Newsletter: Essential California: What exactly does public beach access mean?

Good morning. It is Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7. California home buyers, you are not welcome in Portland, Ore. Here's what's happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

New market

More and more, Hollywood studios and agencies are looking to China for money and new audiences. But they’re slowly learning that their goals may not align with those of Chinese investors. “Some investors are more interested in appearing to be in business with Hollywood than in putting serious money into deals.… In other cases, entertainment industry leaders say, Chinese companies are looking to learn strategies and techniques to make their own film industry a stronger competitor.” Los Angeles Times

Sand aid

The fight over access to public beaches in Malibu continues, according to columnist Steve Lopez. Even a rep from the California Coastal Commission, who knows which parts of the beach are public and which are private, was confronted by a security guard and two sheriff’s deputies when she tried to visit the sand owned by taxpayers. “How about if sheriff's deputies research the law and enforce it properly, rather than act as free armed guards for millionaires?” Lopez writes. Los Angeles Times

District leadership 

A Los Angeles Times analysis finds that when John Deasy was superintendent of the L.A. Unified School District, he was on the road 200 days out of his three and a half years in office and often courted wealthy donors to subsidize his travel. “At key moments of tumult in the district, the records show, Deasy was simply not in town.” Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT

Lessons from the past: With Californians conserving so much water in the drought, experts are beginning to look at what this will mean for the state’s long-term water needs. They say they might take a cue from the energy sector. “In the last quarter century or so, a 'soft path' to energy reliability — one built on conservation, innovation and mutual incentives for buyers and sellers alike — has replaced the brute strategy of building all the generation plants needed to power all of the state all of the time.” Los Angeles Times

Drought victims: Is the depletion of groundwater the hidden victim of the California drought? And what about the state’s fish populations? Vice

Drought in pictures: A photo gallery shows the extent of the drought’s impact on California. SF Gate

L.A. AT LARGE

Vintage vessel: The boat that has long hosted the “Flying Fish Voyage” out of Santa Catalina Island is retiring. “The Blanche is not being taken out of commercial service because she's old and slow. It's because she is no longer commercially viable,” said Collier Cook, a vice president for the Catalina Island Co., which owns the vessel. Los Angeles Times

New goal: Now that he’s helped get the LAPD equipped with body cameras, Police Commission President Steve Soboroff says he wants to turn his attention to Los Angeles’ poverty problem. “It’s hard to be poor. It’s hard for a kid not to have a playground, not to have two parents at home, to have 65 kids in their class, to grow up around gangs,” he says. Los Angeles Magazine

Thanks, Obama: Just how bad is traffic when the president comes to town for a visit? Data from the traffic app Waze show how drivers responded to the barricades and presidential motorcade. Quartz

Turf battles: Homeowner groups can no longer ban artificial turf from their neighbors’ lawns thanks to a new law signed by Gov. Jerry Brown. Also on the governor’s desk were bills on drones, voter turnout and the sale of ivory. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Pension benefits: In 2012, Los Angeles city leaders moved to reduce pension benefits for future employees. But a new labor contract that’s about to be voted on by the L.A. City Council would reverse that decision and add nearly 2,200 onto to the older, more expensive plan. City leaders believe they’ll save money in the long term by lowering the starting salaries of new employees. Los Angeles Times

Future care: Since the recession, California has cut an estimated $1 billion in funding for the developmentally disabled. Now, among aging parents, there’s growing concern about what will happen to their adult children once they are no longer there to care for them. “What’s so sad about it is the most important question parents have is, ‘What is going to happen to my child when I’m gone? Where are they going to live?’ Right now, our system is so unstable,” according to the executive director of the Assn. of Regional Care Agencies. Daily News

Environmental policies: When it comes to environmental regulations, what is the right balance between input from state legislators and the California Air Resources Board? “There's a wide gulf between ensuring appropriate legislative oversight — which the administration is, of course, willing to discuss — and erecting real barriers that prevent the hard work necessary to fight climate change,” said a spokesman for the governor. Los Angeles Times

GOP debate: The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation is getting ready to host 16 presidential hopefuls. “You have 16 candidates, so you have 16 different personalities to deal with and 16 different staff organizations,” said John Heubusch, executive director of the foundation. The debate is Sept. 16. Sacramento Bee

COURTS AND CRIME

Jurisdiction: Federal judges are speaking up about their inability to intervene in state cases. “We now have to stand by in impotent silence, even though it may appear to us that an innocent person has been convicted," Judge Alex Kozinski, a Reagan appointee, wrote in June in a Georgetown law review. Los Angeles Times

Weekend violence: Two men were killed and three others wounded in shootings this weekend in South L.A. and Compton. The shootings come as the LAPD is beefing up security in South  Los Angeles to curb a recent spike in crime. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Blast from the past: A look back at Southern California’s greatest theme park attractions that, sadly, no longer exist today. Orange County Register

Curves ahead: Just how scary are the ramps on the 110 Freeway? This new video takes a look at what was once, but is no longer, a modern marvel. GOOD Magazine

Water warning: Dogs and other animals should stay out of the Russian River. Officials say there’s an algae bloom there that can be toxic if ingested. SFist

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Los Angeles will be clear and 88 degrees. San Francisco will have clear skies and 80 degrees. There will be sunshine and 96 degrees in Riverside.  San Diego will be sunny and 83.

AND FINALLY

This week’s birthdays for famous Californians:

Actor Adam Sandler (Sept. 9), L.A. Councilman Jose Huizar (Sept. 10), ballet dancer Misty Copeland (Sept. 10), former Rep. Henry Waxman (Sept. 12), L.A. Councilman Bob Blumenfield (Sept. 13).

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.