Newsletter: The rising cost of a downtown L.A. subway project
Good morning. It’s Friday, Jan. 20, and here’s what is happening across California:
TOP STORIES
Subway cost
The cost of building a complex subway system under downtown Los Angeles continues to surge. After new cost increases, the price tag could rise to $1.75 billion, 28% higher than originally budgeted. The Downtown Regional Connector is considered a linchpin of L.A.’s rapidly growing rail system and would allow riders to get through downtown without time-consuming transfers. But building a subway in the middle of the city is proving full of headaches. Los Angeles Times
Trump’s plans
The Trump immigration crackdown is taking shape. Expect workplace raids for those here illegally. Trump will also widen the range of people singled out for deportation, focusing on those with criminal convictions, and he could move immediately to reduce the number of refugees allowed into the U.S. Los Angeles Times
They want to be in pictures
China’s move into Hollywood just took a big step forward. Paramount Pictures, which has struggled at the box office, is getting a financial boost from two Chinese media companies. Shanghai Film Group and Huahua Media have agreed to co-finance the studio’s slate of films over the next three years. The deal is the latest Hollywood investment by Chinese power players. Los Angeles Times
L.A. STORIES
Green spot: It took a long time, and a lot of politics, for the red-hot Arts District in downtown L.A. to get its first park. What does this say about how L.A. is responding to its rapidly changing cityscape? Los Angeles Times
Condo central: A 66-story condo complex — which would be one of L.A.’s tallest buildings — is proposed next to the historic Hotel Figueroa. Curbed Los Angeles
Jobs ahoy: The port districts are in a buzz amid rumors that some of the highest-paying blue-collar jobs around might become available. The last time the International Longshore and Warehouse Union put out jobs, 250,000 applied. Daily News
Child’s pose: Yes, they say this 11-year-old San Clemente girl in the youngest certified yoga instructor in the United States. Orange County Register
POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
Gun sales: California gun dealers hit a milestone in 2016 — selling more than 1.3 million guns, double the year before. Many blame tougher gun laws taking effect this year. Said one dealer: “It’s amazing how really dumb the legislators are. My sales were up. A lot of [buyers] were pissed because of this stupid law.” Sacramento Bee
Red state: “Wow. It’s so wow.” –Newport Beach high school student Nicholas Kerr, part of the Orange County delegation going to Washington to celebrate Donald Trump, not protest him. Los Angeles Times
Blue state: … Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, two days of anti-Trump protests are planned. And it’s gonna rain. Hard. Los Angeles Times
Power play: California Senate leader Kevin de León is doubling down on renewable energy in California. Los Angeles Times
Shift right: Rural conservative lawmakers in California will wield more power in Trump’s Washington. San Francisco Chronicle
CRIME AND COURTS
Police shooting: Graphic surveillance video released this week shows a throng of Fontana police officers surrounding a legally blind and mentally ill man in a convenience store before an officer opens fire, killing him. The muted video of the Nov. 22, 2015, incident was made public by lawyers for the man’s family and marked the latest in a series of police shootings captured on video over the last few years that has generated debate about whether officers are too quick to use lethal force. Los Angeles Times
Lawsuit: A city in Washington devastated by black-market OxyContin filed a first-of-its-kind lawsuit against the painkiller’s manufacturer Thursday, alleging that the company turned a blind eye to criminal trafficking of its pills to “reap large and obscene profits” and demanding it foot the bill for widespread opioid addiction in the community. A Times investigation found a trail of drugs from Southern California to Everett. Los Angeles Times
Documentary: Norman Lear’s son is examining the cases of California juveniles being tried as adults for crimes. New York Times
DROUGHT AND CLIMATE
Deep: Big Bear could get 5 feet of snow during this latest series of storms — a milestone after years of drought. Los Angeles Times
You’re soaking in it: Here’s a tip you have not needed in a while: How to deal with a water-logged garden. Sacramento Bee
CALIFORNIA CULTURE
Upward mobility: A new study shows how some California universities have become an engine for moving the working class into the middle class. New York Times
Fearless flier finds: What did Trader Joe’s customers pick as the best store items from 2016? Orange chicken, cookie butter, mac n’ cheese, ginger snaps and more. SFGate
Privacy setting: In what some might see as ironic, Facebook head Mark Zuckerberg is in a privacy fight with his neighbors in Hawaii. Mercury News
Shaky ground: The L.A. earthquake disaster flick is a tried-and-true movie genre. But this new film, getting buzz at Sundance, is definitely in a whole other world. Deadline
Snap to it: Business has been so robust at Legoland California’s first on-site hotel that the park started construction this week on a second. This one will have castle towers; rooms themed with knights, princesses and wizards; and a slide in the lobby. Los Angeles Times
CALIFORNIA ALMANAC
It’s going to be a wet one. The Los Angeles area and San Diego will have rain and wind with highs in the upper 50s and low 60s. The same for the San Francisco area and Sacramento, but with highs in the low 50s. More weather is here.
AND FINALLY
Today’s California memory comes from Christopher Kox:
“About a dozen years ago, when Kevin Starr was serving as the California state librarian emeritus, he invited Charles Fracchia, dean of the City College of San Francisco Libraries, to Sacramento for a meeting. I was fortunate to tag along, as I was then serving as a department chair under Fracchia. We entered the state Capitol, were greeted and led down long corridors, past the memorable portrait of our once-young governor, Jerry Brown, to the office of the state librarian. A door opened and Starr warmly greeted us — his white wool suit contrasting with the dark walnut of the exquisitely crafted office. Before hands were even extended, Fracchia exclaimed, ‘My God, Kev, it’s Xanadu!’ It was, and we were treated to lunch, boyhood recollections, California dreams and Napa wine.”
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.)
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