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Ricky Martin felt 'violated' when Barbara Walters quizzed him about his sexuality

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2021-06-02/ricky-martin-barbara-walters-interview-sexuality-ptsd

A decade before he decided to come out as gay, singer Ricky Martin was put on the spot by journalist Barbara Walters in a 2000 television interview in which she told him he could “stop these rumors” about his sexuality with a simple yes or no. “There’s a little PTSD with that,” the 49-year-old told People in a new cover story published Wednesday, the second day of Pride Month 2021. Martin described how he felt during the chat: “When she dropped the question, I felt violated because I was just not ready to come out. I was very afraid.” The “Livin’ la Vida Loca” singer eventually came out in March 2010, announcing in an open letter on his website that he was “proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man.” He noted that continuing to live without acknowledging his sexual orientation “would be to indirectly diminish the glow” that came with the twin boys he had welcomed two years earlier via surrogate. “These years in silence and reflection made me stronger,” he wrote in the letter, “and reminded me that acceptance has to come from within, and that this kind of truth gives me the power to conquer emotions I didn’t even know existed.” Entertainment & Arts Nov. 16, 2016 Since then, Martin has married painter Jwan Yosef, with whom he’s welcomed two more kids, a girl and a boy. Talking about the Walters interview, Martin told People, “A lot of people say, what would you do differently? Well, maybe I would have come out in that interview. It would’ve been great because when I came out, it just felt amazing.” Martin has discussed the Walters moment before, including in 2018 on Andy Cohen’s “Watch What Happens Live.” Music “Montero” hitmaker Lil Nas X took to Twitter to celebrate the beginning of Pride Month, marking two years since he publicly came out as gay. June 1, 2021 “I, um, have you seen that video? It’s horrible,” he told the host and his audience, sitting on the couch next to Milo Ventimiglia. “I felt that she was knocking, like, punch after punch after punch. It was really uncomfortable, to be honest.” The singer said that in 2000 he “didn’t say yes, I didn’t say no, and I just left it open for everyone to think what they wanted to think.” But looking back, he wonders why he didn’t just confirm the rumors. Entertainment & Arts A play on the ‘Lego Movie’ theme song, ‘Everything Is Awesome,’ the ‘Everyone Is Awesome’ set is intended to ‘celebrate the diversity of our fans.’ May 20, 2021 “Why didn’t I say yes back then?” he said to Cohen. “Just say yes, yes, I’m gay, who cares?” Now, he told People, he thinks it’s vital that he discuss his sexuality. “I want to talk about what I’m made of, about everything that I am,” Martin said. “Because if you hide it, it’s a life-or-death situation.”

Free shots and beer: Biden 'pulling out all the stops' to get Americans vaccinated

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-06-02/free-shots-and-beer-biden-pulling-out-all-the-stops-to-get-americans-vaccinated

Dangling everything from sports tickets to free beer, President Biden is looking for that extra something — anything — that will get people to roll up their sleeves for COVID-19 shots when the promise of a lifesaving vaccine by itself hasn’t been enough. Biden on Wednesday announced a “month of action” to urge more Americans to get vaccinated before the July 4 holiday, including an early summer sprint of incentives and a slew of new steps to ease barriers and make getting shots more appealing to those who haven’t received them. He is closing in on his goal of getting 70% of adults at least partially vaccinated by Independence Day — essential to his aim of returning the nation to something approaching a pre-pandemic sense of normalcy this summer. “The more people we get vaccinated, the more success we’re going to have in the fight against this virus,” Biden said from the White House. He predicted that with more vaccinations, America will soon experience “a summer of freedom, a summer of joy, a summer of get-togethers and celebrations. An All-American summer.” The Biden administration views June as “a critical month in our path to normal,” Courtney Rowe, the director of strategic communications and engagement for the White House COVID-19 response team, told the Associated Press. Biden’s plan will continue to use partnerships between the public and private sectors, mirroring the “whole of government” effort he deployed to make vaccines more widely available after he took office. The president said he was “pulling out all the stops” to drive up the vaccination rate. Among those efforts is a promotional giveaway announced Wednesday by Anheuser-Busch, saying it will “buy Americans 21+ a round of beer” once Biden’s 70% goal is met. “Get a shot and have a beer,” Biden said, advertising the promotion, though he refrains from drinking alcohol himself. Additionally, the White House is partnering with early childhood centers such as KinderCare, Learning Care Group, Bright Horizons and more than 500 YMCAs to provide free child care coverage for Americans looking for shots or needing assistance while recovering from side effects. The administration is also launching a new partnership to bring vaccine education and mobile clinics to more than 1,000 Black-owned barbershops and beauty salons, building on a successful pilot program in Maryland. They’re the latest vaccine sweeteners, building on other incentives like cash giveaways, sports tickets and paid leave, to keep up the pace of vaccinations. “The fact remains that, despite all the progress, those who are unvaccinated still remain at risk of getting seriously ill or dying or spreading the disease to others,” said Rowe. Aiming to make injections even more convenient, Biden is announcing that many pharmacies are extending their hours this month — and thousands will remain open overnight on Fridays. The White House is also stepping up its efforts to help employers run on-site vaccination clinics. Biden will also announce that he is assigning Vice President Kamala Harris to lead a “We Can Do This” vaccination tour to encourage shots. It will include First Lady Jill Biden, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and Cabinet officials. Harris’ travel will be focused on the South, where vaccination rates are among the lowest in the country, while other officials will travel to areas of the Midwest with below-average rates. To date, 62.8% of the adult U.S. population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 133.6 million are fully vaccinated. The rate of new vaccinations has slowed to an average of fewer than 600,000 per day, down from more than 800,000 when incentives like lottery ticket giveaways were announced, and down from a peak of nearly 2 million per day in early April. The lengths to which the U.S. is resorting to convince Americans to take a shot stands in contrast to much of the world, where vaccines are far less plentiful. Facing a mounting U.S. surplus as demand weakens, the Biden administration is planning to begin sharing 80 million doses with the world this month. “All over the world people are desperate to get a shot that every American can get at their neighborhood drugstore,” Biden said. Thanks to the vaccinations, the rates of new COVID-19 cases and deaths in the U.S. are at their lowest since the beginning of the pandemic last March, averaging under 16,000 new cases and under 400 deaths per day. As part of the effort to drive Americans to get shots, the White House is borrowing some tools from political campaigns, including phone banks, knocking on doors and texting. The administration says more than 1,000 such events will be held this weekend alone. Additionally, it is organizing competitions between cities and colleges to drive up vaccination rates. Other new incentives include a $2-million commitment from DoorDash to provide gift cards to community health centers for people to get rides to get vaccinated. CVS launched a sweepstakes with prizes including free cruises and Super Bowl tickets. Major League Baseball will host on-site vaccine clinics and ticket giveaways at games. And Kroger will give $1 million to a vaccinated person each week this month and dozens of people free groceries for the year. The fine print on the Anheuser-Busch promotion reveals the benefits to the sponsoring company, which will collect consumer data and photos from people who register through its website for the $5 giveaway. The company says it will hand out credits to everyone who qualifies.

Beijing Bureau Chief Alice Su Wins Osborn Elliott Prize for Excellence in Journalism

https://www.latimes.com/about/pressreleases/story/2021-06-02/beijing-bureau-chief-alice-su-wins-osborn-elliott-prize-for-excellence-in-journalism

On Tuesday, Asia Society announced that Los Angeles Times Beijing Bureau Chief Alice Su has won the 2021 Osborn Elliott Prize for Excellence in Journalism on Asia for her coverage of China during 2020. The Osborn Elliott Prize is presented annually to the best example of journalism about Asia during the previous calendar year. It honors the late Osborn Elliott, legendary journalist, author and former editor-in-chief of Newsweek, who became one of the earliest practitioners of “civic journalism” — the deliberate focusing of the journalistic enterprise on urgent issues of public policy. The independent jury that awards the Osborn Elliott Prize — chaired by former Washington Post and Wall Street Journal editor Marcus Brauchli — praised Su in a statement: “Alice Su’s ambitiously conceived, deeply nuanced journalism humanized and added important new dimensions to our understanding of Xi Jinping’s China. She explained how missteps by a top-down regime dedicated to control contributed to the rapid spread of the terrifying pandemic that swept out of Wuhan. In a year of wide-ranging and difficult reporting, she showed the human cost of heavy-handed government policies, even as China’s economic power grows. She reported that Beijing’s policies of ethnic erasure no longer are limited to the Uighur homeland of Xinjiang — like Tibet, a focal point of global concern — but extend to other large minority populations, the Mongolians and the Hui. In poignant detail, Su told the story of a country where the individual, from a silenced academic to victims of floods and the pandemic, looms ever small in the face of government power. Through meticulous reporting and documentation, Su’s work paints a people in the grips of a regime that brooks little criticism, and where the drive for stability trumps all.” Su called winning the award “a huge honor.” Last year she and her editor, Jeffrey Fleishman, talked about how to distinguish The Times’ approach to its China coverage. “We agreed that we’d focus on deeper, human-centered narratives that explain not only China’s rise and impact on the world but also how it feels to be an individual in the margins of Chinese society,” Su said. “I’m glad this prize honored that choice and affirmed the importance of individuals’ stories in a country where they are often lost or overlooked amid the big numbers and sweeping trends.” Su and The Times will be honored at a discussion and awards ceremony held virtually on June 16 at 6 a.m. PDT. Brauchli will lead a discussion with Su on her stories, and on the challenges of reporting in China. Su, who grew up between Hong Kong, Taiwan, Shanghai and California, studied at Princeton University and Peking University, and freelanced in the Middle East for five years before joining The Times in 2018. She won the 2014 Elizabeth Neuffer Memorial Prize from the United Nations Correspondents Association for her coverage of refugee crises in Jordan and Lebanon, and was a Livingston Award finalist in 2016 for her work on youth extremism in Jordan and Tunisia. She is also a finalist for a Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) 2021 Editorial Award in the “Young Journalists” category for her report on survivors of China’s internment camps in Xinjiang. To read Su’s reporting, visit her biography page on latimes.com. To learn more about the Osborn Elliot Prize visit asiasociety.org.

Column: Taka Mahe didn't play football in high school, but he'll try at UCLA

https://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/story/2021-06-02/taka-mahe-new-football-career-ucla

Taka Mahe, 17, is headed on a journey that could lead to a book deal, Netflix series or a movie. Like many adventures, it depends on how it turns out. He’s a senior at Wiseburn-Da Vinci, a charter school in El Segundo with no football team. He’s 6 feet 6, 330 pounds and a standout for the basketball team. He last played football when he was 13. While playing for a travel basketball team this last year, he said a staff member for UCLA’s football team spotted him and inquired about his background. His father is from Tonga and being big creates excitement for college recruiters. Suddenly, the conversation turned to whether Mahe would be interested in playing football. “Me and my parents had a lengthy conversation about my commitment and how I had to be in all the way,” Mahe said. “I’ve been committed for two months.” With no idea how to be a lineman, let alone put on pads correctly, he started learning the game two months ago from former San Francisco 49ers great Jesse Sapolu, a four-time Super Bowl winner who has a school for linemen. “He’s got athletic ability,” Sapolu said. “We’ve been working on his fundamentals trying to introduce how to recognize schemes. There’s no question that kid has great potential.” All things Lakers, all the time. Get all the Lakers news you need in Dan Woike's weekly newsletter. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. There have been success stories with turning basketball players into football players. The challenge for Mahe will be going from never playing football in high school to trying to learn on the fly at UCLA, where he said he has enrolled as a preferred walk-on. “Over the summer, before going to UCLA, I’ll be getting my body right, learning offense and defense and the whole game of football,” he said. Mahe attends Da Vinci because he followed an older sister to the school. If there had been a football team, he probably would have played. He has always watched football on TV. “My dad was, ‘If you want to play football, you can.’ Mom said, ‘You don’t have to.’ I always stuck to basketball,” he said. In what probably was his final basketball game on Tuesday night, he scored 21 points and had 12 rebounds in a heartbreaking 65-64 playoff loss to Arcadia at the buzzer in the Southern Section 4AA quarterfinals. Now he’s changing focus to see if his size is better suited for football. “Being Polynesian, I’ve been surrounded by others being tough my whole life, and I feel I can apply that on the football field,” he said. He’s got a lot of catching up to do, starting with putting on pads. “I’ve put on pads before,” he said. “It would probably take five minutes.” High School Sports Avi Halpert scores 28 points to lead Shalhevet past unbeaten El Segundo 67-52 on Tuesday. June 1, 2021 Sapolu is willing to give him a crash course. “I think he’s worth the investment,” he said. “I’ve had New Zealand and Australian rugby players make it to the NFL. It’s been done. It’s a matter of getting him in the right situation and not rushing him too much.” Said Mahe: “I’m willing to try this for a long time.” He better start a diary, because if it all works out, it won’t be hard to find an agent to sell his story.

Report chronicles missteps by state unemployment agencies that left millions in the lurch

https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-06-02/state-unemployment-departments-struggled-to-meet-demand-during-pandemic-report-finds

California and other states struggled to provide expanded unemployment benefits during the pandemic, resulting in “millions of Americans waiting weeks to months for their first unemployment checks,” a Labor Department watchdog confirmed Wednesday. States also failed to adequately prevent massive fraud and improper payments, or to collect necessary data to determine the scope of the problem, the report found. In the early days of the pandemic, Congress dramatically scaled up unemployment insurance funding and expanded the pool of who would qualify for cash as much of the economy shuddered to a halt. But states were unprepared to handle the onslaught of new claims from millions of desperate Americans who had lost their jobs when the government ordered businesses to close and people to remain in their homes and avoid public spaces. It was clear to anyone who had to apply for unemployment after March 2020 that states struggled to distribute the billions in additional aid during the pandemic, implement three new unemployment programs and deal with an unprecedented number of claims. The Department of Labor’s inspector general warned of problems repeatedly in the last year, but Wednesday’s report was the most comprehensive examination to date of how states did. Congress is already weighing changes to how unemployment aid is distributed as a result of the missteps during the pandemic. California lawmakers continue to push for an overhaul of the state Employment Development Department, which still is facing delays in approving benefits, and dealing with technology glitches, jammed phone lines and fraud. The state government “completely failed its unemployed citizens this past year,” said state Senate Republican leader Scott Wilk of Santa Clarita. “It is just heartbreaking to hear from families teetering on the edge simply because their claims are lost in some bureaucratic black hole.” California was one of 12 states closely examined in the report, which blamed the nationwide backlog on antiquated state IT systems, insufficient staff to manage the increased number of new claims, and unclear or untimely guidance from the Labor Department. States and territories run and maintain their own unemployment systems according to state law, but they receive guidance from the federal government. A representative for the state Employment Development Department said Wednesday that the federal watchdog agency confirmed what officials have said all along: that California was not alone in facing difficulty in responding to the record caseload of unemployment benefit claims. “The report makes clear that every state struggled through unprecedented challenges of pandemic-triggered demand for unemployment benefits,” said Aubrey Henry, an agency spokesman. “During the worst year of the Great Recession there were 3.8 million claims for unemployment benefits in California compared with over 22 million during this pandemic.” Henry said the agency has taken steps to improve services and increase efficiency. “EDD has ensured millions of Californians continue to receive federal benefits,” he said. California has received a record 22.5 million unemployment claims since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020 and has paid an unprecedented $147 billion in benefits. It has determined that at least $11 billion in benefits paid involved fraudulent claims, and it is investigating suspected fraud in another $19 billion in claims, including thousands made in the names of prison inmates. State audits have shown that poor planning by the agency slowed the approval of millions of claims and made it vulnerable to widespread fraud. Politics At least $40 billion in pandemic-related unemployment has been stolen, but Congress is about to approve more money with few new safeguards. March 2, 2021 The Labor Department inspector general found that most states took more than 30 days to expand unemployment benefits to the new pools approved by Congress, a timeline the report calls “an unreasonable length of time for UI claimants experiencing financial hardships as they struggled to pay bills and satisfy basic needs, such as food and housing.” California took 32 days to set up the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, which provides money to those who haven’t previously qualified for unemployment, including the self-employed and gig workers. The state took 61 days to implement the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program, which gives money to people who have exhausted benefits provided by the state but are still unemployed because of the pandemic. The inspector general also found that states did not perform the checks required or recommended to prevent fraud and other improper payments, such as verifying an applicant’s previous work history or identity. The report found that 19 states did not attempt to reclaim improper payments, such as payments to someone who had returned to work. The watchdog estimated in January that at least 10% of the $392 billion Congress provided was improperly distributed, and it has warned that, when the expanded benefits expire at the end of the summer, the total of improperly distributed money could be closer to $87.3 billion out of $872.5 billion. Fraud experts have estimated the amount is likely much higher because states and the federal government weren’t collecting necessary data or doing proper identity checks until late last year. Wednesday’s report recommended a nationwide study of the technological needs of state unemployment systems, and that the federal government help states modernize those systems. It also urged the Labor Department to assist states with claims, overpayment and fraud reporting, and to develop standards for what guidance to provide to states in case temporary unemployment systems need to be put in place again. The Labor Department agreed with the recommendations and said some were already being put into place. Congress is expected to weigh measures to overhaul unemployment later this year. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) has proposed bringing the 53 separate state and territory systems under the technological umbrella of the federal government. States would still run their own programs and have their own state laws but would all be subject to the same federal standards for wait times and identity verification. “A complete overhaul of unemployment administration is critical here,” Wyden said in a statement Wednesday. “If we don’t do this now, we will see the same problems during the next recession, with unacceptable levels of fraud, and jobless workers waiting months and spending hours and hours on the phone to get the benefits they have earned.” In the last week, California state legislators have approved a raft of bills to force change at the state agency, including requirements to speed up processing of claims and check to make sure people filing claims are not incarcerated. California’s backlog of claims awaiting action for more than 21 days has grown from 1.02 million on April 10 to 1.13 million, according to a report by the EDD released May 22. The agency answered less than 6% of the 3.95 million phone calls to its call center during the week ending May 22, according to its report. The EDD has hired contractors to staff phone lines and provide computer verification of the identities of claimants, but problems at the agency have become one of the issues cited by those seeking to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom from office. Newsom proposed in his state budget spending tens of millions of dollars to upgrade EDD systems and technology. The governor noted that many other states had the same difficulty processing the flood of claims. “It was just not designed for the challenge that this nation, this state has faced,” Newsom said, “so we have to reimagine it, we have to support it.”

Goodbye, Coach K: Duke's Mike Krzyzewski will coach last season in 2021-22

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2021-06-02/dukes-mike-krzyzewski-coach-k-to-coach-last-season-in-2021-22

Duke Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski will coach his final season with the Blue Devils in 2021-22, a person familiar with the situation said Wednesday. The person said former Duke player and associate head coach Jon Scheyer would then take over as Krzyzewski’s successor for the 2022-23 season. The person spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the school hasn’t commented publicly on the decision. An announcement is expected later Wednesday. Stadium first reported news of Krzyzewski’s final season with Duke, which he has led to five national championships. With 1,170 victories, he is the winningest coach in men’s college basketball history, with 1,097 of them coming during his 41 years with the Blue Devils. Krzyzewski has led the Blue Devils to 12 Final Four appearances and a record 15 Atlantic Coast Conference tournament championships, while his teams have spent a record 126 weeks ranked at No. 1 in the AP men’s college basketball poll. UCLA Sports UCLA’s Cody Riley and Chris Smith are testing the waters for the NBA draft while preserving their college eligibility; Jaime Jaquez Jr. will return. May 28, 2021 He also led the U.S. men’s national team — with NBA All-Star rosters featuring names such as the late Kobe Bryant and LeBron James — to Olympic gold in Beijing in 2008, London in 2012 and Rio de Janiero in 2016. Duke missed the NCAA tournament last season for the first time since 1995, but the Blue Devils welcome one of the nation’s top recruiting classes for the coming season. Scheyer played for Krzyzewski from 2006 to 2010, with his last season resulting in his mentor’s fourth NCAA title. Scheyer joined the Duke staff for the 2013-14 season and rose to his current role following the 2017-18 season. Scheyer served as interim coach last year for Duke when Krzyzewski was sidelined for a January win against Boston College due to COVID-19 protocols. Scheyer has never been a college head coach.

Matthew Perry confirms split with Molly Hurwitz after a seven-month engagement

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2021-06-02/matthew-perry-confirms-split-with-molly-hurwitz

Matthew Perry and fiancée Molly Hurwitz, after dating on and off since 2018, have ended their engagement, the actor said late Tuesday. “Sometimes things just don’t work out and this is one of them,” the actor told People in a statement. “I wish Molly the best.” No further explanation was given for the breakup. The announcement caps a very public week or so for Perry revolving around HBO Max’s “Friends: The Reunion,” which hit the streamer last Friday. Concerns were raised over what some perceived to be Perry’s “slurred speech” in a promo for the special, but a source later told the Sun that he’d had emergency dental work done before the show was filmed in April. Television Matthew Perry slurred his words in recent interviews for ‘Friends: The Reunion,’ then quit personalized-video site Cameo. But there’s an explanation. May 27, 2021 Reunion-show director Ben Winston told the Hollywood Reporter over the weekend that people were being “unkind” to the actor. “I loved working with him,” Winston said. “He’s a brilliantly funny man and I thought he had some great one-liners in the show.” Perry, 51, and Hurwitz, 29, and a literary manager, started dating in 2018 and got engaged last November, with him referring to her at the time as “the greatest woman on the face of the planet.” Perry and Hurwitz had split for a while in April 2020, amicably, according to InTouch, but later reunited. However, last month Kate Haralson, a 20-year-old user of the exclusive dating app Raya who had apparently matched with Perry during the couple’s break, posted a video chat showing him playing a game of 20 Questions with her in May 2020, when she was 19. Television The pair who immortalized the phrase ‘We were on a break!’ confirm their long-rumored attraction in ‘Friends: The Reunion,’ now streaming on HBO Max. May 27, 2021 There was nothing sexual about the questions, according to the New York Post — and the video was taken down long ago — but Haralson told the Post she put the conversation up on her TikTok page because she felt that “a lot of guys in Hollywood are talking to all these young girls and it’s something that I think a lot of people should be aware of.” She was subsequently booted from Raya for breaking its privacy rules, the news outlet said. While Perry has been linked romantically to a number of women over the years (Julia Roberts and Lizzy Caplan among them), he’s never been married. This was his first engagement.

Vaccine protection may diminish need for yearly boosters, scientists say

https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2021-06-02/vaccine-protection-may-diminish-need-for-yearly-boosters

Scientists have found clues that the world’s leading COVID-19 vaccines offer lasting protection that could diminish the need for frequent booster shots, but they caution that more research is needed and that virus mutations are still a wild card. Critical studies are underway, and evidence is mounting that immunity from the mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna does not depend exclusively on antibodies that dwindle over time. The body has overlapping layers of protection that offer backup. Pfizer and Moderna have fueled booster questions by estimating that people might need yearly shots, just like with flu vaccinations, and the companies are working to have some candidates ready this fall. But they will not decide when boosters get used — that will be up to health authorities in each country. Other experts say boosters may be needed only every few years. “I would be surprised if we actually needed a yearly booster shot,” said Dr. Paul Offit, a vaccine specialist at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia who advises the Food and Drug Administration. He and others point to ways the immune system remembers the coronavirus so that once original antibodies fade, the body’s defenses can swing back into action if a person is exposed again. “I’m pretty optimistic. I wouldn’t rule out the need for boosters, but the immune response so far looks actually quite impressive,” said University of Pennsylvania immunologist John Wherry. Antibodies that form after vaccination or natural infection do wane naturally, but there’s evidence that those levels remain strong for at least six to nine months after mRNA vaccination, and possibly longer. The antibodies also appear effective against worrisome virus mutants, at least for now. Science & Medicine Vaccinated Americans would ‘not necessarily’ need to get booster shots this fall for further protection from COVID-19, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Friday. May 21, 2021 Scientists do not yet know what’s called the correlate of protection, the level below which antibodies cannot fend off the coronavirus without additional help. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s leading infectious disease expert, told a Senate subcommittee last week that vaccine protection would not be infinite. “I would imagine we will need, at some time, a booster,” Fauci said. “What we’re figuring out right now is what that interval is going to be.” To date, 62.8% of the adult U.S. population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 133.6 million, or more than 40%, are fully vaccinated. The rate of new vaccinations has slowed to an average below 600,000 per day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s still closing in on President Biden’s goal of 70% with at least one inoculation by July 4. Infections and deaths continue to fall. The nation’s seven-day average for daily new cases fell to less than 17,300 on Tuesday, down from more than 31,000 two weeks ago. Daily deaths declined to 588, down from 605, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. In all, the virus has killed more than 595,000 people in the U.S. So-called long-lived plasma cells are one of the body’s backups. Immunologist Ali Ellebedy at Washington University in St. Louis found that nearly a year after people recovered from mild COVID-19, those plasma cells had migrated to the bone marrow where they were continuing to secrete antibodies. That’s why, although antibodies do diminish with time, they have not disappeared. Now Ellebedy is hunting for the same cells in vaccine recipients, and while the research isn’t finished, he’s finding hints that they’re forming. Science & Medicine With so many Americans becoming immunized, it’s natural to look ahead and wonder how long this protection will last. The answer: No one knows. April 21, 2021 An even more important backup system comes in the form of memory B cells. If existing antibodies are not enough to stop the coronavirus, memory B cells are poised to churn out large numbers of new antibodies, Ellebedy said. Numerous studies have found those memory cells after COVID-19 vaccination. And if the virus makes it past those defenses, yet another immune branch — the memory T cells — jumps in to eliminate infected cells and prevent severe illness. With different coronaviruses that cause common colds, people tend to get reinfected every two to five years, Wherry noted. Based on natural immunity against those related viruses, “we are sort of expecting our immunity may decline,” he said. “But we don’t know. For these mRNA vaccines, we may be doing better than nature, better than a natural infection.” So far, health authorities agree that the most common COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S. and Europe protect against the virus variants that are currently circulating, though not as strongly as they guard against the original version of the virus. Why? The vaccines mimic the protein that covers the outer surface of the coronavirus, and only certain spots of that protein are mutating, said Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. The mRNA vaccines in particular make antibody levels skyrocket after the second dose. Those levels are so high that they offer some protection even when the vaccine and the variant are not a perfect match. Science & Medicine The side effects of a second shot of COVID-19 vaccine are a sign that it’s providing more vigorous, long-lasting protection against the coronavirus. March 19, 2021 With so many people still unvaccinated, opportunities abound for more mutations to occur. The biggest sign that a booster might be necessary would be a jump in COVID-19 cases in fully vaccinated people, especially severe illnesses and especially if the infections are caused by a new variant. To get ready, people vaccinated a year ago as part of the first Pfizer and Moderna vaccine trials now are being enrolled in studies of additional shots — either a third dose of the original or versions that have been updated to match the Beta variant that first emerged in South Africa. Moderna says preliminary findings are promising. More results are due this summer. The National Institutes of Health also just began testing a system in which patients are given a different brand of booster than their original vaccination. Most of the world’s population has yet to receive a first dose. With different countries using different kinds of vaccines, decisions on booster shots may vary widely. Already, the United Arab Emirates has offered a third dose to recipients of a Chinese-made shot, the first formal introduction of any kind of booster. If boosters eventually are called for, they will not be needed all at once because antibodies fade gradually rather than disappearing suddenly. “Even if we require boosters or get to the point where we see immunity waning a little bit, we still are going to be far better off than we were a year ago,” Wherry said.

