| Welcome to the eve of the July 4 holiday, the official beginning of high summer. |
| Los Angeles is reeling. The area is still recovering from devastating wildfires. Mayor Karen Bass this week accused the Trump administration of waging an "all-out assault on Los Angeles." Roving teams of federal immigration agents have cast a pall of fear across many of the region's communities. |
| Would it be wrong to escape for a few hours into a beach read? |
| Abby Jimenez, a best-selling author of romances like "The Friend Zone" and "Just For the Summer" who also owns a wildly successful bakery, believes an escapist romance book can be just the thing for troubled times. |
| "Romance is a safe space," she said in an interview. "No matter what happens in the story, you're going to wrap it up in the end." |
| "The genre is so inclusive. There is sweet romance. Spicy romance. Christian romance. There are romance thrillers. Queer romances. And then you get your happy ever after." |
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| "Say You'll Remember Me" by Abby Jimenez (Forever) |
| Jimenez's latest book, "Say You'll Remember Me," came out this spring, just in time for beach read season. Though these days Jimenez lives in Minnesota, this book is partially set in Glendale, where she spent some of her childhood. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. |
| What does a beach read mean to you? |
| There are just some books that are suitable for the pool and the sand over others. You're not going to be crying on the rest of your vacation. |
| What are your favorite California beach reads? |
- I really liked "Malibu Rising" by Taylor Jenkins Reid. That book is so beachy.
- "People We Meet on Vacation" [by Emily Henry], but I think they're in Palm Springs. I wouldn't really call that a beach. But definitely by the pool.
- And "The Proposal," by Jasmine Guillory. That's in Los Angeles [a key plot point takes place at a Dodgers game]. It has lots of L.A. flavor.
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| In your book, the main character Samantha has a meet cute with sexy veterinarian Xavier over a kitten's bowel problems, and then immediately decamps from the Midwest to Southern California. Tell us about your book's connection to Southern California. |
| It is a book about making memories and losing them. It's a long-distance relationship. Samantha's mother is suffering from early onset dementia. |
| I grew up in the Glendale/Burbank Area, before moving to Palmdale. |
| The house I wrote into the book is actually my grandfather's house in real life. I wrote it exactly as it is in real life. The car I wrote into the book, the 1966 Dodge Dart convertible, was my car growing up. |
Today's top stories |
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| Under the plan approved Tuesday, more than $100 million is set to flow to homelessness prevention programs, including income support for at-risk tenants and eviction defense. Above, a view of housing near USC in Los Angeles. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) |
Los Angeles approves a plan to spend nearly $425 million in 'mansion tax' money |
- The so-called mansion tax will direct nearly $425 million into housing and homelessness programs.
- The voter-approved measure, which taxes property sales above about $5 million, has drawn criticism from the real estate industry for years and recently been the subject of several reports that found it has limited property sales and thus reduced property tax revenue and the construction of new housing.
- Backers, however, tout the measure as providing crucial dollars to affordable housing and homelessness prevention programs at a time when the state and county have cut funding.
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Sean 'Diddy' Combs has been found not guilty of the most serious charges |
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Paramount faces backlash over its $16-million Trump settlement |
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What else is going on |
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Commentary and opinions |
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This morning's must reads |
| | | For decades, surf camps and schools have been a mainstay of local beaches across Santa Monica Bay, but concerns over pollutants from the Palisades fire are hurting business. | | | |
Other must reads |
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| Keep up with California | Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. Subscribe to the Los Angeles Times. | | | | | |
For your downtime |
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| (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times) |
Going out |
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Staying in |
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A question for you: What is your favorite thing to do in California for the Fourth of July? |
| Bob Lentz of Sylmar says: "I climb on my roof in the foothills of Sylmar to watch the fireworks across the entire San Fernando Valley!" |
| Jody Stefansson of Pasadena says: "My family's favorite thing to do on the 4th of July is close all the curtains and blinds in our home, turn down the lights, play soothing classical music and comfort our dogs with cuddles and reassurance. We celebrate July 5th!" |
And finally ... from our archives |
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| (Joe Marquette / Associated Press) |
| On July 3, 1971, Jim Morrison — the lead singer of the Los Angeles band the Doors — died in Paris of heart failure at 27 years old. |
| A bust placed on his grave site to commemorate the 10th anniversary of his passing went missing nearly 40 years ago. As the Times reported in May, Paris police found the memorial bust "by chance." |
Programming note |
| Essential California will be off tomorrow. Enjoy your Fourth of July. We'll be back bright and early Saturday. |
Have a great day, from the Essential California team |
| Izzy Nunes, audience engagement intern
Diamy Wang, homepage intern
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, Sunday writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters |
| How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com. Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com. |
