Despite playing nearly half the season in the AFC, and having no interceptions, respect and votes from players and coaches carried Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey to another Pro Bowl.

In balloting results announced this week, San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman received the most votes from fans for NFC players at his position. Ramsey no doubt received fan votes but earned Pro Bowl recognition for the third season in a row via votes from players and coaches, which accounts for two-thirds of the voting.

Click Here: liverpool mens jersey

Sherman, Marshon Lattimore of the New Orleans Saints and Darius Slay of the Detroit Lions were other NFC cornerbacks voted to the Pro Bowl.

“Knowing that my peers — the players and coaches — still see what I do and see the production that I put out there on the field, it’s an honor,” Ramsey said Thursday.

Ramsey and defensive lineman Aaron Donald, who was voted to the Pro Bowl for the sixth time, are part of a Rams defense that must bounce back Saturday against the 49ers at Levi’s Stadium.

The Rams (8-6), a Super Bowl participant last season, will miss the playoffs unless they defeat the 49ers (11-3) and the Arizona Cardinals, and the Minnesota Vikings (10-4) lose home games against the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears.

The Rams are coming off an embarrassing 44-21 defeat to the Dallas Cowboys. Ramsey, however, limited Cowboys star receiver Amari Cooper to one catch for 19 yards.

“He took Amari Cooper out of the game,” said Rams safety Eric Weddle, a six-time Pro Bowl selection. “Anytime he was manned up he didn’t get a ball thrown his way.”

Ramsey, 25, was not yet a member of the Rams when they lost to the 49ers, 20-7, on Oct. 13 at the Coliseum. The last time 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo faced the Rams, the secondary included cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Troy Hill and safeties John Johnson and Eric Weddle.

Weddle is the only member of that group who will be on the field Saturday.

Peters was traded to the Baltimore Ravens a few hours before the Rams traded for Ramsey. Hill had surgery Monday for a thumb injury suffered against the Cowboys, and coach Sean McVay on Thursday declared him out of the game against the 49ers. Johnson suffered a right shoulder injury against the 49ers in October, played through it, and then had season-ending surgery.

So Ramsey will start opposite cornerback Darious Williams, with Weddle and rookie Taylor Rapp at safety.

The 49ers, with running backs Raheem Mostert, Matt Breida and Tevin Coleman and fullback Kyle Juszczyk, rank second in the NFL in rushing. Coach Kyle Shanahan utilizes the run game to set up Garoppolo for passes to the running backs, star tight end George Kittle and receivers Emmanuel Sanders and Deebo Samuel, among others.

“They’ve got some good receivers that make a lot of plays, a quarterback who gets them the ball and a good tight end,” Ramsey said. “Just excited for another opportunity to go out and play.”

Sanders, as with Ramsey, was a midseason acquisition. He has 30 catches, three for touchdowns, since his trade from the Denver Broncos.

Two weeks ago against the New Orleans Saints, Sanders caught seven passes for 157 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown. He also passed for a touchdown in the 48-46 victory that kept the 49ers in the hunt for the top seed in the NFC playoffs.

Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips knows Sanders well. Both helped the Denver Broncos win Super Bowl 50 at the end of the 2015 season. Sanders caught six passes for 83 yards in the 24-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers.

“He’s savvy, he recognizes coverages real well, he knows where the weaknesses are, he knows where to run to,” Phillips said. “He helped me get a ring, so I’m a fan of his as far as that’s concerned, but not this week.”

Etc.

Tight end Gerald Everett is recovered from a knee injury that sidelined him for three games and will be available against the 49ers, McVay said. … Kicker Greg Zuerlein (thigh) is scheduled to kick during a workout Friday. The Rams could sign a free agent if Zuerlein is not physically sound.

In recent seasons, few things in the NBA have produced unexpected moments quite like games between the Clippers and the Houston Rockets.

In 2015, there was Houston’s shocking 19-point comeback to win Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals. Three years later, Rockets players attempted to storm the Clippers’ locker room after a contentious game at Staples Center.

In the teams’ first meeting this season, ex-Clipper and current Rockets guard Austin Rivers lobbied officials to call the technical foul on his father, Clippers coach Doc Rivers, that led to the elder Rivers’ ejection. In the second, the brother of Rockets guard Russell Westbrook was escorted out of Staples Center after jawing with Clippers center Montrezl Harrell.

