The reports of Coachella’s death have been greatly exaggerated

Good morning. It’s Monday, April 15. I’m Vanessa Franko, assistant editor with the audience engagement team, writing to you from Coachella. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.

• I weigh in on this year’s festival.
• California dairies are scrambling to guard herds against bird flu.
• Why haven’t “miracle” weight-loss drugs reduced health disparities?
• And here’s today’s e-newspaper.

The reports of Coachella’s death have been greatly exaggerated

I spent the last three days in dust-blown Indio walking tens of thousands of steps with tens of thousands of other people at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

It marked the 25th weekend I’ve done this as a journalist. Since 2007, I’ve reported on the festival’s growth as a pop culture touchstone, the expansion to twin weekends in 2012, the epic Beyoncé set in 2018 and the return after pandemic cancellations.

But Coachella, which has served as inspiration for dozens of other events around the country, has not yet sold out for this year’s second weekend, prompting some to ask if its long run as the premier taste-making U.S. festival is over.

Coachella, like many other things that have been around for decades (the first fest was in 1999), goes through up and down cycles. But nobody could look at the packed main field during the reunion of No Doubt on Saturday night and come to the conclusion that Coachella is dead.

The No Doubt set included a guest spot by Olivia Rodrigo — a nice bridge between the legacy and the now of pop music. Then, Tyler, the Creator followed with his most ambitious performance yet at the festival, “fighting with a giant sheep puppet onstage, getting ripped across the set in a fake windstorm, and toting A-list guests for a career-spanning set that proved his singular place in L.A. music history,” my colleague August Brown wrote. Doja Cat closed the show Sunday night.

That’s not to say this is the fully packed Bey-chella of 2018. Fridays are typically light, and this year looked more sparsely populated than usual. The festival grounds at the Empire Polo Club were significantly expanded, so everything has a little more breathing room, and fans were able to walk up close to see Lana Del Rey’s headlining set Friday night without getting crushed. I also noticed, compared to years past, far fewer influencer types with lighting rigs attached to their phones for content creation.

Goldenvoice, the promoter behind Coachella, did not respond to a request for attendance numbers during the first weekend, but in previous years the event has been permitted for 125,000 people.

And those attendees are forking over hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars for their musical interlude in the desert.

Although Coachella has sold bottles of water for $2 throughout its history, that’s one of the few bargains you’ll find. A general admission pass for the second weekend runs $499 before fees, which appear to be $50. Then, you need to factor in the cost of a place to stay or camp, getting to the festival site and eating, drinking and buying souvenirs.

A group of attendees told me they paid $20 for three street-style carne asada tacos, $17 for a fresh-squeezed lemonade and $14 for a small cup of esquites. They also paid $100 for a Coachella blanket and $75 for a sweatshirt.

However, they plan to return to Coachella — which is an experience, from the fashion to the art to, of course, the music.

“A festival is going to be expensive regardless,” said Bianca Anaya, 20, a college student who traveled from Columbus, Ohio, to attend Coachella for the first time. She has traveled around the country in recent years to go to music festivals, including Bésame Mucho in Texas, Shaky Knees in Atlanta and Lollapalooza in Chicago.

Even as Coachella makes dents in bank accounts and spurs some to wonder if its pull is waning, others unearthed a bit of the old magic.

Danielle Dorsey, an assistant editor for The Times’ Food section who was part of our team at Coachella, wrote about her experience at Jon Batiste’s performance Saturday night. It “harks back to the early days of Coachella,” she said, “before any of us thought to capture the experience for the ’Gram and when it was just about letting ourselves be moved by the music.”

Today’s top stories

Dairy cows at a farm west of Pixley in California’s Tulare County.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

Health and environment

• California dairies are scrambling to guard herds against bird flu after cows in several other states were infected with the virus.
• L.A. County public health officials have issued a measles exposure warning for Universal Studios, a Denny’s and several other locations.
• After another wet winter, L.A.’s water supplies are in good shape. But is the city ready for the next drought?

Politics and government

• L.A. has cut a tentative deal to provide $15 million that would spare Chinatown tenants from steep rent hikes.
• Vice President Kamala Harris made a surprise appearance in Century City over the weekend, hammering Trump for his role in overturning Roe vs. Wade.
• California has been granted federal disaster relief for nine counties hit hard by storms in February.

Crime, courts and public safety

• Trump’s trial is about more than sex and money. It’s about what presidents ‘can get away with.’
• R. Kelly was convicted of sex trafficking. Is his case a roadmap for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ probe?
• California goes to court to settle an entrenched school division: transgender rights versus parental rights.
• A coalition of timber companies is suing Pacific Gas & Electric Co., seeking roughly $225 million for 2021 Dixie fire damages.
• A man was arrested in Marina del Rey after gunfire was sprayed from a rooftop. The shooter reportedly livestreamed the incident.
• Two people were shot and killed Saturday night in Napa. They appeared to be teenage girls, according to local news reports.

More big stories

• Some EV chargers are unreliable and in need of repairs. That has become a business opportunity for L.A. startup ChargerHelp.
• A rockslide shut down Malibu Canyon Road on Sunday as light showers continued across Southern California.
• As the state’s housing crisis continues, once-modest towns are becoming “million-dollar cities.”
• Authorities are investigating the crash of a small plane in the San Bernardino Mountains.
  

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Commentary and opinions

• George Skelton: California’s population is on the rise. So much for claims of the state’s demise.
• Robin Abacarian: Never forget: Nicole Brown Simpson’s murder redefined our understanding of domestic violence.
• Times editorial board: The L.A. County Board of Supervisors’ silent sign-off on a $25-million payout fails the accountability test.
• Susan Straight: Can you beat this epic commute? Take the 10 to the 86 to the 111 to the 8 ...
• Times editorial board: High electric bills threaten California’s clean future. This plan would help.

Today’s great reads

(David J. Phillip / Associated Press)

‘Miracle’ weight-loss drugs could have reduced health disparities. Instead they got worse. “Experts say there are a multitude of reasons,” Times reporter Karen Kaplan explains. “But the primary one is cost.”

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.

For your downtime

The Ensemble of “King Hedley II” at A Noise Within.

(Craig Schwartz )

Going out

• 🎨 A wild exhibit showcasing the art of Maurice Sendak opens Thursday at the Skirball Cultural Center.
• 🎭 Catch a revival of “King Hedley II” at A Noise Within in Pasadena.

Staying in

• 📺 A 28-minute special episode of the surprisingly deep children’s show “Bluey” is streaming on Disney+. “It’s one of the most beautiful episodes we’ve made,” executive producer Daley Pearson told The Times.
• 🧑‍🍳 Here’s a recipe for Proof Bakery’s chocolate espresso layer cake.
• ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.

And finally ... a great photo

Show us your favorite place in California! We’re running low on submissions. Send us photos that scream California and we may feature them in an edition of Essential California.

A music fan is silhouetted Friday at dusk at Coachella.

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Today’s great photo is from Times staff photographer Christina House, from Day 1 of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Ryan Fonseca, reporter
Amy Hubbard, deputy editor, Fast Break

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