Newsletter: Essential California: The state of the state GOP

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It is Saturday, May 5. Here’s what you don’t want to miss this weekend:

TOP STORIES

The California Republican party is gathering in San Diego for this weekend’s state GOP convention and finds itself in a familiar spot: scrambling for ways to resurrect a party sliding toward political irrelevance in this solidly Democratic state. The most telling question will be whether one of the top two Republicans running for governor — wealthy Rancho Santa Fe businessman John Cox and Huntington Beach Assemblyman Travis Allen — can muster enough support to nab the state party’s endorsement. Los Angeles Times

Smog cutters

Southern California air quality officials voted Friday to craft rules governing warehouses, distribution centers and rail yards in a bid to combat transportation emissions in the nation’s smoggiest region. The governing board of the South Coast Air Quality Management District moved to begin devising rules under the agency’s authority to regulate freight facilities as “indirect sources” of pollution because of the truck and locomotive traffic they attract. Los Angeles Times

New incident

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo officials have asked the state attorney general’s office to investigate after a new photo of a white student in blackface surfaced on a fraternity group’s private Snapchat. “I am outraged,” Cal Poly President Jeffrey D. Armstrong said in a video address Friday to the campus. “These vile and absolutely unacceptable acts cannot continue. We must not allow these acts to define us as an institution.” Los Angeles Times

AROUND CALIFORNIA

Following up: One day after Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-Los Angeles) acknowledged that he was the unnamed defendant in a lawsuit alleging he sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl, the congressman’s Democratic opponent and another San Fernando Valley political figure said he should step down from his post. Cárdenas has denied the allegations. Los Angeles Times

Accusations: Los Angeles-based author Zinzi Clemmons is accusing Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Junot Díaz of forcibly kissing her when she was a grad student, and two other authors subsequently made allegations of verbal abuse. Los Angeles Times

End of an era: Once L.A.’s hottest mall, the Westside Pavilion is dying, and shoppers are bummed. Los Angeles Times

Interesting idea: A new proposal from a Los Angeles lawmaker has emerged aiming to help Californians evade a key provision of the federal tax overhaul passed last year. Los Angeles Times

Cool! CBS Television City moves closer to receiving historical landmark designation. Los Angeles Times

This seems wrong: In school molestation lawsuits, defense lawyers are still implying kids consented. KCET

Inquiry opened: The Los Angeles Police Department has started an administrative investigation of an officer accused of sexually assaulting a minor, officials said. Los Angeles Times

44 weighs in: “Former President Barack Obama endorsed Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Friday, his first Senate endorsement of the 2018 cycle.” CNN

What were they thinking? Two former supervisors involved in the cleanup of radioactive contaminants at the old Hunters Point Naval Shipyard have pleaded guilty to falsifying soil samples in the widening environmental scandal that has engulfed San Francisco’s largest redevelopment project. San Francisco Chronicle

Worrisome: Southern California jobs could be collateral damage in Trump’s trade war with China. Orange County Register

RIP: Tony Kinman, Southern California “cowpunk” pioneer who defied musical boundaries, has died. Los Angeles Times

Wow, Part 1: The Dodgers shut out the Padres for the first combined no-hitter in Dodgers franchise history, and only the 12th in the history of the sport. Los Angeles Times

Wow, Part 2: Angels first baseman Albert Pujols became the 32nd player in major league history to get 3,000 hits when he singled to right field in the fifth inning against Mariners pitcher Mike Leake on Friday. Los Angeles Times

Beyond chips and dip: Here are 25 recipes to help you celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Los Angeles Times

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The cast of the CBS television series “The Big Bang Theory,” on the set at Warner Bros. Studios. Left to right are Kunal Nayyar, Mayim Bialik, Johnny Galecki, Melissa Rauch, Simon Helberg, Kaley Cuoco and Jim Parsons.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times )

THIS WEEK’S MOST POPULAR STORIES IN ESSENTIAL CALIFORNIA

1. The Golden State Killer’s shift to Southern California remains an enduring mystery even after an arrest in the case. Los Angeles Times

2. Spanish names, cultural shifts and a lot of L.A. linguist confusion. El Se-gun-dough or El Say-goon-dough? Los Angeles Times

3. Nextdoor: An alternative reality where black Audis terrorize and everyone is a meth-addled menace. Los Angeles Times

4. The Golden State Killer left a trail of horror with taunts and guile. New York Times

5. The final hours of the Golden State Killer’s final victim. Washington Post

ICYMI, HERE ARE THIS WEEK’S GREAT READS

A big show: Against all odds, “The Big Bang Theory” has established itself as one of the pillars of the prime-time scene. It’s one of CBS’ most reliable hits — the Thursday show is currently averaging 14 million total viewers (a number that rises to nearly 19 million when delayed viewing over a week is factored in), making it a force on one of television’s most popular nights. It’s launched a successful spinoff, made millionaires out of its previously little-known cast, employed hundreds of actors and crew members and served as a potent springboard for other new CBS comedies. Los Angeles Times

Preparing for the future: As automation becomes ubiquitous, education start-ups such as Udemy, Coursera and General Assembly are positioning themselves as the nexus between today’s workforce and tomorrow’s jobs. Unlike traditional college programs that can take anywhere from two to four years and tens of thousands of dollars to complete, the online schools frame themselves like vocational programs for the Silicon Valley set. Los Angeles Times

Wild story: Hakan Şükür, 46, is one of Turkey’s most famous athletes, its most celebrated soccer player, a World Cup hero and a veteran of several of Europe’s top leagues. Now, because of the unrest in his homeland, he’s living in Palo Alto running a bakery. New York Times

Yum: T. J. Steele, who splits his time between New York and Oaxaca, is challenging the idea that Mexican food should be inexpensive and informal. The New Yorker

Car fanatic: In car-obsessed L.A. area, David Lee spent $1 million to update an infamous Ferrari. Los Angeles Times

Eesh: Are LA hospitals really dumping homeless patients on the streets? The Guardian

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. Also follow them on Twitter @boreskes and @shelbygrad.