Newsletter: Essential California: The deal to bring the 2028 Summer Olympics to L.A.

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Monday, Aug. 1, and here’s what’s happening across California:

TOP STORIES

They’re back!

After years of waiting and a last-second switcheroo, a deal has been reached for the Olympics to come to Los Angeles in 2028. The agreement will bring the Games back to Southern California for a third time, after Los Angeles hosted in 1984 and 1932. “It has been certainly a roller coaster,” L.A. bid chairman Casey Wasserman told The Times, adding that International Olympic Committee officials “showed a real willingness to be thoughtful and creative.” Los Angeles Times

More context:

-- What are the economic risks for L.A.’s city coffers? Los Angeles Times

-- Did L.A. get the Olympics because no one else wanted them? Yahoo

-- How the mayors of Los Angeles and Paris changed the Olympic rules. ESPN

From Syria to a poultry plant

At poultry plants in Central California, refugees have increasingly become vital workers in an industry with high turnover, and the growing unrest and bloodshed in the Middle East and elsewhere have readily supplied them. The refugee and immigrant populations ”certainly have been a significant part, an integral part of our workforce for decades,” said Tom Super, a spokesman for the National Chicken Council. Los Angeles Times

Diving into politics

Meet these political newbies who are stepping up to run for Congress. President Trump was a major catalyst for many of them to decide to jump into electoral politics, like Mai Khanh Tran, who is challenging Rep. Ed Royce. “I am leaving a very nice, private life that I’ve worked very hard to build and to be at a position where I can now take it easy and enjoy my family,” said Tran, a Vietnamese refugee who came to the U.S. as a child, worked as a janitor to put herself through Harvard University and is a two-time breast cancer survivor. Los Angeles Times

L.A. STORIES

Hidden art: In Santa Monica, there’s a priceless art collection that few in the public will ever see or even know about. That’s because it’s covering the walls of Rand Corp. — a nonprofit think tank with a reputation for expertise in fields such as national security, terrorism, healthcare and economic development. Los Angeles Times

It’s going to get hot: Scorching heat, muggy conditions and the possibility of thunderstorms will return to Southern California, making this week uncomfortable and sticky. With triple-digit temperatures on the forecast for much of the interior valleys, mountains and deserts, the National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning Monday. Los Angeles Times

At the barbershop: “Twice a month, Madin Lopez — who is genderqueer, identifying neither as male nor female — gives free haircuts to dozens of young LGBTQ people, offering them a space where their identity is not only respected but also discussed openly.” Los Angeles Times

IMMIGRATION AND THE BORDER

Father may be deported: The family of Romulo Avelica-Gonzalez was devastated to learn that he could be deported as early as next week. His case drew international media attention when immigration agents detained him after he dropped off his daughter at school. Los Angeles Times

The sheriff could go to jail: Joe Arpaio, the Arizona lawman who once proclaimed himself to be “America’s Toughest Sheriff” and was largely praised by conservatives for his hard-line policing tactics, was found guilty Monday of criminal contempt, bringing his tenure as a relentless crusader against illegal immigration to an end. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

A mayor in the news: Meet Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf. She oversees a city that is wrestling with nearly every issue facing urban America. California Sunday Magazine

About that missile in the sky: Days after North Korea fired a rocket into the Sea of Japan, the U.S. Air Force is planning to test-launch an unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile Wednesday from Vandenberg Air Force Base. Los Angeles Times

CRIME AND COURTS

Charges dropped: Prosecutors will no longer pursue a case against a USC student accused of raping a fellow undergraduate after a judge’s decision that there was not enough evidence to send the case to trial. Los Angeles Times

Interesting case: “The family of an unarmed man who was fatally shot by a security guard in his own apartment complex is accusing the Riverside County district attorney’s office of offering too light a sentence and treating the private guard as if he were a police officer.” KPCC

Shooting in Los Banos: Two police officers in Los Banos, Calif., and a man were shot during a struggle inside an apartment, officials said. Los Angeles Times

Sentence upheld: A U.S. district judge upheld the 15-year prison sentence of former celebrity private investigator Anthony Pellicano, who was charged with illegal wiretapping and running a criminal enterprise. Los Angeles Times

THE ENVIRONMENT

The gas is flowing again: Southern California Gas Co. announced Monday it had resumed injections at the Aliso Canyon gas storage facility, less than two days after an appeals court lifted a temporary ban on operations. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Big trade alert: The Dodgers made a bold play Monday, acquiring pitcher Yu Darvish from the Texas Rangers in the final minutes before the 1 p.m. trade deadline. Los Angeles Times

On the silver screen: According to a new USC study, women remain strikingly underrepresented in film, both on- and off-screen. And when they show up, they are still portrayed in stereotypical ways. Los Angeles Times

Woke restaurants aren’t new: Los Angeles has “a long and fascinating history of socially engaged eateries.” Here is the story of one. L.A. Taco

Condos? “Historic West Hollywood apartment complex Patio del Moro, where Charlie Chaplin is rumored to have holed up with future wife Paulette Goddard, could soon be converted into condominiums.” Curbed LA

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

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

AND FINALLY

Today’s California memory comes from Dan Millman:

“Here are my gauzy recollections from the ’50s and ’60s seen through boyhood eyes: my grandfather watering fruit trees behind his San Fernando Valley home ... throwing boomerangs and climbing trees with my cousin in a park ... a Saturday visit to Hollywood Magic or to Disney’s Magic Kingdom. Five years later, I’d ride three buses to Burbank to practice trampoline routines or soar from the swinging rings at Santa Monica’s Muscle Beach, which eventually led to a world championship title and a scholarship to UC Berkeley. California dreaming, youthful images, a memory soup from my generation.”

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.