Morning Brief: Tragedy In Texas, Monkeypox, And Pop-Up Magazine

Good morning, L.A. It’s May 25.

Change is afoot at LAist, and today was the day I was going to introduce our newest team member, Aaricka Washington, who will be taking over writing this newsletter in the next few days. We were working on a fun, lighthearted introduction. But then the news broke about another school shooting: at least 18 children and two adults are dead in Uvalde, Texas.

Gov. Gavin Newsom immediately responded on Twitter, saying, “Another shooting. And the GOP won’t do a damn thing about it. Who the hell are we if we cannot keep our kids safe. This is preventable. Our inaction is a choice. We need nationwide, comprehensive, commonsense [sic] gun safety NOW.”

We both felt we’d be remiss not to write about this tragedy, even though it’s not L.A.-based. I’m the mother of an almost four-year-old, and Aaricka is a former teacher who taught in Texas elementary and middle schools. To say we are devastated doesn’t begin to touch what we’re feeling; there are no words.

By the time you read this, President Joe Biden will have addressed the country. Texas Gov. Joe Abbott, who has been staunchly against gun control legislation and last year signed into law a bill allowing Texans to carry handguns without a permit, license or training, expressed his sorrow about the tragedy on Twitter.

And yet, as of now, the National Rifle Association is still scheduled to meet in Houston this Memorial Day weekend. There are no plans to end these senseless killings that now happen almost every day in the United States. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting — where a gunmen killed 20 first-graders and six adults in Connecticut.

There have been 27 school shootings in the United States so far this year.

LAist will not report on the Texas tragedy closely, but NPR will, and we’ll repost their content so you can stay informed. In the meantime, as we all process this tragedy during a time when all the news seems bad, here are some resources that can hopefully help you::

• Need Some Mental Health Support? Start Here
• What To Say To Kids When The News Is Scary
• Texas School Shooting: How To Help Kids Get Through Unspeakable Horror 
• Coping In The Aftermath of a Shooting

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

What Else You Need To Know Today

• The Anaheim City Council met to discuss its options regarding the pending sale of Angels Stadium and adjacent property to team owner Arte Moreno.
• A suspected case of monkeypox was reported in Sacramento County Tuesday, the first in California, as a rare outbreak of the disease continues to move around the globe.
• Nearly 32,000 mechanics would lose jobs by 2040 under the proposed phaseout of new gas-powered cars. Electric companies would be the big winners.
• Special interest groups are spending millions of dollars to make their picks in the California primary. Such groups can be particularly powerful in down-ballot races that don't get a whole lot of news coverage – races like the ones for LAUSD school board and community college board of trustees."

Before You Go ... This Week's Event Pick: Pop-Up Magazine

Pop-up Magazine returns to L.A. this week, bringing its Spring 2022 edition to the Theatre at ACE Hotel.

(Jenna Garrett)

The live multimedia experience returns to L.A. at The Theatre at Ace Hotel with an issue that features art, music, stories and performance by podcast host Tracy Clayton, author and artist Chanel Miller, 2020 Pulitzer Prize finalist Chloé Cooper Jones and others.

Or, you could: Watch musicals created in a single day. Hear from Joe Swanberg about improvised moviemaking. Listen to the former US ambassador to Ukraine talk about her new memoir and the current political situation. And more.