Morning Brief: The Harassment Continues

Good morning, L.A.

After enduring Wednesday’s violent attack in Washington. D.C., some Southern California members of Congress were harassed on their flights home.

Congresswoman Linda Sanchez, whose district bridges Orange and L.A. counties, said that her fellow passengers also called the siege of the Capitol “patriotic,” and were “gleeful” about it for the duration of the flight.

"I had to bite my tongue,” she said.

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Sanchez said that she’d been concerned on her way in to work on Wednesday morning, noting the distinct lack of police presence despite the fact that pro-Trump extremists had been planning their actions in the open.

“Intelligence had warned that there was a problem, that things could get violent, and that information was not passed along to Capitol Police because the Department of Defense has been politicized,” she said. “That was an epic, epic failure.”

Keep reading for more on what’s happening in L.A. today, and stay safe out there.

What You Need To Know Today

SoCal’s Surge: L.A. County health officials on Sunday confirmed 14,482 new cases of coronavirus and 166 deaths, bringing the total number of cases to 920,177 and total deaths to 12,250. A team of approximately 20 federal military medical personnel are providing support treating COVID-19 patients in Riverside County.

The Vaccine: Some frontline healthcare workers and first responders are hesitant to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, so the LAFD Foundation is now offering them cash prizes.

The Capitol Siege: Some of Southern California’s Democratic members of Congress experienced harassment from Trump supporters on their return trip from the nation’s capital. Arnold Schwarzenegger released a seven-minute video on Twitter comparing the Proud Boys and others in Wednesday’s violent mob to the Nazis during Kristallnacht.

Testing, Testing: L.A. County will stop using Curative’s COVID-19 test at some sites after the FDA said the test poses a “risk of false results, particularly false negative results.”

California Kids: Gov. Gavin Newsom’s budget proposal calls for a $500 million investment toward the long-term goal of universal preschool, but promises little immediate relief for providers struggling to operate during the pandemic.

The Bees’ Knees: Researchers at UC Riverside are launching a multi-campus project to save the declining honey bee population.

Before You Go… A Mural For Local Heroes

The new mural of local civil rights leaders outside the ACLU of Southern California's downtown L.A. office. (Courtesy of Elon Schoenholz)

A new 5,500 square-foot mural is going up in Westlake, on the front of the ACLU’s headquarters.

The piece, designed by ACLU artist-in-residence Audrey Chan, honors local civil rights activists, including Melina Abdullah, Hector Barajas and Upton Sinclair.

"It's really rooted in stories based in Southern California of fighting for racial justice, holding systems of policing and incarceration accountable, people who are defending the rights of immigrants and LGBTQ communities and students rights," said Chan.

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