Today: 'War and Peace'? No, It's the California Voter Guide. He Went to Fight ISIS, but Not With the Marines.

Sept. 9, 2016 5 AM PT

I’m Davan Maharaj, editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Times. Here are some story lines I don’t want you to miss today.

TOP STORIES

‘War and Peace’? No, It’s the California Voter Guide

Coming soon to mailboxes across California: the Nov. 8 voter guide, checking in at 224 pages. Election officials think it’s the biggest in state history, thanks to 17 statewide ballot propositions, some of which just go on and on. (Proposition 64, we’re looking at you.) The total cost to print and mail could be $15 million. So why don’t they just email it out?

Clinton Switches Gears

You can bet Donald Trump will keep calling Hillary Clinton “low energy,” but the Democratic nominee is kicking things up a notch on the campaign trail. That means breaking from the script, challenging Republican voters to face their party’s uneasiness with Trump, and even returning to news conferences. It’s clear that coasting is no longer an option.

‘What Is Aleppo?’ Big Trouble

Too bad for Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson he wasn’t on “Jeopardy!” That way, his response, “What is Aleppo?” would not have made such awkward headlines for him. Instead, it came during an MSNBC interview. Though he explained later that he understood the dynamics in Syria and his mind had simply blanked, the gaffe went viral in a bad way for a candidate trying to get into the debates.

More Politics

-- Mike Pence defends Trump: They said Ronald Reagan was “a celebrity and an entertainer. ... Sound familiar?”

-- Could Russian hackers mess with U.S. election results? It wouldn’t be easy.

-- Millennials are more conservative than baby boomers or Gen-Xers were at their age, according to a study.

He Went to Fight ISIS, but Not With the Marines

As Susan Shirley tells it, her son, Levi, was determined to be a Marine. But the Marines wouldn’t take him because of his eyesight, even after she had paid for his Lasik surgery with a credit card. Then one day, he had an announcement: “I’m joining a militia to fight ISIS.”

Levi Shirley, nicknamed “Heval Agir” by Kurdish fighters, guards a lookout point during clashes with Islamic State fighters.

The Great Climate Experiment

More solar power, more electric cars, more energy efficiency. Those goals are just a starting point for how California will need to ramp up its efforts to hit an aggressive climate change goal under legislation signed Thursday by Gov. Jerry Brown. The idea is to reduce emissions to 40% below 1990 levels. Some business groups are already balking.

The Coast Is Clear, at Least for Now

The California Coastal Commission’s rejection of a big project in Orange County was one of its most-watched decisions in years. But just because the vote has come and gone doesn’t mean the Newport Banning Ranch proposal for a hotel, shops and nearly 900 homes is dead. Columnist Steve Lopez gives his take on the commission’s actions, and here’s a closer look at what could happen next.

CALIFORNIA

-- L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti says he plans to put a stop to private meetings between planning commissioners and real estate developers or other outside parties.

-- A study finds that a lack of psychiatric care beds and rising homelessness are fueling a dramatic increase in mental competency cases in Los Angeles County.

-- The LAPD has long recognized officers for heroic acts, but this year, for the first time, it honored those who go above and beyond to avoid using deadly force during dangerous encounters.

-- Richard Ruggieri, a Berkeley attorney who is the only product liability litigator to have ever driven a gun maker out of business, reflects on American firearms culture.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- Our fall TV preview is here: Get the lowdown on the familiar faces and newcomers coming to the small screen; “Speechless,” a comedy about a family that has a child with special needs; and the sexbot series “Westworld,” based on the 1973 Michael Crichton film.

-- Clint Eastwood and Tom Hanks team up to tell the tale of 2009’s “Miracle on the Hudson” emergency landing in “Sully.”

-- How would you rate the various “Star Trek” TV series and movies? Our film editor has ranked them all.

-- Tig Notaro’s new Amazon series, “One Mississippi,” powers through the comedian’s pain with humor and wisdom.

-- As the debate over safety at raves goes on in L.A., London has shut down one of the world’s premier electronic music clubs after two drug-related deaths.

NATION-WORLD

-- North Korea said it conducted a “higher level” nuclear warhead explosion, a fifth atomic test that set the region on edge.

-- When the twin towers fell 15 years ago, O’Hara’s Irish Pub was covered by debris. But like so much at ground zero, it rose again, forever changed.

-- The governor of North Dakota has activated the state’s National Guard ahead of a judge’s decision that could upset protesters trying to block a pipeline project.

-- In a surprise move, the Palestinian Supreme Court indefinitely postponed municipal elections that were scheduled for Oct. 8.

-- No spoons or forks allowed: A number of Beijing preschools are insisting that kids 4 and older eat exclusively with chopsticks.

-- What are the long-term health effects of living in space? NASA is studying twins Mark and Scott Kelly to find out.

BUSINESS

-- Wells Fargo will pay $185 million to settle allegations that its employees regularly opened new accounts for customers without their knowledge. The questionable practices were uncovered by a 2013 Times investigation.

-- Airbnb is trying to fight discrimination against guests with changes to its rules.

-- How can a wine made in Georgia be labeled “Napa Valley”?

SPORTS

-- He’s back! Landon Donovan is coming out of retirement to rejoin the LA Galaxy.

-- Dylan Hernandez: The Dodgers’ breakup with Don Mattingly has worked out pretty well for all concerned.

OPINION

-- FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler: Let’s end the “set-top-box stranglehold” on pay-TV subscribers.

-- The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power was right to end rebates for artificial turf.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- How do police decide whether to dismiss or pursue rape cases? (BuzzFeed News)

-- Chef Thomas Keller responds to his critics and says he isn’t done building his restaurant empire. (Town & Country)

-- How to get that “presidential look.” (Washington Post)

ONLY IN L.A.

Doug Aitken goes to great lengths (and depths) to create art. In 2013, he led a caravan of musicians and artists on a three-week cross-country train trip. He once drilled 700 feet underground to record the sound of the Earth. Soon, it will be time to get out the diving gear: In October, Aitken will premiere three underwater sculptures off Santa Catalina Island, about 5, 10 and 50 feet below the ocean’s surface.

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.