Essential California Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015

Essential California

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Good morning. It is Thursday, Oct. 8. The police chiefs of New York and Los Angeles have a lot riding on the Mets versus Dodgers matchup: pastrami. Here's what else is happening in the Golden State: TOP STORIES Climate change bill Gov. Jerry Brown signed new legislation that will require California to get more of its energy from renewable sources. By the year 2030, half of the state's energy must come from renewable sources like wind and solar. "This is big. It's big because it's global in scope. It's also big because it's local in application," the governor said. Los Angeles Times Busy, not apathetic Why don't more Angelenos volunteer to make a difference in their community? They don't have time. That's the finding of a new USC Dornsife/California Community Foundation/Los Angeles Times survey. Almost half of respondents said they are too busy to get involved, and 39% said they don't know what they could do to help. "Pressed for time, stressed by their circumstances, residents made it clear that if they did help out in their communities, they would want to see a clear payoff." Los Angeles Times Unionized teachers Thousands of public school teachers would probably lose their jobs if a plan spearheaded by the Broad Foundation succeeds in opening 260 newcharter schools. A proliferation of charter schools would be expected to lead to a drop in public school enrollment. The foundation's proposal suggests hiring instructors from Teach for America and other groups rather than traditional public institutions. Over the past six years, the L.A. Unified School District has seen its pool of teachers shrink from 32,300 to 25,600. About half that decrease is due to charters, according to district officials. Los Angeles Times Sponsored Content by Metropolitan Water District* Be Water Wise: Help fight the drought with these simple steps Through its long-term investments and planning, the Metropolitan Water District aims to maintain reliability to the 19 million people it services. But SoCal residents can do their part now to help conserve water. It’s all about efficiency and being water wise. Learn how to save water (and money!) with these easy-to-use tips from a conservation expert. Click here to learn more. DROUGHT Water scheme: How did Cadiz Inc. manage to carry on a losing fight for so long? "Political juice," writes columnist Michael Hiltzik. "The Department of the Interior may have put the final kibosh on the firm's always questionable plan to pump groundwater out of the Mojave Desert and deliver it via a 35-mile pipeline to the Colorado Aqueduct, and thence to Southern California."Los Angeles Times Smaller pumpkins: The drought is making for some sad jack-o'-lanterns. This year, many pumpkins are ripening too early and shriveling up before they can fulfill their destiny as Halloween decorations or in Starbucks lattes. One farmer went so far as to import pumpkins and gourds from Oregon.SFist L.A. AT LARGE Art imitating life: Martin Milner wasn't a cop, but he played one on television. He was Officer Pete Malloy of "Adam-12," and he inspired a generation of young men to join the force. "As you watch any of the 'Adam-12' episodes, you see professional, compassionate, internally driven, hard-working, clean-cut, impeccably tailored, fit Los Angeles police officers — those police officers that have no dark side, that do the right things for the right reasons every time," Chief Charlie Beck said at an LAPD tribute to the late actor. Los Angeles Times Urban America: Is Reyner Banham's classic "Los Angeles: The Architecture of Four Ecologies" the best book ever about an American city? A New Yorker writer thinks so. New Yorker The award goes to: The "earthquake lady" has won the so-called Oscar of government service. Lucy Jones of the U.S. Geological Survey was awarded the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal in Citizen Services, which recognizes federal employees who have a notable impact.Los Angeles Times Promo goes wrong: Los Angeles police arrested a man who appeared toflash a gun at officers while he filmed a video for his rap group. The 15-second clip went viral and initially put officers on heightened alert. Los Angeles Times Destroying cars: The city of Los Angeles is considering a new law that would allow cars to be auctioned off or destroyed if they were used in astreet race that led to serious injury or death. In February, two spectators were killed in Chatsworth by a racing Mustang. Months later, four people were arrested in the same area for street racing. Daily News POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT Quake preparedness: Mayor Eric Garcetti's proposal to retrofit thousands of buildings is moving forward. The plan, which would be the most sweepingseismic safety measure in California history, won approval from a key City Council committee Wednesday. It would require 13,500 wood-frame apartments and 1,500 concrete buildings to be reinforced to withstand a major quake. Los Angeles Times Old feud: Sen. Barbara Boxer didn't like Carly Fiorina when they ran against