Pies for Justice returns, raising money for Black Lives Matter and social justice

https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2021-06-02/pies-for-justice-returns-raising-money-for-black-lives-matter-and-social-justice

Pies for Justice is returning for Juneteenth (June 19), raising money for the Los Angeles chapter of Black Lives Matter and Süprmarkt, which provides affordable organic produce to communities in South L.A. It’s the second year for the bake sale, which was founded by Stephanie Chen and Sherry Mandell of Gather for Good and raised more than $26,000 in 2020. Each chef and restaurant will prepare a unique pie for the 2021 fundraiser; some will sell whole pies, hand pies or slices; others will host raffles. Chefs and contributors include Shannon Swindle from A.O.C., Zarah Khan from Botanica, Valerie Gordon of Valerie Confections, John Cleveland and Martin Draluck from Post & Beam, and Hannah Ziskin and Aaron Lindell from House of Gluten and Quarter Sheets. Customers will be able to order through participating chefs and restaurants. Check andgatherforgood.com/piesforjustice and instagram.com/andgatherforgood for updates and information on how to order. Old Town Pasadena has a new restaurant and cheesery. Agnes, from the husband-and-wife team of Vanessa Tilaka and Thomas Kalb (their combined experience includes Flour + Water, M. Georgina, Octavia Bar Agricole and others), opened Tuesday to offer sandwiches, salads, bottles of wine, market goods and cut-to-order cheeses during the day. In the evenings, a fuller dinner menu includes fresh pastas, hearth-cooked seasonal vegetables and other dishes within the dining room and private back patio. Dinner service is offered Tuesdays through Saturdays, with Sunday brunch to follow. 40 W. Green St., Pasadena, (626) 389-3839, agnesla.com ROCA Pizza, from California Pizza Kitchen co-founder Rick Rosenfield and his wife, Esther Rosenfield, has opened as a pop-up at the Americana at Brand in Glendale. The kitchen is led by executive pizza chef Luigi Roditis, known for his former El Segundo restaurant, Il Romanista, noted for its Roman-style pizza. Roditis uses organic, stone-milled flour from Central Milling Co. in Utah. The dough is cold fermented for up to 72 hours, which creates an airy, puffy, soft rise in the dough, which, when baked, achieves a notable crunch. ROCA’s pizzas are available by-the-cut, with half- or full-pan options as well. In addition, the pop-up features a grab-and-go section with pre-packaged salads and non-alcoholic beverages, as well as sandwiches. Menu highlights include squash blossom, Calabrian meatball, BBQ chicken, asparagus and goat cheese, potato and porcini mushroom pizzas and kale and almond and Italian chopped salads. 769 Americana Way, Glendale, rocapizza.com In collaboration with chef Ray Garcia, NeueHouse, the private work and social space in Hollywood, will open a pop-up bar on June 4. Bar Sala is conceived as a speakeasy-style mezcal bar with a curated agave cart featuring tableside mezcal and tequila tastings. The menu will include an agave list, house-made agua fresca, Mexican craft beers and small plates from Garcia’s Broken Spanish residency at NeueHouse. The bar, open Fridays and Saturdays 8:30-11 p.m., and the restaurant will run in tandem until the end of July. Reservations for the bar are not required. 6121 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 337-1420, neuehouse.com/houses/hollywood The New York-inspired bagel operation is now open in Brentwood. The second Pop’s Bagels location expands on the Culver City original’s bagel-and-schmear menu with new griddled, hot items such as egg sandwiches, babka French toast, and tuna melts. It’s open Tuesdays through Sundays for breakfast and lunch. 11928 San Vicente Blvd., Los Angeles, popsbagelsla.com

How three surfer dudes left California to find a secret surfing oasis in El Salvador

https://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/story/2021-06-02/surf-city-el-salvador-olympic-trials

Bob Levy grew up in El Salvador but discovered surfing in California, and he vividly remembers the day he returned to his homeland and hit the beach with a stiff, 10-foot surfboard under his arm. “They didn’t even know it was a board,” Levy recalled. “They thought it was an airplane wing.” Decades later that wing, along with a prayer of sorts from the government, has turned a 13-mile stretch of Salvadoran shoreline into one of the world’s newest surfing meccas. It’s a spot where the waves are so ripe and the water so warm, tourism officials are hoping it can repair the country’s battered image while the International Surfing Assn. has chosen it as the location of the final qualifying rounds for the debut of surfing as an Olympic sport this summer. The eight-day competition, known as the World Surfing Games and featuring 256 athletes from 51 countries, concludes Sunday. But it might never have happened had Levy and two Huntington Beach teenagers he met there kept the secret of Salvadoran surfing to themselves. “When I heard they were going to have the Olympics tryouts, I was shocked,” said Levy, a semi-retired carpenter living in Long Beach. “I thought, ‘Oh, my God, we made history.’ El Salvador’s got a lot of really, really good surfers now.” Levy, 75, was the first. And the story of how he got there involves an Oxford-educated veterinarian, a beach visit the summer he graduated high school and a creaky Volkswagen van he and friends often had to push from the Texas border to the Salvadoran shore. It starts with Levy’s father Robert, the veterinarian, who was on his way to treat cattle in the Argentine pampas when he detoured to El Salvador to help some relatives open a general store. He soon married a Salvadoran woman, started a family and never left. But Bob did. After his father died, he and his mother moved to Northern California, where a chance encounter with surfing changed his life. “Once I put my foot in the water I was hooked,” he said. “I’ve been surfing ever since.” A lot of other people also were hooked, which made the lineups to catch a wave in California and Baja Mexico frustratingly long. So Levy packed up the van and headed home to El Salvador in search of the open waves he remembered from childhood trips to the shore. “I just thought, you know, what a great little getaway place,” he said. “Back in the mid-’70s people were just itching to get the hell out of whatever country they were from. And that’s how surfing pretty much [was].” He was soon joined by Kevin Naughton and Craig Peterson, who had left Orange County and headed south on a surfing safari of their own. What they found when they reached El Sunzal was a beach that was both perfect and deserted, save for Levy and a few friends. “You knew every single person in the water,” Naughton said. “There was never more than five or six people out anywhere.” There wasn’t even a hotel or restaurant nearby, so the surfers rented a tiny house and paid a local woman to cook for them. “I don’t think you could get any more of the little idyllic, bucolic town. It was all quiet,” Naughton said. “It was a different mentality then. The whole point was to find a spot and keep it a secret.” Column One A showcase for compelling storytelling from the Los Angeles Times. Turns out Naughton and Peterson weren’t very good at that last part, with Naughton writing a couple of articles for Surfer magazine that Peterson illustrated. They never pinpointed their location — referring only to beaches south of Mexico — but other surfers figured it out and the crowds, like the waves, began to swell. “There was already traffic started,” Levy said. “How it got started, I’m not really sure. Probably reading [those] articles.” It was the early 1970s and El Salvador was known primarily for coffee, sugar and staggering economic inequality that eventually sparked a revolution. But the surfers were drawn by the narrow, rocky beaches and the spectacular point-break waves, which break to the surfer’s right and are more consistent than the sandy-bottom beach-break waves common in California. Soon Levy opened a small shop to feed the demands of a growing band of surfers, driving back and forth to California to gather boards and other surf paraphernalia. On one trip his Volkswagen, a 1964 Westfalia, stopped running as soon as he crossed into Matamoros, Mexico. “Something happened to the alternator, right on the first leg of the trip, so we ended up pushing the van all the way to El Salvador,” he said. “We would push it and then it would start and we’d drive.” Bob Rotherham, a teacher and surf photographer from Florida, also was part of that first wave. “When I showed up they tried to get rid of us,” Rotherham said of local authorities. “They sent teams from immigration to roust up the long-haired hippie surfers that were bringing all these bad habits to the salvadoreños.” But unlike the others, he never left. After falling in love with a local girl named Marta, Rotherham, who now answered to Roberto instead of Bob, bought some beachfront property from Levy’s family and placed a huge bet that the crowds would continue, opening a restaurant and hotel — soon to be two — just yards from the water. That plan was interrupted in 1979 when a failed coup led to a civil war that lasted more than a dozen years, killing an estimated 80,000 people and causing as many as 1 million more to flee their homes, many of them settling in Southern California. “We had some close calls during the war. But it was just, I was at the wrong spot at the right time,” Rotherham said. Rotherham rode out the bad times like a giant wave. His second surf resort, Punta Roca, became one of the most popular in the area, and his son Jimmy a Salvadoran surfing champion. “Everyone down there models their surfing after Jimmy,” Levy said. Naughton and Peterson found more adventure farther south, continuing on to test the waters off Costa Rica. They soon caught the attention of police, who arrested the young hippies just outside the town of Jacó on trumped-up charges of running an ice cream truck off the road. “We were actually hippies in training,” corrected Naughton, 68, who ran a nursery in Laguna Beach for 35 years. “And we saw no ice cream trucks in Costa Rica. But we would have hijacked one if given the opportunity.” They spent two days in custody, playing Frisbee and sharing old Playboy magazines with their jailers, before the police realized the two Americans accepted their incarceration because they didn’t have enough money to feed themselves on the outside. “We were just freeloading,” said Naughton, who still surfs regularly with Peterson, a 65-year-old digital marketing manager from Dana Point. “After a couple of days they just said, ‘Get out of here, you bums.’” Jacó later erected a statue of a surfer, a board under his arm, in the town square, a nod to the nearly $800 million the sport annually contributes to the Costa Rican economy. That’s the kind of return El Salvador is looking for with Surf City, the English-language name it has given to both the location of the country’s best beaches in the department of La Libertad and the ambitious five-year project to develop them. “Everywhere there’s a good, rideable wave there’s resorts and hotels,” said Rotherham, 71, the only one of the original gang of four who still surfs Salvadoran waters. “The surfer tourists are losing their fear of coming to El Salvador. Surfing has become mainstream everywhere. In the old days we were the rats they wanted to get rid of.” The government, which has sought outside investors, has been vague about the price tag but estimates construction of roads, bike paths and infrastructure improvements to piers and water systems will cost more than $300 million. Morena Valdez, the minister of tourism, says she expects that will support more than 200 businesses as the country recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, which decimated the tourist sector. Before the coronavirus, Valdez said, the government had projected Surf City, about 20 miles from the capital of San Salvador, would create 50,000 direct jobs and indirectly support 300,000 more. “The main purpose is to make El Salvador a good destination to visit, invest and live,” Valdez said. Salvadoran officials hope it will also change perceptions of a country that recently ranked as the deadliest in the world without a war within its borders. In the two years since President Nayib Bukele was elected and made Surf City a major focus of his administration, El Salvador has had the number of homicides fall to the lowest rate in more than two decades. “Surfing definitely changes lives. That’s something we see in El Salvador as well as other countries,” Valdez said. Fernando Aguerre, president of the International Surfing Assn., agrees, which may be one reason why the ISA chose El Salvador over Japan, Australia, Costa Rica and Spain for the right to host this week’s qualifiers for the Games in Tokyo. “When a surf spot gets developed, that creates an interest to travel to that destination. So this is like a win-win, no?” Aguerre said. “This could be a before and after. If those things happen to change perceptions, that’s a big deal.” To witness that change he had to look no further than the blue-green waters off La Bocana and El Sunzal, which teemed Monday with dozens of surfers from countries ranging from Turkey, Iran and Israel to Senegal, Switzerland and Ukraine. Posters touting Surf City beneath a stylized wave in the blue and white of the Salvadoran flag dot the highway between the capital and the beaches, alongside signs that warn drivers to “slow down, surfers are on the highway.” Three days into the competition workers still were putting fresh coats of paint on sparkling new hotels, restaurants and shops that have sprung up next to tiny wooden shanties with roosters in the yards. Salvador Castellanos, a popular TV news anchor, saw the potential even before the government and the ISA did, starting the faith-based program Surfing Missions 15 years ago to offer an alternative to the MS-13 and 18th Street gangs, which he said engage in extortion and drug sales along El Salvador’s coast. Much of that has stopped since Surf City was launched, he said. “They are present in the communities but do not engage in criminal activity, probably because their relatives are part of the local economy and see tourism as a source of income,” Castellanos said of the gangs. He called it a “virtuous circle which includes generating opportunities, stimulating the economy, improving everyone’s income, attracting tourism.” One of the people Castellanos’ program reformed is Bryan Pérez, who lost friends, as well as his 2-year-old sister, to gang violence. He’s now a Salvadoran national surfing champion whose dreams of competing in the Tokyo Games came up just short in the Olympic qualifier. “It is part of a holistic system of transformative development,” Castellanos said. “It is not just surfing. Also education, mental health, spirituality. It all produces a positive effect.” Yet the people who started it all by bringing surfing to El Salvador never saw the potential. “The original crew, we’re all still buddies and we stay in touch,” Naughton said. “And none of us could foresee that it was going to go the way it went. There were no fortune tellers or prophets in flip-flops to tell everybody ‘here’s now it going to be in 30, 40 years.’ Nobody could see that surfing would go through the transformation that it’s gone through.” Levy, meanwhile, hasn’t changed at all. The man some call the Godfather of Surfing in El Salvador still rides the waves regularly with his daughter despite two knee replacements and three heart attacks — all of which happened while he was in the water. But while he remains a Salvadoran citizen, he hasn’t been back to El Sunzal since 2013. The empty waters that once beckoned him, he says, are too crowded now. Can he take credit for starting Salvadoran surf culture? He answered with a shrug. “I don’t think so,” he said. “But was I the first? I’m pretty sure yes. That’s all I can take claim for — not that I even want to claim that. To me, it was just like I said it was: a little sanctuary.” One the world now has discovered.

Rachel Bilson, Melinda Clarke stunned by Mischa Barton's 'O.C.' remarks: 'Wait, what?'

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2021-06-02/mischa-barton-oc-interview-death-rachel-bilson-melinda-clarke

“The O.C.” star Mischa Barton recently opened up about the behind-the-scenes events that led to her beloved TV character’s shocking death, citing a stressful work environment and a lack of support from her castmates, among other reasons. But her costars Rachel Bilson and Melinda Clarke remember things “a little differently.” “Melinda and I were talking immediately after [the Barton interview] came out, and we were just like, ‘Wait, what?’” Bilson said Monday on Danny Pellegrino’s “Everything Iconic” podcast. Last month, Barton sounded off in a candid interview with E! News about the decision to kill off her leading character, Marissa Cooper, in a gruesome car accident at the end of the hit drama’s third season, which aired from 2005 to 2006. Television Orange County’s signature TV drama has been canceled, but its tradition of glorious distortion will continue. Jan. 7, 2007 After years of rampant speculation as to what prompted Marissa’s sudden demise, Barton finally set the record straight about her experience on the Fox series. “I’ve always felt ashamed in a way to really talk about what went on behind the scenes because I’ve always been a very private person and very aware of people’s feelings,” Barton told E! “Now that we’re living in this era where we do speak out about our experiences and women do come clean about what was really going on behind the scenes and how they were treated, it’s a slightly different thing.” Though Barton named a number of upsetting factors that allegedly contributed to her departure, she said discussions regarding her potential exit from the show “started pretty early on because it had a lot to do with” Bilson’s “last-minute” promotion to series regular, which allegedly altered “everybody’s pay” accordingly after the first season. California Actress Mischa Barton was hospitalized Thursday after she was found talking to herself and wandering around a West Hollywood neighborhood, authorities said. Jan. 27, 2017 While responding to Barton’s comments this week, Bilson dismissed the idea that she was promoted “last minute” as “completely false.” “That’s misinformation,” said Bilson, who played Summer Roberts on the show. “Where is she going with this and what is she trying to say? I would actually like to talk to her and find out what her experience was from her perspective, because I saw things a little differently.” Barton also claimed she was subjected to “general bullying from some of the men on set,” in addition to long, exhausting work hours as the series lead. Eventually, Barton alleged, she was given an ultimatum: “Sail off into the sunset and potentially you can come back in the future in some bizarre TV scenario, or we can kill your character off and you can go on with your career that you want.” She chose the latter. “I was really sad I was going because that was like my family, but there had also been some things that weren’t so cool and I would be lying to say I wasn’t a little bit relieved that I was going to extricate myself from that situation,” Barton told E! News. “Certain people, when they see me from the show they are so excited to see me and they only remember the good times. So it’s a bit of a mixed bag how we all feel about it. ... There were people on that set that were very mean to me. It wasn’t ... the most ideal environment for a young, sensitive girl who’s also been thrust into stardom to have to put up with.” Real Estate After years on and off the market, Mischa Barton has finally sold her home in the Beverly Hills Post Office area for $7.05 million. July 13, 2016 After reading and discussing their former co-worker’s statements, Bilson and Clarke invited Barton to join them for an episode of their “Welcome to the OC, B—” podcast to compare their experiences on set. “Someone who is 16, 17, 18 — that amount of hours of work, pressure, at such a young age — at best, you’re exhausted,” Clarke said, responding to the Barton interview. “And at worst, it’s overwhelming and chaotic so, it kinda breaks my heart a little. “We knew there was a lot of pressure on her but if it was really that bad of an experience, that’s not right for any young person,” she added. “But some of the comments were very perplexing to me, so I don’t know what the truth is about that. I do know that, yes, this was an enormous amount of pressure for her. And for everybody.” Bilson was also stunned by Barton’s account, while Clarke — who portrayed Julie Cooper — could “only imagine that it was pretty ... overwhelming ... to navigate these waters at that age.” “I’m definitely pretty confused by most of it,” Bilson added. “I don’t know who she’s referring to because I didn’t personally witness any of that.”

Pot users welcome: Amazon won't test job seekers for cannabis

https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-06-02/amazon-will-not-test-jobseekers-for-cannabis

Amazon said Tuesday that it will stop testing job seekers for marijuana. The company, the second-largest private employer in the U.S. behind Walmart, is making the change as more states legalize cannabis or introduce laws banning employers from testing for it. In March, a New York man sued Amazon, saying the company rescinded his job offer at a warehouse because he tested positive for marijuana, even though the city banned employers from testing job applicants for cannabis in 2020. Amazon said in a blog post that it will still test workers for other drugs and conduct “impairment checks” on the job. And the company said some roles may still require a cannabis test in line with Department of Transportation regulations. Seattle-based Amazon also said Tuesday that it would support the federal legalization of marijuana by pushing lawmakers to pass the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2021.

Column: Sinéad O'Connor isn't looking for sympathy with her new memoir, just a little truth

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2021-06-02/sinead-oconnor-memoir-she-isnt-looking-for-sympathy-just-a-little-truth

On the Shelf Rememberings By Sinéad O’ConnorHoughton Mifflin: 304 pages, $28If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookstores. Sinéad O’Connor has written a memoir called “Rememberings,” and if you think you know what to expect, you’d best brush up on your Yeats. O’Connor is Irish and an artist, which means that, among many other things, she has a near-genetic attachment to W.B. Yeats; one of her most popular songs, “Troy,” is based on his poem “No Second Troy.” “I love Yeats’s poems,” she writes, recalling her school days; “they’re like music but they open up a different sky, the one that’s inside me. ... There isn’t a scary spinning universe outside me; there’s a misted olden-days sitting room inside me, with a huge gray marble fireplace. Yeats is out of his mind there, writing ‘Easter, 1916,’ about the tragic uprising by Irish Republicans against the British. Nobody is ... laughing now is what I wrote on my test in answer to the question What was the poet saying?” I truly, madly, deeply hope this is true — that this is what a young Sinéad O’Connor wrote in English class — because it is the best answer, the only answer to any question about a doomed revolution of abused people. And to a certain extent it is the answer to Sinéad O’Connor herself: After years of serving as a punchline or a cautionary tale, she is speaking, and nobody is laughing now. There are many things you could say about “Rememberings” and the person who wrote it, especially in 2021. You know, now, that we are all finally admitting how terribly many female performers have been treated by their industries, audiences and the media. Now that it is dawning on us how much easier it was to reject political protest as performative narcissism than to consider its cause and maybe do something about it. Now that we are realizing how quickly all sorts of mental illness and trauma were once dismissed under the single heading: “crazy.” O’Connor has suffered abuse under many circumstances and dealt with mental illness in herself and others, and although her memoir offers no miracle cures or neat resolutions, she is, as fellow survivor Elaine Stritch used to sing, “still here.” Many know O’Connor mostly as the young woman with the shaved head who sang Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U,” destroyed a promising career by tearing up a picture of the pope on “Saturday Night Live” in 1992 and has since made as many controversial headlines as new albums. Yet critics and devoted fans have continued to treat her albums and performances seriously, occasionally rapturously. And in recent years she has even achieved a kind of martyrdom: Before the Dixie Chicks were shut down for criticizing the war in Iraq, before Taylor Swift was dissed by Kanye and sued by a DJ for alleging he groped her, before Britney Spears was hounded and shamed for wanting privacy, there was Sinéad O’Connor — banned by NBC and shunned for years by popular culture. O’Connor’s original sin — tearing up a photo of John Paul II to protest, she says, the Catholic Church’s attempt to cover up the sexual abuse of thousands of children by priests — puts her smack on the right side of history. For years she was the butt of jokes, tirades, physical threats and professional blacklists, but as people reconsider what she was protesting and the way she was treated for doing it — well, no one is laughing now. It is true that the Catholic League, in anticipation of “Rememberings,” sent out a news release denouncing O’Connor as an anti-Catholic phony. But at this point you can’t buy that kind of publicity. “Rememberings” is not, however, a manifesto, a polemic or even a confessional. It is certainly not anti-Catholic. Although O’Connor converted to Islam in 2018, changing her name to Shuhada’ Sadaqat, her memoir does not depict the church as an evil force. Indeed, in several instances, O’Connor recalls reaching out to members of the clergy for help and sometimes even getting it. Instead, it is an accounting, a telling of O’Connor’s story as she remembers it. She believes she was mistreated at times by the music industry, but her ability to make music, to perform and record, was never taken from her. Music runs through “Rememberings” like an underground stream; it’s there, feeding everything, though explanations of her connection to it surface only at rare intervals. Her homage to Yeats is as good, and as precise, as it gets. “If you could talk about music,” she writes in the opening pages, “you wouldn’t need music.” Memoirs are tricky things, and O’Connor’s is trickier than most, owing in part to her long and complicated relationship with fame. There is a fair amount of repetition and attempted record-straightening. She offers, among other things, a more detailed account of a frightening encounter with Prince she has described elsewhere over the years, as well as her version of her alleged refusal to allow “The Star-Spangled Banner” to be played before one of her shows and an excruciating account of her decision to go into treatment with Dr. Phil. She has also attempted to maintain the privacy of those she writes about, including her siblings, her four children and, for the most part, their fathers, resulting in passages whose vagueness borders on stream-of-consciousness. To complicate things further, the book was written in two parts, divided by one of several breakdowns during which her voice, as she acknowledges, changed drastically. Not that anyone who paid any attention to her career would expect a traditional memoir from O’Connor, who has always chosen raw over polished. One of the best compliments anyone ever paid one of her albums, she says in the book, was that it was too deeply personal to listen to a second time. She has plenty to say about an industry and a culture that punish female performers who refuse to be boxed up and pushed around. She has always had plenty to say about that, but now she is more interested in anatomizing all the forces that carved her into the woman she is today. And we are more willing to listen. O’Connor grew up in 1970s Dublin, and her early life is threaded with the lyricism, fatalism and horror that mark many Irish memoirists, from Frank McCourt to Nuala O’Faolain, creating an inextricable knot of love and hate for her homeland. Of the country where she still lives, she writes, “Best day of my life was the day I first left Ireland, and any other day I left Ireland was the next best.” Her early years were, by her account, deeply traumatic. Her parents divorced when she was young. Her father was a gentle man who battled depression and offered her only temporary respite from her mother, who brutally abused her sexually and physically. O’Connor’s many attempts to get help, including from a priest during a family visit to the shrine at Lourdes, were unsuccessful. She found comfort in music, lured first by her grandmother’s piano: “I sneak in here often by myself because the piano summons me. It makes the air around itself vibrate in huge waves with just the slightest suggestions of colors so as to catch my attention.“ An inveterate shoplifter, she did time in a reform school and discovered Bob Dylan, who teaches a valuable lesson: “In real life you aren’t allowed to say you’re angry but in music you can say anything.” She began performing in her teens and in 1985, weeks after her mother died, she left Ireland for London and a career that seemed, in broad strokes, like a dream come true. The details, however, reveal the same war on a different front. When a producer complained about her short hair being not feminine enough, she shaved it off. When she became pregnant, she was urged to abort for the good of the label. Three months after she gave birth to her first child, her first album, “The Lion and the Cobra,” debuted. She loved life best when she was touring, but when she was nominated for a Grammy, she writes, “I saw my life roll up as if it were a blanket and vanish. Quick as a flash, like I was a dying person.” She was 20. The rest is history, though it reads very differently in O’Connor’s own words. Her second album, “I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got,” included “Nothing Compares 2 U,” which made her a huge star. She was nominated for more Grammys but boycotted the ceremony for many reasons, she writes, including that “I wasn’t getting awards because of anything I stood for. Rather, I was getting awards because I’d ‘shifted a lot of units.’” These days, as many question the music academy’s lack of transparency regarding membership and voting practices, that position feels very on-point. At the time, it seemed simply “crazy.” So by the time O’Connor went on “Saturday Night Live” and, after singing Bob Marley’s “War,” tore a photo of his holiness in half, the outrage machine was already in full throttle. A decade before the Catholic Church would be forced to concede and apologize for the incomparable damage it had done by covering up decades of sexual abuse, O’Connor explained why she had torn the photograph, but no one listened. For many, it became both the end of O’Connor’s career and the most important thing about her. For O’Connor, it was like being fired from a job she didn’t want in the first place. “I feel that having a number-one record derailed my career,” she writes, “and my tearing the photo put me back on the right track.” Afterward, she writes, “I could just be me. Do what I love. Be imperfect. Be mad, even.” The book is not built on that episode. It goes on for many more pages beyond, just as O’Connor has gone on — to raise four children, give thousands of performances, write hundreds more songs and continue to fight for her mental health. “I’m not a pop star,” she writes. “I’m just a troubled soul who needs to scream into mikes now and then.”

