Newsletter: Trump’s L.A. golf club employees allege pressure to be pretty

Good morning. It is Thursday, Sept. 29. If you’re a fan of wine and bugs — the edible kind — then this is the dinner for you! Here’s what is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Trump and women

After the Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes opened for play in 2005, its world-famous owner stopped by only a few times a year. When Donald Trump did visit, the club’s managers went on alert. According to court records, they scheduled the young, thin, pretty women on staff to work the clubhouse restaurant — because when Trump saw less-attractive women working at his club, employees say he wanted them fired. A Trump Organization attorney calls the allegations “meritless.” Los Angeles Times

Police and the mentally ill

The shooting death of an African American man by El Cajon police has become a flashpoint in the debate about how police deal with the mentally ill. Police departments have worked on training to help officers “de-escalate” confrontations with the mentally ill. But the shooting underscores how difficult that can be. Protesters say the unarmed man didn’t pose a threat to the officers and are demanding a videotape of the incident be released. Los Angeles Times

Finding justice

Gov. Jerry Brown signed a state law that ends the statute of limitations for rape cases. The bill was inspired by the dozens of women who have come forward and accused comedian Bill Cosby of sexual abuse that dates back decades. “It shows victims and survivors that California stands behind them, that we see rape as a serious crime, that victims can come forward and that justice now has no time limit,” said state Sen. Connie Leyva (D-Chino). Los Angeles Times

L.A. AT LARGE

L.A. cribs: How hot is L.A.’s high-end housing market? The very rich are buying homes with underground bunkers equipped with hot tubs and bowling alleys. Said one developer: “You can pretty much put a palace underground anywhere there is physically enough room.” Hollywood Reporter

Claims of corruption: A former LAFD deputy chief is suing the city of Los Angeles for $5 million and alleging there’s corruption in the unit he once supervised. Deputy Chief John Vidovich, who was removed from his post last month, said he was pushed out after “he exposed fraud, extortion and overtime schemes” in the unit that enforces fire safety codes. Los Angeles Times

Surfing dispute: Surfers are concerned they could lose access to Trestles, the legendary Orange County surf spot. It has to do with a dispute between the Department of Defense and state beach officials. Orange County Register

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Background checks: Drivers for companies like Uber and Lyft will soon face stricter background checks in California. Under a law signed by Gov. Brown, anyone who is a registered sex offender, a violent felon or who has had a drunk driving conviction in the last seven years will not be allowed to drive for a ride-hailing app. Drivers for those companies will also face stricter DUI standards. Los Angeles Times

Clearing the backlog: The head of the L.A. County coroner’s office says he and his staff are making progress on the backlog of unexamined bodies. Toxicology tests were taking up to six months to complete because of a lack of money and personnel. County supervisors recently approved funding for 12 additional employees. “By the spring of next year, you should see a dramatic change,” said Dr. Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran. Daily News

Challenges ahead: The struggling farm labor movement in California won some big victories recently, including new wage and work treatment rules. But it still faces many challenges.Valley Public Radio

CRIME AND COURTS

Penalty phase: Barbara Ballman was 23 years old when she was raped and murdered in 1979. The case was cold until 2004, when police were able to connect DNA evidence to Darrell Gurule, who by that time was serving a life sentence in prison for fatally shooting a man. Gurule was convicted last week, and now a jury must decide whether he should be put to death. Los Angeles Times

Beverly Hills heist: Authorities said a man pulled a gun on pedestrians on Rodeo Drive last week and made off with their watches — worth $100,000 combined. Beverly Hills police were able to track down the suspect, identified as 22-year-old Kenyon Donester of Altadena, arrest him and recover one of the watches. A Breguet Classique Hora Mundi Menus Watch, valued at $63,000, is still missing. Los Angeles Times

Hacked accounts: A Chicago man who hacked the Apple iCloud and Gmail accounts of hundreds of people, including at least 30 celebrities, pleaded guilty to computer fraud this week. Edward Majerczyk, 28, faces a maximum of five years in prison. Los Angeles Times

BUSINESS

Black box: How much does Facebook know about you? “Facebook collects information about pages [users] visit that contain Facebook sharing buttons. When they use Instagram or WhatsApp on their phone, which are both owned by Facebook, they contribute more data to Facebook’s dossier.” ProPublica

Bank punished: State Treasurer John Chiang announced Wednesday that for the next year, his office “will not invest in Wells Fargo securities, use the bank to buy stocks or bonds, or appoint the bank to underwrite certain bond offerings.” With its quaint stagecoach logo, Wells Fargo & Co. is one of the state’s oldest and largest institutions. But thanks to its fake-accounts scandal, the bank has become the poster child for corporate greed. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Fire dangers: A wildfire burning in the Santa Cruz Mountains is taking a toll on residents who had to run for their lives. Mercury News

CALIFORNIA IDEAS

Fresh outlook: One urban thinker from England revolutionized the way the world viewed Los Angeles. Reyner Banham made intellectuals take L.A. seriously in the 1960s. But what would he think about the city today? The Guardian

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Get a tissue: More than 6,000 L.A. Times readers submitted their stories about Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully. Here is a selection of those love letters. Los Angeles Times

Concert festival: How “Desert Trip” turned into a money monster. “The average age of the headlining performers is 72, leading to the mocking nickname ‘Oldchella.’” New York Times

Expensive tabs: San Francisco’s foodie scene can be expensive: the $50 burger and the $1,000 tasting menu. SFGate

Queen of daytime: The woman who created “One Life to Live” and “All My Children” has died at the age of 93. Agnes Nixon was a pioneer in bringing serious social issues, like racism, AIDS and prostitution, to daytime television. Los Angeles Times

What a house: Take a peek inside developer Mohamed Hadid’s house. It’s not understated. Harper’s Bazaar

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

San Francisco will have clouds and a high of 66 degrees. It will be 83 and sunny in Sacramento. Los Angeles will be sunny with a high of 88. Riverside will be mostly sunny and 93. It will be sunny and 81 in San Diego.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California Memory comes from Barbara H. Clark:

“When I arrived in Los Angeles from Washington, D.C., in 1957 to join my husband, who had preceded me, I loved it at once. He cemented that feeling by showing it off to me: Santa Monica Beach, L.A. Zoo, Griffith Park Observatory. I saw people from all over the world. We even had dinner at Perino’s, Brown Derby, the Cocoanut Grove. Such elegant places back East would not have welcomed a black couple. I knew I was home! I’ve now been here 59 years.”

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.