Power and water

Good morning, it’s Monday, May 18. You can expect a predominantly sunny day with a smidgen of clouds (mid 70s). 

As the smoke cleared after the devastating Palisades fire, the Santa Ynez Reservoir quickly emerged as a potent symbol of civic dysfunction.

Situated in the hills above the Pacific Palisades, the reservoir holds up to 117 million gallons of water and could have been full the day the firestorm erupted. Instead, it was bone dry, shuttered for repairs. 

In the year and a half since the blaze, homeowners have sued the city and the Department of Water and Power over the empty reservoir, alleging their homes might have been saved had it been operating. Republicans in Congress have launched a probe into the fire and empty reservoir. And Gov. Newsom ordered an investigation into the reservoir and what impact, if any, its absence had on the firefight.

Now, the reservoir has emerged as a major issue in the city’s mayoral election. 

Spencer Pratt, whose candidacy’s raison d’etre is rage over his burned-out Pacific Palisades home, touts the empty reservoir almost every chance he gets.

Mayor Karen Bass has had to parry Pratt’s drumbeat on the reservoir, including at the recent mayoral debate – where, as she often has, she minimized the impact the empty reservoir might have had on the blaze.

Despite the starring role of this water infrastructure complex in the mayor’s race, both Pratt and, to a lesser extent, Bass, have not always been accurate in their descriptions of it.

The details may seem arcane, but one of the most important — and little-understood — mayoral duties is overseeing DWP, the nation’s largest municipal utility and a foundation of Southern California’s economy. 

In a new L.A. Material report, Matt Hamilton fact-checks what the candidates have said about the reservoir and unpacks the complicated context around it — including a shocking previously unreported detail about the day of the fire.

MONDAY: Today is the deadline to register to vote in California ahead of the June 2 primary. (If you miss the deadline, you can still complete same-day registration and vote conditionally at a polling place.) Check your registration status here. 

Also Monday: Tennis legend Billie Jean King will deliver the keynote at a Cal State LA commencement ceremony. The 82-year-old will also receive her Bachelor of Arts degree in history, more than 60 years after she initially left the school to pursue her tennis career. 

WEDNESDAY: There will be another mayoral forum Wednesday afternoon, sort of. The candidates won’t directly debate each other, but will take part in one-on-one fireside chats with Spectrum News’ Alex Cohen. Mayor Karen Bass, Councilmember Nithya Raman, Adam Miller and Rae Huang will all be participating; Spencer Pratt has not yet confirmed, according to an organizer. 

THURSDAY: Stephen Colbert’s final episode of The Late Show will air, marking the end of the late-night talk show on CBS.

FRIDAY: Fleet Week kicks off at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro. 

SATURDAY: The new Yoko Ono exhibit will open at the The Broad museum downtown, organized in collaboration with Tate Modern, London.

And not this week, but a reminder: Memorial Day is the following Monday.

BEVERLY HILLS HOTEL VS. KITSON: The iconic Beverly Hills Hotel has gone to war with the red-pilled Robertson boutique, with the hotel accusing Kitson of stealing its branding for merch, per the California Post. 

DOG COLLAR MAGNATE VS. THE COASTAL COMMISSION: After the California Coastal Commission imposed up to a $2.5 million fine on a self-described San Diego “rich dude” for allegedly blocking beach access, the homeowner is fighting back. As the Wall Street Journal explains, this battle is being watched nationally because it challenges the commission’s authority to impose “ruinous” fines without proving allegations in court.

MAYORAL ROUNDUP: With a little more than two weeks until the primary, Spencer Pratt’s Valley rally made the cover of the California Post with a giant pull-quote about feeling safe again. Mayor Bass currently has the edge with Latino voters. And Hollywood’s production crisis remains a key issue in the race.

For today’s peek inside our subscriber-only Discord server, @Hunterowens drops a micro-review of Mercado Buenos Aires into the #i-was-here channel.

AND FINALLY… A poem to pair with your morning coffee: “Highway 90” by Linda Gregg.

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