Newsletter: An Angel’s death may lead to lawsuits
Happy Labor Day, California. In honor of the holiday, Julia Wick has the day off — and we’re keeping things short. Here is what’s going on around the state.
— Shelby Grad
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TOP STORIES
The Angels face significant potential liability ahead in the death of player Tyler Skaggs, who died with two opioids in his bloodstream, plus enough alcohol that he would have been considered legally impaired. One key question: How did he get the drugs? Los Angeles Times
The majority of fentanyl is now smuggled into the U.S. from Mexico, where it is remaking the drug trade as traffickers embrace it over heroin, which is more difficult and expensive to produce. U.S. border agents have been intercepting increasing amounts of fentanyl. Los Angeles Times
A cheerleader’s blackface video in Fresno is roiling the city, and bringing back ghosts of past racism. Los Angeles Times
L.A. STORIES
Scientists say an earthquake fault along the Los Angeles coast, previously believed to be dormant, is active and could cause a destructive magnitude 6.4 earthquake if it ruptured. Los Angeles Times
How L.A.’s rapid gentrification is hitting nonprofits hard. Los Angeles Times
A Reseda parking lot is becoming an unexpected success story in helping the homeless in the San Fernando Valley. Los Angeles Daily News
One of L.A.’s original boba shops is celebrating 20 years. “We’re one of the OG boba shops, and we keep everything traditional, from our recipes to our cups, with that ribbed design.” San Gabriel Valley Tribune
Tough day for USC football in Fresno. Los Angeles Times
Is L.A.’s effort to bring homeless people from camps to housing working? We talked to many stakeholders to find out. Los Angeles Times
CRIME AND COURTS
Why is O.J. Simpson still being celebrating on the USC campus? Los Angeles Times
Sirhan Sirhan, who is serving a life sentence for the 1968 assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, was reportedly stabbed at a San Diego-area prison. Los Angeles Times
This Carmel Valley woman is not taking down her British flag, no matter what her homeowners association says. San Diego Union-Tribune
HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Private firefighters can help contain fires and minimize damage, but their goals aren’t always in sync with their municipal, state and federal colleagues. San Diego Union-Tribune
What is happening to California’s sea otters? The threat from an surprising source. New York Times
Learning to survive, and learning about yourself, during 14-days alone in the Sierra Nevada. LAist
POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
Yes, you can be evicted in an effort to create more affordable housing. San Francisco Chronicle
Plus: Why are California housing permits down amid a historic shortage? Sacramento Bee
Maybe more people are fleeing the Bay Area than coming in. Mercury News
The looming political battle over the gig economy in Sacramento and beyond. Wall Street Journal
CALIFORNIA CULTURE
Comedian Kevin Hart and his driver suffered major injuries Sunday when his 1970 Plymouth Barracuda rolled down an embankment on Mulholland Highway in Calabasas. City News Service
Disneyland’s futuristic Tomorrowland hasn’t been updated since 1998. Some fans say it’s now hopelessly out of date. Orange County Register
San Francisco’s Embarcadero in 2019 is a strange blend of real and fake city. San Francisco Chronicle
Lana Del Rey’s big L.A. Labor Day weekend. Los Angeles Times
California in the 1970s was a weird place. The New Yorker
CALIFORNIA ALMANAC
Los Angeles: mostly sunny, 89. San Diego: partly cloudy, 82. San Francisco: cloudy, 73. San Jose: sunny, 84. Sacramento: sunny, 97. More weather is here.
AND FINALLY
“I think the image we have of Hollywood is basically generated by the media, and it’s a very glamorous image. Nobody thinks of people in Hollywood being employees who are subject to the same levels or the same labor issues or levels of discrimination as other industries.”
— filmmaker Tom Donahue
If you have a memory or story about the Golden State, share it with us. (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, ideas and unrelated book recommendations to Julia Wick. Follow her on Twitter @Sherlyholmes.
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