“There is something” to the rivalry, Doc Rivers said. “There’s no doubt about it.”

Houston’s 122-117 victory Thursday at Staples Center continued a matchup that remains anything but ordinary.

What began with an offensive outage unlike any other this season for Houston’s James Harden continued with dust-ups between Patrick Beverley and Ben McLemore, and Beverley and Westbrook, a third-quarter ejection for normally mild-mannered Lou Williams, a fourth-quarter ejection for Beverley and a wild scoreboard swing in the final minutes.

Perhaps the most unexpected development to come from the loss was that a Clippers team that has been so steady at closing out comebacks this season lost its composure late. Because of it, the Clippers’ 10-game home winning streak is gone too.

“We had a big lead and came out and kind of gave it up,” Rivers said. “I thought it was like when you get jumped. I thought that’s what happened. We didn’t react to it very well.”

Paul George scored a team-high 34 points to lead the Clippers. Kawhi Leonard scored 25, with nine rebounds, making two of nine shots after halftime.

By going away from the two-man traps that had defined their approach to guarding Harden during the two previous meetings this season, the Clippers held the NBA’s leading scorer to two points in the second quarter and five before halftime, his fewest in a first half this season.

“I liked how we were guarding him when we were guarding him one-on-one,” Rivers said. “I thought when we did that, we were effective.”

The Clippers had a 15-point halftime lead and the Rockets (19-9) were out-of-sync enough that Westbrook requested arena staffers to check whether the rim on one end of the court was, in fact, level.

But all that progress was undone by a horrific third quarter in which the Clippers were outscored by 18. A team that pushed the ball upcourt with speed in the first half, off makes and misses, began possessions at a walk. The pace was the first sign to Rivers that something was amiss.

“The beginning of the third, that first six minutes, changed the entire game,” he said. “I thought we had a chance to knock them out and we didn’t.”

Houston’s comeback began a game of runs in the final 12 minutes.

With 9:31 to play and Westbrook in control on his way to a 40-point performance, the Clippers trailed 101-89.

Click Here: liverpool mens jersey

With 5:03 to play, after a pair of three-pointers apiece by Landry Shamet and George and another by Beverley, the Clippers led 111-105 despite missing Williams, who’d been ejected six minutes earlier after hotly arguing a foul call.

But with 1:53 to play, the Clippers were down again, 122-113. Westbrook’s offense, and the defense of forward P.J. Tucker, changed the outcome, Rivers said, but Harden secured it for Houston.

In two previous meetings with the Clippers (21-9) this season Harden had averaged 42 points and made 50% of his field goals, including three-pointers. The Clippers couldn’t keep him down forever.

He scored 12 of his 28 points in the final 6:32 and added an assist on an alley-oop in the stretch.

It’s already a one-team race for the title in the English Premier League, but there’s still plenty to play for back in the pack, where four teams with tournament aspirations battle one another for valuable points this weekend. But it’s a different story in Spain, where traditional powers Barcelona and Real Madrid are separated by just two scores in goal differential atop the La Liga table. Both will be at home this weekend, highlighting the top televised soccer games from Europe.

EPL: Unbeaten Liverpool has all but clinched the league title and is on pace to shatter the EPL record for points in a season as well — and it’s not even Christmas yet. But there’s some drama just below the Reds, where seven teams are separated by 15 points in the battle for the EPL’s four remaining European tournament invitations. Two of them meet Saturday when second-place Leicester City (12-2-3) visits third-place Manchester City (11-4-2), the defending champions who have already lost as many games this season as in either of the past two full campaigns (NBC, Universo, 9:30 a.m. PT). City hasn’t lost a home league match to Leicester since 2016, but Leicester hasn’t lost to anyone anywhere since Oct. 5, a span of 11 matches. Fourth-place Chelsea (9-6-2) and fifth-place Tottenham (7-5-5) , two other teams still in the running for a continental berth, meet Sunday (NBCSN, Telemundo, 8:30 a.m. PT). Spurs have lost just one of their last seven league matches while Chelsea has lost four of its last five.

