Morning Brief: SCOTUS Gun Ruling, Miranda Rights, Kitchen Abuelas

Good morning, L.A. It’s Friday, June 24.

It’s been quite a busy few days, hasn’t it? Well, before we get to the latest U.S. Supreme Court rulings, I want to make a special plea. Consider this a Public Service Announcement. I’m sure you love opening up this newsletter and reading my lovely words every morning, right? Well, just like your favorite basketball team (I’m a Warriors fan) needs its fans during an away game, we need your support to keep this great product going. 

Today is the final day of our June Member Drive. We are still woefully far from the finish line. But you, my friend, can help us reach our goal. These member drives are a chance to gather support from people who rely on LAist all year long: people who open and read our newsletters every day. Are you ready to be a member? Make a donation today to support local news worth fighting for. 

Ok, watch out for whiplash now because I’m about to pivot to something we need to keep our eyes on:

Just yesterday, in a 6-3 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the 2nd amendment overrides laws in New York that restrict who can legally carry guns in public. Basically, the ruling states it is a citizen’s constitutional right to “bear arms” outside the home, making this one of the more significant decisions around gun rights in more than a decade.

So why does this matter to us blue-state Californians, with the strictest gun laws in the nation? Well, writes Cal Matters’ Ben Christopher California’s similar strict gun laws could be next in the boxing ring.

“While the ruling doesn't speak to the California system, specifically at least on paper, it's very, very similar to the way that New York's works,” Ben Christopher said on KPCC’s AirTalk this morning. “So it's really hard to imagine California's concealed carry permitting system isn't also on borrowed time.” 

Some states require a permit to carry a gun. Other states don’t. California is one of a handful of states with even stricter laws, requiring people to show “good cause” for needing that permit. New York WAS one of them, too. But in writing the opinion for the court, Justice Clarence Thomas said such a restriction is unconstitutional because “it prevents law-abiding citizens with ordinary self-defense needs from exercising their right to keep and bear arms.”

Now, to be clear, California's concealed carry law is still in place. It's up to law enforcement in each county to determine how it's carried out. The state’s capital, Sacramento, for example, has a more lax interpretation of the law than San Francisco, writes Cal Matters' Ben Christopher. Here in L.A. County, the Sheriff’s Department told me that Sheriff Alex Villanueva has bolstered the number of approved concealed weapon permits in response to what it says is a rise in crime. The department also told me its legal department is reviewing the Court’s decision to determine if, or how, it will affect state laws.

On Thursday, Attorney General Rob Bonta announced legislation he said would survive any challenges that might come due to yesterday’s ruling. That includes bills that would strengthen the state’s concealed carry law and would increase accountability for the firearm industry. He stated that he is working with Governor Gavin Newsom and the legislature to advance laws that keep Californians safe: “The data is clear and the consequences are dire — more guns in places make us less safe. In California, we are committed to passing and defending commonsense, constitutional gun laws that save lives."

For his part, Governor Gavin Newsom called the Supreme Court decision “radical."

“Today’s Court thinks that gun regulations should be frozen in time, and that if there wasn’t a similar law in existence in the 1700s or 1800s, then a state can’t pass it now, no matter how important it is to protect people from the modern horror of gun violence.”

Though it's unclear all the specific steps California will take to preserve existing gun laws, UCLA law professor Adam Winkler says, “They could make this a very onerous requirement… something that would really dissuade people from getting permits and restrict people from carrying guns.”

He predicts, “we’re going to see a whole new wave of gun restrictions.”

This decision on concealed weapons is just one of many that SCOTUS is making over the next week. Stay tuned.

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

What Else You Need To Know Today

• Loren Miller was a Black civil rights attorney who won a U.S. Supreme Court case that struck down racist real estate covenants in 1948. Today, the L.A. City Council will vote on whether to designate his Silver Lake home as a historic-cultural monument to honor his legacy.
• Inflation has had a huge impact on unhoused communities and the ability of shelters to provide food. Over the last 12 months, food prices have risen 8.4 percent.
• The United States Supreme Court ruled Thursday that “a violation of Miranda does not necessarily constitute a violation of the Constitution”, meaning: you cannot sue a police officer for violating your Miranda rights. The ruling came in a Los Angeles case called Vega vs. Tekoh.
• The downsizing  of Netflix continues. The streaming giant laid off 300 of its 11,000 employees after having already laid off 150 last month.
• Did you know that more than 100 years ago, the area now known as Frog Town actually had more toads than frogs? We looked into the history.
• Come November, Californians will vote on two different measures to legalize sports betting. Here’s why voting on the same subject in two different initiatives could get complicated.
• The FDA ordered Juul to take all its e-cigarettes off the market, claiming they played a “disproportionate role in the rise in youth vaping."
• It’s time to bring out the rosé again. We’ve got you covered with the perfect summer soundtrack. You didn’t think we were done talking about Beyonce, did you?
  

Before You Go... Abuelas Cooking Up A Storm In A New Culinary Exhibit

Merced Sanchez during her recent demo at LA Plaza Cocina

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Courtesy of Leslie Berestein Rojas

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One of my favorite things about L.A. is Mexican food. But not just any kind of Mexican food. I love authentic Mexican food from the best source there is: someone’s abuela. Luckily for me, I have people in my family and friends’ families who can hook me up. Well, did you know that there’s a new culinary exhibit featuring 10 Mexican and Mexican American grandmothers?

My colleague Leslie Berestein Rojas spoke to some of these lovely ladies in her story about the LA Plaza Cocina, an annex of La Plaza de Cultura y Artes. Leslie says the exhibit is a mix of “photography, a documentary, and oral history.

Check it out.