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Morning Briefing: LAPD Chief Does An About Face
Protestors hold posters at a march to defund school police on Tuesday June 16, 2020. Chava Sanchez/ LAist
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Speaking to AirTalk host Larry Mantle yesterday, LAPD Chief Michael Moore did a complete 180 when talking about a recent L.A. City Council proposal to send trained service providers like social workers and mental health experts to non-violent calls, rather than armed police officers. The proposal was a response to the presentation made to city council by leaders of Black Lives Matter-L.A on Monday.
Moore said he supported the proposal “100%,” and went so far as to suggest that the system could be funded by a cut of $150 million from LAPD’s budget.
“That would free officers up, and allow officers to stay focused on police work of major importance,” Moore told Roman. “It’d also allow officers more time, really spend more time in the communities.”
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Just last week, Moore seemed to oppose the cuts, saying that they would result in the elimination of hundreds of LAPD jobs.
Keep reading for more on what’s happening in L.A. today, and stay safe out there.
Coming Up Today, June 18
Peep the summer solstice at Stonehenge, score Father's Day takeout deals and more in this week’s best events, brought to you as usual by Christine N. Ziemba.
Mike Roe looks at what exactly a professional mini-golfer does and the national TV show trying to share the mini sport with the masses.
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LA's drive-in movie theaters are roaring back to life thanks to the coronavirus pandemic — and Hadley Meares has a brief history of their rise and fall.
With the many, many protests still happening throughout Los Angeles, the slow but steady mainstreaming of the phrase "defund the police" and America's reckoning with its racist past, this Juneteenth is a real occasion to celebrate. We’ll have a list of our top picks for IRL and virtual Juneteenth events.
More than 1,000 people without homes died in 2019 in Los Angeles County, where our homeless population has mushroomed as housing has become increasingly unaffordable. Dana Amihere has the story.
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The Past 24 Hours In LA
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Reopening L.A.: An informal Twitter poll suggests LAist readers are most definitely not ready to go back to the gym. The wealthiest American households are keeping a tight grip on their purse strings, as their lower income counterparts spend a lot more freely.
Traffic Fatality: An SUV crashed into L&E Oyster Bar in Silver Lake this morning, killing one person who was riding by on a scooter and injuring two others.
Coronavirus Updates: State prisons will soon begin an early release policy for certain inmates who have six months or less of their sentence left to serve. A “warm line” for people 60 and up gives callers a safe space to talk about what they're seeing and experiencing when it comes to COVID-19.
Policing The Police: Several LAUSD board members will introduce resolutions at the group’s June 23 meeting calling for reforming, restructuring, or reducing funding for the L.A. School Police. LAPD Chief Moore says he supports "100%" the city council motion to redirect non-violent calls away from the police.
Wildfires And Coronavirus: As wildfire season begins, standard firefighting and evacuation practices need to change to adhere to coronavirus social distancing and safety measures, or firefighters will face an even greater risk.
Greening L.A.: In one of the first pilot projects of its kind, a solar panel company will get hundreds of its customers to supply energy to Southern California Edison at peak demand times.
New LAist Studios Podcast: Our weekly deep dive into the evolving world of podcasts, “Servant Of The Pod With Nick Quah,” launched yesterday.
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Photo Of The Day
Moviegoers leave an empty space between each car at the Paramount Drive-in. Drive-in theaters are back in style due to social distancing regulations.
(Chava Sanchez/LAist)
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