September 14, 2023   View in browser

The California State Capitol Building in Sacramento. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

By Ryan Fonseca Good morning. It’s Thursday, Sept. 14. Here’s what you need to know to start your day. A bunch of big bills are heading to Gov. Newsom’s desk The best time to see a newly discovered green comet in SoCal And here’s today’s e-newspaper Will these California bills become law? That’s up to Gov. Newsom It’s crunch time in Sacramento as state Senate and Assembly members reach this year’s legislative deadline tonight. At that point, anything not passed is dead and bills approved by lawmakers head to Gov. Gavin Newsom to be signed into law or vetoed. There’s a whole lot of legislation already bound for the governor’s desk that could significantly affect Californians’ lives. Here’s a look at a few. California workers could be guaranteed more sick days Right now, the state requires employers to provide a minimum of three paid sick days. But under the just-passed Senate Bill 616, that would increase to five. “While similar attempts to expand paid sick leave have stalled in the past, politically powerful unions are banking on workplace lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic to be enough to get Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign the bill this time around,” Times reporter Mackenzie Mays wrote. Major business groups had pushed back on the bill, arguing that employers might be unable to cover the cost of the paid leave expansion and cut jobs. But supporters say increasing paid sick leave will better allow workers to avoid spreading illnesses by staying home when they’re sick or need to care for sick family members. A law that makes building housing easier could be extended In an effort to address the state’s ongoing housing crisis, California lawmakers approved SB 423, which adds an additional 10 years to a state housing law that allows developers to cut through some local bureaucracy and get housing projects built more quickly. It was supposed to expire in 2026. Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) called it “the most important housing bill that we are going to put on the governor’s desk.” As Times politics reporter Hannah Wiley wrote this week: “Housing experts say it’s an important step toward alleviating a housing shortage that’s helped spur a homelessness crisis and made California a nearly impossible place for middle- and low-income residents to find affordable places to live.” The bill was amended to address concerns from labor unions about protecting construction workers, as well as worries about building in areas affected by sea level rise and wildfires. Speed cameras may be coming to some cities’ streets After a few years of trying, a bill that would allow certain California cities to put automated speed cameras on their streets is before Gov. Newsom. Assembly Bill 645 would allow six cities — Los Angeles, Glendale, Long Beach, Oakland, San Jose and San Francisco — to operate speed cameras in school zones and on corridors with a history of dangerous driving and serious crashes. Safety advocates say the technology is an important tool to hold drivers accountable for dangerous behavior and save lives as traffic violence surges. Speed cameras have been used in other states and cities as an effective tool to reduce traffic deaths. The bill faced opposition from civil liberties groups over data collection concerns and worries that it could unfairly burden lower-income drivers. Amendments included limits on how long data from the cameras could be stored before being deleted permanently. Participating cities would also have to reduce fines based on income. Damian Kevitt, executive director of the nonprofit Streets Are for Everyone, said he and fellow advocates are “cautiously excited” that Gov. Newsom will sign the bill quickly so that cities can start preparing to launch their programs. “People are dying on a daily basis,” he told me. “[Speed cameras] are effective … the real question is how do we make sure we balance our rights and liberties versus our right to life.” More approved bills await their fate The Times’ newsroom is keeping track of the important bills Newsom will either sign or reject. Below are several of particular interest to Californians and you can read up on the others here. The grass won’t always be greener. Lawmakers passed AB 1572, which would outlaw watering some grass that’s purely decorative. How much are big companies emitting? If they do business in California, they’d have to disclose that under SB 253, which lawmakers passed this week. It initially divided Democrats, but SB 14 is on its way to Newsom. The bill would increase penalties for child sex traffickers, but some Democrats voiced concern it could negatively effect some trafficking survivors. Lawmakers approved a bill to limit who can carry firearms in public — and where. SB 2 would ban gun owners from carrying guns in dozens of “sensitive places,” including day-care centers and schools, bars, college campuses, medical facilities, parks and on public transit. Not quite driverless after all. AB 316 would require that companies testing autonomous trucks on state highways have a human behind the wheel. But Newsom has signaled that he’ll veto that mandate. Possession of magic mushrooms and other natural psychedelics could soon be decriminalized in California. Proponents of SB 58 