Morning Brief: LA Mayor’s Race, Rising COVID Cases, Pride Love

Good morning, L.A. It’s June 6.

Hey friends. I hope you had a fantastic weekend like I did. Yesterday, I ran a half marathon for the very first time in my life in San Diego. I’ll tell you more about my time at the Rock and Roll Marathon tomorrow. Now, we’ve got some more important stuff to talk about.

Brianna, what do you have for us today for Voter Game Plan?

Voter Game Plan: Meet Your Mayor

We’ve got less than 48 hours until polls close for the June 7 primary election. If you haven’t filled out your ballot yet, you’re probably not alone — procrastinators, unite!

But if you’re getting nervous sweats about trying to cram all your election research into these next few hours, worry not. If you’re an L.A. city resident voting for mayor, we’ve got the ultimate election procrastinator tool:Meet Your Mayor, our political matchmaking quiz. 

It’s simple: Answer a handful of questions about where you stand on issues like homelessness, policing and the climate emergency, and the quiz will tell you which mayoral candidate most aligns with your views. No need to decipher vague campaign statements that avoid talking about the issues, or open a dozen tabs to figure out where exactly a candidate stands. The whole quiz takes just a few minutes.

If you want to see all the candidates' responses by topic, you can also do that. Just click “View topic guide” under any question. And there’s always the option of readingall the candidate questionnaires in full if you’re a procrastinator but also want to do the most.

And just a reminder: If you don’t see the L.A. mayoral race on your ballot, it’s likely because you’re not registered to vote within the city of L.A.! Only city residents can vote for this seat. Even if you have “Los Angeles” in your address, that’s not a guarantee – you might live in unincorporated L.A. County, not the city of L.A. Still not sure? Put your address into Voter’s Edge.

Here’s what you need to know to get your vote in on time:

• Vote centers are open today from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and tomorrow from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. 
• Find a vote center near you at theL.A. County Registrar’s website,.
• Tuesday is the last day to postmark your vote-by-mail ballot or put it into an official dropbox. 

Check out our full list of guides and FAQs atVoter Game Plan.

As always, stay happy and healthy, folks. There’s more news below the fold.

What Else You Need To Know Today 

• It’s not looking great out there when it comes to COVID. The L.A. County Department of Public Health reported more than 5,000 new cases on Friday. The positivity rate continues to trend up.  Be careful, friends.
• The Summit of The Americas Meets in L.A. this week. What that means for traffic and everything else.
• Meet Jonathan Fajardo, Culture and Community Director of Compton Community Garden. A place where organic tomatoes and summer greens grow, Fajardo described it as a “communal effort to directly address ecological and social inequalities in Compton and beyond.”
• Gov. Gavin Newsom is spending $11 billion on a campaign to push for more "red flag" laws. This allows, via court order, the temporary removal of a firearm or ammunition from someone who may be a risk to themselves, or others.
• The current State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Thurmond, looks like he could win another term, but what has he actually done as California Schools Chief?
• Critics raise concern over California’s Plan for Handling Climate Crisis. 
• ICYMI: White House says COVID vaccination for kids younger than 5 could start in a few weeks. 

Before You Go … Pride Celebrations Are Here. This Is What It Means For One Angeleno

Anthony Ocampo at his childhood home in Eagle Rock.

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Brian De Los Santos

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LAist

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My colleague Brian De Los Santos met up with Anthony Christian Ocampo, author of the forthcoming book Brown and Gay in LA, to talk about what makes Pride special for him. Take it away Brian…

Ocampo — a sociology professor at Cal State Pomona — has gone to different Pride celebrations over the years and one thing remains true for him: the pregame party is the main event.

“When you think about the way we grew up, we weren’t allowed to be ourselves with our families in the living room… and here we are recreating the moment that we should’ve been able to have,” he says.

Ocampo, who is a queer Filipino American, was talking about the freedom to be ourselves, us LBGTQ+ folks — we work toward that freedom via friends, experiences and relationships when we come out. The pregame is where conversations happen, laughter shakes the room and music brings nostalgia of our youth.

These days, Ocampo isn’t so pressed to go to the festivals. He says he did the parties when he was younger. Now, he’s more concerned about safety, reflecting on all the mass shootings in recent years, including at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando in 2016, which left 49 people dead. (The feeling is real, y’all.) But outside of June, Ocampo says there’s so much queer beauty and history that can be celebrated throughout the year. As a self-described nerd, he enjoys hearing and reading about queer icons who initiated why we have Pride events in present day.

“Pride didn’t happen out of nowhere, it was a rebellion, it was resistance,” he says, “it might’ve been a party, but it was more than that.”

If you want to check out some Pride fests yourself, here’s a list of festivities happening in Southern California during the rest of June. Happy Pride! 🏳️‍🌈

— Brian De Los Santos