Good morning. It’s Friday, and I’m gawking at this $125,000 Russian River tiny home. Onto the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.

The newsletter will be off for Veteran’s Day.

1.

Mater Dei, an elite Orange County private high school, routinely sends star athletes to USC. But it turns out the Catholic school’s president frequently helped its wealthy families exploit a secret admissions pathway for the children of donors discovered last month.

Matt Hamilton and Harriet Ryan / Los Angeles Times

2.

USC broke ground on a $200 million football facility that’ll sit along McClintock Avenue. A school official insisted the building is “necessary” in order to “compete with the rest of the country” — because, clearly, a 160,000-square-foot cash sinkhole is the solution to the Trojans’ on-field woes.

Staff / Annenberg Media

3.

A Ventura County wildfire has already destroyed over 130 structures, though only minor injuries have been reported thus far. Firefighters said steep terrain and fast-moving winds were hampering their efforts to contain the blaze, known as the Mountain Fire.

Corina Knoll and Rachel Parsons / The New York Times

4.

California voters endorsed tough-on-crime policies this election, sending an unmistakable message: Progressivism is dead — for now. Nowhere was it more obvious than LA County, where voters ousted a liberal district attorney who four years ago promised criminal justice reform in the wake of George Floyd’s death.

James Queally and Anabel Sosa / Los Angeles Times

5.

Ysabel Jurado declared victory over incumbent City Councilmember Kevin de León. Voters can now look forward to four more years of cringeworthy comments in the USC-adjacent Council district, though they’re at least rid of the dude who once compared a Black child to a handbag.

Staff / City News Service

Bulletin

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