More California counties allowed to reopen their economies as COVID-19 fades

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-02/more-california-counties-allowed-to-reopen-economy-as-covid-19-fades

As the coronavirus pandemic recedes, California is continuing to reopen its economy. In the penultimate weekly update of the state’s COVID-19 reopening roadmap, four more counties — Marin, Monterey, San Benito and Ventura — moved into the least restrictive yellow tier. Counties within that category, of which there are now 19, can allow most businesses to operate indoors with some safeguards. Reaching that level requires counties to record for two consecutive weeks an adjusted daily case rate of fewer than 2 per 100,000 people, a rate of positive test results of less than 2%, and a less than 2.2% rate of positive test results in communities heavily impacted by the virus. Another four counties — Nevada, Sacramento, San Joaquin and Solano — also progressed Tuesday into the orange tier, the second-least restrictive tier on the reopening ladder. Thirty-five of California’s 58 counties are now in the orange tier. Four remain in the more restrictive red tier, but none are in the strictest purple tier. The tier system is slated for retirement on June 15, when state officials say they will lift coronavirus-related capacity restrictions and physical distancing requirements for attendees, customers and guests at almost all businesses and other institutions, and allow people who are fully vaccinated to go without masks in most situations. “Though it is only two weeks until full reopening, every day matters for our businesses,” Ventura County Executive Officer Mike Powers said in a statement Tuesday. “Expanded customer capacity will help impacted businesses. We appreciate the hard work of our community members in getting us to this point.” California has now at least partially vaccinated 70% of its adult residents against COVID-19. Clearing that hurdle is a vital development as the state prepares to fully reopen. The progress, however, comes alongside a significant drop in the number of people seeking their first vaccine shot. At the peak, providers statewide were administering about 400,000 vaccine doses per day. Over the last week, an average of about 124,000 shots have been given daily, according to data compiled by The Times.

Small fire breaks out at Universal Studios Hollywood

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-02/small-fire-breaks-out-at-universal-studios-hollywood

A fire broke out at Universal Studios Hollywood late Tuesday night, officials said. A Conex cargo box ignited around 11:40 p.m., according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Five engines responded and were able to quickly extinguish the flames. Video of the fire posted to Twitter showed the blaze in an upper lot near a parking structure by the one-eyed Despicable Me Minion Mayhem. Fire officials said that the Conex box was tied to construction at the park and that damage was minimal. “There was no damage, and no rides or attractions were affected,” Universal Studios Hollywood spokeswoman Audrey Eig said, adding that fire was in a “non-guest area” and will not impact park operations. “We will open, business as usual,” she said. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The blaze happened on the 13th anniversary of a June 1, 2008, fire that destroyed back lot sets, a video library and the King Kong attraction, as well as a massive number of irreplaceable master recordings.

'Bridgerton,' 'Dickinson,' 'Good Lord Bird': It's all 'truth,' if not historic fact

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/awards/story/2021-06-02/dickinson-bridgerton-for-all-mankind-play-with-history

In “The Good Lord Bird,” audiences may have learned something surprising about Frederick Douglass: namely that he apparently cohabitates with two women at the same time. Now, “Bird,” which tells the story of Harpers Ferry revolutionary John Brown through the eyes of a young Black man called Onion, does not purport to be a documentary. But can that actually be true? “Frederick Douglass was a lot of fun,” says Mark Richard, who produced and co-adapted (with star Ethan Hawke) the novel by James McBride. “Did he have two women under his roof at one time? Probably not. But he was a little bit of a ladies’ man, and we had fun making fun — and maybe Onion is misremembering. Like it says on the chyron [ahead of each episode], ‘All of this is true. Most of it happened.’ And that’s how we navigated the series.” Historical dramas have taken their lumps over the years for a lack of accuracy in everything from costumes to technology to language to casting. But in a “truthiness” era, after four years of a government devoted to muddying the waters of what “facts” actually are, what’s interesting this Emmy season is how several TV series take the concept of truth, or facts, or accuracy — and consider it not concrete, but clay. “Dickinson” may be the most historically accurate of the new batch: Creator Alena Smith bristles at the idea that her telling of Emily Dickinson’s life is anything but spot-on, down to the fact that the poet won a baking contest. “Facts are our structuring device,” she says. “But we are using the facts as borders within which to play with tone.” To that end, facts or no, we get to see Dickinson’s inner life — her carriage ride with Death, her words composed in burning script in the air, her contemporary language — within the context of what actually happened. “It’s a poetic reinvention of Emily Dickinson’s spirit — but it is fully grounded in biographical detail,” she says. Awards The Envelope Showrunners Roundtable gathers the creators of ‘Bridgerton,’ ‘Dickinson,’ ‘Hacks,’ ‘The Handmaid’s Tale,’ ‘Genius: Aretha’ and ‘Small Axe’ to talk television today. July 2, 2021 Meanwhile, Ronald Moore’s “For All Mankind” is a straight-up alternate history, in which the Soviet Union landed on the moon first, and sparked the U.S.’ competitive desire to stay in the space race. The American crews are diverse and set up a moon base. Mining begins. A war nearly starts. There are non-space ripple effects — John Lennon is not assassinated. In some ways, the history being told resembles the way Aaron Sorkin reinvented the presidency for “The West Wing.” “That’s a fair comparison,” says Moore, a former “Star Trek: The Next Generation” writer who admits he also sees “Mankind” as a bridge to the future envisioned by Gene Roddenberry. “It is a fantasy of how we’d like things to work — but we want it realistic, too.” But if loose concepts of facts and history have released writers from their corsets to tell new stories, it’s worth bearing in mind that no story about the past is really about that era: 1960s westerns were about the 1960s, really. “Happy Days” was about the 1970s, not the 1950s. And with discussions of color-conscious casting and revisiting the elided role women and ethnic groups have had in history at the fore of current social awareness, all of these shows are really about that. Putting a Black woman in space in the 1960s (“Mankind”). Emily Dickinson’s love for her female best friend. The farcical absurdities woven into the tragedy of race relations (“Bird”). Which makes “Bridgerton,” a show that rewrites Regency England (and is based on books by Julia Quinn) as one that includes Black and Asian characters as part of the aristocracy, part of the bigger conversation. “What’s interesting is there’s so many different alternate views that are being proposed about this period of time,” says executive producer Betsy Beers. “There is a real hunger and curiosity — to a large degree because some of this may be true, but was brushed out of the history books. That is the point: Just because someone says something is ‘reimagined’ doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.” “The history handed to us was unacceptable,” says “Dickinson’s” Smith. “The question of ‘Did you get history right?’ implies that someone got it ‘right’ before. There’s no such thing. Power is in who frames the question. We are trying to ask ourselves what in the past is worth holding on to, a past that was abusive in many ways.” And if viewers really need to know the history — or the various versions of history — they can go look it up for themselves, these shows are saying. “People who are interested in this kind of stuff will bother to find out what’s true and what’s not,” says Moore. “That’s part of the fun of a show like this — it should make you go bother to find out, to learn some history. It’s an opportunity for that kind of moment to happen for an audience. To me, it helps the collective memory more than it confuses it.”

Churchill Downs suspends Bob Baffert after Medina Spirit fails second drug test

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2021-06-02/kentucky-derby-winner-medina-spirit-split-sample-confirms-failed-drug-test

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert was suspended for two years by Churchill Downs on Wednesday, the announcement coming hours after Baffert’s attorney confirmed the split sample of this year’s conditional Kentucky Derby winner, Medina Spirit, also came back with a medication positive. Baffert has built his reputation on being able to win Triple Crown races in general and the Kentucky Derby in particular. Medina Spirit was thought to be Baffert’s seventh Derby winner and 17th Triple Crown victory. The move by Churchill Downs no doubt will set off litigation to try to overturn the decision. If Baffert is not allowed to enter horses with the goal of winning the Kentucky Derby, the move would impact his business seriously and further harm his reputation. The ban is in effect until after the Churchill Downs 2023 Spring meeting. Craig Robertson, who represents Baffert in matters regarding state regulatory boards, said he did not represent Baffert in the Churchill Downs matter and would have no comment. Churchill Downs, the home to the Kentucky Derby for 147 years, seemed unwavering in its decision. “[Churchill Downs Inc.] has consistently advocated for strict medication regulations so that we can confidently ensure that horses are fit to race and the races are conducted fairly,” said Bill Carstanjen, chief executive of CDI. “Reckless practices and substance violations that jeopardize the safety of our equine and human athletes or compromise the integrity of our sport are not acceptable and as a company we must take measures to demonstrate that they will not be tolerated. “Mr. Baffert’s record of testing failures threatens public confidence in thoroughbred racing and the reputation of the Kentucky Derby. Given these repeated failures over the last year, including the increasingly extraordinary explanations, we firmly believe that asserting our rights to impose these measures is our duty and responsibility.” Sports Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit passed a drug test and is cleared to run at the Preakness Stakes, where trainer Bob Baffert has become the story without being present. May 15, 2021 The actions by Churchill Downs are separate from those that might be taken by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, which will decide if Medina Spirit is disqualified. No hearing date has been set. If Medina Spirit were to be disqualified for a medication violation, it would only be the second time in the history of the race. In 1968, Dancer’s Image was disqualified for having phenylbutazone, an anti-inflammatory, in his system. It took four years to settle the case after extensive litigation. Baffert, considered the face of racing because of his success, has been dogged by medication positives the past year-and-a-half. This is his fifth violation during that time. In two of the cases, he was fined with no penalty to the horse or ownership because the positives were caused by inadvertent contamination that also affected other barns. His explanations for the positives included giving a horse medication outside the 14-day allowable window and a groom, who had taken cough medicine, urinating in a stall. The penalties by the KHSC would be much less severe. In addition to disqualification and forfeiture of all purse money, if found guilty, Baffert could be suspended for between 10 and 30 days and fined $1,500 to $2,500. It would be Baffert’s second Class C violation in Kentucky within a year. The filly Gamine tested positive for betamethasone after running in the Kentucky Oaks in September. A suspension in Kentucky would be honored by every jurisdiction, including California. The suspension of a trainer by a race track is not unprecedented. Two years ago, the Stronach Group — owner of Santa Anita, Golden Gate and other tracks — suspended Jerry Hollendorfer for what they believed to be excessive fatalities of his horses. Hollendorfer filed suit and received a temporary restraining order that allowed him to run at Del Mar. He also filed suit to be able to run in Los Angeles and Alameda Counties but was denied. The case against TSG is awaiting trial. A message left for Josh Rubinstein, chief operating officer at Del Mar, to see if Del Mar planned any action against Baffert during its upcoming summer meeting was not immediately returned. Santa Anita, which only has three weeks of racing left in its meeting, issued a statement saying: “[The KHRC] has not released all of the information nor has it offered a ruling on this matter. We will continue to await action by the KHRC and will make a decision once their regulatory process is complete.” Robertson confirmed this morning that “the Medina Spirit split sample confirmed the finding of betamethasone at 25 picograms.” The original sample found 21 picograms in the horse’s system. A picogram is a trillionth of a gram. There is no allowable limit for the medication on race day in Kentucky. The split sample testing was done by the Maddy Lab at UC Davis. Betamethasone is corticosteroid that primarily is used as an anti-inflammatory on both people and animals. It is not considered a performance enhancer and its use is legal but needs to be out of the horse’s system by race day. The typical withdrawal window is 14 days or less. The reason regulators don’t want horses on the medication when they race is so veterinarians can feel for heat on the animals’ limbs in pre-race examinations, according to Dr. Mary Scollay, executive director and chief operating officer at the RMTC. Sports Bob Baffert was suspended Monday from entering horses at New York racetracks, pending an investigation into the failed drug test of Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit. May 17, 2021 “You don’t want to increase the chance of injury by not being able to detect a problem,” Scollay told The Times last month. “It helps the trainer, groom, everyone who comes in contact with the horse. You don’t want medication to fool them into poor decision-making.” The KHRC has yet to confirm the positive. It was made public by Baffert about a week after the Kentucky Derby. At first, he said he had no idea how the drug got in the horse’s system. He went on various media outlets defending his horse and proclaiming innocence. In one interview with Fox, he blamed “cancel culture.” However, two days later he said they had found the source of the drug and it was an ointment that was being used to treat a skin rash on the right-hind quarter of Medina Spirit. The treatment started shortly after the Santa Anita Derby and continued until the day before the Kentucky Derby. Betamethasone is usually administered to horses by injection but also comes as a topical. The New York Racing Assn., which conducts the Belmont Stakes on Saturday — the third leg of the Triple Crown — has a temporary ban on Baffert.

Feud between firefighters led to shooting at Agua Dulce fire station, detectives say

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-02/agua-dulce-gunman-argued-colleagues-before-shooting

The shooting at a Los Angeles County fire station in Agua Dulce in which one firefighter killed a colleague and critically wounded a captain was the culmination of a work dispute that escalated over time, detectives said Wednesday. Lt. Brandon Dean of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau said authorities are trying to work through details of the dispute, seeking paperwork from the Fire Department’s human resources office and conducting interviews. Dean said firefighter Jonathan Tatone came to Fire Station 81 on Tuesday morning and fatally shot colleague Tory Carlon. The captain of the station heard the shot and came down to the scene, where he was wounded by Tatone, Dean said. The captain was in critical but stable condition at a hospital and has not yet been interviewed by detectives. Tatone was found dead in an apparent suicide at his home in nearby Acton. Law enforcement sources said Tatone and Carlon worked at the station but on different shifts and had been clashing for some time over operations and other issues. “We do believe there was some disagreement over work performance and work-related issues,” Dean said Wednesday. “How long it has been going on we don’t know yet.” California An off-duty firefighter killed a fellow firefighter and critically wounded a captain in a shooting at Agua Dulce fire station Tuesday morning, officials said. June 1, 2021 Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby, who has worked at Station 81, called it a “small, hometown-type fire station — very quiet, very quaint.” “Generally speaking, the people on that shift would have a good working relationship,” he said Tuesday. “Obviously something went wrong with that relationship today.” In a procession Tuesday evening, Los Angeles County firefighters drove from Station 81 to the coroner’s office. A U.S. flag hung suspended between two fire truck ladders over the roadway as the procession of police cars and fire trucks rolled beneath. The street flickered with the red, yellow, blue and white lights of the responders’ vehicles. Hundreds of firefighters and community members also attended a vigil Tuesday night. “When it comes to being a father, when it comes to being a fireman, when it comes to being a mentor, there was nobody that could parallel that,” one participant said of Carlon, who was married and had three daughters. Osby described Carlon as “truly dedicated, one of our better firefighters, amazing, and a true loss to our department.” “My heart is with our firefighters and the families of those affected,” L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said on Twitter. Calling it a “heinous act of violence,” Supervisor Janice Hahn said firefighters risk their lives at work every day. “Between emergency calls, the fire station must have felt like their safe haven,” she said. “Unfortunately that sense of safety has now been shattered.” Multiple sources identified the wounded fire captain as Arnoldo Sandoval, 54, who was taken to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital with multiple gunshot wounds. After the attack, the gunman fled to his home about 10 miles away, where he barricaded himself and apparently set the house on fire. L.A. County sheriff’s deputies were unable to enter because of the flames, and fire crews had no way of knowing whether the man inside was armed as they attempted to battle the blaze. By 3 p.m., the 3,600-square-foot home had been reduced to near rubble. The suspected gunman was found dead in a small pool on the property, according to Sheriff’s Department officials.

Times columnists talk Naomi Osaka, mental health, the media and seeing athletes 'as humans'

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2021-06-02/times-columnists-naomi-osaka-media-mental-health

Naomi Osaka’s initial decision to skip French Open news conferences and her later withdrawal from the tournament due to her battle with depression and anxiety sparked international debate about the role of media and athletes’ mental health. Los Angeles Times columnists Helene Elliott, LZ Granderson, Dylan Hernández and Bill Plaschke answer some key questions raised by Osaka’s exit. Is the postgame news conference format less than ideal for both athletes and media? What do you feel would be a better format for a two-way conversation with athletes? Granderson: Depends on the sport. Because this discussion is coming off of Osaka, it’s important to remember that professional tennis is not governed by a single body. As a result, there isn’t a single way things are done nor a single overseeing body to lead a discussion. So to look at tennis through American eyes without taking that into account would be a mistake. I never liked the way tennis pressured the loser to speak so soon after a defeat. If that player takes too long, they’ll be referred to in a negative light. I don’t think the problem is in the initial format. The problem is with the lack of flexibility to account for the ebbs and flows of a person’s humanity. This notion that we all have a job to do is all fine and dandy, but that doesn’t mean everyone has to do that job in the exact same way. For introverts with an extrovert career, news conferences are not edifying. pic.twitter.com/LN2ANnoAYD Podcasts Her move highlighted an issue long bubbling in sports: When stress is part of the game, what’s the best way to handle an athlete’s mental health? June 2, 2021 Hernández: Really depends on what you’re looking for. If you want to gather information for a feature or get into X’s and O’s, the format isn’t what journalists want, since each of them often aren’t afforded follow-up questions. But if the point is to hold someone accountable — MLB commissioner Rob Manfred or Astros owner Jim Crane answering questions about the sign-stealing scandal comes to mind — this works, so long as the reporters know what they’re doing. When the interview subjects are in front of a room full of reporters and a bank of cameras, there’s nowhere to run, as there might be, say, in a stadium hallway. In a setting like this, even a non-answer can say a lot. However, the reality is that most people in our line of work are really bad at asking questions. Because of this, because the majority of questions are “fluff” from reporters afraid of upsetting anyone, I’ve always imagined it’s easier for an athlete who messed up to answer questions in a news conference setting than in a locker room. Plaschke: I should start off by saying I don’t think athletes have any obligation to talk to the media. They don’t owe it to us. They don’t owe it to the fans. They’re not making public policy. They’re entertainers. They don’t owe the public anything other than their best effort on the playing field as a reciprocation for the purchase of a ticket. I don’t need them to talk to me to do my job. They don’t need to talk to me to do their job. However, many sports entities do believe athletes have an obligation to talk to the media for the good of the sport, so much so that their bylaws have rules forcing them to talk or they suffer penalties. Under those rules — not the media rules, the league’s rules — the postgame news conference format is actually the best and easiest way to facilitate mass communication between athletes and media. That’s why it’s universally used even in events with greatly limited access. News conferences are safer for the athlete by ensuring the athlete is in a controlled environment with a moderator who can hand-pick the questioners. News conferences are better for the media because they ensure that everyone will theoretically have a chance to ask a question and hear every answer. Without a news conference format, the athlete is swarmed by packs of journalists screaming questions to an athlete who has no control over the narrative. Sports Naomi Osaka’s decision to not participate in news conferences at the French Open is drawing reactions from Billie Jean King, Rafael Nadal and others. May 29, 2021 What is the biggest misconception you’ve seen circulating in response to Naomi Osaka’s statements and how would you address it? Elliott: The biggest misconception is that she’s a spoiled brat and she’s rich and being rich means you don’t have mental health problems. Being rich would make it easier to pay for treatment, I guess, but that person isn’t automatically more inclined to admit to having problems and seeking help if they’re rich. Granderson: That it’s all about her. It is in the sense that she is the one voicing concerns, but anyone who thinks she’s the only athlete who feels this way hasn’t spoken to a sports psychologist or even paid attention to what the pros have been saying. LeBron James talks about mental health all the time. Phil Jackson, as coach of the Lakers, did as well. It’s been right in front of our faces for years. Hernández: Maybe I’m missing something, but I don’t think this is a media story at all. Based on what Osaka and her sister have said or written, it’s clear she didn’t want to be asked about her troubles on clay because it’d plant doubts in her head. The fact she feels that being asked these questions would be detrimental to her mental health, we can surmise that she’s basically treating this tournament as a life-or-death matter. So, a large part of her sense of self-worth is tied up in how well she performs. In her mind, it doesn’t matter how much better she is on other surfaces; if she doesn’t succeed on clay, she sees herself as a failure. That’s the real problem here. Most athletes who reach the top of their professions have predatory mentalities. Every now and then, however, there will be someone immensely gifted who has the sensibilities of a normal person. They tend to be very kind and introspective people, and they often make the best interview subjects. But the world of sports is uncompromising. Results are black and white. You win or you lose. In other walks of life, people who are mediocre at their jobs can still be respected for some of their other qualities. Here, it’s mostly about the scoreboard. Sports Naomi Osaka revealing her struggles with depression and anxiety shows why her decision to withdraw from the French Open deserves understanding. June 1, 2021 If you’re a prodigy who is unfamiliar with failure, I would imagine such a world would be terrifying, even mentally unhealthy, to inhabit. Years ago, when I was the Dodgers beat writer, the team had a left-hander named Hong-Chih Kuo who had one of the most dominant pitches of any reliever in baseball history. A year later, he went on the disabled list with an anxiety disorder. As tennis’ highest-paid player, Osaka probably felt she couldn’t just take a leave of absence like that. She’s probably needed a break from the game for some time. For her sake, it’s good she’s taking it. Plaschke: People act like it is Osaka against the media. That’s not the issue. The conflict is between Osaka and her concern for her emotional well-being against the tennis hierarchy holding her to rules that apply to every player. Both sides were simply protecting their interests. The issue is whether those media rules need to be changed so the punishment for breaking them is not so harsh as a tournament default. If Kyrie Irving doesn’t talk, his team doesn’t lose a game, he just loses money. The biggest misconception is that she’s a spoiled brat and she’s rich and being rich means you don’t have mental health problems. — Helene Elliott on Naomi Osaka How would you explain your job to anyone who believes athletes should no longer do any media interviews at all? Elliott: By asking questions that explore an athlete’s motivation or preparation or background, we provide insight into why athletes perform as they do. Some thrive under pressure. Some tense up. By interviewing athletes, we convey to fans the reasons athletes did what they did and answer the question every fan sitting on a couch watching a game inevitably asks: “What was he thinking?!” Granderson: You ever tried canceling cable through an automated service as opposed to an actual person and then, after you’ve given up, it asks if there’s anything else they can do to help you despite not helping you the first time? That’s me trying to write a story after a game without access. Sports Like Naomi Osaka, who decided to exit the French Open, Mardy Fish once stepped away from a successful tennis career because of mental health issues. June 1, 2021 Hernández: Here’s the funny thing: When I ask an athlete about a play or statement they botched, I feel like I’m doing them a favor. I’m giving them a chance to explain themselves. Most of the time, this ends with the athlete being portrayed more positively — or at least with his or her side presented — and me losing a great one-liner. It’d actually be much easier to stay up in the press box, never go into the locker room and just write what I want. Look, they can do what they want — talk, don’t talk, whatever. But I’d suggest to athletes to really think this through. Just remember: If you don’t tell your story, somebody else will. Plaschke: I would explain it as, I agree with them. We can write stories without postgame quotes. European soccer writers have been doing that for many years. Now, I certainly enjoy quoting athletes, and it makes my job a lot easier, and I’m thrilled that sports entities have decided that their athletes speaking to us is good for their sport, because it is. But talking to the media is, and should be, a league mandate, not a media mandate. What do you hope people learn from Osaka’s statements? Elliott: I hope people learn that mental health issues should be talked about without shame. Granderson: That if a player withdraws from a tournament for mental health reasons, that is akin to withdrawing due to a physical injury. Hernández: I do think this is an opportunity for us to reexamine our win-at-all-costs culture — but I’m sure we won’t. Like, seriously, Osaka has been talking about her depression for at least three years at news conferences. Did anyone in leadership stop to ask what could be done to help? — LZ Granderson Plaschke: I hope people realize that even the greatest and most charismatic of athletes can struggle with the mental health issues plaguing the general population. We need to look at these athletes as humans, not superheroes. And, if they have acknowledged mental health issues, we need to think about that the next time we’re booing or heckling or ripping them in either mainstream or social media. All of you here were around when Metta World Peace gave voice to the mental health struggles of athletes more than a decade ago? What did we learn from that, and what do we still have to learn from that? Elliott: I guess we haven’t learned enough from Metta World Peace and his struggles, since we’re still talking about that issue and still hearing people insist that Osaka’s problems either aren’t real or aren’t legitimate. Granderson: The response to Osaka demonstrates we haven’t learned much of anything as an industry. Consider the way Ricky Williams was bullied ... not much different than Osaka. The reality is, people don’t do well in this space because of stigma. We need more athletes and others who are perceived to be strong to make their voices heard. The quicker we can move past stigma, the faster we’ll actually be able to hear when an athlete is asking for help. Like, seriously, Osaka has been talking about her depression for at least three years at news conferences. Did anyone in leadership stop to ask what could be done to help? I’ve been to tournaments. I see how car sponsors make sure vehicles are available; stringers are on site; hair care if you want it. Tournament directors can certainly figure out a way to help athletes manage mental health, if it is viewed as important. Sports He joined the Lakers in the summer of 2009 as a troublemaker, a pariah, a plague. April 11, 2017 Plaschke: His name was Ron Artest at the time, and he was known as a violent player and nasty human. Yet his sudden public pronouncements about mental health changed that perception, and Artest changed with it, eventually becoming Metta World Peace and transforming into one of the most engaging, friendly and introspective of stars. When he thanked his psychiatrist on national television after Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals, that did more for our awareness of athletes’ mental health than anything in history. It opened the door not only to World Peace’s evolution but also to the healthy transparency of many other athletes who have since acknowledged anxiety and depression. Because of World Peace and the athletes who came after him, the majority of the sports world was understanding of Osaka’s feelings once she admitted her anxiety. But the support needs to be unanimous, and that can only happen with increased awareness and education.

How the comedy 'Girls5eva' keeps those vocals sounding 2 good

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/awards/story/2021-06-02/girls5eva-sara-bareilles-renee-elise-goldsberry-tina-fey

The uniquely titled musical sitcom “Girls5eva” is the brainchild of Meredith Scardino, a three-time Emmy-winning writer for the “The Colbert Report” and three-time Emmy nominee for her work on “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” and its subsequent TV movie. The energetic Peacock series stars Sara Bareilles, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Busy Philipps and Paula Pell as members of a briefly popular 1990s girl group called Girls5eva because, as their wondrous one-hit — and the show’s earworm of a theme song — “Famous 5eva” explains it, “4eva is too short.” The quirky quartet unexpectedly reunites 20 years later after a popular rapper samples them and creates renewed interest and, well, time has not been kind. Heartfelt absurdity ensues. Scardino, who also collaborates on the show’s loopy-clever tunes with Emmy-winning, Tony-nominated composer Jeff Richmond (an executive producer here with wife Tina Fey, Robert Carlock, Scardino and others), hatched the series after noticing how many 1990s-era girl groups and boy bands were doing reunion tours. “It seemed like such a fertile place to set the show,” she said in a recent phone chat, “and I liked the idea that they [Girls5eva] were never super-famous. I then tried to think about what might become of you if you were in this group.” The creator extolled her cast’s facility with physical comedy, especially Bareilles, a prolific, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and performer, and Goldsberry, who won a Tony Award as Angelica Schuyler in “Hamilton” and has appeared in many dramatic film and TV roles. “They all committed so hard to their parts,” Scardino enthused. The Envelope caught up recently with Bareilles, who plays anxiously optimistic wife and mom Dawn, and Goldsberry, who portrays the wildly self-absorbed Wickie, on a buoyant joint call from their perch on “a sunny little bench in Central Park.” You both have accomplished musical careers — and great careers in general. What’s it like to play characters who have trouble with things like composing music and achieving real success? Renée Elise Goldsberry: I think most of our careers are about throwing a lot against the wall and most doesn’t stick … and I think that’s why all of these characters, as outlandish as they are, are so relatable. We understand how it feels to want something very badly that most likely will not happen. Sara Bareilles: Yes, we both enjoy a lot of wonderful success, but it’s built upon a lot of trial and error. I very easily remember what it feels like to not be able to write or having no confidence in what I’m creating. Let’s talk about the show’s nutty humor, particularly the breakneck dialogue and numerical wordplay. It can’t be easy to nail, yet you crush it. What’s your approach?Bareilles: The first thing is not letting your own laughter get in the way. This writing team, their imaginations are just wacko brilliant. And same thing with the songwriting team — it’s a joke every two words. Goldsberry: The rhythm of the comedy is very musical. It started to make sense once you kind of embraced the cadence of the writing. But it is fast and complicated. Renée, you play such a wonderfully amusing narcissist. Did you channel anyone to bring Wickie to such vivid life? Because she obviously isn’t you. Uh, right?Goldsberry: [Laughs] It’s a part of me that I suppress every single day — my inner diva! I really just allowed myself to summon all of my inner demons and forget the things that I think I instinctively knew in this career: that I needed allies, that I needed friends, how dependent I needed to be on other artists to survive. But Wickie missed all that, and she gets a second chance to learn it. Sara, one of my favorite bits was Dawn’s imaginary visit from Dolly Parton [played by Fey], who shows up to inspire her songwriting. It’s so rich and funny. How was it to shoot? Bareilles: I was a little bit nervous about going toe-to-toe with Tina Fey. She’s a massive hero of mine, and I didn’t want to show up at anything less than 100%. But very quickly it was so clear: Honor each of these ridiculous moments in the script, have fun and really bring a sense of playfulness to the whole experience. You both have amazing Broadway voices. Did you have to modulate them at all for TV? Bareilles: I actually think that our approach was to sing well, because the music [we’re singing] is not a joke. The lyrics are hilarious, but the songs are kind of great. I think what helps the songs lift off is the fact that we’re singing them honestly and with the best of our abilities. Goldsberry: I’ve been asked a few times to sing [while] playing characters who were not singers, and let me tell you about the choice I always make: Whatever I’m playing, my character can sing as well as I can possibly sing! [Laughs] My ego will never allow me to sabotage my voice for anybody. Actually, I feel that Wickie sings so well that I had to pull it up a little bit! Ren´ee, Wickie has some … unique hygiene rituals. Is it hard to brush your teeth and your eyebrows in unison? Yes it is! It’s really, really hard! It’s like patting your head and rubbing your stomach. Wickie’s got a lot of toothbrushes.

