The Brief

Southern California university administrators are now at the center of the turmoil over campus encampments that went up over the Israel-Hamas war.

USC’s faculty senate issued a censure resolution on Wednesday against university president Carol Folt and provost Andrew T. Guzman.

UCLA faculty will vote Friday afternoon on whether to censure Chancellor Gene Block, and will conduct a vote of no confidence.

USC has been in the national spotlight since the provost's decision last month to cancel the valedictorian's traditional commencement address over alleged safety concerns. That student, Asna Tabassum, had come under criticism by pro-Israel student and outside groups for her social media activity; her Instagram bio linked to a slideshow critical of Zionism.

In the weeks since that decision, the university canceled its main commencement ceremony altogether and has faced off with numerous student encampments now seen at universities throughout the country. Many students have been arrested or suspended.

Faculty have been critical of Folt and Guzman's ability to respond to these events, culminating, for now, in the censure resolution on Wednesday.

UCLA has also been under scrutiny for its handling of campus protesters and encampments, with many faculty condemning Block's ability to rise to the occasion.

What is a censure?

A statement of strong disagreement.

In its resolution, the USC Academic Senate wrote that faculty are dissatisfied with how top administrators decided to withdraw a valedictorian’s speech, cancel commencement ceremonies, and the treatment of student protesters and faculty.

“I understand there are many different viewpoints among members of the Trojan Community regarding our recent decisions," Folt said in a statement to LAist.

While Folt didn’t respond directly to the censure motion, she said she’s committed to working with the senate and other faculty through a task force recommended by the academic senate.

What is a vote of 'no confidence'?

Six years ago, USC faculty issued a vote of no confidence against then-president Max Nikias after several scandals rocked the campus. What’s the difference?

A vote of no confidence is basically asking the president to resign. That’s not the case here at USC. The resolution calls for a task force to investigate top administrators' decisions, and faculty say that will lead to transparency

A vote of no confidence is still an option.

"I hope the administration realizes ... it really depends on what they do next," said Devin Griffiths, an associate professor of English and comparative literature at USC. He is not a member of the academic senate, but he helped start the petition that led to the censure resolution, and attended the Wednesday meeting.

"[The academic senate] need to explain to faculty what a vote of no confidence would mean," Griffiths said.

But the bottom line: faculty are upset that top administrators haven’t shared decision-making with faculty or talked to student protestors and faculty to understand the various reasons they’re upset about the encampment and commencement.

How damaging is this action?

There are no real teeth to censure. USC trustees hire and fire the president. It’s unclear whether trustees have lost confidence in Folt.

It took much bigger problems and a no confidence vote for Nikias to step down.         

What's happening at UCLA?

An online petition said to be started by UCLA faculty and staff is asking UCLA Chancellor Gene Block to resign over the police clearing of protestor camps. Block had already announced he’s stepping down this summer.

On Friday, UCLA faculty announced they'd be considering a vote of censure and a vote of no-confidence.

UCLA did not reply to a request for comment.

It’s taken over a decade and $1.3 billion, but Hollywood Burbank’s new terminal is finally ready for action. On Tuesday, Oct. 13, the first passengers will be taking off and arriving at the brand-new structure.

Visitors note: The new terminal entrance has moved from Thornton Avenue to the intersection of Winona Avenue and Hollywood Way. There’s also a central security checkpoint and an indoor baggage claim.

The project stemmed from Burbank’s Measure B, passed in 2016.

LAist reporter Cato Hernandez got a sneak peek inside the building last week and reported on the scope and the thinking behind the decor.

William Contreras hit a tying homer in the fifth and singled home the go-ahead run an inning later as the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-4 on Monday in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series.

Four relievers combined to retire the last 15 Dodgers batters in order as the Brewers took a 2-0 lead over the two-time defending World Series champions in this best-of-seven series, which heads to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Wednesday.

The Brewers are chasing their second pennant and first in the NL. They made their lone World Series appearance in 1982, when they were in the American League.

Los Angeles is trying to become the first NL team to win three straight World Series. The Dodgers last rallied from a 2-0 deficit to win a series in 2020, when they beat the Atlanta Braves in a seven-game NLCS before going on to win the World Series.

The Dodgers will need more punch from their lineup to have a chance at getting back to the Fall Classic. They mustered just three hits Monday and went 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position to drop to 2 for 26 in those situations this postseason.

Los Angeles couldn’t even get a boost from Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who entered 8-1 with a 2.14 ERA in 11 career playoff appearances. Yamamoto lasted just 2 2/3 innings for his shortest postseason start.

