You’re reading the Essential California newsletter <\/p>\n
L.A. Times reporters guide you through the most important news, features and recommendations of the morning.<\/p>\n
By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Service<\/a> and our Privacy Policy<\/a>. <\/p>\n Beam, 66, died a day after the attack in Oakland, where for more than four decades he coached, first at Skyline High School and then at Laney, a community college near Lake Merritt.<\/p>\n Many stories following his death focused on the fact that about 20 of his players went on to play in the National Football League. But what made Beam stand out in this city of occasional triumph and routine tribulation was his heart. He devoted himself to young people who often didn\u2019t have the money, family support or academic resources of kids who got into four-year colleges. While so many other people seemed to abandon Oakland, Beam stayed.<\/p>\n \u201cThe reason you are seeing this overwhelming response and all this sadness is that he was more than a coach,\u201d said Frank Williams, an Oakland native who became a showrunner in Hollywood. \u201cHe was like a surrogate father, especially for a lot of young men and women who didn\u2019t have a parent in the home. He put his life and his heart on the line for that city.\u201d<\/p>\n Beam loomed large in the city of 440,000 and in college football for years but became known to the wider world in 2020, when Netflix released the fifth season of \u201cLast Chance U,\u201d the documentary series that focused that year on the Laney College football team a year after it won a state championship.<\/p>\n The series delved deeply into the struggles of mostly Black and brown players, who often came from poverty and broken homes. One of Laney\u2019s stars worked at a fast-food chicken joint and slept in his SUV every night. The show also spent considerable time with players who had endured family violence and or had children while barely out of childhood themselves.<\/p>\n Beam emerged as one of the heroes, with his blend of profane competitiveness and avuncular goodwill. One moment he screams obscenities at a player for missing an assignment; the next he urges his hyper-masculine charges to allow themselves to be vulnerable. The coach preached that asking for help was not a weakness but \u201ca power move.\u201d<\/p>\n This week it was hard to find a corner of the Laney campus not occupied by a beefed-up security force, which one guard said had been increased from 30 to 40.<\/p>\n Just two months ago Essential California reported how crime in Oakland had dipped<\/a>, noting cautious optimism among some residents. This week the Laney College community despaired at how violence had, nonetheless, invaded the campus and the modern steel-and-glass athletic office building that overlooks the football field.<\/p>\n Beam, 66, retired as football coach last year but remained on as athletic director. NFL players he mentored came to a massive tribute along with doctors and laborers and others who credited the coach with helping them find their best selves.<\/p>\n Romeo Garcia befriended Beam years ago when both were working with young people in Oakland. Garcia went on to become a fundraiser for Laney and its sister campuses in the Peralta Community College District.<\/p>\n \u201cJohn continued to do good in Oakland, no matter what,\u201d Garcia said Thursday. \u201cWhat I would ask people to do is to continue to do that good. You can\u2019t give up on the city when it needs you the most.\u201d<\/p>\n Today\u2019s top stories After a day of working in the fields, this 17-year-old relaxes by rows of strawberries in the Salinas Valley, renowned as the \u201cSalad Bowl of the World.\u201d<\/p>\n (Barbara Davidson\/Capital & Main)<\/p>\n Unsafe conditions and fear threaten California child farmworkersThe Hollywood fight over Warner Bros.Warner Bros. is up for sale and Paramount, Comcast and Netflix are expected to submit proposals<\/a> for all or parts of the company. These nonbinding bids mark the first phase of the auction that could put some of the best-known brands in entertainment, including HBO, CNN and Warner Bros. film and television studios, up for sale.More rainfall hits Los AngelesNew findings on the January wildfiresTrouble in techMore big storiesCommentary and opinionsThis morning\u2019s must readsOther great readsFor your downtime The northern lights, or aurora, as seen earlier this month from Angeles Forest Highway in Angeles National Forest. <\/p>\n (Jaclyn Cosgrove \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n Going outStaying inAnd finally … the photo of the day Megan Weinraub sits in her Volkswagen T2 bus known affectionally as Azul. The VW appeared in photos of the aftermath of the Palisades fire in January.<\/p>\n (Robert Gauthier\/Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n Today\u2019s great photo is from Times staff photographer Robert Gauthier of Megan Weinraub in her Volkswagen T2 bus, Azul, which survived the January Palisades fire and has become a community symbol of hope<\/a>.<\/p>\n Have a great day, from the Essential California team<\/p>\n Jim Rainey, staff reporter <\/p>\n
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Hugo Mart\u00edn, assistant editor
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
June Hsu, editorial fellow
Andrew Campa, weekend reporter
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters<\/p>\n