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Morning Briefing: LA County Sheriff’s Disinformation Tactics
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva at the graduation ceremony for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Academy class 433 at East Los Angeles College, Friday, January 4, 2019. Kyle Grillot for LAist
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Good morning, L.A.
Over the weekend, KPCC/LAist reporter Josie Huang was detained by L.A. County Sheriff’s Deputies while she was documenting an arrest. News of the incident spread rapidly on social and mainstream media, and along with it, a flood of disinformation about what actually happened that night.
Chief among the disinformation purveyors, it turns out, was Sheriff Alex Villanueva himself. KPCC Investigative Reporter Aaron Mendelson dug into what Villanueva has said about the arrest, and juxtaposed it with video evidence. In a disturbing number of cases, Villanueva is plainly inaccurate.
We’ll continue to report on this story as it unfolds, in addition to the investigation into the shooting of two Sheriff’s deputies. In the meantime, keep reading for more on what’s happening in L.A. today, and stay safe out there.
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Coming Up Today, September 17
The coronavirus pandemic is disproportionately impacting working moms. More so than men or women without children, they’re cutting their work hours and spending more time taking care of their kids. Researchers say this could hurt their careers years down the road. Mariana Dale reports.
Attend a new drive-in movie experience in Chinatown, discover the scents of mummification, catch a sneak peek of the latest play from the Latino Theater Company, and more. Christine N. Ziemba has this week’s best online and IRL events.
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The Past 24 Hours In LA
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Policing Law Enforcement: Sheriff Alex Villanueva is sticking to his narrative about the arrest of KPCC/LAist correspondent Josie Huang – a narrative contradicted by video evidence.
Wildfires: The Bobcat fire has burned 44,393 acres in the Angeles National Forest, and is at 3% containment. The El Dorado fire has burned 18,092 acres and is at 60% containment.
Coronavirus Updates: New guidelines will be released very soon on theme parks and amusement parks in the time of COVID-19, as well as other areas/industries/sectors. Respiratory symptoms from coronavirus infection and smoke inhalation are too similar to distinguish without a full medical workup, which is complicating the jobs of health care workers.
Podcast: In this week’s episode of LAist Studios’ podcast, Servant of Pod with Nick Quah, Nick talks to Gretchen Rubin, the best-selling author behind books like “The Happiness Project” and “The Four Tendencies.”
Photo Of The Day
Fans and supporters gathered outside the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in downtown to protest Britney Spears' conservatorship.
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One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
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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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