The Dodgers took the lead on three occasions in the first five innings. Milwaukee responded each time, the last coming when Contreras tied the game with a 436-foot homer to center off Kris Bubic in the fifth.

That turned the game into a battle of the bullpens, where the Brewers again had the edge.

Dustin May, JoJo Romero, Abner Uribe and Aaron Ashby combined to shut down the Dodgers after Logan Henderson’s early exit.

The score was tied 4-all when Milwaukee’s David Hamilton was hit by a pitch from Brock Stewart to lead off the sixth. Stewart attempted a pickoff throw that went off the glove of first baseman Freddie Freeman and into foul territory for an error, advancing Hamilton to second.

After Jackson Chourio grounded out, the right-handed Stewart walked the left-handed-hitting Brice Turang to face the right-handed Contreras, who had homered in his previous plate appearance.

Contreras singled to left this time to bring home Hamilton with the go-ahead run.

Turang and Jake Bauers added RBI singles in the eighth to extend Milwaukee’s lead.

Neither starter lasts long

The anticipated pitchers’ duel between Yamamoto and Henderson didn’t work out according to plan.

In three previous playoff starts following Dodgers losses, Yamamoto had gone 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA. When he faced the Brewers in last year’s NLCS, he threw the first playoff complete game since Justin Verlander did it in 2017.

This time, Yamamoto couldn’t even make it out of the third inning before leaving with the Dodgers behind 3-2.

Henderson entered Monday having not allowed more than three runs in any of his 24 career starts (including the postseason). That streak ended when he allowed four runs over four innings.

Because Henderson committed two errors — matching his previous career total — only two of the runs were earned.

Milwaukee trailed 2-1 in the third when Bauers capped a 12-pitch plate appearance by taking a 3-2 offering in the dirt to load the bases with a walk. Christian Yelich followed by lining a single up the middle that brought home two runs and knocked Yamamoto out of the game.

Los Angeles bailed out Yamamoto by scoring twice in the fifth.

After Kyle Tucker hit a leadoff double, Tommy Edman sacrificed him to third. Henderson fielded the bunt and made a wild throw to first, enabling Tucker to score and moving Edman to second.

Edman advanced to third when Mookie Betts grounded out, and scored on Freeman’s sacrifice fly.

Henderson also had made a wild throw to first on a pickoff attempt in the third inning that allowed Edman to score from third.

Up next

Robert Gasser (5-5, 3.87 ERA) is expected to start for Milwaukee in Game 3. Gasser allowed one run over five innings when the Brewers won 3-1 at San Diego to clinch their NL Division Series.

The Dodgers hadn’t announced their Game 3 starting pitcher.

Actor and disability rights advocate RJ Mitte, who brought a lifetime of experience with cerebral palsy to fictional family struggles in an essential role on “Breaking Bad,” died Monday at age 34, authorities and his representatives said.

Cameron County Justice of the Peace Cyndi Hinojosa told The Associated Press she declared Mitte dead at about 1:30 p.m. at what she believed was his home in Brownsville, Texas. She said she was unable to provide a cause, but an autopsy will be performed.

Mitte played Walter White Jr., the son of Bryan Cranston’s chemistry teacher-turned-meth dealer Walter White on nearly every episode of the five seasons of the AMC show, which recently ranked as the best of the 21st century in a New York Times poll.

Diagnosed at age 3, Mitte told the AP in 2014 that his disability and the surrounding struggles with physical therapy, family problems and exorbitant medical bills — all key subjects on the show — made him better at his job.“You develop a different mentality and you develop a different look at how the world sees you and how you see the world,” he said. “You’re able to use that. And I think it’s an asset instead of something that would hinder.”

Mitte was born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi.

He landed small guest roles on sitcoms after moving to Los Angeles to act in 2006. Like his character, he was in his mid-teens when he began his work on “Breaking Bad,” starting in 2007. The show ran from 2008 to 2013.

“Mitte brought authenticity to the role and built a platform on disability awareness and inclusion,” the actor’s representatives said in a statement announcing his death. The statement said he used “his platform to challenge stereotypes and promote greater representation.”

His later credits included the ABC Family series “Switched at Birth” and the superhero satire series “Guardians of Justice.”

He was also a producer of several independent films.

As an advocate, he served as an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children’s. He was also president of his own Mitte Foundation supporting philanthropic and community initiatives around disabilities.