Essential California Week in Review: The surprise arrival of migrants in Sacramento

Here’s a look at the top stories of the last week

Sacramento embraces the surprise arrival of migrants stuck in a national political feud. Sacramento church leaders respond to the needs of migrants who were flown to California, while officials condemn Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Trump was indicted on 37 charges including Espionage Act violations in the classified records case. The indictment accuses former President Trump of keeping classified and top-secret documents regarding defense and weapons capabilities of the U.S. and foreign countries.

This rural California county lost its only hospital, leaving residents with dire healthcare choices. After the financial collapse of Madera County’s only general hospital, residents are left with slim options for care. Some have come to accept that they may die in an emergency.

L.A. asked Congress for millions to address homelessness. But getting the cash isn’t certain. The return of earmarks has also rekindled a debate among the three California Democrats vying for a seat in the U.S. Senate. It’s a rare area of policy disagreement.

Partisan mistrust still festers in Washington after Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s absence. Feinstein’s absence from work exposed a deep distrust permeating the U.S. Senate that could undercut an essential piece of President Biden’s agenda.

Thousands of Southern California workers authorize the largest hotel strike in modern U.S. history. Hotel workers in Los Angeles and Orange counties voted to authorize a strike during the height of tourism season if talks don’t result in a new contract.

Mt. Whitney: A perilous trek to the top of California’s record snowpack. Even without much snow, the standard spring hike to Mt. Whitney’s summit is a punishing ordeal. But in this year’s extraordinary conditions, it is a full-on winter mountaineering expedition, requiring serious gear and the expertise to use it.

El Niño has officially arrived, signaling a warmer world and possibly a wetter SoCal. There is an 84% chance the system will be of moderate strength and a 56% chance it will become a strong event at its peak, forecasters said.

Why hasn’t L.A. seen a big San Andreas quake recently? Researchers find a clue. A drying Salton Sea may be helping delay the next Big One, but that could result in a more powerful quake when it does strike.

L.A. formally makes Juneteenth a holiday for all city workers. The Los Angeles City Council voted to establish Juneteenth as a permanent paid holiday for city employees, a year after then-Mayor Eric Garcetti signed a proclamation creating the holiday.

After nearly 80 years of work, California’s longest-serving state employee dies at 102. California’s oldest and longest-serving state employee, May Lee, was a few weeks shy of her 103rd birthday when she died, a year after finishing nearly eight decades on the job.

Police flex political power at the California Capitol. Despite progress made in recent years to change policing practices in California, law enforcement still has the political clout to block bills they don’t like.

As Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon’s power grew, so did his wife’s income. Annie Lam’s consulting business has flourished during her husband’s unusually long tenure as speaker.

Mystery surrounds the decision to suddenly put the Burbank superintendent on administrative leave. Burbank Unified School District officials have given no explanation why Matt Hill, the district superintendent, was placed on administrative leave following a closed-session board meeting Thursday.

Dead people had disabled parking placards in California. New DMV rule aims to reduce fraud. Disabled parking placard holders will have to sign a form from the Department of Motor Vehicles every six years to verify they’re still alive and in need of a placard in order to renew it.

ICYMI, here are this week’s great reads

At Pride parades, LGBTQ+ Angelenos ‘show our joy to the world’ amid conservative backlash. Pride events are seen as more important than ever in West Hollywood, a longtime haven for the queer community.

Far from Hollywood’s glamour, Estefanía Rebellón celebrates four years of helping migrant children. Rebellón is the founder of Yes We Can, an organization that provides educational assistance to migrant minors.

‘Improvised, spotty and belated’: Will California reform its oversight of water rights? Bills advancing in the California Legislature would expand water regulators’ authority to investigate the state’s oldest water rights and penalize violators.

Today’s week-in-review newsletter was curated by Elvia Limón. Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.