Newsletter: Essential California: Will downtown’s housing boom go bust?
Good morning. It is Thursday, Aug. 4. If you’re in the market for a new lunch spot, consider these San Francisco restaurants for a delicious dosa. Here’s what else is happening in the Golden State:
TOP STORIES
Changing market
There’s a new dynamic emerging in downtown Los Angeles’ rental market: Some landlords are trying to entice tenants with free rent and parking. In the last 18 months, 3,700 apartments have opened in downtown and 6,260 more are in the works. When the apartments are finished, they’ll represent a 15% boost in downtown housing units. “Landlords don’t have the leeway to push rents as they did in the past,” said Steve Basham, senior market analyst with CoStar Group Inc. Los Angeles Times
Pay day
Embattled Assemblyman Roger Hernández continues to collect salary and per diem payments, causing political headaches for legislative Democrats. He went on medical leave this week after allegations of domestic violence and a restraining order. Los Angeles Times
Filmed on location
Los Angeles’ share of overall TV pilot production in the U.S. and Canada dropped to the lowest level on record in the last year. L.A. is still the most popular destination to film TV pilots but is losing ground to Vancouver, Atlanta and New York. Los Angeles Times
Readers, we always love hearing from you. You can keep up with Alice and Shelby during the day on Twitter. Follow @TheCityMaven and @ShelbyGrad.
L.A. AT LARGE
Police oversight: Robert Saltzman was a man who was never afraid to vote his own way on the Police Commission. This week, his nearly 10-year term on the civilian panel came to an end. “Saltzman’s pressure on the LAPD at times ruffled department leaders as well as some rank-and-file officers, who cast him as an unfair critic. But current and former colleagues as well as police outsiders credited him with asking tough questions intended to make the LAPD better.” Los Angeles Times
Shooting settlement: The family of a 26-year-old man shot and killed by Los Angeles police will receive a $2.2-million settlement. Christian Eaddy, who suffered a brain injury as a child, was stabbing himself with syringes and carrying two kitchen knives when police responded to the family’s 911 call in May 2013, officials said. Within a minute of arriving at the home, one police officer fired his Taser at Eaddy while his partner, nearly simultaneously, fired a single shot. Los Angeles Times
Digging up dirt: The strange history of the land being used for downtown L.A.’s newest park. Curbed LA
Political leadership: The future of South El Monte’s leadership is up in the air after Mayor Luis Aguinaga’s decision to plead guilty to corruption charges. Once he enters his plea, Aguinaga will have to resign his seat. And that could force the city to hold a special election in March. San Gabriel Valley Tribune
What’s on your phone: The 13 apps you need to live in L.A. Los Angeles Magazine
POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
Taking a loss: Maybe there are limits to the Bay Area housing boom? Gov. Jerry Brown and his wife, Anne Gust Brown, just took a $50,000 loss on the sale of their home in Oakland. San Francisco Chronicle
Deleted tweet: The Riverside County Republican Party tweeted out a picture Wednesday that showed an executioner holding a noose and the words “I’m Ready for Hillary.” The party removed the tweet but initially said it was “nothing more than political satire.” Chairman Scott Mann later said he was “horrified” by the tweet. Los Angeles Times
Virus reported: An Anaheim woman in her 60s is the first person in Orange County to contract West Nile virus this year. She remains hospitalized in serious condition. Anaheim, La Habra, La Palma and Santa Ana have proved to be hot spots for the virus, according to health officials. Orange County Register
CRIME AND COURTS
Mentally competency: A court-appointed psychiatrist will evaluate the mental state of a 39-year-old man accused of killing three homeless men and critically injuring two others in San Diego. For the first time, prosecutors revealed Jon Guerrero used railroad spikes in his attacks. In his 20s, Guerrero was diagnosed with schizophrenia. San Diego Union-Tribune
No way out: A Venice Beach man wanted for battery attempted to evade police by swimming into the ocean. The shirtless man remained in the water for two hours before surrendering to police. Los Angeles Times
Traffic fines: Civil rights attorneys are challenging California’s practice of suspending the licenses of drivers who fail to pay off their traffic fines. “If they are poor and don’t have the money to pay, by definition, they cannot be found to have willfully failed to pay,” said Antionette Dozier of the Western Center on Law and Poverty. “They are just poor.” Los Angeles Times
EDUCATION
Expensive trips: As chancellor of UC Davis, Linda P.B. Katehi made 26 international trips between 2010 and 2016. Records show she often paid hundreds or thousands of dollars for first-class airfare, large hotel rooms and travel guides. Often the purpose of the trips was to woo donors or attend conferences. Katehi remains on leave as UC officials investigate allegations of nepotism and misuse of funds. Sacramento Bee
DROUGHT AND CLIMATE
Dead trees: Drought and insects have killed off thousands of trees in the Santa Monica Mountains. Typically, dead trees still look healthy on the outside until rot from the inside causes them to fall over. “Now, you see them just go brown and die in place, just standing. That kind of rapid death for a tree is pretty unusual,” said John Tiszler, plant ecologist and certified arborist with the National Park Service. Ventura County Star
Watch out: Newport Beach is the first city in Orange County to set up a webpage tracking shark sightings along the coast. Last month, lifeguards set up three acoustic receivers that can record data from marine animals tagged by researchers. “It’s just like any other risk we have; we want to learn to educate the public,” said Chief Lifeguard Rob Williams. Daily Pilot
CALIFORNIA CULTURE
Break time: The 22 most important doughnuts in L.A. Los Angeles Magazine
Take a hike: It took six days, but this writer hiked the 67-mile Backbone Trail through the Santa Monica Mountains. “I basked in some transcendent sunsets with swarms of dragonflies and a few deer as my only companions. I never even saw a rattlesnake,” he writes. LA Weekly
Caught on tape: It’s no longer enough to just brag about your vacations on Instagram. The new trend is to hire a Hollywood filmmaker to make a short documentary about your trip. Bloomberg
Art and nature: A new art installation along the Los Angeles River projects images of soil samples taken every 10 feet on its concrete walls. “As you descend in space, you’re also going back in time — at 1,400 feet, you’ve gone back 2.5 million years,” said artist Peggy Weil. CityLab
CALIFORNIA ALMANAC
San Diego will have low clouds and a high of 74 degrees. It will be mostly sunny and 93 in Riverside. Los Angeles will start the day with some clouds before temperatures reach 82 degrees. There will be clouds and a high of 65 in San Francisco. Sacramento will be sunny and hot with a high of 89.
AND FINALLY
Today’s California Memory comes from Gee Gee Roos:
“1957 took me, my husband and two daughters to Heaven — Burlingame, Calif. Perfect climate and perfect location overlooking the Bay, with the right wind bringing the aroma of Ghirardelli chocolate into our apartment. Excellent schools, wonderful neighbors, close to the city. How could we have asked for more? Moving day away from Burlingame was the saddest day; and we have never forgotten how happy we were in ‘our perfect California place.’”
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.
