Newsletter: Essential California: Why California’s opioid crisis isn’t worse

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It is Saturday, Oct. 28. Here’s what you don’t want to miss this weekend:

TOP STORIES

Why California’s opioid crisis isn’t worse: Twenty years ago, California had one of the highest rates of drug-related deaths in the nation. Now it has one of the lowest. Public health experts can’t agree on why California’s opioid death rates are lower than the rest of the country’s, but some suggested it could be because of the state’s demographics as well as the type of heroin available. “We’re spared in California,” said Dr. Daniel Ciccarone, a UC San Francisco professor who studies heroin usage. “We have the episodic things — the East Coast is the killing fields.” Los Angeles Times

Sexual harassment in Sacramento: “He menaced me that evening,” Elise Flynn Gyore said of Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra, who was disciplined after a human resources investigation eight years ago. As a female Capitol staffer she accused him of “inappropriate and unwelcome physical contact.” Now, she is telling her story publicly. Los Angeles Times

Priest sex abuse and Hollywood sexual harassment scandals: In many ways, long-running abuse of women by powerful men in Hollywood echoes the Catholic Church’s sex abuse scandal. In each institution, sex, money, career opportunity and public image are powerful forces that breed corruption, arrogance and abuse. The church and the entertainment industry were populated by people who knew what was up but had reason to enforce a code of silence, if not to actively engage in coverups. Steve Lopez explores. Los Angeles Times

Plus: With more than 50 women stepping forward to accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment, assault and rape, the spotlight has widened to include organizations that are supposed to provide a safety net against work-related abuse in Hollywood. Several actresses have publicly called out talent agencies for a lack of support. Los Angeles Times

Uh oh: The Los Angeles Dodgers lost Game 3 of the World Series 5-3 to the Houston Astros and now trail in the best-of-seven series 2-1. “Remember that team that went 52-9 at one point this summer? Well, these were the guys that went 1-16,” writes Times columnist Bill Plaschke. Game 4 is tonight. Los Angeles Times

He did what? Houston manager A.J. Hinch said he was aware that first baseman Yuli Gurriel made what appeared to be a racist gesture after hitting a second-inning home run off Dodger pitcher Yu Darvish, who is Japanese. “I do know that he’s remorseful,” HInch said of Gurriel. Los Angeles Times

Extreme sports: Hikers, runners and climbers keeping pushing themselves — are they headed toward a breaking point? Associated Press

Rock on: How a Hollywood cemetery famous as the final resting place of Golden Age stars has become a haven for rockers. Curbed Los Angeles

Citizenship drive: “All this tough talk about immigrants got me thinking I still could be deported. You never know,” said one Salvadoran man from L.A., part of a trend of green card holders in this country legally who are becoming citizens. New York Times

Who’d have thought? Conservatives who feel voiceless and adrift, bobbing like red specks in a blue sea, could help usher the 84-year-old Dianne Feinstein back to Washington with a new lease on her Senate seat. Los Angeles Times

Cracking down: Officials are stepping up arrests at the sprawling homeless camp along the Santa Ana River, and plan to eventually break it up. Voice of OC

They can’t all be winners: The highs and lows of San Diego architecture. San Diego Union-Tribune

Up in the sky: Oakland is about to get its new tallest building, another sign of the city’s development boom. San Francisco Chronicle

Backlash: The National Park Service has dropped its plan for a project studying the Black Panther Party’s legacy. East Bay Times

THIS WEEK’S MOST POPULAR STORIES IN ESSENTIAL CALIFORNIA:

1. A masterpiece of Baroque painting, missing for more than a century, is hiding somewhere in L.A. Los Angeles Times

2. Adrian Gonzalez, a clubhouse leader, chose not to join Dodgers for this World Series. Los Angeles Times (He’s since rejoined the team.)

3. Gov. Jerry Brown and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott send a message with their World Series bet. Los Angeles Times

4. Thirty-eight women came forward to accuse director James Toback of sexual harassment. Los Angeles Times (And after this article was published, 200 more women shared their stories.)

5. What $700,000 buys you around Los Angeles these days. Curbed LA

ICYMI, HERE ARE THIS WEEK’S GREAT READS

At least it sounds artsy: Named for the artists who made the neighborhood a creative hub in the 1970s and ’80s, the Arts District could soon find itself with few actual artists living within its borders — no small irony given its name and that Mayor Eric Garcetti likes to regularly tout Los Angeles as an “arts capital” in statements and speeches. The district has become a magnet for high-end development, and that is pushing struggling artists out. Los Angeles Times

Plus: The Smog Cutter, a legendary watering hole for Hollywood’s decidedly non-elite set, is closing. And part of Hollywood is dying with it. LA Weekly

DIY is taking off: The desert town of Mojave has spawned an unusual band of hobbyists: home-built airplane enthusiasts. At least a dozen flight buffs flock to hangars on nights, weekends and during any spare moments to build full-scale airplanes, either from scratch or with parts provided in a kit. Some of the completed craft, many of them thousands of hours in the making, are used for air races or casual flying. Los Angeles Times

Battle over a fortune: Doug Tompkins had very strong views about how the fortune he made from founding the clothing and sporting gear companies Esprit and the North Face should be spent after his death: on the creation and preservation of eight national parks in Chile and Argentina, where he spent the last 20 years of his life. But his wishes have turned into an ugly legal showdown stretching from Chile to San Francisco. Los Angeles Times

Reality check: Yu Darvish made his World Series debut on Friday for the Dodgers in Game 3 against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park, but if you think he waited his entire life for this moment, think again. Asked when he first started thinking of wanting to pitch in the World Series, he replied in Japanese, “I never have.” Los Angeles Times

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.