Newsletter: Were the warnings in Oakland ignored?

Good morning. It’s Tuesday, Dec. 6, and here’s what’s going on across California:

TOP STORIES

Warnings ignored?

There is growing scrutiny over how Oakland city officials handled two years of complaints about safety and health issues at the warehouse that burned down Friday night. Neighbors, former tenants and community activists said they repeatedly told city fire officials, police, code inspectors and others about serious problems at the filthy, dilapidated warehouse. But at the time of the fire, city officials said an investigation of the building was still ongoing. Los Angeles Times

Faces of disaster

They were artists with day jobs, young creatives living off the grid, students dreaming of unconventional paths — at least 36, all taken by fire. On Monday their names were scrawled on notes left at memorials that bloomed on a corner where flames had swept through an Oakland warehouse. Los Angeles Times

Plus: Profiles of each victim as we receive information. Los Angeles Times

Battle cry

California lawmakers are making good on their promise to lead the opposition to President-elect Donald Trump. Gaveling in a new two-year session, lawmakers announced bills that would provide attorneys to immigrants in the country illegally, refuse assistance to any proposed registry of Muslim immigrants and require any wall built along the Mexican border to first be approved by California voters. It remains to be seen how much of these efforts can slow or block Trump policies. But in a deep blue state, they are good politics. Los Angeles Times

Terror threat

An overseas tip about an imminent bombing of the Metro Red Line’s Universal City station has forced federal and local law enforcement in Los Angeles to swiftly ramp up security across its sprawling transit system. Los Angeles Times

L.A. STORIES

Harry Potter sickness? Universal Studios Hollywood has removed the 3-D special effect from its Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride only eight months after the attraction opened as the centerpiece of the park’s most expensive expansion. Some speculate the move came because some park visitors got nauseated. Los Angeles Times

Campus mourning: USC held a somber memorial for Bosco Tjan, a beloved neuroscience professor who was stabbed to death by a student on Friday, the last day of classes. “Tragically, Bosco died doing what he loved, doing what he believed in — serving his students and building up a new generation of scholars,” USC President C.L. Max Nikias said. A motive for the killing remains unclear. Los Angeles Times

How they did it: A new UCLA report to be released Wednesday focuses on what success means for black and Latino teenage boys in L.A., instead of on what’s holding them back. Los Angeles Times

Job alert: American Apparel — once a bright spot in L.A.’s manufacturing scene — has told nearly 3,500 employees in Southern California that they may lose their jobs in January, depending on the outcome of a likely sale to Canadian clothing maker Gildan Activewear. Los Angeles Times

Growing out: An amazing interactive map shows how L.A.’s sprawl grew over the years. Los Angeles Magazine

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Sea change: A new era began Monday at the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors with the end of the old guard and the inauguration of a generation of board members that is likely to accelerate a shift toward more liberal policies on a variety of issues. Top on the agenda: homelessness and the Trump administration. Los Angeles Times

Pay day: California’s top leaders are getting raises. Gov. Jerry Brown’s salary jumped from $182,789 to $190,100, making him the highest-paid governor in the country. The governor’s salary in Pennsylvania is $723 higher than Brown’s new paycheck, but Gov. Tom Wolf does not accept the salary. California legislators already received the highest base salary in the country, but on Monday saw their pay increase from $100,111 to $104,115. Los Angeles Times

Pushback: Some immigration rights activists are pushing to keep the Trump administration from gaining access to California’s database of gang members. Voice of OC

CRIME AND COURTS

High-profile case: Former L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca’s fall from influential lawman on the national stage to disgraced defendant culminates as his trial on obstruction of justice and conspiracy charges begins. Los Angeles Times

New power center: By sliding from Congressional leader to California attorney general, Xavier Becerra has an opportunity to play a major role in the battles ahead against Trump and his policies. As attorney general, he has weapons he’d lack in Congress. BuzzFeed News

More questions: New documents suggest more problems ahead for Orange County law enforcement agencies and their handling of jailhouse informants. Orange County Register

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Feinstein vs. Boxer: There is a new bipartisan attempt to pass legislation that would increase water deliveries to San Joaquin Valley agribusiness and Southern California. The deal sets Cailifornia’s two Democratic senators, Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, on a collision course. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

It’s an honor? It might be the most thankless, scrutinized job in Hollywood. But Jimmy Kimmel is going to give it a try: hosting the Academy Awards. Los Angeles Times

Only in SF: San Francisco Airport now has a “therapy pig” on hand to greet travelers. SFGate

Movie blues: The way we watch movies has changed so much over the decades. But one trend is clear: With fewer theaters come fewer choices in movies. Los Angeles Review of Books

Too close: Whale watching — a favorite Southern California pastime — can get dangerous when humans get too close to the creatures. Orange County Register

Christmas miracle: Sally Butters’ teacup poodle disappeared near a decade ago. But in what the Northern California calls a miracle, the dog recently resurfaced alive and well not far from her home. Sacramento Bee

Where are the Orioles? Creating Baltimore in the heart of Hollywood. Wall Street Journal

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Los Angeles: Cloudy skies with highs in the 60s. San Francisco: Rain possible Tuesday with more showers later in week. Sacramento: Rain Thursday through Monday.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California memory comes from Maneck Bhujwala:

“The first time I came to Los Angeles in 1968 for a job interview, I was so impressed by the view of the great Pacific Ocean, while standing on Ocean Park (at Wilshire and Ocean Avenue), in Santa Monica. I like living in California because of the good weather and proximity of mountains for hiking or seeing the snow in winter (on an impulse I once took my little daughter from Cypress to Mt. Baldy to enjoy the snow) or to the ocean. And, when I lived in Northern California I loved going to San Francisco and Lake Tahoe on some weekends.”

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 Shelby Grad.