Newsletter: Essential California: Feinstein’s absence in Washington creates headaches

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It is Saturday, April 15.

Here’s a look at the top stories of the last week

Feinstein’s absence in Washington is creating headaches for Biden and the Democrats. U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) has been recuperating in San Francisco, creating problems in Washington.

• Feinstein, facing calls to resign, vows to return to the Senate but asks to step away from a committee.
• Feinstein’s weeks-long absence from Washington has refocused attention on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s promise to appoint a Black woman if a U.S. Senate seat opens up.

Cash App’s slain founder and the suspect were out with friends and clashed before the killing, a source says. New details emerge about the fatal stabbing of Cash App founder Bob Lee and suspect Nima Momeni, who a source said was upset with Lee before the killing.

Coachella 2023: What you need to know about this year’s fest. Knowing how to plan for it might be difficult; we get it. So allow us to help you with this guide to Coachella.

• Check out all of our Coachella coverage here.
• Twelve acts we can’t wait to see at Coachella.
• Bad Bunny is just one of many Latin acts at Coachella.

San Joaquin Valley farmers dig in for the next battle: an epic Sierra snowmelt. Even as blue skies return, flood-weary farmers in the San Joaquin Valley have only to look east, to the towering Sierra mantled in snow, to know there is worse to come.

• State officials have released a preliminary flooding forecast for the San Joaquin Valley and Tulare Lake Basin due to a historic snowpack.
• Volcano? Climate change? Bad luck? Why California was hit with 31 atmospheric river storms.

A big question remains amid the LAPD photo scandal: Just who is an undercover officer? In a departmentwide email, LAPD Chief Michel Moore included a list of sensitive positions and asked other officers to self-identify if they wished to remain anonymous.

See the photos behind this week’s biggest stories. Where California’s 31 atmospheric rivers came from; Feinstein resists resignation; and drugs and death at a Malibu beach house.

LAPD officers shot fewer people in 2022, but the percentage that were deadly increased. Shootings by Los Angeles police officers dropped in 2022, although a larger share of those encounters turned deadly, according to preliminary data released by the Police Department.

L.A. council reappoints Heather Hutt, skipping special election for former Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas’ seat. On an 11-1 vote, Hutt was chosen to remain on the council through December 2024, representing Ridley-Thomas’ district for the rest of his unfinished term.

San Diego County supervisors demand the immediate resignation of a colleague accused of sexual misconduct. San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher has said he will resign May 15. His board colleagues say that he should leave now, and that he will not participate in any votes before he does.

Another Sriracha shortage is upon us. How long will it last? Huy Fong Foods, the Southern California company that makes Sriracha hot sauce, says it is experiencing an “unprecedented inventory shortage.”

Juul agrees to a major settlement with six states; California will get $175.8 million. E-cigarette maker Juul Labs Inc. will pay $462 million to six states and the District of Columbia, marking the largest settlement it has reached so far for its role in the youth vaping surge.

Young activists helped elect Kenneth Mejia. Now some say he’s a “toxic” boss. Two former employees say L.A. City Controller Kenneth Mejia created an uncomfortable work environment. His chief of staff says the accusations are false or “absurdly distorted.”

SoCal can expect more birds, rabbits, rats and snakes in a wildlife surge after the record rain. After the heavy rains, Southern California wildlife experts are already noticing more of certain species, such as the kangaroo rat and red-tailed hawk.

LAUSD pitched students an expensive experiment to get higher grades. Most turned it down. L.A. Unified worked to make optional “acceleration days” work for students and help them raise their grades. But most students opted for a full spring break instead.

A $28-million expansion of the Maritime Museum of San Diego would include an actual building. The proposed $28-million expansion of the Maritime Museum of San Diego includes space for galleries, a theater and a cafe.

Rosemary Kaul, groundbreaking L.A. Times photojournalist, dies. Award-winning photojournalist Kaul documented the lives of L.A.’s Central American community and served as a mentor to the next generation.

ICYMI, here are this week’s great reads

Steep, freezing and fast: California’s epic snowpack promises a whitewater rafting season for the ages. As the record Sierra snowpack begins to melt, it’s sending immense volumes of water through some of the most storied whitewater rafting rivers in the world.

L.A. promised mental health crisis response without cops. Why isn’t it happening? A plan to increase Los Angeles County’s psychiatric mobile crisis teams has faltered, often leaving people no choice but to turn to police during a mental health emergency.

The federal government considers major water cuts to protect the Colorado River. The Biden administration has presented options for preventing the Colorado River’s reservoirs from dropping to critically low levels over the next three years.

Today’s week-in-review newsletter was curated by Elvia Limón. Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.