Morning Brief: Transparency In LAPD Shootings, Youth Camps In Malibu, And A Bird In A Bubble

Good morning, L.A. It’s March 16.

For years, protesters gathered every Wednesday outside former Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey’s downtown office to press her to file charges against law enforcement officers who use deadly force against civilians.

In 2020, they held their final rally after Lacey was voted out and replaced by George Gascón. Now, there’s a new report that supports their underlying suspicion that officers were getting off easily; the L.A. Police Commission’s Inspector General found that between 2015 and 2020, most officers who wrongfully fired on civilians faced light discipline, or none at all.

Yesterday, the Board of Police Commissioners voted for a similar report to be generated each month, and uploaded to the LAPD website. The recommendation was put forward by Police Commission Vice President Eileen Decker.

“In the interest of transparency,” she said, “we should make this report available on an ongoing basis and not wait for the next [Inspector General] report.”

The initial report was the first of its kind and was commissioned by Mayor Eric Garcetti. During the six years it covers, 66 officers were found to have violated department policy when they shot at people.

Approximately 40% of those officers were disciplined, mostly by being suspended for anywhere from two to 55 days. Most of the remaining officers were given additional training, and nothing more.

One officer, Salvador Sanchez, was fired. Sanchez fatally shot 32-year-old Kenneth French and seriously wounded French’s parents while off duty at a Costco in 2019.

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

What Else You Need To Know Today

• Late fees on property taxes will be canceled for landlords who haven’t received rent due to the county’s ongoing pandemic protections for renters. 
• A growing population of unhoused Angelenos are over the age of 50. 
• In a newly released video, California Highway Patrol officers are shown leaning on a man who refused a blood alcohol test as he screamed "I can't breathe.” He later died.
• State and county-wide mask requirements for K-12 schools and child care centers expired over the weekend, and most such facilities are now making masks optional.
• New data shows that people are ignoring Gov. Gavin Newsom’s pleas for voluntary water conservation. Some experts say it’s time for a mandatory order.
• A small but growing body of research is offering hints that masks don’t have a significant impact on kids' speech or social skills.
• Children incarcerated for serious crimes will be moved to camps in Malibu, Santa Clarita and Commerce following California’s closure of its Division of Juvenile Justice.

Before You Go ... A Mad Scientist And His Bird In A Bubble

Joseph Wright of Derby (1734-1797), An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump, 1768, oil on canvas,72 x 96 1/16 in. Presented by Edward Tyrrell, 1863.

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© Image courtesy of The National Gallery, London

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An adolescent boy has switched places with a cockatoo: Blue Boy, Thomas Gainsborough's 1770 painting that’s resided at the Huntington Art Museum since 1921, was sent to London’s National Gallery. In return, the National Gallery loaned the Huntington Joseph Wright of Derby's 1768 work, An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump. Catch the bird while you can.