Morning Briefing: A Dubious Honor

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As L.A. enters the fifth month of our quarantine, stay-at-home, social distancing mash-up, we also now have the highest number of coronavirus cases of any American county. Since officials began tracking, over 201,000 Angelenos have tested positive for the virus.

And the ripple effects continue to grow. Public school districts aren’t reopening. Universities are fully digital. Essential employees are beyond burned out.

If you’re interested in a deeper dive into how we got here – not just as a county, but as a nation – the New York Times has a look at exactly what went wrong.

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

— Jessica P. Ogilvie

Coming Up Today, August 7

Back in 1956, Shirlee Smith got a job as a telephone operator for a big local hospital. The person hiring her didn’t know what she looked like. Everything was fine until she came in.

There are relatively few cases of the coronavirus linked to L.A. child care centers. But the data is inconsistent, and there’s been at least one outbreak at a facility that says it followed safety guidelines, reports Mariana Dale.

A new study shows that a lot of the people who lost their jobs to the pandemic then got them back, have lost them again. David Wagner has the story.

Josie Huang has the latest chapter in the saga of tenants who've been fighting eviction from their apartment complex, in which their landlord allegedly covers the building with graffiti.

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The Past 24 Hours In LA

Coronavirus Updates: Since the pandemic began, more than 200,000 Angelenos have tested positive.

California Kids: California’s Department of Education ruled that LAUSD did a sloppy job explaining how it spent $1 billion in state funds to support low-income students, English-language learners and foster children. USC's welcome ceremony for incoming students was held online.

Blazing Out: By the time December rolls around, it's not uncommon for California firefighters to feel burned out – but fears and frustrations related to COVID-19 are making it much worse, much earlier.

Controversy On Campus: Cal State L.A.’s pick for interim dean of the College of Ethnic Studies is causing controversy; Black Lives Matter-L.A. founder Melina Abdullah has been pushing hard for the job, and has lined up supporters who say she should be appointed instead, immediately.

Here’s What To Do: Peep crazy cult movie art, adopt a kitty looking for a forever home, learn the history of the Colorado Street Bridge, and more in this week’s best online and IRL events. Pick up some dahi puri, papdi chaat, vada pav or googli paratha at Pasadena’s Namaste Spiceland, which LAist contributor Virali Dave writes is one of the few spots in L.A. that reminds her of home.

Collaborate With Us! Our newsroom is looking for caregivers and educators in Southern California to document what it's like to care for other people's kids in a pandemic.

Photo Of The Day

A Koreatown Taekwondo class moves outside, with masks.

(Chava Sanchez/LAist)

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The news cycle moves fast. Some stories don't pan out. Others get added. Consider this today's first draft, and check LAist.com for updates on these stories and more. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

This post has been updated to reflect changes in what's coming up for today.

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