Former L.A. Councilman Mitchell Englander begins serving prison sentence

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-02/former-city-councilman-mitchell-englander-reports-to-prison

Former Los Angeles City Councilman Mitchell Englander, convicted in a sprawling City Hall corruption case last year, has begun serving his 14-month sentence at the U.S. penitentiary in Arizona, prison records show. Englander was sentenced in January for lying to federal authorities about his dealings with a businessman who provided him $15,000 in secret cash payments and a debauched night in Las Vegas. He is the first to be imprisoned in a probe that has also produced felony charges against former City Councilman Jose Huizar, former Deputy Mayor Raymond Chan and several others. Englander, who served on the council from 2011 to 2018, had been instructed to report to the prison system this week. He has a projected release date of May 28, 2022, said Scott Taylor, spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The federal prison in Tucson is a high-security penitentiary with an adjacent minimum-security satellite camp, which holds 92 inmates, according to the facility’s website. Taylor said Englander will be housed at the satellite camp. Taylor would not discuss the rationale for Englander’s projected release date. But he said federal law allows prison sentences to be reduced for a variety of reasons, including good conduct. California Former L.A. City Councilman Mitchell Englander pleaded guilty Tuesday, becoming the third figure to do so in a City Hall corruption inquiry. July 7, 2020 Asked about Englander’s incarceration, Mayor Eric Garcetti said he felt that justice had been served. “If you break the law, it doesn’t matter who you are or what your title is, be prepared to pay the price,” he said. Englander pleaded guilty in July to scheming to falsify material facts, a felony. As part of a plea deal, he admitted lying to prosecutors and FBI agents during three interviews in 2017 and 2018 about his interactions with a Southern California businessman who provided him with cash and other freebies. At his sentencing hearing in January, U.S. District Judge John F. Walter said arrogance and greed drove Englander to “brazenly” cover up his misconduct. Englander told the judge he took full responsibility for his crime, saying it had “shattered” his reputation. Englander also received a $15,000 fine. Englander, 50, represented Northridge, Porter Ranch, Chatsworth and other parts of the northwest San Fernando Valley. He was a reserve officer with the Los Angeles Police Department and a longtime fixture at City Hall, serving as a chief of staff to Councilman Greig Smith before becoming a councilman himself. Huizar and Chan, two other high-level officials targeted in the corruption probe, have pleaded not guilty to an array of charges. Several others in the case have pleaded guilty, including a special assistant to Huizar.

After 11 seasons, it's goodbye to the Gallaghers and the outrageous 'Shameless'

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/awards/story/2021-06-02/after-11-seasons-its-goodbye-to-the-gallaghers-and-the-outrageous-shameless

At the end of Season 1 of Showtime’s “Shameless,” Frank — the drunken Gallagher patriarch, played by William H. Macy — stands outside his son Lip’s (Jeremy Allen White) bedroom window, apologizing for having slept with Lip’s girlfriend. “We’re both f—ing victims!” he cries, referring to himself and Lip. In response, Lip urinates from his window onto Frank’s head. And after his initial disgust, Frank steps into the stream. They leave without another word — but smiling. That was “Shameless,” which ended its 11-season run in April, becoming Showtime’s longest-running scripted series. It was a family show like no other: There was no bridge it wouldn’t burn to get a laugh or to make a point about families living on the edge of both poverty and civilized behavior. “We satirized pretty much everything you can think of, often in bad taste,” says showrunner John Wells, who adapted it in tandem with a British version, both created by Paul Abbott based on stories about his own family. “But there was this wish fulfillment — this romance, that there’d always be a big sister to look after you or a brother that would step up for you, and that people would be in each other’s corner every time.” Awards ‘Shameless’ star William H. May 30, 2017 A sprawling ensemble of dysfunction, “Shameless’” extended cast largely focused on the large Chicago-based Gallagher family, members of which were lightly parented by its elder children, Lip and Fiona (Emmy Rossum, who left after the ninth season), because Frank was invariably drinking or drunk. “He’s just shameless,” Macy told The Envelope in 2011. “A narcissist, a bad guy. A really rough character. He’s always scheming and plotting — he works at scamming the system, but he’s got joie de vivre. I love the guy.” Frank’s likable unlikability made the show hard to watch at times, but Wells insists that “many of us have Franks in our lives. He reminded people of their uncle or their brother. Bill was always looking for challenges: In the [final episode], he was really in favor of having Frank die of COVID and never having a moment where he looks for sympathy.” “Frank was like a cockroach,” says White. “There was something special about ending the show that way — but ending it without the rest of his family finding out [he was dead]. We could end on a high note.” Still, this wasn’t a show that sold easily; Wells said it took seven years and four networks to land it at Showtime. “Other networks thought it went too far, but we loved how it took a tried-and-true concept — the family show — and turned it inside out,” says Gary Levine, president of entertainment at the channel. “Its outrageousness was grounded in a gritty reality — these were forgotten people at the margins.” Along the way, though, the series did find out where Showtime would draw the line on questionable behavior, says Levine. “We encouraged them to go as far as they wanted to. But one time at a table read, I said to John and the writers, ‘You will not steal a library book. Gallaghers will rip off people, but they will not rip off the library.’ And they were aghast.” Popular though it was, after five seasons “Shameless” might have been heading toward a finale … but a new wave of fans arrived, thanks to reruns on Netflix, which bounced them back to Showtime. By its seventh year, Wells says, they were boosting security around the Chicago location set, thanks to the appearance of fervent fans. But the series took another hit when star Rossum decided to move on; she’d married “Mr. Robot” creator Sam Esmail, who was based in New York. And although it wasn’t a lethal blow, the writing was on the wall that “Shameless” would be coming to a close sooner rather than later. “You don’t want to be a boxer that stays too long in the ring and gets clobbered,” says Levine. “We decided to let it go out on top.” “I honestly didn’t think it would last very long,” admits Wells. “We were on a tightrope a lot, and many people felt we fell off it on many subjects. But that’s how black comedy is — some people are going to be offended. I think the audience understood, though, that we were not to be taken literally. It was worth having the conversation on some of these subjects.” Meanwhile, several actors grew up during the show’s run — including Ethan Cutkosky (Carl), who started out at age 9. As he notes, he’d have been happy to go on with the series even longer. “We were so connected as a cast,” he says. “If Showtime had said, ‘We’ll do this for another 10 years,’ we’d have been down for that. We could have been telling stories for years to come.”

‘Survival energy’: How COVID-19 and pregnancy fueled a fierce new book

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2021-06-02/the-fierce-author-who-writes-like-shes-running-out-of-time

On the Shelf To Write as if Already Dead By Kate ZambrenoColumbia: 176 pages, $22If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookstores. When French writer and photographer Hervé Guibert was diagnosed with AIDS in 1988, he was already prolific. But when he published his novel “To the Friend Who Did Not Save My Life” in 1990, revealing his positive status and that of his friend, the late Michel Foucault, Guibert became newly famous. Possessed by a kind of “survival energy,” he had been determined to write as much of his life as he could before its end. In 1991, nearly blind, Guibert took an overdose and died two weeks later, just after his 36th birthday. Kate Zambreno’s latest book, “To Write as if Already Dead,” is a study of Guibert’s uncompromising novel. Galvanized by much the same “survival energy,” the conversation vibrates with eerie coincidence: two writers amid the chaos of a pandemic, working against erasure. Zambreno is as prolific and not yet famous as Guibert was before his diagnosis. She has often been called unconventional and experimental — the kind of writer whose Wikipedia page has a much longer section for “critical reception” than “career.” Like the writing of Maggie Nelson, Sarah Manguso and others testing the borders of essay, memoir and fiction, her work defies easy categorization. Zambreno’s blog, Frances Farmer Is My Sister, became the book “Heroines,” published in 2012, on the “mad wives” of modernist literature: Vivienne Eliot, Jane Bowles, Jean Rhys and Zelda Fitzgerald. Among her novels and essays, Zambreno published “Book of Mutter” in 2017, on the death of her mother. “To Write as if Already Dead” is her 8th book and her fourth to be published since 2019. “Looking back on it, especially through the last two books, I’m thinking of all the ways I’ve destroyed my body trying to finish books,” Zambreno says, laughing with exasperation during a phone call from her home in New York. Her last book, “Drifts,” was released in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. In it, she wrote, “Every book I’ve published embarrasses me.” After almost a decade under contract, “Drifts,” about writing and Rainer Maria Rilke, was completed after Zambreno gave birth to her first child. “To Write as if Already Dead” followed a similar trajectory — completed after many years of rumination in a mad dash fueled by a second pregnancy and the pandemic. Books In “The Last Man Takes LSD,” two authors track Foucault’s late-in-life rightward turn, beginning with a hallucinogenic 1975 visit to Death Valley. May 24, 2021 “So much of the book is about urgency,” Zambreno said. “I knew I wasn’t getting maternity leave; I had a real panic that if I didn’t write it then, it wouldn’t get written. I’ve lost books like that before; the window will go away.” There is a literal sense of the word “deadline” in the new book, as signaled by its title and subject. “Is this why I’m writing so much? This drive? Is it fear? Hypochondriac energy? The desire to write all the books I have planned, as quickly as possible . . . As a way to exist?” she writes. Zambreno’s process brings to mind pregnancy and childbirth. “Francis Bacon said that he was overcome by despair and then he would work,” she says. “That’s a good description ... I often commit these crazy bodily acts like making myself sick because that’s when I get the writing done. Those hours come at quite a cost.” While thinking about Guibert, Zambreno was going into Manhattan for ob-gyn check-ups just as COVID-19 deaths peaked in New York — “commuting to Mt. Sinai, feeling this insane sense of dread, with all the ambulances,” she remembers. “But rather than panicking, the Guibert allowed me to work through the present moment.” Much of the dehumanizing “medical gaze” Guibert describes resonates with what Zambreno has endured postpartum. The cruelty of the healthcare system plays a major part in both books, especially during the pandemic. Having just won a fellowship from the Guggenheim Foundation, Zambreno tells me that the funds equal two years of family healthcare. The money is going straight to insurance. The postpartum experience isn’t just expensive; it can also be one of psychic trauma and creative crisis. Someone who was a person becomes a mother. “You’re not a person. You don’t have a name,” says Zambreno. This feeling of erasure is a current that runs through her work, reaching peak intensity in “To Write as if Already Dead.” “I need to restore myself after being made into a ghost,” Zambreno says. “I always feel like writing the most when I’m being made invisible.” It must be said that Guibert’s was a “much more dire diagnosis.” Giving birth is not the horror or suffering of AIDS or COVID-19. When I asked Zambreno why she was drawn to queer men, she acknowledged having heard the question before. An artist friend had asked her: “Do you think it has to do with feminist writing’s refusal to recognize abject bodies?” Books In Lynn Steger Strong’s ‘Want,’ a writer, teacher and mother faces up to her own privilege and the precariousness of her middle-class life. July 2, 2020 Other writers have recently questioned the impact of motherhood on art — for instance, Sheila Heti in “Motherhood.” Zambreno welcomes more writing and thinking about its costs. “The philosophy of motherhood has only just begun,” she said. “It is overwritten in cliché and underwritten in despair.” Guibert, in a journal about a harrowing hospital stay, quoted Virginia Woolf’s “On Being Ill”: “But of all this daily drama of the body, there is no record.” At the end of “To Write as if Already Dead,” Zambreno imagines Guibert in his last months, “always writing, or trying to write. As a way to prevent death? As a way to look it in the eye? I wonder if death is the ultimate betrayal, not writing.” Pregnancy and childbirth can have analogous effects on the artist. “Literature is time, writing is time,” Zambreno tells me. Now the mother of two children, “I feel very jealous of whoever wrote ‘Drifts.’ I will never have that time again.” COVID-19 provides the framework for the second part of Zambreno’s book, but it begins with a very different theme: creative collaboration. The author opens with an appreciation for the friendships she made with other writers online. “I think of ‘Drifts’ and ‘To Write’ as love letters to women and nonbinary writers who I correspond with,” she says, “chance encounters that catalyzed my thinking and who I am.” I told Zambreno that I was startled to discover the book is dedicated to Bhanu Kapil, who coined the term “survival energy.” I had picked up Kapil’s book, “The Vertical Interrogation of Strangers,” just a few weeks earlier. She laughed. “I love the idea of what you’re reading, how that becomes an intimacy,” she said. For Zambreno, that’s the goal of writing, “being alive with the uncanniness and spookiness of literature [and] the profound connection of communities.” Books Andrew Nemerov’s ‘Fierce Poise: Helen Frankenthaler and 1950s New York’ charts the rise of an Abstract Expressionist painter knocked for her privilege. Feb. 17, 2021 Guibert ends “To the Friend Who Did Not Save My Life” by writing, “my book is closing in on me.” His work was a postcard from the edge, but luckily, Zambreno isn’t finished. Her communion with Guibert not only illuminates his work; it also gives the living author the tools to “write as if already dead.” In “Drifts,” she quotes a letter from Rilke to Auguste Rodin that might hold the key to her drive: “To work is to live without dying.” Ferri’s most recent book is “Silent Cities: New York.”

Those biscuits in 'Ted Lasso' look delish. Not so much, says Hannah Waddingham

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/awards/story/2021-06-02/hannah-waddingham-ted-lasso-rebecca-welton

When she first auditioned for the role of Rebecca Welton on “Ted Lasso,” Hannah Waddingham was convinced she wouldn’t get it. The British actress loved the idea of a comedy about the human condition set in the world of English football, but she just assumed the creators would want someone more recognizable. “I first thought, ‘Well, I can go along and enjoy this audition, because I know I’m never going to get it because it’s a honey of a role,’” Waddingham laughs, speaking from London, where the Apple TV+ series is in production on its second season. “I went in very calmly, thinking they were going to get some big old starry person. Warner Bros. flew me out to have a chemistry read with Jason [Sudeikis], and I went even more into my own head and was saying to my rep, ‘Don’t tell me who is going to be in the room.’ I’m an old-fashioned theater girl, that’s where I come from, and it has to be about genuine chemistry. It had to be about where Rebecca collides with Ted at this point in their lives. Thankfully, it worked.” Awards From a stoned Amsterdam monologue to a pair of sports coverage TV ads to a newly beloved sitcom, ‘Ted Lasso’ isn’t just a show. It’s a vibe. Jan. 18, 2021 Waddingham, who admits she is not really a fan of soccer (she grew up with rugby), embraced Rebecca from the moment she was cast, convinced that although the character was initially presented as an antagonist, she needed to be understood by the audience. It was important to the actress that Rebecca be as complicated and genuinely human as possible. “I wanted people to understand from that very first scene that just because she stands tall and she stands strong, she’s not,” Waddingham remembers. “I wanted people to immediately see the inner turmoil and inner upset and her coping mechanism. When people talk about her being the Cruella de Vil or the Darth Vader of the episode, I think, ‘Yes, but that’s an easy thing for everyone to see.’ I’m very glad to see that people have realized very early on that she’s written in a way that makes you root for her without even realizing it.” She adds, “That’s why I didn’t think the part was going to go my way, because she’s so beautifully drawn that somebody is going to get an absolute gift.” Although Waddingham has extensive experience in TV, including on “Game of Thrones” and “Sex Education,” she’s found that “Ted Lasso” has completely changed her relationship with the camera. “Ever since I started playing roles like Septa Unella on ‘Game of Thrones’ — you couldn’t get a more raw-looking, grim mess — I learned to enjoy letting the camera in,” the actress says. “Even if the character is glamorous, like Rebecca is, I enjoy the moments when the façade comes down. I think it’s OK to be vulnerable on camera, because there are so many people watching who will see parts of themselves. That’s a real privilege to then receive messages from people saying, ‘Thank you for letting us in.’ And it’s my pleasure, because there’s a catharsis in it for me too.” Going into Season 2, which premieres July 23, Waddingham wanted to ensure she kept that level of vulnerability in the character. She’s been relieved to discover that Rebecca didn’t just suddenly figure everything out after the Season 1 finale. “It would be very easy for them to have written her as having her epiphany that she doesn’t need to feel these things about [her ex-husband] Rupert anymore and that she can stand on her own two feet and that the people she has around her now are far more worthy of her energy than he was,” Waddingham notes. “I wanted to make sure that we’re still seeing her flaws and misgivings and wobbles. And I was relieved that they’ve played another absolute blinder and given me a great deal of meat to get my teeth into.” She was also relieved that the infamous biscuits, which Ted bakes and gives to Rebecca every day, taste maybe a little bit better this time around. After she remarked in an interview last year that the prop biscuits were nearly inedible, she says, there’s been some improvement — although her acting skills are still essential when she has to eat them on set. “I don’t know if they’ve made them better or it’s just like seeing an old friend,” she laughs. “It was my fault in the first place, because I decided to make her an emotional eater. Nobody’s ever asked me to eat that many biscuits. I think they have made more of an effort this year. Last time it was like some home economics junior had made them. But I love the fact that everyone thinks I love them.” Over the past year, Waddingham has been aware of the love for “Ted Lasso,” which has grown exponentially since its premiere. It’s been a balm for fans throughout the pandemic, and even Waddingham says it’s the first time she has “genuinely, absolutely” loved watching a show that she’s in. “The thing we get more than anything is people sending us messages just saying ‘Thank you,’” Waddingham says. “What a gift to have been so happy in a job, then realizing it’s great and having a load of thanks from complete strangers because they somehow feel we’ve gotten them through a s— time. I think as a collective, because of the pandemic, people have found a new lot of friends in our characters.”

Teen shoves bear that swatted family dog in California yard

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-02/teen-shoves-bear-that-swatted-family-dog-in-california-yard

Hailey Morinico didn’t hesitate when she saw a large bear facing off with her family dogs from the top of a wall in their Southern California backyard. The 17-year-old ran outside and shoved the bear away, then rounded up the dogs and went back inside her house in suburban Bradbury, east of Los Angeles. Home surveillance video aired by the ABC 7 television station shows the mother bear perched atop the wall, swatting at a large black dog on the ground. Two bear cubs are seen behind the bear while four smaller dogs bark and dart around the yard. Morinico sprints toward the bear, uses both hands to push the large bear off the wall and picks up one of the smaller dogs. She and the other dogs then run out of the video frame. California A long-simmering crisis of mental health struggles among students has been magnified by the pandemic, and most teachers are not adequately prepared to deal with it as campuses reopen. May 31, 2021 The bears disappear over a wall into a neighbor’s yard. “Honestly, the only thing I had in mind was to protect my dogs,” Morinico said. The teen said she escaped with only a sprained finger and a scraped knee but wouldn’t advise anyone to follow her example. “Do not push bears and do not get close to bears,” she told KCAL-TV. “You do not want to get unlucky. I just happened to come out unscathed.” Bradbury is a foothill community on the edge of Angeles National Forest.

Britain to mark queen's platinum jubilee with four days of events

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-06-02/uk-queen-platinum-jubilee-events

Britain will celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne with four days of festivities beginning with her ceremonial birthday parade June 2, 2022. Buckingham Palace on Wednesday announced the schedule of public events and community activities to mark the 95-year-old monarch‘s platinum jubilee, which will be celebrated over a special four-day holiday weekend next year. The celebration will kick off with the first full staging of Trooping the Color, the parade of more than 1,400 soldiers that marks the queen’s official birthday, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. A thanksgiving service will be held at St. Paul’s Cathedral to mark her 70 years on the throne, the longest reign in British history. There will also be a live concert, billed as the “Platinum Party at the Palace,” which the government says will feature some of the “world’s biggest entertainment stars,” though it didn’t identify them. The queen’s reign began with the death of her father, King George VI, on Feb. 6, 1952. She was formally crowned on June 2, 1953.

Essential Politics: Are we closer to understanding UFOs? What to know about the congressional report

https://www.latimes.com/politics/newsletter/2021-06-02/ufos-harry-reid-congress-essential-politics

This is the June 2, 2021, edition of the Essential Politics newsletter. Like what you’re reading? Sign up to get it in your inbox three times a week. In a time where Americans and their leaders agree on almost nothing, who would have thought UFOs would unite us? The truth is out there and former President Obama, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and even former President Trump are interested. UFOs were a political and cultural force in midcentury America and the ‘90s. Now, as we await a Pentagon report on the subject, they’re back in vogue, generating segments on “60 Minutes,” making their way into interviews with former presidents and trending across the internet. Here’s what you need to know, no tin foil hats required. Get our Essential Politics newsletter The latest news, analysis and insights from our politics team. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Air and Space Magazine dubbed 2019 “the Year of UFOs,” but it may actually be 2021. The Pentagon is expected to release a report this month on UFO sightings, the result of a program designed to record and investigate sightings by the U.S. military. Defense officials and some lawmakers are publicly pushing for the release of information, including Rubio, the highest-ranking Republican member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. “We cannot allow the stigma of UFO’s to keep us from seriously investigating this. The forthcoming report is one step in that process, but it will not be the last,” he said in a statement to the Tampa Bay Times. Last year, the Defense Department declassified three videos of “unexplained aerial phenomena” — the government’s preferred term — recorded by the Navy. A “60 Minutes” segment on growing reports from the military community has also heightened interest. But we probably wouldn’t be here without former Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada. Reid is among the loudest voices calling for information on UFOs. In a bipartisan effort in 2007, he and late Sens. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) secured $22 million in funding for the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program. Intelligence officials claimed it was disbanded in 2012, though former employees later told the New York Times that it was still operational through 2017. In August 2020, then-Deputy Secretary of Defense David L. Norquist approved the establishment of an Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force. Meanwhile, Reid continues to give interviews about UFOs. “Congress should make this an ongoing program. I don’t think the report is going to tell us too much,” he told the Guardian in an interview published Tuesday. “I think they need to study it more and not just have one shot at it.” Passed in December, the Intelligence Authorization Act for the 2021 fiscal year directs the task force to deliver a report to Congress within 180 days on collected reports, with information on how it will analyze and track future sightings. And that report must be unclassified. But it may not contain the validation some are looking for. While much of the program’s details remain classified as research is conducted, what has emerged indicates a growing military interest in UFOs as a national security threat. They’re taking UFOs literally — unidentified flying objects that could have come from anywhere, such as another country. In other words, the threats they’re looking for are of the more terrestrial variety. Still, new details might emerge about the events that have been reported. Military pilots describe erratic movements and lights that seem to defy physics, and aircraft shaped like a “Tic Tac.” As with many conspiracy theories, UFO devotees have claimed for decades that government disclosure is imminent. The government has repeatedly dismissed discussion of UFOs. The Times’ archives and those of other papers are full of officials downplaying reports of sightings. Sincere believers in the extraterrestrial are framed as kooky punchlines across news, TV and film. In 1977, NASA denied a request from President Carter — who said he had seen a UFO years earlier — to open a government investigation, calling the idea “wasteful and probably unproductive.” The denial came after the Air Force shut down an investigative program called Project Blue Book in 1969, saying it uncovered little in two decades at “considerable expense,” according to an Associated Press story. But there’s something different about this round of UFO mania. Now, it seems, Americans and their elected officials are on the same side (though President Biden has not indicated his stance). And the government has an actual deadline. It’s also not an unexpected resurgence in public interest: We’re in the midst of a national reckoning with what it means for something to be true, prompting new demand for disclosures about everything from policing to ballot counting. Belief in conspiracies (many much more dangerous) surged during Trump’s presidency, aided in part by the president. He also introduced a space element, establishing the Space Force and the new task force. Hollywood and internet culture have also helped resurrect the UFO in public imagination. The “Storm Area 51” meme, which began as a Facebook event page, went viral and ended with about 2,000 people gathering in the Nevada desert in 2019 to joke about “rescuing” aliens and taking pictures. Americans love aliens. Perhaps you grew up watching a galaxy far, far away in “Star Wars” (1977), Sigourney Weaver fighting to survive in Ridley Scott’s “Alien” (1979) or Steven Spielberg’s “E.T.” (1982). Not your speed? Maybe you listened to Blink-182’s “Aliens Exist” (1999) or loved the 1964 cult holiday classic “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians,” or consider yourself a fan of “The X-Files,” a landmark in the our-government-is-hiding-aliens storytelling tradition. There’s a story for every interest group and time period, often with a trademark flying saucer and an undercurrent of distrust in authority. But the more information that becomes public, the more it becomes clear that what a UFO is and whether extraterrestrial life exists are two distinct questions. One pilot who disclosed his encounter told New York Magazine he worried about being linked to “the ‘little green men’ crazies that are out there.” But even that stigma is starting to give way. Where it was once taboo to wonder about extraterrestrial life, Axios notes that NASA has since made it a public mission to determine where such life might exist. Look no further than NASA’s Perseverance rover, dispatched in February to search for water and microbes on Mars. A Chinese one joined it last month. And if it doesn’t exist, companies like Virgin Galactic and SpaceX are eager to make it happen. Enjoying this newsletter? Consider subscribing to the Los Angeles Times Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. Become a subscriber. — Biden traveled to Tulsa, Okla., on Tuesday to mark a shameful and largely forgotten part of American history, calling for racial reconciliation on the 100th anniversary of the violent destruction of the city’s thriving Black community by a white mob, Eli Stokols writes. — Biden also announced that Vice President Kamala Harris would steer the administration’s efforts to bolster voting rights, a daunting and challenging task that Democrats and voting rights advocates say is urgent, writes Noah Bierman. — Biden’s administration may be the most overtly pro-union in 70 years, write Bierman and David Lauter. But can he reverse labor’s long decline? — The Supreme Court overturned a rule used by the 9th Circuit Court in California that presumed immigrants seeking asylum were telling the truth unless an immigration judge had made an “explicit” finding that they were not credible, David G. Savage reports. — The Biden administration dispatched Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken to Costa Rica on Tuesday to take Central American officials to task on corruption in their countries and to examine how they can more efficiently block migration to the U.S. He could face a tough crowd, Tracy Wilkinson writes. — The Biden administration will suspend Arctic refuge drilling rights sold in the final days of Trump’s presidency, pending a fresh look at the environmental impact. — Texas Democrats pulled off a dramatic last-ditch walkout from the state House of Representatives on Sunday night to block passage of one of the most restrictive voting bills in the U.S. But it could still be resurrected in a special session. — A Northern California county has voted to rename Jim Crow Road after a debate over the racist implications of the name and accusations of “woke cancel culture,” Brittny Mejia reports. — From Taryn Luna: A historic California task force met for the first time Tuesday with the ultimate goal of recommending reparations for descendants of enslaved people and those affected by slavery. — Democratic leaders of the California Legislature unveiled a state budget blueprint that would boost public schools and small businesses beyond the proposal made last month by Gov. Gavin Newsom, John Myers reports. It’s a move that is likely to set the stage for friendly but detailed negotiations. — California lawmakers are considering legislation that would require hospitals, clinics and skilled nursing facilities to pay medical professionals $10,000 in “hero pay” for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic, Melody Gutierrez writes. Stay in touch Keep up with breaking news on our Politics page. And are you following us on Twitter at @latimespolitics?Did someone forward you this? Sign up here to get Essential Politics in your inbox.Until next time, send your comments, suggestions and news tips to politics@latimes.com.

