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Morning Briefing: Coronavirus Contradictions
A framing art gallery is closed in Venice Beach on April 1, 2020. (Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images)
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The contradictory coronavirus messages keep coming.
As L.A. and O.C. county numbers surge, Downtown Disney nevertheless reopened its doors to visitors — and people were waiting in line to get in. Just a few weeks ago, city officials lauded the widespread testing available to Angelenos; now, we’re back to limited testing for those at the highest risk.
And those whose loved ones remain in lockdown — whether at nursing homes, mental health facilities or elsewhere — are struggling with the grief of not seeing them and, too frequently, not knowing what’s going on.
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Mayor Eric Garcetti said yesterday that the city would not see another stay-at-home order. Let's hope that continues to be the case.
Keep reading for more on what’s happening in L.A. today, and stay safe out there.
The Past 24 Hours In LA
Policing The Police: In an unprecedented move, the L.A. County coroner released the results of an autopsy (against the wishes of the Sheriff’s department), which found that 18-year-old Andrés Guardado was killed by five shots in the back fired by a Sheriff’s deputy.
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Coronavirus Updates: We spent time with a mother who has been cutting through bushes to talk with her son through his window at La Casa, a locked mental health facility in Long Beach. Priority for COVID-19 tests in L.A. County will again go to people experiencing symptoms, those in high-risk jobs or those who have come in contact with someone who’s tested positive. Downtown Disney reopened despite a surge in Orange County COVID-19 cases — and people waited in line to get in.
How Athletes Adapt: The Angel City Games has established itself as Southern California's premier adaptive-sports competition, and this year its athletes are adjusting to going virtual.
L.A. Kids: The L.A. teachers’ union is pushing to keep school campuses closed when the semester begins on Aug. 18.
Horse Racing Deaths: In the wake of 29 horse deaths at Los Alamitos race track, industry regulators warned that the track could lose its license if it doesn't come up with a plan to reduce fatalities in the next 10 days.
First Person: L.A. teacher and first-generation Korean immigrant Caroline Rhude reflects on how others’ perception of her race and identity has affected her interactions throughout her life. Erick Galindo writes about the deep and lasting influence that the late Mexican American writer Rudolfo Anaya, who died in late June, had on him.
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Weekend Reads
There's a lot going on in the world right now, and it’s hard enough to keep our day-to-day lives in order without trying to stay current on the news. But if you have some time this weekend, these articles provide some much-needed insight into the current moment in L.A., as well as some news you may have missed:
John Clinton Porter was the mayor of L.A. in the early 1930s. He was also a leader of the Ku Klux Klan. (LA Taco)
Melina Abdullah, a leader in the Black Lives Matter movement, reflects on the group’s past seven years in this first-person essay. (LA Watts Times)
More than 3,000 people being held in ICE detention centers have tested positive for COVID-19. (La Opinión)
A new Hollywood high-rise will house micro-unit apartments averaging “375 square feet, with a targeted rent of $1,995 per month." (Urbanize LA)
Los Fauna, a psychedelic garage rock band based in Boyle Heights/East L.A., talks about rehearsing in quarantine and possibly coming up with a “Cuarentena Cumbia.” (Boyle Heights Beat)
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Expect pozoles, a vegan elopozole, beef tongue with plantains and more at L.A.’s first Afro-Mexican restaurant. (Eater LA)
The case for feminist cities has been amplified by the coronavirus. (Curbed)
L.A. has a history of being a reputed “birthplace of the future.” How will we uphold that tradition as we reinvent post-coronavirus? (Phys.org)
Photo Of The Day
Annie Felix visits her son, Andrew, from the other side of his window at La Casa, a locked mental health in Long Beach. Visitation has been frozen because of COVID-19.
(Robert Garrova / LAist)
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