Newsletter: Essential California: Former USC dean no longer seeing patients

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Tuesday, July 18, and here’s what’s happening across California:

TOP STORIES

Former USC dean no longer seeing patients

The former dean of USC’s medical school is on leave and is no longer seeing patients after the Los Angeles Times reported that he associated with criminals and drug users who said he abused methamphetamine and other drugs. At the same time, Pasadena officials said they disciplined a police officer who investigated the overdose of a young woman in Carmen A. Puliafito’s presence at a hotel last year. Pasadena’s city manager said The Times’ account of the hotel incident “reflects poorly on the city and the Pasadena Police Department.” Los Angeles Times

ICYMI: Here’s the original story that brought Dr. Carmen A. Puliafito’s past behavior to light. Los Angeles Times

Cap-and-trade landmark for California

Democratic and Republican lawmakers voted on Monday night to keep California’s landmark cap-and-trade program in place through 2030, a rare bipartisan vote on climate change and a major victory for Gov. Jerry Brown. It was a messy, at times nasty, political battle that comes as the world is increasingly looking to California — rather than Washington — to take the lead on climate change. “No plan is perfect when you’re required by design to have a compromise,” said Senate leader Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles). “We can’t let the perfect get in the way of the good.” Los Angeles Times

A gentrification fight in Boyle Heights

A new coffee shop in Boyle Heights is the latest target of a controversial group trying to fight gentrification, and not everyone agrees with the group’s tactics. These anti-gentrification forces spent weeks trolling the Weird Wave Coffee shop on Instagram before and after it opened on June 15. They held protest rallies outside of the business, and they passed out fliers with a parody logo that read “White Wave.” Los Angeles Times

An L.A. institution returns

On Thursday, Vin Scully joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Music Director Gustavo Dudamel in the first of two performances of composer Aaron Copland’s 1942 work “Lincoln Portrait” at the Hollywood Bowl. As he will again do on Tuesday, Scully narrated powerful words from the nation’s 16th president. “They invited me to do it, and my first thought was, ‘Whoa, that’s kind of out of the ballpark for me,’ ” Scully said in an interview. Los Angeles Times

The fallout continues

Wells Fargo & Co. may not be done shedding assets as it rethinks its business after its sham-accounts scandal. In the last month it has announced the sale of its shareholder-services and commercial insurance subsidiaries, and the San Francisco-based bank is considering cutting even more. Los Angeles Times

L.A. STORIES

Watch: Matthew Fleischer, a Times opinion editor, is an avid biker. In this awesome video, he takes you on his morning commute through L.A. and explains why he believes he’s not crazy for biking all over this big city. Still city government needs to do a lot more to keep the streets safer, he argues. Los Angeles Times

More supervisors, maybe: After it was repeatedly rejected by Los Angeles County voters, a proposal to expand the county Board of Supervisors is gaining traction in the state Legislature amid complaints that the panel is too small to properly serve the most populous county in the U.S. Los Angeles Times

The undocumented lawyer: Lizbeth Mateo is an immigrant who is in this country illegally. She’s also an immigration lawyer in Los Angeles helping other immigrants stay in the country. New York Times

IMMIGRATION AND THE BORDER

See you in court: The American Civil Liberties Union sued the Madera County Board of Supervisors Monday saying it violated California’s open meetings law when it changed an immigration-related policy behind closed doors. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Tsunami detection funding saved: A congressional panel has voted to continue funding a global tsunami detection system that gives U.S. officials an accurate forecast of when and how big floodwaters will arrive from a distant earthquake. Los Angeles Times

What to do with all that money? California State University trustees on Tuesday will discuss how to spend $3.4 billion in taxpayer funds earmarked for the system — more than what Gov. Jerry Brown initially proposed but still not enough to reverse a tuition increase and tackle certain priorities such as building upgrades and maintenance needs. Los Angeles Times

Plus: The chancellor of the California Community Colleges system says intermediate algebra should no longer be required to earn an associate degree — unless students are in the fields of science, technology, engineering or math. Los Angeles Times

There’s always an election somewhere: “Hundreds of Venezuelans, many wearing their native country’s flag, gathered in the Tower District on Sunday to vote in protest of President Nicolás Maduro and his government nearly 4,000 miles away.” Fresno Bee

A pioneer passes: Jim Kanno was a legendary figure in Orange County. In the years after Japanese Internment shattered his community, Kanno helped found the city of Fountain Valley and became what many believe was the United States’ first Japanese American mayor. He died at age 91. Orange County Register

CRIME AND COURTS

Reach out: Authorities announced a $20,000 reward for information that would lead to an arrest and prosecution in the killing of Xiuxia “Michelle” Chen, an Alhambra hotel manager and mother of two. Los Angeles Times

Lancaster killing: A man was arrested Sunday on suspicion of killing a woman who was called to his Lancaster home to repair an appliance, authorities said. Los Angeles Times

Weekend shooting: Two people were found dead inside a Seal Beach apartment after a report of gunshots and a woman’s call for help triggered an hours-long standoff with police Sunday night. Los Angeles Times

Motorcyclist dies: A rider was killed Sunday after he stood on his motorcycle during an illegal stunt on the 15 Freeway in Corona and tumbled onto the road, officials said. Los Angeles Times

THE ENVIRONMENT

Big fire burns: A massive wildfire burning in the Central Valley has spread across thousands of acres and forced residents to flee their homes. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

New restaurant alert! Momofuku’s David Chang talks about his new L.A. restaurant, opening this fall in Chinatown. “We’re going to try and make something very delicious and very new. I don’t want to do something that we’ve done before for L.A.,” Chang said. Los Angeles Times

Lots of warehouses: The Central Valley town of Tracy’s proximity to the San Francisco Bay Area has turned it into a prime spot for distribution hubs, and it’s not alone. CNBC

Getting ready for the fall: This summer, Rams running back Todd Gurley has been coaching youth clinics throughout the nation even as he prepares for the upcoming season. Los Angeles Times

Craft weed: “Craft cannabis is becoming a cousin to craft beer in Sonoma County,” and the idyllic region of California hopes it will be a revenue driver as well. San Francisco Chronicle

Hmmm? Author Bret Easton Ellis says he was called a “Trump apologist” while leaving the Sunset Tower Hotel in L.A. The Hollywood Reporter

Watch: This really is a must-see drone video of Venice’s Muscle Beach. Slate

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Sacramento and Los Angeles area: sunny Tuesday and Wednesday. San Diego: partly cloudy Tuesday and Wednesday. San Francisco area: cloudy Tuesday, sunny Wednesday. More weather is here.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California memory comes from Susan Cornner:

“My mother and her mother, my grandma, arrived at Union Station from snowy Boston on a late winter afternoon in 1936. My mom was 21. When they left the train, they wore thick wool coats with fur collars. And then they saw, for the first time, palm trees against a warm, blue sky. The coats came off, and my mom always said they knew they had arrived in paradise. My grandmother bought a home in rural Hawthorne on Doty Avenue where she would keep a goat and raise chickens for egg sales. My mom rode the streetcar to work at the downtown May Co. She met my dad and the rest is history.”

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.