Newsletter: Essential California: Pot campaign kicks off in San Francisco

Good morning. It is Wednesday, May 4. McDonald’s is now serving “Gilroy Garlic Fries” in the Bay Area. How do they taste? “Not bad.” Here’s what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Pot initiative

A group led by former Facebook President Sean Parker on Tuesday said it has collected enough signatures to qualify an initiative for the November ballot that would legalize the recreational use of marijuana in California. The coalition plans to kick off its campaign for the ballot measure today in San Francisco. The initiative would also place a 15% tax on retail sales of the drug. Los Angeles Times

Ride the wave

Technology innovators are vying for patents and funds in the world of artificial waves. For a decade, world champion Kelly Slater has worked with engineers to create the perfect wave. In December, he uploaded a video of himself riding a wave 110 miles inland; it racked up 9 million views. “A wave of that shape sits in the subconsciousness of every surfer in the world,” said Surfer magazine editor Steve Hawk. Los Angeles Times

Mobile home

For 12 years, the city of Santa Barbara has opened up parking lots to individuals living in cars and vans. New Beginnings Counseling Center is responsible for providing bathrooms and helping to connect the homeless with services. Now, the city of L.A. is considering a similar program to help the region’s 3,300 people who sleep in their cars. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Saving water: After months of flagging water conservation, Californians rebounded in March, cutting their urban consumption by 24.3% compared to the same month in 2013. Los Angeles Times

L.A. AT LARGE

Wedding venue: Yamashiro, an iconic Hollywood restaurant, is closing, and that’s left engaged couples in a bind. A dispute between the family that’s owned the restaurant and JE Group, a Beijing hospitality firm that bought the compound in March, has left 15 wedding ceremonies up in the air. “You can imagine when the brides found out we were going to be evicted, they panicked, coming to us in tears and totally distraught,” said Thomas Y. Glover. The Hollywood Reporter

For sale: For $100 million, this Bel-Air mansion could be yours. One catch — it’s not built yet. Construction on Skygarden is expected to start in the coming months. Curbed LA

Top chef: Suzanne Goin of Lucques was named outstanding chef by the James Beard Foundation. Other winners from L.A. were Dahlia Narvaez, the pastry chef at Mozza, and Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo of Animal, Son of a Gun and Jon & Vinny’s. Los Angeles Times

Baxter Street: Watch this skateboarder bomb one of the steepest streets in America. Curbed LA

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Gun fight: A gun control measure backed by Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom is stirring up political tensions in Sacramento. The initiative, which is expected to qualify for the November ballot, would require background checks for ammunition purchasers, ban large-capacity magazines, make gun thefts a felony and require some convicts to give up their firearms. Opponents believe the measure is a vehicle to help Newsom’s gubernatorial campaign. Los Angeles Times

On the job: Some workers with the Department of Water and Power are starting their work shifts by going out for breakfast, according to a TV reporter’s investigation that tracked the public employees to a Chinese restaurant in Van Nuys. L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti said he wants the utility to investigate. CBS Los Angeles

New headquarters: The Coast Guard Air Station is leaving LAX after 50 years. The airport’s expansion has forced the crew to move to Point Mugu in Ventura County, which is a more centralized location given the region crews patrol. 89.3 KPCC

CRIME AND COURTS

Rethinking solitary: Los Angeles County officials voted Tuesday to severely restrict the use of solitary confinement for juvenile offenders. The practice will be banned at youth camps except as a temporary response to “a serious and immediate risk of physical harm to any person.” The county joins 19 states that have ended the practice of punishing minors by isolating them. “It was horrible, like an animal in a cage,” said one man who spent six weeks in solitary at the age of 17. Los Angeles Times

Unsafe conditions: The California Highway Patrol is investigating videos of skateboarders on the state’s freeways. “These are not safe places and weren’t designed for that kind of thing,” said CHP Officer Jose Nunez. Los Angeles Times

Allegations of discrimination: A group of Muslim women say they were discriminated against at the popular Urth Caffé in Laguna Beach. The women, six of whom were wearing hijabs, say they were asked to leave the outdoor patio before finishing coffee and dessert because of their religion. A manager for the cafe says the women exceeded the 45-minute limit on outdoor tables. LAist

BUSINESS

More diversity: The woman who sued the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers for gender discrimination is starting an advocacy group to focus on diversity in the tech industry. Ellen Pao is starting Project Include with women from Reddit, Pinterest, Slack and Kapor Capital. Bloomberg

Financial scene: The legacy of junk bond king Michael Milken can be felt throughout Los Angeles thanks to investments in places like Shake Shack and the Dolby Theatre. Drexel Burnham Lambert “forever changed the face of L.A. I don’t think there’s another person you could give more credit to than Mike in that regard,” said Lloyd Greif, a longtime local investment banker. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

International studies: Chinese students continue to flock to the States. And it’s not just children from wealthy parents. More and more, the children of middle-class families are coming to California. “They’re eager to escape flawed education systems back home, where low standards are leaving many ill-prepared for a global economy.” Wall Street Journal

South of the border: One writer argues the best thing about San Diego might be Tijuana. “San Diego and Tijuana, like any cities, have their shortcomings. Taken together, though, they enrich each other in a pretty amazing way.” CityLab

Rare photos: These snapshots of California were taken from the Southern Pacific Railroad. SFGate

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

San Diego will have low clouds and a high of 68 degrees. There will be low clouds and a high of 71 in Los Angeles. Riverside will be partly sunny and 79. Sacramento will be mainly cloudy and 77. It will be cloudy in San Francisco, where highs are expected to reach 63 degrees.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California Memory comes from Greg Hughes:

“Even though it had just gone through a decade of tremendous growth, there were still some rural touches in late 1950s West Covina. A few small orange and walnut groves still dotted the area. My brother and I used to explore around Walnut Creek and used a rope attached to the underside of the Lark Ellen bridge to swing out over the creek and drop in. In 1960, the family moved to Arizona for a few years. When we returned in 1965, our beloved natural creek bed was gone, replaced by a concrete drainage channel. Goodbye country, hello endless suburbia.”

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.