Newsletter: Essential California: For the Dodgers and their anxious fans, it all comes down to Halloween
Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Tuesday, Oct. 31, and here’s what’s happening across California:
TOP STORIES
Dodger fans on edge
Much like Col. Kurtz lying on the floor in the jungle at the end of “Apocalypse Now,†Dodgers fan Gary Mendoza had a front-row seat to horror. Sports-related horror. As he sat in Minute Maid Park in Houston, surrounded by raucous Astros fans, he watched the Dodgers give up a 4-0 lead with their ace on the mound and eventually lose arguably the craziest game in the history of the World Series in extra innings. “I’m very disappointed,†he said. Others had stronger feelings. Los Angeles Times
-- What the Dodgers have to do in Game 6 of the World Series tonight at home. Los Angeles Times
-- “We’re going to have the game of our lives,†Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig promises. Los Angeles Times
-- Dodger blue IRL versus Dodger blue on the internet. Los Angeles Times
-- The awkward October between the Dodgers and Adrian Gonzalez, their five-time all-star first baseman, took another turn over the weekend when manager Dave Roberts asked Gonzalez to spend the rest of the postseason as a spectator rather than a participant in pregame workouts and meetings. Los Angeles Times
Spacey’s response to sex allegation sparks outcry
A two-time Academy Award winner and acclaimed star of film, theater and television publicly comes out as gay for the first time; in 2017, that might seem like a triumphant moment and cause for celebration in the LGBTQ community. But Kevin Spacey did so just hours after BuzzFeed had published a report in which actor Anthony Rapp alleged that Spacey made a sexual advance toward him at a party in 1986, when Rapp, then a rising star in the theater world, was just 14 years old. And that has sparked widespread criticism inside Hollywood and beyond. Los Angeles Times
-- “House of Cards†will end its run on Netflix with its upcoming sixth season amid the accusations against its star. Los Angeles Times
-- The actor who spoke out publicly against Spacey. BuzzFeed
-- Tyler Cornell, a 20-year-old actor, filed a complaint this weekend with the Los Angeles Police Department making sexual assault allegations against former Hollywood agent Tyler Grasham. Los Angeles Times
-- Actor Corey Feldman has launched a campaign to fund a movie about alleged pedophiles in Hollywood. He says he will name names, if he raises $10 million. Los Angeles Times
-- Allegations against Harvey Weinstein date back to the 1970s. New York Times
Big plan to make the L.A. River a real river
Officials plan to build a giant inflatable dam on the L.A. River, a major step into make the wasteland into a public recreation area. The dam would create an impoundment area that would drive a 70-foot water wheel with buckets designed to lift 80 gallons per minute, splashing their contents into a stream landscaped with cottonwood trees adjacent to the Los Angeles State Historic Park, just north of downtown. It would keep more water in the river, and reduce wastewater runoff into the ocean. Los Angeles Times
L.A. STORIES
School fight: Harvard-Westlake appears to be putting the brakes on a development project that has roiled canyon communities. L.A. Daily News
Beverly Hills connection: Charges that President Trump’s former campaign manager hid more than $75 million from the IRS may have shocked the political world, but there was only one question tearing at the heart of California’s tailoring community Monday — who in Beverly Hills sold Paul Manafort $500,000 worth of suits? Los Angeles Times
Halloween time: The “ghost stories†behind some L.A. landmarks. Curbed Los Angeles
POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
Neighborhood watch: It’s been burned twice by massive brush fires. Now Santa Rosa must decide whether to rebuild the upscale Fountaingrove neighborhood once again. Press Democrat
Plus: Kressa Shepherd, the Mendocino County 17-year-old who was severely burned when she and her family fled a wildfire three weeks ago, has died in a Sacramento-area hospital. Los Angeles Times
GOP worries: There are far more challengers running for California’s House seats in 2018 than at this point in the last campaign, and there hasn’t been this much money raised for House elections this early in years, according to a Los Angeles Times analysis of campaign finance reports. Los Angeles Times
Sexual harassment: In 2014, reeling from scandals that led to the suspension of three Democratic senators, California’s state Senate changed its policies to make it easier for employees, members and the public to sound the alarm about misconduct. A Times analysis of those rule changes shows a lack of follow-through to make reporting complaints more accessible. And the lawmaker who worked on changes in the Senate’s operations after that scandal says more could have been done. Los Angeles Times
Affordable housing: The U.S. Supreme Court let stand a California law that requires developers to subsidize affordable housing. It involves a West Hollywood case. Los Angeles Times
CRIME AND COURTS
Polanski affair: In Paris, protesters chanted “No honor for the rapists†at an event honoring Roman Polanski, the exiled director accused of child molestation in L.A. in the 1970s. Polanski fled to Europe before being sentenced in the case. The Hollywood Reporter
Scary: A Halloween event at a popular Bay Area amusement park turns ugly. SF Gate
A second tragedy: A Murrieta couple who grew closer after surviving the mass shooting in Las Vegas on Oct. 1 died weeks later in a car crash not far from their home, relatives and authorities said. Los Angeles Times
CALIFORNIA CULTURE
Home cooking: Chinese restaurants have largely remained independent affairs in a business that seems to favor chains. But in Southern California, that is rapidly changing as a number of Chinese food chains arrive. LA Weekly
Throwback Tuesday: A beautiful time capsule of life in the brand-new Bay Area suburbs of the 1960s. Timeline
Making his way: A brain-damaged man builds his place in the world using Legos. Orange County Register
Pot milestone: With recreational cannabis set to go legal in California in January, one of the largest U.S cannabis companies, Organa Brands, has partnered with the company that has a patent on trays used by the TSA to alert travelers they may not travel with pot. The program is being rolled out in Ontario’s airport. Los Angeles Times
New normal: California drivers normally catch a bit of a break this time of year, when gas stations switch over to winter blends, which usually run about 12 cents a gallon less than summer-blended fuel. But not this year. Los Angeles Times
CALIFORNIA ALMANAC
Los Angeles area: Mostly cloudy and 68. San Diego: Cloudy and 67. San Francisco area: Partly cloudy and 62. Sacramento: Partly cloudy and 69. More weather is here.
AND FINALLY
Today’s California memory comes from Eric G. Heimann:
“In the mid-1970s my wife and I flew to Hawaii for a much-needed vacation. A special treat came as we took our seats on the plane: We were seated next to the Dodger Hall of Fame pitcher and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Don Drysdale. While we were reluctant to invade their privacy, they were affable and chatty and we enjoyed several hours of enjoyable insight into his career, Major League Baseball and, of course, the L.A. Dodgers. Upon arrival in Kona, we went our separate ways. That night, as we were seated for dinner, we were amazed to have the hostess come to our table and tell us the Drysdales would like us to join them for dinner. We were extremely flattered and said yes. Again, we were treated to a couple of hours of wonderful conversation. It was our last encounter with the Drysdales but while my wife still considered Sandy Koufax the greatest Dodger pitcher, we’re forever fans of Don Drysdale and the Dodgers. Only in California.â€
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.
