Newsletter: Essential California: LAFD’s diversity efforts stalled

Good morning. It is Tuesday, Nov. 17. Let this video take you from New York to San Francisco in just five minutes. Here's what is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

LAFD lags on diversity

Sixteen months ago, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti overhauled the Fire Department's hiring process to improve the representation of women and minorities. So far, that effort has failed, according to city officials and a Times analysis of the department's data. Women represent slightly less than 3% of the force — the same as in 1995. The number of African Americans in the department is due to decline. Fire Chief Ralph M. Terrazas has delivered a new outreach plan to the Fire Commission, which is scheduled to take it up today. Los Angeles Times

Small brewers, big business

Ballast Point Brewing and Spirits of San Diego is being bought by Constellation Brands for $1 billion. It's the latest sign that big business is trying to get a piece of the craft beer industry. “Per capita spending on alcohol is stagnant in the U.S.,” one analyst said. “Where it's not stagnant is craft beer.” Los Angeles Times

Light rail, heavy traffic

A new study on the Expo Line from downtown L.A. to Culver City finds that the light rail has done little to ease congestion on the nearby highways and streets. However, overall transit use is up. "It gives people more choice, attracts new development patterns and has environmental benefits. The effects are to be seen cumulatively over many years," said Martin Wachs, professor emeritus of urban planning at UCLA. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Wild weather: Strong winds continued across California, a day after a tornado damaged 21 homes in the Central Valley community of Denair. In the northern Sierra Nevada, a storm brought more than a foot of snow. At the Port of Long Beach, a barge broke loose and floated out toward an oil pumping station. Los Angeles Times

Mind your business: If homeowners are paying for the water they use, then what is the point of water shaming? LA Weekly

Firsthand accounts: Here are a handful of short videos from actors and producers describing how they've been affected by California's drought. Fusion

L.A. AT LARGE

Tax refund: If you lived in Los Angeles and had a phone between October 2005 and March 2008, the city of L.A. may owe you money. That's because the city was sued over taxing telephones. Now, a class-action settlement will refund Angelenos anywhere from $30 to $130. LA Weekly

Housing crisis: Homelessness is up 12% in Los Angeles, and that means more and more communities have panhandlers and encampments, writes columnist Sandy Banks. What are Angelenos to do when they're confronted by the housing crisis at every turn? "It's prompting residents — frustrated, fearful and tired of waiting for elected officials to do more than talk — to take matters in their own hands," she writes. Los Angeles Times

Addressing inequalities: With campuses around the country erupting into protests, USC officials announced that they would start discussion forums and appoint university staff to lead efforts to promote multiculturalism. "Equality is not a given; every generation must recommit to awareness and action," Provost Michael W. Quick wrote in a letter to students. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Spending scrutinized: Orange County Supervisor Todd Spitzer reportedly used funds from an obscure campaign account to pay for vacations, groceries, hotels, shopping and even a security system. The funds come from an account for the Orange County Republican Party's governing Central Committee. Spitzer is the only politician in Orange County who has ever spent more than $12,500 from a Central Committee account in a year. Orange County Register

Real work begins: L.A. City Councilman David Ryu is discovering what many incumbents already know — constituents don't know who they are. The recently elected councilman plans to hold office hours and knock on doors to improve his name recognition. 89.3 KPCC

CRIME AND COURTS

Videotaped beating: An Alameda County public defender is likening the videotaped assault of a suspected car thief to the 1991 beating of Rodney King. A security camera captured two deputies tackling the man to the ground, and then punching and hitting him with their batons. "Those deputies viciously attacked a man who appeared to be surrendering. ... This is clearly excessive force," said Public Defender Brendon Woods. Los Angeles Times

Cause of crash: A tour bus that crashed in Union Square on Friday, injuring 20 people, may have experienced a mechanical failure. The wife of the bus driver said her husband believed that the brakes failed. SFist

Transient charged: The man accused of attacking actress Pauley Perrette was charged with felony criminal threats and imprisonment by violence. David Merck pleaded not guilty. He's being held on $60,000 bail. Los Angeles Times

Horrific details: A man was sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison for a murder that was "so inexplicable, so depraved, it defies description," a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge said. Gabriel Campos-Martinez was found guilty of killing Hervey Medellin and chopping up his body. The victim's head was found in a plastic bag near the Hollywood sign. Los Angeles Times

BUSINESS

Executive returns: Former AEG chief executive Tim Leiweke, who made his mark locally with projects including the Staples Center and L.A. Live, is returning to Los Angeles to team up with music executive Irving Azoff. The two say they'll focus on generating more revenue for sports arenas and large concert venues. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Color of light: New streetlights are changing the color of Los Angeles. "At night, lights bring color back to L.A. — in a characteristic, unnatural spectrum. Now that spectrum is changing, which means the city's identity will be transformed, too." Boom

Losing a landmark: For seven decades, Anthony's Fish Grotto has been a staple of the San Diego waterfront. Now, it's losing its lease to make way for a restaurant that's expected to drum up new business. "I understand that things have to evolve, that San Diego has to improve its game, but change should be done by adding things, not by replacing landmarks like Anthony's," a former city planner said. Los Angeles Times

Missing women: Hollywood may have the reputation of being liberal, but it reportedly has fewer opportunities for women than tech, finance and military. "In 2015, mainstream films reflect a world largely devoid of women's experiences. It takes little more than a glance at movie house lobby posters to see that male-centric films dominate, with women cast as sidekicks, props or prizes." LA Weekly

Witness to an attack: A California-based software engineer who was in Paris for the Airbnb Open conference writes about what it was like to be sitting in a restaurant just half a block from one site in Friday's terrorist attacks. "I found a small broom closet that could hold a few people if necessary, and made a mental note to bring people there if anything happened again." Medium

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Riverside will be sunny and 73 today. In Los Angeles, there will be sunshine and a high of 74. San Diego will be sunny and 70. San Francisco will be most sunny with highs reaching 63.

AND FINALLY

Today's California Memory comes from Nancy Eigenhouse:

"My family moved to Riverside from Michigan in 1956. As we drove across the state line into California, I remember my mother singing 'California, Here I Come.' One of my fondest memories was shopping with my mother at Fashion Square in Santa Ana. We would go to Buffums and I. Magnin and then have lunch at the Jolly Roger restaurant. Laguna Beach was my mother's favorite destination. Our visits there were highlighted by seeing the famous town greeter, going to the Pottery Shack and having ice cream at the Purple Cow. My mother died in 1969, but these memories remain."

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.