Ted Danson and Holly Hunter ground the silliness in 'Mr. Mayor'

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/awards/story/2021-06-02/holly-hunter-ted-danson-mr-mayor

Veteran actors Ted Danson (“Cheers,” “The Good Place”) and Holly Hunter (“Succession,” “The Comey Rules”) had never worked together before their new NBC sitcom, “Mr. Mayor.” Yet, they’ve totally nailed the dynamic between their offbeat characters, Neil Bremer — a billboard ad executive-turned-L.A. mayor and Arpi Meskimen, his no-nonsense deputy mayor and former rival. The two joined The Envelope over Zoom recently to talk about the series, L.A.’s own mayor and Danson’s comedy chops. You embarked on this venture after busy periods in your careers. What prompted you to sign up for this show so quickly? Hunter: It’s Tina [Fey] and Robert [Carlock]. They are the crème de la crème and practically invented their own genre of TV. It’s original, incredibly intelligent and you’re kind of high-flying, but it’s lowbrow and silly too. Danson: Lots of opposites on this show. Tina and Robert are up here in this alternate reality. Your job as an actor is to ground it in some reality no matter how silly it is. You need to say, “What I’m saying is true to me.” They put you in some extraordinary circumstances sometimes that there’s a real tension, and you’re wondering: How the hell am I going to ground that? And it’s that difficulty of doing their material that also drew me to it. What do you love about working with each other and playing these characters? Hunter: Ted has this skill set and ear for comedy and timing that few people have, and it’s very much his own. He has honed it to be his own. If Ted has any hesitations on the set, I’m listening. If he says we need to finesse a scene a little bit, I believe it and listen to that. Danson: I remember reading a draft before Holly had joined the project, and I thought, “Oh, they’ll have to rewrite this character! No one can do this.” And in walked Holly, and I thought it was as if it was written for Holly Hunter. It had the same ferocity in the character and not an ounce of intellectual laziness about her. There are a lot of things you can’t perform or play, and intelligence is one of them. Trust me; I know. You can’t fake it! Did you base your characters on any politicians we all know? Danson: It’s so lame, but actors sometimes fantasize about the questions and come up with their answers beforehand. My joke response is “Oh, yes, I was very lucky. Eric Garcetti invited me to stay with his family for three months.” But you do recognize that this character is so different from you and he has this skill set that you don’t have, and you need to become proficient at. But I, Ted, am fairly wealthy, old, white and should not be in a position of power, and all of those things play into the part of Neil. He has good intentions and is in way over his head. So, you just hit your marks and know that you’re perfect for the part. The show shot at the height of the pandemic in town. Tell us about that surreal experience. Hunter: I think for the many people who functioned in a professional way last year, it had its moments of exhaustion. To be an actor is an act of connection, and you are seeking contact. There were moments that I felt very tired because of working through the masks and the shields and the protocols, which were there to protect us and did protect us. I think we take less for granted for this year. Danson: Yes, gratitude is a big one. We were blessed to be able to work, because not everyone was able to do that. There’s one thing as an actor: Your job is to show up childlike on the set and put on your pretend clothes and be unfettered by real life and go play and be imaginative in front of the camera. There was so much fear in the air that you really needed to be disciplined, because there is nothing playful about people in hazmat suits, sticking things up in your nose and with shields in front of everyone’s faces. What do you hope to see for these characters for Season 2? Hunter: I have no expectations except for that “sky’s the limit” feeling that is Tina and Robert’s specialty. I’m up for anything at this point. Danson: We did nine episodes this season. But back in the day, you used to shoot 22 episodes a season, and everybody would just really understand the show and the characters by around the 12th episode. For “Mr. Mayor,” we didn’t even get into that halfway mark to discover who we are. We can’t wait to see what the show creators have in store, because they are so bright and do make these new adjustments.

Ten-year-old Pepper Persley will be on the mic for Game 5 of Clippers-Mavericks

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2021-06-02/ten-year-old-pepper-persley-will-be-on-the-mic-for-game-5-of-clippers-mavericks

What do you remember most about last season’s NFC wild-card playoff game between the New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears? Maybe not the game itself, an unmemorable 21-9 Saints victory over a Bears team that went .500 during the regular season. But maybe this instead? 😃 @Nickelodeon highlights are fun 📺: Saints vs Bears on Nick! #CHIvsNO | #forNOLA pic.twitter.com/kDc9RfoQuj Or this? First half of Saints vs. Bears is in the books.Get your first half highlights… @Nickelodeon STYLE. pic.twitter.com/eJ2CdYke4G Or maybe the immortal words of Saints coach Sean Payton: “I will officially volunteer to be slimed if we win.” Done. Tonight’s Clippers vs. Dallas Mavericks Game 5 will have a similar vibe with some minor adjustments (don’t count on slime, but don’t don’t count on it). Modeled after the much-acclaimed Nickelodeon-CBS collaboration on the Saints-Bears game, Bally Sports West will launch the Clippers Kids Cast, the first augmented regional sports network broadcast. The announcing team will include Noah Eagle, the Clippers’ radio voice; former Clipper-turned-analyst Corey Maggette; and 10-year-old reporter Camilla “Pepper” Persley. You might recall Eagle from his play-by-play stint on the Nickelodeon broadcast, for which he helmed a team that included 14-year-old Lex Lumpkin and 15-year-old Gabrielle Nevaeh Green. A millennial who graduated from Syracuse in 2019, Eagle connects easily with young colleagues and young audiences alike. Rams Nate Burleson talks about how the NFL worked on the Nickelodeon channel during the New Orleans Saints-Chicago Bears game. Jan. 12, 2021 It might be a while before there is a younger broadcast duo than Persley and Eagle, who gave his Gen Alpha colleague props for her poise and confidence on the mic. He adds that their shared New York-New Jersey background has made the chemistry even smoother. “She acts much older than she actually is,” Eagle said in a Tuesday interview with The Times. “So, she’s 10, yes, but it feels like you’re talking to somebody who’s been going through all of high school and college already and just has a wealth of knowledge on the subject matters that you want to hit on. “It makes life easy because she can just talk about her own experiences and connect with younger people because they see someone who looks like them, and that’s huge.” Persley has aspirations of playing in the WNBA. Her teachers might say that isn’t a plausible goal. But wouldn’t a 10-year-old helping call an NBA playoff game on live television seem unrealistic too? “A lot of adults often tell kids to dream for the future, but I’m making my dreams come true now,” Persley told The Times.”I think that says a lot for other kids. And I hope that they can look up to me and see that they don’t need to be an adult to make change or to do important things and to make an impact.” Sports Who tanked to avoid playing whom in the NBA playoffs is last week’s news. The Lakers and Clippers enter Game 5 of their series in pure survival mode. June 1, 2021 Becoming a great journalist begins with curiosity, and Persley’s was especially stirred while covering the WNBA last summer. Watching the league’s players take the lead in pushing social justice to the forefront of the sports conversation made her dream bigger and sharpened her interview skills. Already on a first-name basis with many of the WNBA’s biggest stars, Persley extended her journalistic reach to include the National Women’s Hockey League and National Women’s Soccer League “It means the world to me to be a Black girl, able to see these incredible women making their voices heard and making a change in society,” Persley said. There are still new experiences in front of her. She is eager to get beyond Zoom interviews (aren’t we all?) and branch out to face-to-face interviews that are still rare as we come out of the pandemic. Even on Wednesday, Persley will be calling the game with Eagle and Maggette from Fox’s West Los Angeles studios. There, she will help Bally Sports West evolve toward a new era of creativity and create content that will sustain the attention of younger generations. January’s Saints-Bears telecast was an innovative step in the right direction, reaching more than 2 million viewers. Basketball, with its looser, more digital-savvy audience, seems a natural next frontier (though that 9:30 Eastern time start doesn’t help). “It’s going to be fun, unique, and the thing I’m most excited about is the exact same thing that I was most excited about after the Nickelodeon show,” Eagle said. “And that was to bring in this new audience of basketball fans, potentially. We had so many people text us after that Nickelodeon game saying it was the first time that their young son watched a full football game all the way through, or that their sister sat down and watched the game. “What makes me excited is if we can captivate and garner the interest of anybody who wouldn’t normally think to sit down and watch a Clippers game,” Eagle said. How to watch the Kid Cast: Bally Sports West. How to stream the Kid Cast.

A legendary, yet mostly forgotten theme park ride rises from the grave at Knott's Berry Farm

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2021-06-02/legendary-mostly-forgotten-theme-park-ride-rises-from-the-grave-at-knotts-berry-farm

Robotics, digital trickery, trackless rides — modern theme parks are full of technological innovations. Rolly Crump, the 91-year-old designer who helped shape It’s a Small World, the Enchanted Tiki Room and the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland, has his share of myth-making tales as well. He’s one of the few surviving ex-Disney staffers who not only knew Walt Disney but also enjoyed a somewhat close relationship with him. When it comes to the creative process, he can be blunt — myth-shattering, if you will. Consider this Crump insight: Sometimes the best theme park rides are built on lots of beer, probably even more marijuana and large purchases of pantyhose. Now, Crump’s influence can be seen in a new ride at Knott’s Berry Farm that’s based on an old ride at Knott’s Berry Farm. Knott’s Bear-y Tales: Return to the Fair is an adorable, video-game like animated romp with cartoon critters and lots of pies — a respectful and nostalgic 2021 endeavor that livens up the park by celebrating its history. The original 1970s Knott’s Bear-y Tales was overseen by Crump and may be the greatest theme park ride you’ve likely never been on. Overflowing with color, puppet-like animals and borderline absurd tricks of light, it was the result of a do-it-yourself, always-improvise mind-set. At least when those minds were sober. “We had a lot of fun with this damn ride,” Crump says today, sitting in his office near a stack of signed and dedicated photos to him from Disney. On a nearby bookshelf rests one of the original frogs from Bear-y Tales, all spindly legs and bugged-out cartoon eyes, a creature with alien-like feet and a belly that appears full of hops. “It didn’t stay with anything in particular,” Crump says of the ride, a journey from a factory to a fair with lots of psychedelics, tarot imagery and some not-so-subtle boozy influences. Knott’s Bear-y Tales, after all, was originally destined for a hippie-friendly area of Knott’s known as the Gypsy Camp; by the time guests reached the grand finale with a bonanza of animals, their eyes would have been zapped with what Crump hoped were some mind-altering lights. The avalanche of mirrors, glossy cave walls and strobes was a spur-of-the-moment decision, inspired by the inability to add a minor, coaster-inspired drop to the attraction. “We developed the story as we were building it,” Crump says. “That’s a crackup. ‘Oh, by the way, this is the story.’ It was one of the most fun times I ever had. We didn’t know what we were doing. We were just down.” And what they built has become the stuff of theme park legend. Although barely known — or, is it bear-ly known? — outside Southern California, the ride, which opened in July 1975, represents a themed entertainment era when “intellectual property” wasn’t a marketing buzz phrase and a trippy ride could overflow with hand-crafted dolls created from a single haphazard sketch. Knott’s Bear-y Tales, with its sly fox selling “Weird Juice” (it will “make you feel weird!”) and its steampunk-inspired Chug-a-Chug piemaking assembly line, represents Crump’s whimsical-meets-beatnik-meets rock ’n’ roll personality, a designer who around the same time was also trying to pitch himself as an artist for a prophylactic line (the get-rich-quick scheme failed) and once plastered his office at Walt Disney Imagineering, the company’s theme park design division, with his “dopers,” that is, drug-inspired attraction posters. “I only went on it four or five times as a kid, but it left such a lasting impression on me,” says Eric Nix, 41, producer of the modernized and digitized Bear-y Tales. “I remember the smell of the boysenberries. I remember the Chug-a-Chug machine. I remember being terrified of the thunder cave. From a Knott’s Berry Farm perspective, that legitimized what we do here. It put Knott’s in a league with Disney, as far as dark rides go.” The ride’s imagery was so vivid that it even kept people up at night. Fountain Valley’s Brian McGee, 58, worked on the ride in the early 1980s. “When I first started, I didn’t sleep at all. I had the characters and the liveliness and the music in my head. It was invigorating. There is no one who went through who didn’t enjoy themselves, put it that way.” The ride’s resurrection furthers the argument that Crump is as integral to theme park design as more well-known creatives such as Marc Davis and, one of Crump’s favorite collaborators, Mary Blair. Crump’s designs now live not just at Knott’s but also at Disneyland in the facade of It’s a Small World, the gods of the Enchanted Tiki Room, bits of the Haunted Mansion and scattered remnants throughout Adventureland and Tomorrowland. An amazing feat, considering that his art often looks more like the intricate, line-heavy work one would see in a tattoo parlor rather than Main Street, U.S.A. Former Walt Disney Imagineer and theme park historian Christopher Merritt, like many others, cites Crump as a precursor to filmmaker Tim Burton, although Crump’s exuberant use of color feels freer and looser, the illustrative equivalent of jazz improvisation. “I can see that in all the swirls and the loops,” says Merritt, who wrote a book with Pixar’s Pete Doctor on Davis and is at work on a book about the original Bear-y Tales ride. “There’s a weird, almost Gorey-esque sensibility in his lines. I love it. There’s a strangeness in all his art, and it’s all self-taught. I don’t know if there’s another artist who designs like him. I love that Rolly is so confident as a designer and cocksure of himself. “Anything Rolly has ever worked on has no fear of color,” Merritt adds. “It’s like, ‘Hey man, I’m coloring, and it’s gonna be in your face.’” And he was certainly unconventional as a boss. Ask Crump what it was like to be on his design team for Bear-y Tales, and he starts talking about booze, specifically giving it to his staff to unleash their creativity. “I had this one kid who came from Disney, and he was a close friend of mine,” says Crump. “He loved beer. So what I did, I gave him his own office, and I would bring him as many six packs as he wanted. I turned him loose. The stuff he came up with was absolutely incredible. Oh, God, that was fun. We were doing this by the seat of our pants.” Knott’s Bear-y Tales: Return to the Fair was far more planned. Theme parks today understand that long-term success is a careful balance of newness and nostalgia, as locales such as Knott’s Berry Farm and Disneyland are less a collection of thrills than showcases for cross-generational environmental design. Their appeal is akin to that of a national park or Dodger Stadium, places that will adapt over time but fulfill a similar role as a cultural heritage site. Knott’s, for its COVID-19 pandemic-delayed 100th anniversary, wanted to lean into its past, and it did so in part by replacing the little-loved Voyage to the Iron Reef with an interactive dark ride that serves as a Silly Symphony-inspired sequel to Crump’s original attraction. Armed with jelly projectiles in the ride vehicle, guests take virtual aim at animated foxes that are making off with pies. Zaniness takes precedence over plot, and joy comes from seeing what kind of inspired interactions guests concoct as they traverse among screens filled with plump bears, bouncing frogs and fortune tellers. Fire away at googly eyed mushrooms, an owl apparently conjuring a spell or mystical tents and carts filled with ghosts. The drawings are more rounded and friendly than Crump’s originals — a Crump mushroom would have a moustache and nearly broken glasses — but the festive absurdity, such as critters taking a bath in Weird Juice, remains. Between the animated scenes are practical sets, some original pieces pulled from storage and others faithful re-creations of Crump’s ride, which was revamped in the mid-’80s into Kingdom of the Dinosaurs. “Over the years, there’s been a lore build-up amongst fans over Knott’s Bear-y Tales,” says Jon Storbeck, Knott’s vice president and general manager. “Interestingly, it has not been here for over a generation. There’s a whole new generation of guests who will see it for the first time. We hope they see it the same way, that the characters are endearing.” Entertainment & Arts Try as he might — and he’s tried countless times — Rolly Crump just can’t quit Disney. Sept. 7, 2018 Although Crump didn’t consult on the ride’s revival, his son, Chris, a former Imagineer himself, did speak with Knott’s throughout the process. He also worked on the original. The younger Crump was just out of high school then, and it was his first major job. Ask Rolly what it was like to partner with his son, and he praises Chris’ set-building skills before adding, “He was brought up by me to begin with, so he better do it right.” Chris speaks not necessarily of a casual environment but one in which designers had to essentially learn to speak his dad’s language. “Back then, this was full-tilt Rolly, and he’s very specific of what he likes and what he wants. Let’s just say that,” says the younger Crump. “There was this kind of ‘You can do it’ attitude, which was all the early Imagineers. Nobody had done it before, so what’s the idea? What’s the thing? What’s it look like? You just go. He would do a sketch, and it was never to scale, and I’d go, ‘How big is that?’ and he’d go, ‘I don’t know, two feet?’ So I’d buy a 24-inch tube and it’d just design itself, really.” To understand, ultimately, what made Knott’s Bear-y Tales so distinct, so absurd and relatively reckless, one should probably understand the definition of “full-tilt Rolly.” Crump started at Imagineering — then known as WED Enterprises (for Walter Elias Disney) — in 1959 and gradually built up a reputation as a rebel. He would fall in and out of love with the company, ultimately returning to Disney after his work on Bear-y Tales. He was known as a charmer who would drive his Porsche around Fantasyland when he served as Disneyland’s art director, his innate confidence buoyed by the fact that the father of modern animation and the creator of the American theme park took a shine to Crump’s designs. Today, Crump is best represented by the clock facade at It’s a Small World. Full of knobs, dials and off-center numbers, it’s as much a symbol of Disneyland as Sleeping Beauty Castle. Merritt, who was a lead show designer on Tokyo Disneyland’s recently opened Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast and who delved deep into theme park history in his various stints with the company, has plenty of stories that build on the myth of Crump. “He was a bad boy. Rolly was the guy in the model shop blasting rock ’n’ roll,” Merritt says, adding that former Imagineers recalled constantly yelling at Crump to turn the music down, to which he would only turn it up out of spite. “You had people coming in suits and skinny ties and pocket protectors and [designer] Harriet Burns wearing gloves,” says Merritt. “Here comes Rolly Crump with his jazz and rock ’n’ roll records.” Crump even installed a tent in the middle of the model shop, a place for secret meetings. “You can imagine how it was,” says Merritt. “All these amazingly talented artists forced to work in this tiny space.” On Knott’s Bear-y Tales, “full-tilt Rolly” meant a mix of innovations — the use, for instance, of traditional theater lighting intermingled with Disney-style black lighting effects to better showcase the frenzied designs of the animals, or the prevalence of magic-like illusions and the desire to fill every scene with details large and small — and just plain head-scratchers. Crump once envisioned a roller coaster-like drop that would take guests to the big show-ending scene of the fair. When that became impossible because of the building’s structure and the ride’s relatively modest budget, Crump decided to just make guests dizzy, to simulate some sort of drug-induced haze. The Knott’s Berry Farm designers essentially “fixed” this scene for the re-imagined ride. It should be noted that Bear-y Tales: Return to the Fair is much more than a game-like attraction — there are a surprising number of actual figures and show sets for a screen-based ride. Where Crump once saw a dark cave, the ride now has thunder and lightning effects in a mysterious cavern, one complete with not-so-creepy insects. In the ’70s, however, Crump wanted to disorient guests before bringing them to the ride’s large ending scene. “Instead of a major roller coaster drop, we thought we’d do a black hole area,” he says. “What we did is we used a lot of strobe lights. We wanted you to be blind as a bat when you came out of it. I wanted to screw up your vision. It was just a black tunnel, and we’d turn out all the lights and screw up your eyes. I wanted you to be all messed up.” To which Crump’s wife, Marie Tocci, turns to a reporter and says, “Yeah, I don’t understand.” Today, the original ride lives on only in the imaginations and memories of those who experienced it — the few videos online don’t really do it justice. Part of the reason it left such an impression is its ending: a grand party with jazz and an abundance of characters, color and light. Merritt says the ride made an impact on him as a 5-year-old in the same way as he imagines Rise of the Resistance at Disneyland’s Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge does on kids today. High praise, but he believes Bear-y Tales deserves it. “Everyone comes together at the fair at the end,” Merritt says. “All the characters you saw in the previous scene make a new appearance, doing something different and fun. It’s a big room. It takes up almost half of the show building.” Crump’s theme park designs were known for near constant movement. The figures may not have been as advanced as those at Disneyland, but every mechanical creature was moving. Today’s theme park fans may want to picture the grand musical and animal finale of Disneyland’s soon-to-be rethemed Splash Mountain when trying to picture the closing seconds of Bear-y Tales. Describes Merritt, “In the middle of the room, there’s a big balloon coming from the ceiling where the Bear-y Family are going up and down, and there’s music, there’s Dr. Fox selling his Weird Juice, there’s puppets and there’s a frog jumping contest. There’s musicians, there’s a rabbit who’s walking on wire, there’s jugglers. It’s too much. It’s sensory overload.” Crump has some favorite scenes from the original ride. One involves a chicken contraption in the factory. Crump and his team constructed a device that constantly moved eggs up and down a ramp. The eggs, however, were not what you think. The secret behind those eggs was far more low tech, yet arguably fashionable: “Women’s stockings,” says Crump. More specifically, the plastic eggs L’eggs pantyhose once were sold in. Crump and his team bought hundreds, at least when they weren’t able to get enough from female staffers. The eggs would be painted in such a way that it looked like the chickens were laying something nuclear. “Well, you had to put something heavy in the egg so it would turn over and move forward,” Crump says on the reasoning behind the L’egg containers: They were easy to reopen. “But it was crazy,” he says. “We were just a bunch of kids playing.” The more one digs into the scenes of the Bear-y Tales ride, the more detail and uniqueness one uncovers. One of Crump’s first jobs at Disney was to partner with illusionist Yale Gracey on potential effects for the Haunted Mansion, so it’s perhaps no surprise that Crump wanted a sense of magic throughout Bear-y Tales. The ride was liberal in its use of projections and Pepper’s ghost-like effects. There were floating instruments, hovering candle tips and one neat trick that Merritt recalls involving an adorable mouse suddenly appearing out of a candle holder in midair. But perhaps the real reason Bear-y Tales had such a grip on those who rode it is because in some ways it represents the kind of ride that doesn’t really exist anymore. Crump’s original had pies — and pie scents — but was little more than a story about a bunch of nomadic, bohemian animals. “It’s super unique. It was such a snapshot in time,” says Nix. “When you look at the pictures, it wasn’t terribly advanced. The animatronics were simple, but there were a lot of them. You just felt like you were in these scenes and places.” Entertainment & Arts With COVID-19 abating in California, Disneyland reopened on April 30. After 13 months away, how did it feel? May 2, 2021 In turn, it represents theme parks at their most weird, their most removed from daily life — the sort of ride fans thought was forever lost. That is, until nostalgia willed a version of it back into existence. While Crump’s age will likely keep him from visiting the attraction, he’s pleased, of course, that his most personal ride has been re-imagined. “I think other people should have a crack at it, so this is good,” he says. “I want other people to pick up the ball and go with it.” Then, Crump pauses and starts asking questions about the lighting on the new ride: Did they get it right, and does it work with the mix of digital and physical sets? “I can’t wait to talk to my son about the lighting to see if they did a good job on the lighting,” says Crump. “That was really important to me.” This too is “full tilt Rolly.” Retired, relaxed and ready to design — or offer a frank opinion on someone else’s.

