Morning Briefing: LA Moves Towards Police Reform

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Yesterday was a big day for police reform in L.A., as city and county officials took initial steps towards allocating less money to law enforcement and more to underserved communities.

After debating the issue for over 11 hours at their last meeting, the LAUSD board finally reached a compromise and voted to reduce the school police budget by 35%. In less than 24 hours, L.A. School Police Department Chief Todd Chamberlain resigned — although he claimed it had nothing to do with the cuts.

At the same time, the L.A. City Council voted in favor of cutting $150 million from LAPD’s $1.8 billion operating budget. Of those funds, $90 million will be put towards programs serving marginalized communities; $10 million will go to a summer youth program; and $50 million will go to reducing city worker furloughs and mid-year budget adjustments.

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

— Jessica P. Ogilvie

Coming Up Today, July 2

The Rose Bowl Aquatics Center is making its pandemic comeback with appointment-only swimming, mandatory pre-swim showers, and fewer people per lane, reports Sharon McNary. And that post-swim hot shower? Forget about it.

Many workers are being called back in after months of furlough. Some don't want to return. Emily Guerin and David Wagner explain why.

Catch new films by Werner Herzog and Hirokazu Kore-eda, attend a comedy show inside Animal Crossing, listen to Danny Glover and Ben Guillory talk about theater and social justice, and more. Christine N. Ziemba has this week’s best online and IRL events.

L.A. County's chief medical officer tells Jackie Fortiér that the private labs contracted to conduct local COVID-19 tests are not turning them around fast enough.

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The Past 24 Hours In LA

Policing The Police: The LA. City Council voted to cut $150 million from the LAPD budget, and reinvest the funds in marginalized communities. L.A. School Police Chief Todd Chamberlain abruptly resigned less than 24 hours after the LAUSD board voted to cut $25 million from his department's budget. Olivia Riçhard profiles a program that teaches Black youth how to navigate high-stake situations with law enforcement.

Coronavirus Updates: The transfer of hundreds of men from a prison in Chino to slow the spread of COVID-19 backfired; now there's an outbreak at San Quentin.

Re-Closing L.A.: Gov. Newsom announced the closure of indoor dining at L.A. County restaurants for at least the next three weeks.

Money Matters: Some undocumented immigrants are now eligible for financial relief under the new California state budget. Sheriff Alex Villanueva backed away from his threat to close the Altadena and Marina Del Rey patrol stations.

L.A. Times Scandal: Peter Meehan, the former food editor of the L.A. Times, has stepped down after being accused of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment.

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Photo Of The Day

LAist visual journalist Chava Sanchez captured this view of downtown L.A., seen from Vernon as the sun sets.

(Chava Sanchez/LAist)

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