Morning Brief: Subsidized Rent For Cops, A Gas-As-Fuel Ban, And Biking To Dodger Stadium

Good morning, L.A. It’s April 14.

For the past few years, activists have asked Los Angeles city officials to defund or reallocate public money spent on the L.A. Police Department.

Now, the LAPD is turning that request on its head. Having difficulty recruiting new officers these days, law enforcement officials have proposed a plan in which landlords could partially or fully subsidize rent for new recruits. 

The ask comes at a time when many landlords have been pushing back hard on rent relief for tenants affected by COVID-19. The issue has become quite complicated, with some small landlords saying that California never reimbursed them properly for back rent, and some tenants saying that they still face eviction for unpaid rent despite state and local protections.

Nevertheless, Police Commission member Steve Soboroff told the L.A. Business Journal that there has been “an enormous response” from landlords who want to help potential officers.

LAPD Chief Michel Moore announced his proposal to the Police Commission on Tuesday, noting that recruiters for his force are often told that housing costs are “a barrier and an impediment” for those who would otherwise sign up. This comes just a month after Moore told the commission that his department was not on track to hit its recruitment goal of 740 new officers by the end of June.

To pay for the plan, he said, LAPD would ask for donations to a fund devoted to paying rent for new recruits.

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

What Else You Need To Know Today

• L.A. Sheriff Alex Villanueva has threatened to pull deputies from MTA rail and bus lines unless LASD gets sole control over patrolling the system. 
• Baseball fans can once again hop on the Dodger Express for a free ride to and from the game. 
• The number of child homicide victims fell dramatically in California over the past decade.
• California officials are considering the world’s first ban on new gasoline-fueled cars. 
• A reparations task force is helping California officials examine how African Americans have been harmed by slavery and systemic racism and, weighing that, how the state should respond. 
• Graduation regalia in Southern California is expensive. Is it really necessary? 
• The Democratic National Committee is considering significant changes to how the party picks presidential candidates — potentially taking power away from Iowa and New Hampshire.

Before You Go ... Biking To Dodger Stadium? For One LAist Reporter, It's A Yes

Topgolf Live comes to Dodger Stadium, seen here during the game between the Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants at on July 22, 2021.

(Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images

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Getty Images North America)

Going to Dodgers’ games is a beloved pastime for many Angelenos. But if there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that there is no good way to get to the stadium. Parking costs are exorbitant and it takes forever to exit; Ubers are hard to come by and expensive on game days; and hiking up that hill during the summer? No thank you.

But my intrepid colleague Aaron Mendelson insists that biking to Dodger Stadium is a viable, and, potentially, the best option. Here, he lays out his argument and his methods.