Morning Brief: Garcetti’s Hearing, Masks Again, And Chinese Food On Christmas

Good morning, L.A. It’s Dec. 15.

L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti is being considered for an ambassadorship to India by the Biden administration, and yesterday, his nomination hearing was held in Washington, D.C.

The mayor appeared before a U.S. Senate committee for what seemed to be a pretty brisk question and answer period. Garcetti brought his parents along, who, he explained, took him to India as a child: "They first brought me to India and taught me how deeply connected we are to everybody," he said.

President Joe Biden announced his nomination of Garcetti back in July. At the time, Biden touted Garcetti’s lengthy tenure in L.A. politics, his overseeing of “the busiest container port in the Western Hemisphere, the largest municipal utility in the country, and one of the busiest airports in the world,” and his successful bid for the 2028 Olympics (although not all Angelenos consider the Games a win).

Garcetti was likely nominated because he served as a co-chair of Biden’s presidential campaign.

During yesterday’s hearing, the mayor was asked about accusations that he enabled sexual harassment by a former top aide, Rick Jacobs. Senator Cynthia Shaheen (D-New Hampshire) cited her “concern” that Garcetti “did not respond to those allegations in a way that would have stopped that behavior."

For his part, Garcetti denied knowing anything about Jacobs’s alleged behavior.

If Garcetti’s nomination is approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, it will go to the full Senate for a vote.

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

What Else You Need To Know Today

• California is bringing back its indoor mask mandate. 
• Activists, architects and officials want to turn now-empty office buildings in L.A. into housing. 
• Who is Alberto Carvalho, the next leader of LAUSD?
• Power outages, road closures, and evacuations were happening across L.A. as a result of this week’s rain.
• Iran Moreno Balvaneda, 13, was fatally shot last month while playing video games in his Pasadena bedroom, and was remembered in an emotional service.
• Tuesday is the grand opening of the refurbished Cecil Hotel, which will now house 600 affordable apartments.

Before You Go ... How Chinese Restaurants Conquered Christmas

A Christmas feast at Genghis Cohen, a popular Chinese restaurant in the Fairfax neighborhood.

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Courtesy of Genghis Cohen

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The tradition of Jewish Americans eating at Chinese restaurants on Christmas likely has its roots in Manhattan, where Jewish and Chinese immigrants once lived in close proximity. Neither of the two groups celebrate Christmas, and so a custom of noshing together as outsiders was born.

These days, though, many people, regardless of their religious affiliation, are embracing the idea. Here’s why.