Newsletter: L.A. schools could be on brink of dramatic power shift
Can Trump’s White House investigate itself? Tuesday is election day in L.A. County. What California needs to do to dramatically reduce its emissions by 2030. Federal agents raided a charter school network in January -- what drew the scrutiny?
Good morning. It’s Monday, March 6, and here’s what’s happening across California:
TOP STORIES
Power shift
Charter school supporters have their best chance yet to tip the scales and win a controlling majority on the Los Angeles Board of Education. Three of the seven seats are up for grabs, and charter backers have strong candidates, seemingly unlimited financial resources — with major help from former L.A. Mayor Richard Riordan — and the enthusiastic support of a growing number of charter-school families. Los Angeles Times
Hero for our times
Steve Lopez introduces us to a true L.A. hero. He helps the most desperate of Hollywood’s homeless and won’t take no for an answer. Los Angeles Times
Charter oversight
At a time when charter school advocates are determined to increase the number of such schools in L.A., the case of the troubled Celerity schools offers evidence of the growing difficulty of regulating them. The task of spotting and stamping out risky financial practices in charters largely falls to the school district’s charter schools division, which employs about a dozen people dedicated to monitoring the schools’ fiscal health. Los Angeles Times
IMMIGRATION AND BORDER
Latino concerns: President Trump’s promised crackdown on illegal immigrants has rattled some communities with large populations of people here illegally. But a new survey finds that for Latinos overall, immigration was not at the top of priorities. Los Angeles Times
Raid realities: How effective are workplace immigration raids? The case of a French gourmet bakery raided in San Diego several years ago offers a cautionary tale. San Diego Union-Tribune
Asking why: The deportation of a grandmother by immigration authorities has a military family in San Diego reeling and asking why. Los Angeles Times
Past coming back: Old deportation orders are suddenly becoming real-time worries for some immigrants. Said one expert: “People who have been ordered deported and who are still here are the low-hanging fruit. Trump has said he has wanted to deport more people. The easiest way to get those numbers up are to take those people who’ve been ordered deported and go after them.” New York Times
Peer into your soul: How L.A. deals with mass deportation may end up being one of the city’s great moral tests. Los Angeles Times
L.A. STORIES
Big picture: Snap Inc.’s IPO made some L.A. techies very rich. But what does it mean to the larger Southern California tech scene? Los Angeles Times
Bigger picture: Does the rise of Silicon Beach really show L.A.’s on the economic comeback trail? Forbes
Factory made: A onetime iconic gay West Hollywood club could get historic status. WeHoville
CRIME AND COURTS
Motive for murder: A killing in Berkeley becomes a rallying cry for conservatives, and a complicated case of identity and motive. BuzzFeed
Cause of death: Smoke inhalation killed all 36 people who perished in a December fire at the Ghost Ship warehouse in Oakland. Los Angeles Times
S.F. justice: For blacks on trial in San Francisco, finding a jury of their peers is getting more difficult. San Francisco Chronicle
POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
Importing wealth: California exports poor residents to other states but takes in wealthier people. Sacramento Bee
Babs’ Trump diet: Liberal lion Barbra Streisand says all of Donald Trump’s tweeting is making her gain weight. “I start the day with liquids, but after the morning news, I eat pancakes smothered in maple syrup!” the singer tweeted. Hollywood Reporter
Targeting California: As part of a major rollback of environmental regulations, President Trump might be targeting California’s long-held standards on auto emissions. Washington Post
More protests: For the second time in a month, Berkeley was the scene of violent demonstrations as supporters of President Trump clashed with counter-protesters on the streets of the famously liberal city. Los Angeles Times
Spending cap? Are state lawmakers in Sacramento about to do some belt-tightening? Los Angeles Times
CALIFORNIA CLIMATE
Trouble downstream: Riverbanks have collapsed in dramatic fashion downstream of the Oroville Dam. San Francisco Chronicle
Lingering drought: Why Santa Barbara remains a laggard in drought recovery. Mercury News
CALIFORNIA CULTURE
The Airbnb effect: Palm Springs is hot again. But the new younger crowd is ruffling feathers among the old guard retirees, who are not sure the whole short-term rental thing is good for the valley. New York Times
In God’s country: They came from around the world to mark the 30th anniversary of U2’s seminal Joshua Tree album. It was about music, sense of place and state of mind. Daily News
The ’burbs: Millennials are slowly moving into the housing market, and to the surprise of some, they are heading to the suburbs. They make up about 10% of the nation’s homeowners. Nearly half of those were in the suburbs in 2016, 33% in urban areas and 20% in rural places. Los Angeles Times
Channel down: It’s the end of an era as Trinity Broadcasting — once a huge name in religious broadcasting — sells its ornate Costa Mesa headquarters for likely development. The sale reflects the falling fortunes of TBN. Los Angeles Times
CALIFORNIA ALMANAC
Los Angeles: Sunny and warming up as the week goes on. Bay Area: Cloudy for much of the week. Sacramento: Cloudy giving way to some sun. San Diego: Partly cloudy skies. More weather is here.
AND FINALLY
This week’s birthdays for notable Californians: producer-activist
Rob Reiner (March 6, 1947), Rep. Juan Vargas (March 7, 1961) Rep. Alan Lowenthal (March 8, 1941), restaurateur Nobu Matsuhisa (March 10,1949) and Interscope Records co-founder Jimmy Iovine (March 11, 1953).
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 Benjamin Oreskes and Shelby Grad. Also follow them on Twitter @boreskes and @shelbygrad.
