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Morning Briefing: Just Beachy
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Saturday's news was is all about the beaches. Closed, empty, crowded, contested...the L.A. vs. O.C. battle continues to rage.
On Friday, thousands of (overwhelmingly white) demonstrators crowded Huntington Beach to rally against state-ordered closures and the economic shutdown writ large. Other things they're reportedly upset about: their personal freedom being infringed upon, their Constitutiona rights being infringed upon, science in general, and "not being able to hang out with their friends," according to one.
By the next day, though, most people did what the Governor asked them to do – they stayed off the beaches. L.A.'s white sand was also empty, with the exception of some joggers and walkers. Altough the anti-lockdown protests are getting a lot attention, research shows that the majority of Angelenos (95%) support the city's stay-at-home policy, if it means slowing the spread of coronavirus.
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But with all the sadness going on in the world, maybe it's nice to argue over something as simple as beaches. It feels easier than trying to make sense of what we're going through right now. I, for one, am avoiding that train of thought to maintain a semlance of sanity. And reading about angry people in Orange County is honestly, a top-notch distraction.
That's all I got. Enjoy the rest of your quarantine weekend and stay cool, L.A.
The Past 24 Hours In LA
L.A., California, The World: There are now at least 24,894 coronavirus cases and 1,209 deaths in L.A. County. There are at least 52,596 cases and 2,111 deaths in California. Worldwide, there are over 3.4 million cases and more than 238,000 deaths.
Financial hardship: Freelancers who had some, even a little, W2 income might receive less money for unemployment than they should, under the new system. Airbnb hosts, who are also freelancers (they get via 1099's too), are struggling to pay off their mortages now that reservations are cancelled. Judging by the comments, a lot of you don't feel bad for them.
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A new report from Kaiser Health News found that most of the California nursing homes that experienced COVID-19 outbreaks already had some red flags, including nurses or aides not washing their hands or wearing protective clothing around potentially contagious patients. Lesson: check the ratings when selecting a nursing home. These ones weren't good.
Huntington Beach police patrolled the beaches on Saturday for the first time. They didn't issue actual tickets or fines, but they did ask people to leave. For the most part, they listened. San Clemente's city council is arguing over whether or not to take legal action to re-open their beaches.
Sashay to your couch for virtual DragCon this weekend. If that's not your thing, here are a bunch of other events happening on the small screen. As for food, may we suggest menudo?
Your Moment Of Zen
A Florida lawyer was so fed up with his state's crowded beaches, that he donned a grim reaper costume and...headed to the beach. Here he is doing a live interview on local Florida TV and let me just say, it's very 2020.
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