My California crime spree

On paper, Jessica Roy had a wild year. In reality, it was a nightmare. I had to clean up the mess with no help from the state, the banks or the police. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [Los Angeles Times] [Essential California Newsletter] October 27, 2022 [View in browser]( [Click to view images]( of my identity theft saga was a frustrating couple of visits to the West Hollywood Sheriff's Station. (Illustration for The Times) By Jessica Roy Good morning, and welcome to the [Essential California]( newsletter. It’s Thursday, Oct. 27. My name is Jessica Roy. I’m a reporter on the [Utility Journalism team]( here at The Times. I’m also a victim of identity theft. The day after Thanksgiving in 2018, someone stole my wallet out of my purse at a bar in San Francisco, and used my cards to make a couple of fraudulent charges. I was annoyed. I reported the stolen wallet to the police, reported my driver’s license stolen to the DMV, and called my banks to cancel my cards. Then the letters started arriving. “Congratulations! We’re pleased to inform you that your application for a new Wells Fargo account has been approved.” “Welcome to Bank of America, and thanks again for choosing us.” On Wednesday, I published the [years-long saga of what happened next](. The story took me — not physically but financially — all around the state of California on a thrilling crime spree. I stole a Tesla. I got into a car accident — a BMW, that time. I got a new iPhone. I opened two new checking accounts and went on a bad-check-writing spree for as much as $13,000 at a time. I attempted to open dozens of new credit cards. I wrote a check for someone’s bail, which they skipped. On paper, Jessica Roy had a wild year. In reality, that year, and what followed, has been a nightmare. I had to clean up the mess with no help from the state, the banks or the police. And it could happen to you. Read more about [what happened and what I learned]( and [some ideas experts and I have]( for addressing this problem. Plus: What you can do to [protect your identity]( and what to do if you think [your identity has already been compromised](. And now, here’s what’s happening across California: Note: Some of the sites we link to may limit the number of stories you can access without subscribing. ADVERTISEMENT L.A. STORIES Mike Davis has died. The Marxist urban scholar’s bestseller “City of Quartz” exposed L.A.'s social fractures and disquieted even its most ardent boosters. [Los Angeles Times]( L.A. just reopened its Section 8 housing voucher waitlist. There are 30,000 spots on the waitlist. Already, more than 180,000 people have applied. [LAist]( “Sexy Halloween” was born in L.A. Because of course it was. Thank you, Trashy Lingerie. [Los Angeles Times]( Check out "The Times" podcast for essential news and more These days, waking up to current events can be, well, daunting. If you’re seeking a more balanced news diet, “The Times” podcast is for you. Gustavo Arellano, along with a diverse set of reporters from the award-winning L.A. Times newsroom, delivers the most interesting stories from the Los Angeles Times every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. [Listen and subscribe]( wherever you get your podcasts. CRIME, COURTS AND POLICING Sacramento sheriff’s deputies stop Black people 4.5 times as often as white people, a new analysis from the ACLU says. “This is a waste of time and money by any metric,” said Eva Bitran, a staff attorney with ACLU SoCal. [Sacramento Bee]( “A well-oiled machine” inside L.A.'s jails. The Mexican Mafia has long considered the Los Angeles County jail complex — the largest in the country — a base of power and a source of wealth. [Los Angeles Times]( Support our journalism [Subscribe to the Los Angeles Times.]( HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT Sick babies are filling up hospitals around the state. Another respiratory virus is on the rise among babies: RSV. At least three major California children’s hospitals are already having to stretch resources to care for all the patients. [Los Angeles Times]( Have you gotten your flu shot yet? Now’s a great time to do it. Southern California is bracing for a brutal flu season. [Los Angeles Times]( Some good news, for once: We’re winning the war on MPX. Vaccinations and treatments appear to be protecting against further spread of the MPX virus. [Los Angeles Times]( ADVERTISEMENT CALIFORNIA CULTURE [A sugar skull surrounded by marigolds, candles and decorations ]( (Marisol Ortega / For The Times ) Happy Día de Muertos! Our [digital altar]( is up and running again. Here’s [how to build an ofrenda at home](. And here are [35 places to celebrate Dia de Muertos]( around Southern California this weekend. Plus, [16 pumpkin experiences]( around Southern California. Or if you’re looking for something a little spookier: 13 spooky SoCal hikes. [L.A. Taco]( You know what? Forget pumpkin season. In the L.A. art world, it’s Picasso season. [Los Angeles Times]( “Guerilla gardening” in San Francisco’s Mission District. A local activist — who’s also the co-founder of Vimeo — helped turn a vacant lot into a community garden. Not everyone in the community is thrilled. [San Francisco Chronicle]( Free online games Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games in our new game center at [latimes.com/games](. CALIFORNIA ALMANAC Los Angeles: 76, partly cloudy. San Diego: 71, sunny. San Francisco: 67, mostly sunny. San Jose: 72, sunny. Fresno: 74, sunny. Sacramento: 73, sunny. AND FINALLY Today’s California memory is from Dick Beske: In late 1952, for the health of my mid-40s father, we moved ourselves from a small town in central Minnesota to Southern California, settling in Upland just before Christmas. I enrolled at Chaffey High School in the middle of my junior year. Everything was dramatically different from a small Minnesota town (population: 4,000), but there was no snow and I was intent on adapting. Mrs. Close was my English teacher. I was good at spelling, until during the first spelling test, she pronounced the word “Yucca.” I’d heard of things being “yucky” but what was “Yucca?” She was standing near me and I said “WHAT?” She pronounced it again, and continued on with the test. I missed that word but remember the incident to this day. I have one growing on my patio. If you have a memory or story about the Golden State, [share it with us](. (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 to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com. ADVERTISEMENT Thank you for reading the Los Angeles Times Essential California newsletter. Invite your friends, relatives, coworkers to sign up [here](. Not a subscriber? Get unlimited digital access to latimes.com. [Subscribe here](. [Los Angeles Times] Copyright © 2022, Los Angeles Times 2300 E. Imperial Highway, El Segundo, California, 90245 1-800-LA-TIMES | [latimes.com]( *Advertisers have no control over editorial decisions or content. If you're interested in placing an ad or classified, get in touch [here](. We'd love your feedback on this newsletter. Please send your thoughts and suggestions [here](mailto:newsletters@latimes.com). You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from The Los Angeles Times. 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