Newsletter: Essential California: An Olympic campaign

Good morning. It is Tuesday, Sept. 15. The congestion on LAX's departures level is about to get even worse. Here's what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Split over benefits: When it comes to immigration policies, Californians tend to be more liberal than voters elsewhere. Here, immigrants without legal status can drive, receive in-state college tuition and even become practicing attorneys. A new poll, however, shows that healthcare benefits may be where California voters draw the line. About 48% of respondents believe that such immigrants should receive free or low-cost insurance. About 47% believe that they should not be eligible for such benefits. Los Angeles Times

Fire fatality: A 72-year-old woman with multiple sclerosis was the first fatality of the Valley fire in Northern California. Sheriff's deputies said that they responded to the home of Barbara McWilliams but that the area was engulfed in flames when they arrived. McWilliams' caretaker says she repeatedly called the authorities and begged them to rescue her boss. Los Angeles Times

State of mind: Two sisters are taking their California sensibilities to the national political stage. While Kristina Schake works for Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign, her sister Kori operates out of Stanford's Hoover Institution, a conservative think tank. "Californians are rightfully grumpy about how little attention presidential candidates seem to pay voters in their noncompetitive state. But the Schake sisters underscore how big California ideas and movements -- on the right and the left -- are guiding presidential politics." Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT

Historic low: The snowpack level in the Sierra Nevada may be at its lowest point in 500 years. The finding, reported in the journal Nature Climate Change, demonstrates just how severe California's water shortage has become. "We were expecting that 2015 would be extreme, but not like this," said senior study author Valerie Trouet, a paleoclimatologist at the University of Arizona. Los Angeles Times

Benefits of grass: Californians' race to tear out their lawns could ultimately have a disastrous effect on the environment. That's because grass keeps the ground cooler than asphalt or other coverings. The Press-Enterprise

Gone dry: Children in Chowchilla are now relying on bottled water and portable toilets, as the well at Alview Elementary School has gone nearly dry. School officials plan to drill a new well. "We do have water coolers in each classroom. That's our solution for drinking water for now," said Sheila Perry, vice principal of the school. Fresno Bee

L.A. AT LARGE

Public art: L.A. alleyways are typically homes for garbage, old furniture and other discarded items. But the Gabba Gallery is hoping to turn those areas into works of art. So far the gallery's project has produced 75-plus murals by more than 50 artists. Los Angeles Times

Fatal crash: An Emmy Award-winning sound editor was riding his bicycle in Moorpark on Saturday when he was struck and killed by a driver. The motorist who hit Maciek Malish then swerved back into her lane and killed a motorcyclist, officials said. Malish was best known for his work on "Lost" and "The X-Files." Los Angeles Times

Vision for the future: Everyone involved with the Los Angeles River agrees that it is headed for a major change. Just what that change will look like, however, remains in dispute. "Nobody knows who runs the river. So anything goes, essentially," said Lewis MacAdams, who started Friends of the L.A. River in 1986. LA Weekly

Olympic campaign: LA24 released its first video in the campaign to bring the 2024 Olympic Games to Los Angeles. The short video highlights the city's diversity and tech savvy -- two of Mayor Eric Garcetti's favorite talking points. YouTube

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Celebrity and politics: The line between entertainment and politics continues to move. Donald Trump lost his gig on NBC's "The Celebrity Apprentice" after the network cut ties with the presidential candidate over his remarks about Mexican immigrants. Now, his TV spot will be filled by former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. "Trump's 2016 presidential campaign swung the hammer at whatever wall remained between fame and national leadership, and by naming Schwarzenegger as his replacement, NBC kicks away any remaining rubble," Mary McNamara writes. Los Angeles Times

Big ambitions: The man behind L.A.'s effort to win the 2024 Olympics says he wouldn't mind being the city's mayor one day. "After we get the Olympics I've always thought I'd have an opportunity to give back to the community and if there was an opportunity to run for office in the city I love, that is something I would be interested in," Casey Wasserman said. NBC4

Pot shops: Seven months ago, Santa Ana held a lottery to determine which 20 medical marijuana dispensaries could legally operate in the city. Since then, just two pot shops have opened. "We would rather be very detail-oriented and make sure that we do it right, than rushing some of these processes and getting it wrong," said Chris Revere, who is responsible for vetting safety permits. Orange County Register

CRIME AND COURTS

Strong message: One Echo Park man has a strong message to drivers who text: "Please make sure you only kill U." That's the oversize sign he posted outside his home after witnessing too many motorists typing away on their phones. Eastsider L.A.

Unusual crimes: A liquor store owner in Palos Verdes Estates was beaten by two men wearing skeleton costumes and wielding metal baseball bats, police said. The man's arm was broken during an attempt to protect his head from the assailants' blows. About two hours later, two teenagers near a golf course were robbed by men wearing bandannas over their faces. Daily Breeze

HOUSING

Fighting back: Senior citizens in mobile home parks across Orange County are banding together to fight developers who hope to turn their land into multimillion-dollar homes and hotels. "Closures often entail Orwellian relocation contracts that leave many residents desperate and broke. When there are no city laws to regulate the conversion, developers offer pittance relocation allowances despite costs easily topping $10,000." OC Weekly

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Foreign investment: This month Narendra Modi will become the first Indian leader to visit California in three decades. He's hoping to strengthen his country's ties to Silicon Valley. Modi wants to "position India as a new hub for manufacturing and the digital industry, vowing to sweep away bureaucratic spiderwebs that have long disheartened foreign investors." Los Angeles Times

Hidden L.A.: When artist Ramiro Gomez looks at the wealth and privilege in Southern California, he doesn't see the people living that life -- he sees the people working to maintain it. That includes gardeners, custodians and nannies. They are the images he now captures in his art. City Lab

Pen pals: There's an old-fashioned activity taking place at a paper shop in downtown L.A. -- the art of letter writing. There, urban dwellers design letters and cards and write to far-flung pen pals, some of whom they've never even met. "When you get a letter, it's not something minimized or clicked away. It's like a breath, a respite in the day," one club member said. Los Angeles Times

GOLDEN STATE PERSPECTIVES

End-of-life lawmaking: The process that sent a right-to-die bill to Gov. Jerry Brown's desk stunk, says The Times' editorial board, but that doesn't mean that the legislation would make bad law. On the contrary, the governor should resist the urge to rebuke the Legislature for bending its own rules after the End of Life Option Act had stalled earlier this year, and sign into law a historic bill that promises relief for suffering, terminally ill Californians. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

San Francisco will have clouds and 65 degrees. Los Angeles will have periods of rain and a high of 80 degrees. Riverside will also be 80 degrees and rainy. San Diego will be 81 degrees, humid and rainy.

AND FINALLY

Today's California Memory comes from Errol Stevens:

"I first came to Los Angeles in 1984 for a job interview. This was just before the Olympics began. As I waited for my ride in front of my hotel near USC, I watched the traffic on Figueroa. That very morning Figueroa had been changed to one-way to accommodate traffic for the Olympics. Being new in town, I didn't know that this arrangement was temporary. I watched as drivers who hadn't gotten the word yet drove the wrong way. I thought to myself: Is this what they do in L.A.? Ignore one-way streets? I'm not in Indianapolis anymore!”

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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