Newsletter: Today: Gas Field Goes ‘Tick. Tick. Tick.’

I’m Davan Maharaj, editor of the Los Angeles Times. Here are some story lines I don’t want you to miss today.

TOP STORIES

A Dangerous California Gas Field Goes ‘Tick. Tick. Tick.’

The placards from residents of Porter Ranch, where the worst environmental disaster in recent memory is unfolding, have declared: “SHUT. IT. ALL. DOWN.” Someone’s listening. Regulators are considering a permanent shutdown of the Aliso Canyon natural gas field from where massive volumes of methane gas is spewing, exacerbating global warming. One expert hears “Tick. Tick. Tick.”

Voters: Big Data Is Watching You

Political candidates want to know if you can be persuaded to vote for them, and their campaigns are turning to data crunchers to find you. Buy frozen vegetables? One firm says you are more likely to oppose abortion. Drive a Chevy truck and like Starbucks? You may want tougher immigration enforcement. But is all that data being kept safe from hackers?

Last Stand in Oregon

What happened at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Ore., when a spokesman for the armed protest group was killed and several people were arrested? Officials aren’t giving details of how Arizona rancher Robert “LaVoy” Finicum was killed, citing an ongoing investigation. A final band of holdouts has broadcast vows that they will fight to the death, even as authorities promise free passage to anyone who leaves peacefully. Here is the latest — and a closer look at the man who died.

‘Thoughtful’ or ‘Insane’?

Almost four decades ago, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law mandating strict sentences for the most serious crimes. Now, he’s proposing a ballot measure that would ease its effects, giving inmates convicted of nonviolent offenses a chance at early release. “It’s thoughtful,” Brown said. The director of a pro-death penalty foundation called the proposal “insane.” Read on for more details and let us know how you would vote if it makes it to the ballot in November.

Supermarket Challenge

Bringing a new supermarket to the “food desert” in South L.A. looked like a done deal around the middle of last year. Less than four months after the City Council unanimously agreed to a new Numero Uno market at 94th Street and Broadway, the company backed out, and the land sits empty today. How did the plans go awry? That’s where the finger pointing starts.

‘And Stop Calling Me Shirley!’

It’s been 36 years since “Airplane!” came out during the heyday of spoof movies in the 1970s and ‘80s. Actor, writer and producer Marlon Wayans grew up during this time, and the genre has stuck with him ever since. His latest, “Fifty Shades of Black,” takes on the E.L. James erotic bestseller. Even though spoof movies have been around since the silent era, here’s why Wayans says doing them now is more difficult. Roger that?

CALIFORNIA

-- The Orange County escapees are still at large, but gang members have been arrested in connection with the jailbreak.

-- Prosecutors won’t charge LAPD officers who mistakenly fired at two newspaper delivery women during the 2013 manhunt for Christopher Dorner.

-- California’s snowpack is its deepest in five years after recent storms.

NATION-WORLD

-- Fox News Channel and Donald Trump get into a war of words after he drops out of tonight’s debate.

-- Is Obama tilting the scales in the Democratic race? “I don’t believe that at all,” Bernie Sanders says.

-- Many experts are skeptical that Iran can quickly deliver on promises to ramp up oil production.

-- Haiti’s leadership is in limbo as political crisis looms.

-- What sweat can tell you about your health.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- Could the hit Broadway musical “Hamilton” teach Hollywood about diversity in casting?

-- Singer-songwriter Jenny Lewis talks about the 10th anniversary of her album “Rabbit Fur Coat” and that time she played a song with Jimmy Buffett.

-- Photo diary: “The Revenant’s” cinematograper shares Instagram pics and memories from the film’s making.

-- Review: “Disguise: Masks and Global African Art” at the Fowler Museum adds a modern touch to an ancient tradition.

-- Swedish actress Alicia Vikander is having a big year, including an Oscar nomination for “The Danish Girl.”

-- Art fair weekend comes to Los Angeles, starting today.

BUSINESS

-- Is the U.S. due for a recession or not? A case can be made either way.

-- The FCC’s chairman proposes freeing Americans from getting those pricey set-top boxes from TV providers.

-- Lyft settles a lawsuit over worker misclassification for $12.25 million, as Uber fights it.

SPORTS

-- Even if the legal system passes over the Blake Griffin incident, the NBA can have a say.

-- Andre Ethier bemoans the Dodgers losing Zack Greinke but remains optimistic about the upcoming season.

-- Hall of Fame L.A. Kings announcer Bob Miller takes a leave to have heart bypass surgery.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- A 76-year-old English researcher believes he can reverse spinal paralysis. (The New Yorker)

-- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the #OscarsSoWhite uproar. (The Hollywood Reporter)

-- What El Chapo is reading: “Don Quixote.” (The Guardian)

ONLY IN L.A.

It appeared in movies such as “Grease,” “Terminator 2,” “To Live and Die in L.A.” and music videos starring Madonna, Kanye West and Kid Rock. In October, it hosted a raging party. And like some in showbiz, it had a self-destructive streak. Demolition of the 6th Street Viaduct starts this week, as the 1932 bridge succumbs to a chemical reaction within its concrete. Here’s how folks made their final farewells. Do you have any memories of the bridge? Share them on our Facebook page.

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.