Newsletter: Downtown L.A.’s architectural revolution

Good morning. It is Tuesday, Sept. 6.

Essential California recently reached a special milestone — 200,000 subscribers! We want to thank all of you for starting your days with us and the Los Angeles Times. We have a great time putting this together each day, and the best part is hearing from our readers. Be sure to check out some of our subscribers’ favorite stories below.

Here’s what is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Up on high

L.A. now has a new tallest building. But the bigger story is how the Wilshire Grand, with its sharp spire on top, reflects a revolution in the design of L.A. skyscrapers. Flat is out, and some architects could not be happier. Los Angeles Times

Plus: L.A. is still waiting for that 100-story building. Los Angeles Times

Prosecuting rape

Inspired by the Bill Cosby case, California lawmakers want to make it easier to prosecute old rape cases. But some question how much a proposed law Gov. Jerry Brown is now considering will change prosecutions. Los Angeles Times

On every street corner

Steve Lopez goes looking for what’s right about taco trucks and finds an Egyptian guy selling tasty tacos in a predominantly Latino section of L.A. It says something about taco trucks and the city that loves them. Los Angeles Times

FRAMED

Can’t get enough of the “Framed” series? Reporter Christopher Goffard will take part in a Facebook Live event today at noon. Readers can submit questions on the event’s page or during today’s live stream.

L.A. AT LARGE

Gambling? Here?: Inside the underground gambling scene in Little Saigon. Orange County Register

In memory: A memorial service for singer Juan Gabriel will be held today in Monterey Park. The Mexican superstar died Aug. 27 at his home in Santa Monica. He was a six-time Grammy nominee and was inducted into the Billboard Latin Music Hall of Fame in 1996. City News Service

Fewer protesters: The protests in Porter Ranch to shut down a natural gas storage field are dwindling. “Without a huge plume of gas coming out, it’s not a media event,” said Matt Pakucko, president and co-founder of Save Porter Ranch. Daily News

Happy b-day: Los Angeles turned 235 on Sept. 4. Happy belated birthday! LAist

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Political alliance: Here’s the story of how Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia and state Sen. Fran Pavley formed an unlikely alliance to pass climate change legislation in California. “That’s exactly the discussion we needed to have. How can we make the benefits of reducing carbon pollution relevant to everyone?” Pavley said. Los Angeles Times

What about us?: Columnist George Skelton writes that California lawmakers capped the two-year legislative session by helping the poor but ignoring the middle class. “It’s great to help the poor. But too often the Legislature overlooks everyone else — everyone, that is, who doesn’t contribute to a reelection kitty.” Los Angeles Times

Cause of death: Middle-aged women are dying at higher rates, particularly from drugs and suicide. How does California compare with other parts of the country? Washington Post

CRIME AND COURTS

Cold reception: Brock Turner, the former Stanford University swimmer who got what many considered a light sentence for a sexual assault, got a pretty cold welcome when he returned home to Ohio. BuzzFeed

Surf riot: Remembering the epic surfer riot in Huntington Beach, which took place 30 years ago. Orange County Register

Man with a knife: Police in Long Beach fatally shot a man Sunday night after he charged at officers with a knife during a standoff. The incident started about 9:15 p.m. with a 911 call about a man with a handgun who wanted to commit “suicide by cop,” according to police. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Natural habitat: Native Chinook salmon continue to struggle five years into California’s drought. “With the drought bringing one of the driest periods in California’s history, federal and state authorities increasingly have had to intervene mechanically to carry out key stretches of the life cycle of salmon, whose numbers were already declining.” Associated Press

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Mexican wrestling: Can it make it big? What’s going on in Huntington Park might hold the answer. LA Weekly

Wine pioneer: Margrit Biever Mondavi, widow of winemaker Robert Mondavi, died Friday at the age of 91. “She was the great lady of Napa Valley and the wine world in general. She was a gift to all of us. She and her husband invented the modern wine business in California, and the United States,” said her son-in-law Keith Roberts. Sacramento Bee

Money talks: Even economists can’t get enough of Silicon Valley. New York Times

Classic Hollywood: How the reunion of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis 40 years ago was an iconic moment in Hollywood. Vanity Fair

ESSENTIAL CALIFORNIA FAVORITES

To celebrate the milestone of reaching 200,000 subscribers, we’re revisiting readers’ favorite stories and topics:

— California is still feeling the effects of the drought. Los Angeles Times

— Californians spent months preparing for El Niño, expecting it to rival the floods and destruction of 1997-98. The weather system, however, had other ideas. Los Angeles Times

— Someone in Bel-Air used 11.8 million gallons of water in a year. The Center for Investigative Reporting

— Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik tore apart San Bernardino County when the couple attacked a holiday party at the Inland Regional Center. The Times’ coverage of the terrorist attack won a Pulitzer Prize. Los Angeles Times

— Fear captured the UCLA campus when reports came out about an active shooter on campus. When the dust cleared, a professor and a former student were dead. Los Angeles Times

— Three inmates broke out of an Orange County jail and kidnapped cab driver Long Ma. Here’s how one of those men ended up saving the life of Ma. Los Angeles Times

— This could become the most expensive home in America at $500 million and 104,000 square feet. Orange County Register

— In his career with the Lakers, Kobe Bryant took more than 30,000 shots. Check them out. Los Angeles Times

— Alcohol. Drugs. Failing grades. A criminal record. That was Stephanie Valdivia’s life at 17. But then the “worst kid ever” turned her life around. Los Angeles Times

— Everyone loves pictures and videos of mountain lion kittens. Los Angeles Times

— In-N-Out’s secret menu is legendary. Eater LA

— It should be no surprise that Gov. Jerry Brown likes to escape to this 2,514-acre plot of land and its tiny cabin. New York Times

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

San Diego will have low clouds and a high of 75 degrees. Riverside will start the day with clouds as temperatures reach a high of 89. Los Angeles will have clouds and a high of 78. Sacramento will be sunny and 92. San Francisco will be 71 and mostly sunny.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California Memory comes from Jeanne Parker Denee:

“Growing up in Hollywood and going to Hollywood High School in the ‘60s was pretty good, but one of my best memories was of Huston’s Pit Bar-B-Que on Ivar. Such beautiful little beef sandwiches, all warm and flavorful, were always on my mind. The other favorite memory was of the famous C.C. Brown’s Ice Cream Parlour near the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. I got a job there just to make enough money to go to Hawaii, and it worked! What a great place to work, when you could eat one item each time you were there. Every time it was a hot fudge sundae, with those fabulous toasted almonds. Oh drool.”

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.