Newsletter: Obama weighs in on plans to take bonuses from California Guard veterans

Good morning. It is Wednesday, Oct. 26. The chefs at these Bay Area restaurants must be pretty happy — they received Michelin stars. Here’s what else is going on around the state.

TOP STORIES

Searching for suspects

A familial DNA search led Los Angeles police to the man known as the Grim Sleeper. Throughout California, the controversial practice of searching a database for the father, son or brother of a crime suspect has helped police find rapists and murderers. But civil liberties groups have raised privacy and ethical concerns. “If it’s helping us solve big cases, it seems like a worthwhile trade-off,” said UCLA Law School Dean Jennifer Mnookin. Los Angeles Times

Safety rules

The tour bus that crashed in Desert Hot Springs this weekend, killing 13 people, was out of compliance with vehicle safety standards, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. Two of the bus’ eight tires did not have enough tread. Federal officials noted, however, that their investigation is in the preliminary stages. Los Angeles Times

Also: Inside the subculture of tour bus casino trips, which are popular in ethnic communities across Southern California. Los Angeles Times

Soldiers’ bonuses

A Times report on the Pentagon trying to claw back reenlistment bonuses from thousands of California National Guard soldiers is continuing to stir outrage and is drawing a response from Washington. President Obama has told the Defense Department to speed its review of appeals, but he is not backing growing calls for Congress to waive the debts across the board, according to a spokesman. Los Angeles Times

L.A. AT LARGE

Time to eat: It’s that time of the year — Times restaurant critic Jonathan Gold’s ranking of the 101 best restaurants is online for subscribers. “The best meal of the year could as well come from that place in the mini-mall by the 99 Cents Only store as from that place with the thousand-bottle wine list and the chef that you’ve seen on TV.” Los Angeles Times

Helping vets: The CalVet Kitchen is cooking, but six years after opening to serve the medical needs of vets, the West L.A. home still has empty beds, writes columnist Steve Lopez. Los Angeles Times

Patient dumping: A Hawaiian Gardens hospital will pay $450,000 for leaving a homeless woman on skid row with no identification and wearing only paper pajamas. Though it settled a lawsuit brought by the city of Los Angeles, Gardens Regional Hospital & Medical Center did not admit fault. Los Angeles Times

New kind of development: The L.A. Live complex was built in downtown Los Angeles with what was then a novel development agreement to set aside affordable housing. To some, it proved to be a national model, but others say it’s fallen short. Wall Street Journal

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Voting bloc: Spurred by the presidential contest, Latino voters in California are expected to have considerable influence on down-ballot races and statewide propositions in the November election. Los Angeles Times

Campaign donations: Individuals affiliated with the University of California system donated $1.2 million to the presidential campaign of Democrat Hillary Clinton, according to a report. That makes UC her largest source of cash in this political cycle. The second-largest source? Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google. Sacramento Bee

Young radical: Author Mike Davis remembers Tom Hayden. “He was a complex, difficult, impassioned person whom we should honor as one of our great champions of peace and justice,” Davis writes. LA Review of Books

Major outage: The Department of Motor Vehicles experienced a statewide computer outage Tuesday. “I’m kind of bummed because I have to come back tomorrow. I thought I was closer to getting my license so I can drive places,” said one 16-year-old. Orange County Register

CRIME AND COURTS

On leave: Residents in Seal Beach are demanding to know why their police chief was placed on paid leave. “Putting the highest paid police officer on nondisciplinary paid leave is a misuse of funds. We love and appreciate Chief Joe [Stilinovich]. This doesn’t make sense,” said one woman. Orange County Register

Love gone wrong: Billionaire media mogul Sumner Redstone is suing two former girlfriends and claiming they committed elder abuse. He’s seeking millions for the money and gifts he lavished on them. “They manipulated and emotionally abused Redstone to get what they wanted — jewelry, designer clothing, real estate in Beverly Hills, New York, and Paris, and money, lots of it,” according to the complaint. Los Angeles Times

Threat allegations: A 40-year-old man from Agoura Hills was arrested on suspicion of making terrorist threats against the Islamic Center of Southern California. Police said rifles, shotguns, handguns, high-capacity magazines and thousands of rounds of ammunition were discovered in the man’s home. He’s scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 10. BuzzFeed

Civil rights: A federal lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union alleges the Los Angeles Police Department has violated the due process rights of thousands of city residents by serving them with gang injunctions without first allowing them to challenge those orders in court. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Wet weather: October is shaping up to be a strong month for rain across California, especially for the northern part of the state, where much of the water supply comes from. AccuWeather

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Getting a vibe: How the makers of the “Fast and the Furious” series went to great lengths to give the movies the feel of L.A. car culture. Atlas Obscura

Film preservation: Meet the man who is preserving Warner Bros. films from the 1930 through 1950s before they are lost forever. “We started with 18,000 cans of film five years ago and have about 4,000 left to do.” New York Times

New look: How Sacramento’s Broadway is one of those streets redefining American urbanism. Curbed

Be careful out there: California’s rate of sexually transmitted diseases is the highest it has been in 25 years. Doctors say folks should use condoms and get tested. Los Angeles Times

Local legend: The longtime owner of the Ingleside Inn and Melvyn’s Restaurant in Palm Springs has died at the age of 80. Mel Haber’s restaurant was known as a celebrity hotspot. “He was a great guy,” said long-time Melvyn’s maitre’d Brian Ellis. “He was my boss for over four decades. He was more than my boss. He was my friend.” Desert Sun

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

San Diego will have clouds and a high of 74 degrees. Los Angeles will be 78 with clouds. Riverside will be 83 degrees and mostly sunny. In San Francisco, it will be sunny with a high of 69. Sacramento will be 75 degree and partly sunny.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California Memory comes from George Marek:

“In 1999, we moved to explore the wine country lifestyle of Northern California after many years in New England. We set out from Hartford on a very cold March morning to cross the country by car on the shortest route. Our wine cellar and belongings took the longer, southern route to avoid freezing. The journey across Interstate 80 never saw the thermometer climb above freezing, day after day. Buffalo, Chicago, Lincoln, Park City. When we arrived to California in South Lake Tahoe, even with snowbanks 10 feet high and a lone wolf crossing the frozen Tahoe Keys area, our neighbor had cleared his deck and put out a chaise to capture some warm rays. It was the next day that we descended the Sierra Nevada down Highway 50 into Sacramento, watched the snow disappear, and finally felt the beautiful, lasting warmth of the California sun.”

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.)

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