Newsletter: Essential California: Skirting ‘green’ rules at Port of L.A.

Good morning. It is Tuesday, Dec. 15. A little girl from Murrieta visited Santa Claus at Disneyland and told him that all she wanted this holiday was for her father, a U.S. Marine, to return from deployment. Then, she discovered that Santa had a magic bell that could make wishes come true. Here's what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Rules don’t apply

When China Shipping North America wanted to expand at the Port of Los Angeles seven years ago, port officials OK'd the construction on the condition that new “green” standards were met to reduce harmful emissions. However, new documents show that almost as soon as that agreement was reached, top port officials started waiving the requirements. The former director of the port, Geraldine Knatz, said then-Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa wanted the port to remain “flexible” with its tenants during the economic downturn. Los Angeles Times

Missed connections

U.S. officials missed early signs that San Bernardino shooter Tashfeen Malik supported Islamic jihad and hoped to join the cause. Authorities have now recovered two private Facebook messages she sent to friends in Pakistan back in 2012 and 2014 before she came to the United States on a K-1 fiancee visa. Los Angeles Times

American and Muslim

What is it like to be a young American Muslim today, in the wake of terrorist attacks and calls from presidential candidates to block people from entering the country? “I think a lot of young Muslims share some resentment about feeling like we need to apologize when we have done nothing wrong,” said a 21-year-old man. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Season suspended: It’s quiet on the docks of San Francisco. The Dungeness crab season was suspended after a toxic algae bloomed this year amid rising ocean temperatures. The algae can sicken or kill humans. “Crab here is like a religion,” said Larry Collins, who fished with his wife for more than three decades. Los Angeles Times

Why so many almonds? For a time, almonds were considered a villain of the California drought, sucking up as much as one gallon of water per nut. So why is almond production up in the Golden State? “The boom of almonds that we’re seeing today is not due to the most recent plantings — it’s due to the years before, most of them pre-drought.” Gizmodo

Changing seawater: Fourteen years after construction began, the largest desalination plant in the Western Hemisphere is set to open in the coming days in Carlsbad. The plant, owned by Poseidon, will be able to produce 50 million gallons of fresh water a day — roughly 8 to 10% of San Diego County’s supply. “About 15 other desalination projects have been proposed for the state’s coastline, from the San Francisco Bay Area to Southern California. The figure doesn’t include those in Mexico that would serve San Diego County to varying degrees.” San Diego Union-Tribune

L.A. AT LARGE

Developer charged: Developer Mohamed Hadid is known for building over-the-top mansions on Los Angeles’ tony Westside. (He’s also known for showing up on the Bravo network’s various reality shows.) But this time, L.A. city officials say he’s gone too far. They are charging him with three misdemeanors in connection with continuing to work on an unapproved Bel-Air mansion. Los Angeles Times

Who lives here? Speaking of Mohamed Hadid, a New York Times investigation looks at how shell companies factor into his business. Those LLCs can make it difficult to figure out who really owns a property and therefore who can be held responsible. New York Times

Olympic construction: How challenging could it be to turn an old rail yard into the athletes’ village for the 2024 Olympic Games? Just a mile from Piggyback Yard is Albion Riverside Park, a significantly smaller plot of land that will become usable green space after a $38-million makeover that began in 2009. “The cost of acquiring the rail yard, cleaning the soil and building an Olympic Village could reach upward of $2 billion — double the price first floated by L.A. Olympic organizers in bidding documents this year.” Los Angeles Times

Christmas fire: A giant Christmas tree outside the Westin South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa went up in smoke early Monday morning. Fire officials are trying to determine what caused the 96-foot-tall tree to catch on fire. “It's still standing but it's gone,” Costa Mesa police Sgt. Matt Selinske said. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Losing relevancy: The California chapter of the National Organization for Women has seen its clout shrink over the last decade as it has gotten rid of many full-time employees, closed down its Sacramento office and stopped spending money to lobby state lawmakers. “Frankly, it has left a vacuum in the overall pursuit of women’s issues,” said state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara). Los Angeles Times

Controversial comments: Rep. Loretta Sanchez is defending herself after she made comments that some called anti-Muslim. Speaking to Larry King last week, Sanchez, a candidate for the U.S. Senate, suggested that as many as 20% of Muslims want to attack the Western way of life. “I believe that most Muslim Americans are committed to peace and democracy,” she said Monday. Los Angeles Times

CRIME AND COURTS

More lawsuits: Comedian Bill Cosby is countersuing seven women he says are making false rape accusations for financial gain. The women originally sued Cosby for defamation, accusing his lawyers of branding them as liars for going public with their allegations of rape and sexual misconduct. “To suggest that these ladies — each and every one of them — got together and orchestrated a campaign against Mr. Cosby is hard to fathom,” according to an attorney for the women. Los Angeles Times

Hair allegations: Is a product from a popular Hollywood stylist making women’s hair fall out? That’s the allegation made in a new class-action lawsuit filed by 200 people who used Wen products from Chaz Dean. Attorneys for the product deny there’s any connection between the cleansing conditioner and customers’ hair loss. BuzzFeed

Woman trapped: Two San Francisco police officers who regularly check in on an 84-year-old woman came to her rescue last month after discovering she had become trapped in a sofa bed. The woman had been there for 12 hours before officers discovered her. Had the officers not made the stop, it would have been four more days before a healthcare worker visited the home. SFGate

Appeal denied: A $5.7-million judgment against two Los Angeles police officers will stand now that the U.S. Supreme Court has declined to take up the appeal. In 2005, the officers shot a fleeing gang member, saying they thought he had a gun. He did not. Robert Contreras was left paralyzed and sued, arguing the cops used excessive force. Los Angeles Times

Body found: Police say a 30-year-old man may have drowned in MacArthur Park Lake. His body was recovered Monday, and authorities say they did not find any signs of foul play. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Unbelievable ad: Just when you think you’ve seen it all — RVs, backyard tents — there’s a Craigslist posting to rent a crawl space for $500 a month. The San Francisco “unit” is large enough for a mattress and nightstand. SFist

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

San Diego will have plenty of sunshine and a high of 62 degrees. In Los Angeles, it will be sunny and 62. Riverside will be cool at 59. San Francisco will have sunshine and a high of 56.

AND FINALLY

Today's California Memory comes from Jon Hartmann:

“Back in the '60s (yes, I remember them), I was crossing the Golden Gate in the back seat of a passenger car. Suddenly, the hood flew up and totally eliminated the driver's view of the road ahead. Watching the white line on the driver's side, he slowed down. I waved frantically for the car tailing us to stop. Eventually the entire lane of traffic came to dead halt. My friend in the shotgun seat jumped out and slammed down the hood. As he leaped back in the car, the driver floored it and we escaped with our lives. Another thrill in San Francisco.”

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.