Essential: California's day to give thanks

[Essential California logo] --------------------------------------------------------------- Essential California [Send to a Friend] | [View in browser] Happy Thanksgiving, California. Here’s what’s going on between football and eating: TOP STORIES Quake risk A sobering new report on California’s seismic vulnerabilities says that up to 3.5 million homes could be damaged if an 8.0 earthquake ruptured on the San Andreas fault — one that would be felt from Los Angeles to San Francisco. [Los Angeles Times] Stepping up Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez has long argued that the U.S. immigration system is broken. Now, overnight, the terms of the debate have shifted, he says. And the spotlight is likely to shine on him as the country debates illegal immigration in the Trump era. [Los Angeles Times] Police battle Los Angeles city leaders took the first step Wednesday toward a potential overhaul of the Police Department’s disciplinary process, a move long sought by the police officers union, which claims the current system is too hard on officers. But some believe the change would gut hard-won reforms in the way the LAPD deals with problem officers. [Los Angles Times] ADVERTISEMENT CALIFORNIA THANKSGIVING 2016 “Even some usually happy cooks seem to be limping toward this holiday, wondering if anyone will notice if we substitute bottled chestnuts for fresh in the stuffing or canned squash for pumpkin in the pie. Thanksgiving is the happiest day of the year for passionate home cooks. This year, we are seeing a little less joy.” – Times restaurant critic Jonathan Gold on [why Turkey Day comfort food is all the more important this year]. Chinese Thanksgiving: How do Chinese immigrants embrace the holiday spirit? Eateries that usually hang Peking duck from the window have roasted turkeys there instead. “That switch makes it familiar to your immigrant diners,” says Chinese food expert David Chan. [San Gabriel Valley Tribune] Family feuds: Getting through the first Thanksgiving of the Trump era without family fighting. [Forbes] Turkey trot: On Thanksgiving, please take a moment to think about the poor turkey. [Los Angeles Times] Native Americans: And take much more than a moment to think about Native Americans, whose population in California had dropped from 350,000 to under 17,000 by 1900. [Scientific American] Menu option: Here’s the most Googled Thanksgiving recipe in California. [Business Insider] L.A. STORIES Skid row kids: Twice a week, the children of the Union Rescue Mission walk home from their after-school program, passing things most children should never see. Here is their story. [Los Angeles Times] Real danger: A single mosquito bite launched a viral war inside a kindergarten teacher’s body — and serves to remind that the West Nile virus still stalks Southern California. [Los Angeles Times] Christmas best: Check out this video showing the transformation of Disneyland’s It’s a Small World into a holiday wonderland. [Orange County Register] POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT Family battle: The body of beloved San Francisco political broker Rose Pak is now in limbo as her family battles over her estate. [San Francisco Magazine] Strike threat: California’s biggest state employees union could strike next month. [Sacramento Bee] Day of reflection: When it comes to politics, California’s Democrats and Republicans can be thankful this holiday: “Democrats rule the roost in Sacramento. And Republicans can’t fall much lower,” writes George Skelton. [Los Angeles Times] CRIME AND COURTS Shaken community: Compton is reeling after the bodies of three men were found in a park with gunshot wounds. Police are trying to sort out of the mystery, and residents worry about a spike in crime. [Los Angeles Times] Anti-Trump vandalism: Police say they have captured the blue-haired woman who scrawled anti-Donald Trump graffiti on four Los Angeles County buildings. [Los Angeles Times] Prop. 66: California voters have chosen to approve a ballot proposition that seeks to speed up the death penalty process, a late count of ballots has shown. [Los Angeles Times] CALIFORNIA CULTURE East of Eden: The Salinas Valley is the salad bowl to the world. But it’s also struggling with violence and poverty. [New York Times] Sign of slowdown? More signs abound that the Bay Area’s once red-hot real estate market is cooling. Why? “Prices can continue to skate higher for a while, but at some point you run out of people willing to pay, and prices correct,” one expert said. [Mercury News] Photo bomb: The best places to capture that perfect Instagram picture of downtown L.A.’s skyline. [Los Angeles Magazine] Robot mall: Japanese robots are coming to your local mall, just in time for holiday shopping season. [SFist] ADVERTISEMENT CALIFORNIA ALMANAC Southern California will see temperatures in the mid-70s on Thanksgiving. But there is a chance of scattered showers this weekend. It will be cooler in the Bay Area — getting up to the 60s — with a chance of rain Saturday. Highs will reach only the 50s in Sacramento today. AND FINALLY Today’s California memory comes from Sharon Vivers: “My cousins and I went on a San Francisco day trip when we were about 16 years old and toured a submarine docked there. We invited the young men to our Thanksgiving dinner, although we had a language barrier as they were from Italy. To our surprise, two showed up at my Aunt Millie’s home on Park Street and we had a wonderful time, laughing and communicating as best we could. What wonderful days then, to bus to San Francisco, spend the day and fall in love with the beautiful city. I love that city and did indeed leave my heart there.” 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 [Shelby Grad]. [Email] [Twitter] [Facebook] Interested in advertising in the newsletter? [Click here to learn more.] [Sign up for Newsletters] | [Privacy Policy] | [Unsubscribe] | Copyright © 2016 Los Angeles Times | 202 West 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90012. | 1-800-LA-TIMES