La Liga: Wednesday’s scoreless draw in El Clasico left Barcelona and Real Madrid equal in points atop the table, but that could change this weekend in the final games before La Liga’s 11-day holiday break. Barcelona (11-3-3), which has a narrow edge over Real Madrid in goal differential, goes first, facing Alaves (5-8-4) on Saturday (BeIN Sports, 7 a.m. PT). Led by Lionel Messi, who is tied for the league lead in goals (12) and assists (6), Barcelona has lost just one of its last 17 games in all competition. Real Madrid (10-1-6) plays its final game before the break Sunday (BeIN Sports, noon PT) against Athletic Club (7-4-6). Its only loss came in mid-October at Mallorca, and it has shut out five of eight opponents since then, allowing just 12 goals in 17 games overall, same as Athletic Club.

Click Here: liverpool mens jersey

SAN FRANCISCO — 

A San Francisco woman is offering a $7,000 reward and has hired a plane to fly over the city in the search for her blue-eyed miniature Australian shepherd stolen from outside a grocery store last weekend.

The plane, which cost an additional $1,200, will fly a banner with the website she set up to find her her dog, Jackson, who was stolen Saturday outside a grocery store in the Bernal Heights neighborhood.

Emilie Talermo said Thursday that she has been doing everything she can to find her 5-year-old dog.

“I am just one person, and I really need help getting the word out there,” she said.

Surveillance video from the grocery store shows a man in a hoodie approaching the bench where Jackson was tied up.

Talermo and her friends have distributed thousands of fliers with the photo of the 28-pound dog, who has white, black and gray fur and bright blue eyes.

She set up a website, www.bringjacksonhome.com, where she’s offering a $7,000 reward, “no questions asked,” and she has even opened an account for the sweet-faced dog on Tinder.

“He’s always with me. It’s a very real love,“ Talermo said, her voice breaking. “I just need help finding him.”

The airplane will circle over San Francisco and Oakland for two hours Friday. The plane was set to fly Thursday but had to be rescheduled because of weather.

To help finance her search, Talermo launched a GoFundMe, which has raised more than $7,000 since Tuesday. She plans to donate any extra money to Rocket Dog Rescue or donate all of it if Jackson isn’t found.

Talermo said she got Jackson in New York. They moved to Los Angeles and then to San Francisco.

Click Here: liverpool mens jersey

“Those people I’ve met throughout the years know my love for this dog. I’m just blown away by everyone’s support,” she said.

SACRAMENTO — 

California marijuana users can now turn to their smartphones to find out whether a dispensary is legit.

The Bureau of Cannabis Control on Thursday announced a program encouraging licensed cannabis retailers to post QR codes in their store windows. The checkerboard codes can be scanned by a cellphone camera linking the reader to the bureau’s online license system.

That will allow consumers to verify that the store is licensed.

Consumers will be able to determine which retailers ”carry products that are tracked, tested and legal,” bureau chief Lori Ajax said in a statement.

Officials said consumers without a QR code-enabled phone can also check a retailer’s license information by visiting the bureau’s license search tool at CApotcheck.com.

California voters legalized marijuana sales to adults under Proposition 64, passed in 2016. However, state regulators have struggled to meet the demand for licensing, and many communities have either banned commercial sales or not set up rules for the legal market to operate.

In addition, legal shops continue to be undercut by a thriving illicit market, where consumers can avoid taxes that can approach 50% in some communities.

Last week alone, search warrants were issued against 45 illegal operators in Los Angeles, authorities said.

The QR code program was applauded by the United Cannabis Business Assn., which represents licensed retailers.

Executive Director Ruben Honig called it a tool for consumer education.

“When voters approved Proposition 64, there was an immediate assumption that overnight, everywhere that sold cannabis was legal and safe,” Honig said in a statement. “Unfortunately, this couldn’t be further from the truth. California’s illicit market is nearly three times the size of its legal one and many consumers cannot tell the difference, leading them to unknowingly purchase untested and unregulated products that may put their health at risk.”

SAN DIEGO — 

If you enjoy swimming in the sheltered waters of San Diego’s Children’s Pool, mark your calendar for May 15. That’s the day the city will reopen the popular La Jolla beach.

The pool was closed Sunday to protect harbor seals who have used the beach as a nursery since at least 1996.

