Newsletter: Essential California: The big math problem at the heart of Hollywood’s sexual harassment scandal

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Monday, Oct. 30, and here’s what’s happening across California:

TOP STORIES

Hollywood’s basic math problem and sexual harassment

At the heart of the sexual harassment scandal is one fact: Hollywood has a man problem. Men overwhelmingly dominate nearly every portion of Hollywood, from movie sets to the corporate suites. Of the 100 top-grossing movies released last year, only five were directed by women, according to a USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism study. Men received nearly 87% of the screenwriting credits, the study found, and 79% of the producers were men. Los Angeles Times

Social media finally exposes bad men?

The Times’ Jeffrey Fleishman writes that Twitter, Facebook and other social media outlets are the town criers of our petulant, righteous age. They are where we rant, titillate, philosophize, sermonize and, in the case of the sex scandals, unmask and shame our latest objects of wrath, including Harvey Weinstein, James Toback and Bill O’Reilly. The constructs and labyrinths of secrecy that once protected these men have been shattered by emboldened victims and a social media that hurtles from zero to gale force in the time it takes to type @outrage. Los Angeles Times

Plus: Harvey and Bob Weinstein’s studio, Weinstein Co., had dozens of projects in the works when sexual harassment and rape allegations against Harvey Weinstein hit the news this month. Some of those projects are now canceled. Others are still moving forward. Here’s a breakdown. Los Angeles Times

#MeToo: Women in Sacramento are sharing their stories of harassment. No matter the details, each story involves a man with power — the kind of power bestowed by voters, an influential lobbying client or a supply of campaign cash. And instead of wielding that power to shape politics or public policy, the man used it to proposition women or to touch them inappropriately. Los Angeles Times

Racism, tolerance and the World Series

Houston Astros player Yuli Gurriel’s offensive gesture toward the Dodgers’ Yu Darvish in the World Series has unleashed a debate about racism and political correctness. The episode, caught on video and repeated endlessly on television and social media, opened up a new heated conversation about race and identity in professional sports, which has already been grappling with NFL players taking knees during the national anthem. The controversy resonated in Los Angeles and Houston, which are among the most racially diverse cities in the nation and have prided themselves as being melting pots that welcome immigration and celebrate tolerance. Los Angeles Times

And: The racist gesture made by Gurriel on Friday night called for somebody in power to swing for the fences. Instead, baseball bunted, writes The Times’ Bill Plaschke. Los Angeles Times

Or: Maybe we are overreacting? Los Angeles Times

Plus: The Dodgers lost an epic Game 5 to Houston when Astros third baseman Alex Bregman singled to score the winning run in the 10th inning. The 13-12 defeat means the Astros are one game away from winning the World Series. The next game is at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday. Los Angeles Times

L.A. STORIES

Horrible crash: More than a year after her mother was run over in Calabasas, a Chinese graduate student at Pepperdine University says her ordeal has turned from anger and grief to frustration as she tries to make sense of a foreign criminal justice system that she says has failed her to hold her mother’s killer accountable. Los Angeles Times

The talk: Southern California parents who have seen the devastation from fires to the north and the earthquakes to the south in Mexico may be thinking about how to prepare if Santa Ana winds fuel similar blazes here or if the Big One hits Los Angeles. Here’s how to talk to kids about the dangers — and the anxiety. Los Angeles Times

Accident zone: A crosswalk in Venice where a pedestrian died in recent days has long been scheduled for safety improvements and upgrades that officials said have been delayed by red tape. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Train trouble: Urban neighborhoods, protected wetlands, olive orchards, a federal reservoir and a few sleepy towns will go by the passenger windows of the first California bullet train when it pulls out of San Jose on its way to the Central Valley. But before that inaugural journey planned for 2025, state officials — already facing financing and technical challenges — will have to deal with opposition from land owners and expensive mitigation demands from others along the way. Los Angeles Times

Not up to speed: Why California’s new train that can go 125 mph still can’t outrace your car. Sacramento Bee

Records request: San Diego is under scrutiny for not handing out key information from public records requests. San Diego Union-Tribune

New hope: Fresno’s most neglected neighborhood is about to get a big boost. Fresno Bee

CRIME AND COURTS

“Life after near-death”: Scores of people survived the concert massacre in Las Vegas, but they just barely. Some, including this California woman, could easily have died. The New Yorker

Backlash: Is compassion for the homeless giving way to anger and fear? Why the homeless problem has become so complex. Orange County Register

Feds step in: A libertarian student’s challenge to Pierce College administrators in a 1st Amendment lawsuit recently caught the attention of an unusual ally: the U.S. Justice Department. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Spacey apologizes: Kevin Spacey on Sunday evening issued a public apology to “Star Trek: Discovery” actor Anthony Rapp, who said that the “American Beauty” Oscar winner made a sexual advance on him in 1986, when Rapp was 14 years old. Spacey would have been 26. In the statement, Spacey said he chooses “now to live as a gay man.” Los Angeles Times

Pot woes: Hundreds of pot growers — big and small, fully permitted, semi-legal and pure outlaw — were devastated by the fires in Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino counties. Their losses illustrate how, despite new laws to make the industry legal in California, many farmers remain uninsured and trapped in a cash economy that leaves them vulnerable to natural disasters. Los Angeles Times

Planning a comeback: Rethinking the look and feel of Santa Rosa after the fires. San Francisco Chronicle

Voice of experience: Rebuilding is going to be slow and frustrating. Just ask San Diego, which is still rebuilding after 2003 fires. The Press Democrat

Nazi ties: Looking back at Hitler and the Nazis and how they tried to influence Hollywood. New York Times

Phone freakout: What happens when the teenage daughter of an Apple engineer gets ahold of an iPhone X and makes a viral video with it. The Verge

Eat up: What’s the Bay Area’s best burger? Mercury News

The plan: How a Hollywood powerhouse built a “football factory” in Florida. Wall Street Journal

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Los Angeles area: Partly cloudy and 71. San Diego: Mostly cloudy and 67. San Francisco area: Partly cloudy and 58. Sacramento: Partly cloudy and 68. More weather is here.

AND FINALLY

This week’s birthdays for those who made a mark in California:

Rep. Darrell Issa (Nov. 1, 1953), former Dodger pitching sensation Fernando Valenzuela (Nov. 1, 1960) Apple chief executive Tim Cook (Nov. 1, 1960) and comedian Kathy Griffin (Nov. 4, 1960).

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.