Newsletter: Law enforcement divided over California’s sanctuary frenzy

Good morning. It’s Monday, March 13, and here’s what’s happening across California:

TOP STORIES

Conflicted times for police

Law enforcement groups are divided over legislation that would turn California into a “sanctuary state.” Some law enforcement officials don’t want to enforce the Trump administration’s new immigration protocols, but they’re worried the state legislation could harm public safety and deprive them of much-needed federal funding. Los Angeles Times

The former “Governator” isn’t running

Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Sunday that he won’t run for Senate after reports surfaced last week that he might throw his hat into the ring. Los Angeles Times

A bloom to end all blooms

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is experiencing a once-in-a-decade wildflower “super bloom.” “Wow,” one visitor said. “It looks like something out of the ‘Wizard of Oz.’” Los Angeles Times

L.A. STORIES

A toxic proposition: As a result of the largest and priciest toxic contamination in California’s history, state regulators have changed the formula for assessing the level of lead-laced soil in residential areas. This change has confused residents who live around the now-closed Exide Technologies battery recycling plant in southeast Los Angeles. Cal Matters

The housing morass: There’s a major housing shortage in California, and Ira Belgrade’s story shows how some residents are going to extreme lengths to make ends meet. Business Insider

Baca back in court: Former Los Angeles Sheriff Lee Baca nearly won an acquittal in his trial on charges he obstructed an FBI investigation. In the retrial, which will probably wrap up this week, prosecutors have tried a new tact. Los Angeles Times

IMMIGRATION AND THE BORDER

More border police, more problems: President Trump’s plans to rapidly increase the number of Border Patrol officers will come with big risks. The story of Oscar Ortiz Martinez shows why. Los Angeles Times

An American tale: Meet the Iranian brothers from California who invented one of America’s most iconic convenience foods: the Hot Pocket. Saveur

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Fake news wave: How Internet trolls tried to get Bernie Sanders supporters in California to turn against Hillary Clinton. Huffington Post

A win for Brown: With the retirement of moderate Justice Kathryn Mickle Werdegar, Gov. Jerry Brown will soon have a Democrat-appointed majority on the state Supreme Court. Los Angeles Times

Some tough taxes: It’s hard to own a home in California. By one calculation, the state’s property tax burden is the 10th worst in the nation. Orange County Register

Helping the kids out: A new state task force is looking for long-range plans to meet child care needs. EdSource Today

Democrats get pressured over Trump: An estimated 350 people showed up for a meeting Saturday at Unity of Sacramento church with Rep. Ami Bera, an Elk Grove Democrat. Many of the attendees wanted the congressman to take a more decisive stand against the policies of President Trump and the national Republican Party. Sacramento Bee

CRIME AND COURTS

Video sparks debate: A violent arrest by a Vallejo police officer, caught on cellphone video, is drawing criticism from witnesses and activists who say he went too far. CBS San Francisco

Plane hits truck: A man was killed Saturday when the plane he was in collided with a pickup near a hangar after a reported “hard” landing at Oakdale Airport. Modesto Bee

New legislation alert: Proposed legislation would greatly expand the use of a high-tech tool to locate shooters in California. The technology involves a network of sound sensors placed throughout a community to swiftly triangulate gunshots and give officers GPS coordinates for the shootings, often within 30 to 45 seconds. Los Angeles Times

THE ENVIRONMENT

Trump’s green defaced: Environmental activists were caught on camera defacing Trump’s golf course in Rancho Palos Verdes. They carved a message into the green with 6-foot-tall letters that said: “NO MORE TIGERS. NO MORE WOODS.” Washington Post

Where are the wolves? A pack of seven gray wolves has been missing for months, California wildlife advocates said. The pack is the first to make the state home in nearly a century. Associated Press

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Changes to the pride parade: Construction in West Hollywood Park means there’s less space available for the annual LGBTQ pride festival in June. So a protest march will occur instead. WEHOville

Conductor in the spotlight: Jaap van Zweden is about to become music director of the New York Philharmonic, beginning in 2018. But he was back at Walt Disney Concert Hall on Friday morning for the first time in many years, and his performance might be an indication of what’s to come. Los Angeles Times

A festival of diversity in LA: The Hapa Japan Festival, a “celebration of mixed-race and mixed-roots Japanese people and culture,” was held at USC late last month. One attendee writes, “Still, in attending my first hapafest, wandering among people with whom I had nothing, and everything, in common, I got a jolt of a phenomenon that Dr. Uehara Carter writes about: a sense of what she calls the flux of being hapa, the ability to hack the system, to rewrite the rules of the game of identity and belonging.” New York Times

Vacation recs: Here are the 16 trips you absolutely need to take this spring and summer. Sunset

Watch: Check out this video of Angels outfielder Mike Trout sinking a hole-in-one. FanSided

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Los Angeles area: sunny Monday and Tuesday. San Francisco area: sunny Monday, partly cloudy Tuesday. Sacramento: partly cloudy Monday and Tuesday. More weather is here.

AND FINALLY

This week’s birthdays for those who’ve made a mark in California: L.A. Clippers star Blake Griffin (March 16, 1989), Orange County Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas (March 18, 1943), L.A. Councilman Mike Bonin (March 19, 1967) and Dodgers pitching ace Clayton Kershaw (March 19, 1988).

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.