Essential California

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Monday, Nov. 25, and here’s a quick look at the week ahead: Tuesday marks the deadline for presidential candidates to submit paperwork to appear on the California primary ballot. Thursday is Thanksgiving. This newsletter will be on hiatus for the holiday on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. We look forward to being back in in your inboxes bright and early next Monday morning! Sunday is the 88th Hollywood Christmas Parade in Hollywood. If you are not planning to attend, I recommend steering clear of Hollywood, lest you fall into a traffic nightmare. Sunday is also the first day of winter, according to the meteorological season. But Dec. 21, the winter solstice, won’t come around for another few weeks. And now, here’s what’s happening across California:

TOP STORIES A powerful winter storm is on the menu for Thanksgiving week in Southern California. The wet weather is likely to begin Tuesday night, and the storm will hit the entire state. Winds may gust as high as 50 mph in the mountains, and snow levels could drop as low as 2,000 feet. Significant snow accumulations are expected at resort levels. By Thursday night into Friday, rain will generally taper off to isolated showers, but downpours are still possible with thunderstorms. Los Angeles Times California cities are pushing back on landlords who’ve been trying to increase rents and issue evictions before a state law goes into effect in January. In addition to L.A., about three dozen cities and counties across the state have passed temporary bans on evictions ahead of a new state rent control law. (We’ve talked about this phenomenon a few times before in regard to individual cities passing emergency moratoria, but this new piece from my colleague housing reporter Liam Dillon looks at in the context of what’s happening across the state, and how the pieces fit together.) Los Angeles Times

L.A. STORIES Planning a Thanksgiving car trip? Here’s when traffic will be worst on busier-than-ever L.A. roads. Los Angeles Times At least six people were shot at a party in downtown Los Angeles.The shooting occurred early Sunday in the warehouse district. Los Angeles Times Homeless opioid deaths are forcing change in L.A. jails. Los Angeles is expanding its use of medication-assisted treatment. By March 2020, Suboxone and methadone will become widely available to inmates who show the symptoms of physical withdrawal while in custody. Capital & Main Melina Matsoukas — Grammy-winning director for Beyoncé and Rihanna — makes her Hollywood feature debut with the kind of story Hollywood has often overlooked. California Sunday Want a free tree for your yard or neighborhood? L.A.’s Green New Deal to plant 90,000 trees in the city over the next two years is a bonus for residents. The city will give out up to seven free yard and/or street trees to qualifying residents. Los Angeles Times Some of the New Yorker’s best Hollywood stories: The magazine has dug through its archive to compile a collection of legendary Tinseltown tales — from a 1957 Truman Capote dispatch about Marlon Brando on location to more recent pieces, like Ariel Levy’s deep dive on director Nicole Holofcener. The New Yorker