Newsletter: Essential California: L.A. needs more money to help the homeless

Good morning. It is Wednesday, Feb. 24. You might want to head down to Orange County this morning and pick up any one of these 10 great breakfast burritos. Here’s what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Homeless funding

Five months ago, Los Angeles city leaders pledged to spend $100 million to help people living on the street. But the fiscal reality is that L.A. will need a new bond or tax measure to fund the programs. “For a sustainable source, and for us not to make pretty deep cuts in other parts of the city budget, we can’t do this without probably a new revenue source,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. Los Angeles Times

Suspect arrested

A 23-year-old man was arrested Monday on suspicion of killing a 1-year-old Compton girl, authorities said. Ray Howard Patterson is accused of firing the shot that killed Autumn Johnson as she was lying in a crib. Police are still looking for the suspect who drove Patterson away from the scene in a blue Impala. Los Angeles Times

Fight over encryption

Fellow tech giants are weighing in on the fight between Apple and the FBI, which wants the company’s help in unlocking a cellphone used by one of the San Bernardino terrorists. “I think people are really torn. There’s a lot of murky issues, and you don’t want to alienate your customer base. It’s easier to stay quiet,” said Avivah Litan, security analyst at research firm Gartner. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Water fine: The Morning Star Packing Co. was fined $1.5 million for violating wastewater discharge regulations at its tomato processing plant in Williams. Officials with the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board believe plant operators expanded discharge pools without authorization beginning in 2012. That allowed the discharge of an additional 266 million gallons of water. Sacramento Bee

L.A. AT LARGE

Lost papers: A trove of documents discovered in an Exposition Park building could give historians great insight into the migration of Koreans to Southern California. Those documents were the subject of a decade-long legal fight that just came to an end. The papers will temporarily stay in Korea while officials in L.A.’s Koreatown build a new home for them. Los Angeles Times

Civic pride: A survey sponsored by Loyola Marymount University and 89.3 KPCC finds 88% of Los Angeles County residents want L.A. to host the 2024 Olympic Games. Most of those who favor hosting the games believe the region will see an economic boost and the creation of new jobs. The International Olympic Committee is expected to pick a host city in 2017. 89.3 KPCC

Horse, of course: Los Angeles County plans to renovate the Earvin “Magic” Johnson Park near Compton over 18 years at an estimated cost of $135 million. But one part of the plan is drawing controversy — whether to add a stable and equestrian center. The Compton area has a strong equestrian community, but some neighbors near the park are concerned about the smells and safety issues that might accompany the horses. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Family leave: California lawmakers may extend the state’s paid leave policy to make it more attractive to low-wage workers. A proposed bill would provide employees who earn minimum wage with 70% of their pay while on leave, up from the current 55%. “One of the biggest barriers to people actually using paid family leave was low-wage replacement,” said Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez (D-Echo Park). Los Angeles Times

Ticket refund: Did you pay a San Francisco parking ticket between 1995 and 2012? If you did, and if you think you may have overpaid, the city wants to give you back your money. As much as $6.1 million is available for the refunds, but claims must be filed by March 3. KQED

Beach access: A billionaire venture capitalist wants the state of California to pay him $30 million to allow the public access to a beach next to his Martins Beach house. Vinod Khosla locked the gate to the beach road and posted security guards beginning in 2010. “We have not seen any backup documentation to support the $30 million value,” said Jennifer Lucchesi, executive officer with the State Lands Commission. New York Times

CRIME AND COURTS

Beep beep: “Just killing time.” That’s what a woman may have been doing when she laid on the horn of a locomotive at 2 a.m. in Victorville. Police say 45-year-old Shawna Marone may have been trying to drive off in the BNSF Railway train. Los Angeles Times

Brothers shot: The brother of Compton Councilman Isaac Galvan was shot and killed Monday in East Los Angeles. A second brother was injured in the shooting. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Most important meal: Los Angeles has lots of restaurants that cook up a pretty good breakfast. And if you don’t have time to linger over poached eggs and green juice after yoga on a Wednesday morning, then hang onto this list for the weekend. New York Times

Fun is over: The bubble is bursting in Silicon Valley, with venture capital funding drying up and many companies trading below their IPO prices. Zenefits, a human resources start-up, is the latest example of a tech firm reigning in the fun. The company’s new CEO just banned alcohol in the office and sex in the stairwells, which were both problems for some employees. Vanity Fair

Viewing party: Pop the popcorn and pour the drinks — here’s what you need for an Oscar viewing party. Los Angeles Times

Art world: L.A. has a new art space thanks to German art-world feminists. “It’s a great city in terms of the artists, the discourse, the community. And you have all the great art schools and teachers. Somehow, L.A. felt like that, like Berlin,” said Philomene Magers. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

San Francisco will be mostly sunny with a high of 67 degrees. Sacramento will be sunny and 72. In Riverside and Los Angeles, it will be sunny with a high of 82. San Diego will be sunny with a high of 80.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California Memory comes from Ozan Ustundag:

“After hiking for two hours in the dark without a flashlight down the 4-mile trail to the Yosemite Valley, where every rock seemed like a bear from a distance, we finally made it to the valley floor. Walking slowly to the curbside of Southside Drive, the only visible thing around us was headlights of the few cars passing by. Finally a German couple picked up my girlfriend and I, and dropped us off at the nearest bus station. What a relief!”

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 Alice Walton or Shelby Grad.