Emmys 2021: How 'Ted Lasso' is likely to sweep the comedy races

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/awards/story/2021-06-02/emmys-nominations-2021-ted-lasso-comedy-series-actor-actress-predictions

“Schitt’s Creek” made history last year, winning every comedy Emmy handed out during the prime-time broadcast. The drumbeat of acclaim eventually became so insistent that the show’s co-creator Dan Levy felt the need to apologize after winning his third Emmy of the evening. “The internet’s about to turn on me. I’m so sorry!” Levy said. That revolt didn’t happen, of course, because who didn’t love the gentle comedy of the silly and sweet “Schitt’s Creek”? It probably didn’t deserve every one of the Emmys it won last year, but the show consistently made us smile, and that counted for a lot in 2020. And fortunately, just as we were waving goodbye to the Rose family, another aggressively nice comedy came along to warm our hearts. And although “Ted Lasso” likely won’t repeat the “Schitt’s Creek” lovefest this year at the Emmys — how could it? — the moving series figures to dominate this year’s ceremony. Break out your dress hoodie, Jason Sudeikis. You’re going to need it. COMEDY SERIES “Ted Lasso”“The Flight Attendant”“Hacks”“PEN15”“Girls5eva”“Master of None”“black-ish”“The Kominsky Method” Next up: “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist,” “Cobra Kai,” “Dickinson,” “Kenan,” “Made for Love” Small-batch comedies have dominated at the Emmys for years, and now we’re moving into a true artisanal realm with “The Kominsky Method” returning with a final season of just six episodes and “Master of None” delivering a mere five in its latest offering. This third season of “Master of None” is not a comedy in any sense, playing out like Ingmar Bergman’s “Scenes From a Marriage,” with Lena Waithe taking center stage. Criterion Channel subscribers should love it. How Emmy voters will respond is more iffy. Unlike the drama series race, there are plenty of options here, including the excellent adolescent angst of “PEN15,” Hulu’s standout comedy, and “Hacks,” the Jean Smart showcase that expertly mines generational conflict and the sexism women face in show business. And it might not be a bad time to bring “black-ish” back to the fold, as there should be a place at the Emmys for a network comedy still grinding out 20-plus episodes a season with care and thoughtfulness. COMEDY ACTRESS Jean Smart, “Hacks”Kaley Cuoco, “The Flight Attendant”Renée Elise Goldsberry, “Girls5eva”Tracee Ellis Ross, “black-ish”Jane Levy, “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist”Lena Waithe, “Master of None” Next up: Allison Janney, “Mom”; Maya Erskine, “PEN15”; Cristin Milioti, “Made for Love”; Hailee Steinfeld, “Dickinson”; Anna Konkle, “PEN15”; Robin Thede, “A Black Lady Sketch Show” There are a lot of solid choices for voters here. I mentioned Smart, who will likely also be nominated for the way she injected dark humor into “Mare of Easttown.” (She should have won an Emmy last year for “Watchmen.”) Then there’s Cuoco, who, much like Jennifer Aniston did with “The Morning Show,” demonstrated what she could do with strong material. And there’s Goldsberry, the breakout star of “Girls5eva” — the Peacock comedy series about the inspirational, delusional reunion of a one-hit Spice Girls-y group. If you only know her from playing Angelica in the original Broadway cast of “Hamilton,” you’re in for a surprise. She’s amazing. COMEDY ACTOR Jason Sudeikis, “Ted Lasso”Michael Douglas, “The Kominsky Method”Anthony Anderson, “black-ish”Kenan Thompson, “Kenan”Ted Danson, “Mr. Mayor”William Zabka, “Cobra Kai” Next up: Ralph Macchio, “Cobra Kai”; William H. Macy, “Shameless”; Michael Cimino, “Love, Victor”; Alan Tudyk, “Resident Alien” It took “Schitt’s Creek” five seasons to earn its first Emmy nomination — and look what happened, thanks in part to viewers (and voters) discovering the series after it began airing on Netflix. “Cobra Kai” also found success on Netflix, after languishing on YouTube Red (now YouTube Premium) for two seasons. Macchio has the bigger profile, but Zabka’s cranky, lovable loser steals the show. Maybe there’s room for both? COMEDY SUPPORTING ACTRESS Hannah Waddingham, “Ted Lasso”Rosie Perez, “The Flight Attendant”Juno Temple, “Ted Lasso”Kate McKinnon, “Saturday Night Live”Cecily Strong, “Saturday Night Live”Kathleen Turner, “The Kominsky Method”Paula Pell, “Girls5eva”Zosia Mamet, “The Flight Attendant” Next up: Michelle Gomez, “The Flight Attendant”; Aidy Bryant, “Saturday Night Live”; Hannah Einbinder, “Hacks”; Holly Hunter, “Mr. Mayor”; Wanda Sykes, “The Upshaws”; Lecy Goranson, “The Conners”; Laurie Metcalf, “The Conners”; Naomi Ackie, “Master of None” Two “Saturday Night Live” actors should be the cap. There are other shows, better shows, and one of them, the aforementioned “Girls5eva,” features Pell, who wrote for “Saturday Night Live” for nearly 20 years. That should be a star on her resume for voters, as should be her glorious turn as the lonely, divorced lesbian dentist relishing her shot at another 15 minutes of fame. COMEDY SUPPORTING ACTOR Brett Goldstein, “Ted Lasso”Kenan Thompson, “Saturday Night Live”Michiel Huisman, “The Flight Attendant”Bowen Yang, “Saturday Night Live”Brendan Hunt, “Ted Lasso”Alex Newell, “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist”Ray Romano, “Made for Love”Nick Mohammed, “Ted Lasso” Next up: T.R. Knight, “The Flight Attendant”; Laurence Fishburne, “black-ish”; Paul Reiser, “The Kominsky Method”; Jeremy Swift, “Ted Lasso”; Nico Santos, “Superstore”; Pete Davidson, “Saturday Night Live” The HBO social satire “Made for Love” hasn’t quite caught on, but that might not be a problem for the talented Romano, who picked up 16 Emmy nominations for writing, producing and acting in “Everybody Loves Raymond.” Reiser, another past Emmy favorite (10 nods for “Mad About You”), could return as well, playing a paunchy, ponytailed retired teacher in “The Kominsky Method.” But this category will mainly be filled out by the men of “Ted Lasso,” with the biggest question being how many members of that show’s locker room will make it in. For now, let’s put the over/under at three.

The Sports Report: Can the Lakers rebound from a meltdown in Phoenix?

https://www.latimes.com/sports/newsletter/2021-06-02/the-sports-report-suns-blow-out-lakers-sports-report

Howdy, I’m your host, Iliana Limón Romero, filling in for Houston Mitchell, who’s on vacation (probably recovering from a Dodgers loss by watching Brady Bunch reruns). Let’s get right to the news. Dan Woike on the Lakers: LeBron James glared quickly over at the Lakers’ bench, where Anthony Davis wore a T-shirt honoring Kobe Bryant instead of a uniform. Andre Drummond had just worked for an offensive rebound and, in the tightest of quarters, fired a passoff James’ knees, and the Phoenix Suns were heading the other way. After Game 4, James spoke about his broad shoulders. During Game 5, he spent more time shaking his head in shock and disbelief to how things could go so wrong so fast. The Lakers lost 115-85 Tuesday night, a disastrous effort and performance in the series’ biggest game to date. “We got our ass kicked,” James said. “Just that simple.” Go beyond the scoreboard Get the latest on L.A.'s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Bill Plaschke on the Lakers: He stumbled. He fumbled. He threw a pass into the seats. He clanked shots off the iron. He failed to attack. He could not inspire. This is the night that a rejuvenated LeBron James was supposed to ignite greatness. It was, instead, a night where an aging LeBron James elicited only pity. This was going to be the game where James proved he could still single-handedly carry a team to a critical playoff victory. This was, instead, the game that showed he may never be capable of such singular heroics again. Broderick Turner on the Lakers: LeBron James was bent over, his chest heaving, injured teammate Anthony Davis by his side, the two of them talking on the court at the end of another dismal quarter that had left the Lakers down by 29 points entering the fourth quarter. James held a towel with both hands on his hips. Davis was next to him wearing a mask, his night never getting started because his groin injury kept him out of Game 5 on Tuesday against the Phoenix Suns. The two of them made eye contact and started their signature handshake, slapping hands several times before they went their separate ways, with the Lakers’ season on the brink of ending and their aspirations of repeating as NBA champions in jeopardy. James went and sat at the end of the bench while Davis left the court and walked to the locker room before the fourth quarter started. Then, with 5 minutes 30 seconds left in what became a 115-85 beat-down by the Suns, James got out of his seat and walked to the Lakers’ locker room to join Davis. They had plenty to talk about with the Lakers now trailing the best-of-seven series 3-2 and needing a victory in Game 6 on Thursday night at Staples Center to extend their season and force a deciding game on Saturday afternoon here. Enjoying this newsletter? Consider subscribing to the Los Angeles Times Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. Become a subscriber. Andrew Greif on the Clippers: Tyronn Lue was his typical, composed self Sunday night after his team’s second consecutive road victory tied its first-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks 2-2 — until the final seconds of his postgame videoconference. Raising his right hand into a fist, the coach of the Clippers thumped a table. “Clipper fans, if you’re listening, we need” — bang! — “your energy” — bang! — “come Wednesday,” Lue said. “We’re ready, baby.” The call to action ahead of Wednesday night’s Game 5 at Staples Center generated hundreds of shares on social media. Jorge Castillo on the Dodgers: The stage was set for those in attendance at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday night to witness what they had seen only on television last season. Up came Mookie Betts with two on and two out in a one-run game in the ninth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals, looking to at least extend the game, if not author the kind of signature moment he made a regular occurrence in front of cardboard cutouts in 2020. For a split second, as his line drive soared to the left-field corner, it looked as if Betts finally had delivered another one. But, in keeping with Betts’ frustrating season, left fielder Tyler O’Neill tracked it down and made a catch at the warning track, topping the Cardinals’ impressive defensive showing in a 3-2 win over the Dodgers. It was the Dodgers’ 13th one-run loss this season, the most in the majors. They remain without a walk-off win 55 games into the season after producing two in 60 games in 2020 and 12 in 162 games in 2019. The Dodgers (32-23) tapped David Price as the opener for their bullpen game after he was effective in the role twice over the last two weeks. Ideally, manager Dave Roberts said, Price would pitch three innings before passing the baton to the rest of the relief corps. Bill Shaikin on the Dodgers: Mike Marshall, who set a major league standard for endurance during an iconoclastic but award-winning career, died Tuesday, the team said. He was 78. The Dodgers said he died in Zephyrhills, Fla., where he resided. The team did not announce a cause of death. In 1974, as the Dodgers’ top relief pitcher, he appeared in 106 games, still the major league record. He pitched in all five games of the World Series that year, including a memorable pickoff of Herb Washington, the track star the Oakland Athletics signed for the sole purpose of pinch-running. Jack Harris on the Angels: The Angels didn’t need Shohei Ohtani on Tuesday night. They had another pitcher who shined playing both ways. In an 8-1 rout of the San Francisco Giants, Angels left-hander Andrew Heaney did more than just toss 6 ⅓ strong innings, giving up one run while striking out seven batters. In his first two trips to the plate, batting eighth in the lineup during a National League game with no designated hitter, Heaney had a single in the third inning and a walk in the fourth, contributing to his team’s offensive outburst in both frames as the Angels earned a two-game series split at Oracle Park. Helene Elliott on tennis: Naomi Osaka needs help, not condemnation. She needs empathy, not iron-fisted Grand Slam tournament executives threatening to bar her from tennis’ most prestigious events. Osaka’s disclosure she has suffered bouts of depression since she defeated Serena Williams in an emotionally charged 2018 U.S. Open final blew wide the prison doors for those who endure mental health issues in silence for fear of being judged weak or flawed if they reveal their struggles. Her withdrawal from the French Open on Monday and her decision to step away from competition for an unspecified amount of time were strong declarations she’s ready to start healing, a tough but necessary step. You can also listen to Elliott discuss Osaka’s exit and conversations it sparked about athletes’ mental health on The Times daily podcast here. Kevin Baxter on soccer: Alexi Lalas knows a turning point when he sees one. It happened in his first national team start, at the Coliseum against a Mexican team that had lost only one of its previous 26 games against the U.S. But on that day, the 20-year-old Lalas helped the Americans gut out a 2-2 draw, starting a streak that would see them lose just one of eight games with Mexico. “I was right there in that shift,” Lalas said. “It was kind of the start of that generation that didn’t accept that we should continue to be inferior to Mexico on the field, that we should continue to lose.” By the time a teen-aged Landon Donovan made his international debut nine years later — also against Mexico at the Coliseum — the pendulum had swung back and the U.S. was inferior once again. Donovan changed that, with his game-winning goal beginning a roll that would see the U.S. go 9-2-2 in its next 13 games with Mexico, its most successful stretch ever in the cross-border rivalry. Now another group of young Americans is poised to flip the script anew in this week’s Nations League in Denver. If both teams win their preliminary matches Thursday — the U.S. against Honduras and Mexico over Costa Rica — they will meet for the 71st time in Sunday’s championship game. The U.S. heads into the semifinals with perhaps the deepest and most talented collection of young players in its history. Nineteen of its 23 players are with top-division teams in Europe, where nine of them appeared in at least 30 league games this season. Twelve of those European-based players are under the age of 24. All times Pacific WESTERN CONFERENCE No. 1 Utah vs. No. 8 Memphis Memphis 112, Utah 109Utah 141, Memphis 129 Utah 121, Memphis 111Utah 120, Memphis 113Today: at Utah, 6:30 p.m., NBATV*Friday at Memphis, TBD, TBD*Sunday: at Utah, TBD, TBD No. 2 Phoenix vs. No. 7 Lakers Phoenix 99, Lakers 90Lakers 109, Phoenix 102Lakers 109, Phoenix 95Phoenix 100, Lakers 92Phoenix 115, Lakers 85Thursday: at Lakers, 7:30 p.m., TNT*Saturday: at Phoenix, TBD, TBD No. 3 Denver vs. No. 6 Portland Portland 123, Denver 109Denver 128, Portland 109Denver 120, Portland 115Portland 115, Denver 95Denver 147, Portland 140 (2OT)Thursday: at Portland, 5 p.m., TNT*Sat., June 5: at Denver, TBD, TBD No. 4 Clippers vs. No. 5 Dallas Dallas 113, Clippers 103Dallas 127, Clippers 121Clippers 118, Dallas 108Clippers 106, Dallas 81Tonight: at Clippers, 7 p.m., TNTFriday: at Dallas, TBD, TBD*Sun., June 6: at Clippers, TBD, TBD EASTERN CONFERENCE No. 1 Philadelphia vs. No. 8 Washington Philadelphia 125, Washington 118Philadelphia 120, Washington 95Philadelphia 132, Washington 103Washington 122, Philadelphia 114Tonight: at Philadelphia, 4 p.m., NBATV*Friday: at Washington, TBD, TBD*Sunday: at Philadelphia, TBD, TBD No. 2 Brooklyn vs. No. 7 Boston Brooklyn 104, Boston 93Brooklyn 130, Boston 108Boston 125, Brooklyn 119Brooklyn 141, Boston 126Brooklyn 123, Boston 109Brooklyn wins series, 4-1 No. 3 Milwaukee vs. No. 6 Miami Milwaukee 109, Miami 107Milwaukee 132, Miami 98Milwaukee 113, Miami 84Milwaukee 120, Miami 103Milwaukee wins series, 4-0 No. 4 New York vs. No. 5 Atlanta Atlanta 107, New York 105New York 101, Atlanta 92Atlanta 105, New York 94Atlanta 113, New York 96Today: at New York, 4:30 p.m., TNT*Friday: at Atlanta, TBD, TBD*Sunday: at New York, TBD, TBD *-if necessary FIRST ROUNDAll times Pacific East DivisionPittsburgh vs. NY Islanders New York 4, Pittsburgh 3 (OT)Pittsburgh 2, New York 1Pittsburgh 5, New York 4New York 4, Penguins 1New York 3, Pittsburgh 2 (2OT)New York 5, Pittsburgh 3New York wins series, 4-2 Washington vs. Boston Washington 3, Boston 2 (OT)Boston 4, Washington 3 (OT)Boston 3, Washington 2 (2 OT)Boston 4, Washington 1Boston 3, Washington 1Boston wins series, 4-1 Central Division Carolina vs. Nashville Carolina 5, Nashville 2Carolina 3, Nashville 0Nashville 5, Carolina 4 (2OT)Nashville 4, Carolina 3 (2OT)Carolina 3, Nashville 2 (OT)Carolina 4, Nashville 3 (OT)Carolina wins series, 4-2 Florida vs. Tampa Bay Tampa Bay 5, Florida 4Tampa Bay 3, Florida 1Florida 6, Tampa Bay 5 (OT)Tampa Bay 6, Florida 2Florida 4, Tampa Bay 1Tampa Bay 4, Florida 2Tampa Bay wins series, 4-2 North Division Toronto vs. Montreal Montreal 2, Toronto 1Toronto 5, Montreal 1Toronto 2, Montreal 1Toronto 4, Montreal 0Montreal 4, Toronto 3 (OT)Montreal 3, Toronto 2 (OT)Montreal 3, Toronto 1Montreal wins series, 4-3 Edmonton vs. Winnipeg Winnipeg 4, Edmonton 1Winnipeg 1, Edmonton 0Winnipeg 5, Edmonton 4 (OT)Winnipeg 4, Edmonton 3 (3OT)Winnipeg wins series, 4-0 West Division Colorado vs. St. Louis Colorado 4, St. Louis 1Colorado 6, St. Louis 3Colorado 5, St. Louis 1Colorado 5, St. Louis 2Colorado wins series, 4-0 Vegas vs. Minnesota Minnesota 1, Vegas 0 (OT)Vegas 3, Minnesota 1Vegas 5, Minnesota 2Vegas 4, Minnesota 0Minnesota 4, Vegas 2Minnesota 3, Vegas 0Vegas 6, Minnesota 2Vegas wins series, 4-3 SECOND ROUND East Division New York Islanders vs. Boston Boston 5, New York 2New York 4, Boston 3 (OT)Thursday: at New York, 4:30 p.m., NBCSNSaturday: at New York, 4:15 p.m., NBCSN*Monday, June 7: at Boston, TBD, TBD*Wednesday, June 9: at New York, TBD, TBD*Friday, June 11: at Boston, TBD, TBD Central Division Tampa Bay vs. Carolina Tampa Bay 2, Carolina 1Tampa Bay 2, Carolina 1Thursday: at Tampa Bay, 5 p.m., USASaturday: at Tampa Bay, USA*Tuesday, June 8: at Carolina, TBD, TBD*Thursday, June 10: at Tampa Bay, TBD, TBD*Saturday, June 12: at Carolina, TBD, TBD West Division Colorado vs. Vegas Colorado 7, Vegas 1Today: at Colorado, 7 p.m., NBCSNFriday: at Vegas, 7 p.m., NBCSNSunday: at Vegas, 5:30 p.m., NBCSN*Tuesday, June 8: at Colorado, TBD, TBD*Thursday, June 10: at Vegas, TBD, TBD*Saturday, June 12: at Colorado, TBD, TBD North Division Winnipeg vs. Montreal Today: at Winnipeg, 4:30 p.m., NBCSNFriday: at Winnipeg, 4:30 p.m., USASunday: at Montreal, 3 p.m., NBCSNMonday: at Montreal, TBD, TBD*Wednesday, June 9: at Winnipeg, TBD, TBD*Friday, June 11: at Montreal, TBD, TBD*Sunday, June 13: at Winnipeg, TBD, TBD *-if necessary 1896 — Hastings, ridden by H. Griffin, edges Handspring by a neck to capture the Belmont Stakes. 1908 — Royal Tourist, ridden by Eddie Dugan, posts a four-length victory over Live Wire in the Preakness Stakes. 1909 — Joe Madden, ridden by Eddie Dugan, wins the Belmont Stakes by eight lengths over Wise Mason. 1935 — Babe Ruth, 40, announces his retirement as a player. 1947 — After a six-year layoff, 13-year-old Honey Cloud wins the second race at Aqueduct. His jockey, Clarence Minner, takes his first ride in 10 years. 1985 — Nancy Lopez beats Alice Miller by eight strokes to win the LPGA championship. 1991 — Andrettis finish 1-2-3 in the Miller 200 at Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway in Milwaukee. Mario Andretti finishes third, his son Michael wins the race and his nephew John finished second. 1996 — Annika Sorenstam closes with a 4-under 66 to win her second consecutive U.S. Women’s Open. Sorenstam’s 8-under 272 is the best ever in the Open. 2002 — Annika Sorenstam matches the LPGA record for margin of victory in a 54-hole event while winning the inaugural Kellogg-Keebler Classic. Sorenstam finishes at 21-under 195 to win by 11 strokes. 2005 — Jockey Russell Baze records his 9,000th career victory aboard Queen of the Hunt in the eighth race at Golden Gate Fields. 2007 — Daniel Gibson scores a career-high 31 points as Cleveland beats Detroit 98-82 to advance to the NBA Finals. The Cavaliers are the third team to come back from an 0-2 deficit in a conference finals, joining the 1971 Baltimore Bullets and 1993 Chicago Bulls. 2008 — Pittsburgh outlasts Detroit 4-3 in three overtimes of Game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals. Petr Sykora scores at 9:57 of the third overtime ending the fifth-longest finals game in NHL history. 2010 — Armando Galarraga of the Detroit Tigers loses his bid for a perfect game with two outs in the ninth inning on a call that first base umpire Jim Joyce later admits he blew. First baseman Miguel Cabrera cleanly fields Jason Donald’s grounder to his right and makes an accurate throw to Galarraga covering the bag. The ball is there in time, and all of Comerica Park is ready to celebrate the 3-0 win over Cleveland, until Joyce emphatically signals safe. 2011 — Dirk Nowitzki makes the tie-breaking layup with 3.6 seconds left, and the Dallas Mavericks roar back from 15 points down in the fourth quarter to beat the Miami Heat 95-93 and tie the NBA finals at one game apiece. The Mavs outscore the Heat 22-5 down the stretch and pull off the biggest comeback win in an NBA finals since 1992. Former Laker Shaquille O’Neal didn’t hold back after the team’s ugly loss to the Suns that gave Phoenix a 3-2 series lead. “They played soft, they played with no heart, they played with no pride and they played with no sense of urgency,” he said. Watch more of Shaq’s NBA on TNT postgame analysis here. Until next time... That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com, and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

One line convinced Barry Jenkins to make 'The Underground Railroad.' Let him explain

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/barry-jenkins-the-underground-railroad-amazon-the-envelope-podcast

Since before his film “Moonlight” won three Oscars in 2017, including best picture, writer-director Barry Jenkins has been working on an adaptation of the novel “The Underground Railroad.” Written by Colson Whitehead, the Pulitzer Prize-winner makes literal the idea of a train system that ferries runaway slaves to freedom, traveling state to state. The visually lush, thematically ambitious and emotionally overwhelming 10-episode series, now streaming on Amazon Prime Video, was a leap in scale for the filmmaker, whose work also includes the 2018 James Baldwin adaptation “If Beale Street Could Talk” and 2008’s “Medicine for Melancholy.” From the Oscars to the Emmys. Get the Envelope newsletter for exclusive awards season coverage, behind-the-scenes stories from the Envelope podcast and columnist Glenn Whipp’s must-read analysis. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. In the latest episode of the “The Envelope” podcast, Jenkins reflects on a single line from Whitehead’s novel that helped spur him toward undertaking the project. “So this line, ‘Look out as you ride the rails and you’ll see the true face of America,’” says Jenkins. “Both literally and metaphorically, if you’re on a train underground, you look out the window, what do you see? Black. You just see black. You just see blackness. And there are so many stories revolving around the Black experience and as it relates to the foundation of this country that have not been told. And so have we seen the true face of America? I read that line and I was like, ‘Oh, s—, I have got to do this.’” Jenkins also notes how how his experiences working briefly on the series “Dear White People” and “The Leftovers” were instructive and explains why he wanted to make “The Underground Railroad” as a multi-episode series and not a feature film. “The combination of those experiences I realized, ‘Oh, I think I know what this book wants to be is a television show.’ As a feature film, I have to know,” Jenkins said. “But as a television show, I can get into the second phase, the third phase, the fourth phase of the process and still be discovering things. And so it was a very elastic, freeing process. And making it as a television show rather than a feature was absolutely the right choice.” Jenkins likes to work in a manner that allows him to respond in the moment on-set to whatever is happening that day. The scope of the budget and the schedule on a 10-part series might seem from the outside to create additional pressures, but Jenkins found ways to make the production move to his rhythms, such as taking time to collect shots for what became “The Gaze,” a 52-minute companion film featuring locations and actors from the show. Jenkins also worked with a number of returning collaborators, including producers Adele Romanski and Mark Ceryak, cinematographer James Laxton, costume designer Caroline Eselin, production designer Mark Friedberg, composer Nicholas Brittell and editor Joi McMillon. The cast includes Thuso Mbedu as central character Cora Randall and Joel Edgerton as a slave catcher pursuing her. “I knew we were going to do something special because there were all these moments where you have this really big-ass machine and then you just press play,” Jenkins said. “Any time I wanted to veer left or right, people trusted that, OK, we will get there. “I know television isn’t always this way, but it was beautiful,” Jenkins said. “We preserved the nimbleness of making something like ‘Moonlight,’ but at the scale of making something like ‘The Underground Railroad.’” Its speaks to the tremendous empathy and generosity in Jenkins’ vision that he arranged for the slave quarter sets built for “The Underground Railroad” to remain standing after the end of shooting in hopes that future productions without the resources of creating a miniseries for Amazon would be able to use them too. “Someone eventually is going to make a film set in this world that is not about slavery itself,” Jenkins said. “And us leaving these sets is going to get them 30% of the way budget-wise. And that was something that was in the back of my head because I had this huge machine behind me that we could afford to build all these things from scratch. The next person who wants to tell a story that is more niche, more singular, they won’t have that benefit. But the sets will be there. So maybe they will.” ‘The Underground Railroad’ Where: Amazon PrimeWhen: Any timeRating: TV-14 (may be unsuitable for children under the age of 14) Other recent conversations on “The Envelope” include Kate Winslet on “Mare of Easttown” and Elizabeth Olsen on “Wandavision,” while upcoming episodes include John Boyega on “Small Axe.” Subscribe via Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes post every Wednesday. Can't get enough about awards season? For more, follow us on Twitter at @villarrealy and @IndieFocus, and for a deeper dive into the best new movies, get Mark’s weekly Indie Focus newsletter.If you’re enjoying this newsletter, please consider subscribing to The Times.Feedback? We’d love to hear from you. Email us at awards@latimes.com.