How people and seals could coexist on this 110-yard, crescent-shaped stretch of sand has long been debated. But when this beach was named the Children’s Pool in 1932, there was nothing controversial about it.

At the time, philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps paid for the construction of a curved wall around the sand. This created a safe harbor for toddlers.

In the 1990s, though, harbor seals discovered that this was also an ideal rookery, a place to rear pups safe from predators.

Humans and seals coexisted here for years, although there was tension. People were reported harassing the animals; others cited seals charging children and adults who wandered too close to pups. Soon, rival advocacy groups sprang up.

“The seals had prospered for over 20 years sharing habitat with people,” argued the website of Friends of the Children’s Pool. “If the city still insists shared use is impractical, it can allow restoration of Children’s Pool as originally entrusted, not a giant sand box.”

“The close proximity of these seals to humans is unique,” countered La Jolla Friends of the Seals’ website, “as harbor seals will almost always ‘flush’ into the water when approached. This has allowed 120,000 monthly visitors from all over the world to see seals resting, mothers birthing, pups nursing, males splashing the water with their flippers, and couples swimming together in their mating ritual.”

In 2014, the city closed the beach during pupping season. The California Coastal Commission approved, but Friends of the Children’s Pool sued.

In 2016, a Superior Court judge ruled in favor of the Friends, saying the city’s actions were “preempted by the public’s right to beach access acquired under the Coastal Act, the California Constitution and the terms of the legislation granting the Children’s Pool Beach to the city.”

In June 2018, though, the 4th District Court of Appeal reversed that decision, ruling that the city had the right to annually close the beach for 5½ months.

Rowe writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

1/27

The candidates before the start of the debate at Loyola Marymount. 

(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

2/27

Former Vice President Joe Biden and entrepreneur Andrew Yang greet well-wishers during a break at Loyola Marymount. 

(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

3/27

The candidates await the start of the Democratic presidential primary debate.  

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles)

4/27

Former Vice President Joe Biden shakes hands with Sen. Bernie Sanders during the debate.  

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles)

5/27

The candidates greet each other before the start of the debate. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles)

6/27

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) waves before the debate begins.  

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles)

7/27

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) waves ahead of the debate.  

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles)

8/27

Entrepreneur Andrew Yang, left, South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, former Vice President Joe Biden, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and businessman Tom Steyer on stage during the sixth Democratic debate at Loyola Marymount University on Thursday in Los Angeles. 

(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

9/27

The candidates on stage at Loyola Marymount. 

(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

10/27

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) spar during the debate. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

11/27

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) listens as businessman Tom Steyer speaks during the debate. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

12/27

The candidates on stage during the debate. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

13/27

Entrepreneur Andrew Yang makes a point as South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg listens during the debate.  

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

14/27

Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks during the debate. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

15/27

Former Vice President Joe Biden applauds as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) speaks during the debate. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

16/27

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) speaks while flanked by South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg and former Vice President Joe Biden. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

17/27

South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg speaks while flanked by entrepreneur Andrew Yang and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

18/27

Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden go at each other during a heated exchange at the debate. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

19/27

Former Vice President Joe Biden listens as Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks during the Democratic debate.  

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

20/27

Former Vice President Joe Biden makes a point as Sen. Elizabeth Warren listens. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

21/27

South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) during an animated moment. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

22/27

Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks as former Vice President Joe Biden listens during the debate. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

23/27

Former Vice President Joe Biden makes a point as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) listens. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

24/27

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) speaks while flanked by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and businessman Tom Steyer. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

25/27

South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg speaks as Andrew Yang and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) listen during the debate. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

26/27

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) speaks as South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg and former Vice President Joe Biden listen. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

27/27

Sen. Bernie Sanders raises his hand as former Vice President Joe Biden makes a point during the debate. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Friday, Dec. 20, and I’m writing from Los Angeles.

At long last, the interminable parade of Democratic debates came to the most important state in the nation: California. Notably absent from the Loyola Marymount stage were home-state Sen. Kamala Harris, who dropped out of the race earlier this month, and Sen. Cory Booker and Julián Castro, who both fell short of qualifying.

