Newsletter: Essential California: Congressman calls for investigation into medical scopes

Good morning. It is Tuesday, Dec. 22. A lot of you went to see “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” The film grossed $528 million globally in its opening weekend. Here's what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Call for investigation

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) is calling on the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate Olympus Corp. after a Times investigation highlighted the company’s involvement in a 2012 superbug outbreak in the Netherlands. “That report looks like a smoking gun. Instead of taking responsibility and recalling or changing the design of its scopes, Olympus embarked on a campaign of blaming hospitals,” Lieu said. Olympus scopes have been linked to seven cases of drug-resistant infections. At UCLA’s Ronald Reagan Medical Center, the infection led to the deaths of three people. Los Angeles Times

Stuck in traffic

How likely is a terrorist attack on a Southern California freeway? That’s the plan that was concocted by Syed Rizwan Farook and Enrique Marquez Jr., authorities say. "Active shooters look for folks in confined environments, not behind metal,” said Brian Jenkins, a senior advisor at Rand Corp. and a top official with Mineta Transportation Institute. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Storing water: Water storage is California’s next big water challenge. “We’re seeing a level of attention and commitment that we haven’t seen in decades, a desire to move forward,” said Lester A. Snow, a former head of water resources for California. New York Times

L.A. AT LARGE

Ride home: Uber and Lyft were supposed to be allowed to pick up passengers at LAX beginning in summer 2015. That date came and went, and it appears neither company will be doing pickups this Christmas, either. Part of the holdup is a “geo-fence” technology that airport officials want implemented so ride-share vehicles don't overwhelm the airport’s roads. Curbed LA

Follow the river: If it were to be revitalized, the Los Angeles River could unite the Southland region. “If you squint past the graffiti, tufts of weeds, and tipped-over shopping carts, a more structured and grander architectural reality emerges. You just have to flip a mental switch.” LA Review of Books

Changing neighborhoods: Silver Lake is the new Santa Monica, and one writer says that’s not a compliment. “The scales have certainly tipped for Silver Lake. It was already too expensive to live there; now, apparently, it's too expensive for businesses like the Casbah and Alegria to stick around.” LA Weekly

VIP status: Here are the 10 most influential Angelenos of 2015. (Hint: Eli Broad is only No. 10). LA Weekly

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Retirement benefits: The widow of a former Board of Equalization member received almost $21,000 a month in pension benefits, according to an analysis by the Sacramento Bee. Richard Nevins retired in 1987 and chose to receive just a fraction of his monthly benefit so that his wife could continue receiving payments after his death. Nevins died in 2001 and his wife received monthly payments of $15,100. Cost-of-living adjustments increased that amount to $20,844.17 a month by the time Mary Nevins died in 2014. Sacramento Bee

CRIME AND COURTS

Legal status: Juan Jesus Flores was a fugitive for almost 30 years. After an altercation in 1983, which led to one man’s death, Flores fled to Mexico to start a new life. He was ultimately arrested, extradited back to the United States and tried on a murder charge in Los Angeles. He was found not guilty, and now finds himself in a strange situation: He was brought to the U.S. legally but now has no visa or documentation allowing him to stay here. Los Angeles Times

No punishment: San Francisco police officers who texted racist and homophobic messages in 2012 will not be disciplined. A Superior Court justice found the police department waited too long to conduct personnel investigations into the officers. The state’s Peace Officer Bill of Rights has a one-year statute of limitations on such inquiries. San Francisco Chronicle

Defamation lawsuit: Comedian Bill Cosby is suing model Beverly Johnson for defamation, accusing her of lying about an attempted rape in an effort to revive her career. In her memoir and in interviews, Johnson has alleged that in the 1980s Cosby spiked her drink in an attempt to assault her. Cosby denies the allegation. Last week, Cosby sued seven other women who have accused him of sexual assault. Los Angeles Times

Behind bars: The man who provided two rifles to the San Bernardino shooters will remain behind bars while his case proceeds. Enrique Marquez Jr. is charged with conspiring to commit terrorist attacks in 2011 and 2012, unlawfully purchasing the assault rifles used in the Dec. 2 attack, and duping immigration authorities with a sham marriage. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Winning the war: A new exhibit in Fullerton explores the role the Hughes Aircraft Co. played in ending the Cold War. “The people were dedicated to winning the Cold War, and their work was really important,” said JoAnn Cowans, whose work is the basis for the exhibit at the Fullerton Public Library. Los Angeles Times

Closed for business: American Apparel is known throughout the world, but its first store was in Echo Park. That brick-and-mortar shop is now closing as the company works its way through bankruptcy. Los Angeles Times

Yum: Is it lunchtime yet? Here is one listing of the 15 best L.A. dishes this year. LA Weekly

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

San Francisco will be cloudy with showers and a high of 59 degrees. In Los Angeles, there will be clouds and rain. Highs are expected to reach 65 degrees. Riverside will be mostly cloudy and rainy at 61 degrees. San Diego will be rainy and 65.

AND FINALLY

Today's California Memory comes from Joy LeBaron:

“It was 1953. My family was on vacation from Idaho. We pulled into the parking lot of a small family-run motel in Southern California. I trailed after my dad into the office. On the counter was a small black-and-white TV complete with snow and static. I was mesmerized by seeing television for the first time. On the screen was a young woman with a crown on her head. She was talking, but the TV was turned down low and I couldn’t hear her words. It was only years later I realized I had seen Queen Elizabeth’s coronation.”

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.

For the record: An item in yesterday’s newsletter misspelled the first name of former Gov. Gray Davis.