Newsletter: Essential California: USC selects new leader to guide it out of scandal

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Thursday, March 21, and here’s what’s happening across California:

TOP STORIES

Carol L. Folt, the recently departed chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will be the next president of USC, a choice underscoring the university’s desire to turn the page on myriad scandals that have defined it in recent years. Folt, whose appointment was approved by the board of trustees on Wednesday morning, will become the first female president in USC’s 139-year history. USC said Folt was the unanimous selection of a search committee that interviewed more than 100 candidates, including academics, business leaders and nonprofit executives, over the last seven months. Board Chairman Rick Caruso praised her in a statement as “the right leader at the right time.” Los Angeles Times

Steve Lopez weighs in: USC has lost its way. Here’s how the new president can put it back on track. Los Angeles Times

In review: Some highlights from Folt’s time at UNC-Chapel Hill. Los Angeles Times

Insiders’ perspective: Two former USC football recruiters point out how an administrator could have manipulated admissions. Los Angeles Times

Podcast: A deep dive into the college admissions scandal at USC. Los Angeles Times

Not paying the bill

Donors descended on the Luxe City Center Hotel last April for a fundraiser supporting two L.A. politicians: City Council President Herb Wesson and a colleague from the San Fernando Valley, Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez. Wesson, a political veteran, and Rodriguez, the council’s newest member, took in tens of thousands of dollars that day for their officeholder committees. Yet for nearly a year, neither compensated the hotel, which provided food and an outdoor patio with a glittering downtown backdrop. Rodriguez and Wesson paid the $3,026 bill only two weeks ago, after The Times inquired about the lack of payment. A Wesson representative said they had not previously received an invoice. They’re not the only politicians to go months, or even years, without paying the hotel. A Times review of campaign records found no evidence of payment by at least seven politicians involved in three separate fundraisers at the Luxe, whose owners spent several years seeking city permission to redevelop their property. Los Angeles Times

Homeless housing battle

Council members still have more than a year to make good on their pledge and meet their self-imposed goal of backing at least 222 supportive housing units in each district by July 1, 2020. But the ongoing pattern of where homeless housing is being built — and where it isn’t — has raised concerns inside and outside City Hall about perpetuating economic segregation and failing to address the need that exists across the city. Los Angeles Times

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L.A. STORIES

Charged: The mother of 9-year-old Trinity Love Jones, whose body was found in a duffel bag along a trail in Hacienda Heights this month, has been charged with murder in connection with her daughter’s slaying. Los Angeles Times

Road closure: Hacienda Road, a heavily trafficked street that links the San Gabriel Valley and Orange County, is expected to be closed for at least a year after a season of torrential rain that caused a portion of the winding thoroughfare to sink. Los Angeles Times

Hacienda Road is closed between Skyline Drive and Canada Sombre in La Habra Heights because of rain damage. The route could be shut down for up to a year for repairs.

(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Cautionary tale: Here’s what happened when one writer found lead paint in her house. Curbed LA

RIP: Hi Duk Lee, believed to be the first Korean business owner at Olympic and Normandie, has died at 79. L.A. Taco

That fireball! No, a meteor did not just crash in downtown Los Angeles, but there was a show in the sky. Los Angeles Times

IMMIGRATION AND THE BORDER

All full: The Border Patrol released 50 recently apprehended migrants in Texas on Tuesday, the first of several hundred border-crossers who officials say will soon be freed because there is no room to hold them. Los Angeles Times

Spooky scary: With several patients in local hospitals struggling to recover, public health officials are warning San Diego doctors to be on the lookout for signs of a deadly infection linked to weight-loss surgeries performed in Tijuana. San Diego Union-Tribune

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

On the picket line: Sen. Bernie Sanders started his California campaign swing with a visit to UCLA to align with unions who are striking against the University of California. Los Angeles Times

Fighting fire with … : California is calling in the National Guard next month to help protect communities from devastating fires like the one that largely destroyed the city of Paradise last fall. Associated Press

$$$$: “How charter schools became such a big layer in California’s education system.” KQED

Pothole problems: Oakland’s plan to improve roads is stuck in a rut. San Francisco Chronicle

CRIME AND COURTS

Big payout: San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors has approved a $13.1-million settlement for a man who spent eight years in prison after police officers framed him for murder. Los Angeles Times

Large blast: Three people were injured Wednesday in an explosion at a Canoga Park commercial building that authorities said was being used as an illicit drug lab. Los Angeles Times

Not a great look: “A university in Fremont found to have strikingly high numbers of foreign pupils has been hit with a warning from its accreditor for failing to place enough graduates in jobs.” Mercury News

THE ENVIRONMENT

Spring has sprung: The super bloom has taken off at LAX, but you have to be on a plane to see it. Los Angeles Times

Looking for help: As Southern California cougars near an “extinction vortex,” a radical rescue plan has emerged. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Of course there’s an app: Sanctuary, the first venture-capital-backed astrology app, looks to bring the familiar trappings of the on-demand economy to an age-old industry. Los Angeles Times

Plus: “The Hollywood Medium group-chatted me and my dead granddad.” GQ

Architectural adventure: Disney Hall’s “Thought Experiments” gives a new view of an L.A. landmark through an immersive “video walk.” Los Angeles Times

HBD: At City Lights in San Francisco, the boss is turning 100 — and the party is on. Los Angeles Times

Hollywood talk: Confusion, embarrassment and maybe some relief: Warner Bros. is grappling with the fallout of CEO Kevin Tsujihara’s ousting. Vanity Fair

Click! Watch the trailer for Quentin Tarantino’s latest film “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” Variety

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Los Angeles area: partly cloudy, 62, Thursday; partly cloudy, 66, Friday. San Diego: showers, 61, Thursday; partly cloudy, 64, Friday. San Francisco area: partly cloudy, 59, Thursday; showers, 57, Friday. San Jose: partly cloudy, 63, Thursday; showers, 59, Friday. Sacramento: partly cloudy, 64, Thursday; showers, 56, Friday. More weather is here.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California memory comes from Diana Hensley:

“I drive to West Hollywood and then Sherman Oaks once a week from Orange County via the 101. In so doing, I pass by Boyle Heights, where my great-grandparents built their home in what was originally Brooklyn Heights. (Note: They, along with my grandfather and a few other family members, are buried in the nearby Evergreen Cemetery.) I love learning about my early Los Angeles family. The house is still there. It’s in beautiful shape. I don’t know who owns it now. The neighbors say it’s been in a few movies. My grandfather is in Who’s Who of California, but that’s a different story.”

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.