Today’s Headlines: California officials can’t do much about soaring gas prices

By Elvia Limón and Jason Sanchez

Hello, it’s Tuesday, Oct. 4, and here are the stories you shouldn’t miss today:

TOP STORIES

Officials can’t do much about soaring gas prices

California is getting another reminder of the volatility of its energy supply as shutdowns at several oil refineries have sent gas prices spiking. Five or six plants are simultaneously dealing with maintenance-related shutdowns, leaving limited supplies of the special blend of gasoline mandated by California to reduce pollution.

And unlike the spike in gasoline costs this summer, Californians and some of its western neighbors are alone facing the recent rise in gasoline prices, underscoring yet again the fragility of the state’s transitioning energy markets.

While Gov. Gavin Newsom responded last week to the drastic increases in fuel costs by jump-starting the state’s shift to cheaper, winter-blend gasoline, energy experts say it could still be weeks until drivers start to feel some real relief at the pump.

No widespread, systemic release of LAUSD confidential data

A criminal syndicate largely failed to steal valuable data from the Los Angeles Unified School District, but a small number of individuals have had sensitive information released on the dark web, Supt. Alberto Carvalho said.

Analysts have been able to review about two-thirds of the data published, and the overwhelming majority of students, parents and employees can breathe easier, the superintendent stated. But he warned that there “will be outliers.”

Plus, after the leak of a cache of data following a digital heist of confidential files from the district’s computer systems earlier this month, Carvalho said parents can now call a hotline with questions.

In this coastal California district, energy and climate weigh on voters

Gas prices are a key consideration in the run-up to the election in the 49th Congressional District, which could help determine which party controls the House of Representatives.

This coastal congressional district straddles Orange and San Diego counties, stretching from Laguna Beach to Del Mar and is home to Camp Pendleton, which has trained generations of Marines who have battled in the oil-rich Middle East. Here, filling up a tank on the way to work is part of the daily routine.

Though the district’s affluence cushioned some residents from high prices, the issue is part of a broader debate about the nation’s energy policy — the response to climate change, the stability of the power grid, imported energy, the role of renewables, nuclear, fracking and drilling.

Dueling sports betting measures appear headed to defeat

Online sports gambling companies, California tribes and card rooms have spent more than $410 million on a pair of dueling ballot measures to legalize sports betting in person and online. If either side thought Proposition 26 or 27 could win, they placed a bad bet.

A new poll from the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, co-sponsored by The Times, shows little chance voters will approve either measure in November.

Likely voters who said they had seen a lot of ads about the propositions were more opposed to the measures than those who had not seen any ads.

More politics

• Los Angeles mayoral candidate Rick Caruso vowed to financially support ballot measure Proposition 1, which would explicitly enshrine abortion rights in the state Constitution. But he does not appear to have put any money toward the proposition.
• The Supreme Court opened its new term by hearing a property rights appeal that calls for limiting the government’s power to protect millions of acres of wetlands from development.
• A senior aide to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti will be appointed the first-ever U.S. State Department special envoy for linking local governments to national foreign policy.

Sign up for our California Politics newsletter to get the best of The Times’ state politics reporting and the latest action in Sacramento.

California suffering through the driest three years

California’s drought has become the state’s driest three-year period on record, and a fourth dry year is looking increasingly likely, officials said.

The news came just days after the state began its new water year, which runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30. The 2022 water year was marked by dramatic swings between wet and dry conditions and a record-shattering heat wave at the start of September.

With long-range forecasts suggesting that warmer and drier than average conditions will persist, uncertainty remains about what the new water year may bring, even as residents continue to conserve at a commendable pace.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

They flock to him: Augustine Hurtado observes pigeons flying overhead at Santa Monica State Beach. Read: “A homeless man’s mission to feed L.A.’s cats and birds”

(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

CALIFORNIA

Voters to pick the next insurance commissioner. The contest to lead the state agency that wields significant power over a $310-billion industry is between incumbent Democrat Ricardo Lara, who is embroiled in controversy, and his novice Republican challenger, Robert Howell, a cybersecurity equipment manufacturer who has never held public office. The state’s insurance commissioner is particularly influential in helping homeowners in wildfire-prone areas maintain their insurance.

Woman dubbed ‘black widow’ dies in California prison. Susan Russo, who was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy in the 1994 slaying of 43-year-old David Russo, died of natural causes, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said. Russo arranged to pay her boyfriend $100 to kill her husband, who was a U.S. Navy chief petty officer, so she could collect benefits as his surviving spouse, including a nearly $1-million insurance policy, authorities said.

A California high school football team forfeits the season after players staged a ‘slave auction.’ Doreen Osumi, the superintendent of Yuba City Unified School District, called the incident at River Valley High School in Yuba City “extremely distressing,” and confirmed that participating students are not playing the rest of the season. The student-athletes were in violation of the code of conduct, Osumi said.

The legendary Irwindale Speedway faces demolition to make way for an industrial project. In April, the city of Irwindale proposed knocking down the racetrack, and building 63 acres of industrial and commercial facilities in order to boost employment opportunities. Recently, the racetrack was purchased by the IDS Real Estate Group. The city said that IDS plans to move forward with the plan to demolish and rebuild. But the current leaseholder said no changes are on the horizon.

