Newsletter: The North Hollywood shootout 20 years later
President Trump to address Congress tonight, a PwC accountant is at the center of the Oscars gaffe, remembering the 1997 North Hollywood shootout, and the real goal of Trump’s executive orders.
Good morning. It’s Tuesday, Feb. 28, and here’s what’s happening across California:
TOP STORIES
Looking back at North Hollywood shootout
Today is the 20th anniversary of the North Hollywood shootout, and the Los Angeles Times’ longest-tenured reporter, Doug Smith, who was the lead writer on the paper’s coverage, looks back on how that event changed the LAPD and policing in the city. Los Angeles Times
Plus: Here’s a good visual retrospective of that day’s events. “They looked like monsters,” one cop at the scene recalls. NBC4
Affordable housing under fire
President Trump is expected to offer more details on his proposed tax plan tonight in a speech before Congress. Affordable housing developers in the state are waiting anxiously, because Trump’s “promise to cut business tax rates has large banks and other investors backing away from a tax credit program that reduces what companies owe in taxes in exchange for investing in low-income housing projects.” Los Angeles Times
More Oscars fallout
The reputation of PricewaterhouseCoopers may take a hit after the accounting firm botched the best picture reveal. PwC, as it’s commonly known, “went from being a venerable partner of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to a punchline.” Los Angeles Times
How it went down: Here’s the play-by-play of what went wrong when Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway incorrectly proclaimed that “La La Land” had won the best picture award. Los Angeles Times
Photographer fame: Los Angeles Times photographer Al Seib snapped an iconic crowd shot as the best picture escapade unfolded. Here’s what he saw and heard. Los Angeles Times
L.A. AT LARGE
Garcetti and sanctuary cities: Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has been a very public face in the opposition to President Trump’s immigration policies. But Garcetti’s government hasn’t fully embraced the sanctuary movement and continues to collaborate with ICE to the consternation of many immigrant rights groups. The Intercept
The growing poverty gap: In Los Angeles County, 30% of young children lived below the California Poverty Measure line, which takes into account cost of living and social program benefits, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. But the vast county also included the lowest and highest poverty rates for the state: from 4% in Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach to 68% in the southeastern section of downtown Los Angeles. Orange County Register
A new airport terminal: Mayor Garcetti and other city leaders came together Monday to break ground on construction of a new $1.6-billion terminal at Los Angeles International Airport. Los Angeles Times
Help for the homeless: Los Angeles County is short more than 2,000 beds for homeless shelters, and the Board of Supervisors is taking up a proposal to study how to rapidly expand shelters across the county. KPCC
Deadly plane crash: A small plane carrying five people who were returning home to San Jose after a cheerleading competition in Anaheim crashed into a Riverside neighborhood. Los Angeles Times
POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
A City Council race to watch: Once the underdog in his first run for City Council four years ago, Mitch O’Farrell is now fending off a pack of underdogs nipping at his heels — criticizing him on a host of issues but most loudly on his view of development, which they say is too permissive. Los Angeles Times
State GOP in winter: The California Republican Party continues to be in the wilderness with Democrats controlling both chambers of the Legislature along with the governor’s office. Still, coming off President Trump’s victory, the state GOP bigwigs say they are feeling good. Los Angeles Times
Another hot race to watch: With a $400-million overhaul of the waterfront under consideration, the race to become Redondo Beach’s mayor is heating up. The Daily Breeze
CRIME AND COURTS
Homicides on the rise: Slayings in San Diego were up for the third year in a row, and police leaders are struggling to pinpoint a reason for the rise. San Diego Union-Tribune
Killer goes away for life: A Santa Cruz County Superior Court judge sentenced a Nuestra Familia gang kingpin to life without parole for the 2006 murder of a local mechanic. The Mercury News
DROUGHT AND CLIMATE
First look at the erosion: State officials are getting their first look at the eroded concrete spillway of the Oroville Dam after engineers began to shut off water flowing down the main spillway. Los Angeles Times
CALIFORNIA CULTURE
A different Oscars take: L.A. Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne asks an interesting question about the nostalgic architectural trappings of the Academy Awards ceremony: “If Hollywood could jump in a time machine and spin the dial back to, say, 1925, would it?” Los Angeles Times
Ali on the court: Before he became an Oscar winner, Mahershala Ali was a decent high school and college basketball player. The Mercury News
Watch: A newborn baby bongo made his first public appearance at the Los Angeles Zoo this weekend. A bongo is a type of antelope, and this new Angeleno was born in late January. Associated Press
Porto’s new location: Porto’s Bakery & Cafe sells 1.5 million cheese rolls every month, and it is gearing up to open a new location in Orange County. The history of this Cuban eatery provides an interesting snapshot of the changing relationship between the two countries. Orange County Register
The must-eat spots: Famed Chef Daniel Godinez details his favorite Mexican restaurants in Los Angeles. L.A. Weekly
CALIFORNIA ALMANAC
Sacramento and Los Angeles area: Sunny Tuesday and Wednesday. San Diego and San Francisco area: Partly cloudy Tuesday, sunny Wednesday. More weather is here.
AND FINALLY
Today’s California memory comes from Larry Gundrum:
“My mother and father moved to Los Angeles from Iowa so that my father could take over part of another doctor’s practice. He rented an office in the Wilshire Medical Building, 1930 Wilshire Blvd. The building was not finished, so my mother went up on the outside brick hoist to the 11th floor (the elevator was not yet completed) and climbed through a window to review his future office. From the windows of the office, I could see Catalina Island and when I went across to the other side of the building, I could see the mountains and rows of orange groves.”
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 Benjamin Oreskes and Shelby Grad. Also follow them on Twitter @boreskes and @shelbygrad.
