Newsletter: Essential California: When a turf rebate becomes a tax burden

Good morning. It is Tuesday, Oct. 13. Here's what is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Sark is out

USC football coach Steve Sarkisian has been fired. "Now the pressure is on Athletic Director Pat Haden, a former star quarterback at the school who has been criticized for not fully vetting Sarkisian before hiring him two years ago and for not taking more decisive action when the coach's behavior began to erode." Los Angeles Times

Tax break

Buy a Tesla, get a $25,000 tax credit. Customers who purchase the company’s new Model X could qualify for a tax break that was intended to help farmers spend more freely on equipment. The IRS determines the break based on the weight of the vehicle, and at more than 6,000 pounds, the Model X is likely to qualify. Los Angeles Times

Liquor store outreach

In Koreatown, community organizers are reaching out to liquor store owners to help curb problems like public urination, underage drinking and loitering. “The Koreatown youth group explains state law to liquor store owners, the majority of whom are immigrants. It discusses such requirements as checking identification, and keeping 70% of a window’s surface clear.” Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT

Rebate taxes: One Pasadena homeowner ran the numbers on water conservation before she made the decision to rip out her lawn. What pushed her toward the decision was a rebate from the Metropolitan Water District. Now, customers are finding out they may have to pay federal income tax on the rebate. Los Angeles Times

Where am I? California is in desperate need of water. Mars appears to have some resources available, or at least it did at one time. The landscapes in the two places actually look pretty similar. Can you tell them apart in a new quiz? 89.3 KPCC

L.A. AT LARGE

New exhibit: For the first time, Chicano artists have their own exhibit at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach. It took more than 20 years to make that happen, because the museum originally had a rule that it would display works only from artists who had lived in Latin America. “One of the things that surprised me about [the policy] was that it meant that there was no representation of the local community at the museum,” said museum president Stuart Ashman. Los Angeles Times

Education mandate: Fifty years after it was founded, Cal State Dominguez Hills is the most diverse campus in the state college system. "We're doing a good job in that transformation, but a lot more needs to be done," President Willie J. Hagan said of the college’s mission to change its surrounding community. Los Angeles Times

Housing demand: The number of residents in downtown L.A. has more than tripled since 2000. Developers can’t build condos and lofts there fast enough. On the flip side, offices sit empty. NPR

Nap time: Mayor Eric Garcetti is a really great sleeper. That’s one of the takeaways from a new Q&A. “I can sleep in cars. I’ve slept on subways. I’ve slept on jumping speedboats and even trotting horses. I don’t have any problem turning off my mind and falling asleep,” he says. Fast Company

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

School bill vetoed: A bill that would have required the state Department of Education to create an ethnic studies program was vetoed by the governor. Jerry Brown said the bill was redundant, as another state panel has already been tasked with changing standards to include courses on ethnic studies. Los Angeles Times

Serious allegations: ESPN postponed the release of “Down in the Valley,” a documentary about the Sacramento Kings, because of allegations Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson molested a teenager 20 years ago. Johnson was never charged with a crime, but he and the accuser did reach a financial settlement in 1997. The allegations were covered by the media when Johnson ran for office in 2008 but resurfaced in the last few days after a videotape of the accuser’s testimony was made public. Sacramento Bee | Deadspin

CRIME AND COURTS

LAPD lawsuit: The officer who trained former LAPD Officer Christopher Dorner is now suing the Los Angeles Police Department for racial discrimination. The LAPD took away Dorner’s badge in 2009 after concluding he made false statements against Sgt. Terie Evans. As a result of Dorner’s claims, Evans, who is white, says she was harassed by supervisors and blocked from receiving promotions or overtime pay. Los Angeles Times

Stranger than fiction: Before Emmy-winning producer Andre Bauth was accused of stabbing his roommate Clayton Haymes, he reportedly wrote a film about a landlord who murders his tenants. Though he didn’t find success in Hollywood, Bauth created a business of renting rooms to actors and musicians who hoped to make it big, according to LA Weekly. After Bauth fled to Mexico, he emailed his agents to see if there might be a way to leverage the negative publicity from the incident, the publication says, and Haymes did the same. LA Weekly

Wrongful-death case: The next chapter in the Kelly Thomas case is about to get underway in Orange County. It’s the wrongful-death lawsuit that his father brought after Thomas died following a violent encounter with Fullerton police. “The lawsuit for me is really about accountability. It’s for the city Police Department to acknowledge that they did wrong,” said Ron Thomas. Orange County Register

Mayor shot: Former Ventura Mayor Gregory Carson was shot when he came home to find a burglar. Police said his injuries are not life-threatening. Alejandro Valdez, 26, was arrested in connection with the shooting. Authorities say the two men knew each other but couldn’t elaborate on a motive. Ventura County Star

Unusual circumstances: Police responded to reports of a strange odor at an Ontario motel Monday. Inside one of the rooms, they found Alfred Guerrero and a decomposing body. Because it was not immediately clear how the person died, Guerrero was not arrested. Los Angeles Times

EDUCATION

Changing names: In the Central Valley, where three schools use Redskins as their mascots, there’s anger and confusion over a state law that will end use of the controversial term. “We're the Redskin Warriors — we've made it into a positive. I just don't understand, we're not trying to offend anyone,” said a teenage running back at Tulare Union High. Los Angeles Times

Commuter students: Why are 200 children in San Diego County waking up at 5 a.m. to commute to a performing arts school in Santa Ana? “Kids are seen acting in the hallways and doing what they want to do, expressing themselves. They love it,” said one parent whose child attends the Orange County School of the Arts. San Diego Union-Tribune

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Generational fight: When you write about what you think is wrong with young adults, don’t be too surprised when they take offense — and take to social media. The “millennials” that columnist Chris Erskine wrote about “proved to be frightfully smug and humorless over the whole thing,” he writes in a follow-up. Los Angeles Times

Wedding crasher: President Obama unintentionally ended up at a wedding as he finished a round a golf at Torrey Pines this weekend. POTUS stopped to take a few pictures with the bride and groom. The Youngrens

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

San Diego will be humid with a high of 83. In Los Angeles, it will be partly sunny and 89. Riverside will be partly sunny and 94 degrees. San Francisco will be partly sunny and 77.

AND FINALLY

Today's California Memory comes from Darrel Wilson:

"I grew up in the Santa Clara Valley in a small tract surrounded by orchards. As the end of school came, Bing cherries ripened and all us kids went to school with our pockets filled. And then there were the fruit fights ... What fun!"

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.