Newsletter: Essential California: Inside an L.A. OxyContin ring

Good morning. It is Monday, July 11. Here’s what is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Inside an L.A. OxyContin ring

A doctor at a clinic near MacArthur Park prescribed tens of thousands of OxyContin pills each month. The prescriptions were filled for straw patients from skid row, and the pills went to drug dealers. What did the drugmaker know? Los Angeles Times

Path of devastation

A diamond-encrusted piece of bling -- showing a map from L.A. to Washington state -- underscores how black-market OxyContin spurred a town’s descent into crime, addiction and heartbreak. Los Angeles Times

Tower at a crossroads

A developer wants to build what would be the tallest high-rise in South Los Angeles off Jefferson Boulevard. But some residents are fighting the plan, fearing it signals gentrification that could push poor residents out. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT & CLIMATE

Hot air: The drought debate begins again on Capitol Hill, but there is general agreement that Republican-Democratic divide over what the federal government should do won’t be ironed out any time soon. McClatchy DC

More hot air: Winds are also playing a big role in California’s drought. News Deeply

Fast-moving fire: Another tough day on the fire lines of the Santa Clarita Valley. Los Angeles Times

L.A. STORIES

Anticipation: Every city in Southern California, it seems, wants the famed Porto’s bakery to open a location there. The latest lucky city to win the sweepstakes is ... West Covina. San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Plan B: Carson didn’t get the NFL stadium. But it now wants to build a high-end outlet mall at the site, which used to be a garbage dump. Daily Breeze

Checking in: The scandal-stained, murderous history of a legendary Santa Monica hotel. Curbed LA

Spy allegations: A modern-day Russian spy thriller in the South Bay -- with an appearance by Jason Bourne. Los Angeles Times

GOVERNMENT & POLITICS

One, two, three ...: Why it’s taking so long to count all the votes in California. Los Angeles Times

New around here: Many of California’s Democratic delegates backing second-place finisher Bernie Sanders share a notable trait with their candidate — they are new converts to the party, a Times analysis found. Los Angeles Times

CRIME & COURTS

Violence rising: Four more slayings on Friday raised the grim tally of homicides in San Bernardino this year to 37, putting a city still recovering from a terrorist attack in December well on track for its most violent year since the 1990s. Los Angeles Times

Sorry: A French graffiti artist who became the target of social-media harassment has apologized, saying the crime for which he was vilified stemmed from a naive impulse: To tag a boulder in a Joshua Tree National Park parking lot with water-based spray paint, then post a snapshot of it on Instagram. Los Angeles Times

Foul odor: Some Brentwood residents expected to find a rotting body when they called police about a smell coming from a trash bin. It turned out to be chicken parts. Los Angeles Times

BUSINESS

Surging costs: Rents are rising so fast in Orange County -- is rent control the only answer, or can landlords exert some resistance? Orange County Register

Piece of cake? Beverly Hills billionaire Alec Gores thinks he and his team can turn around the Twinkie and Ding Dong empire. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Picture this: The unusual way a top Hollywood location manager sees Los Angeles: “The cool thing about the Vista [Theater in east Hollywood] is that you can frame it out and not see the world.” Los Angeles Times

Every end is a beginning: The strange story of how the Museum of Broken Relationships moved half way around the world to Hollywood Boulevard. “This is something that a lot of people can relate to, maybe, especially, in L.A. A lot of people here come pursuing dreams, and a lot of wreckage ends up here.” New York Times

The hangover: In Lake Tahoe, locals are livid that visitors leave their beloved lake trashed after holiday weekends. SF Gate

Orchestra in the round: One amazing video view of Gustavo Dudamel and the L.A. Philharmonic. Buzzfeed

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Los Angeles will start the day with patchy fog before becoming sunny and 84 degrees. San Diego will have some clouds in the morning and reach a high of 71. Sacramento will be sunny and reach 90 degrees. Oakland will top out near 76.

AND FINALLY

This week’s birthdays for notable Californians:

Rep. Barbara Lee (July 16, 1946) and comedian Will Ferrell (July 16, 1967).

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.