Newsletter: Essential California: LAPD considers amnesty for homeless people with old bench warrants

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Wednesday, Aug. 15, and here’s what’s happening across California:

TOP STORIES

The Los Angeles Police Department is considering a plan that would allow thousands of homeless people to eliminate old bench warrants, part of larger effort to reform a system that has created a vicious cycle for those with nowhere to live. LAPD Chief Michel Moore described the proposal as a “radical solution” to ease the pressure on the court system, jails and police stations, which are being overwhelmed daily with hundreds of people arrested on these warrants. Moore said the amnesty ideas would cover only longstanding bench warrants for homeless people who failed to show up in court for minor offenses. He stressed that the LAPD has no plans to change how officers enforce various “quality of life” crimes but hoped the shift would result in a more effective, streamlined process for handling these cases. Los Angeles Times

Good news

Yosemite Valley was reopened for the first time in weeks on Tuesday morning, but some visitors were surprised to see a burning hillside along El Portal Road, a key entryway into the famed glacial valley. Officials at Yosemite National Park had listed the official reopening time as 9 a.m., but a steady stream of light traffic began entering the valley hours earlier. Los Angeles Times

Plus: With negotiations intensifying over how California’s electric utilities should help pay to fight wildfires, a prominent Republican lawmaker says the companies should contribute to a new multibillion-dollar fund that would help mitigate those expenses. Los Angeles Times

— ”Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is blaming ‘environmental terrorist’ groups for the deadly forest fires ripping through California.” The Hill

Those oh-so-secret police misconduct records

California’s police unions have used threats and millions of dollars in political donations to keep legislators from undoing the nation’s most restrictive laws on police misconduct records, a Times investigation found. But this year, a group of California legislators is confronting police unions in ways once unthinkable. They argue that unions are out of touch with public sentiment over how officers use force and interact with communities of color. The shift comes amid the backdrop of the Black Lives Matter and criminal justice reform movements. Los Angeles Times

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L.A. STORIES

Impact: L.A. Police Chief Moore said on Tuesday that the controversial retirement plan that recently paid him $1.27 million is ripe for reform. Los Angeles Times

Impact, Part 2: The son of Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson said Monday that he and his wife have reimbursed the city for $2,768 in security services provided at their wedding. Los Angeles Times

Break out those backpacks! New school year, new leaders; familiar and serious challenges for L.A. Unified. Los Angeles Times

Plus: It may feel like the middle of summer, but it’s back to school for L.A. Unified. Los Angeles Times

Short-terming it: Renting out an apartment — Airbnb style. KCRW

IMMIGRATION AND THE BORDER

In court: A federal judge on Tuesday heard the case of Yea Ji Sea, a 29-year-old U.S. Army veteran whose immigration status is in jeopardy after serving more than four years and being honorably discharged. Unbeknownst to her, her paperwork had been mired in a Koreatown-based immigration fraud scheme. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

New to the Legislature: “Vanessa Delgado must be having some seriously mixed emotions about joining the California Senate this week: Joy at winning a special election last week to replace former state Sen. Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia), who quit earlier this year rather than face an expulsion vote by his peers, and despair that her first month in the Senate will effectively be her last.” Los Angeles Times

On the horizon: A big battle over property taxes is shaping up for the 2020 ballot. Los Angeles Times

Just saying no: California cities on Monday objected to a state proposal that would allow marijuana delivery to homes in areas where storefront pot sales have been banned locally. Los Angeles Times

She’s famous! Uh… : Rep. Nancy Pelosi has starred in roughly one in every five Republican-made House campaign ads across the country this year, usually as a device to tar a fellow Democrat running in a conservative area as beholden to her “liberal San Francisco values.” San Francisco Chronicle

CRIME AND COURTS

More Weinstein news: A New York judge has ruled that an aspiring actress can sue Harvey Weinstein for violating sex-trafficking laws because the proverbial casting couch, in which women are asked to trade sex for Hollywood opportunities, could be considered a “commercial sex act.” Los Angeles Times

Guilty plea: The chief executive of an Orange County check-cashing business pleaded guilty Monday to conspiring to export tactical gear to Syrian rebels, federal prosecutors said. Los Angeles Times

Yuck: The Victorville prison, where many immigrants who crossed the border and were apprehended are being held, sits atop a toxic Superfund site. Press-Enterprise

THE ENVIRONMENT

Battle at the EPA: The Trump administration’s plan to roll back aggressive Obama-era fuel economy standards for cars, pickup trucks and SUVs is built on computer modeling that senior officials at the Environmental Protection Agency had privately warned is flawed and unsupportable, according to newly released agency documents. Los Angeles Times

Ominous: A long-dormant supervolcano near Mammoth Mountain is packed with 240 cubic miles of magma. Gizmodo

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Coming soon: Emmys hosts Michael Che and Colin Jost discuss the big night, their evolving partnership and Tina Fey’s advice. Los Angeles Times

What to do about the boys in blue: How bad has the Dodgers’ bullpen been this month? Pretty bad. Los Angeles Times

Good while it lasted: Cash-strapped cinema subscription service MoviePass faced another setback this week as customers tried to cancel their subscriptions and complained on social media when they apparently weren’t able to do so. Los Angeles Times

Nice: “Golden State Warriors superstar Kevin Durant is teaming up with a major venture-capital firm to help get more people of color into Silicon Valley technology companies.” Mercury News

Gulp: What $950,000 buys you around Los Angeles right now. Curbed LA

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Los Angeles area: sunny, 85, Wednesday; sunny, 87, Thursday. San Diego: partly cloudy, 79, Wednesday; partly cloudy, 80, Thursday. San Francisco area: partly cloudy, 65, Wednesday; partly cloudy, 64, Thursday. San Jose: partly cloudy, 77, Wednesday; sunny, 80, Thursday. Sacramento: partly cloudy, 89, Wednesday; sunny, 92, Thursday. More weather is here.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California memory comes from Marie Lyons Weigel:

“Our family moved from Omaha to Irvine in 1971. I was in awe of the number of swimming pools dotting the landscape as we flew in. ‘The Beverly Hillbillies’ theme song played in my 11-year-old head… ‘Cement ponds.… Moooovie Stars!’ I’ll never forget the time we walked into a Newport Beach pet supply store and saw THE BIGGEST MOVIE STAR OF ALL: John Wayne. He was with a child and was telling him he could get ANYTHING he wanted. (Words we’d never heard.) We nervously asked for his autograph. I’m still mortified that WHAT we asked him to sign was the cardboard back of our purchase: a goldfish suction tube pooper-scooper.”

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.