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Newsletter: More women are ending on up on skid row — and facing serious danger

Barbara Siemens, 58, rests on her bunk bed at a women's shelter run by Volunteers of America in Los Angeles. The shelter is one of the biggest women's shelters in L.A.
(Christina House / For The Times)
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Good morning. It is Friday, Oct. 28. Here’s what’s going on around the state.

TOP STORIES

Tale of abuse

For three years, the young boy was hidden in locked closets and sedated by liquid sleeping aids that authorities say were given to him by his mother. When people asked Veronica Aguilar where her son was, she told them he had been placed in an institution in Mexico, according to court records. How did school officials, police, social workers and therapists lose track of the young boy despite previous allegations of abuse? Los Angeles Times

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Homeless and vulnerable

Women now account for one-third of the homeless population in L.A. County. Their numbers are increasing sharply and they face particular danger on the streets. “There’s not been any approach that identifies, let alone prioritizes, gender,” one expert said. Los Angeles Times

Plus: Looking back to the 1980s, when L.A.’s homeless crisis started and city leaders struggled to fix it. Los Angeles Times

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Air traffic controls

The city of Newport Beach is suing the FAA, saying that its plans to reroute flights will increase noise and pollution without a proper environmental review. Culver City is expected to file a similar lawsuit. “The federal lawsuits target the FAA’s Metroplex project, which intends to replace aging air traffic control systems, redesign Southern California’s busy airspace and change the arrival and departure procedures for 21 local airports.” Los Angeles Times

L.A. AT LARGE

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Abuse cases: A state audit has found that, years after a series of high-profile abuse cases, the L.A. Unified School District still has problems resolving allegations of teacher wrongdoing and holding down related costs. Los Angeles Times

Incredible vision: Los Angeles comes alive in this time-lapse video that took two years to create. Vimeo

Boat repairs: The landmark Queen Mary in Long Beach is in urgent need of repairs, especially to its hull, ironwork and wood decks. The city might be on the hook for $23 million. Daily News

Multiple listing service: For the first time in more than a decade, Los Angeles has a database to track all or at least most of its real estate holdings. They include a swath of Palmdale, an orange grove and a smattering of homes. Los Angeles Times

Paying respects: Finding eternal life at Forest Lawn. “[Hubert] Eaton’s wish was that Forest Lawn would be ‘a place for the living,’ and today most American cemeteries … are too, in that they are places for the pre-dead, places to flatter us about how we might be remembered, to overestimate how kind eternity might be to us.” Curbed LA

Art investments: Los Angeles is at the epicenter of major new foreign investment in art galleries. New York Times

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Youth sports: Eric Garcetti says he wouldn’t be the mayor he is today without the Encino Little League. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Weak showing: Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump could be headed for an historically poor showing in California. A poll from the Public Policy Institute of California finds Trump has support from 28% of likely voters. The question now is what that could mean for down-ballot Republicans. Mercury News

Airbnb rules: A proposal from the San Diego City Council president would prohibit most short-term rentals. Sherri Lightner wants to change the municipal code to reclassify visitors and tourists as transients if they rent a home for less than 30 days. Renters and the owners of single-family homes would also be prohibited from renting out a room for less than seven days. “The purpose and intent of the residential zone is for residents,” Lightner said. Los Angeles Times

CRIME AND COURTS

Staying put: A review board denied parole to Charles “Tex” Watson, the self-described right-hand man of Charles Manson and a key figure in the Manson family’s 1969 killing spree in the Los Angeles area. Los Angeles Times

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Vandalism suspect arrested: Police arrested James Otis, the man believed responsible for destroying Trump’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Los Angeles Times

Out in the wild: The mountain lion known as P-45 is the prime suspect in the killing of a miniature horse named Marco Polo. “I just hope he didn’t suffer,” said horse owner Barbara Lyons. CBS Los Angeles

211: Social media calls this “the most San Francisco crime ever.” Someone vandalized a Tesla by spray-painting the company’s after-hours stock price on the driver’s side door. Or, it’s possible the number signified a gang or the state penal code for felony robbery. SFGate

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Rain, rain go away: It will likely be a rainy commute this morning. A flash flood watch was issued for burn areas in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. “Despite this storm, the region continues to face an unprecedented lack of precipitation, recording only 60% of average rainfall this month.” Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA IDEAS

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Lions on the left: How the deaths of Westside liberal lions Stanley Sheinbaum and Tom Hayden reflect the sunset of the once-dominant New Left. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Pilot passes: Bob Hoover was considered one of the last from an era of aerial daredevils. The Palos Verdes resident died Tuesday at the age of 94. “Hoover was considered one of the best ‘stick and rudder’ men in the world, a gifted pilot who possessed a combination of tremendous technical knowledge to manage his aircraft’s systems and athletic instincts that allowed him to perform daring feats.” Los Angeles Times

Party on: The Greek community’s party ban at UC Berkeley lasted for a week. Parties are back on but with new (or at least newly enforced) rules, like having sober monitors and giving talks on consent. SFGate

Robot revolution: Meet the young creator of a “robot lawyer” in San Francisco that is fighting parking tickets — very successfully. Vice

Park expansion: Some people are calling Disneyland “Construction Land” amid a boom of new rides and attractions under development. Some visitors are complaining, but die-hard fans can’t want for what’s coming. Orange County Register

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CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

San Diego could see some showers as temperatures reach a high of 78 degrees. Los Angeles is expected to have rain in the morning before temperatures reach a high of 74. Riverside will have a touch of morning rain and a high of 77 degrees. San Francisco will have rain and a high of 66. Sacramento will be rainy and 66 degrees.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California Memory comes from Kate Groetzinger:

“I moved to California from Texas at the age of 13 to attend boarding school in Santa Barbara. I remember getting off the plane to visit the school in early spring. I had horrible allergies at home and was tired all the time. But when I stepped off that plane and took a deep breath of cool ocean air, I was fully awake — for the first time in my life.”

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.

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