Morning Briefing: Save L.A. Restaurants, Save… Your Future Dining Experiences

The new normal might be staying home and Zooming instead of congregating IRL, but people are coming up with creative ways to adapt — and in some cases, to keep their businesses open at the same time. Bars are bringing happy hour to the drinking masses. The Grammy Museum is streaming free shows with artists like Billie Eilish and Brandi Carlile, and other local museums are offering virtual exhibits and tours.

All these digital offerings will come in even handier in the wake of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decision to close down state parking lots as a way to “help you help yourself” when it comes to social distancing.

Mil gracias, Governor.

Here’s what happened in the past 24 hours:

• Three new coronavirus-related deaths in L.A. County have been reported. Worldwide, coronavirus cases have topped 375,000 (and growing).
• L.A. officials have secured 20,000 new COVID-19 tests, but doctors on the front lines still fear for their health.
• LAUSD’s shutdown was extended to May 1, and Superintendent Austin Beutner admitted that online learning isn’t working as well as school officials had hoped.
• Positions for grocery workers, janitors and nannies are opening up in L.A. as other companies deal with lay-offs and decreased hours.
• An employee of the Hollywood Burbank Airport employee who handled luggage tested positive for COVID-19, and nine Los Angeles Police Department employees have tested positive as well.
• If there’s any hope of L.A.’s beloved local eateries opening back up, we have to chip in — order takeout, tip well or buy up some wine. Some restaurants are also offering dining bonds, which let patrons buy a bond now and cash it in later for more value. A few SoCal distilleries have turned to making hand sanitizer instead of liquor, and L.A. officials gave the green light to alcohol delivery.
• L.A. City Council has canceled in-person meetings until they can figure out how to hold them safely, and L.A. Metro’s bus and rail service is scaling back as ridership drops. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that he’s closing state parking lots, including nine in L.A., part of expanding government efforts to keep people from gathering in spite of all the dire warnings.
• Here's a better idea than a crowded park: The Grammy Museum is streaming free online concerts with artists like Billie Eilish and Brandi Carlile, and museums like The Broad, The Norton Simon Museum and MOCA are offering virtual exhibits and more.
• In early February, the CDC sent coronavirus test kits to labs in the U.S. — but they provided the exact same amount of testing material to small towns as they did to large cities.
• Hikers are quitting the Pacific Coast Trail.

Here’s what we’re covering today:

• Will more childcare providers close with the new safe at home guidelines, even though they're considered an essential service? Mariana Dale looks into financial support for those workers.
• Matt Tinoco explores what life is now like for the tens of thousands of people living without a roof over their heads in Los Angeles.
• Jacob Margolis goes on a mission to find why beans are missing from on our supermarket shelves.

Here are some very L.A. photo galleries:

• Knott's Berry Farm is best known as a theme park, but this year marks the 100th of its humble beginning as an actual berry farm. We pulled together some rarely-seen photos from that time.
• Hugh Holland spent three years documenting the birth of L.A.’s skateboarding culture in the 1970’s. These are some of his most iconic shots.

And now, your moment of Zen:

That's more like it. The Santa Monica Pier on Monday.

(Robyn Beck /AFP via Getty Images)

Help us cover your community:

• Got something you’ve always wanted to know about Southern California and the people who call it home? Is there an issue you want us to cover? Ask us anything.
• Have a tip about news on which we should dig deeper? Let us know.

The news cycle moves fast. Some stories don't pan out. Others get added. Consider this today's first draft.