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Newsletter: Essential California: Uber settles with drivers

Prince performs at Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in 2008.

Prince performs at Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in 2008.

(Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
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Good morning. It is Friday, April 22. A new study finds people are flocking to San Francisco from New York, Seattle and Chicago. Here’s what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Driver settlement

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Uber announced it will pay up to $100 million to drivers who had sought to be classified as employees. The move, if approved by a judge in Northern California, would settle lawsuits in California and Massachusetts. Those cases pose a potential threat to the company’s business model, which relies on contractors. Los Angeles Times

When doves cry

Prince died Thursday at age 57. The musician was known for pushing sexual boundaries; he also was a devout Jehovah’s Witness. Among his accomplishments were seven Grammys and an Academy Award for original song score for the 1984 film “Purple Rain.” Elton John called him the “greatest performer I’ve seen. A true genius.” Los Angeles Times

Spoken in the home

A new study from Pew Research finds a growing number of Latino children do not speak Spanish at home. In 2014, 37% of Latinos ages 5 to 17 were in a home where only English was spoken, up from 30% in 2000. “The typical trend is that the first [generation] prefers to speak Spanish, the second generation is bilingual, and the third generation is generally monolingual,” said Jody Agius Vallejo, an associate professor of sociology at USC. Los Angeles Times

Push to be citizens

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In California, there are 2.2 million legal permanent residents who could become citizens. Immigrant rights groups are pushing them to file the necessary paperwork in advance of November’s presidential election. “When there have been periods of anti-immigrant rhetoric, there becomes an urgency for immigrants to become citizens,” said Arturo Vargas, executive director of the education fund at the National Assn. of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Failure to launch: Why were the predictions of a “Godzilla” El Niño so far off? The National Weather Service is trying to address that question. The Press-Enterprise

L.A. AT LARGE

Time out: The city of Los Angeles has stopped construction on a donated basketball court in Runyon Canyon. The project was to be funded with a private donation from the streetwear company Pink Dolphin, whose logo would appear in the middle of the new court. “It is clear that community concern regarding this project needs more robust consideration prior to any further action,” said Councilman David Ryu. Los Angeles Times

Charity begins at home: David Geffen is donating $100 million to the Museum of Modern Art, just one year after he gave the city’s Lincoln Center $100 million. But the Angeleno says he’s still committed to Los Angeles. “I’ve given much more to L.A. My giving is to cultural institutions, to education and medicine. Most of my giving has been in L.A.,” Geffen said. Los Angeles Times

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High times: Why does Los Angeles play so well as the backdrop for stoner movies? “L.A.’s famous sunshine inevitably hides dark shadows, and its vast system of well-patrolled roadways inevitably attracts the high, the disoriented, the paranoid, the awe-seeking, and the poor schmucks being chased down by the LAPD.” Curbed LA

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Funding requests: The backlog of autopsies and toxicology reports in the L.A. County Coroner’s Office is the result of underfunding, according to a civil grand jury report. The office could lose its accreditation if those problems are not corrected, and that would open the county to “attacks on their credibility in criminal cases,” per the report. Last month, medical examiner Mark Fajardo announced he was leaving his post as the county did not provide enough money to get the job done. Los Angeles Times

Abuse allegations: The California Legislative Women’s Caucus wants its colleague Assemblyman Roger Hernandez (D-West Covina) to step aside now that a judge has issued a temporary restraining order against the politician, whose wife has accused him of domestic violence. Hernandez, who is running for Congress, has denied abusing his wife. Los Angeles Times

Influencing lawmakers: In terms of lobbying, Google is leading the pack of tech companies by spending nearly $4 million at the federal level in the first quarter of the year. BuzzFeed

For sale: The Oakland hills home of Gov. Jerry Brown and Anne Gust Brown is expected to come onto the market today. The Japanese-inspired home has a list price of $2.595 million. East Bay Times

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CRIME AND COURTS

Million-dollar hack: The FBI paid at least $1 million to hack into an iPhone used by San Bernardino terrorist Syed Rizwan Farook, according to the bureau’s director. “We paid a lot, but it was worth it,” said James B. Comey. One law enforcement official, however, said agents did not find anything of significance on the phone. The identity of the third party that hacked into the phone has not been disclosed. Los Angeles Times

Money woes: The Placentia financial manager accused of embezzling more than $4 million had promised to help his parents financially as they went through bankruptcy, according to court documents. Orange County Register

Patient dumping: Good Samaritan Hospital will pay $450,000 to settle allegations that it discharged a homeless patient with nothing but a bus token. He was later readmitted to L.A. County-USC Medical Center. “Patient dumping is inhumane and must be stopped,” said City Attorney Mike Feuer. The hospital denied the allegation of “patient dumping.” Los Angeles Times

Warning sign? Wrestling star Chyna posted a rambling video to YouTube just days before she died of a suspected drug overdose. An autopsy is pending. Los Angeles Times

Legal problems: Hundreds of child custody cases in San Bernardino County could be in jeopardy after a court mediator in Victorville was charged with falsifying records in a child abuse case in L.A. County. Kevin Bom was one of four people charged with child abuse and falsifying records in the case of Gabriel Fernandez, an 8-year-old boy who was allegedly killed by his mother and her boyfriend. San Bernardino Sun

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BUSINESS

No girls allowed: 20th Century Fox and Paramount won’t have any movies released through 2018 that are directed by a woman, according to The Wrap. “The film business is layered with sexism so that when you peel away one layer, you still have many layers to get through,” said Melissa Silverstein, founder and publisher of Women and Hollywood. The Wrap

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

All about me: Selfie culture and social media are influencing the way architects are thinking about design. For example, a bronze wing statue in Grand Park has been called “selfie-ready.” 89.3 KPCC

Desert gallery: Desert X is headed to Palm Springs in February of next year. The art exhibition will being steered by a group that includes artist Ed Ruscha, collector Beth Rudin DeWoody and former Palm Springs Art Museum Director Steven A. Nash. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

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San Francisco will have some rain in the morning with highs expected to reach 62 degrees. Sacramento will start the day with rain. Highs there are expected to reach 64 degrees. Los Angeles will have clouds and a high of 72. Riverside will have a mix of clouds and sun with temperatures reaching 81. San Diego will have low clouds and fog with an expected high of 70.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California Memory comes from Harold Longanecker:

“I remember when I was very young and we lived in Canoga Park, in the San Fernando Valley. Our parents would give us a quarter to ride the street car to downtown Los Angeles. A nickel to go there, a nickel to come back, a nickel for Coke and one for the popcorn and to get in to see the picture. Yup, those were the days, my friends.”

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.

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