What's on TV Wednesday: 'Kung Fu' on The CW; 'MasterChef' on Fox; 'Family Karma' on Bravo

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2021-06-02/whats-on-tv-wednesday-kung-fu-on-the-cw-masterchef-on-fox-family-karma-on-bravo

During the coronavirus crisis, the Los Angeles Times is making some temporary changes to our print sections. The prime-time TV grid is on hiatus in print but an expanded version is available in your daily Times eNewspaper. You can find a printable PDF online at: latimes.com/whats-on-tv. Kids Say the Darndest Things (N) 8 p.m. CBS Kung Fu Nicky (Olivia Liang) and her family deal with the fallout after a secret is revealed in this new episode. Shannon Dang and Tzi Ma also star. 8 p.m. The CW Television The new, overstuffed “Kung Fu,” only loosely related to the David Carradine original, nonetheless traffics in a number of tired pop culture clichés. April 7, 2021 Press Your Luck Contestants from Bakersfield, Glendale and Riverside compete. 8 p.m. ABC MasterChef For this new season of the culinary competition, judges Gordon Ramsay, chef Aarón Sánchez and restaurateur Joe Bastianich will be joined each episode by one of a rotating series of guest judges including Paula Deen, Roy Choi, Nancy Silverton and Masaharu Morimoto. Up first, Emeril Lagasse. 8 p.m. Fox Television Fox serving up ‘MasterChef’ episode starring Paula Deen Aug. 27, 2013 Life at the Waterhole The three-part nature documentary series concludes as seasonal rains move into the area, transforming the parched land into a lush pasture, leading to a dramatic shift in the dynamics at the waterhole as a great migration of wildebeest heads toward Mwiba Wildlife Reserve. 8 p.m. KOCE Nancy Drew Carson and Ryan (Scott Wolf, Riley Smith) team up with the Drew Crew in a desperate bid to help Nancy (Kennedy McMann), who is in over her head with the Hudson family, in the season finale of the supernatural mystery. Leah Lewis, Tunji Kasim, Maddison Jaizani and Alex Saxon also star. 9 p.m. The CW The $100,000 Pyramid Rachel Dratch, Chris Redd, Dr. Oz and Daphne Oz. 9 p.m. ABC Crime Scene Kitchen A second group of bakers is challenged to scour the kitchen for clues and ingredients and deduce what has been baked. 9 p.m. Fox NOVA The new episode “Ship That Changed the World” documents the discovery of a 15th century European ship that may provide evidence of the engineering breakthroughs that helped create the modern world. 9 p.m. KOCE Family Karma The unscripted series revolving around an all-Indian cast returns for a second season. 9 and 10:15 p.m. Bravo Guy’s Grocery Games In this new episode, host Guy Fieri turns the tables on three competitors when he sends them his own takeout foods. 9 p.m. Food Network The Hills: New Beginnings (N) 9 p.m. MTV Television On a balmy weeknight inside the nightspot formerly known as Les Deux — the reality TV landmark frequently featured in “The Hills” — Spencer Pratt is tending to his fidgety toddler. June 24, 2019 A Million Little Things (N) 10 p.m. ABC Human: The World Within The finale of this documentary series explores the workings of the human brain and the nervous system it controls. 10 p.m. KOCE Court Cam Presents Under Oath This new spinoff series features defendants who take the risky tactic of testifying at their own trials. 10 p.m. A&E The Bold Type Jane and Jacque (Katie Stevens, Melora Hardin) combat a very public inconsistency in Jane’s latest story in this new episode of the workplace series. 10 p.m. Freeform Queen of the South (N) 10 p.m. USA Baseball Regional coverage, 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. MLB; the San Diego Padres visit the Chicago Cubs, 1 p.m. MLB; the Boston Red Sox visit the Houston Astros, 5 p.m. ESPN; the St. Louis Cardinals visit the Dodgers, 6 p.m. SportsNetLA NHL Hockey Playoffs Second round: Teams TBA, 4:30 p.m. NBCSP; the Vegas Golden Knights visit the Colorado Avalanche, 7 p.m. NBCSP NBA Basketball Playoffs The Atlanta Hawks visit the New York Knicks, 4:30 p.m. TNT; the Dallas Mavericks visit the Clippers, 7 p.m. BSSC, BSW and TNT CBS This Morning (N) 7 a.m. KCBS Today Julianne Moore; Chris Matthews. (N) 7 a.m. KNBC KTLA Morning News (N) 7 a.m. KTLA Good Morning America Author Chris Bosh. (N) 7 a.m. KABC Good Day L.A. (N) 7 a.m. KTTV Live With Kelly and Ryan Julianne Moore (“Lisey’s Story”); Forest Blakk performs; guest cohost Ali Wentworth. (N) 9 a.m. KABC The View Author Chris Matthews; Busy Philipps. (N) 10 a.m. KABC Home & Family Ashleigh Banfield; Rosanna Pansino. (N) 10 a.m. Hallmark The Wendy Williams Show Roy Wood Jr.; Salone Monet. (N) 11 a.m. KTTV The Talk Lisa Kudrow; Clea DuVall; Gail Simmons; Jerry O’Connell and Jay Pharoah guest cohost. (N) 1 p.m. KCBS Tamron Hall Chandra Wilson (“Grey’s Anatomy”); Samantha Busch. (N) 1 p.m. KABC Television Showrunner Krista Vernoff says “Grey’s Anatomy” had to tackle “the medical story of our lifetimes” on the ABC show’s next season. July 21, 2020 The Kelly Clarkson Show Marsai Martin, Mckenna Grace and Isabela Merced; Bobby Bones; Glennon Doyle; Catherine McCord. (N) 2 p.m. KNBC The Ellen DeGeneres Show Emma Stone (“Cruella”); Ziwe; Mimi Webb. (N) 3 p.m. KNBC The Real Laura Prepon. (N) 3 p.m. KCOP Conan Gal Gadot. 11 p.m. TBS Amanpour and Company (N) 11 p.m. KCET; 1 a.m. KLCS The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Chance the Rapper; Fred Armisen; Alan Jackson performs. 11:34 p.m. KNBC The Late Show With Stephen Colbert Anthony Anderson; Dr. Francis Collins. 11:35 p.m. KCBS Jimmy Kimmel Live! Rachel Weisz; Rob Riggle; Willie Jones performs. (N) 11:35 p.m. KABC Late Night With Seth Meyers Catherine Zeta-Jones; Wyatt Russell; Emmanuelle Caplette. 12:36 a.m. KNBC The Late Late Show With James Corden Melissa McCarthy; Bobby Cannavale. 12:37 a.m. KCBS Nightline (N) 12:37 a.m. KABC A Little Late With Lilly Singh Fashion designer Tan France. (N) 1:36 a.m. KNBC True to the Game 2 Jamal Hill’s 2020 sequel to the 2017 action drama opens as a four of women wearing flamboyantly gaudy masks hijack a bread truck that’s full of cocaine-loaded loaves. Andra Fuller, Erica Peeples, Jeremy Meeks, Iyana Halley, Vivica A. Fox, Bre-Z and Tamar Braxton also star. 8 p.m. BET Movies In a perfect world, a movie version of Teri Woods’ novel “True to the Game” would be a bigger deal. Sept. 7, 2017 Biloxi Blues (1988) 8:02 a.m. Encore Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989) 9:20 a.m. HBO Saint Maud (2019) 9:40 a.m. Epix Once (2006) 9:58 a.m. Cinemax Saving Private Ryan (1998) 10 a.m. AMC Far From Heaven (2002) 10 a.m. TMC The Firm (1993) Noon Sundance The Untouchables (1987) 12:15 p.m. Showtime Summer of ’42 (1971) 12:30 p.m. TCM Blood Father (2016) 1:30 p.m. Syfy Men of Honor (2000) 2 p.m. AMC Neighbors (2014) 2:30 p.m. TNT 21 Jump Street (2012) 3 p.m. Freeform Ghostbusters (1984) 3:30 p.m. Syfy; 6 p.m. FXX New Jack City (1991) 3:30 p.m. VH1 A Simple Plan (1998) 3:55 p.m. Epix Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) 4 and 9:30 p.m. IFC Easy A (2010) 4 p.m. MTV The Client (1994) 4 p.m. Ovation The Lookout (2007) 4:15 p.m. Showtime Enemy of the State (1998) 5 p.m. AMC The Gold Rush (1925) 5 p.m. TCM Pacific Heights (1990) 5:14 p.m. Encore Deadpool 2 (2018) 5:30 p.m. FX Carlito’s Way (1993) 5:30 p.m. TMC Blinded by the Light (2019) 6 p.m. Cinemax Matchstick Men (2003) 6 p.m. HBO The Fighter (2010) 6 p.m. Showtime Casino (1995) 6 p.m. VH1; 10 p.m. VH1 Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) 6:30 p.m. IFC The Music Box (1932) 6:45 p.m. TCM The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015) 7 p.m. Nickelodeon Lassie Come Home (1943) 7:30 p.m. TCM The Breakfast Club (1985) 8 p.m. BBC America Tully (2018) 8 p.m. Cinemax Flight (2012) 8 p.m. Epix Brokeback Mountain (2005) 8 p.m. Showtime Sounder (1972) 9:15 p.m. TCM Scream (1996) 10:15 p.m. BBC America I, Tonya (2017) 10:15 p.m. Showtime Don Jon (2013) 11:30 p.m. TMC Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001) 11:58 p.m. Starz Entertainment & Arts TV highlights for May 30-June 5 include the National Memorial Day Concert, specials about the Tulsa Race Massacre and the finale of “Mare of Easttown.” May 30, 2021 TV Grids for the entire week of May. 30 - June. 5 as PDF files you can download and print May 28, 2021 Television Movies on TV this week: May 30: ‘The Great Escape’ on TCM; ‘American Graffiti’ on Cinemax; ‘Forrest Gump’ on CMT and more May 28, 2021 Movies on TV for the entire week, May. 30 - June. 5 in interactive PDF format for easy downloading and printing May 28, 2021 Television Looking for what to watch on TV? Here are the television listings from the Los Angeles Times in printable PDF files. June 18, 2021

Boxer Sugar Ray Leonard aims for $46.5 million in Pacific Palisades

https://www.latimes.com/business/real-estate/story/2021-06-02/boxer-sugar-ray-leonard-aims-for-46-5-million-in-pacific-palisades

Boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard is trying to knock out a near-record sale in Pacific Palisades, listing his grand villa in the Riviera neighborhood for $46.5 million. It’ll rank among the coastal community’s most expensive sales ever if he gets his price. The current record was set earlier this year when media mogul Shane Smith sold his Mediterranean-style compound for $48.67 million. The listing marks Leonard’s second attempt at selling the prized property. He first offered it up for $52 million in 2019, The Times previously reported. Spanning 1.8 acres, the leafy spread centers on a 16,700-square-foot house built by Richard Landry, the architect whose mega-mansions have been lived in by stars such as Michael Jackson and Sylvester Stallone. He took inspiration from Florentine villas for the design, and the Italian-style architecture includes grand public spaces with arched doorways, dramatic beams and custom art. In addition to seven bedrooms and 10 bathrooms, there’s a two-story family room, formal dining room, screening room, gourmet kitchen and solarium framed by stone columns. Balconies and terraces take in the landscaped grounds, which add a motor court, guesthouse, tennis court, oval swimming pool and putting green surrounded by sprawling lawns. Leonard, 65, is considered one of the greatest boxers of all time. From 1977 to 1997, he won 36 of his 40 fights en route to world titles in five different weight divisions and an Olympic gold medal. Drew Fenton of Hilton & Hyland and Tomer Fridman of Compass hold the listing.

Column: A long-shelved film about California's 2003 governor recall is ready for its close-up

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-02/gubernatorious-california-recall-gray-davis

In the summer of 2003, Jayson Haedrich, Nick Regalbuto and Robbie Stauder took a flight from New York to Los Angeles with hand-held cameras in their luggage and hopes of big-screen glory. The twentysomethings had just read up on the circus that was California’s recall election of then-Gov. Gray Davis. They wanted in and began to cold-call nearly all of the 158 candidates in the race, Stauder said, to see who were “the funniest ones we could find.” For eight weeks, the trio crisscrossed the state to follow the futile campaigns of their five eventual stars: engineer Cheryl Bly-Chester, college student Georgina Russell, used-car salesman Mike McCarthy, adult-film actress Mary Carey and T-shirt maker William Tsangares. Each, to put it nicely, had quirks. Bly-Chester was a no-nonsense soccer mom easily frustrated by the ocean of civic clowns that floated around her. Russell sold thongs that read “Georgy for Governor 2003.” Carey had a habit of flashing reporters. McCarthy was perpetually dressed in star-spangled boxing trunks, a robe and an Uncle Sam hat. And Tsangares — get this — ran to protest the recall. Haedrich, Regalbuto and Stauder eventually shot more than 200 hours of footage that they hoped to craft into a hilarious documentary that would air on public television and at film festivals, and earn back some of the $100,000 of their own money they put into production. None of that happened. Their final product, titled “Gubernatorious,” instead turned out to be a wry, heartfelt treatise on American politics. The lesser-known recall candidates appeared not as the punchlines that the documentary’s directors originally intended, but rather as model citizens who finally had a shot to be heard in a political system stacked against them. But by the time the filmmakers were ready to premiere a rough cut in 2003, no one was interested. “People were sick of anything recall,” Stauder said. He and his partners screened it for friends and family to raise funds, at a film festival that none of them attended, and at a free Sacramento State event in 2013 attended mostly by students who showed up to earn extra credit. After that, “Gubernatorious” sat untouched across 10 hard drives for the next eight years as Stauder and the others went on to successful film production careers. Then in April, the California secretary of state announced that opponents of Gov. Gavin Newsom had gathered enough signatures to force a recall election. Now, the “Gubernatorious” guys are going to tidy up their long-shelved effort and try one last shot at cinematic immortality. “If there’s ever a chance to find an audience for this,” said 45-year-old Haedrich with a laugh, “this is it.” “It’s a time capsule and an interesting story about people going for it with no chance in hell to win,” said Regalbuto, 44. “It’s silly for it to be on a shelf.” “When we finished, and there was no interest, so it didn’t seem like it had any meaningful impact on the future,” said Stauder, also 44. “But I hope now, people think differently.” They let me see “Gubernatorious,” and I didn’t honestly expect much. Really, what could three guys based on the East Coast tell me about a moment in my state’s history that I lived through and remember well? But the documentary is actually a mini-marvel. “Gubernatorious” is a brisk delight that public television stations across California should air for its entertainment value, but also its simultaneous lessons in history and decency. It works as an important visual and audio archive of a key moment in California history. And it’s one of the few artistic efforts about the Davis recall I’ve ever come across that didn’t treat lesser-known candidates as a bunch of one-liners. In the mad spectacle that was the 2003 recall, “Gubernatorious” argued, the sanest ones were the supposed crazies. Stauder said he and his partners already knew the outcome of the film “before we even started: Everyone we were going to follow was going to lose.” So they focused on just quietly following their quixotic subjects over the course of the 2003 recall campaign, letting what transpired speak for itself instead of butting in with off-camera narration or on-camera questions. “They didn’t have a polished persona, so there’s an earnestness about them,” Haedrich said. “They just wanted to be heard. The arcs happened naturally.” The approach exposes who really deserves mockery: the rest of us. Male reporters openly smirk as they interview Bly-Chester and ogle Carey wherever she went. Law enforcement boot candidates from rallies for eventual winner Arnold Schwarzenegger, who pals around at events with current laughingstock Rudolph W. Giuliani. Crowds blindly cheer on the Terminator as they heckle Tsangares, who’s arrested at one point for standing in front of Schwarzenegger’s bus. Russell repeatedly tries to engage in impromptu debates with then-candidate Arianna Huffington, only to see the socialite, her face dripping with disgust, brush off Russell as staff — including a young Van Jones — shoo her away. Haedrich says neither he nor his partners have any interest in doing a similar documentary on the Newsom recall effort. It doesn’t have the same cachet as the Davis one, for one. “It really was a lightning-in-a-bottle moment,” he said. “Schwarzenegger, people loved that guy. The state was more conservative. Now, it’s bluer. And no one seems like they’ve captured the public imagination. This time, it seems like it’s going to be a circus that ends with a fizzle.” Stauder argues that today’s media and political landscape has also leveled the David-versus-Goliath atmosphere of 2003. “They couldn’t penetrate the mainstream back then because the media ignored them or ridiculed them, so that naturally created tension,” he said. “But now you have social media, and the rise of people like AOC [Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] who know how to plug into that. Ideas now have a far easier way to reach the public.” Besides, he continued, the political climate has changed for the worse. “The contrast of the innocence of what happened [nearly] 20 years ago compared to the danger of what we experienced six months ago [during the Jan. 6 Capitol invasion] hit me pretty hard about how far we’ve come,” Stauder said. “Yes, there were scuffles and people yelled at each other back then, but it was innocent. Now, those same divisions have turned violent and scary.” The “Gubernatorious” guys understand the historical weight of what they captured so long ago, so they’re touching up the documentary — some color corrections, a new soundtrack, and captions to identify the dozens of other candidates who made cameos. The plan is to put out the movie one way or another: a network, a short tour, an online screening, anything. The directors are once again spending money and time that no one ever expects to recoup, which doesn’t faze Haedrich at all. “I feel like I’m one of these candidates now,” he said. “Why do it? Because you have to.”

Parents frustrated by pandemic education launch activist group to raise their voices

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-02/california-parents-form-post-covid-education-activist-group

The group OpenSchoolsCA coalesced around parent anger over how long it was taking to reopen California campuses that were closed for a year or more amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Their discontent simmered for months when reopenings offered students much less than a full five-day-a-week school experience. Leaders of OpenSchoolsCA announced Wednesday that they intend to continue their activism through a nonprofit to promote direct parent influence in the state’s highly political education landscape. “As one of the tens of thousands of California moms who stepped back from the workforce to care for my school-age children, working moms must never be the default option for closed schools,” said Megan Bacigalupi, the founding parent and executive director of the new group. “Parent voices and student interests should never again be ignored or deprioritized as they have been during this year. Parents and kids must have a seat at the table.” Bacigalupi has a kindergartener and second-grader in the Oakland Unified School District. At this stage, with funding a work in progress, Bacigalupi will be the nonprofit’s only paid staff member. She’s a lawyer who has held leadership roles in Bay Area nonprofits. Prior to moving back to California, she worked for seven years in the mayor’s office in New York city, including as the director of federal legislative affairs at the Department of Education. Board members include education advocate and political consultant Pat Reilly, who has two children in Berkeley Unified, and Ernesto Falcon, senior legislative counsel at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. He has a child in West Contra Costa Unified. Advisers include West Contra Costa school board member Mister Phillips and former Oakland Unified board member Jumoke Hinton-Hodge. Another adviser, David Castillo, is a charter school consultant and advocate. Charter school supporters and teacher unions regularly battle for political influence in California, but Bacigalupi insists the current project is not about that. She said she doesn’t want her group to be anti-teachers union per se, but she has concluded, especially based on the experience of the pandemic, that the interests of parents and teachers unions don’t always coincide — and that parents need a louder voice — distinct from the unions’. The group intends to “develop policy recommendations in collaboration with other statewide advocacy groups to ensure the interests of the six million children in California’s public schools are prioritized,” according to a release. This effort will include supporting candidates, “including parents, who maintain positions that prioritize kids’ academic and emotional needs, to run for key elected positions, such as school boards.” Raising enough funds to matter and avoiding the charter-school-versus-teachers-union divide will be a challenge. In Los Angeles, for example, those two interest groups have dominated school-board election spending. The open-schools effort was buttressed by sympathetic elected officials, medical professionals, superintendents, advocacy groups and child-wellness experts. In several instances, including in L.A., dissatisfaction over reopening has led to lawsuits. There also have been committed voices with different positions, who, like the L.A. County Health Dept., have generally supported Gov. Gavin Newsom’s approach to campus closures. When Newsom felt it was time to reopen campuses, teachers unions and their allies pushed back, demanding maximum vaccine immunity for teachers and other campus employees before supporting a return. Many California unions got their wish — even though state and federal health authorities said the additional precaution was not essential. The L.A. teachers union has been critical of parents who wanted the option to return to campuses sooner, saying they did not represent the sentiments of a majority of parents of color in areas hard hit by the pandemic, who have ongoing concerns about safety at school. Most campuses reopened up and down the state over the spring. Los Angeles Unified, the nation’s second-largest school system, gradually opened schoolhouse doors — for a part-time, on-campus schedule — over the month of April. When given the opportunity to return, the parents of about 70% of the children enrolled in elementary schools in L.A. Unified chose to remain in remote learning from home.

Bestsellers List Sunday, June 6

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2021-06-02/bestsellers-list-sunday-june-6

1. While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams (Doubleday: $28) A political thriller from the voting rights activist. 2. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (Ballantine: $29) A lone astronaut tries to complete a mission to save the sun and humanity. 3. Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (Knopf: $28) A view of a technologically advanced society from the perspective of a child’s artificial friend. 4. The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman (Viking: $16) A special edition of the poem delivered at President Biden’s inauguration. 5. The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz (Celadon: $28) A novelist teaching writing classes steals a story from a gifted student who died. 6. The Guncle by Steven Rowley (Putnam: $27) A fun-loving gay man is thrust into the role of guardian of his niece and nephew. 7. Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri (Knopf: $24) A lonely woman begins a life-changing transformation. 8. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (Viking: $26) A reader in an infinite library is torn between versions of the life she is leading and the life she could be leading. 9. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab (Tor: $27) In 1714 France, a desperate young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever but is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. 10. Sooley by John Grisham (Doubleday: $29) The outbreak of civil war back home strands a teenage Sudanese basketball player in the U.S. 1. The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green (Dutton: $28) The novelist explores the current geologic age with a collection of essays adapted from his popular podcast. 2. Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner (Knopf: $27) A memoir from the Korean-born singer-songwriter of the band Japanese Breakfast. 3. World Travel by Anthony Bourdain, Laurie Woolever (Ecco: $35) An irreverent guide to some of the late travel writer and TV personality’s favorite locales. 4. Zero Fail by Carol Leonnig (Random House: $30) The Washington Post reporter’s definitive account of issues that plague the Secret Service. 5. The Bomber Mafia by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown: $27) The bombing of Tokyo on the deadliest night of World War II. 6. Yearbook by Seth Rogen (Crown: $28) A collection of personal stories from the Hollywood writer-producer. 7. Notes on Grief by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Knopf: $16) The author copes with the death of her father during the COVID-19 pandemic. 8. The Premonition by Michael Lewis (Norton: $30) A real-life thriller in which medical professionals who see a pandemic coming are ignored by political leadership. 9. Noise by Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony, Cass R. Sunstein (Little, Brown: $32) The authors document a flaw found in many aspects of human judgment. 10. What Happened to You? by Oprah Winfrey, Bruce D. Perry (Flatiron: $29) Understanding past events leads to understanding — and fixing — one’s problematic behavior. 1. People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry (Berkley: $16) 2. Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell (Vintage: $17) 3. Circe by Madeline Miller (Back Bay: $17) 4. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (Ecco: $17) 5. Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu (Vintage: $16) 6. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (Putnam: $18) 7. Fresh Water for Flowers by Valérie Perrin (Europa: $17) 8. Squeeze Me by Carl Hiaasen (Vintage Crime: $17) 9. Normal People by Sally Rooney (Hogarth: $17) 10. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Washington Square: $17) 1. Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Milkweed: $18) 2. The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk (Penguin: $19) 3. Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker (Anchor: $17) 4. The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz (Amber-Allen: $13) 5. Signs by Laura Lynne Jackson (Dial Press : $18) 6. Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake (Random House: $18) 7. Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong (One World: $18) 8. The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio (One World: $17) 9. The Body by Bill Bryson (Anchor: $17) 10. Becoming by Michelle Obama (Crown: $19)

China tries to keep herd of wild elephants from entering major city

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-06-02/china-keep-elephant-herd-out-kunming-city

A herd of 15 wild elephants that walked 300 miles from a nature reserve in China’s mountainous southwest were approaching the major city of Kunming on Wednesday as authorities rushed to try to keep them out of populated areas. Chinese wildlife authorities say they don’t know why the herd left a nature reserve last year near the city of Puer, a region known for tea cultivation. The group consisted of 16 animals, but the government says two returned home and a baby was born during the walk. Authorities have blocked traffic on roads while the elephants crossed and were setting up barriers and using food as bait to try to keep them away from Kunming and other populated areas. On Wednesday, the herd was in Yuxi, about 12 miles from Kunming, a city of 7 million people, the official Xinhua News Agency said. It said images taken by drones used to track the herd show six female and three male adults, three juveniles and three calves. World & Nation Authorities in China are hunting for the last of three leopards that escaped from a safari park, which concealed the breakout for nearly a week. May 10, 2021 Chen Mingyong, an Asian elephant expert cited by Xinhua, said the incident was the longest-distance migration of wild elephants recorded in China. Chen said it was possible their leader “lacks experience and led the whole group astray.” A task force of 360 people with 76 cars and nine drones was tracking the elephants, Xinhua said. Last week, the elephants wandered the streets of the town of Eshan for six hours after residents were warned to stay indoors, according to Xinhua. Damage done by the elephants to farmland is estimated at $1.1 million, according to Xinhua.

Essential California: A killing at Agua Dulce fire station

https://www.latimes.com/california/agua-dulce-fire-station-shooting

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Wednesday, June 2. Benjamin Oreskes here, writing from an overcast Los Angeles. Tragedy struck the ranks of the Los Angeles County Fire Department on Tuesday in an area between Palmdale and Santa Clarita known as Agua Dulce. In the morning at Fire Station 81, an ongoing dispute between two firefighters, who worked different shifts but lived in the same area, escalated, a county source with knowledge of the situation told The Times. The gunman shot and killed a 44-year-old firefighter. A captain was wounded when he tried to intercede, the source said. The alleged gunman then fled to his home on Bent Spur Drive, about 10 miles away. Within minutes, that home was on fire, and by 3 p.m., it had been reduced to near rubble by the flames. The man who is thought to be the suspect was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in a small pool on the property, according to sheriff’s officials. “As a fire chief, I never thought that when our firefighters face danger, that they would face that danger in one of our community fire stations,” Chief Daryl L. Osby said. The deceased victim, who has not yet been identified, had been with the department for more than 20 years. The second victim, a 54-year-old fire captain, was transported to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital with multiple gunshot wounds, where he remained in critical but stable condition. This incident, while tragic, is an increasingly regular occurrence in a country awash with guns. Workplace shootings are more common now than ever before — especially in California. Just last week, a gunman opened fire on a San Jose rail yard early in the morning, killing nine men before apparently turning the gun on himself. In that instance, he appeared to have targeted his co-workers. There have been 37 mass workplace shootings since 2009, according to data tracked by Everytown for Gun Safety. But in an alarming trend, five of those deadly attacks occurred in just the last 10 weeks. And two of this year’s mass workplace shootings were carried out in California, in keeping with yet another lethal shift. From 1986 to 2011, a fourth of all mass workplace shootings nationwide occurred here, according to researchers at New York’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice. (Read more about the rash of workplace mass shootings in the Los Angeles Times). And now, here’s what’s happening across California: Note: Some of the sites we link to may limit the number of stories you can access without subscribing. It started small and grew. . Kellie Hart started a bike club to relieve stress brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. One year later, her club has grown to a full-fledged bike shop and, hopefully, a home for health and wellness in South L.A. Los Angeles Times A name-change controversy. A Northern California county has voted to rename Jim Crow Road after a debate over the racist implications of the name and accusations of “woke cancel culture.” The 4-1 vote by the Sierra County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday came after property owners along the road, located about three miles from Downieville, asked for a name change in early April. The name will be changed to Crow City Road, as recommended by the county’s historical society. Los Angeles Times A first in the U.S.: A historic California task force met for the first time Tuesday with the ultimate goal of recommending reparations for descendants of enslaved people and those affected by slavery. Here’s what happens next. Los Angeles Times Mon dieu! Real estate developers are planning a project on the Sunset Boulevard site of the French restaurant Taix. This development would replace its longtime building with a new complex that would rise to six stories and include housing and retail. The approval process is getting messy. Los Angeles Times We’re not out of the woods yet. Coronavirus case rates remain elevated in some of California’s northernmost — and least vaccinated — reaches, underscoring the uneven nature of the state’s recovery journey even as COVID-19, on the whole, continues to recede. These gaps in vaccine coverage, though not new, are nonetheless sparking concerns that some swaths of the state may remain at risk of potential outbreaks, further complicating California’s emergence from the pandemic that has upended daily life for more than a year. Los Angeles Times Mask off at work? A California workplace safety board on Thursday is scheduled to consider whether to relax mask and physical distancing rules for workers. Los Angeles Times Knocked down by a higher court. The Supreme Court set aside a rule used by the 9th Circuit Court in California that presumed immigrants seeking asylum were telling the truth unless an immigration judge had made an “explicit” finding that they were not credible. Los Angeles Times Big $$$ on homelessness. San Francisco Mayor London Breed is proposing more than $1 billion in new funding to address homelessness over the next two years — a staggering amount that she hopes will finally make a dent in the city’s most vexing problem. San Francisco Chronicle Recall power play. “The newly elected president of California state government’s largest public employee union is trying to block a potential $1 million contribution from his union to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s campaign.” Sacramento Bee Stepping down: Huntington Beach Mayor Pro Tem Tito Ortiz has resigned his position, citing an onslaught of public attacks on his character and fear for the safety of his family. Los Angeles Times Solar panel high jinks. Times columnist David Lazarus has an enervating story out of the Central Valley where a woman’s death wasn’t the end of the money she owed a company for the solar panels that were installed but never used. Los Angeles Times Crime is up in the Bay Area. Like other U.S. cities, Oakland has seen a sharp uptick in homicides as the pandemic has unfolded. Through May 23, the city had recorded 51 homicides for the year, a 132% increase compared with the same period last year and a 70% increase compared with 2019. San Francisco Chronicle Life-and-death decisions. How and when the death penalty is used in California could be in for a major change. “The state’s highest court will consider whether to raise the bar for when a jury can sentence a defendant to capital punishment, a decision that could affect pending cases and potentially reverse death sentences for the 704 inmates already on California’s Death Row.” CalMatters Preparing for a dry, hot summer. The effects of California’s deepening drought hit home for Central Valley farmers when federal officials announced they didn’t have enough water to supply many of their agricultural customers. Inside Climate News Saving the California condor: A colossus of the sky, the bird of prey was nearly gone when biologists rescued it from extinction. Then came a terrible new challenge. Smithsonian Magazine A big deal for music lovers. The premier music festivals of Southern California, Coachella and Stagecoach, will at long last return in spring of 2022. After a two-year pandemic-induced hiatus, Coachella will take place on successive weekends, April 15-17 and April 22-24; the country music festival Stagecoach will return April 29-May 1. Los Angeles Times Ask Patt. Come on down for a quick history lesson from Times columnist Patt Morrison on the mafia’s reach in Los Angeles. She explains why they were far quieter than their cousins in Chicago and New York City. Los Angeles Times Footy update from south of the border. There was once a sports team so cursed that its very name became slang for “choke.” Now that team, Cruz Azul, has won the Mexican league championship in soccer — its first title in 24 years. Los Angeles Times What will become of the Cinerama dome? AMC Entertainment, owner of the world’s largest theater chain, is eyeing cinema locations previously operated by ArcLight Cinemas and Pacific Theatres. Los Angeles Times Must-watch video. A bear got close to a 17-year-old girl’s dogs, and she wasn’t having it. Check out the clip. ABC7 Free online games Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games in our new game center at latimes.com/games. Los Angeles: partly cloudy, 77. San Diego: partly cloudy, 72 . San Francisco: partly cloudy, 63. San Jose: sunny, 78. Fresno: sunny, 105(!!). Sacramento: sunny, 93. Today’s California memory comes from Rebecca Brockway: Goleta Beach 1974. I’m 16. We arrive on Schwinn 3-speeds. As we padlock our bikes to the designated rack, I know: The day is special. The shoreline is minus the usual tangle of putrid seaweed and swarming flies. Dolphins leap from the turquoise surface. Fish feed in bubbling frenzies. Gulls dive. The sky is brilliant azul. We body surf with El Niño, tropical shaman, who anoints everything with magic. The afternoon wanes. We’re sunburned sisters on beach towels postponing our pedal home. Twins we know from church pass by carrying surfboards not bibles. We wave. Then, I brush sand from my rosy shins. If you have a memory or story about the Golden State, share it with us. (Please keep your story to 100 words.) Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.

