Newsletter: Essential California: Why the state Supreme Court wants you to take a seat

Good morning. It is Tuesday, April 5. A statue of Junipero Serra will be reunited with its head in Monterey. Someone took a sledgehammer to the sculpture last fall after Pope Francis canonized the friar. The noggin was found this weekend in a nearby tide pool. Here’s what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Acceptance rate

The University of California offered admission to 15% more Californians this year, in particular offering a boost to African American and Latino students, according to preliminary data. The announcement follows an audit that slammed the UC system for admitting too many out-of-state and foreign students. “We’ve intensified our efforts to boost enrollment of Californians at the University and all indications are that these efforts are working,” said UC President Janet Napolitano. Los Angeles Times

On the stand

Former Undersheriff Paul Tanaka took the witness stand for three hours Monday in his trial on conspiracy and obstruction of justice charges. Prosecutors questioned Tanaka’s defense that it was his boss, then-Sheriff Lee Baca, who orchestrated the Sheriff’s Department’s response to a FBI investigation into the jails. Although testifying gave Tanaka the chance to offer the jury a different story and to knock down allegations made by prosecutors, it also forced him to endure unrelenting questions from the assistant U.S. attorney, who was given wide berth by the judge to dig into Tanaka’s past. Los Angeles Times

Succession planning

The chief operating officer of Walt Disney Co. had been the odds-on favorite to replace Chief Executive Robert Iger when his contract ends in 2018, but on Monday, Thomas Staggs announced he would leave the Mouse House. A statement from the company’s board of directors said it would “broaden the scope of its succession planning process to identify and evaluate a robust slate of candidates for consideration.” Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Falling short: In the last year, California conserved 368 billion gallons of water. Urban dwellers fell about 1% short of meeting Gov. Jerry Brown’s target of a 25% cut in usage. “We were hoping we’d get a miracle March -- we got a modest March, which definitely beats the horrendous conditions we’ve had,” said Felicia Marcus, chairwoman of the State Water Resources Control Board. Los Angeles Times

Drought rules: It would be a big mistake to relax the restrictions on water use, writes columnist Michael Hiltzik. “Long-term reserves in groundwater have been drained to the point that years, even decades, of wet weather would be required to replenish them,” he writes. Los Angeles Times

L.A. AT LARGE

New mission: The AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s Michael Weinstein is something of a “premier citizen legislator.” Though most of his career has been spent on HIV care and prevention, more and more Weinstein is taking on development, pornography and prescription drugs. “The common denominator in these three initiatives is greed. That’s the thing that’s wrecking the country — greed,” he said. LA Weekly

The big house: Plans for a gigantic mansion in Beverly Crest were withdrawn after neighbors and even a Los Angeles councilman voiced opposition. The applicant wanted to construct a home between 80,000 and 139,000 square feet that included a helipad, 19 bathrooms and a deck large enough for 550 people. Curbed LA

Like a song: Listening to Vin Scully call Dodger baseball games can be intoxicating. Music professors at USC who’ve studied Scully’s voice believe he “brings to mind the same cadences and rhythmic hooks heard in great songs.” Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Employees’ rights: Take a seat. That’s the ruling from the California Supreme Court, which found employers should offer employees a chair when some duties can be performed seated. Workers had filed suit against CVS Pharmacy Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and JPMorgan Chase Bank. Los Angeles Times

Teacher housing: Since 1984, the University of California has provided professors and executives with low-interest loans, which can be important recruitment and retention tools in pricey markets like L.A. and San Francisco. But a new audit finds UC could get a better investment return by sticking the money elsewhere. “It needs to consider whether the low return on its investment is worth the cost,” according to the audit. Sacramento Bee

Environmental problem: In Malibu, parents are fighting school district officials over the presence of toxic chemical compounds in the window caulking. Officials with the school district and the Environmental Protection Agency say the schools are safe but the community’s wealthy and involved parents, like model Cindy Crawford, don’t believe them. New York Times

CRIME AND COURTS

Cocaine bust: Two former baggage handlers at LAX were arrested on suspicion of trafficking cocaine through the airport. Authorities say they found two pounds of cocaine on Alberto Preciado Gutierrez in December while he was in Terminal 3 of the airport. Adrian Ponce, 27, was also picked up. Los Angeles Times

Unsolved murder: Who killed Elizabeth Short, aka the Black Dahlia? Review the evidence against three possible suspects. Buzzfeed

Workers comp: Over the last decade, California’s workers compensation program has been defrauded out of nearly $1 billion, according to a review of records. Reveal

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

GRTFL DEDHD: The route navigation points at San Francisco International Airport are named for the Grateful Dead. They include GRTFL, DEDHD, TRUKN, TYDYE, HYPEE and COSMC. SF Gate

Local landmark: What does the future hold for Salvation Mountain at the eastern edge of the Salton Sea? Creator Leonard Knight died, and without his maintenance work, there are fears the mountain will slowly fade back into the earth. Los Angeles Magazine

Reunited and it feels so good: A white tabby named Muscat is back with his owner six months after he ran away during the Valley fire in Northern California. Nancy Underwood spotted the kitty while driving near her home last month. She called out Muscat’s name and he came running into her arms. Los Angeles Times

Clicks, eyeballs: Why didn’t Yahoo News take off after the company spent millions of dollars to hire boldface names? Some inside the company believes it’s because they had to compete with Kim Kardashian’s derriere for readers’ attention. Vanity Fair

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

San Francisco will be sunny with a high of 71. In Sacramento, it will be sunny with a high of 80 degrees. Los Angeles will be sunny and 81. Riverside will have lots of sunshine and a high of 90 degrees. San Diego is expected to have some fog, with a high of 73.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California Memory comes from Kathleen Rogers:

“My best friend from high school and I had met two cute boys from Modesto one summer at our family cabin in Twin Lakes, near Yosemite. We decided to sneak out one night and drive from Whittier to Modesto to see them in her mom’s station wagon. The Grapevine was terrifying in its fog, but it was a clear, starry night in Modesto. Lonny and Jim took us for a wild, exhilarating ride through the alfalfa fields on their motorcycles. I shall never forget the scent of the fields and the joy of that ride. We arrived home at daybreak and never got caught.”

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 Alice Walton or Shelby Grad.