon showers in Riverside and a high of 74. Los Angeles will have afternoon rain as temperatures reach 70 degrees. San Diego will have brief showers and a high of 69.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California Memory comes from Michael Breid:

“My favorite memory is driving from San Diego to L.A. in the early ‘50s before the freeway. We had to go through Laguna Beach and turn the corner where the Laguna Greeter stood and waved. That old bearded man was always the highlight of our trip!”

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.