Today’s News: Obama defends surveillance program; Nightstalker dead at San Quentin: LACMA makeover

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San Onofre. The big story is Southern California Edison’s decision to shut down the San Onofre Nuclear Power plant, but there’s a lot of other important news happening around California today:

Obama in California. President Obama has made a personal plea to Californians, Latinos and young people to sign up for coverage under the new health care law. The president spoke this morning in San Jose, praising the state’s collaboration with non-government groups to promote the health care exchanges that are being created to help millions of uninsured consumers afford coverage. The president also defended his government’s secret surveillance, saying Congress has repeatedly authorized the collection of America’s phone records and U.S. internet use. They were his first comments since the programs were publicly revealed this week. Obama said that safeguards are in place and that nobody is listening to the content of phone calls.

The president is expected in Santa Monica later this morning for a fundraiser before heading to the desert for his two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The two presidents are expected to discuss a host of economic and security issues, including North Korea and China’s alleged industrial espionage.

Nightstalker dead. Richard Ramriez – whose brutal murder spree in the 1980s terrorized Southern California – has died at San Quentin prison. No cause of death has been given for the 52-year-old. Ramirez, known as the Nightstalker, killed 13 people in 1984 and 1985, entering homes through unlocked doors and windows. Ramirez called himself a devil worshiper and forced some of his victims to “swear to Satan.” He was captured by East L.A. residents during an attempted carjacking. AP

Calderon probe. In addition to his Capitol offices, The FBI recently raided two businesses with ties to State Senator Ron Calderon and his brother, former Assemblyman Tom Calderon. The Sacramento Bee says those businesses were a Newport Beach pharmacy company and Pacific Hospital of Long Beach. Tom Calderon is now a public affairs consultant with water agencies and health care companies. Ron Calderon, a Democrat from Montebello, chairs the Senate Insurance Committee, which oversees the state’s worker compensation system. The FBI has not said why it’s probing the Calderons. Lawyers for the brothers have denied they did anything wrong. Sacramento Bee

Fracking concerns. More than half of California voters say the state should impose a moratorium on the controversial oil and gas extraction method known as fracking until more is known about its effect on the environment. A new USC-Dornsife/L.A. Times poll shows that many Californians are concerned about the safety of fracking and the state’s lack of oversight. Fifty-eight percent say the state should halt fracking until an independent commission can conduct an environmental review. L.A. Times

LACMA makeover. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art will give the public its first close-up look at a design that would radically transform the Wilshire Boulevard institution. An exhibit opening Sunday is called “Presence of the Past: Peter Zumthor Reconsiders LACMA.” Zumthor is the Swiss architect LACMA has tapped to re-imagine the sprawling Miracle Mile campus. The centerpiece of the show is a six-ton model of a building Zumthor calls The Black Flower: a curving, amoeba-like structure that would replace four of the museum’s oldest buildings in a proposed $650 million makeover. L.A. Times

Bike lanes. The L.A. City Council is scheduled to vote today on a proposal to repaint bike lanes on Spring Street a darker, less reflective shade of green to appease the entertainment industry. Bike lanes along a one-and-a-half mile stretch in downtown were painted a florescent green as part of a pilot program to make bike lanes more inviting and conspicuous. But the film and TV industry says the color is too reflective and can interfere with lighting during location shoots. Curbed L.A.