California figured early and often in the 2½-hour debate, including a question about climate change that specifically referenced the Northern California town of Paradise, which was ravaged by last year’s Camp fire.

But most of the California talk was made in passing, as opposed to much substantial courting of Golden State voters. (The in-passing mentions included references to California being “majority-minority” and home to more DACA recipients than any other state, as well as shout-outs to Gov. Gavin Newsom and Oakland Rep. Barbara Lee, who issued the sole “no” vote on authorizing force in the immediate aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks.)

[See also: “Five takeaways from the Democratic debate in Los Angeles” in the Los Angeles Times]

Perhaps the most notable omission? Housing and homelessness, which didn’t merit a single dedicated question from the moderators — despite the debate being held in a city where a homeless man died on the steps of City Hall only a day prior, and in a state where housing issues are never far from mind.

But a Napa Valley “wine cave” — the location of a lavish Mayor Pete Buttigieg fundraiser last weekend — did became an unlikely recurring debate subject. It began with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who has spurned high-dollar fundraisers, ripping into the South Bend, Ind., mayor for his closed-door event, with Buttigieg pushing back with a barb about “purity tests.” Several others then picked up the wine cave narrative from the stage, with things taking a turn to the absurd when Andrew Yang coined the phrase “shake the money tree in the wine cave.”

Like all wine caves, this one was literal and figurative. The location in question was Hall Winery in St. Helena, which is owned by billionaire Democratic donors Craig and Kathryn Hall. Of course, the term also doubled as an easy, meme-friendly shorthand for big money in politics.

[From the archives: A 1989 Los Angeles Times story about wine caves becoming the latest “in” thing in the Napa Valley]

But jokes and metaphors aside, wine is also big business in California. The winery-owning governor of this great state was seemingly unamused by the Democrats bringing the mud-slinging into the vino den.

“Having a wine cave — It’s my business,” Newsom told a HuffPost politics reporter after the debate, per the reporter’s Twitter. “It’s how I started … I don’t know that it’s helpful to have those kinds of debates.”

And now, here’s what else is happening:

TOP STORIES

After the Democratic-led House impeached President Trump, House and Senate leaders argued Thursday over how his Senate trial will be conducted, with the two articles of impeachment likely to remain in limbo until at least early January as a result of the spat. The Republican-led Senate is almost certain to acquit Trump of the two charges, abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, once it receives them. But the House delay in transmitting them means his trial, and presumed vindication, could be pushed back. Los Angeles Times

L.A. STORIES

Julián Castro toured L.A.’s skid row on Wednesday to talk about his housing plan. Los Angeles Times

These 1920s L.A. apartments inspired one of the best noir films ever made. For the set of “In a Lonely Place,” director Nicholas Ray re-created one of his first Hollywood homes. Curbed LA

The end of a retail era: After 41 years at the Fred Segal center, Ron Robinson is closing his Melrose Avenue brick-and-mortar store in early 2020. Los Angeles Times

This mariscos master is now serving out of an underground restaurant in his Lennox backyard. His wife works the front of the house and helps with prep. L.A. Taco

Many see a divine image of the Virgin of Guadalupe in a stain on the sidewalk outside a Catholic church in Artesia. Los Angeles Times

Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. Subscribe to the Los Angeles Times.

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

A proposal to allow limited boating on Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park was killed in the House. Boating on the waters has been banned for nearly a century. San Francisco Chronicle

The California Public Utilities Commission has ruled that the state’s major utilities can’t raise their profit margins, denying the companies the higher shareholder returns they had sought. Profit margins will stay level at 10.3% for Edison, 10.25% for PG&E, 10.2% for SDG&E and 10.05% for SoCalGas. That means for every dollar the utilities spend building electric or gas infrastructure, they’ll continue to charge customers an additional 10 cents or so in profits for their shareholders. Los Angeles Times

Climate change threatens billions in the CalPERS pension fund: The California Public Employees’ Retirement System, which is the nation’s largest pension fund, says that one-fifth of its portfolio is invested in sectors at risk from climate change. Los Angeles Times

CRIME AND COURTS

Since 2010, no police officer in the Bay Area city of Vallejo has been disciplined for using deadly force, despite multiple shootings of unarmed people — including a man holding a can of beer. And active police union leaders have been involved in the shooting investigations. The Appeal