each other for the U.S. Senate in 2010 — and she really doesn't like her now. "I need people to know who this woman is and what her pattern is of hurting people, stepping on them, and then rewarding herself," Boxer said of the Republican presidential candidate. Daily Beast Cause of death: If a terminally ill patient takes a lethal dose of medication to end his or her life, what is the cause of death? Coroners' officials are facing that question now that California will allow doctors to prescribe life-ending drugs. Insurance companies say it's likely that life insurance policies will still be paid out even if a terminally ill person ends his or her life under the new law. Los Angeles Times Political spending: Expect to see more money spent on San Jose city elections. The City Council voted to eliminate voluntary spending caps of mayoral and council races. The reason? Unlimited spending by outside groups rendered the caps meaningless. San Jose Mercury News Office romance: The city manager of Santa Ana is dating a city employee.David Cavazos shared that news in a letter to Mayor Miguel Pulido. "It's fraught with conflicts of interests, often viewed as suspicious by other employees and could even open the door to lawsuits, experts said." Voice of OC CRIME AND COURTS Case not dismissed: Bill Cosby will have to be deposed in a lawsuit filed against him by a woman who alleges that the comedian molested her at thePlayboy Mansion in 1974 when she was 15 years old. The deposition could happen as soon as Friday. However, it's unknown whether that testimony will ever be made public. Los Angeles Times Domestic dispute: A former housekeeper and nanny is suing a high-profile tech couple, saying she was underpaid and subjected to sexual harassment. Julieta Dela Cruz Yang said she was paid a flat weekly fee, regardless of how many hours she worked. She also accused Uber's Cameron Poetzscher of exposing himself to her. Poetzscher and his wife, Varsha Rao, head of global operations for Airbnb, deny the allegations.SFGate Hacking The Times: A former deputy social media editor for Reuters was convicted for his role in a hacking conspiracy against the Tribune Co. and the Los Angeles Times. Matthew Keys is accused of providing login information to the hacker group Anonymous. Someone from the group was then able to access The Times’ website and change the headline of a story.Los Angeles Times BUSINESS Bubble burst: In Silicon Valley, a "unicorn" is a start-up that is valued at more than $1 billion. The term can even apply to companies that have never made a dollar in profit, and that has critics complaining that the term is overused and probably inaccurate. "When the current tech bubble inevitably bursts and the illusion is dispelled, the argument goes, the unicorn will be revealed as nothing more than a donkey with a cardboard tube taped to its forehead." New York Times Magazine Foreign box office: When Chinese President Xi Jinping was in America last month, the Motion Picture Assn. of America and China Film Group reached an agreement that could be a boon for film studios, the Hollywood Reporter reports. Sources told the publication that international firms would be allowed to audit China's box-office figures, which have faced allegations of rigging. Chinese officials are said to have agreed to expand the number of foreign films that are allowed into the country. Hollywood Reporter CALIFORNIA CULTURE What's for breakfast: In San Francisco, one writer took the food stamp challenge and ate for the equivalent of $4.50 a day. "Some people mistakenly assume that recipients of food assistance are lazy … but if there's one thing that really resonated with me it's that living on food stamps requires a lot of hard work, preparation and determination.” BuzzFeed Late-night entertainment: San Pedro's Misty Copeland danced on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" with an accompaniment from Yo-Yo Ma.CBS Dark connection: The Cecil Hotel in downtown Los Angeles is infamous, and now it may be famous. The hotel and the mysterious disappearance and death of one of its guests are the inspiration for this season of "American Horror Story." The Cecil is perhaps best known as the onetime hangout of Richard Ramirez, a.k.a. the Night Stalker. Curbed LA CALIFORNIA ALMANAC San Francisco will be sunny and 71 degrees. It will be 89 and sunny in Los Angeles. There will be high clouds and 96 degrees in Riverside. San Diego will have a high of 81. AND FINALLY Today's California Memory comes from Warren Howard: "I had just checked into a hotel in Santa Clara and was talking to my wife on the phone when the building started to shake and roll. The hotel fire alarm sounded. The shaking stopped after 10 or 20 seconds. I told my wife I was going to go see if the rest of the hotel was still standing. The hallways were empty, but the usually very sleepy lobby was packed with people chattering like they were at a party. We all had experienced the great San Francisco earthquake of 1989." 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 Alice Walton or Shelby Grad. * This advertiser has no influence over editorial content or decisions.

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