April 29, 2023   View in browser Walt Disney Co. sued Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis this week over land rights around its Orlando resorts, including Magic Kingdom, above. (Ted Shaffrey / Associated Press) By Elvia Limón Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It is Saturday, April 29. Here’s a look at the top stories of the last week Disney sues Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over a Florida district. Disney and DeSantis have been battling over the company’s self-governing powers in the area of the state that includes Walt Disney World Resort. Everything to know about the Disney and DeSantis feud. How strong is Disney’s 1st Amendment case against Ron DeSantis? The current conflict is the latest to reveal underlying tensions that have existed between Disney and religious conservatives for decades as it has embraced the LGBTQ community. Republican Ron DeSantis would not have to resign as Florida governor to run for president under a bill approved by GOP-dominated state Legislature. California’s downtowns were emptied by COVID: San Francisco still reeling but San Diego rebounds. California’s downtowns have had varying levels of success in rebounding from pandemic shutdowns — while San Diego has almost fully recovered, San Francisco is concerned about a potential “doom loop.” Cool temps to follow a warm weekend in California, likely to minimize snowmelt and flooding. Forecasters say the heat won’t last long in California and that the cooler temperatures on the horizon could help minimize any drastic flooding from rapid snowmelt. With temperatures rising in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom pledged support Tuesday for Central Valley communities facing historic snowmelt and flooding. Antioch Police Department mired in racism allegations — first in text messages, now in a brutality lawsuit. On the heels of sordid revelations about police behavior, the city of Antioch and its Police Department have been named as defendants in a lawsuit alleging police brutality and racial discrimination. A jury awards Riverside woman $2.3 billion in a sex abuse lawsuit that had involved the Mormon church. A Riverside woman was awarded $2.28 billion Tuesday by a Riverside Superior Court jury after she was sexually abused by her stepfather for years, her attorneys announced. California’s first large wildfire of the season burns 200 acres. The Nob fire, the first large wildfire of the season in California, started shortly after 10 a.m. Wednesday and had spread to 200 acres as of Thursday morning, according to the U.S. Forest Service