Newsletter: Essential California: Was it the work of an arsonist?

Good morning. It is Friday, Aug. 19. Park rangers have issued a ban on alcohol on the American River in Sacramento this weekend. The restriction is aimed at Raftopia, a.k.a. Rafting Gone Wild. Here’s what is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Damage control

Crews cannot yet assess the damage of the Blue Cut fire in the Cajon Pass. Intense flames and unpredictable fire behavior have prevented firefighters from completely surveying the nearly 36,000 scorched acres. In a sign of progress Thursday, the 15 Freeway reopened and mandatory evacuation orders were lifted in some communities. Los Angeles Times

Who is to blame?

Allegations that a serial arsonist set a fire that destroyed 175 homes in Lake County has left the community angry and on edge. The fire was bad enough, but claims by authorities that a local man set it on purpose has sparked some intense debate. Los Angeles Times

Boardroom battle ends

The fight over Viacom Inc. is ending, thanks to a settlement. Sumner Redstone and his daughter, Shari, had been locked in a battle with Chief Executive Philippe Dauman and other members of the company’s board. Now, Dauman is resigning and Thomas Dooley will replace him. A court still needs to approve the settlement. Los Angeles Times

Readers, we always love hearing from you. You can keep up with Alice and Shelby during the day on Twitter. Follow @TheCityMaven and @ShelbyGrad.

L.A. AT LARGE

Planning rules: The people behind the Neighborhood Integrity Initiative say they’ll drop their campaign for a ballot measure if Mayor Eric Garcetti agrees to ban private meetings between developers and politicians and make other changes to the city’s planning rules. The proposed ballot measure is intended to stop “mega-developments,” but critics say it would destroy jobs and increase rents as the housing supply becomes even more limited. Los Angeles Times

Lead contamination: Grassy areas at three elementary schools in East Los Angeles, Boyle Heights and Maywood were fenced off this week after testing showed elevated levels of lead. Each school is near the old Exide Technologies battery recycling plant. Los Angeles Times

Outta here: Will Venice Beach become its own city? Some residents there are hoping for a “Vexit.” “Despite the city’s obvious excitement about Silicon Beach, the belief that Venice is being neglected is extremely common amongst Venetians, both new and old.” Curbed LA

Up and down: Ruben Pardo is the oldest elevator operator in Los Angeles. LAist

The sequel: For better or worse, they are making a “Blade Runner” sequel. And the follow-up to one of L.A.’s most legendary movies has a big name attached. Associated Press

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Work of art: A nude statue of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump appeared in Hollywood on Thursday. Similar art popped up in New York, San Francisco and Seattle. As for the name of the statue, it cannot be printed in a family newspaper. Los Angeles Times

Insuring the uninsured: A survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation finds that three-quarters of Californians who did not have health insurance in 2013 are now on a plan. However, they still worry about medical expenses. “Once people get insurance their concern about cost is mitigated somewhat, so they still might have that concern but … at a much lower rate,” said Bianca DiJulio with the foundation. Los Angeles Times

CRIME AND COURTS

Prison sentence: The father of Rep. Ami Bera was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison for a money-laundering scheme that helped his son’s campaigns. “The defendant’s efforts were calculated. This is more than just a naive person who doesn’t know how elections work,” U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley said of 83-year-old Babulal Bera. Los Angeles Times

Repeat offender: Two years ago, retired NFL star Darren Sharper was arrested in Los Angeles on suspicion of sexual assault. On Thursday, a Louisiana judge sentenced him to 18 years in prison for assaulting nine women, though authorities believe there may have been as many as 16 victims in California, Nevada, Louisiana and Arizona. “I’m still trying to figure out why I made some of these choices,” Sharper said. Los Angeles Times

Police tape: New surveillance video shows 56-year-old Vachel Howard’s 2012 death inside the LAPD’s 77th Street station. Last year, the city of Los Angeles agreed to pay Howard’s family $2.85 million to settle a wrongful-death claim. ProPublica

Warning signs: An Indio teenager felt relief, vindication and anger four years ago when he saw that his former teacher, Robert Keith Bryan, had been arrested on suspicion of molesting students. Luis Perez, now 18, says he reported inappropriate touching to school officials as far back as 2007. “It was that year when we learned about sex and all that stuff, and it clicked in my head. I knew what he was doing,” Perez said. Bryan was convicted of molestation earlier this year. Desert Sun

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Spinning the story: The buzz around Nate Parker, his new film and a 1999 rape allegation show that the old Hollywood PR machine is broken. Twitter and its audience of critics, advocates and sexual assault survivors have taken over the conversation. BuzzFeed

Up in the air: Remember the days when people actually got dressed up for the airport? Revisit the golden age of travel with this 1963 promotional video on LAX. Time Out Los Angeles

Food as art: A West Hollywood gallery is hosting an exhibit dedicated to food. Yum. Los Angeles Times

So versatile: The chork. It just makes sense. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

San Francisco will have low clouds and a high of 68 degrees. It will be sunny and 93 in Sacramento. Riverside will be sunny with a high of 97. There will be clouds and a high of 82 in Los Angeles. San Diego will have clouds as temperatures reach 79 degrees.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California Memory comes from Phil Gillette:

“When I was in the third or fourth grade in the early 1950s, in a school in North Hollywood, our school took a field trip to the Southwest Museum. We stopped for lunch at the park-fountain at the intersection of Los Feliz Boulevard and Riverside Drive (this was way before freeways). As I got out of the school bus my eyes began stinging. It was smog. Fortunately today the smog situation has markedly improved.”

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.)

Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to Alice Walton or Shelby Grad.