NATION-WORLD

Frustration and desperation mount as Hurricane Ian’s effects linger. Washed-out bridges to barrier islands, flooded roadways, spotty cellphone service and a lack of water, electricity and internet left hundreds of thousands of people isolated. The situation in many areas isn’t expected to improve for several days because waterways are overflowing, leaving the rain that fell with nowhere to go.

Iran’s supreme leader breaks silence on mass protests. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said he was “heartbroken” by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, which sparked huge demonstrations across the nation that are entering their third week. However, he sharply condemned the protests as a foreign plot to destabilize Iran, echoing authorities’ previous comments.

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken kicks off an effort to court leftist Latin American leaders. Hoping to find common ground — rather than ideological confrontation — on a host of issues including immigration, drug trafficking and China’s influence, Blinken met with President Gustavo Petro in Bogota, Colombia, before heading to Santiago, Chile, and Lima, Peru. Officials say they are confident they can retain healthy relationships with these countries, even as many shift further to the left.

North Korea fires a ballistic missile over Japan. The Japanese prime minister’s office said at least one missile fired from North Korea flew over Japan and was believed to have landed in the Pacific Ocean. It said authorities have issued an alert to residents in northeastern regions to evacuate buildings nearby in what was reportedly the first such alert in five years.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

Review: Yes, we already know who Trump is. Here’s why Maggie Haberman’s book still matters. In the heyday of the newsmagazines, Time and Newsweek reporters derided exactly the sort of lurid tidbits assembled in this season’s Trump retrospectives as “nuts on the fruitcake.” And then, each week, the magazines’ correspondents stumbled over each other to harvest those pecans, almonds and, in the case of the Clinton administration, the macadamias that the 42nd president employed as sex aids. Maggie Haberman’s collection is big enough to fill a container of salted mixed nuts from Costco.

Nexstar Media Group names new leadership for CW Network. The Irving, Texas-based station group owner said Monday that it has closed the deal to acquire a majority stake in the CW and that Mark Pedowitz is stepping down as its chairman. Nexstar is installing Dennis Miller, a former executive from Sony Pictures Television whose background is in nonscripted programming. Pedowitz, who headed the CW Network for 11 years, will revive his independent company, Pinestreet Entertainment.

How an ‘incredible’ real-life feat gave a TV show about the Troubles its happy ending. The coming-of-age comedy, “The Derry Girls,” set in Northern Ireland in the 1990s, follows a group of Catholic schoolgirls (and one boy) whose adolescent high jinks unfold against the backdrop of the Troubles. The third and final season, premiering on Netflix this week, largely shies away from history and leans into ’90s nostalgia. But the series finale, “The Agreement,” puts politics front and center.

BUSINESS

Kim Kardashian will pay a $1.26-million fine to SEC for promoting cryptocurrency. Kardashian has agreed to settle the charges and cooperate with the commission’s ongoing probe after the mega-influencer advertised EthereumMax tokens on Instagram without disclosing that she received $250,000 for the post. She has also vowed not to advertise any forms of cryptocurrency for the next three years.

OPINION

A new law can help us keep the robust free press our democracy needs. Dominant internet platforms such as Google and Facebook have effectively collected digital advertising market power within their own corporate boundaries, ultimately allowing them to dictate terms to other businesses whose content they use. Yet, the law prevents journalistic enterprises from coordinating among themselves to bargain with these giant platforms for the value of their product. The bipartisan Journalism Competition and Preservation Act, currently in Congress, would change that.

SPORTS

What happens next to Shohei Ohtani and Angels? There won’t be answers for a while, but the scenario isn’t new for Southland baseball fans. The potential sale of the Angels comes about 10 years after the Dodgers went through an ownership change, and that episode may provide clues about the Angels’ trajectory.

Report finds U.S. Soccer, NWSL failed to protect players from sexual and verbal abuse. A yearlong report conducted by forming acting Atty. Gen. Sally Q. Yates and the law firm King & Spalding found that some of the top coaches in the sport were subjects of multiple charges of sexual misconduct yet repeatedly escaped punishment. The report also makes extensive recommendations to both NWSL and USSF to address some of the issues, such as changes to the federation’s coach licensing system.

ONLY IN L.A.

The beef rendang tacos from Aldea by Farm Cup.

(Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times)

Try these tacos. Taco purists may howl, but Times food columnist Jenn Harris will eat almost anything tucked into an excellent tortilla. And why not fill it with beef rendang? Chef Jania Ferrera is making these Indonesian-inspired tacos out of a coffee shop, restaurant and bar at the base of the Elysian Apartments in Echo Park. “It’s not a traditional rendang,” she said. “My cooking really is just like L.A. culture.”

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Singer-songwriter Sinead O’Connor performs in Vancouver, Canada, in 2020.

(Andrew Chin / Getty Images)

This week marks 30 years since singer-songwriter Sinéad O’Connor, also known as Shuhada Sadaqat and Mother Bernadette Maria, tore a photo of the Pope on “Saturday Night Live,” telling the stunned audience: “Fight the real enemy.” Various Roman Catholic organizations and hundreds of viewers protested the act, which was done without NBC’s prior knowledge or approval.

O’Connor defended the controversial action during her musical performance on the show, stating that she was speaking out against child abuse.

We appreciate that you took the time to read Today’s Headlines! Comments or ideas? Feel free to drop us a note at headlines@latimes.com.