Newsletter: Essential California: Trump’s logging proposal is more kindling for controversy
Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Tuesday, Aug. 7, and here’s what’s happening across California:
TOP STORIES
Logging has for decades been among California’s most divisive environmental issues — and the controversy shows little chance of cooling as the Trump administration backs new efforts to thin forests. The federal government is moving to allow commercial logging of healthy green pine trees for the first time in decades in the Los Padres National Forest north of Los Angeles, a tactic the U.S. Forest Services says will reduce fire risk. It’s an idea President Trump appeared to endorse in a tweet inaccurately linking wildfire to state water management. Los Angeles Times
-- The Mendocino Complex fire has become the largest blaze ever recorded in California. Los Angeles Times
-- A fast-moving fire broke out Monday in the Cleveland National Forest, burning more than 4,000 acres and forcing evacuations in two Orange County canyons. Los Angeles Times
-- Dramatic drone images released Monday offered a grim record of the devastation in Shasta County, where the Carr fire destroyed more than 1,000 homes. Los Angeles Times
-- Columnist Michael Hiltzik’s take: In a strikingly ignorant tweet, Trump gets almost everything about California wildfires wrong. Los Angeles Times
Campus safety
Los Angeles schools are at risk because of inconsistent campus safety measures, thinly spread mental health services and inadequate coordination with other agencies, according to a new report that the city attorney released Monday. Los Angeles Times
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L.A. STORIES
On the horizon: The U.S. Census Bureau stands to undercount millions of Californians across the state in its 2020 survey, an error that could result in less federal funding or the loss of a congressional seat, according to a new analysis by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California. Los Angeles Times
Keeping track: The various scandals engulfing USC. LAist
No interviews: UCLA’s Chip Kelly is a private man in a very public role. Los Angeles Times
New man on campus: UCLA announced Monday that it had signed Shareef O’Neal, the son of former Lakers great and Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, as part of its freshman class. Los Angeles Times
IMMIGRATION AND THE BORDER
#longread: “How Trump Radicalized ICE.” The Atlantic
Central American turmoil: A political crisis sends Nicaraguans fleeing. New York Times
POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
Follow the money: Track the millions flowing into California’s race for governor. Los Angeles Times
That big train project: The most ambitious rail project of California’s future is increasingly dependent on the cooperation of the very railroad that shaped the state’s past — and there are signs their relationship is growing strained. Los Angeles Times
Who is an employee? A new standard for 2 million workers spurs a clash at the state Capitol. Sacramento Bee
CRIME AND COURTS
Crash victims named: Four Contra Costa County residents and a Los Angeles man have been identified as the victims in the crash of a twin-engine plane that left five people dead near a Santa Ana shopping center on Sunday, officials said. Los Angeles Times
Suspect dies: A 77-year-old man accused of fatally shooting a Long Beach Fire Department captain during an emergency call at a high-rise housing complex for seniors has died of a “preexisting illness,” authorities said. Los Angeles Times
Possible hate crime: A well-known member of the Stanislaus County community was brutally beaten while placing campaign signs, and police are investigating it as a hate crime. CBS 13
Big moves: Leading gig-economy companies including Uber and Lyft are quietly lobbying California’s top Democrats to override or undermine a court ruling that could turn many of their contract workers into employees. Bloomberg
THE ENVIRONMENT
Uh-oh: California farmers could face more restrictions on how they combat crop-eating insects after a state report concluded that one class of pesticide poses a significant risk to bees that pollinate almonds and other crops. Los Angeles Times
CALIFORNIA CULTURE
More data, please: Facebook Inc. wants your financial data. The social media giant has asked large U.S. banks to share detailed financial information about their customers, including card transactions and checking-account balances, as part of an effort to offer new services to users. Wall Street Journal
In theaters this week: The movie “Crazy Rich Asians” could be a watershed moment for representation in Hollywood. Vanity Fair
Hollywoodland: DreamWorks Animation founder Jeffrey Katzenberg and onetime Hewlett-Packard Chief Executive Meg Whitman have placed an audacious bet on bringing Hollywood-style filmmaking to the world of short-form video for mobile devices. Los Angeles Times
Great story: “The LeBron James interview about bicycles.” Wall Street Journal
Transformation plans: For the last decade, the transit center that will replace San Francisco’s Transbay Terminal has been the subject of grand plans and controversies, including struggles to stay on schedule and squabbles over costs. San Francisco Chronicle
CALIFORNIA ALMANAC
Los Angeles area: Sunny, 95, Tuesday. Sunny, 92, Wednesday. San Diego: Sunny, 88, Tuesday. Sunny, 85, Wednesday. San Francisco area: Sunny, 65, Tuesday. Partly cloudy, 64, Wednesday. San Jose: Sunny, 84, Tuesday. Sunny, 86, Wednesday. Sacramento: Partly cloudy, 98, Tuesday. Sunny, 98, Wednesday. More weather is here.
AND FINALLY
Today’s California memory comes from Michael Katz:
“In 1954, when I was 7 years old, our family relocated to Southern California from Dayton, Ohio. My parents bought our home in a tiny new neighborhood then being developed on the former ’32 Olympics polo field, bordered on the south by Riviera Country Club and on the north by Paul Revere Jr. High. Summers were for camping, for visiting national parks, for exploring the Golden State. One of our most memorable day trips was also one of our first. On one day, we drove first up into the cool pine forests above Tehachapi — where patches of snow still remained — then down to the Mojave Desert, America’s driest region, whence out to the coast to finish the day at the beach. Throughout our daylong road trip, my dad sang the praises of our new home state, of our unique opportunity to have such geographical diversity so nearby. ‘Skiing? Surfing? Camping? How lucky we are!’ ”
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.
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