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Morning Briefing: Hollywood Bowl Cancels Summer Season
The Hollywood Bowl in 1935. Photo taken during the funeral of humorist Will Rogers, who died in a plane crash. (AFP via Getty Images)
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Summer in L.A. is going to look a lot different this year. No sunbathing at the beach, no escaping the heat at a movie theater, and now, no concerts at the Hollywood Bowl. The L.A. Philharmonic Association, which runs the Bowl, announced Wednesday that its full season would be canceled for the first time in the venue’s history.
"We are all broken-hearted," said CEO Chad Smith in a statement.
I’ll be honest. In recent years, the crowds at the Bowl were a little overwhelming for me; the hour it took to exit the venue made me stop going as frequently. But now that it’s temporarily closed, all I want to do is put together a basket of abjectly impractical snacks and cheese and cans of wine from Trader Joe’s, sit on a bench and listen to literally anyone play music, with L.A. sprawling out around me.
Of course, that’s not going to happen, and I’ll hold off on bemoaning lost concert-going when there are much more serious and pressing concerns at hand. But I look forward to the day when we can all come together as a music-loving city again… impractical snacks and all.
Keep reading for more on what’s happening in L.A. today, and stay safe out there.
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Coming Up Today, May 14
Never heard of a daigou agent? That's because you don't live in China, where some people hire them to shop in L.A. and send them the goods. Yingjie Wang has the story.
The activist organization Friends of Griffith Park is buying land near the Batcave – where the 1960s Batman TV show was filmed, reports Mike Roe.
Winesplaining. The Beastly Ball. Totally '80s aerobics. Christine N. Ziemba has your quarantine-approved events for the weekend.
It's the holy month of Ramadan and this year, everything is different, reports Elina Shatkin, especially iftar — the meal Muslims eat to break their daily fast.
At least 3,600 healthcare workers have tested positive for COVID-19 in LA County. At least 20 have died. Elly Yu talks to a survivor.
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Robert Garrova has a pandemic silver lining story: A woman whose son has paranoid schizophrenia and is in jail has to write letters to him because visits are forbidden. This has opened a whole new channel of communication for the mother and son.
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The Past 24 Hours In LA
L.A., California, The World: There are now 33,247 coronavirus cases and 1,617 deaths in L.A. County, and at least 71,081 cases and 2,882 deaths in California. Worldwide, there are more than 4.3 million cases and over 296,000 deaths.
Open, Close: The Rose Bowl loop reopened after a six-week closure, but the Hollywood Bowl’s 2020 season has been canceled. A new order in L.A. County allows more lower-risk businesses to reopen. Ten counties in California have been approved to move further into Phase 2 of reopening. The program to install temporary food pick-up parking zones outside restaurants is expanding to include retail businesses. Sheriff Villanueva hasn't made a final decision on closing the Altadena and Marina del Rey patrol stations.
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The 2020 Vote: Republican candidate Mike Garcia has claimed victory in Tuesday's special election in California's 25th district.
Money Matters: Cal State University will keep charging students the same tuition and fees for the Fall 2020 semester, even though it’ll be online. A Granada Hills real estate developer will plead guilty in connection to bribing public officials — including a member of L.A. City Council — to get faster approval for real estate projects. A struggling Italian deli in the San Fernando Valley was the first to get a no-interest loan from a new community fund.
L.A. Kids: An L.A. Superior Court judge ruled against releasing low-risk and medically fragile youth detainees being held in the county’s juvenile detention system right now. LAUSD has established a mental health hotline, but without face-to-face interaction with counselors or teachers, effectively connecting with struggling students has proven challenging.
COVID-19 In Prisons: The California Institution for Women in Corona is experiencing a coronavirus outbreak.
Mental Health: Health care workers on the frontlines are undergoing extreme stress during the pandemic, and psychiatrists say this will lead to PTSD for some. As health authorities struggle to contain COVID-19 outbreaks in nursing homes, even official patient advocates can't visit in person.
Print This Worksheet: KPCC and LAist worked with celebrated graphic designer Rosten Woo to create an easy-to-understand resource guide that families can use as a roadmap for financial assistance, food and other resources, as well as some fun activities for kids.
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Your Moment Of Zen
Visual journalist Chava Sanchez captured this image of the Sears building in Boyle Heights as the sun set behind it.
(Chava Sanchez / LAist)
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
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