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Good morning, I hope you had a happy Halloween. Before we start, check out Annenberg Media’s guide to California’s midterm propositions here, and the Los Angeles Times’ endorsements here.

If you aren’t registered to vote yet, it’s not too late — just ask for a conditional registration at any in-person voting center. I’ll be mailing my absentee ballot today.

And now, here are the USC, L.A. and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

The man who broke into the Pelosi’s San Francisco home intended to hold the house speaker hostage and break “her kneecaps.” Federal prosecutors filed charges against the assailant, David DePape, revealing new details about the attack on Monday.

Megan Cassidy / San Francisco Chronicle

2.

Some towns in northern California’s wine country are banning the construction of new gas stations. Local leaders say the laws are part of an effort to fight climate change as more residents are switching to electric vehicles; opponents say the bans will raise prices and force residents to drive farther for gas.

Zusha Elinson / The Wall Street Journal

3.

In related news: Mom-and-pop gas station owners worry that California’s 2035 gas car phaseout means the end of their businesses. Installing electric vehicle chargers can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars that only larger chains can afford, effectively spelling the end for the smaller stations once the used gas car market fades away in the coming decades.

Daniel Miller / Los Angeles Times

4.

The Hoopa Valley Tribe sued the federal government for allegedly violating its sovereignty and failing to collect money from California farms that rely on federally supplied water to pay for damages to tribal fisheries. The tribe has a reservation in northwest California.

Kathleen Ronayne / Associated Press

5.

A UC Irvine study found that a catastrophic flood in Los Angeles would cause far greater damage to life and property than federal emergency officials have forecast in the past. The study also found that Black Angelenos would be 79% more likely to experience waist-high flooding than white Angelenos.

Louis Sahagún and Sean Greene / Los Angeles Times

6.

A carbon dioxide leak at Los Angeles International Airport sickened four workers, one of whom was in “critical condition.” The leak occurred in a small utility room some 200 feet from the Terminal 8 baggage area.

Tony Kurzweil / KTLA

7.

California public universities have been barred from race-conscious admissions since 1996. As the Supreme Court appears poised to strike down affirmative action, universities across the nation might look to lessons learned from the alternative routes to diversity that the University of California and California State University systems have experimented with.

Adolfo Guzman-Lopez / LAist

Nation / world

  1. In opening arguments, the Supreme Court’s six conservative justices posited that race-based admissions violate the Constitution’s guarantee of “equal protection,” possibly signaling an end to affirmative action in American universities. (Los Angeles Times)

  2. A judge blocked Penguin Random House’s $2.18 billion acquisition of Simon & Schuster Inc., arguing that the merger would “lessen” competition. (Bloomberg)

  3. President Joe Biden called on oil and gas companies to lower costs as they gain large profits — or otherwise face a big hike in taxes. (Reuters)

  4. Consumer prices in Europe were 10.7% higher in October than a year earlier, with energy prices rising 41.9% in the same time span. (The Wall Street Journal)

  5. A record number of cholera outbreaks worldwide — caused by droughts, floods and war — has prompted officials to begin rationing vaccine doses. (The New York Times)

Other things we’re reading

Tomo’s picks:

  • “Don’t believe the ‘rainbow’ fentanyl mid-term scare tactics” (San Francisco Chronicle)

  • “Can Iowa Imagine a World Without Senator Chuck Grassley?” (The Atlantic)

  • “In the Midterms, Democrats Occupy the Left Bank of Denial” (The Wall Street Journal)

  • “The Paul Pelosi Attack Is a Harbinger of Much Worse” (New York)

  • “In a German ‘All Quiet on the Western Front,’ History Has a Starring Role” (The New York Times)

Anna’s picks:

In case you missed it

Former President Barack Obama endorsed Rep. Karen Bass’ Los Angeles mayoral campaign. Obama’s support adds to a string of other prominent Democratic endorsements from the likes of President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Nancy Pelosi, among others.

Kat Schuster / Patch

Advocates are proposing a new Chuckwalla National Monument that would preserve almost 700,000 desert acres adjacent to Joshua Tree National Park. The proposal would need a presidential order or a green light from Congress to become reality.

Monserrat Solis / Los Angeles Daily News

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Morning, Trojan is an Annenberg Media product. Tomoki Chien is the founding editor, Anna Hsu curates weekday reporting and Chris Bibona writes the Monday sports section. Questions, concerns or feedback? Just reply to this email.

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