Newsletter: Essential California: Trump and the Golden State, a less-than-happy relationship

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Monday, March 12, and here’s what’s happening across California:

TOP STORIES

President Trump’s well-documented clashes with California owe plenty to politics, culture and personality. But at bottom, what drives the president’s near-toxic relationship with the nation’s most populous state is this: his near-obsessive desire to be seen as a winner. Los Angeles Times

-- A border fence isn’t the only infrastructure that will be evident when Trump visits the San Diego area to inspect prototypes for his proposed wall on Tuesday. Overhead power lines and an underground natural gas pipeline cross the border there, providing crucial energy for millions of people in both countries. Los Angeles Times

-- It’s become sport in California to see who can hate Trump the most and articulate it best. Times columnist Steve Lopez talked to some “Dreamers” who have a lot more to lose than most. They don’t hate or really fear Trump. But they worry about the mindset he represents. Los Angeles Times

-- Since Trump took office, California has been the epicenter of the resistance, home to countless protests, marches, impromptu airport rallies and, of course, commentary of various kinds on Facebook and Twitter. But it’s all been done at a distance, because Trump has avoided California. Until this week. Will critics take to the streets? Los Angeles Times

-- Inside the nerve center of the California resistance. Washington Post

A student’s plight

UC Berkeley student Ismael Chamu constantly scrambles to find shelter and enough food for himself and his siblings while working a campus job, leading a student club and trying to earn a bachelor’s degree in sociology. He’s one of tens of thousands of California college students afflicted by the state’s affordable housing crunch. And he’s about to be evicted from his trailer. Los Angeles Times

And: Los Angeles lawmakers have vowed to smooth the way for more housing for homeless people, but so far, the City Council has hung on to its own power to potentially stop those projects: a required letter from the local council member. Los Angeles Times

L.A. STORIES

Nun dies: Sister Catherine Rose Holzman, one of two nuns fighting a court ruling involving the sale of a former Los Feliz convent to singer Katy Perry, collapsed and died Friday during a court hearing in the bankruptcy case of a key figure in the property matter. Los Angeles Times

Vacant for 35 years: Julia Child’s onetime home in Pasadena is in decay amid the seemingly never-ending 710 Freeway extension battle. Will it be preserved? Pasadena Star News

Rocket man: Elon Musk said a rocket ship that his company is building for trips to Mars could make short flights by as early as next year. Los Angeles Times

Public health campaign: Long Beach health officials went to a group of art students with a vexing problem: how to stem an alarming increase in cases of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV in a generation that seems apathetic, far removed from the last-century fears of the AIDS crisis. Los Angeles Times

CRIME AND COURTS

A sad day: “He left his family at home to protect yours and his ultimate sacrifice will never be forgotten,” said Pomona’s police chief of Officer Greggory Casillas, who was killed in the line of duty Friday night. Los Angeles Times

A witness’ story: Inside the veterans facility where a former Army soldier opened fire, killing three. Los Angeles Times

Unsettling: The obsession of a Los Angeles writer trying to unlock a murder mystery. L.A. Review of Books

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

What are they hiding? How politicians have managed to shield themselves from the California Public Records Act. Orange County Register

Constant conflict: California leaders and Trump love to serve their bases a steady diet of red meat. How healthy is that? Sacramento Bee

Positive or negative? The Family Reunification Program in San Diego pays for one-way, one-time bus tickets so homeless people can live with relatives or friends in other cities. It’s relocated 1,700 people in six years. Critics call these efforts “Greyhound therapy.” San Diego Union-Tribune

Sitting this one out: The deadline came and went, and no prominent Republicans filed to run against Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, meaning for the second election in a row there will be two Democrats facing each other in a race at the top of the ballot in California. Los Angeles Times

Why not? Could a Californian be the next president? Politico

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

My dearest: “I am writing to say I have fallen absolutely in love with your cottage and would be beyond honored to call it my first on-my-own home …” The latest indignity of buying a home in the Bay Area — writing love letters to potential sellers. Mercury News

Dude: Skateboarding is a much more democratic and egalitarian and quintessentially California sport than surfing, one writer argues. Why is it not the official state sport? Los Angeles Times

Culinary question: Turning the old Ferry Building in San Francisco into a food hall changed the city in many ways. Has the building kept up with the city’s food trends? San Francisco Chronicle

Hope doesn’t float: So how did that boat made of cardboard work out for you? Orange County Register

Party pooper or purveyor? “Alfred Hitchcock planted whoopee cushions on seats, dyed food blue and reversed the order in which courses were served, beginning with dessert, all to toy with guests.” New York Times

Once censored: A forgotten L.A. mural whose time has come. KPCC

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Los Angeles area: partly cloudy and 69. San Diego: partly cloudy and 67. San Francisco area: mostly cloudy and 67. Sacramento: partly cloudy and 74. More weather is here.

AND FINALLY

This week’s birthdays for those who made a mark in California: music mogul Jimmy Iovine (March 11, 1953), music mogul Quincy Jones (March 14,1933) and broadcaster and former USC quarterback Rodney Peete (March 16, 1966).

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.