— There are 23 people now running for president as Democrats. A handful of them, including Senator Kamala Harris, have become money front-runners. Here are the five big days that helped them get there. [The New York Times]

— The jury in the Ghost Ship fire trial ended its second week of deliberations on Thursday and one defense lawyer speculated that jurors could be nearing a decision. “Once again, I’m silently choking with anxiety,” the lawyer said. [The East Bay Times]

— California jumped into another legal fight against the Trump administration. This time, it was a challenge to new rules blocking immigrants from getting green cards if they use public assistance. Almost half of American citizens would be considered public charges according to those rules. [The Associated Press]

— A 72-year-old man who survived the Camp Fire’s deadly march through Paradise nine months ago died from burn complications earlier this month. He was counted as the fire’s 86th death. [The Chico Enterprise-Record]

— Life in a Los Angeles homeless encampment is hard, but it’s a community. When that community is able to move into apartments, there are new challenges. Journalists spent more than a year with longtime homeless residents of Broadway Place to follow their journey. [The Los Angeles Times]

— A landlord in Alameda has worked to evict an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor from his home of 17 years. His ailing son, who lived with him, died fearing that he would be cast into the street. [The Guardian]

If you missed it, here’s why older Californians are being hit especially hard by the state’s housing crisis. [The New York Times]

— California’s legal pot market is expected to keep growing, to the tune of $3.1 billion this year. But it’s still outmatched by the state’s illegal market. [The Associated Press]

If you missed it, here’s more about why the illegal marijuana market is thriving. [The New York Times]

— This summer, Pacific Standard and Topic, two online magazines that aimed to provide more in-depth stories as older media organizations shrink, shut down. Their closings show the perils of relying on rich supporters. [The New York Times]

— A global helium shortage and rising operating costs are squeezing the big orange balloon that has floated above the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, which is at once a landmark and a symbol of the park’s fraught development. City leaders are considering shutting the attraction down. [The Orange County Register]

California figures

— Peter Fonda, the prolific actor and Hollywood scion, died on Friday at 79. [The New York Times]

— He’s worked with Solange Knowles, Stanley Kubrick and Spike Lee. At 58, Arthur Jafa, the polymathic artist whose studio is in L.A.’s West Adams neighborhood not far from his home in Ladera Heights, is in bloom. [T Magazine]

— No matter where Channel Tres goes, Compton goes with him. The Southern California-raised beat-maker has caught the attention of Elton John, Childish Gambino and Vince Staples. [Billboard]

— A brief history of the red “Baywatch” one-piece and why it’s back. (Or maybe it was never out.) [The New York Times]

And Finally …