Newsletter: Essential California: Rampage in San Bernardino

Good morning. It is Thursday, Dec. 3. Here's what is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Mass shooting

A mass shooting in San Bernardino left at least 14 people dead and 17 others injured, officials said. The shooters carried long guns and wore masks when they opened fire about 11 a.m. Wednesday inside a conference room of the Inland Regional Center, which was the scene of a get-together for San Bernardino County employees. Los Angeles Times

On the scene

County environmental inspector Kevin Ortiz was shot but managed to call his wife of two weeks and his father amid the chaos of Wednesday. “Kevin said he had been shot three times and that he was in pain but he was all right,” Dyana Ortiz, 23, said. “Then he said, ‘I love you,’ and I said, ‘I love you.” Cellphones served as a lifeline throughout the day for victims trapped inside the Inland Regional Center and their loved ones waiting outside. Los Angeles Times

The suspects

Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik were married with a 6-month-old daughter. The two appeared to be "living the American dream,” said a fellow health inspector who shared a cubicle with Farook. Earlier in the day, Farook had attended his employer’s holiday banquet, but appeared to vanish just as a group picture was about to be taken. San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan said that a dispute of some sort may have taken place before Farook left the party. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Golden State delegation: California will be well represented at the United Nations summit on climate change in Paris. Gov. Jerry Brown is scheduled to arrive on Friday and speak at an event with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. “We want to export what we’ve been able to accomplish so far. What we want to bring back to California is more investment capital,” said Senate leader Kevin de León. Los Angeles Times

Low supply: In 2016, California’s public water agencies may receive just a fraction of the water supply they got this year. “Our historic drought has lasted for years and isn't going to quickly be washed away," said Mark Cowin, director of the Department of Water Resources. Associated Press

L.A. AT LARGE

Pro football's return: New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch is the only NFL owner whose primary residence is in Los Angeles. So what does he think about returning pro football to the city? “If the fans can have a team to root for and support in Los Angeles, I can't think of anything better for football and Los Angeles. It’s been a long time and there have been a lot of — I don’t want to say false starts, but missed opportunities, maybe,” he said. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Ammo exemption: Retired and reserve police officers in Los Angeles will continue to be allowed to own firearm magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition. The L.A. City Council voted 11 to 4 to allow the exemption to a magazine law approved this year. Members of the police union had argued they needed so much ammunition to protect others. Los Angeles Times

Right to an attorney: Citing concerns over confessions from juvenile suspects, Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) announced he will sponsor a bill that provides minors with an attorney during an interrogation. “This is legislation that recognizes what science and the courts have made clear: Youth are different from adults, and our laws need to reflect this difference,” Lara said. Los Angeles Times

CRIME AND COURTS

Impostor sought: In Hollywood, a man posed as a police officer and fondled two women, according to police. One of the victims was also threatened with a handgun. The man is believed to be driving a black Ford Mustang or a purple Cadillac. Los Angeles Times

HOUSING

Cracking down: The Berkeley City Council approved new laws aimed at restricting the behavior of homeless people living on the street. The new ordinances prohibit sleeping in planters, leaving belongings in trees or taking up more than 2 square feet of space on the sidewalk. SFGate

Too darn high: In just the last year, the cost to rent a two-bedroom apartment in California has increased 7.7%. San Francisco and Santa Monica are the two most expensive cities for renters, with two-bedrooms going for more than $4,750 and $4,300 a month, respectively. LA Weekly

Political property: For $1.65 million, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Echo Park home could be yours. This is the house that was famously featured in Dwell back in 2008. Curbed LA

BUSINESS

Health condition: The man with the second-largest holding in Viacom Inc. wants more details on the health of the company’s executive chairman, Sumner Redstone. Mario Gabelli’s call comes as a former girlfriend alleges that Redstone is not mentally competent. Attorneys for the executive call the allegation “preposterous.” Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Different kinda ring: Elizabeth Taylor’s activism on behalf of men and women living with AIDS is well documented, but now Kathy Ireland is saying Taylor was essentially running a pharmaceutical ring out of her Bel-Air mansion by working to get experimental drugs to patients. “A lot of the work that she did, it was illegal, but she was saving lives,” said Ireland. Vanity Fair

Land and sea: Remember when California was just an island? Neither do we, but the idea was quite popular with cartographers just a few hundred years ago. City Lab

Authentic cuisine: Are pre-packaged tortillas ruining Los Angeles’ Mexican food? In Mexico, “corn tortillas are still treated like French baguettes and purchased fresh almost every day.” Vice

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Riverside will be partly sunny with a high of 78. In Los Angeles, it will be sunny and 75. San Diego will be mostly sunny and 75. San Francisco will be breezy, rainy and 58.

AND FINALLY

Today's California Memory comes from Ellen Jones:

“My heart's always in California, where I was born. When I got my driver's license, my dog Jonsey and I drove, chased loose cattle, saw sunsets and sunrises, drove steep, dusty, narrow, mountain oil tracks … the Mojave’s Spring blooming, snow on San Gorgonio, the coast’s blue curve with thumping, ceaseless ocean. One glowing dusk we sat on a hill high above St. John’s Seminary, listening to the Angelus bells, on shadowed fields, misty earth-smell rising, eucalyptus perfume on the air. We watched a mother skunk trailed by a line of four infants. My Jonsey leaned heavy-warm on me. Treasure.”

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.