Essential California: How Americans view the poor

In 1985, Dorean Sewell talked to The Times about raising three children in a Baltimore low-income on her salary from a fast-food restaurant, as part of a newspaper series on American attitudes about poverty. A new poll by The Times and the American Enterprise Institute revisits those opinions.

By Alice Walton and Shelby Grad

Aug. 15, 2016 5 AM PT

Good morning. It is Monday, Aug. 15. The Rams made their return to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum this weekend. Here’s what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Views on poverty

A survey by the Los Angeles Times and American Enterprise Institute finds Americans’ views on the poor have remained largely consistent over the last 30 years despite massive economic and social changes. “Blue-collar whites were much more likely than nonwhites to view the poor as a class set apart from the rest of society — trapped in poverty as a more or less permanent condition. Minority Americans, particularly blacks, tended to say that ‘for most poor people, poverty is a temporary condition.’ ” The survey mirrors one done by The Times in 1985. Los Angeles Times

Housing the homeless

The push toward getting the homeless into permanent housing has taken resources from programs that offer individuals places to stay in the short term while they get their lives together. “We tried to keep our doors open because we saw the tremendous need. We ended up losing hundreds of thousands of dollars in doing so,” said Anita Nelson with the Panama Hotel, which used to offer short-term stays for 220 but is now being transition to a permanent housing building with 72 units. Los Angeles Times

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L.A. AT LARGE

State of emergency: A street-corner preacher is calling for an emergency declaration that could bring new resources to skid row. And members of the Los Angeles Community Action Network say they’re tired of seeing so many tent encampments in the shadows of new luxury buildings. “It’s ironic you see cranes and high-rises everywhere, and at the same time, so rise the tents in the street. There is enough resources for everyone,” said Pete White. Los Angeles Times

Revolving door: L.A. City Councilman Felipe Fuentes is leaving office to become a lobbyist. The sudden departure means his district will be without a representative for months. Los Angeles Times

Back to school: Students in the Los Angeles Unified School District will return to the classroom on Tuesday, but a new survey finds many parents think that’s too soon. Instead, they want to see school start after Labor Day. Daily News

Remembering the Depression: When Los Angeles hosted the Olympic Games in 1932, some countries were too poor to send their athletes. Others came to California with goods to trade. LA Weekly

Pretty city: A new time-lapse video of Los Angeles. YouTube

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Out of the public eye: Roger Hernández is an assemblyman and a candidate for Congress. So where is he? The politician has been absent from Sacramento and the campaign trail after a judge approved his ex-wife’s request for a restraining order. “He has had a lot of anxiety because of what has gone on in his professional career and with his restraining order,” said Donald Schweitzer, Hernández’s attorney. Los Angeles Times

Permits and approvals: A five-story office building at the edge of San Francisco’s Chinatown shows how local politics can complicate development and design in a big city. “That’s the way of cities: A handful of people fight over the details, and the rest of us live with the results.” San Francisco Chronicle

Short-term stays: The city of Oxnard will tackle the regulation of short-term rentals on Tuesday. There are currently no rules for renting out a home or apartment there on a temporary basis on a site like Airbnb. “You have to take regulations in other communities and look at their applicability to your community. It’s a solution that should be driven by your community,” said Kathleen Mallory, the planning and environmental services manager for the city. Ventura County Star

CRIME AND COURTS

Driver killed: A passenger beat a taxi driver to death early Sunday morning at a gas station near Hollywood, authorities said. “The cab driver was struck several times. That fight led into the gas station parking lot and then the victim fell down, and possibly hit his head,” said LAPD Lt. John Radtke. The suspect remains at large. Los Angeles Times

Wheelchair stolen: Someone stole the beach-accessible wheelchair of a disabled man in Seal Beach. Patrick Freeman, 26, and his family were in town for a day camp. While at dinner, Freeman suffered a seizure. When the family returned from the hospital the next day, the trailer with the specialized wheelchair was gone. Orange County Register

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Fire dangers: One hundred miles north of San Francisco, a wildfire destroyed four houses and forced 1,000 people to evacuate. Hot weather and dry brush fueled the fire as it blazed through 1,400 acres. In Big Sur, the Soberanes fire is about 60% contained. It wiped out 60 homes and killed a bulldozer operator. Los Angeles Times

On the coast: Columnist Steve Lopez has been driving the California coast, exploring the push and pull between developers and environmentalists. Here, he talks with one developer who has been trying to get a project approved for 20 years. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Blocked: As a company, Twitter has never figured out how to prevent or stop rampant harassment against its users. “On Twitter, abuse is not just a bug, but — to use the Silicon Valley term of art — a fundamental feature.” Buzzfeed

War on drugs: This November, Californians will be asked whether to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes. But at least one writer believes that legalizing the drug in other states has helped fuel America’s heroin epidemic. Esquire

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Los Angeles will be sunny with a high of 92. San Diego will have some fog as temperatures reach 87. In Riverside, it will be sunny and hot at 104 degrees. It will be sunny and 95 in Sacramento. There will be low clouds and a high of 68 in San Francisco.

AND FINALLY

This week’s birthdays for notable Californians:

Rep. Maxine Waters (Aug. 15, 1938), actor Anthony Anderson (Aug. 15, 1970), actor Ben Affleck (Aug. 15, 1972), director James Cameron (Aug. 16, 1954), actor Steve Carrell (Aug. 16, 1962), tech billionaire Larry Ellison (Aug. 17, 1944), actor Sean Penn (Aug. 17, 1960), Olympic gold medalist Rafer Johnson (Aug. 18, 1935), Google’s Sergey Brin (Aug. 21, 1973).

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.