Newsletter: Essential California: Bipartisan Senate effort to protect Dreamers collapses after Trump threatens veto

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Friday, Feb. 16, and here’s what’s happening across California:

TOP STORIES

The latest attempt at immigration reform, including protections to prevent “Dreamers” from being deported, collapsed in the Senate on Thursday as a bipartisan bill seen as having the best chance at passage failed to get enough support to advance. President Trump had threatened to veto the bill — which shielded the young immigrants in exchange for $25 billion in border security — because it did not include the curbs on legal immigration he sought. Los Angeles Times

Plus: A federal appeals court said Thursday that President Trump’s latest travel ban targeting nationals of six Muslim-majority countries unconstitutionally discriminates against Muslims. Los Angeles Times

Interesting study

When it comes to air quality, the products you use to smell nice or scrub your kitchen could be just as bad as the car you drive. A new study of the air around Los Angeles finds that consumer and industrial products now rival tailpipe emissions in creating atmospheric pollutants. The findings, published Thursday in the journal Science, reveal a shift in the balance of polluting power in cities — one that may prompt researchers and regulators to focus even more on a wide range of common consumer and industrial goods like hairspray, paint and deodorant. Los Angeles Times

L.A. STORIES

Welcome! Billionaire Peter Thiel, one of the most powerful men in Silicon Valley and its most prominent conservative, plans to move his home and personal investment firm to Los Angeles because he’s disaffected with what he sees as the left-leaning politics of the San Francisco Bay Area. Los Angeles Times

Gas tax debate: Motorists on the 605 Freeway may have recently noticed their ride getting smoother when they pass through El Monte — at least state officials hope they have. Three months after the state began collecting an extra 12 cents per gallon in gas taxes, officials have put dozens of road and bridge repair projects on the fast track. Los Angeles Times

Homelessness crisis: Orange County leaders Thursday approved a plan to provide motel vouchers, food and other services for about 400 homeless people living in encampments along the Santa Ana River trail. Los Angeles Times

Can’t get to Pyeongchang? Los Angeles may not have snow, but we have Koreatown, a vibrant neighborhood of incredible restaurants, bars, markets, spas, bookstores and more. Exploring it is a sport all its own. Los Angeles Times

IMMIGRATION AND THE BORDER

In Colombia: FARC, the onetime rebels bent on overthrowing the Colombian government, are now in “training and normalization” camps to learn how to reintegrate with society. But it’s not going smoothly. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Thomas fire aftermath: Southern California Edison is removing power poles from the Santa Paula foothills that could be vital to determining the cause of the deadly Thomas fire, as well as the ensuing debris flow that devastated Montecito, according to area residents. Los Angeles Times

New bill alert: After the failure of a bill that would have expanded rent control, three California lawmakers are introducing legislation aimed at adding other protections for renters. Los Angeles Times

Up north: A Santa Rosa mobile home park won’t be rebuilt after the fires, but affordable housing is coming. San Francisco Chronicle

Commuter update: Officials are contemplating whether to add another westbound lane on the 91 Freeway near Corona. The Press-Enterprise

CRIME AND COURTS

A long time in jail: A record payout has been approved for Craig Coley, who spent more than 38 years incarcerated for a 1978 double murder in Simi Valley that he didn’t commit. Los Angeles Times

Mother pleads guilty: The mother of an 8-year-old Palmdale boy, whose torture and fatal beating prompted far-reaching reforms in Los Angeles County’s child welfare system, pleaded guilty Thursday to first-degree murder. Los Angeles Times

Beware of the con: “Scams are one of the most prevalent crimes in Southern California, officials say, and can affect naïve teenagers, the elderly – and those in between.” Orange County Register

THE ENVIRONMENT

Bragging rights: The College of the Redwoods and Humboldt State University are fighting over who has the world’s largest tree on a college campus. Eureka Times-Standard

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Soundtrack tradition: “For all the ways in which it looks forward, … “Black Panther” also proudly adheres to an established tradition of black movie music that stretches back decades — through ‘Boyz n the Hood’ and ‘Waiting to Exhale’ in the 1990s to ‘Purple Rain’ and ‘Do the Right Thing’ in the 1980s to ‘Super Fly’ and ‘Shaft’ in the 1970s,” writes pop music critic Mikael Wood. Los Angeles Times

Plus: Why “Black Panther” is Ryan Coogler’s most personal film to date. Los Angeles Times

Digging into the data: How attainable is the California Dream today? CalMatters

New poll: “Only a minority of young Jews in San Francisco’s Bay Area believe a Jewish state is important and only a third sympathize more with Israel than the Palestinians.” Haaretz

Great profile: Former Giants pitcher Jake Peavy talks about getting scammed out of $15 million to $20 million and rebuilding his life after that. Now he wants to return to baseball. Bleacher Report

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Los Angeles area: sunny, 75, Friday; sunny, 76, Saturday. San Diego: partly cloudy, 72, Friday; sunny, 71, Saturday. San Francisco area: sunny, 62, Friday; sunny, 61, Saturday. Sacramento: sunny, 66, Friday; sunny, 69, Saturday. More weather is here.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California memory comes from Glenn Clarke:

“The post-World War II era was one of fast growth in SoCal and none faster than the suburbs of L.A. My parents moved us from New Jersey in the early ’50s like so many families of WWII vets. We lived in a house in a tract that was once an orange grove. It seemed like all of the kids in the neighborhood and at school came from other states. I’ll never forget one day when our fourth-grade teacher asked how many of the class (probably at least 30 students) had been born in California. One hand went up. I married one of those rare-for-that-era native-born Californians, and we produced four children born here and three grandchildren who are also natives. When my parents were alive, I thanked them many times for moving from New Jersey. I still remember the snow almost 70 years later.”

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.