Newsletter: Essential California: Gov. Brown’s $52-billion transportation plan faces an uncertain future

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Thursday, April 6, and here’s what’s happening across California:

TOP STORIES

Brown’s legacy at stake

Legislators are poised to vote on a $52-billion tax-and-spend transportation plan, one that could be an important chapter in the story of California’s most prominent political family. Gov. Jerry Brown has framed this sweeping plan as being one of the defining aspects of his legacy and his return to public life in his second stint as the head of the state. Los Angeles Times

Immigration investigation

Federal agents on Wednesday raided the San Gabriel Valley homes and office of people targeted in a large-scale visa and financial fraud investigation. This comes after a years-long investigation. The suspects are believed to have collected as much as $50 million in bogus investments from scores of Chinese nationals, who were granted permission to live in the United States in exchange for the money. No one has been arrested or charged in the investigation. Los Angeles Times

Recouping some unfair taxes

Tenants of a trailer park at the Los Angeles County fairgrounds weren’t charged only rent. They also had to pay a 10% tax. That was an additional expense they never should’ve been hit with. Now these residents are getting some money back after the Los Angeles County Fair Assn. agreed to pay $325,000 to resolve a lawsuit, according to court documents. More than 475 people are believed to be eligible for reimbursement. Los Angeles Times

L.A. STORIES

Two Clintoncrats in the runoff: It looks like two Democrats, Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez and attorney and former city planning commissioner Robert Lee Ahn, will face each other in a runoff in June to see who will replace state Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra in Congress. Mariel Garza writes that “voters in the 34th Congressional District not only rejected the Berniecrats … they veered decidedly Clintonesque.” Los Angeles Times

Biased insurance: A large investigation has found that in several states, including California, residents of minority neighborhoods pay higher car insurance premiums than white areas with the same risk. One neighborhood the reporters focused on was View Park, which has been called the “Black Beverly Hills,” and how premiums were 13% higher there for a 30-year-old female safe driver than in Woodland Hills, a predominantly white suburb in north Los Angeles. ProPublica

New L.A. resident: There’s a new mountain lion roaming the Santa Monica Mountains. P-23 gave birth to P-54 about a month ago, but there’s some concern that the father is P-23’s half-brother. This would make the young kitten a product of inbreeding. Los Angeles Daily News

A complicated Dodgers story: There’s a new book out about the long and fraught history of Dodger Stadium. Los Angeles Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne writes, “That fight [to get the stadium built] was a tougher and more complex one than even many longtime Dodger fans likely know.” Los Angeles Times

Keep it dry? Is refilling Silver Lake really a huge mistake? Curbed Los Angeles

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Hail this: LAX is making a lot of money from Uber and Lyft, especially compared with taxis. BuzzFeed

Small-city power: Across California, a “new organizing effort [has] zeroed in on small-town elections as a strategy to thwart big fossil-fuel infrastructure projects.” Capital & Main

It’s a dog fight: In the latest round of the simmering feud between Arnold Schwarzenegger and President Trump, the former California governor on Wednesday blasted the president’s proposal to slash federal funding for after-school programs. Los Angeles Times

And another thing … : Schwarzenegger also said that Ohio Gov. John Kasich should campaign for the White House in 2020, essentially calling for a primary challenge to his fellow Republican, President Trump. Los Angeles Times

The tricky problem with transitional living: It’s been called “housing of last resort,” and in the Bay Area a tragic fire at one of these transitional living facilities “exposed the difficult position in which many city and county regulators and homeless advocates find themselves when it comes to this type of housing: a choice between safety or the streets.” The Mercury News

The opposition: Gov. Brown’s big transportation package faces staunch opposition from environmental and health advocates who are angry “about a provision in the legislation that they say would give the trucking industry a significant break from pollution regulations.” San Francisco Chronicle

CRIME AND COURTS

Big-time bust: Federal authorities have charged a Southern California man for his role in an operation that allegedly shipped cocaine and heroin from Los Angeles to Michigan. Associated Press

A pricey bail: A Bay Area murder suspect could be released on bail after nearly 20 friends, family and business associates offered to put up $70 million in property as a bail. Los Angeles Times

Flash-mob robbery: Police have obtained arrest warrants for 13 people in connection with a Jan. 7 flash mob-style robbery at a 7-Eleven store in Huntington Beach. Orange County Register

THE ENVIRONMENT

Running for the hills: It used to be that a home on PCH was what the rich and famous craved, but fears over global warming are driving Malibu home buyers up into the Santa Monica Mountains and higher ground. The Hollywood Reporter

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Pressure play: As the threat of a writers strike continues to hang over Hollywood, the Writers Guild of America is intensifying pressure on the major studios by reaching out directly to advertisers, saying that a potential strike could lead to delays in the fall TV season and would likely harm ratings. Los Angeles Times

Style central: “I feel like everyone I’ve spoken to either just got off the plane from L.A. or is about to get on a plane to L.A.,” says the senior buying manager for Mr Porter. New York Times

Time to go hiking: The weekends of April 15-16 and 22-23 are a good time to get out to one of the state’s national parks. That’s because entry is free! San Francisco Chronicle

No pot allowed: Here’s why you can’t bring marijuana to the Coachella music festival next week and the week after. The Press-Enterprise

Horror producer expands business: The man behind horror blockbusters like “The Purge,” “Get Out” and “Paranormal Activity” is starting a television production company. His first project? A scripted series about Fox News founder Roger Ailes. New York Times

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

San Diego and Los Angeles area: partly cloudy Thursday and Friday. Sacramento and San Francisco area: showers Thursday and Friday. More weather is here.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California Memory comes from Gary Gorlick:

“It was 1944, and I was in public school kindergarten in the Adams-Crenshaw area of Los Angeles as World War II roared and affected all our lives. We children were asked to bring used newspapers and used cooking oil to school on special collection days. The rumor about the oil among the older kids was that it was used ‘to make bullets.’ The newspaper usage we could never understand. Each class proudly stacked the newspaper against the chain-linked school fence. Adults helped, and it seemed like some of the stacks were 6 or more feet high. And having three or more stacks side by side was really impressive. How proud we would be — knowing we were directly helping in the war effort. We were only kids but we (really, our parents) did the best we could. What a special group effort it was and one never to be forgotten.”

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.