Morning Brief: Vaccinating Teachers, Sharing Black Stories, And Examining The Golden Globes

Good morning, L.A. It’s March 2.

After L.A. Unified School District Superintendent Austin Beutner made clear that he wouldn’t reopen schools until at least 25,000 teachers and staff received the COVID-19 vaccine, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced yesterday that he would set that number of doses aside for LAUSD.

Calling the decision a “game-changer,” Beutner said that the plan “will allow us to complete — during the next two weeks — vaccinations for school staff who are already working at school sites, staff who are working with our youngest learners and those working with students with learning differences and disabilities.”

Teachers and child care providers became eligible for the vaccine yesterday, but supply is still very limited. In a press conference yesterday, Barbara Ferrer, the county’s public health director, said that this week, L.A. received enough doses for about 270,000 appointments. There are more than 2.6 million Angelenos who are now eligible.

“We simply still do not have the supply of vaccine needed to fill all of our appointments,” Ferrer said.

Dr. Paul Simon, the chief science officer for L.A. County’s Department of Public Health, added that inoculating everyone in the current tier — Tier 1B — could take a while.

“We urge the public’s patience as we work through this process as swiftly as possible,” he said.

The doses being reserved for LAUSD staff are part of a larger effort to vaccinate educators and school employees across the state. At least 10% of the doses California receives will be earmarked for that group of individuals.

Additionally, Thursdays and Fridays will be set aside for vaccinating educators at California’s FEMA-supported vaccination sites. (In Los Angeles, that’s at Cal State L.A.)

LAUSD schools reopened for a few select activities this week, including child care, special education services, athletic conditioning and small-group tutoring. Beutner set April 9 as a tentative reopening date for in-person learning for elementary school students, however that date has been met with resistance from the local teachers union.

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

What Else You Need To Know Today

• A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit that claimed L.A. was violating the Fourth Amendment by collecting geolocation data from scooters.
• John Horn writes that "everyone in Hollywood who's even remotely truthful knows that the Golden Globes — and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association — are a joke."
• Here’s what you need to know about the rules and procedures for food and agriculture workers to get vaccinated in L.A. County.
• Comic-Con cancelled its in-person event for the second year in a row, but will hold a smaller version of the usual pop culture extravaganza in November.
• While we saw some rain at the start of the month, since then it's been dry, dry, dry.
• This week, discover a short film directed by Maya Angelou, stuff your face at dineL.A.'s spring Restaurant Week, learn about Shanghai's WWII community of Jewish refugees, and more.

Before You Go … Black History Month May Be Over, But Sharing Black Stories Is Still A Priority

People raise their fists as they protest at the makeshift memorial in honor of George Floyd, on June 2, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)

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February has ended, but our commitment to seeking out, highlighting and amplifying Black voices isn’t. Our increased transparency in how we cover the Black community pre-dates last summer’s unrest. Our multifaceted Black History Month coverage wasn’t an endpoint, but a device and a catalyst to continue this editorial work.

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