Newsletter: Wells Fargo chief is taken to task over fake accounts

Good morning. It is Wednesday, Sept. 21. And we’re sure about that, because we’ve had our morning coffee (unlike yesterday). Now, here are a few words from Johnny Cash on our fair state. And here’s what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Banking testimony

Wells Fargo chief John Stumpf came under a withering attack on Capitol Hill over the California banking giant’s admission that employees created some 2 million fake accounts to meet sales goals. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) led the charge. “You make it clear Wall Street won’t change until we make it change,” she told Stumpf at one point. Los Angeles Times

Concert safety

Three people died this summer at the Hard Summer rave in San Bernardino County. Now, Hard, a subsidiary of concert giant Live Nation, says it will not hold its Hard Day of the Dead festival. When asked whether the move was influenced by the deaths, a spokeswoman declined to comment. Los Angeles Times

Out of policy

Police officers violated the LAPD’s rules on the use of force in two fatal shootings last year, the Police Commission decided Tuesday. Officers shot and killed James Joseph Byrd in October after he threw a bottle at their patrol car. The panel also found fault in the killing of Norma Guzman, who was shot while walking along the street with a knife in her hand. Los Angeles Times

L.A. AT LARGE

Better late: The Los Angeles Board of Education approved a compromise plan to move the start of school closer to Labor Day, away from the district’s current “early start” calendar. This year classes began Aug. 16. “I think we’re starting too early right now,” said board member George McKenna. Los Angeles Times

Dust bowl: Silver Lake residents are fed up with living around a “lake” (really a reservoir) with no water in it. A look at the massive project that has “ultimately turned Silver Lake into what many are calling Silver Hole, a dusty lake bed that looks more like a strip mine than an urban oasis.” LA Observed

Traffic circle: An ambitious effort to tame L.A. traffic by creating a large traffic circle at the intersection of San Fernando Road, Figueroa Street and Riverside Drive is nearing completion. Will it ease the commute? Eastsider LA

Taco taco: How did a hamburger joint turn into a Mexican fast-food phenomenon some people love to hate? It’s the birth story of Taco Bell in Downey. KCET

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Political polling: Hillary Clinton has a 17-point lead over Donald Trump in California, according to a new poll. That’s down seven points from July. Sacramento Bee

It’ll be OK: Tim Kaine was in Los Angeles to reassure nervous Hollywood Democrats who are worried about Clinton’s dip in the polls. “We’re going to win this,” the vice presidential candidate said at a fundraiser. Deadline Hollywood

Picking favorites: Some Republicans might prefer Loretta Sanchez over Kamala Harris in the race for the U.S. Senate, but they’re staying on the sidelines. “I have no preference,” Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Elk Grove) said. “They’re both bad.” Los Angeles Times

Green rush: Some Oakland council members want the city to go into business with pot operators by giving the city part-ownership in their businesses. But there are questions about the legality of the proposal. San Francisco Chronicle

Walk out: An estimated 500 students at Desert Mirage and Coachella Valley high schools walked out of class Tuesday to protest negotiations between teachers and district officials. Students promoted participation in the protest through social media and the hashtag #supporttheteachers. Desert Sun

CRIME AND COURTS

Hiding in plain sight: After a decade-long search, the FBI announced that a major white-collar crime fugitive has been quietly living in the Los Angeles area, working as a home renovation consultant with his wife. Los Angeles Times

Marine dies: A 19-year-old Marine from Camp Pendleton who was shot this weekend while visiting friends and family in South Los Angeles died Monday night, coroner’s officials said. Los Angeles Times

Have you seen this pig? The case of the missing potbellied pig in Laguna Beach — and it has a happy ending. Orange County Register

Immigration error: At least 858 people were able to become United States citizens even though they were scheduled for deportation. A report from the Department of Homeland Security found part of the problem was that the government hadn’t yet digitized old fingerprints. San Diego Union-Tribune

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Might be a while: The current drought in California has lasted five years. But new research shows that previous droughts have lasted much longer — some for hundreds of years. Washington Post

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Storied career: Curtis Hanson, who directed and co-wrote the film noir “L.A. Confidential,” has died at age 71. Hanson adapted James Ellroy’s novel about police corruption in 1950s Los Angeles, earning him and co-writer Brian Helgeland an Oscar for adapted screenplay. Los Angeles Times

Love is dead: Did you feel the earth shake yesterday? We’re not talking about that quake in Gardena but the news that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are getting a d-i-v-o-r-c-e. And it does not sound amicable. BuzzFeed

That voice: Phil Wojdak has been blind since he was 15 years old, but thanks to the voice of Vin Scully, he’s always been able to enjoy baseball. “You think a Dodgers game is only about mustard and millionaires? Sometimes. And sometimes, it’s about much more,” writes Chris Erskine. Los Angeles Times

International audiences: Hollywood is under growing pressure to include more Chinese actors in big movies, the latest sign of the growing film market in China. Wall Street Journal

Regular or premium? A new study by the Auto Club found that found that motorists wasted $2.1 billion in 2015 buying premium gasoline for cars that don’t require it. Los Angeles Times

Life in NorCal: Signs you live in Marin County — some examples: “You spent $3,000 on a mountain bike last year but you feel like it’s time for an upgrade.” And “You’ve shopped at BOTH of the Mill Valley Whole Foods locations.” SFGate

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Sacramento will be mostly sunny with a high of 79. San Francisco will have a gusty afternoon breeze, as temperatures reach 66 degrees. Riverside will be 87 and partly sunny. San Diego could see showers, as temperatures reach a high of 79 degrees. Los Angeles will have a high of 84.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California Memory comes from Buck McNeely:

“In the 1970s I went to high school in Hughson near Modesto. In the summers many of us high school kids worked in the peach and almond orchards to make a few dollars. My friends and I would hang out on the irrigation canal banks at night to discuss life, love and what we planned to do with our futures. Even the football stadium where we strove for gridiron glory was surrounded by orchards. The smell of ripening peaches always provided a sweet, pungent olfactory background during those years. Even today, when I walk through the produce section of a store and smell the peaches on display, I get a welcome sense of deja vu and remember fondly my youth and those friends of that bygone era in Central California.”

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 Alice Walton or Shelby Grad.