Good morning. It’s Tuesday, Feb. 14, and here’s what’s happening across California:

TOP STORIES

A herculean effort at the Oroville Dam

The immediate threat of a biblical flood at the Oroville Dam has passed after a weekend of mass evacuations sent the surrounding communities scrambling. But here is the nightmare scenario that local officials were fighting to prevent. Los Angeles Times


Evacuees react: There was fear, confusion and anxiety as thousands of Oroville residents wondered when they’d be able to return to their homes. “This was a new, never-happened-before event,” said acting state Department of Water Resources Director Bill Croyle. Los Angeles Times Plus: There is rarely an easy way to move the masses in an emergency. Sacramento Bee

Threat isn’t over: Huge amounts of rain are slated to hit Northern California later this week, and “officials frantically worked Monday to siphon water from brimming Lake Oroville, channeling millions of gallons per minute down a damaged drainage chute.” Los Angeles Times

But was this a surprise? Documents show that erosion near the Oroville reservoir emergency spillway, which has been the cause of concern, was first predicted more than a decade ago. Los Angeles Times Plus: Federal regulators want answers about what went wrong at Oroville. OrovilleMR News

Watch: Here is Times reporter Chris Megerian broadcasting from the top of the dam. Los Angeles Times


Public transportation ridership down

Last year was a banner year for the L.A. public transportation system, but even with new line extensions opening across the city, ridership was still down by nearly 6%, driven by a drop in bus riders. Los Angeles Times

L.A. STORIES

California’s film tax break: Learn about the 22 movies in production that are receiving California tax breaks. Of these projects, 12 are being filmed in the Los Angeles area, and they all are expected to spend $800 million in the state. The Hollywood Reporter


Fear of an Obamacare repeal: Obamacare has been a boon for California’s smallest businesses. The state has one of the highest rates of small-business owners who get their coverage through a health insurance exchange, and there’s a real fear around President Trump’s pronouncements about repealing the healthcare law. California Healthline

Port pollution problems: The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have done a lot to become more environmentally friendly, but they still are the largest stationary source of pollution in the region. “Experts say it’s like a dieter trying to lose the last stubborn five pounds — now comes the hardest part.” The Daily Breeze

Disneyland parking fire: At least eight cars caught fire at the Mickey & Friends parking structure at Disneyland on Monday night. Seven Disney employees suffered minor injuries from smoke inhalation, Anaheim police said. No foul play is suspected, and the cause of the fire is under investigation. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT


Big Oil’s California successes: Despite California’s reputation as a bastion of environmentalism and Gov. Jerry Brown’s image as a climate warrior, Big Oil has scored a surprising string of victories in America’s greenest state (with some help from Brown) and could be positioned for more success in the Trump era. Center for Public Integrity

An earthquake retrofit: Santa Monica is about to require renovations at 2,000 buildings that are vulnerable to earthquakes. These new rules will go beyond the requirements that the city of Los Angeles has in place. Los Angeles Times

Noncompete fun: California courts refuse to enforce contracts that limit employee mobility, and over the years this little-known quirk has become “Silicon Valley’s secret weapon.” Vox

CRIME AND COURTS


Social workers take note: An 8-year-old Palmdale boy was tortured and abused by her mother and her boyfriend before dying in 2013. They face capital murder charges, but a Los Angeles County court is also weighing if there is sufficient evidence to put four social workers on trial for criminal negligence. Los Angeles Times

HIV law changes: Since 1988, knowingly transmitting HIV to another person has been a felony in California. But times have changed, according to a group of Democratic state lawmakers who have introduced a bill that makes “intentionally transmitting any infectious or communicable disease, including HIV,” a misdemeanor, not a felony. STAT

Sessions meets California cops: Last week, six California sheriffs sat down with newly confirmed U.S. Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions in Washington, D.C. San Francisco Chronicle

Dead man’s van: A man was arrested on suspicion of stealing a van with a dead body in the back from outside a Riverside mortuary. Authorities say he later returned the vehicle but then proceeded to steal a different van from the same business. The Press-Enterprise


DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Get your indoor leafy greens: Indoor farming is sprouting up in California as “a wave of start-ups seeking to shift part of the $49-billion U.S. retail produce market from sun-kissed crop fields to giant warehouses, old factories and repurposed shipping containers.” Wall Street Journal

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Speed dating roadblock: Last month, the El Segundo Museum of Art hosted a speed dating event, but there was one problem: no guys showed up. Los Angeles Times


Blue Apron West: The meal-delivery service Blue Apron has chosen Fairfield as the location for its West Coast distribution hub. The city says this move could end up creating more than 1,000 jobs. Sacramento Bee

Spotlight on a community paper: The Boyle Heights Beat is a community newspaper where high school students are up on the latest coming and goings of the historic Latino neighborhood east of downtown L.A. Los Angeles Times

A rental side-by-side: What does a $1,800 rent get you in Los Angeles these days? Here’s the answer. Curbed Los Angeles

Click: Check out these photos of zany L.A. restaurant menus from the archives of the Los Angeles Public Library. LA Weekly


CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Los Angeles: partly cloudy Tuesday and Wednesday. San Diego: partly cloudy Tuesday, sunny Wednesday. Sacramento and San Francisco: partly cloudy Tuesday, cloudy Wednesday. More weather is here.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California memory comes from Juliana Boyle:


“ ’Twas 1995. My beau lived in SF (me in Santa Fe). He invited me for the weekend, told me to bring a dress. He took off that afternoon, saying he’d see me later. At 6 p.m. there was a knock at the door, and a chauffeur escorted me to a limousine. He dropped me off at a gorgeous restaurant and told me to go to the bar and ask for Perry. Perry said he was expecting me and handed me a spectacular bouquet of white orchids. After a sumptuous dinner we went to the SF Opera. Married 20 years now.”

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 Benjamin Oreskes and Shelby Grad.