Newsletter: Essential California: Only L.A. could perform an opera in a car

Good morning. It is Thursday, Sept. 24. Why are there so many iguanas riding public transit in San Francisco? Here's what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Immigration in jail

L.A. County Sheriff Jim McDonnell will allow immigration agents into the jails to look for inmates who are in the country illegally. It's a contrast to San Francisco, where authorities do not cooperate with the federal government on immigration issues. Critics of the new policy say it could lead to racial profiling. "It appears the 'Trump Effect' is now having an impact on Los Angeles County policy," said Pablo Alvarado, director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network. Los Angeles Times

Tough decisions on homeless

How far should Los Angeles go to get someone off the street? That's the question facing police officers and sanitation crews as the city undertakes a $100-million initiative to house and provide other services for men and women who are homeless. One particular case in the Valley shows how futile it can be to force people to leave an area they call home. Los Angeles Times

Retail revolution

South Gate, which is 95% Latino, now has a shopping center that includes mainstream suburban stores like Forever 21, Chipotle and Michaels. The center is considered something of a retail revolution in Southeast Los Angeles County, a working-class, heavily immigrant area that has struggled for years to draw chain stores. But demographics are changing, as are retailer attitudes about the Latino market. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT

Emergency preparedness: Newport Beach is preparing for the floods that may come from El Niño this winter. Last week, a storm delivered 2 inches of rain to the beach community, and a clogged storm drain flooded an intersection. Now, officials are clearing draining and stockpiling sandbags. Los Angeles Times

Drought and doubt: A movement of skeptics believes that the drought is the result of a government conspiracy, the byproduct of an experiment to control global warming. A scientist counters: "It's more likely there are extraterrestrial visits to the Earth ... than this kind of thing happening." CBS Sacramento

"Cactivism" as cure: Could cacti save California from the drought? Some believe the plants could be used to purify water and feed livestock. GOOD Magazine

L.A. AT LARGE

New brewmaster: Anheuser-Busch will acquire Los Angeles' largest craft brewery, Golden Road. The beer itself isn't expected to change, at least not in the short term, but the deal does mean it will receive wider distribution. A second Golden Road brewery and pub are expected to open in Anaheim next year. Los Angeles Times

Mobile art: The newest opera in Los Angeles will be performed inside cars. Really. The performance will take place inside 24 limousines that will stop at landmarks around town. California Sunday Magazine, Los Angeles Times

Pope's visit: Los Angeles Archbishop Jose H. Gomez was in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday for the canonization of Junipero Serra. "His canonization is a milestone for Latinos everywhere," Gomez wrote in a dispatch for The Times. Los Angeles Times

Defiant defense: Architect Frank Gehry has harsh words for anyone who believes he shouldn't be involved in the redevelopment of the Los Angeles River. "When you get the kind of blowback from those people that I know and who I thought were smarter than that, you begin to question their integrity," he said. New York Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Terms of death: Columnist Steve Lopez says that Californians should be able to die on their own terms. This comes as the End of Life Option Act awaits the signature of the governor, who has not indicated whether he will sign it into law. "I'm alive and well for the time being, and I'm asking you to give dying Californians the right to depart on their own terms," Lopez writes. Los Angeles Times

Possible eviction: Hawthorne Mayor Chris Brown is facing a busy couple of weeks -- reelection and possible eviction. Court documents show that the mayor, who has a history of financial problems, failed to pay his rent in July and received an eviction notice in August. Daily Breeze

Business attire: The city of Stanton is taking steps to regulate bikini coffee shops and prohibit nudity, smoking and gambling. There aren't any such shops in the city, though one is expected to move in from Garden Grove. "The city of Stanton is much into health and public safety," Councilman David Shawver said. Orange County Register

Status update: A San Bernardino city councilman is getting heat for trying to sell a gun on Facebook during a public meeting. Some constituents are upset that he was trying to sell a firearm over the Internet, while others said he shouldn't be on the social media site on the public's time. "The perception is very bad for the people, and I'm aware of that. It'll probably never happen again," Councilman Benito Barrios said. San Bernardino Sun

Shift to the right: The Carly Fiorina on the current presidential trail is more conservative than the Carly Fiorina whom Californians saw in the 2010 U.S. Senate contest. "Some of her current positions, on global warming, immigration and the 2008 Wall Street bailout, differ from her earlier stances, moving more in line with conservatives who hold great sway in selecting the GOP nominee." Los Angeles Times

CRIME AND COURTS

Mysterious start: A fire in Monterey County that destroyed 11 homes started when someone committed suicide, authorities said. The fire burned more than 1,000 acres. Los Angeles Times

Behind the lawsuit: A filmmaker who set out to make a documentary about the "Happy Birthday" song can be thanked for setting it free from copyright. It was during the course of filming that Jennifer Nelson found a research paper that suggested that Warner Music may not have the right to royalties on a song. This week, a judge agreed. Los Angeles Times

Festival frauds: A 41-year-old man was sentenced to three years in prison for defrauding concertgoers at Coachella and Stagecoach out of thousands of dollars. Jian Gary Huang used short-term rental sites to advertise places to stay during the musical festival, authorities said. He would then collect deposits from would-be tenants, they said, even though he did not own or manage the apartments he was advertising. Desert Sun

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Classic home: Mary Blair is considered one of the greatest artists ever to work for Disney. Now, her former home in the Cahuenga Pass is up for sale. She shared the home with her husband, Lee Blair, an artist who won a 1932 Olympic gold medal for watercolor. Curbed LA

Office space: Uber has bought the old Sears building in Oakland with plans to open an office there in 2017. It will first undergo a $40-million renovation. SF Gate

Minute away: Feeling a bit stressed? Let this video of Yellowstone National Park take your mind off things -- for about 60 seconds. Los Angeles Times

Coffee complaints: If you are looking to escape to a cafe, one writer says, it's best to avoid one Silver Lake hot spot after 10 a.m. "for fear of the beautiful people and their very small, very beautiful dogs." Los Angeles Review of Books

Old Hollywood: A photo gallery shows Los Angeles in its glory days. BuzzFeed

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

San Diego will start off the day with fog and then reach a high of 83 degrees. Los Angeles will have sunshine and 92 degrees. Riverside will be sunny and 99 degrees. San Francisco will have fog in the morning. Temperatures are expected to reach 75.

AND FINALLY

Today's California Memory comes from Lucy W. Pliskin:

"I am originally from the East Coast. I fell in love with California when my son attended Pomona College in the late '90s, coming out every winter for parents' weekend. I fell in love with the warm winter weather but never dreamed I would live in the Golden State. In 2005, at my son's urging, I took and passed the California bar exam. In 2008, I decided it was then or never that I would escape the cold East Coast winters. I started working my network and found my dream job -- in-house counsel at Goodwill Southern California in Los Angeles. I have never been happier and feel like a native Californian."

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.