Newsletter: Essential California: Pot ads could be headed to a TV near you
Good morning. It is Tuesday, Aug. 2. There’s a new drone video, and this one will take you high above California’s coastline. Here’s what else is happening in the Golden State:
TOP STORIES
Legal decisions
Former L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca withdrew his guilty plea to a charge of lying to federal authorities during an FBI investigation into the jail system. The former sheriff had worked out a deal with prosecutors to serve six months in prison, but U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson rejected the deal. Now, it appears Baca will take his chances at trial. Los Angeles Times
Concert concerns
Three people died after the Hard Summer rave this weekend near Fontana. The festival was moved from the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds in Pomona last year after two college students died of drug overdoses. An estimated 147,000 people attended the rave this year. The attendees who died were Derek Lee, 22, of San Francisco; Alyssa Dominguez, 21, of San Diego; and Roxanne Ngo, 22, of Chino Hills. Los Angeles Times
Green energy
The $2.6-billion merger of Tesla Motors Inc. and SolarCity Corp. will create a one-stop shop for green customers. But its success will depend on sales of the Model 3 car, the completion of the so-called Gigafactory 1 and high demand from customers. “There are just a lot of real-world production and sales and volume challenges these companies have to meet. The merger doesn’t solve these challenges,” said Karl Brauer, senior analyst at Kelley Blue Book. Los Angeles Times
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L.A. AT LARGE
Deadly fire: A couple in their 90s died Sunday after a fire engulfed their Sun Valley home. Theodore J. Kiapos, 91, and Aspasia M. Kiapos, 90, were asleep in bed when a fire broke out in the attic. The couple was married for 64 years. Los Angeles Times
Lessons learned: What did LAUSD school police learn last year when they shut down the school district because of an emailed threat? “A lot of what happened on Monday night Dec. 14 and Tuesday the 15th was because we did not have some of the intelligence and technology mechanisms that we have today in our district and our department,” said Deputy Los Angeles School Police Chief Jose Santome. Los Angeles Times
Getting paid: One in 10 Californians is employed in the restaurant industry and every year, about 4,000 of those workers file wage claims, whether it’s for overtime, stolen tips or the denial of meal and rest breaks. “KCRW reviewed 2,683 wage claims filed between 2013 and 2016 and found Southern California restaurant workers had claimed $22 million in back wages and penalties.” KCRW
Out with the old: The Promenade in Woodland Hills is on the verge of closing. “The upscale shopping mall that opened in 1973 next to gleaming Warner Center high-rises now could boast only the vestiges of former businesses, such as a torn away McDonald’s sign.” Daily News
POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
Back on TV: Proposition 64 to legalize recreational use of marijuana in California allows for the possibility that cannabis could one day be advertised on television. It’s unlikely to happen, but the provision is fueling critics’ opposition to the initiative. “We view marijuana advertising in the same light as cigarette and e-cigarette advertising — we don’t want to see smoking re-normalized, and exposure to marketing and advertising does that,” said Dr. Ravi Dave with the American Heart Assn. of Greater Los Angeles. Los Angeles Times
On leave: Assemblyman Roger Hernández (D-West Covina) lost his committee assignments after his ex-wife accused him of domestic violence and a judge issued a restraining order against him. Now, Hernández is on medical leave. A date for his return has not yet been set. Los Angeles Times
CRIME AND COURTS
Dismissing the victim: Vallejo police thought a woman’s kidnapping was a hoax because she “did not act like a kidnapping victim” and rejected their help in being reunited with her family. That’s according to court papers filed by the officers’ attorneys in a case filed by Denise Huskins and her boyfriend Aaron Quinn. “I found it odd that a recently released kidnap victim would not want to go to her family,” said Det. Mathew Mustard. Los Angeles Times
Back to jail: A 28-year-old man was found trying to break into San Bernardino County’s Central Detention Center early Sunday morning, authorities said. Shane James McDonald was not an inmate, though he did have an outstanding warrant. After he was captured, McDonald was jailed with bail set at $25,000. Los Angeles Times
DROUGHT AND CLIMATE
Protecting nature: Sequoias, glaciers, the everglades — officials with the National Park Service are wondering just what will be left of these parks in 100 years. That’s particularly true in Joshua Tree. “They’re well adapted to what we have now. But you turn up the temperature a couple of degrees and that would be the end of most of these plants,” said Cameron Barrows, an ecologist with UC Riverside. KQED
Smoke gets in your eyes: The Bay Area is expected to have clearer skies today. Monterey Bay spent most of Monday in a haze thanks to smoke from the wildfires near Big Sur. “You can tell it’s not fog or smog. It’s an orange-brown haze,” said Kostas Chloros of the Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton. Mercury News
CALIFORNIA CULTURE
Going down: The Millennium Tower in San Francisco is sinking. The 59-story tower has dropped 16 inches since it was completed in 2008. “That’s significant ... and of concern,” said Professor Greg Deierlein, director of the John A. Blume Earthquake Engineering Center at Stanford University. SFGate
So L.A.: “Should I Uber so I don’t lose my parking spot?” And 24 other tweets that are a little too real about Los Angeles. BuzzFeed
Mergers and acquisitions: Didi Chuxing will acquire Uber in China. Taking the “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” approach will allow Uber to stop spending cash in that country and focus its resources on other markets. Los Angeles Times
That’s a lot of zeroes: Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom is now a billionaire. When he sold the photo sharing app to Facebook, Systrom was given Facebook stock. His $280 million from that deal has now grown to $1.1 billion. Forbes
Mazel tov: San Pedro native Misty Copeland, who made history when she became the first African American female principal dancer for the American Ballet Theatre, married her boyfriend of 10 years over the weekend. She and Olu Evans wed in front of 100 people at the Montage Hotel in Laguna Beach. People
CALIFORNIA ALMANAC
Los Angeles will have low clouds and a high of 82 degrees. San Diego will have clouds as temperatures reach 79 degrees. Riverside will be mostly sunny and 93. It will be sunny and 97 in Sacramento. San Francisco will have low clouds and a high of 69.
AND FINALLY
Today’s California Memory comes from Ty Tran:
“My family came to California from Vietnam in December 1985. My aunt sponsored us and we lived with her family in Bakersfield. Once a month, we drove to Little Saigon to placate our cravings for Vietnamese food and culture. On the drive back, my mother would wake me at the Grapevine. She would say: ‘Look at the river of red and yellow lights. This is our home now.’ And every time I drive the 5, I recall how wonderful the sight of headlights and taillights stretching into the horizon must have been for her — like lights guiding us home.”
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.
