Newsletter: Essential California: Paparazzi and their drones

Good morning. It is Wednesday, Oct. 7. Get out the welcome wagon: Jay Z and Beyonce are reportedly renting a Holmby Hills mansion for $100,000 a month. The $45-million mansion previously belonged to Frank and Jamie McCourt during their Dodger days. Here's what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Equal pay

The California Fair Pay Act signed by Gov. Jerry Brown Tuesday may be the strongest equal pay law in America. When the law takes effect on Jan. 1, 2016, employees can compare their pay to that of workers who do substantially similar jobs, even if they are at different locations. The law was drafted in response to a study that concluded women make 84 cents for every dollar earned by a man. “The inequities that have plagued our state ... are slowly being resolved with this kind of bill,” the governor said. Los Angeles Times

Earthquake safety

There’s a lot of anger and frustration in San Francisco over the cost of renting an apartment, which can run $3,500 a month for an average one-bedroom unit. But that anger hasn’t extended to the price hikes that come as landlords retrofit older buildings. A similar proposal will be before a Los Angeles City Council committee today. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT

Plan stalls: A plan to allow Cadiz Inc. to sell groundwater from the Mojave Desert to Southern California communities has hit a major roadblock. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management determined the company could not use an existing railroad right-of-way for the 43-mile pipeline needed to transport the water. That means Cadiz will have to go through a lengthy and costly environmental review. Los Angeles Times

Paper plates: Fort Bragg officials want restaurant owners to save water by using disposable plates and cups. It’s just one aspect of the “Stage 3” emergency that was declared after the Noyo River dropped so low that ocean water seeped into city pipes. Residents cannot wash their cars, irrigate their lawns or maintain landscaping. SFGate

Health problems: In the San Joaquin Valley, calls to a suicide hotline are up. Counselors are getting more calls about anxiety. And doctors say they’re treating more patients for breathing problems related to the dust that kicks up from fallow fields. “You have all the crops dying, and you feel like you are dying with the crops,” said Tzexa Cherta Lee, a farmer. San Francisco Chronicle

New lows: Six reservoirs that are part of the Central Valley Project are 200,000 acre-feet below where they were a year ago at this time, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. “We entered this drought with our reservoirs pretty full. By now we’re kind of at a point where...there’s not a whole lot of margin left,” said water expert Ellen Hanak of the Public Policy Institute of California. Sacramento Bee

Water pipeline: Could water from Alaska be shipped down to California to help ease the effects of the drought? Rep. Janice Hahn wants to find out. She had officials from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach meet with the CEO of Alaska Bulk Water to see if the idea is even feasible. Daily Breeze

L.A. AT LARGE

Find the culprit: Who is the Bel-Air homeowner using 11.8 million gallons of water a year? Columnist Steve Lopez is on the case, cruising the wealthy enclave in his Prius and looking for an estate that left their hose (or maybe 20) running. Los Angeles Times

Manufacturing jobs: American Apparel has prided itself on making clothes right in downtown Los Angeles, but now that the company has filed for bankruptcy, can the retailer afford to stay in the city? Even if it can’t, American Apparel may be forced to remain stateside to maintain its brand, which is “too heavily predicated on the U.S. manufacturing," said Josh Arnold, an equities analyst and contributor to financial site Seeking Alpha. Los Angeles Times

Job search: A coalition of civic organizations wants to play a part in selecting the L.A. Unified School District’s next superintendent. Groups like the United Way of Greater Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Urban League believe community leaders should be allowed to interview the three finalists and make recommendations to the school board. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Marina development: A new, six-story Marriott is coming to Marina del Rey. The L.A. County Board of Supervisors agreed to lease county land to the hotel company. Neighbors, already concerned about the pace of development in the marina, warned the project could worsen traffic and parking problems. Los Angeles Times

Water politics: Board members at the Santa Clara Valley Water District want to oust their CEO. They say Beau Goldie has been slow to take on infrastructure projects, while labor officials say grievances are on the rise under his watch. Goldie said he’s unaware of any process to remove him. San Jose Mercury-News

Ethics fine: Orange County trash hauler George S. Briggeman Jr. will pay a $15,000 fine for laundering money in city council races in Anaheim, Lake Forest and Cypress, according to the Fair Political Practices Commission. “The violations here are especially egregious because they were intentional, deliberate and the activity associated with the violations was intended to circumvent the central purposed of the (state Political Reform) Act,” the commission said. Orange County Register

CRIME AND COURTS

Drone law: Drones may not be used to take a photo or record a video above someone else’s property. That’s according to a new law signed by the governor. AB 856 specifically targeted paparazzi who go to extreme lengths to snap photos of celebrities. Los Angeles Times

Bill Cosby sued: A 25-year-old model is suing comedian Bill Cosby, alleging that he sexually assaulted her at the Playboy Mansion in 2008. Prosecutors are already reviewing a criminal investigation involving Cosby and Chloe Goins, though the statute of limitations appears to have already expired. Los Angeles Times

Mysterious death: A well-known yoga and massage therapist was found shot to death on a hiking trail in Marin County. Steve Carter was found with his wounded dog. “I can’t imagine that it’s anything other than a random thing. All of it seems very random and unbelievable,” said the victim’s brother. SFGate

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Disney's inflation: Columnist Michael Hiltzik makes the case for the Disneyland’s pricey tickets. “In some respects, the Disneyland of today — especially the Disneyland/California Adventure complex of today — would be unrecognizable to a park visitor in 1955 or even in 1990,” he writes. Los Angeles Times

Cup of Joe: California’s Peet’s Coffee & Tea, which helped launch the second wave of coffee, is purchasing Stumptown Coffee Roasters for an undisclosed price. The move could help Stumptown expand its reach. Fortune

Night at the museum: The Natural History Museum is hosting an adults-only sleepover on Halloween. Your bunk mates will be taxidermied animals unless you spring for the upgraded accommodations in the dinosaur hall. LAist

Epic facial hair: Five men from California placed at the 2015 World Beard and Moustache Championships. L.A.’s Jeffrey Moustache won the gold in the Musketeer partial beard category. Fellow Angeleno Dan Lawlor placed first in the Freestyle mustache category. Los Angeles Times

Pumpkin season: In Santa Monica, there is a pumpkin spice fried chicken doughnut burger. Making it all the more outrageous is that it’s served at a juice bar. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

It will be sunny and 77 in San Diego. Los Angeles will have sunshine and a high of 84. Riverside will be sunny and 87. Parts of San Francisco will have low clouds. Highs are expected to reach 69 degrees.

AND FINALLY

Today's California Memory comes from Inez McGee:

"When I was 7 years old, my mother, sister and I were driving along Sunset Boulevard late one evening. As we approached the 405, I saw a champagne-colored Cadillac limousine that appeared to have been painted with crushed diamonds. In those days (1960) limos in L.A. were not such a common sight, and certainly not champagne-colored glittery ones. As I pressed my nose against the window glass and stared, the darkened window of the limo rolled down, and there waving at me with a smile as brilliant as the paint on his vehicle was Elvis. Next to him was a beautiful blonde drinking, of course, champagne. The window rolled back up as they pulled into the driveway of what was then the Bel Air Sands Hotel. I love L.A.!"

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.