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After everything that happened this week, I'll be honest with you: I'm feeling more than a little uneasy about where L.A. is headed. Mayor Eric Garcetti said Friday that he won’t re-close more businesses, despite the fact that the city is still going "in the wrong direction” when it comes to stopping the spread of the coronavirus.
Meanwhile, Gov. Gavin Newsom directed most schools in the state to begin the 2020-21 school year online, a whopping 89% of L.A. nursing home staff know or suspect that their co-workers have had COVID-19, and when a couple of comedians tried to hand out masks in Huntington Beach, they became afraid for their physical safety.
What else can we do or say? I – and maybe you, too – hoped we’d be past the worst of the first wave by now. Instead, it looks like we’re headed for a slow, painful battle that will likely last well into next year, and take many more lives and livelihoods with it.
Keep reading for more on what’s happening in L.A. today, and do your best to stay safe.
The Past 24 Hours In LA
Policing The Police: An L.A.-based CHP officer who propositioned and harassed 21 women during VIN verification appointments was fired, but his case was never sent to the district attorney’s office for possible prosecution.
Coronavirus Updates: L.A. will not re-close more businesses this week, even though the city is "still headed in the wrong direction," said Mayor Eric Garcetti, with 2,887 new cases and 62 new deaths. Most California schools must use distance learning until their counties are off the state's COVID-19 monitoring list for at least 14 days. A large majority of frontline employees at California skilled nursing facilities say there have been known or suspected COVID-19 cases among staff at their facilities. Public health officials are asking private employers not to send their employees to free testing sites to get tested as a condition of returning to work.
The Mask Battle: Chris Voss, a retired FBI special agent and hostage negotiator, talked to us about how to navigate mask-related disputes. A pair of YouTube comedians tried handing out masks in Huntington Beach, to little avail.
Money Matters: After 25 years of live shows and dance parties, The Satellite in Silver Lake will transition to a bar/restaurant in an attempt to survive the current economic crisis. California’s unemployment rate declined to 14.9% in June after hitting record highs of 16.4% in April and May.
First Person: LAist contributor Brandi Carter writes about being shaped by a request her father made for her to spend one year at a historically Black college or university. Erick Galindo writes about a terrifying encounter on his way to a park with his niece and nephews, and feeling like he was “back in the ‘hood, having to act tough to avoid getting eaten alive."
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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:
The Santa Monica City Council appointed its first Black female councilmember. (Santa Monica Mirror)
California’s farm laborers can’t accommodate the state’s guidelines for preventing the spread of the coronavirus, such as social distancing and staying at home – and their employers aren’t helping. (San Fernando Sun)
Jermaine Welsh was driving for his delivery job when he was shot six times going through an intersection, and the bullets may have come from LAPD. Now, some officers are reportedly trying to implicate him in the shooting while holding onto his cell phone, shoes and $3,000 taken from his vehicle that night. (Streetsblog LA)
Cannabis business executives who are Black discuss racism in the industry, and possible solutions to move towards inclusivity. (Marijuana Business Daily)
Imaginative entrepreneurs are turning L.A. into a hub for artificial intelligence. (L.A. Business Journal)
Many longtime vendors at the San Fernando Swap Meet say they were shut out of their spaces when the venue reopened after coronavirus closures. (San Fernando Sun)
As adults battle about whether or not to reopen schools, here’s what some local students think. (Los Angeles Wave Newspapers)
Music journalist and former LA Weekly music editor Andy Hermann pairs cocktails with classic L.A. records. (Los Angeleno)
Photo Of The Day
One couple, Brianda Mendivil and Christian Reyes, got married in a socially distanced ceremony at Griffith Observatory.
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