Newsletter: Essential California: Shooting triggers fears at UCLA

Good morning. It is Thursday, June 2. The Santa Monica Mountains welcomed two new bobcats this spring. The baby boys are adorable per the new pictures and videos. Here’s what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Scope infections

Sixteen patients were infected with a dangerous bacteria found on medical scopes at Huntington Hospital between January 2013 and August 2015. Eleven of those patients died; health officials said that only one of the 11 death certificates listed the bacteria as the cause. An investigation into the outbreak blamed the design of the scopes and the hospital’s disinfection process. Hospital officials had previously said that only three patients were infected by the bacteria. Los Angeles Times

Shooting at UCLA

A murder-suicide at UCLA triggered reports of an active shooter and a massive response Wednesday with police officers and federal agents descending onto the Westwood campus. As students and professors took cover, false information about the shooting began flying around social media and group text messages. “In this day and age … we would much rather respond in an abundance of caution,” said LAPD spokesman Andy Neiman. Police identified the victim as William S. Klug, a 39-year-old associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering who was described as kind and brilliant. Los Angeles Times

No dice

A federal judge rejected efforts by supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders to reopen voter registration in California because of the rulings governing which voters may cast a ballot in next Tuesday’s primary. Voters who do not state a party preference may vote in the Democratic, American Independent and Libertarian parties’ primaries; the Republican Party’s ballot is closed to such voters. “There’s absolutely no showing of any federal violation,” said U.S. District Judge William Alsup. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Getting hot, hot, hot: The Southland is having a heat wave, as temperatures in the Antelope and San Fernando valleys are expected to hit triple digits. A high-pressure system from the Pacific Ocean can be blamed for the high temperatures. “This high-pressure area is like a big dome of warm air … that’s helping to heat things up,” said David Sweet, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. Los Angeles Times

Not so simple: If only the California drought could be solved by destroying the delta smelt. “The state’s water supply was jacked up for more than 100 years before the delta smelt started gumming up the works.” Wired

L.A. AT LARGE

Mayoral endorsement: L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti endorsed Rep. Janice Hahn Wednesday for the Board of Supervisors. The two served together on the Los Angeles City Council before Hahn was elected to Congress. The primary is on Tuesday. Los Angeles Times

Policing tactics: The city of Long Beach will not appeal a ruling that found police officers there unfairly targeted gay men in conducting lewd-conduct stings. The fact that such stings were taking place surprised many in the city, including its openly gay mayor. “I view Long Beach as a progressive place that believes in justice and dignity for everybody. So when I hear that something occurs that could be contrary to that, I’m alarmed,” said Mayor Robert Garcia. Los Angeles Times

Walk. Don’t walk: The intersection of Hollywood and Highland was the most dangerous place for pedestrians until a new, scramble crosswalk was installed. Now, the number of crashes there is way down. LAist

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Poll numbers: Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has a two-point advantage over rival Bernie Sanders leading into next week’s California primary, according to a new poll. A victory in the Golden State would give Sanders a reason to stay in the race, even though Clinton is ahead in the delegate count. NBC News

At home with Trump: What’s presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump doing as he relaxes at his Beverly Hills home with a pint of vanilla ice cream? “Finishing his pint, he reflects again on the remarkableness of the campaign, asking his traveling staffers, Corey Lewandowski and press secretary Hope Hicks, as well as his son-in-law, to confirm again how remarkable it is.” The Hollywood Reporter

Familial support: The son of Cesar Chavez says his family is backing Clinton in the presidential race. Paul Chavez made his comments after his brother-in-law suggested the late labor leader would be a Sanders supporter if he were alive today. “The fact of the matter is most of us in the family that continue to work closely in the movement that my father began strongly support the candidacy of Hillary,” said Paul Chavez. BuzzFeed

CRIME AND COURTS

Students on lockdown: When the alert went out that there was an active shooter on the UCLA campus, students barricaded themselves in classrooms and armed themselves with makeshift weapons. They texted family members and avoided windows and doors. “It’s just such an overwhelming situation. You see these things on the news — and to have it come here?” said a third-year biology major. Los Angeles Times

Worried sick: Parents from Canada to San Bernardino to the Los Angeles Times’ own newsroom felt panic set in Wednesday as the UCLA campus went into lockdown. Text messages between the students and their parents show the fear they felt before police gave the all-clear. “It was torturous, being 120 miles away in San Diego and watching the events unfold and not being able to do anything,” said one UCLA alum whose son is a sophomore at the university. Los Angeles Times

Lock the door: Many UCLA students found that their classroom doors did not have locks. Students got creative by using belts and power cords to create locks and barricading doors with chairs, tables and overhead projectors, as these photos show. Gizmodo

In plain sight: Sacramento police launched a search when 10-year-old Laprea Lee was reported missing. Now, authorities say the little girl was never actually missing. Instead, her mother hid her as a way to exact revenge on her estranged husband. CBS Sacramento

BUSINESS

Long hair, don’t care: Alli Webb opened the first Drybar in Brentwood six years ago. Now, the company that specializes in $40 blowouts for young, professional women is doing $100 million in sales. “Drybar has become to blowouts what Starbucks is to coffee. It didn’t invent the blowout but has played a singular role in making them a thing.” BuzzFeed

Oops: Last year, Forbes determined Elizabeth Holmes was worth $4.5 billion based on the valuation of her Silicon Valley start-up Theranos. However, the magazine’s editors now say that estimate was based on bad math and Holmes’ net worth is actually more like nothing. As in $0. Forbes

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Trip to the market: Some people have strong opinions about the new 365 by Whole Foods Market in Silver Lake. “Before the door was a d.j. tent, printed with the phrase ‘Do Something Delicious Every Day’: low-stakes activism, cozy self-indulgence, a habit for living.” The New Yorker

Pop, fizz: Soda pop saved Galco’s Old World Grocery in Highland Park. But don’t expect to find Coke or Pepsi on the shelves. New York Times

Mad Men: One woman catalogued 300 “ghost signs” in San Francisco. “To this day you can find early-1900s ads for Wrigley’s gum, Coca-Cola, beer before Prohibition, and a 7-Up ad on the side of a garage that’s held up incredibly well because it’s protected from the sun.” SFGate

Surf’s up: The Wedge in Orange County had 15-foot waves Wednesday. Those waves were expected to hold strong today before weakening over the weekend. Orange County Register

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

There will be low clouds and a high of 76 in San Diego. Los Angeles will be mostly sunny with a high of 81 degrees. Riverside will be sunny and 96. Sacramento is expected to have a high of 98 degrees. San Francisco will be partly sunny and 72.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California Memory comes from Charles S. Rose:

“In July 1971 during summer break, I hitchhiked with a classmate from our home in Chicago to California. I was 16 years old and had never been out west. We each left with a Boy Scout knapsack and $50. We swam in Lake Tahoe, explored Sproul Plaza at UC Berkeley, surprised to find a fellow classmate playing guitar for spare change. We were mesmerized by Haight-Ashbury. We lived in an ocean cave in Carmel for three days with 25-plus other nomads. From Las Vegas, we got a ride to our front door. Gone six weeks, I still had $30 remaining. I moved to California in July 1980 and have never looked back — until now.”

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.)

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