Newsletter: The University of California looks to raise tuition

Good morning. It’s Thursday, Jan. 5, and here’s what is happening in California:

TOP STORIES

Tuition times

The University of California unveiled a proposal Wednesday for the first tuition increase in six years, saying booming enrollment growth and reduced state support have left campuses scrambling to pay for more faculty, course offerings, classrooms and financial aid. A California resident student with an annual family income of $120,000 would receive an estimated additional $700 in financial aid — more than twice the amount needed to cover the proposed $336 hike. But many Californians support making at least some public colleges tuition-free — as New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo proposed this week. Cuomo announced a plan to make city and state colleges and universities free for students with family incomes of $125,000 or less. Los Angeles Times

Manson’s fate

The long saga of Charles Manson, the cult leader whose murder rampage more than four decades ago made him a subject of hate, fear, revulsion and fascination, moved to a hospital in downtown Bakersfield this week. Manson is seriously ill and back in the headlines, opening some old wounds for loved ones of his victims. Los Angeles Times

Conservation woes

California water conservation took a slight step backward in November, officials announced Wednesday, possibly due in part to an unusually wet fall and months of successful conservation efforts. Officials are waiting to see how December and January — two other wet months — go. Los Angeles Times

L.A. STORIES

Subway money: The announcement in Los Angeles on Wednesday of more than $1.6 billion in new funding for the Westside subway brings transportation officials one step closer to their ambitious goal of finishing the 9-mile line before the 2024 Olympic Games. Los Angeles Times

Job shift: Los Angeles lost construction jobs last year. But L.A.’s loss might be the Inland Empire’s gain. Daily News

River rising: Frogtown, the gentrifying area along the L.A. River and the 5 Freeway, is getting an upscale, trendy mixed use center. Curbed Los Angeles

Fashion West: How Tamara Mellon, a founder of Jimmy Choo, gave up New York and London for Los Angeles, which has been attracting a slew of top designers in recent years. New York Times

A sign of the times: One hundred townhomes will replace a shuttered Kmart in Covina, the latest sign of the decline of retail and the need for more housing. San Gabriel Valley Tribune

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Bunnygate: Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-San Diego) has come under fire for some financial issues. Now, there is word he used campaign funds to pay for $600 of airline fees to fly a family rabbit. San Diego Union-Tribune

Bucking trend: How one Bay Area county — Solano — has bucked the income inequity issues that have come with the tech boom, for better and worse. Curbed San Francisco

War over words: Opponents of a measure that would restrict L.A. real estate development have agreed to scale back some of their claims submitted for a city voter guide after being sued by the initiative’s supporters. Los Angeles Times

CRIME AND COURTS

Hollyweed: Days after a Pomona artist told reporters that he altered the Hollywood sign to read “HOLLYWeeD,” Los Angeles Police detectives say they plan to submit their case to the Los Angeles County district attorney for possible prosecution. Los Angeles Times

Attack: Anti-gay graffiti and extensive vandalism at a Van Nuys home prompted a hate crime investigation. Los Angeles Times

Oakland shift: A high-ranking Chicago police official who was asked to lead reform efforts in one of the nation’s largest police departments has been tapped to lead Oakland’s troubled police force less than a year after the agency was caught up in a wide-ranging sexual abuse scandal. Los Angeles Times

Community watch: How a Rancho Cucamonga community Facebook group helped police catch a couple suspected of porch pirating. San Bernardino Sun

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Yes, 20 FEET: Mammoth Mountain will likely be hit by a string of storms expected to bring up to 20 feet of fresh snow in the next 10 days, according to the resort. “God help us,” says one resident. Los Angeles Times

North vs. South: Want a sense of how different the drought picture is in Northern and Southern California? Look at the reservoir levels, which are full in the north and still pretty empty in parts of the south. Mercury News

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Down to the wire: The future of the Chargers might come to a head in the next couple of weeks. A joint meeting of the NFL’s finance and stadium committees has been called for Jan. 11 in New York, a possible sign the Chargers won’t announce this week whether they plan to leave San Diego for L.A. San Diego Union-Tribune

Car future? The highly connected, ultra-luxury Faraday Future FF91 electric car has finally been unveiled. But is it already too late for the Gardena start-up? Los Angeles Times

Tiki OC: Tributes are pouring in for the late founder of Billy’s at the Beach, a Newport Beach Tiki bar credited with bringing Hawaiian culture to the Orange County coast. Orange County Register

Record day: The new year started off well for Universal Studios Hollywood, as the theme park broke attendance records Monday and was forced to close its gates for the first time in the park’s history. Los Angeles Times

Protesting protest: The San Francisco 49ers’ decision to give Colin Kaepernick an award doesn’t sit well with Joe Theismann. SFGate

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Los Angeles area and San Diego: Showers and highs in the low 60s. San Francisco area and Sacramento: Partly cloudy and highs in the upper 40s.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California memory comes from Julia Borovay:

“In January 1982, I drove back to California from the Midwest via I-80. A massive blizzard had stopped all traffic through the Sierras when I reached Reno, where I joined a group of stranded fellow travelers at a motel. After three days, with the road technically still closed, we decided to brave the mountain crossing in convoy. We crept up the mountain, plowing our way through mounds of snow, skating across stretches of ice, struggling over the dreaded Donner Pass. Then, slipping through the last frigid mountain pass, we saw the lushly green, sunny Sacramento Valley spread out below. It looked like Paradise.”

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.