argue that it could help destigmatize the use of psychedelics, which they say can be more effective than traditional methods in treating PTSD, anxiety and depression. Newsom has 30 days to either sign or veto these bills and any others that the Legislature approves by the end of today. ADVERTISEMENT Today’s top stories Cops and law enforcement Nearly 700 undercover Los Angeles Police Department officers sued the city, alleging that their safety was affected by the release of departmentphotographs and personal information earlier this year through the California Public Records Act. L.A. County will pay $4.75 million to Christopher Bailey, a Black man beaten by deputies during a traffic stop. A fired officer has picketed the LAPD headquarters alone, asking for his job back. He says he is the victim of the department’s long history of disability discrimination and maintains that the union and former friends have all turned their backs on him. Hollywood strikes Bill Maher announced that his HBO show will be returning to the air,without “writers or writing,” joining several talk shows resuming production as Hollywood’s strikes continue with no end in sight. WGA members picketed ‘The Drew Barrymore Show’ Monday as it resumed taping. The battle over streaming data transparency has become one of the biggest dividing lines in the writers’ and actors’ strikes. Courts The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that California’s ban on marketing guns to minors is probably unconstitutional. Tom Girardi cursed at a federal prosecutor on the third day of a competency hearing. Girardi is accused of embezzling $18 million from clients. More big stories A nonprofit is testing building licensed tent villages for the homeless in L.A. and Culver City. A new coronavirus shot will be available starting this week, but the big question is how many people will get one. Low clouds, fog and cooler weather are heading to Southern California. Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva says he will challenge county Supervisor Janice Hahn in the March primary. An onslaught of 150 lightning strikes started a fire that brought down the grid in Del Norte County. So officials formed what appears to be California’s largest and longest-running microgrid powered by generators. Although riders pay only $1 for the on-demand service called Metro Micro, the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority pays about $43 per ride. Get unlimited access to the Los Angeles Times. Subscribe here. ADVERTISEMENT Commentary and opinions Mark Z. Barabak: How labor and a wily senator turned Nevada blue — and redrew the nation’s presidential map LZ Granderson: Enough with sending NBA stars such as LeBron James to the Olympics Anita Chabria and Erika D. Smith: California legislators failed to reach a deal this term on how to fix the home insurance industry, which is on the brink of collapse from climate pressure. That will cost us. George Skelton: Don’t listen to the chatter about Newsom running for president Today’s great reads (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times) There’s a hidden crisis among California’s rural kids. Would this teen make it? Linda Plumlee bounced around rural Alturas, Calif., sleeping on couches and spare beds and, for a stretch, the back seat of her car — all while organizing blood drives and getting good grades and helping classmates with their homework. For the 18 year old, academics were a ticket out of Alturas, a cattle-ranching town of 2,700. Other great reads Mahjong Mistress taps into nostalgia to throw L.A. parties that just hit different. Drug violence has put Costa Rica’s laid-back identity at stake. UCLA Athletic Director Martin Jarmond’s late mother attended North Carolina Central, making Saturday’s Bruins football game against the Eagles special to him. After starting UCLA’s cannabis club, she unexpectedly became a weed whisperer for Gen Z. On the road with Ford CEO Jim Farley, talking up the company’s electric vehicle future. How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com. For your downtime (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times) Going out 🍕 Welcome to L.A.’s golden era of pizza: Try 21 of the best slices at these pizzerias. 🎭 ‘The Sound Inside,’ on stage at Pasadena Playhouse, thrillingly unfurls like a series of puzzle boxes. 🔭 A newly discovered green comet: When’s the best time to see it in Southern California? 📚 The largest Spanish-language literary festival in the U.S. kicks off today in downtown Los Angeles. Staying in 📺 Haven’t seen Britain’s answer to ‘The Wire,’ ‘Top Boy’? Now’s the time. 🎬 ‘Lois & Clark’ at 30: How the Superman series led to a new era of superhero TV. 🥘 Here’s a recipe for Mini Kabob’s pan-seared chicken cutlets. ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games. And finally ... from our archives On Thursdays, we’ll show you something from our archives. (Los Angeles Times) On Sept. 14, 1985, “The Golden Girls” debuted on NBC. As The Times wrote in a review during the show’s premiere week, “Not only did the show offer meaningful portrayals of women in their post-middle-age years, but, as a bonus, it’s one of those TV rarities, a comedy that’s funny. Very funny.” Have a great day, from the Essential California team Ryan Fonseca, reporter Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor Laura Blasey, assistant editor Karim Doumar, head of newsletters