Newsletter: Essential California: Move over for a younger political class

Good morning. It is Thursday, Nov. 19. The city of Beverly Hills is getting a very fancy dog park. Here's what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Crisis versus emergency

L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti will not declare a "state of emergency" for the city's growing homeless population — yet. The mayor appeared to leave the door open for a declaration in the future. In the meantime, critics and residents are trying to make sense of the City Council's declared "shelter crisis" and new rules regulating when a homeless individual's property can be taken away. Los Angeles Times

Health outcomes

The state's Medi-Cal program was greatly expanded under the Affordable Care Act and now insures 1 in 3 Californians. But a study out of UC Davis finds that those patients don't fare much better than the uninsured when it came to cancer treatment. People on Medi-Cal were less likely than those on other insurance plans to have their cancers caught at an early stage and then receive recommended treatments. Los Angeles Times 

New political class

In southeast Los Angeles County, the towns of Cudahy, Bell, Maywood, Huntington Park and South Gate are embracing young, well-educated politicians who have a knack for social media. That combination of qualities could ultimately bring more transparency to a region that has long been plagued by scandal. "The old one was based on local friendships and ties. The new one promises to be more open and accessible to everyone," said Nina Eliasoph, professor of sociology at USC. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Get your umbrellas: The 1997-98 El Niño hit Laguna Beach hard. It dumped 35 inches of rain and caused more than 300 landslides across the coastal town. With a new El Niño expected to bring heavy rains beginning in January, Laguna is preparing for the worst. Los Angeles Times

Water management: A report from the Public Policy Institute of California finds that the state is not set up to manage water effectively during a drought. Capital Public Radio

Business opportunity: The drought has been good business for the water delivery industry but tough for customers. "A lot of these folks have never had to deal with this. It's all drought-related. They've never had to deal with a water issue until just this year," said Garrett McInnis of H20 to Go. Jefferson Public Radio

L.A. AT LARGE

Leisurely drive: What happened when a Times writer took a bright blue Aston Martin V12 Vantage S convertible for a spin in Topanga Canyon? "We were careful not to push the Aston Martin too hard. The speed limit along this stretch of Mulholland is 45 mph, and the CHP guards it assiduously — especially on the weekends." Los Angeles Times

Studio recovers: It has been a year since hackers infiltrated Sony Pictures Entertainment's system and released the personal information of tens of thousands of employees as well as embarrassing emails between executives and talent. Sony CEO Michael Lynton says that although acquaintances and strangers still bring up the hack every few weeks, he just brushes it off: "When you walk around the studio now, oddly, it feels very much the way it did before the hack. It feels like we're back to normal and that we're very much down to business. And that to me is the greatest triumph." Los Angeles Times

Secret passageways: Take a tour of the tunnels crisscrossing downtown L.A.'s Civic Center. "Hidden beneath government administrative buildings near Bunker Hill, some of these concrete footpaths have been around since the early 20th century. Their origins aren't clear, but stories of their many legendary uses abound." City Lab

Homeless in L.A.: A video look at the men and women living on Los Angeles' streets, whether in a tent or an RV. Los Angeles Times

Landmark status: The home built by the woman behind Mrs. Cubbison's stuffing mix could soon be a historic landmark. Casa de Mi Sueño was built in Mount Washington in 1936 by Sophie Cubbison and her husband, Harry. Eastsider LA

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Planning rules: A group called the Coalition to Preserve L.A. will pursue a ballot measure that could restrict "mega developments" that require changes to city planning rules. The president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Michael Weinstein, is part of the group. He is currently opposing two 30-story towers that could be built next to the Hollywood Palladium. Los Angeles Times

Election papers: Former Orange County Assessor Webster Guillory was found guilty of two misdemeanors for filing false nomination documents in relation to his failed 2014 reelection bid. Guillory defended himself by saying he inadvertently signed two papers that he should not have signed. He faces a maximum of two years in prison and a $2,000 fine. Orange County Register

CRIME AND COURTS

Fertility ruling: A San Francisco judge ruled Wednesday that embryos frozen by a couple before they divorced must be "thawed and discarded." The wife, Dr. Mimi C. Lee, wanted to keep the embryos, as she says they were her only chance at having a child given her age, 46, and history of cancer. Her ex-husband blocked the move, pointing to a consent form the two had signed that specifically stated that the embryos would be destroyed if their marriage ended in divorce. Los Angeles Times

Suicide rates: Why are so many high school students in Silicon Valley killing themselves? "The thinking behind it is often obsessive and then impulsive; a kid can be ruminating about the train for a long time and then one night something ordinary — a botched quiz, a breakup — leads him or her to the tracks." The Atlantic

Burglary call: Why did 19 Santa Monica police officers, with their guns drawn, order an African American woman out of her own home? She says it's because a white neighbor who did not know her called to report a burglary at the apartment. Fay Wells writes about her experience and her frustration with the police. Washington Post

Dinner confiscated: Custom agents at LAX discovered 450 tamales on a passenger arriving from Mexico this month. Had the tamales been of the sweet or all-masa varieties, they may have been OK, but because they contained pork, agents confiscated and incinerated them. The passenger was fined $1,000 because agents believed he planned to sell the tamales. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Ice cream party: Burlesque bar Jumbo's Clown Room is celebrating its 45th anniversary with a new tasty treat from Coolhaus to go along with the pole dancing. The ice cream sandwich includes Italian Amarena cherries, stone-ground dark chocolate, Maker's Mark bourbon and salt, with a little waffle cone hat on top. That's to make it look like a clown, of course. LAist

Happiest porch on Earth: A reporter decided to spend all day sitting on the "front porch" at Disneyland and lived to tweet about it. Orange County Register

Cars, cars, cars: Live updates from the Los Angeles Auto Show. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

San Diego will be sunny with a high of 79. In Los Angeles, there will be sunshine and 82 degrees. Riverside will be sunny and 84. In San Francisco, it will be mostly sunny and 64 degrees.

AND FINALLY

Today's California Memory comes from Leisa Vladimiroff:

"On weekends in the late 1960s, we would leave our home in San Gabriel and drive to San Diego to visit my grandfather. On the drive down I-5 through Orange County, you could see miles and miles of orange groves, and the scent of oranges would drift in through the rolled-down windows of my parents' Nash Rambler. I can still remember that luscious scent mixed with golden sunlight surrounding me."

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.