Newsletter: Essential California: Meet the new state Hall of Famers

Good morning. It is Wednesday, Sept. 30. Huntington Beach just hosted its annual surfing contest for dogs. Don't worry — the canines wore life jackets. Here's what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Candidate profile

Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris is the daughter of an African American father and an Indian mother, but she shies away from talking about her own experiences with race. "I don't wear my experiences on my sleeve. But my experiences do inform my perspective on the work I do, and on what I believe is possible," she says. Harris is now running for the U.S. Senate. Los Angeles Times

Crime trends 

Homicides are up 11% in Los Angeles this year. Just last weekend, 19 people were shot in Los Angeles, five of them fatally. "This is not Dodge City. And unfortunately it looked a little too much like Dodge City this weekend," Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said. August was the deadliest month in Los Angeles in six years. Los Angeles Times

Health systems

Los Angeles County will consolidate three departments that oversee medical care, mental health and public health. The goal is to better coordinate care for patients. Though there will now be an umbrella organization, each department will keep its own director and budget. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT

Prayers for rain: The water year will start on Thursday, and state officials are praying for rain. "We hope that a year from now we're looking back at water year 2016 with a great deal of satisfaction to see the drought come down to a halt or at least slowed down in its intensity," a spokesman with the Department of Water Resources said. Los Angeles Times

Less honey: The drought has made life tougher for the state's beekeepers. Fallow fields mean bees have fewer crops on which to feed. To make up the difference, beekeepers give their colonies processed bee food. "Otherwise, they're not going to make it, they're going to die,” said Gene Brandi. NPR

Water into wine: Vintners are using wastewater to irrigate their grapes. Researchers at UC Davis say other agriculture producers could adopt similar practices, which ultimately save water. "I think this will be something that will become routine even, with the way that the drought conditions in California have been going; there have been a lot of limitations put on water use by agriculture," researcher Maya Buelow said. Capital Public Radio

L.A. AT LARGE

Art history: A retrospective of architect Frank Gehry's work includes photographs that show the "industrial guts" of Southern California. "The hastily taken snapshots on view at LACMA reveal how much industrial architecture influenced the architect. They also show that factory buildings erected for their functionality and economy are not without moments of tremendous grace." Los Angeles Times

New infrastructure: The city of Los Angeles spent $3,800 on a "smart" bench that is capable of charging two cellphones or other electronics that have a USB cord. The first of the solar-powered benches, called Soofas, was installed in South Los Angeles; 14 more will be placed in the city's remaining council districts. Each one costs about $2,000 more than a regular bench. LA Weekly

Lap of luxury: An estate in Bel-Air is on the market for $115 million. That breaks down to $45 million for the 3-acre lot and $70 million for a planned home that would include an Imax theater, full-service spa and ergonomically designed kitchen. As Time Out noted, that price tag is greater than what the city of L.A. plans to spend to fight homelessness. Los Angeles Times

Popular defense: Diplomatic immunity has been invoked by foreign nationals who run afoul of the law. So what exactly does it mean? Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Hall of Fame: "Peanuts" creator Charles M. Schulz, figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi and actor Robert Downey Jr. will be among the newest honorees inducted into the California Hall of Fame. "Their creativity and perseverance are a real inspiration," Gov. Jerry Brown said. Sacramento Bee

Curse word: The city of Hermosa Beach interviewed 30 people and spent $30,000 to investigate a resident, Chris Miller, for using a swear word against an officer at an election night party. Police Chief Sharon Papa even sent a letter about the incident to the Chamber of Commerce, where Miller served as a board member. The investigation got her kicked off the board. She has since filed a claim against the city. Daily Breeze

Presidential detail: When sixth-grader Richard Cherry LaBourene saw Secret Service agents on his street for a Hillary Rodham Clinton fundraiser, he threw on a suit, tie and earpiece. The get-up impressed agents enough that they gave LaBourene a lapel pin. Then, he got to meet Clinton. CNN

Fighting back: Airbnb released a new report that concluded that the company is not hurting Los Angeles' tight housing market. Airbnb officials say the city's vacancy rate has not changed since it entered the market. Los Angeles Times

CRIME AND COURTS

Cause of death: A UCLA student was stabbed to death during a burglary before her apartment was set on fire. That's according to prosecutors who have charged two men with one count of murder and two counts of burglary each. Alberto Hinojosa Medina and Eric Marquez have both pleaded not guilty. Los Angeles Times

Woman freed: Deputies in Lancaster found a 54-year-old woman malnourished, bruised and battered inside a Lancaster shed. Authorities said the woman was abused by her brother and his girlfriend for almost a year. Los Angeles Times

Prison spending: California's prison population is down by about 30,000 inmates, yet the state is spending $500 million more per year on corrections. Another $1 billion went to counties as part of the realignment program. 89.3 KPCC

Candidate arrested: A candidate for the state Assembly was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving after crashing her Porsche 911 into a parked truck. Deborah Pauly, who is due back in court on Oct. 26, said that in addition to her political campaign, she's been dealing with the stress of a divorce after 32 years of marriage. She's running in a district that includes Anaheim Hills and Lake Forest in Orange County. Orange County Register

Out-of-body: A naked man covered in blood tried to carjack three vehicles in Victorville, including a sheriff's patrol car, authorities said. One witness described the man as looking like a zombie. Police believe that the suspect, 19, was under the influence. Los Angeles Times

BUSINESS

New billionaire: The CEO of Snapchat, Evan Spiegel,  is now the youngest billionaire in the world. The Pacific Palisades native launched the app during his senior year at Stanford. Oracle's Larry Ellison remains the richest Californian with a net worth of $47.5 billion. Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg placed second with $40.3 billion. Los Angeles Times

EDUCATION

Endorsement for reform: When he was L.A.'s mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa made education reform one of his key policy initiatives. Now, he has endorsed a proposal from the Broad Foundation to double the number of charter schools in Los Angeles over the next eight years. "I would support any effort to expand high-quality education," Villaraigosa said. Los Angeles Times

Blue-ribbon schools: The U.S. Department of Education named two Orange County schools Blue Ribbon winners for being "exemplary high-performing schools." Middle College High School and New Horizon School will be recognized along with 333 other schools at a ceremony in November. Orange County Register

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Art show: In celebration of John Lennon's 75th birthday, the San Francisco Art Exchange is showcasing 60 of his prints. The exhibition "Imagine Peace -- The Artwork of John Lennon" will open on Oct. 9. SFGate

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

San Diego will have clear skies and a high of 82 degrees. It will be mostly sunny and 96 in Riverside. Los Angeles will be mostly sunny and 89. San Francisco will have low clouds and 67 degrees.

AND FINALLY

Today's California Memory comes from Donna M. Pursell:

"Years ago, I was visiting my brother in L.A., and we took the NBC tour. The guide informed us, as we crossed a parking lot, that Johnny Carson was due about that time, so our group waited for him. When he arrived, we gave him a round of applause as he got out of his car, and he stopped and chatted with us for a few minutes. That happened a long time ago, but to this day it's still one of my best California memories."

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.