Newsletter: Essential: L.A. is slow to embrace bike sharing

Good morning. It is Friday, Oct. 14. Is the world’s most Instagrammable billboard coming to Sunset Boulevard? Here’s what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Slow to catch on

Angelenos have been slow to embrace Metro’s bike-share program. Similar programs in Chicago and New York were a lot more popular during the first three months of operation. “For every city, you need to look at what the culture is, what the infrastructure is, and what the political and community dynamic is,” said Laura Cornejo, a Metro deputy executive officer. Los Angeles Times

Pushing a boat

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine) is pushing the U.S. Coast Guard to purchase or lease a vessel owned by one of his top campaign contributors. But the Coast Guard says the polar ice-breaking ship doesn’t meet its needs. Los Angeles Times

Blue heaven

The Dodgers are going to Chicago. After scoring four runs in a marathon seventh inning, then holding on with an unexpected appearance by ace pitcher Clayton Kershaw at the end of the game, the team defeated the Washington Nationals, 4-3, and won their division series. They’ll face the Cubs in Chicago on Saturday. Los Angeles Times

L.A. AT LARGE

What campaign? Former L.A. City Councilman Richard Alarcon shocked many when he announced he would run for Congress against Rep. Tony Cardenas, his one-time colleague on the city council. But is he really running? He’s raised $29 and says he’s not actively campaigning. Los Angeles Times

Downtown sale: Billionaire Ron Burkle just sold his downtown penthouse for $2.5 million. That’s among the highest prices ever paid per square foot for a residential unit in the Historic Core. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

He’s with her: Univision Communications chairman Haim Saban has spent $10 million (so far) to get Hillary Clinton elected president. He kicks off this interview with an anecdote about Bill Clinton and private jets. Bloomberg

On federal land: Din Kossova, an Albanian immigrant, built a monument and dedicated the tower to President Woodrow Wilson. Kossova didn’t realize it, but he built the structure in Joshua Tree National Park. Now, a federal judge is fining him $9,000 and allowing the feds to tear down the monument. Desert Sun

Dangerous roadway: A new analysis finds Highway 99 in the Central Valley is the deadliest major highway in the country. The highway experienced 264 fatal accidents between 2011 and 2015. Sacramento Bee

CRIME AND COURTS

Investigating the police: The L.A. County district attorney’s office has reviewed more than 1,300 police shootings since 2000. Why haven’t any officers been charged? LA Weekly

Lawyering up: NBC’s Billy Bush has hired one of Los Angeles’ “fiercest and most well-respected” attorneys. The move suggests Bush may sue over his pending exit from the network. Is this a sign of what may be the legal strategy? “If Billy had been passive or responded ‘Shut the … up’ to Trump, Billy would have been out of a job the next day,” Marshall Grossman said. Hollywood Reporter

Final goodbye: Slain Sheriff’s Sgt. Steve Owen was laid to rest Thursday. “He wasn’t just one of us. He was the best of us,” said Deputy Greg Whalen of the Lancaster sheriff’s station. Los Angeles Times

Guilty verdict: An 18-year-old woman was convicted of murder Thursday for her part in the 2014 beating death of a USC graduate student from China. Alejandra Guerrero was 16 years old at the time of the attack that allegedly included three other suspects, none of whom have gone to trial yet. The four were accused of beating Xinran Ji with a blue baseball bat and a wrench. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Working together: Projects intended to increase California’s water supply have brought together strange bedfellows. “It was the collective realization of how bad it’s gotten that made us all put our individual needs aside and begin to think about how we can meet our multiple needs,” says Brian Stranko, director of the Water Program with the Nature Conservancy in California. Capital Public Radio

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Legalize it? Columnist Robin Abcarian talks to Beau Kilmer, a senior researcher at RAND Corp., about the campaign to legalize marijuana. “So much of this comes down to your personal values and your preferences for risk,” he said. Los Angeles Times

No more drivers: The city of Beverly Hills wants to get into the driverless car game. Elected officials there are looking to get driverless public transit vehicles onto the road as soon as is practical. “The potential of autonomous vehicles is enormous, not just for Beverly Hills, but for the entire region,” Mayor John Mirisch said. Los Angeles Times

Human connection: Apple may be more interested in augmented reality than virtual reality. BuzzFeed

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Los Angeles and San Diego will both have low clouds and a high of 74. It will be partly sunny and 82 in Riverside. San Francisco will have morning rain and a high of 65. Sacramento will be rainy and 65.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California Memory comes from Sean Gallagher:

“Rather than go to our law school graduation, my school chum Paul and I decided to ride our bikes from Canada to Mexico on Highway 1. It was a disaster. When it wasn’t raining every day in Washington and Oregon, the logging trucks and RVs were trying to kill us. That is, until we got to the California border. Like a travel commercial, we had sunshine and the wind at our backs and everything was going our way … until we spent the night at Andrew Molera State Beach in Big Sur. The ranger woke us up in the morning and asked if we were allergic to poison ivy. We asked why. ‘Because you’re laying in it.’ Paul got it so bad that he looked like the Michelin Man peddling his bike down the coast. So many people stopped and asked us if he was OK that we mercifully pulled the plug at my grandma’s ranch in Cambria. We never talk about ‘the ride from hell’ to this day.”

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.