Newsletter: The California water war gets more complicated

Good morning. It’s Friday, Jan. 13. Here’s what’s happening across California:

TOP STORIES

End in sight

California officials got word that we’re seeing the beginning of the end of the great drought. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, more than 40% of the state is no longer in a drought — including much of Northern California. But the drought still lingers, in some cases severely, in parts of Southern California. So it’s a more complicated water war going forward. Los Angeles Times

Chargers to L.A.

The Chargers are moving from San Diego to L.A., all right. But don’t expect Los Angeles to welcome them with open arms. So where will they be playing? Oh, and that new logo? It’s a painful day for San Diego. But it still has hockey. So what does this mean to the Raiders, Oakland and Las Vegas? And what does this say about the internal politics of the NFL — field goal or fumble?

Rich and poor

Income growth is slowing for the highest-earning Californians, and that’s hammering the state budget, which is heavily reliant on taxes from the very rich. Los Angeles Times

L.A. STORIES

Sushi fraud? What fish are you really eating at your favorite sushi place? According to a new study by UCLA and Loyola Marymount, a good amount of the sushi served at L.A. eateries in mislabeled. AFP

Park disappears: The new George Lucas museum at Exposition Park underscores an ongoing and controversial shift in how that space is used. It’s tipped the park once more from open space toward architecture, from protecting to building, writes Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne. Los Angeles Times

Assembly required: The biggest Ikea store in the United States will soon be opening in Burbank. Curbed Los Angeles

Phone call: If you live in the 213 or 323 area code (which covers much of central Los Angeles) the way you make local calls is about to change. The Eastsider

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Pay boost: CalFire firefighters are up for a big raise as part of a new effort to reduce turnover. Sacramento Bee

King in the Trump era: Gov. Jerry Brown carefully dipped his toes into the national political debate on Thursday, sounding a note of disappointment about the language of politics while praising the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. “Honoring Martin Luther King should be particularly appropriate today in a political world where words don’t seem to mean what we always thought they meant and the political language is such that it doesn’t engender a lot of confidence,” Brown said. Los Angeles Times

CRIME AND COURTS

Harassment on public transportation: Responding to complaints, Los Angeles County transportation officials have launched a 24-hour hotline for riders who are harassed or assaulted on buses and trains. Los Angeles Times

Cameras off: Two Los Angeles police officers who shot and killed a 16-year-old last year in Boyle Heights didn’t turn on their body cameras until after the shooting. Los Angeles Times

Firehouse fire: Orange County firefighters battled a blaze at their own fire station in Buena Park, a fire that destroyed several fire engines. Orange County Register

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Documenting the flood: Some dramatic before-and-after photos show Northern California go from drought to deluge. SF Gate

Cleaning up: Now, the massive clean-up begins along the Russian River. Press-Democrat

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Virgil style: This hip new “curiosity shop” on Virgil Avenue is a powerful sign of how much East Hollywood is gentrifying. New York Times

Shoe prints: A City of Industry shoe distributor has issued an apology and recalled a combat boot after a customer discovered the sole left a swastika imprint. In a letter addressed to the public, Conal International Trading Inc. apologized to anyone who was offended by the Polar Fox boot’s imprint. Los Angeles Times

Hollywood politics: Jon Peters, the legendary former studio head and producer, talks about voting for Donald Trump and Hollywood’s secret fascination with the president-elect. Hollywood Reporter

They’re back: The original “CHiPs” TV series was a bit unintentionally campy. But the new movie remake is being played for more intentional laughs. LAist

Mass transit fail: How bad have things gotten on BART? These photos give you a sense of it — and the rider frustration. Curbed San Francisco

Trial of the last century: One of the stars of “The People vs. O.J. Simpson” explains why the case of race, justice and murder still resonates today. BuzzFeed

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Los Angeles area: Partly cloudy with highs in the low 60s. San Diego: Partly cloudy with highs in the high 50s. San Francisco area: Sunny with highs in the mid-50s. Sacramento: Partly cloudy with highs in the mid-50s. More weather is here.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California memory comes from A.M.M. Vianna:

Back in the late ’70s my newly wed husband and I decided to travel the world. We had no plans for children yet but a strong desire for adventure in new frontiers before settling down. The first stop was California. As we landed in LAX, we knew our adventure had started in high gear. Going South on the 405, heading to Long Beach, we were mesmerized by the intense and synchronized traffic, by the Harleys, along with the music playing on the radio of the rental car “The Best That You Can Do” by Christopher Cross. It was overwhelming but we enjoyed every moment and felt at home, we felt in love with everything, making California our first and last stop. We lived in Long Beach/Lakewood for the next 30 years, raised a family and were always very grateful. But deep inside there was a missing piece “back home.” And so it was, we returned to our roots leaving behind a legacy of two beautiful children, two grandchildren, zillions of memories and the feeling of a good life lived at its fullest.”

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.