Newsletter: A new look for L.A.’s trendy Arts District

Good morning. It is Saturday, Sept. 24. Here’s what you don’t want to miss this weekend:

TOP STORIES

A new downtown: There’s an audacious plan that would further expand the downtown L.A. skyline. Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron would build a massive, 14.5-acre mixed complex in the Arts District — crowned with two, 58-story towers. The proposal would push downtown’s skyline farther east and could transform the low-rise Arts District. Los Angeles Times

Misery on display: As Orange County’s homeless problem worsens, one place that has seen the strain is the main Santa Ana public library. Some patrons say they are avoiding the library because of the large homeless population, sparking debate about what to do. The library was recently designed to better address the homeless issues, but officials say they don’t want to turn transients away. Los Angeles Times

Sex offender laws: There’s been a big push this year to toughen California sex offense laws, inspired by the Bill Cosby case as well as Brock Turner, the Stanford University swimmer who got what many considered a light sentence in a sexual assault case. But some people worry these new proposal would unfairly harm minorities. Said one advocate: “Every time we ratchet up the possibility of prosecution and of longer sentences, the more we push survivors who are disinclined to engage with the system further into darkness.” Los Angeles Times

Live and die in L.A.: Anthony Bourdain loves a lot of L.A. places. But he singled out the Chateau Marmont hotel. “That’s the hotel I want to die in. I have the room all picked out. But if I’m really getting into it, I’m drinking there, because I just gotta stagger to the elevator.” LA Weekly

What am I voting on: A guide to all those California ballot measures. CALmatters

Change at the top: The woman who was supposed to turn around troubled American Apparel is stepping down. Los Angeles Times

One case confirmed: There is now a confirmed leprosy case at a Riverside County school, but officials are urging calm. Los Angeles Times

There’s a catch: Stanford University will help pay for your MBA, if you work in the Midwest after graduation. Bloomberg

Officer in trouble: A San Jose police officer is facing charges for allegedly accessing the department’s computer records system to help a Vietnamese organized crime ring. Mercury News

Message from 1961: Reexamining the politics and culture of that famous (some say infamous) ode to post-war Chinatown San Francisco: “The Flower Drum Song.” LA Review of Books

THIS WEEK’S MOST POPULAR STORIES IN ESSENTIAL CALIFORNIA

1. Who is using so much water in Bel-Air? Center for Investigative Reporting

2. This was a pretty juicy Hollywood sex scandal … back in 1936. Vanity Fair

3. How a retirement plan that wasn’t suppose to cost a penny ended up costing taxpayers billions of dollars. Los Angeles Times

4. One Orange County nonprofit is turning shipping containers into homes for the homeless. Los Angeles Times

5. Angelina Jolie filed for divorce from Brad Pitt this week. BuzzFeed

ICYMI, HERE ARE THIS WEEK’S GREAT READS

Dangerous conditions: Why are so many motorcyclists dying on one picturesque canyon road in Orange County? Orange County Register

Boom and backlash: Is L.A. freaking out over all the construction cranes? How a booming L.A. is facing a backlash. Mayor Eric Garcetti says: “The sprawl has hit the wall in L.A.” New York Times

Campaign advice: Donald Trump asked, so Steve Lopez offers him some campaign advice. “He should stick with his claim that he watched thousands of Muslims celebrate the destruction of the World Trade Center towers on 9/11, even though it didn’t happen. He needs to keep saying Clinton started the rumor that President Obama was born in Kenya, even though she didn’t.” Los Angeles Times

Remember him: Donald Trump and the “Mexican judge” in San Diego. New Yorker

LOOKING AHEAD

Monday: The Los Angeles Times is hosting a debate watch party, and this one will be our biggest yet. Join us for the Debate Watch Spectacular at the Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Tickets are $13. RSVP here.

Thursday: Ceremony marking completion of Terminal 4 connector at LAX, connecting Terminal 4 and the Tom Bradley International Terminal.

Friday: Filipino-American History Month kicks off in Carson.

Saturday: Beach cleanup in San Pedro.

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.