An investigation into horse deaths at Santa Anita Park found no unlawful conduct. A special task force looked into the 30 deaths at Santa Anita during this year’s winter/spring meeting over the course of their nine-month investigation. Los Angeles Times

A former teen model who alleges she was sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein has filed a new lawsuit against the disgraced movie mogul, his former studio Miramax and previous owner the Walt Disney Co. Los Angeles Times

HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Strong storms boosted the California snowpack to the highest December level since 2015. The snowpack — a key source of the state’s water supply — measured 113% of average this week, roughly 40% higher than the snowpack during the same time in 2018. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Palm Springs has designated new pickup spots for Uber and Lyft drivers in bustling areas of downtown, which means ride-hail drivers will be directed away from main roads and riders may have to walk a block or two. “The idea is that people aren’t stopping on Palm Canyon in the middle of traffic and blocking traffic,” the city manager said. “It’s not good for the driver, or people getting in and out.” Desert Sun

No more “No Section 8″ in apartment listings: Starting in 2020 when a new law goes into effect, California landlords will no longer be able to reject tenants solely because they’re using housing vouchers. Capital Public Radio

A much-hyped wave of tech IPOs was supposed to mint a whole new set of San Francisco tech zillionaires. But instead, the initial public offerings fizzled, and people merely got rich-ish, instead of mega-rich. And now? “Private wealth managers are now meeting with a chastened clientele. Developers are having to cut home prices — unheard-of a year ago.” New York Times

A San Francisco woman with a lost dog is offering a $7,000 reward and has hired a plane to fly over the city in the search for her blue-eyed miniature Australian shepherd stolen from outside a grocery store last weekend. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Los Angeles: partly sunny, 75. San Diego: sunny, 71. San Francisco: cloudy, 59. San Jose: partly sunny, 65. Sacramento: partly sunny, 61. More weather is here.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California memory comes from Peggy Whiteman:

“We immigrated from Holland and flew from Amsterdam to New York and then the train to San Francisco in 1957. I was 7 years old. There were eight of us (mom, dad and six kids) with my mother six months pregnant. My most vivid memory of when we first arrived is the cab ride to the Cable Car Motel on California Street. My teenage sisters and my mother were screaming at the top of their lungs as we went up and down the hills. Holland is completely flat and they were just terrified.”

If you have a memory or story about the Golden State, share it with us. (Please keep your story to 100 words.)

Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints, ideas and unrelated book recommendations to Julia Wick. Follow her on Twitter @Sherlyholmes.

Click Here: Italy Rugby Shop

SERIES

Clifford the Big Red Dog The animated children’s series returns for a new season. 9 a.m. KVCR; 10:30 a.m. KOCE and 10:30 a.m. KPBS

Top Elf The final four compete and baker Amirah Kassem joins Santa and Ms. Jingles in judging their creations of giant Gingerbread Clubhouses in the season finale. 7 p.m. Nickelodeon

No Passport Required The season premiere explores the influence of Filipino American chefs on the Seattle food scene. 8 p.m. KOCE

America’s Most Musical Family With three spots remaining in the finals, six of the family bands fight to stay in the competition in the second semifinal. 8 p.m. Nickelodeon

Lidia Celebrates America Renowned chef and author Lidia Bastianich opens a new season with a holiday episode that takes a road trip stopping in Tennessee, California, Colorado, Michigan, Wisconsin and New Jersey to meet Americans who are mastering the arts of meat curing, coopering (barrel-making), coppersmithing, jam-making and more. 9 p.m. KOCE

Van Helsing Playwright Neil LaBute’s dark horror fantasy adapted from a graphic novel and set in a post-apocalyptic future ends its season. Kelly Overton stars. 10 p.m. Syfy

Trending Fear Author and illustrator Adam Ellis, who became a social media phenom by tweeting that a ghost child had taken up residence in his New York apartment, teams up with ghost hunter Paul Bradford and researcher Jen Lewis to investigate alleged hauntings across America in this new unscripted series. 11 p.m. Travel

SPECIALS

I Love Lucy Christmas Special The“Paris at Last” episode that originally aired Feb. 27, 1956, is the latest to get the colorized treatment as part of this year’s Christmas special, which has become a holiday season tradition. 8 p.m. CBS

