Newsletter: Essential: Why did LAFD miss fire inspections?

Good morning. It is Tuesday, June 16. Here's what's happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Supply, demand and the law

With housing prices continuing to climb and becoming out of reach for many Californians, the state Supreme Court on Monday endorsed a key tool to encourage low-cost housing. The court found that cities can require developers to build affordable housing as a condition of a building permit. The decision centered on a San Jose law that made developers of 20 units or more set aside 15% of housing for below-market rates. Developers sued, arguing that the requirement represented a taking of private property. Los Angeles Times

Negotiating the budget 

Legislative Democrats have sent Gov. Jerry Brown a budget that he may not support. It includes more spending than he wants for things like public universities and state-sponsored child care. Negotiations are continuing. State Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) said the gap between the Legislature's budget and the governor's amounts to "a rounding error." Los Angeles Times

Lapsed inspections

The Los Angeles Fire Department is months and sometimes even years behind on inspecting thousands of apartment buildings, schools, hotels and churches, according to an investigation by the Los Angeles Times. The list of buildings overdue for an inspection includes the Millennium Biltmore Hotel and Park La Brea apartment complex, which is home to 10,000 residents. A deputy chief attributed the inspection lapses to staff cuts made during the recession. Los Angeles Times 

DROUGHT

Big footprint, big thirst: This should come as no surprise -- Disneyland, Orange County's largest employer and one of its largest properties, is also its top water consumer. Disney's Anaheim Resort diverts water back to the county's Groundwater Replenishment System, which takes waste water, purifies it and injects it back into the ground to replenish underground drinking water basins. Orange County Register

Green beer-making: It takes six barrels of water to make one barrel of beer. A new brewery along the Los Angeles River, Dry River Brewing, hopes to lower that ratio to 1:1. It's part of the owner's efforts to be a zero-waste business. Los Angeles Times

Answering to neighbors: It's a Catch-22 for wealthy and water-conscious homeowners -- their homeowner associations won't allow drought-tolerant landscaping and they'll fine residents who allow their lawns to go brown. But an attorney says those homeowners groups can't fine owners who are just trying to follow the state's regulations. Los Angeles Times

Still life: At Bacara Resort & Spa, local artists were brought in to turn dry fountains into new pieces of art. Los Angeles Times

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L.A. AT LARGE

The mayor's itinerary: When protesters blocked Mayor Eric Garcetti's car last week to protest the shooting of Ezell Ford, the mayor told them he had to go to Washington, D.C., to lobby for money for the homeless. What he didn't add was that he was going for a fundraiser for his 2017 reelection campaign. A schedule provided by the mayor's office did not include the fundraiser, however; a picture from the event popped up on Twitter. Los Angeles Times (video)

Life on the streets: The L.A. City Council is considering a proposal that would make it easier to remove the belongings of homeless men and women from city streets. This photo essay shows what some of the city’s 26,000 homeless residents keep with them. Los Angeles Times (Photo gallery)

Updated mall: The outdoor mall is a symbol of Los Angeles, and just like some of the city's other famous residents, one mall is ready for a face-lift. Westfield Century City is getting an $800-million upgrade, and curious shoppers can check out a preview in a new video. Curbed LA

A neighborhood in flux: An Eagle Rock resident writes from the front lines of gentrification: "In an ideal situation, our neighborhood would feel like a place the janitor, Occidental College student, and the gallery owner could call home." Zocalo Public Square

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Feinstein versus the CIA: For Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), exposing the CIA's use of torture is the most important work of her political career. But to do so, she had to fight the intelligence community and the White House. "Feinstein is sometimes described as a centrist, but it is because her views are varied, not because they are mild; she thinks of herself, more accurately, as a pragmatist." The New Yorker

COURTS AND CRIME

Murder trial to proceed: It was a sensational missing-persons case when the McStay family disappeared in 2010. No one knew what happened to the family until 2013, when their bodies were found in shallow graves near Victorville. Now, a judge says there is enough evidence to try Charles Merritt for murder. Police believe that at least three members of the family were killed with a sledgehammer. San Bernardino Sun

A family matter: Myles Sachs is responsible for things foreign to most 23-year-olds. He runs his family's property management company and serves as the patriarch to his younger siblings, one of whom is paralyzed. That brother is paralyzed because on a February night in 2014, Myles' brother Ashton is alleged to have shot and killed their parents and then shot at two of his siblings. "A tight-knit family betrayed by one of their own." Orange County Register

Theme park death: A 10-year-old girl who lost consciousness after riding a looping roller coaster at Magic Mountain has died. The ride was temporarily shut down as park officials investigated. Los Angeles Times

GOLDEN STATE PERSPECTIVES

A vote not to rush: Is Secretary of State Alex Padilla asking for too much too soon by calling on counties to send every registered voter a mail-in ballot while the state also works to pass and implement a new "motor voter" law? That's the question posed by the L.A. Times editorial board. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Stadium's ruins: A visit to Candlestick Park in San Francisco, which is in the midst of being manually dismantled. Deadspin (Photo gallery)

What did you bring me? From a bamboo cat clock to cayenne salted caramel corn, the Los Angeles County Store has some of the city's funkiest gifts. Travel and Leisure

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

It is going to be a hot one in Riverside. Temperatures there will reach 94 degrees. San Francisco will have patchy clouds and fog with a high of 69. Los Angeles will have clouds in the morning before reaching a high of 83 degrees. In San Diego, it will be mostly sunny and 69 degrees.

AND FINALLY

The Golden State Warriors will travel to play the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 6 of the NBA Finals at 6 p.m. The Warriors lead the best-of-seven series, three games to two.

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