Good morning. Yesterday, the planet’s population hit a milestone 8 billion people; see where you fit in. And now, here’s the news you need to know for today.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva conceded to challenger Robert Luna. Now set to head the country’s largest sheriff’s department, Luna ran on a platform of reform and “public trust and legitimacy” — positioning himself as the opposite of Villanueva, who often found himself at odds with the county Board of Supervisors throughout his controversial tenure.

Frank Stoltze and Emily Elena Dugdale / LAist

Rep. Karen Bass again widened her lead over businessman Rick Caruso in the L.A. mayoral race, now 5 percentage points ahead of her opponent a week after Election Day. Experts say Bass appears to be on track to secure the win as county officials continue tallying mail-in ballots.

James Rainey / Los Angeles Times

In a shocking development for the Bruins, the crosstown rivalry game between No. 7 USC and No. 16 UCLA was declared a sellout; 70,865 fans are expected in attendance Saturday at the typically sleepy Rose Bowl.

James H. Williams / Los Angeles Daily News

Entire communities in the drought-stricken lowlands of the San Joaquin Valley are relying on bottled water as their wells dry up. Bottled supplies can be the only alternative to the long waitlists — and high costs — of drilling deeper in search of water for those who rely on private wells.

Joshua Partlow / The Washington Post

Dry, powerful Santa Ana winds are expected to blow through Southern California this week. Coupled with low humidity, officials say the winds threaten to ignite wildfires across the region.

Kat Schuster / Patch

A proposed desalination plant on the Monterey Peninsula is poised to win approval from the California Coastal Commission this week. Some point to desalination as a solution to drying water supplies statewide, but critics say the process remains too costly and will make water bills unaffordable for low-income residents.

Kurtis Alexander / San Francisco Chronicle

The California Legislature appears on track to include its most diverse slate of lawmakers ever. Votes are still being tallied, but a record number of female and LGBTQ lawmakers are poised to win seats in the Assembly and Senate; the state could in fact be the first to achieve proportional LGBTQ representation in its legislature.

Ariel Gans and Sameea Kamal / CalMatters

Nation / world

Former President Donald Trump announced his third presidential run despite disappointing midterm results for candidates he endorsed. (The Washington Post)
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy secured the GOP nomination for House speaker. (Los Angeles Times)
A Georgia judge blocked the state’s ban on abortion after six weeks, saying that it was unconstitutional when the state legislature enacted it in 2019. (The Wall Street Journal)
The Polish government is investigating a missile strike likely of Russian origin that killed two people in Poland around 15 miles from the Ukrainian border. (Associated Press)
Iranian authorities cracked down on crowds of protesters demanding an end to clerical rule, even after members of the Parliament called on the judiciary last week to put protesters to death. (The New York Times)

Other things we’re reading

Tomo’s picks:

“Tesla’s Electric Semis Are Coming, and Truck Stops Aren’t Ready” (Bloomberg)
“The Case Against the Twitter Apology” (The New Yorker)
“What in the World Happened to the Supreme Court?” (The Atlantic)
“The Desert Changed My Life. It Can Change Yours, Too.” (The New York Times Magazine)
“Do You Really Want to Read What Your Doctor Writes About You?” (The Atlantic)

Anna’s picks:

“What Does Your Favorite Reservation App Say About You?” (The New York Times)
“They were college students, with all the limitless possibility that implies” (The Washington Post)

In case you missed it

The flu season is soaring in California, straining hospitals already contending with an onslaught of RSV cases and the still-lingering coronavirus. San Diego, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Imperial counties are feeling the brunt of the load.

Luke Money and Rong-Gong Lin II / Los Angeles Times

Six residents in L.A. jails who can’t afford to pay bail sued the county, challenging the system that often keeps low-income people behind bars before they’ve been charged. The case is the first challenge of the county’s “bail schedule,” the document that dictates guidelines for bail amounts depending on alleged offenses.

Sam Levin / The Guardian

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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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