Global Citizen Prize From London’s Royal Albert Hall, singer-songwriter John Legend welcomes an array of global talent for this new awards ceremony, which celebrates individuals in the arts, business and political or advocacy communities who have taken action to end extreme poverty. Chris Martin and H.E.R.; Jennifer Hudson, Raphael Saadiq, Sting and Stormzy are featured. 8 p.m. NBC

Celebrating Marvel’s Stan Lee Stars of the Marvel Universe — including Tom Hiddleston, Paul Bettany, Cobie Smulders, Clark Gregg, Ming-Na Wen, Mark Hamill and others — assemble to celebrate the life and luminous legacy of the legendary comic creator. 8 p.m. ABC

MOVIES

The Christmas Temp Sara Canning (“The Vampire Diaries”) stars in this new holiday romance as an out-of-work artist who stumbles across an agency that specializes in temporary jobs for events during the holiday season. Robin Dunne, Julian Richings, Jennifer Gibson, Kyana Teresa and Christian Laurin also star. 8 p.m. Lifetime

TALK SHOWS

CBS This Morning (N) 7 a.m. KCBS

Today Detroit Youth Choir performs. (N) 7 a.m. KNBC

KTLA Morning News (N) 7 a.m. KTLA

Good Morning America John Boyega; Naomi Ackie; Kristen Tomlan; Tatyana Ali; Dua Lipa performs. (N) 7 a.m. KABC

Good Day L.A. The winner of “The Masked Singer”; Grae Drake; attorney Laura Wasser. (N) 7 a.m. KTTV

Amanpour and Company 8 a.m. KCET

Live With Kelly and Ryan Julia Stiles (“Hustlers”); Scott Wolf (“Nancy Drew”). (N) 9 a.m. KABC

The View Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt; Darlene Love performs. (N) 10 a.m. KABC

Rachael Ray Foolproof way to get clothing as a gift; experts solve holiday dilemmas; bite-sized holiday treats. (N) 10 a.m. KTTV

The Wendy Williams Show Cirque du Soleil with a “’Twas the Night Before …” performance. (N) 11 a.m. KTTV

The Talk An all-musical episode: Vanessa Williams, Carnie Wilson and Wendy Wilson perform. (N) 1 p.m. KCBS

Tamron Hall Holly Robinson Peete (“A Family Christmas Gift”); the cast of “Dear Evan Hanson” perform. (N) 1 p.m. KABC

The Dr. Oz Show People who appear to be drunk but weren’t drinking alcohol; singer Leif Garrett. (N) 1 p.m. KTTV

The Kelly Clarkson Show Karolyn Grimes (“It’s a Wonderful Life”); Sterling K. Brown; Karen Gillan; Brynn Cartelli performs. (N) 2 p.m. KNBC

Dr. Phil Troy Dunn (“The Locator”) reunites a man with family members he didn’t know existed. (N) 3 p.m. KCBS

The Ellen DeGeneres Show (N) 3 p.m. KNBC

The Real The hosts share their new favorite holiday things and discuss two people who messed up this week. (N) 3 p.m. KTTV

The Doctors A 25-year-old woman loses half of her leg to a rare condition; a winter smoothie. (N) 3 p.m. KCOP

Washington Week The impeachment of President Trump; the Senate trial of President Trump: Philip Rucker of the Washington Post; Ayesha Rascoe, NPR; Molly Ball, Time magazine; Jerry Seib, the Wall Street Journal. (N) 7 p.m. KOCE

The Issue Is: Elex Michaelson (N) 10:30 p.m. KTTV

Amanpour and Company (N) 11:15 p.m. KCET; 1 a.m. KLCS

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Eddie Murphy; Greta Gerwig; Orlando Leyba. (N) 11:34 p.m. KNBC

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert 11:35 p.m. KCBS

Jimmy Kimmel Live! 11:35 p.m. KABC

The Late Late Show With James Corden Julie Andrews; Kristen Bell; Gary Clark Jr. performs. 12:37 a.m. KCBS

Late Night With Seth Meyers Quentin Tarantino; Aisling Bea; Michael Lewis; Coady Willis performs. 12:37 a.m. KNBC

Nightline (N) 12:37 a.m. KABC

A Little Late With Lilly Singh Jenny Slate; Kathryn Hahn. 1:38 a.m. KNBC

SPORTS

NBA Basketball The Dallas Mavericks visit the Philadelphia 76ers, 5 p.m. ESPN; the New Orleans Pelicans visit the Golden State Warriors, 7:30 p.m. ESPN

College Basketball North Dakota State visits Marquette, 6 p.m. FS1

For more sports on TV, see the Sports section.

