Newsletter: An L.A. County foster father who cares for the terminally ill

Good morning. It’s Thursday, Feb. 9, and here’s what’s happening across California:

TOP STORIES

End-of-life hero

Even as President Trump’s executive order banning immigrants from seven majority Muslim countries reverberates through the courts and the country, one Libyan-born Muslim in Azusa heroically cares for L.A. County’s terminally ill foster children. Los Angeles Times

Chill out

Los Angeles is too hot, and Mayor Eric Garcetti knows that. It’s why the mayor’s administration has brought together a team of scientists to figure out how to reduce the region’s temperature by 3 degrees. Los Angeles Times

Ghost ship revelations

Documents show Oakland officials had visited the Ghost Ship warehouse numerous times and investigated at least 10 code enforcement complaints in the years before the December fire that killed 36 people. Los Angeles Times

L.A. STORIES

Learning to love L.A.: “La La Land” creator Damien Chazelle, who has done much to make moviegoers fall in love with L.A., says it wasn’t exactly love at first sight for him. “I had some negative conceptions of Los Angeles, but I was willing to try something other than the East Coast because I wanted to do movies… For a few years, there were ups and downs, but I slowly became smitten.” New York Times

Charter school challenge: Columnist Steve Lopez explains how newly minted Education Secretary Betsy DeVos will be on the front line of a local and national fight over public schools. In L.A., where billionaires funding charter schools are commonplace, Lopez says, “it’s immoral to use students as pawns.” Los Angeles Times

Counterpoint: Examining segregation in charter schools — in Los Angeles and beyond. The Atlantic

LAX mayhem: Horror stories from those detained at Los Angeles International Airport under President Trump’s targeted travel ban in the last couple of weeks emerged at a recent L.A. City Council meeting. Los Angeles Daily News

Ikea mania: There were at least 1,000 people who lined up in front of the nation’s largest Ikea store, which opened in Burbank. The first 100 who entered got free armchairs. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Trump water? For years Cadiz Inc. has been trying and failing to get federal permits to excavate Mojave Desert groundwater. That was until Trump became president. McClatchy

Midterm season begins: The Republican Party has identified four California Democratic congressmen whom they are hoping to unseat in the 2018 midterm elections. Los Angeles Times

Power impact: State lawmakers have asked the California Energy Commission “to pause and reevaluate the need” for a controversial natural gas project proposed for Ventura County in light of a report published by the Los Angeles Times “that detailed how the state has created a glut of electricity capacity over the last decade at the expense of ratepayers.” Los Angeles Times

Delays on the San Diego Bay: Even though Anthony’s Fish Grotto has now closed after 71 years, its replacement won’t be coming along anytime soon. San Diego Union-Tribune

Lawmakers rebut Trump: State lawmakers have introduced a package of bills to help support refugees who end up resettling in the state. Mercury News

CRIME AND COURTS

Ford settlement: Ezell Ford’s family will receive $1.5 million after the L.A. City Council agreed Wednesday to fund the settlement. Ford’s 2014 killing by LAPD officers drew a national outcry, and this settlement comes two weeks after the L.A. district attorney’s office said it would not charge the two officers who shot the 25-year-old. Los Angeles Times

Gas leak settlement: Southern California Gas Co. will pay $8.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by air quality regulators over the Aliso Canyon gas leak, and it will fund a study of potential effects on community health. Los Angeles Times

Jack in the Box killing: Last week a Long Beach man stabbed three people along Sunset Boulevard before being shot by the LAPD. Law enforcement sources tell The Times that he was struggling with mental illness. Los Angeles Times

Scandalized cop saved: A Richmond police officer who had been slated to be fired for his connection to a sex scandal involving a teenage sex worker will return to the force, according to the city manager, after “new information” came to light. San Francisco Chronicle

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Conservation measures stay: State water regulators have decided to keep emergency drought restrictions in place despite the epic rain and snowfall this winter. Los Angeles Times

Lifesaver: When a mudslide hit this woman’s home in Los Gatos, she used Facebook to get help. SF Gate

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Desert tacos: One of Los Angeles’ taco kings, chef Carlos Salgado, has opened a shop in Palm Springs. Desert Sun

Dope kush: Hybrid strain Gorilla Glue No. 4 was the most popular strain of marijuana in California, according to a survey of the 250,000 users of the medical marijuana delivery app Eaze. Refinery 29

Easy living: U.S. News & World Report has ranked San Jose the third best place to live in America and San Francisco the 16th best place to live. Does that check out? Curbed San Francisco

No Oscar party here: Mega-agency UTA has canceled its annual Oscar party and instead will give $250,000 to charity and hold a rally “to express the creative community’s growing concern with anti-immigrant sentiment in the United States.” Variety.

EBay find: Someone bid nearly $100,000 for a Flamin’ Hot Cheeto that looks like the late gorilla Harambe, but apparently they got cold feet. Los Angeles Times

So cool: The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City has released 375,000 images for public consumption. Here are the 10 coolest ones relating to California. LAist.

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Los Angeles: Partly cloudy Thursday, rain Friday. San Francisco: Rain Thursday and Friday. Sacramento: Rain Thursday and Friday. San Diego: Partly cloudy Thursday and Friday. More weather is here.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California memory comes from James Richardson:

“It was 1981, I was on my way to NAS Moffett Field at Mountain View. I had driven from Mississippi to L.A. on Interstate 10 and decided to stop to get a burger before I got on the I-5 to begin my trek north. I grew up in Philly, we had our share of traffic, but I cursed out loud (to an empty car) when I couldn’t find a parking spot. I was tired and in need of a break, so I double-parked and ran in to the MacD. When I returned to my car, I found a cop finishing writing me a ticket. I said I was sorry and would pay it when I got to my destination. I was amazed when he replied, “Here you go, just go ahead and rip it up. Everyone else does!” Gotta love those L.A. cops.”

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.