Newsletter: Essential California: She was his rock. Now a former NFL player is accused of killing his mother

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Friday, July 7, and here’s what’s happening across California:

TOP STORIES

A tragic tale

In recent years, former teammates of De’von Hall worried he would snap. More than five years had passed since Hall’s NFL days, and he had become a fixture in and around L.A.’s Martin Luther King Jr. Park, near the Coliseum. Now, he sits in a downtown L.A. jail. Some family members think he doesn’t understand his mother is dead. Los Angeles Times

A Chinese takeover? Not so fast

Last year, Chinese billionaire Wang Jianlin looked destined to take over Hollywood. Beijing-based conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group had recently bought movie producer Legendary Entertainment for an eye-popping $3.5 billion and was on the cusp of a deal to pay $1 billion for Dick Clark Productions, the company behind the Golden Globes telecast. That deal for Dick Clark fizzled, and Legendary is trying to recover from a series of box-office misfires. It’s been a humbling moment for the 62-year-old former army officer who said he wanted to buy one of the six major studios. Los Angeles Times

See you in San Francisco

Continuing his bid to act as an envoy for the U.S. on climate change, Gov. Jerry Brown said President Trump “doesn’t speak for the rest of us” and unveiled plans for a global environmental summit in San Francisco next year. “It’s hard to grasp the mortal danger that climate change represents,” Brown said in an interview with The Times. “I believe that California, New York, France and Germany and the other countries — we have to get our act together, strengthen our commitment and bring as many nations along as we can.” Los Angeles Times

L.A. STORIES

About that uptick: Overall crime in Los Angeles has nearly leveled off at the midyear mark, Police Chief Charlie Beck said Tuesday, calling 2017’s numbers a sign that police are making progress against the city’s stubborn uptick in crime. Los Angeles Times

LAUSD’s new era: The Los Angeles Board of Education on Thursday selected charter school co-founder Ref Rodriguez as its president. Los Angeles Times

A decade-long search: The Christmas card sent to Los Angeles Police Det. Ninette Toosbuy asked a simple question: “Have you caught him yet?” Here’s what happened next. Los Angeles Times

A day at the pictures: Once dotted with dozens of adult cinemas, L.A. now has only two. The remaining ones are the Studs and the Tiki. They sit at opposite ends of Santa Monica Boulevard — the former in West Hollywood, the latter in East Hollywood, “framing the city in an unseen porno-magnetic field.” Los Angeles Times

About that NRA video: A grim view of L.A. architectural gems. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

States sue the secretary of Education: California and 17 other states are suing Education Secretary Betsy DeVos for delaying new student-loan protection rules. Los Angeles Times

Big goals: The University of California announced Thursday it is on track to enroll 2,500 more California undergraduates this fall, a target pledged to state lawmakers who have pushed to limit students from other states and countries in favor of additional local residents. But admission offers did decline from last year’s near-historic gains. Los Angeles Times

Protest fallout: Southern California’s air quality board is moving to cut public speaking time in half and place other restrictions on participation in its meetings after a protest by environmentalists last month disrupted the panel’s proceedings and prompted a retreat behind closed doors. Los Angeles Times

The state’s junior senator: In the less than eight months since she was elected, California’s Sen. Kamala Harris “has emerged as the latest iteration of a bipartisan archetype: the Great Freshman Hope, a telegenic object of daydreaming projection — justified or not — for a party adrift and removed from executive power.” New York Times

CRIME AND COURTS

Street racer sentenced: A 24-year-old man was sentenced to four years in prison Thursday in connection with a suspected illegal street race in Hawthorne last year that killed a popular elementary school music teacher. Los Angeles Times

Crash in Malibu: Three people died and two others were injured in a head-on crash Wednesday night near Point Mugu, forcing the closure of both directions of Pacific Coast Highway. Los Angeles Times

Rape kit backlog: Despite a backlog of rape kits, California is not requiring they be tested or tallied. Cal Matters

Scary situation: Animal control officers on Thursday discovered a congregation of alligators and a nest of venomous snakes inside a Thousand Oaks home, where twice in the last three years a cobra has gotten loose and terrorized neighbors, officials said. Los Angeles Times

More Fox woes: Fox Business Network host Charles Payne has been suspended while 21st Century Fox investigates sexual harassment allegations made against him. Los Angeles Times

THE ENVIRONMENT

Wolf pack: A recently discovered gray wolf pack is now the second-known family of the endangered species to call the Northern California wilderness home, state wildlife officials have confirmed. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Fun event: Several times a year, more than 100,000 people converge on a lot outside the Santa Anita Racetrack in Arcadia to eat, dance, shop and, yes, wait in lines. The 626 Night Market, entering its sixth year, has become a place where the many parallel universes of the San Gabriel Valley intersect. Los Angeles Times

Disrupting ’za: Silicon Valley has a new vision for the pizzeria, and it involves lots of robots. Los Angeles Times

Hyper-what? Tech innovators say they want to ease L.A.’s gridlock, but their solutions are often making it worse. Here’s how they might be able to help. Curbed LA

Downshift: Why this was a bad week for Elon Musk’s Tesla. Los Angeles Times

Turner to the All-Star game: Justin Turner did not have a team three years ago, the same year he turned 30. The Dodgers found him unemployed at a Cal State Fullerton alumni game and invited him to spring training to compete for a utility job. Now, he is an All-Star. Los Angeles Times

No BYOB: “Cinespia has told LAist that outside alcohol (i.e. beer and wine brought in personally to the event) will be disallowed for an indefinite period of time at the Hollywood Forever screenings.” LAist

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

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

AND FINALLY

Today’s California memory comes from John Ferrell:

“The threat of wildfires sparked by lightning reminds me of the summer in the late ’40s or early ’50s, when a lightning strike started a raging fire atop Cobb Mountain in Lake County. My family’s cabin built by my father was threatened, and we had just returned to the Bay Area after spending the weekend there. Dad turned around and drove back to protect the cabin. Armed with a garden hose pulling water from English Creek, he sprayed the roof for three days. There were no cellphones in those days, and downed lines caused us to worry about the situation. With no communication, Dad, dirty and exhausted, arrived home after three days proud that he saved our retreat!”

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.