Newsletter: Essential California: Major win for the teachers union

Good morning. It is Tuesday, Aug. 23. A new candy store in Garden Grove is importing Turkish candy made with fruits and nuts. The lokum looks delicious. Here’s what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Caught on tape

Video newly released to the Los Angeles Times shows the controversial arrest of Clinton Alford Jr. in 2014. The video shows Officer Richard Garcia rushing up a street where two officers were holding Alford down on the ground. He is then seen kicking and punching Alford before pressing his knee into the man’s back for two minutes. Earlier this year, Garcia pleaded no contest to a felony assault charge in a deal with prosecutors that would let him avoid jail time. Los Angeles Times

Teacher tenure

The California Supreme Court declined to hear a case Monday that challenged job protections for teachers, like tenure and seniority-based layoffs. Attorneys for a group of nine students had argued such protections worsen the achievement gap that separates white, Asian and wealthier students from their lower-income, black and Latino peers. Los Angeles Times

Art fight

Around 1530, German Renaissance painter Lucas Cranach the Elder painted his Adam and Eve masterpieces. Today they sit in the Norton Simon Museum, but for at least 100 years, there’s been an ongoing dispute over who owns the pieces. In this latest chapter, a U.S. District Court has ruled the paintings should stay in Pasadena despite claims the works were looted by the Nazis. Los Angeles Times

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L.A. AT LARGE

Summer vacation: California’s coast isn’t just becoming too expensive for residents — tourists are afraid they will soon be priced out. Columnist Steve Lopez visited a hotel in Hermosa Beach where some families have been vacationing for decades. “The customers helped build this business up, and three generations of families have been coming here. We just don’t want to price them out,” said Darrell Greenwald, whose family has owned the Sea Sprite since 1966. Los Angeles Times

Preservation mix-up: Hollywood preservationists are livid that the stained glass in a former Gothic Revival church has gone missing. The church is being converted into office space, and an area planning commission insisted the outside of the building could not be changed. However, the building department issued a permit — in error — to “change all window glazing.” Los Angeles Times

Bad reactions: Fourteen people on Skid Row were taken to the hospital Monday after authorities believe they shared an illicit drug or other substance. Three days ago, it was 18 people who ended up in the hospital. Some of those patients said they had taken spice, a synthetic form of marijuana. Los Angeles Times

Riding the rails: Here are nine tips for taking the Metro Expo Line, though some are only helpful if you’ve literally never been on public transit. Los Angeles Magazine

Lots of ships: Los Angeles’ inaugural Fleet Week will come to the Port of Los Angeles the week before Labor Day. Daily Breeze

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Environmental policy: Do California’s climate change policies favor the rich? “A poor person in my community doesn’t see a person driving a Tesla and say, ‘That benefits me,’” said Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez, who represents Elysian Park and Echo Park. Los Angeles Times

Power play: Is Riverside County saying goodbye to Southern California Edison? Officials are exploring the idea of a “community choice aggregator,” which would allow the county to purchase energy directly from power providers. The move could save the average home $50 to $55 a year. Desert Sun

CRIME AND COURTS

Moving to the left: The California Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the death sentence of Gary Grimes shows how it has tilted to the left in recent years. “The Brown appointees do not always agree with each other, but they appear to be gently pushing the court in a new direction.” Los Angeles Times

Vulnerable position: Leticia Soto thought she would find a better life in Los Angeles after fleeing an abusive marriage in Mexico. Instead, she faced years of sexual harassment and assault while she worked as an overnight janitor. Stories like Soto’s prompted Assemblywoman Lorena González (D-San Diego) to introduce a bill to strengthen protections against sexual harassment and create a janitorial contractor registration system. Vida en el Valle

Protecting inmates: Are authorities in San Diego County doing enough to protect mentally ill inmates from themselves? Jails there had two dozen suicides between 2010 and 2015. KPBS

Drug arrest: Former USC and Raiders quarterback Todd Marinovich was found naked and roaming around an Irvine backyard this weekend. Authorities said Marinovich, who has a history of drug arrests, had methamphetamine and marijuana on him. Los Angeles Times

Musician killed: Rapper Kid Cali, whose real name is Justin Lishey, was fatally shot at a pool party in Granada Hills Saturday night. Two other people were injured when shots rang out at the “Millions of Models Mansion Pool Party” event. A deputy chief with the LAPD said officers are reviewing security camera footage for clues. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Under the sea: A new expedition is documenting sea life around the Channel Islands. “We’re going to be pioneers of a place that has 10 million people living around it, but nobody knows anything about,” said Geoff Shester, Oceana’s California program director. Los Angeles Times

Fish gotta swim: Environmentalists plan to sue San Bernardino, Colton and a water treatment authority over the killing of Santa Ana suckers. “Once again we are having to take legal action to protect these fish from going extinct in their namesake river,” said Ileene Anderson, a biologist with the Center for Biological Diversity. Los Angeles Times

EDUCATION

Bus, train, car: Skyrocketing rents are pushing families out of the Bay Area, and that’s affecting the schools there. In some cases, enrollment has dropped. At other schools, students commute as much as three hours to get to class. Mercury News

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Local favorite: In-N-Out’s CEO says she has no plans to franchise or go public. And that means it’s unlikely the burger chain will end up on the East Coast. SFGate

New display: A new Ed Ruscha mural is coming to the Arts District. “Ruscha is now 78, and it’s his older face, leaner, more knowing, that will look over downtown’s askew street grid.” Zócalo Public Square

Secret ingredient: In San Francisco, one man tried to re-create the tasty bagels of New York. He discovered the secret ingredient after 300 bagels and a one-on-one with a baker: lye. New York Times

Urine trouble: So many people are using BART elevators as bathrooms that officials spent $340,000 to coat the floors with a spray that will prevent urine from getting inside the machines. East Bay Times

Football fan: Times are good for Jim Hardy, 93. The former USC Trojan, L.A. Ram and general manager of the Coliseum Commission is pretty happy to see the Rams back in town. “You can’t play unless you love it,” he says. Daily News

Baller move: Barbra Streisand didn’t like the way the iPhone’s Siri function pronounced her name, so she called up Apple CEO Tim Cook and told him to change it. BuzzFeed

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Sacramento will be mostly sunny with a high of 89. San Francisco will have low clouds and a high of 67. In Los Angeles, there will be areas of clouds as temperatures reach 82 degrees. It will be sunny and 92 in Riverside. San Diego will be 78 degrees.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California Memory comes from Herb Ortiz:

“Growing up in the ‘60s in Santa Fe Springs, we lived across from the Bell Brand (“If it’s Bell, it’s Swell!”) potato chips factory. We often played baseball in the unfenced parking lot, and the workers in the loading docks would often give us bags of chips. On weekends, when the factory was closed, we continued to use the parking lot as our playground. In addition to our regular games, we would climb the stacked wooden crates, which delivered the potatoes to the factory. Sadly, the factory closed in the ‘90s. Up to this day when I drive by the factory, I recall all the fond memories of those childhood years.”

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.