For writer-director brothers Josh and Benny Safdie, their latest film, “Uncut Gems,” feels like a summation of all their past work.

“The movies that we were making before gave us the ability to make this movie in the way that it should have been,” said Benny when he and his brother Josh were guests on this week’s episode of “The Reel” with Mark Olsen.

“Naturally, ‘Uncut Gems’ was our meta-destination,” Josh said. “That was our North Star.”

It took the brothers 10 years to finally get “Uncut Gems” off the ground. In the interim, they made movies including 2010’s “Daddy Longlegs,” “Heaven Knows What” from 2014, and a basketball documentary, “Lenny Cooke.”

“All those roads basically led to Uncut Gems,” Josh said.

The film centers around a Diamond District jeweler, played by Adam Sandler, in New York City. The duo says the movie was inspired by stories from their father, who used to work in the Diamond District. And because they like to set their films based in reality, this particular district was the ideal centerpiece.

Subscribe to “The Reel” podcast

“The energy, the vibe. It’s like, it only can exist New York City,” said Benny. “It’s populated with people who we love, that kind of character.” Josh continued: “It’s infectious. It’s a very unique place in the planet. In that, it’s very old world. It’s handshake deals. It’s cash based… And there are these things that exist amongst the industry here. These physical, mythic, little shiny objects. They’re objects. That’s all they are. But they have a mysticism towards them.”

Despite the decade-long time frame it took to make the film, the brothers told Olsen that they faced other difficulties as well, like casting the movie.

“We always wanted Adam Sandler, but we couldn’t get him right away,” Benny said.

Since the characters and roles kept fluctuating over the 10-year span, there were more than 120 drafts of the movie, according to Josh.

“A lot of that goes into the casting process. But it’s also the constant reworking,” Josh said.

The movie also features a character played by retired NBA star Kevin Garnett. The movie weaves through actual events from a 2012 NBA playoff series and focuses on moments from real life.

“We always love fiction and reality. So, having this real center, with these games, kind of changes your perception of everything around it,” Benny said.

Now with “Uncut Gems” set to release on Christmas Day, the brothers have reached their final destination with the film. What’s next for the two brothers, you may be wondering. They wonder too.

Click Here: FIJI Rugby Shop

“This is what it was about,” said Josh. “What do you do? Do you turn around and go back home? Or do you keep going? Or, do you try to find a whole other vibe destination. It’s tricky.”

Check out other episodes of “The Reel” here

Chicago natives Chance the Rapper and Common will perform at the 2020 NBA All-Star game at the United Center, the league announced Thursday night.

The game is set for 5 p.m. PST on Feb. 16 and will tip off after Common welcomes fans with a narrative about what basketball means to people of Chicago.

“Chicago is an iconic city with a storied basketball history,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a video. “We are thrilled to bring the NBA All-Star game back.”

Chance the Rapper, whose name is Chancelor Bennett, will perform at halftime. His brother, Taylor Bennett, will perform during the NBA’s Rising Stars game on Feb. 14 at the United Center.

Common is a hip-hop artist, actor, author and activist who has won Grammy, Emmy, Golden Globe and Academy awards. Chance the Rapper is an independent artist who has won three Grammy Awards, while his brother is an aspiring artist and entrepreneur.

The Bennett brothers have been selected as the NBA’s ambassadors for All-Star weekend. Through their SocialWorks program, they have helped youth learn about the arts, education and civics. Their website lists five programs that focus “on education, mental health, homelessness, and performing and literary arts.” It’s mission statement adds their hope is to “inspire creativity, build dreams and advocate for youth success in all its forms.”

Voting for the All-Star game begins on Christmas. It’s the first time the game is going to be played in Chicago since 1988.

Click Here: FIJI Rugby Shop