Newsletter: Will Angelenos open their wallets to help the homeless?

Good morning. It is Thursday, Oct. 20. Disney and Dole Food Co. are partnering to get kids to eat their fruits and vegetables. Mickey Mouse-shaped broccoli, anyone? Here&rsqquo;s what is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Rules of the road

California’s proposed rules for self-driving vehicles are getting pushback from vehicle makers and industry groups that fear the regulations could slow development of the technology and conflict with more flexible federal rules. Los Angeles Times

Tax assistance

Has homelessness in Los Angeles gotten bad enough that Angelenos will be willing to tax themselves in order to help others? Proposition HHH asks voters to authorize $1.2 billion in borrowing to build housing with on-site clinical services. Los Angeles Times

Future of pensions

The California Supreme Court is weighing whether to take up a case that could lead to cutbacks on public pensions. “Scholars agree the decision stands apart in the state’s long jurisprudence on public pensions. But the state high court might want to shift the law to meet new economic realities.” Los Angeles Times

L.A. AT LARGE

Carrot or stick? How can the Los Angeles Unified School District get kids to drink more milk? Strawberry- and chocolate-flavored milk might hold the key, say school board members who agreed to reintroduce the sugary drinks in 21 schools as an experiment. The logic seems odd to the folks at Sugar Watch. “We wouldn’t serve caramel apples to increase apple consumption,” said the group’s Brent Walmsley. Los Angeles Times

Ready to mingle: To help pay for a multimillion-dollar bridge over the Ventura Freeway — for mountain lions and other wildlife — the Annenberg Foundation will match donations up to $1 million. “We need to do more to protect our mountain lion population, to help them breed and thrive,” said Annenberg President Wallis Annenberg. Los Angeles Times

Let’s go to the mall: After failing to get an NFL team, Carson wants to build a fashion outlet mall on the site, which is located near the 405 and 110 freeways. Daily Breeze

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Just one word: Plastics. The industry is backing two measures on November’s ballot. One would overturn the state’s ban on plastic bags, while the other would redirect the bag fee collected by grocery stores to environmental causes. “This is all about politics and emotional debate. Science left the building years ago,” said Phil Rozenski, policy chair of the American Progressive Bag Alliance. CALmatters

R and D: Here are the races that could tip the balance of power in the California legislature. Sacramento Bee

Criminal probe: The California Department of Justice is investigating Wells Fargo on allegations of criminal identity theft related to the creation of millions of unauthorized accounts. A spokesman for the bank said Wells Fargo would provide the information that state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris’ office is seeking. Los Angeles Times

Embracing diversity: Mark Zuckerberg is speaking out on Facebook board member and Donald Trump supporter Peter Thiel. “We can’t create a culture that says it cares about diversity and then excludes almost half the country because they back a political candidate,” Zuckerberg says. CNN Money

CRIME AND COURTS

Ending up in court: Betty Lou Lamoreaux was such a famed judge that a courthouse in Orange County is named after her. But she’s now facing her own legal battle. She’s 92 years old and, according to court records, has Alzheimer’s — and she finds her estate now in probate court. Orange County Register

All clear: A federal jury in a civil trial found NBA star Derrick Rose and two male friends did not rape the athlete’s ex-girlfriend in 2013. It took jurors three hours of deliberation to decide the woman had consented to the late-night encounter. No criminal charges have been brought in the case. Los Angeles Times

Courtroom drama: A former teacher slit his throat Wednesday after a jury found him guilty of raping a girl when she was 13 years old. Jeffrey Scott Jones was found guilty of two felony counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and one felony count of continuous sexual abuse. Witnesses said that, as the verdict was read, Jones produced a razor blade and cut his throat. He was taken to a hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Los Angeles Times

Funny money: Actor Leonardo DiCaprio’s fundraising activities for LACMA are coming under scrutiny as the U.S. Department of Justice looks into Riza Aziz, the primary backer of “The Wolf of Wall Street.” Hollywood Reporter

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Glass half full: Did water regulators lift conservation restrictions too soon? “I worry about the slippage. But folks are still saving a lot of water without the state giving them a number,” said Felicia Marcus, the chairwoman of the Water Resources Control Board. New York Times

Guacamole costs extra: How the California heat and drought, among other factors, has made the avocado a luxury item again. The Atlantic

HOUSING

Rental rules: Most landlords in San Francisco will soon be prohibited from posting multiple listings on Airbnb. It’s a sign the tech giant is trying to play nice with its hometown. “Our underlying objective is to get to the policy goal identified by San Francisco of making sure [illegal] commercial activity is not taking place on our platforms,” said Chris Lehane, Airbnb head of global public policy. SFGate

New heights: Long Beach could soon have a new tallest building if city planners approve a proposal for a 35-unit luxury high-rise in the downtown area. Longbeachize

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Beauty and brains: The nighttime soap opera “Melrose Place” wasn’t exactly highbrow television, but it turns out one man was tasked with sneaking conceptual art into the show. Mel Chin and 100 unknown artists formed the Gala Committee and quietly added pieces related to reproductive rights, foreign policy and alcoholism. New York Times

Pot farmers: Robert and John Cunnan are 76-year-old identical twins who have spent years growing marijuana. And they’re opposed to Proposition 64. Los Angeles Times

Good grief: A four-acre maze in Chino pays homage to “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. LAist

Shaky ground: The developer behind San Francisco’s Millennium Tower is rethinking the design of his next project. Millennium Tower, as you may recall, is sinking and leaning. San Francisco Chronicle

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

San Diego will be breezy with a high of 90 degrees. Los Angeles will be hot with a high of 99 degrees. Riverside will be sunny and windy with a high of 99. San Francisco will be sunny with a high of 74 degrees. Sacramento will be sunny with a high of 79.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California Memory comes from James Campbell:

“On Aug. 9, 1976, as an 8-year-old growing up in Newbury Park, I have a vivid memory of listening to Mr. Scully. Pittsburgh Pirate pitcher John Candelaria threw a no-hitter versus my Dodgers. I was in our garage, crushing aluminum cans I collected to cash in to buy more baseball cards. The small transistor radio echoed with Vin’s poetry describing the Candy Man’s pitches and building to a crescendo in the top of the ninth. I’m a huge Dodger fan who named his daughter Brooklyn, and only Vin Scully could turn my disgust of a Dodger loss into a lifelong baseball memory celebrating an opposing pitcher’s mastery. He is simply the best and will be missed!”

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.