Newsletter: Essential California: Separating migrants and their children
Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Tuesday, May 8, and here’s what’s happening across California:
TOP STORIES
All immigrants who cross the border illegally will be charged with a crime under a new “zero tolerance” border enforcement policy, Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions said Monday, in a crackdown that could overwhelm already-clogged detention facilities and immigration courts with hundreds of thousands of new cases. Sessions also said that families who illegally cross the border may be separated after their arrest, with children sent to juvenile shelters while their parents are sent to adult detention facilities. Los Angeles Times
New development alert
Anschutz Entertainment Group, the owner of Staples Center and L.A. Live, is proposing a public-private partnership with the city to fund a big expansion of the Los Angeles Convention Center that would include a second hotel tower. Los Angeles Times
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L.A. STORIES
Time to decide: The names of three finalists for Los Angeles police chief have been forwarded to Mayor Eric Garcetti, the Police Commission announced Monday. The five-member civilian commission, which oversees the Los Angeles Police Department, moved quickly after interviewing five candidates — all department veterans — Wednesday. Los Angeles Times
Good news: A record-setting pace of tourists visiting Los Angeles County put $22.7 billion into the local economy last year, countering fears that a strong dollar and tough rhetoric from the White House might scare off international tourists. Los Angeles Times
Bad news: FYF Fest announced Sunday that it had canceled this year’s festival, which was set to be held July 21 and 22 at Exposition Park with headliners Janet Jackson and Florence + the Machine. Here’s why the news feels like such a discouraging setback. Los Angeles Times
IMMIGRATION AND THE BORDER
They can’t go back: Of the 225 asylum seekers escaping from places like Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, the dozen or so members of the transgender community who arrived in Tijuana feel they are targeted wherever they go. These women say they have survived murder attempts, have seen their friends beaten to death, and have been forced into sex work. Los Angeles Times
“Heinous and violent”: MS-13’s appeal to girls has grown as the gang becomes “Americanized.” Washington Post
POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
On the campaign trail: In his bid to be California’s next governor, John Chiang touts his battles with a previous one. Los Angeles Times
Big strike: A massive labor strike across the University of California on Monday forced medical centers to reschedule more than 12,000 surgeries, cancer treatments and appointments, and campuses to cancel some classes and limit dining services. Los Angeles Times
Plus: Three UCLA staffers were hit by a vehicle during the service workers’ strike. Los Angeles Times
Taking stock: The “pleasure and pain of being California, the world’s fifth-largest economy.” New York Times
New bill alert: “More than 100,000 undocumented adult immigrants in California would be eligible for state-subsidized health coverage, under a major budget push announced by Assembly Democrats Monday.” Sacramento Bee
CRIME AND COURTS
In court: A registered sex offender and parolee who led police on a wild pursuit in a motor home before escaping on foot last week was arraigned Monday on charges that he kidnapped his two young children. Los Angeles Times
They did what? A Muslim woman filed a federal lawsuit against the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department on Monday, alleging deputies forced her to remove her head scarf while in custody last year, a move that runs counter to established case law protecting the religious rights of people in police custody. Los Angeles Times
In South L.A.: A man described as a “prowler” died Sunday after police tried to arrest him, authorities said. Los Angeles Times
Missing in Hermosa Beach: What happened to Mike VanZandt? Daily Breeze
THE ENVIRONMENT
Out in the water: An increase in sightings of whales without tails is concerning scientists. National Geographic
CALIFORNIA CULTURE
Don’t be mean: The Los Angeles Football Club’s campaign to stamp out an offensive chant worked, at least for one match. Los Angeles Times
Yum: Bluebird Brasserie, the first brewery in Sherman Oaks, brings Belgian beer culture to the neighborhood. Los Angeles Times
6 feet under: “Even the dead face a housing crisis in this California city.” Sacramento Bee
What is California cuisine? Whatever my immigrant mom is cooking. Washington Post
Note: An item about sex education in Monday’s newsletter contained a broken link for some readers. The story can be found here.
CALIFORNIA ALMANAC
Los Angeles area: Partly cloudy, 77, Tuesday. Sunny, 77, Wednesday. San Diego: Partly cloudy, 70, Tuesday. Partly cloudy, 71, Wednesday. San Francisco area: Partly cloudy, 64, Tuesday. Cloudy, 60, Wednesday. Sacramento: Partly cloudy, 87, Tuesday. Sunny, 81, Wednesday. More weather is here.
AND FINALLY
Today’s California memory comes from Chuck Kerns:
“I came to San Francisco after an Army stint in 1970. My first bus ride on an electric had the spring-loaded arms come loose from the overhead wires, and the driver called for the passengers to push the bus through the intersection. ‘OK, this is different.’ Continuing my ride through the financial district I saw a young, naked woman walking down the sidewalk among the suited businessmen, who did not look up. I again thought, ‘Yes, different.’ Finally I landed in the Haight. Very different: no shoes, anything-goes clothes, daily LSD reports on FM — Rumpled Foreskin was the DJ, Scoop ‘If you don’t like the news ... go out and make some of your own’ Nisker, the reporter. I moved to the Mission and got a job as a PacBell lineman. Been in the Bay Area ever since.”
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.
