Essential California PRESENTED BY* Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Monday, July 15, and here’s a look at the week ahead. On Monday, the “world’s toughest footrace” — a 135-mile ultramarathon from Death Valley to Mount Whitney — will commence. Entrants in the grueling Badwater Ultramarathon will probably face temperatures approaching 122 degrees Fahrenheit. And speaking of ultramarathons, we still have roughly a year left in the race for the 2020 Democratic Party presidential nomination and a few candidates will be swinging through California this week. Self-help author Marianne Williamson will be campaigning in Los Angeles on Monday, with an evening fundraiser in Beverly Hills. The 2019 Emmy nominations will be announced early Tuesday morning, roughly nine weeks ahead of the September awards show. Here are five things to watch for when the nominations are unveiled. Also Tuesday: The 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch, which culminated in one very famous small step for man and a giant leap for mankind. (Expect a whole lot of #Moon content all over your internet.) On Wednesday, Mexican drug lord El Chapo will be sentenced on murder conspiracy and drug trafficking charges in a New York courtroom. Also Wednesday: Global streaming giant Netflix will report its second-quarter earnings and subscriber numbers. And the annual Perseid meteor shower is likely to become visible. The Perseid meteor showeris expected to peak from Aug. 12 to 13. Comic-Con opens to the public in San Diego on Thursday. Former Vice President Joe Biden will be on the campaign trail in Los Angeles on Thursday and Friday. Biden will headline a big-name Hollywood fundraiser on Friday.