Newsletter: Essential California: The strange beach scene where the U.S.-Mexican border fence meets the sea

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Tuesday, Sept. 5, and here’s what’s happening across California:

TOP STORIES

Where the border meets the ocean

Thrusting into the sky from the edge of the Pacific, Tijuana’s lighthouse, or faro, sends out a beacon where the northwestern nook of Latin America edges against the southwestern tip of the United States. A coastal esplanade south of the fence marking the international boundary is both a beachy hangout and a hub for border artists and activists, yoga aficionados and bemused tourists snapping selfies. It is also the site of often emotional encounters during which stranded deportees on the south visit with separated loved ones on the north, albeit through a mesh-steel fence. Los Angeles Times

The fate of the ‘Dreamers’

President Trump has tentatively decided to leave the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program intact for six months to give Congress time to find a legislative solution, a delaying tactic likely to please neither side in a bitter political debate. Aides cautioned that Trump may still change his mind before he makes a long-awaited announcement Tuesday on whether or not to keep the Obama-era program going. It affects up to 800,000 so-called Dreamers, immigrants who were brought into the country illegally as children. As of Monday, it wasn’t clear whether Trump will say he plans to cancel the program after six months, or simply revisit the matter at that time. Los Angeles Times

How to spot a counterfeit

It’s a question vexing brands and copyright holders the world over. The rise of high-end fake Yeezy sneakers may represent a tiny fraction of the $460-billion knockoff goods industry, but they provide a snapshot into how widespread counterfeiting has become in the digital age — all to the delight of collectors who are so devoted to the shoes they’re willing to undermine the very brand that makes them. The shadow sneaker trade shows the tools of globalization aren’t restricted to multinational brands. The replica Yeezys many people wear are re-created expertly in China, marketed on social media, sold over reputable e-commerce sites and delivered discreetly by international couriers. Los Angeles Times

L.A. STORIES

Fire slows: Less than 24 hours after Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles County, weather helped take the fight out of a brush fire that burned more than 7,000 acres. Los Angeles Times

Plus: The fire in photos. Mashable

The story behind the comeback: How did UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen and offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch deliver a pocket full of miracles in the football team’s amazing comeback victory Sunday? Los Angeles Times

Rally: Uber drivers, street vendors, fast-food workers and union activists arrived downtown by the busload to participate in a boisterous march and rally on Labor Day in downtown L.A. Los Angeles Times

And: A Labor Day music festival came to Grand Park, and another minimum-wage rally was held in Wilmington. CBS LA

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Frustrated: For more than a year, animal welfare advocates have complained that emergency callers who find wounded or stray animals in Los Angeles have struggled to reach the city for help. The toll-free number for Animal Services has a tedious menu that often leads to busy signals or leaves callers to wait in silence, unsure if anyone will pick up. Los Angeles Times

Closing time: California lawmakers rejected a bill that would have allowed bars and nightclubs in the state to stay open until 4 a.m. But lawmakers did decide to create a task force to study the concept. Los Angeles Times

A robot tax? Jane Kim, a San Francisco city supervisor who is pushing a robot tax, says it’s important to think now about how people will earn a living as more U.S. jobs are lost to automation. Associated Press

San Diego clash: A brief shouting match erupted at Chicano Park on Sunday afternoon between hundreds of park supporters and a small, right-wing group that had recently criticized the park’s murals. San Diego Union-Tribune

And on campus: “The Students for Justice in Palestine chapter at the University of California, Irvine, was punished with disciplinary probation for two academic years for disrupting a pro-Israel event held on campus.” Jewish Telegraphic Agency

CRIME AND COURTS

Interpreters for all: At least 220 languages are spoken in California, and 44% of residents speak a language other than English at home. Seven million Californians say they cannot speak English well. On top of that, the state’s courts handle as many as 8 million cases a year. Now two years into its enforcement phase, California’s “language access plan” is pushing courts to provide interpreters for all non-English speakers in all cases. Los Angeles Times

Bail battle: The Essie Justice Group is a support network for women whose loved ones are in prison. The organization has been one of several civil rights and advocacy nonprofits that have pushed a hotly debated state legislative package to overhaul how courts grant offenders bail before trial in California. Los Angeles Times

On the BART: Authorities say three East Bay residents were taken into custody over the Labor Day weekend in connection with criminal incidents at BART stations. The Mercury News

THE ENVIRONMENT

Troubled times: Dole Food Co. will lay off 402 workers from its Pajaro Valley fields and packing facilities as part of a widening move out of California’s strawberry market. Los Angeles Times

Helping hand: The California National Guard is calling up nearly 350 members to help fight blazes burning around the state, the agency announced Monday. Sacramento Bee

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Two-team town: Not since the early 1990s, when the Rams and Raiders played here, have two NFL teams attempted to share the Los Angeles metropolitan area. This time feels different, if only because the Chargers and Rams have arrived within a year of each other, both starting over in a city that serves as a blank slate. There is the potential for a budding rivalry. Los Angeles Times

On the road again: A sleeper bus ticket to San Francisco costs $115. Not having to fly to LAX and deal with the airport: Priceless. Los Angeles Times

Burning Man death: A man rushed past layers of security officers into a massive fire at the Burning Man festival’s signature ceremony, suffering burns that left him dead hours later. Associated Press

Chinatown is changing: From mixed-use development to parks, here are all the projects that are bound to reshape Los Angeles’ Chinatown. Curbed LA

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

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

AND FINALLY

Today’s California memory comes from Genevieve Ramirez:

“I saw the story about the Japanese Hospital in Boyle Heights. I was born at the Japanese Hospital in February 1949; attending physician was Dr. Daishiro Kuroiwa. I am the fifth child out of seven but the only one born at this hospital. Years later, I believe the Japanese Hospital was moved to Lincoln Heights and renamed City View Hospital. Although I had moved out of Boyle Heights, my ob-gyn was Dr. Asaichi Hieshima on 1st Street and worked out of City View. My first two children were born at City View Hospital (1971 and 1973). I was surprised to learn that my children and I were sort of born in the same hospital.”

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.