Newsletter: Essential California: Rising costs threaten L.A.’s homeless housing goal
Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Monday, May 14, and here’s what’s happening across California:
TOP STORIES
Remember all that money L.A. voters gave to help the homeless? It will go less far than many hoped. Skyrocketing development costs and loss of state and federal subsidies are undermining Los Angeles’ goal of adding 10,000 units of homeless and affordable housing in a decade. At the current rate of spending, the $1.2-billion bond authorized by Proposition HHH would fall as much as 4,000 units short, officials said in a report to the citizen oversight committee for the bond program. Los Angeles Times
-- L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti’s presidential bid is seen as tied to the homelessness crisis. Wall Street Journal
-- Opposition from residents and business owners to a proposed shelter in Koreatown has caught city and community leaders by surprise. Los Angeles Times
-- With money from Measure H pouring in, L.A. County’s homeless services authority is rebuilding a disjointed outreach system. By summer, every part of the county will be covered by teams able to promptly respond to calls for service posted on a public website. Los Angeles Times
-- In California, leaving the homeless out in the sun. Wall Street Journal
It’s not TV, it’s ...
Even as they face rising competition from digital video and tumbling ratings, TV networks are proudly touting their new offerings this week. But the mood is grim. The broadcast networks have seen double-digit declines in viewing by the 18-to-49 age group most coveted by advertisers. Many cable channels are seeing audience erosion too, as pay TV subscriptions dropped by 3.6 million in 2017 and an additional 700,000 in the first quarter of 2018. Los Angeles Times
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L.A. MOMS
In East L.A.: She helps strangers at the worst moment of their lives. Los Angeles Times
Grocery matriarch: She had 13 children and 53 grandchildren and another 53 great-grandchildren. By the time she died last month at 90, she was the matriarch of a large, prosperous clan. One small grocery store in Anaheim had grown to 40 up and down Southern California, reporting about $900 million in sales last year. Los Angeles Times
A columnist’s tribute: My mom the cheerleader. Los Angeles Times
L.A. STORIES
Big case: Los Angeles County has wrongly canceled Medi-Cal coverage for thousands of residents, often leaving them without access to healthcare and needed medicines, a judge has ruled. Los Angeles Times
Success story: A Hawaiian food empire via China and then L.A. Two brothers began Ono Hawaiian BBQ in 2002 at Santa Monica Boulevard and Bundy Drive. Sixteen years later, the company has 1,200 employees and 71 corporately owned locations, most of them near Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento. Los Angeles Times
Ups and downs: The latest thrill ride is not at Disneyland but up the 5 at Knotts Berry Farm. Why people are so excited about “HangTime.” Orange County Register
In WeHo: Can Soho House expand without becoming less exclusive? Wall Street Journal
Grading the university: Assessing USC and gentrification, the good and the bad. L.A. Taco
CRIME AND COURTS
Abuse allegations: Ballet students tell stories of sex abuse and betrayed trust. San Francisco Chronicle
POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
Will you vote? By the time California’s primary election day arrives in June, it’s possible the state will be very close to having 20 million registered voters — a historic milestone. But the history of modern California politics suggests as many as two-thirds of those voters won’t even cast a ballot next month. Los Angeles Times
Fight! Inside Rep. Devin Nunes versus the Justice Department. New York Times
Repercussions: After the Stephon Clark shooting, race and policing in Sacramento have become a political issue. Sacramento Bee
Whoops: An important quirk in California’s pot legalization law. Wired
CALIFORNIA CULTURE
Coogler in Cannes: “I dunno, I’m from Oakland, so black culture was everything where I’m from. The idea that nobody will want to see a film about a bunch of Africans, I don’t care how many spaceships or stuff is blowing up in it — it can become truth if you don’t have anything that disproves it. I just think we’ve gotta keep making stuff.” — “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler on his influences. Los Angeles Times
Fierce: The woman they call Iran’s Beyoncé is having a moment. Los Angeles Times
Ahoy: They finally avoided the high rents of San Francisco, but moving into a sailboat. SF Gate
If you’d like to leave a message: Is the death of voicemail in our texting age a blessing or a curse? Can you ignore a text in the same way you avoid voicemail? Mercury News
Showrunner: Why is Ryan Murphy getting the really big bucks in the age of Peak TV? Because he revolutionized it. The New Yorker
Toxic? A Silicon Valley foundation gone awry? New York Times
CALIFORNIA ALMANAC
Los Angeles area: Partly cloudy, 68, Monday. Sunny, 67, Tuesday. San Diego: Partly cloudy, 67, Monday. Partly cloudy, 68, Tuesday. San Francisco area: Mostly sunny, 60, Monday. Partly cloudy, 60, Tuesday. Sacramento: Sunny, 78, Monday. Sunny, 76, Tuesday. More weather is here.
AND FINALLY
This week’s birthdays for those who made a mark in California: Director George Lucas (May 14, 1944), Rep. Jackie Speier (May 14, 1950), L.A. City Atty. Mike Feuer (May 14, 1958), Rep. Mimi Walters (May 14, 1962), Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (May 14, 1984) and Father Greg Boyle (May 19, 1954).
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.