Rural Northern California is falling behind in vaccinations, and COVID-19 cases are rising

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-02/70-of-california-adults-have-at-least-one-shot-but-vaccine-rates-in-the-north-are-low

Some rural counties in Northern California are falling further behind in COVID-19 vaccination rates compared with the rest of the state, causing cases to remain flat or, in some cases, to rise. A Times analysis found that the counties with the lowest vaccination rates were likely to have higher recent case rates per capita. Counties in rural Northern California and the greater Sacramento area fared worst, while Southern California and the Bay Area have fared best in terms of higher rates of vaccination and lower daily case rates, the analysis found. Health officials in some of the rural areas with low rates of vaccination said they are battling reluctance on the part of residents to get the shot, which leaves a greater percentage of the population exposed to the coronavirus than in more urban parts of California, where cases continue to plummet. “COVID is still here and is still pretty prevalent in our community,” said Kerri Schuette, public information officer for the Health and Human Services Agency of Shasta County, where only 36% of residents have received at least one dose. “And that’s especially concerning in a county that doesn’t have a very high vaccination rate, so there are a lot of people who are vulnerable still.” These gaps in vaccine coverage, though not new, are sparking concerns that some swaths of the state remain at risk of potential outbreaks, complicating California’s emergence from the pandemic that has upended life for more than a year. Statewide, 54% of residents of all ages have received at least one dose of vaccine, according to data compiled by The Times. In San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Clara, San Mateo and Marin counties, more than 67% of residents are at least partially vaccinated. But across much of the state’s rural north, fewer than 45% of residents have rolled up their sleeves. California One month ahead of the target date set by the Biden administration, California has now at least partially vaccinated 70% of its adult residents against COVID-19. June 1, 2021 Those areas where fewer people are vaccinated are most likely to see a coronavirus rebound, officials say. “We are seeing high case rates in our northern rural counties, where vaccination rates are lower,” tweeted State Epidemiologist Dr. Erica Pan. Among the counties of concern in the rural northern part of the state are Tehama and Siskiyou, the only two in California identified by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as having a “high” virus transmission rate. Only 27% of Tehama County residents have gotten a vaccine shot, according to data compiled by The Times, and the county has had California’s worst case rates over the past seven days, reporting about 20 new cases per day per 100,000 residents. That’s up from 8 new cases per 100,000 residents one month ago. Only Lassen County has a lower level of vaccination than Tehama, at about 22%. For the seven-day period that ended Sunday, there were 7 daily cases per 100,000 residents in Lassen County, up from about 3 a month ago. In Humboldt County, where 50% of residents are at least partially vaccinated, the daily case rate per 100,000 residents in early April was just 2. It jumped to 18 in mid-May before falling to about 9 for the seven-day period that ended Sunday. Shasta — one of just four counties statewide still in the second-most restrictive level in the state’s reopening framework, the red tier — has been unable to substantially reduce its daily case rate for months. A month ago, its average daily case rate was 8 per 100,000 residents; it rose to a peak of 14 in early May before falling to 7.5 for the seven-day period that ended Sunday. By comparison, per 100,000 residents, Orange County is reporting 0.9 new cases a day; Santa Clara County, 1.1; Ventura, 1.4; San Francisco, 1.6; and San Diego, 2.3. Excluding a recent backlog of nearly 3,900 old coronavirus cases, L.A. County is reporting 1.9 new daily cases per 100,000 residents over the past week. California A California workplace safety board on Thursday is scheduled to consider whether to relax mask and physical distancing rules for workers. June 1, 2021 Health officials are troubled by the lack of interest in vaccination in the state’s northern rural areas. “We just have seen a real die-off in interest in the vaccine lately. And I’ve reported that before — that has not changed,” Dr. Warren Rehwaldt, the Del Norte County health officer, said at a recent public meeting. Just 35% of residents have received at least one shot in Del Norte County, which is home to Crescent City and sits on the Oregon border. Much of the vaccine hesitancy is fueled by distrust — of health officials, politicians and scientists. Misinformation about the vaccines’ cost, efficacy and side effects has spread across social media, leaving health officials with the dual task of making it as easy as possible to get the vaccine and knocking down conspiracy theories that may dissuade people from taking their turn. Shasta County, home to Redding and one of the most populous counties in the north of the state, has been especially polarized over the government response to COVID-19. There’s an effort underway to recall three members of the Shasta County Board of Supervisors who supported Gov. Gavin Newsom’s pandemic health orders. Schuette said Tuesday that she doesn’t think Shasta County is “significantly different than many other rural, conservative areas. We have more people here who are hesitant to take the vaccine. “We’ve worked really hard over the last 16 months or so to build our reputation as a trusted source of information,” Schuette said. “We’ve answered thousands of questions on Facebook and through email and in media briefings and in town hall meetings. We’re just really trying to provide that accurate, science-based information that people can refer to, that they can look over as they’re looking to make the decision as to whether today is the day that they’re ready.” Science & Medicine The World Health Organization has unveiled a new naming system for coronavirus variants that uses Greek letters instead of geographical locations. June 1, 2021 Indeed, dissemination of accurate information is key, UC San Francisco epidemiologist Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo said, noting that some people have been suspicious they’ll be charged for shots, which are free. Surveys by the Kaiser Family Foundation have shown that Republicans and rural residents are among the least enthusiastic groups in the U.S. when it comes to getting vaccinated. About 26% of rural U.S. residents and 28% of Republicans say they will definitely not get the vaccine or will get it only if required; by comparison, 15% of urban residents, 19% of suburban residents, 20% of independent voters and 7% of Democrats say the same. Without increasing vaccination rates, “the concerns are that you’ll have this smoldering endemic disease in the population,” said Brad Pollock, an epidemiologist at UC Davis. “The longer it lingers around, the more likely you are to have these odd mutant strains show up.” Compared to earlier waves of the pandemic, unvaccinated people now have to deal with a more contagious variant, B.1.1.7 — newly named the Alpha variant by the World Health Organization — which has become the dominant strain in California. “That means the bug is more infectious, it’s more efficient at getting people infected,” Pollock said. “The people that ... aren’t vaccinated are more likely to get infected and are more likely to spread it.” California Increasing evidence about the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines and California’s low case rates convince experts it’s safe to stop wearing masks. May 27, 2021 It’s not just vaccine hesitancy that plays a role in low vaccination rates — lack of access is also a factor. Bibbins-Domingo said strategies that can be relatively successful in urban areas and the suburbs — like administering shots at mass vaccination sites and major pharmacy chains — may not work in rural areas, where getting vaccines in the hands of small clinics and local pharmacists can be more effective. “Access has always been — and continues to be — the biggest barrier to our vaccination rates, as opposed to someone’s inherent belief that they don’t want to be vaccinated,” Bibbins-Domingo said. “When cases are rising, and we adopt strategies that lower access barriers, and we put vaccines in the hands of the types of clinicians and community groups that actually have the trust of a community, people get vaccinated. We see it time and time again. And that’s what we have to double down on now.” To be sure, not all counties with low vaccination rates have relatively high rates of infection. Trinity County, which has a population of just 13,000, has one of the state’s lowest daily coronavirus case rates despite just 35% of its residents being at least partially vaccinated. Del Norte County averaged one new coronavirus case a day over the past week, despite its low vaccination rate. Still, as summer begins, it could be problematic if outbreaks in one area of the state find their way into traveling groups, such as farmworkers, some of whom remain unvaccinated. “As we enter the intense agricultural seasons and people live in dense housing, near the fields or in these small towns, it’s always a risk for transmission,” said UC San Francisco epidemiologist Dr. George Rutherford. “Farmworkers who come and go, and they work the harvest up and down the state ... those are people who could really do well from getting a J&J vaccine — a single-dose vaccine.” Lin reported from San Francisco, and Money and Greene from Southern California.

Today's Headlines: Bearing witness in Tulsa

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/newsletter/2021-06-02/tulsa-massacre-anniversary-biden-todays-headlines

President Biden marked the 100th anniversary of the massacre that wiped out a thriving Black community in Oklahoma. Bearing Witness in Tulsa President Biden traveled to Tulsa, Okla., on Tuesday to mark a shameful and largely forgotten part of American history, calling for racial reconciliation on the 100th anniversary of the violent destruction of the city’s thriving Black community by a white mob. Biden became the first president to participate in a public remembrance of the 1921 race riot that left hundreds of Black people dead and burned what was known as “Black Wall Street” to the ground. The high-profile visit is in keeping with Biden’s campaign promise to focus on issues of racial equity. Just last week, Biden played host at the White House to relatives of George Floyd, the Black man killed a year ago when a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes. But that did not coincide with any action by lawmakers. Start your day right Sign up for Essential California for the L.A. Times biggest news, features and recommendations in your inbox six days a week. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. And although Democrats are set to take up voting rights legislation this month, they are unlikely to meet the 60-vote threshold needed to overcome a GOP filibuster under current Senate rules. Rather than expanding voting rights, many Republican-led states are enacting new laws making it harder for people to cast ballots. Calling those laws an “unprecedented assault on our democracy,” Biden vowed that June would be “a month of action” in Congress on voting rights. He announced that Vice President Kamala Harris would be overseeing the administration’s efforts in that area. More Politics — According to a person familiar with the decision, the Biden administration will suspend Arctic refuge drilling rights sold in the final days of Donald Trump’s presidency, a move that buys time for further environmental analysis. — The Supreme Court has set aside a rule used by the 9th Circuit Court in California that presumed immigrants seeking asylum were telling the truth unless an immigration judge had made an “explicit” finding that they were not credible. — In search of trustworthy partners, the Biden administration dispatched Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken to Costa Rica to take Central American officials to task on corruption in their countries and examine how they can more efficiently block migration to the U.S. — Biden may be the most overtly pro-union president since Harry Truman. But even with that support, many of labor’s top priorities face long odds. For more news and analysis, sign up for our Essential Politics newsletter, sent to your inbox three days a week. Trouble in the North State One month ahead of the target date set by the Biden administration, California has now at least partially vaccinated 70% of its adult residents against COVID-19. Clearing that hurdle is a vital development as the state prepares to fully reopen later this month. But some rural counties in Northern California are falling further behind in COVID-19 vaccination rates when compared with the rest of the state, which is causing coronavirus cases to remain flat and sometimes rise. A Times analysis found that counties with the lowest vaccination rates were likely to have higher recent case rates per capita. Counties in rural Northern California and the greater Sacramento area fared worst, while Southern California and the Bay Area have fared best in terms of higher rates of vaccination and lower daily case rates, the analysis found. Health officials in some of the rural areas with low rates of vaccination said they are battling reluctance on the part of residents to get the shot, which leaves a greater percentage of the population exposed to the coronavirus than in more urban parts of California, where cases continue to plummet. More Top Coronavirus Headlines — On Thursday, a California workplace safety board is scheduled to consider whether to relax mask and physical distancing rules for workers. The proposal would allow workers to take off masks if everyone in a room is fully vaccinated and does not have COVID-19 symptoms. — Coronavirus name game: Farewell, B.1.1.7. Hello, Alpha! The World Health Organization has developed a new naming system for variants based on Greek letters instead of places. Tragedy in Agua Dulce On Tuesday morning at Los Angeles County Fire Station 81 in Agua Dulce, authorities say a gunman killed a fellow firefighter and wounded a captain before later turning the gun on himself. The deceased victim, who has not been identified, was a 44-year-old firefighter who had been with the department for more than 20 years, officials said. He suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene. The second victim, a 54-year-old fire captain, was taken to the hospital with multiple gunshot wounds. A county source with knowledge of the situation said there was an ongoing dispute between the deceased and the gunman, who worked different shifts but lived in the same area. As The Times reported in the aftermath of a shooting at a San Jose rail yard last week, workplace shootings are all too common in California. On this day in 1965, members of the Dodgers Booster Club at Dodger Stadium listened to Vin Scully describe the Dodgers’ 4-1 win over the Cardinals. The only problem — the Dodgers were playing in St. Louis. In person, these fans were rooting for former Dodgers playing for the Washington Senators during a doubleheader against the Los Angeles Angels. — The Sierra County Board of Supervisors has voted to rename Jim Crow Road after a debate over the racist implications of the name and accusations of “woke cancel culture.” — A historic California task force met for the first time with the ultimate goal of recommending reparations for descendants of enslaved people and those affected by slavery. — Huntington Beach Mayor Pro Tem Tito Ortiz has resigned his position, citing an onslaught of public attacks on his character and a fear for the safety of his family. Los Angeles Times — Authorities have expanded their investigation of an Anaheim man charged with attempted murder after firing a BB gun at a Tesla in Norco last week, saying the man is now a suspect in at least six other similar cases and possibly more. Support our journalism Subscribe to the Los Angeles Times. — Democrat Melanie Stansbury has won election to Congress in New Mexico to fill a vacant seat previously held by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. — Three Democratic members of Congress are asking the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to investigate the foster care experience of Ma’Khia Bryant that preceded the 16-year-old’s fatal police shooting in Ohio. — An Australian court rejected a challenge to the federal government’s near-blanket ban on international travel by residents, a measure that was instituted to keep the coronavirus out. — Pope Francis has changed Roman Catholic Church law to criminalize the sexual abuse of adults by priests explicitly and say that laypeople who hold church office can also be sanctioned for similar sex crimes. — The premier music festivals of Southern California, Coachella and Stagecoach, will at long last return in spring of 2022. Coachella will take place on successive weekends, April 15-17 and April 22-24; the country music festival Stagecoach will return April 29-May 1. — Not long ago, hashtags were on the verge of being dated and uncool. But now, a generation of influencers and would-be influencers, many of them natives of platforms that didn’t exist when the hashtag first started trending, are bringing it back, and for the most undeniable of reasons: It’s an indispensable tool for turning internet fame into money. — Discovery plans to name its proposed new company Warner Bros. Discovery, after its planned merger with WarnerMedia. The transaction, which was announced last month, is a long way from being completed. The proposed $43-billion tie-up needs regulators’ approval, but Discovery is continuing its outreach to Hollywood. — This summer, the show will go on at the Hollywood Bowl, which recently announced plans to return to 100% capacity. — Creative Artists Agency said it will sell a majority stake in production company Wiip to a South Korean studio. The union had raised concerns that the agency had a conflict of interest in representing its clients while running a production company. CAA will remain a minority shareholder in Wiip. — According to a source not authorized to comment on the deal, NFL legend Tony Gonzalez found a deep-pocketed buyer in Beverly Hills, selling his 13,000-square-foot mansion to billionaire investor Wayne Boich for $21.15 million. — Tennis star Naomi Osaka is a four-time Grand Slam champion at age 23. She also suffers from depression and anxiety. On Monday, she withdrew from the French Open and announced she was stepping away from the sport for an undisclosed amount of time, a decision she said she made in part for her mental health. Retired tennis player Mardy Fish was one of the many people who publicly offered support for Osaka. — The Lakers lost 115 to 85 in Game 5 of their NBA playoff series in Phoenix. It was a disastrous effort and performance in the series’ biggest game to date. Free online games Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games in our new game center at latimes.com/games. — Fights for LGBTQ and racial justice have to go hand in hand. Too long, society believed that these are two different fights, but they’ve always been linked together. — Naomi Osaka needs help, not condemnation. She needs empathy, not iron-fisted Grand Slam tournament executives threatening to bar her from tennis’ most prestigious events, writes Helene Elliott. — With Biden commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, many Americans are learning for the first time about the nation’s long history of racist rampages, particularly during (but not limited to) the period from the 1870s to the 1920s — considered by many a nadir in the fight for Black civil rights. (Washington Post) — America’s drinking problem: It’s not just how much, but how. (The Atlantic) Both Anthony Diaz and Kevin Alcaraz’s jobs had dried up because of COVID, so they began focusing on their new venture full time; Plantiitas, a plant shop. They grew it from a couple of tables outside to a garage filled to the brim with greenery and open for sale every Saturday and Sunday. Swarms of masked people, newly obsessed with plants thanks to the pandemic, were showing up — and demand only grew. So, what’s the secret behind this queer, Latinx-owned plant shop’s success? Comments or ideas? Email us at headlines@latimes.com.

The pandemic sparked a Black cycling movement in South L.A. — and a new business

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-02/black-cycling-movement-south-la-ridewitus-slauson-pandemic

In April 2020, during the earliest days of the pandemic lockdown, Kellie Hart found herself itching to get out of the house. A former athlete who played college basketball, she craved activity. A social butterfly, she missed hanging out with friends and meeting people. To alleviate those wants, she started a bike club. More than a year later, the RideWitUs LA Bike Club & Store on Slauson Avenue near La Brea has expanded into a brick-and-mortar store. The success of RideWitUs happened in a complex and frightening climate for Black businesses. The pandemic had a devastating effect on many. But it also inspired entrepreneurship. Researchers found that 440,000 Black business owners nationally shuttered their businesses between February and April 2020 — a 41% plunge. Those numbers represent a tremendous loss for Black communities, but they don’t paint the full picture. New data show there’s also been a surge in new businesses despite the pandemic, with Black communities experiencing the greatest increase in business registrations. “The greatest risks often yield the best rewards,” Hart said. “I eased into the business slowly, and once I knew I had a good, profitable thing going, I gave it my all. And honestly I’m rooted in the mind-set of ‘Scared money don’t make no money.’ I leaned into that as my motivation.” Her road to business ownership began with heartbreak. Just two years before, she had a big plan to open a carwash. Hart thought she had found the perfect location, a modest storefront on a large lot not too far from her house. The space had many past lives: as a boutique, a convenience store, a smoke shop and a carwash before becoming vacant. She put together a business plan, met a man to discuss renting the space, and paid him a $5,000 deposit. But she was crushed during a subsequent visit to the lot when she met the real owners, an elderly couple who informed Hart that she had been scammed by someone pretending to own the lot. “They seized it back and busted up the asphalt so that nobody could use it. Then they threw a ‘for sale’ sign up,” Hart recalled. “It tore me apart. This is a block that I come up and down all the time. For two years, it was just a reminder.” One year after the letdown, she was still recovering. Then the pandemic came. Riding her bike took her mind off of it all. It was therapeutic, she says, at a time when most other activities were shut down. As the pandemic dragged on, she invited friends to ride with her. Hart, 35, has a background in business but she’s a community organizer by nature. Reiichi Nickleberry, a leader with RideWitUs, has known her since high school and says even back then, Hart was “fun” and “smart” with a “cool temperament.” “She’s always had that team, bigger-than-me mentality. I remember her just always embracing other people,” Nickleberry said. “You know, some people hang out with the cool kids and not the uncool kids. Kelly was kind of loved by everybody.” The rides became more frequent, and one by one, Hart’s crew got bigger. Friends brought friends, and sometimes people out biking alone saw the group of young, mostly Black and Latino cyclists and joined them. By April 2020, the informal bike rides had a schedule and the group had evolved into a club. Nickleberry had stayed connected with Hart via social media in the years since they graduated, and he reached out when he saw her posting about the bike rides. He’s been a part of RideWitUs since the earliest days and also serves as its resident photographer, documenting each ride. He says he’s amazed by the club’s rapid growth. “I use a fixed-focus lens and I noticed because, with each group photo, I would have to step back one more step or find another angle. We needed bigger parking lots or I’d have to go across the street to take photos of all these people on bikes,” he said. “It’s fun. Riding bikes like little kids, and we’re all 30-plus years old. It’s exhilarating and exciting. You literally got hooked.” Members of the RideWitUs bike club are mostly in their 30s and 40s. Most are Black or Latino and hail from South L.A. neighborhoods. They number about 150 strong and ride between 12 and 25 miles three times a week including to Santa Monica, Redondo Beach and downtown L.A. Most did not see themselves becoming cyclists when they took their first rides, but they came back for the sense of community. “Everyone’s accepted. Everyone feels welcome,” Nickleberry said. “You get a flat, it doesn’t matter. Someone’s gonna stop. I don’t know your name. But I’m going to stop to help you because you’re here with us.” Derrick Chappelle’s insistence on safe riding and bike maintenance has earned him the nickname “The General.” Back in June 2020, when Chappelle went on his first ride, he was about 30 pounds heavier and struggling to keep up during a 25-mile trip. “They didn’t leave me. I was the last person, and it was like a no-drop ride, meaning no one left behind,” he said. “Kellie told me, ‘You keep putting in the effort and we’ll wait on you.’ Right then and there, I knew I needed to be a part of this.” “If it was just me riding my bike out here, I would be just another rider on the street,” Hart added. “But it’s all the people who come that make it what it is, so I always give credit to the community.” Many also have come for the unique benefits of cycling during a pandemic, when, until recently, gyms were closed and riding a bike could be done at a safe distance. The group continued to grow throughout the pandemic, as did the rides. In July 2020, Hart realized it was time to open a bike shop. “In the beginning, I used to always say I won’t call it a movement until we can get 100 riders out on a Tuesday,” Hart said. “By July 2020, we had our first Tuesday ride with more than 100 people. I only knew about 15 of those people prior to RideWitUs. I knew then it was something special, it was bigger than me, that these people needed it, and I can’t let up.” Early on, Hart used her savings to buy three bikes and sold them within 24 hours. The next day, she bought five bikes and those sold immediately too. “I haven’t stopped since that first day and the business has been booming,” she said. In late March of 2021, Hart was riding down Slauson and saw that the old lot she wanted for her carwash had been repaved and there was a “for rent” sign out front. Now, what Hart had seen before as a perfect lot for a carwash was suddenly the perfect lot for a bike shop with plenty of space for her crew to gather. Hart said she reached out to the new owners and started negotiating. There was another interested party, someone who wanted to turn the lot into a private dog park. “I said, ‘Oh, no. Sir, this community don’t want to see no dog park. Give me the application right now,’” Hart said. “And we put it together.” The RideWitUs bike shop grand opening in April was like a block party. It was open to all, and plenty of people came out. There was a bounce house for kids, food trucks, a DJ. Cocktails flowed, music played and people danced as they celebrated all they’d built together in just a year’s time. The shop itself is painted “Nipsey Blue” in honor of the late Crenshaw-based rapper Nipsey Hussle, who inspired many in the neighborhood with his motto: “The marathon continues.” It’s a small shop on a big lot for which Hart has even bigger plans. She wants to open it up for a juice bar, an event space, a community center, a once-a-month farmer’s market. “I want people to have a good time. I have a good time when people are having a good time. And the more the merrier,” Hart said. “That is the vibe I want to create. Everybody come have a good time. It’s a safe space. Be who you are, and let’s just keep it rolling.” Watch L.A. Times Today at 7 p.m. on Spectrum News 1 on Channel 1 or live stream on the Spectrum News App. Palos Verdes Peninsula and Orange County viewers can watch on Cox Systems on channel 99.

Editorial: Au revoir, Taix. Los Angeles shouldn't value buildings over people

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-06-02/taix-preservation-housing

Competing interests have been battling for almost two years over how to preserve the Taix French Restaurant in Echo Park, ever since its owners sold the Sunset Boulevard establishment to a developer who plans to demolish the faux French-Norman building and replace it with a housing and commercial complex. That battle is now coming to a head before the Los Angeles City Council, and the city’s course should be clear: It’s time to bid adieu to the building so the restaurant can return — and more people can find housing. Taix moved to its Echo Park location in the 1960s and has been a mainstay for weddings, funerals and family get-togethers, as well as a popular place to get a drink before and after games at nearby Dodger Stadium. But the sprawling, outdated eatery has been on the decline for years, with little interest in its banquet rooms and given rising food and labor costs. Those factors prompted the sale of the property in mid-2019. To some, preserving Taix means keeping the recognizable building and restaurant intact. To others, including owner Michael Taix, the way to preserve the restaurant is to sacrifice the building and allow Taix to reopen in a smaller, more cost-efficient space within the new development. “We’re trying to survive,” Taix told Times reporter Emily Alpert Reyes. The City Council will decide this week whether Taix warrants landmark status and, if so, whether the building or the restaurant within it should be protected as a historic cultural monument. The latter would make it easier for the development to move forward, allow Taix to stay in business and provide 170 units of housing, 24 of which would be set aside for very low-income residents. It should be an easy choice. There’s no point in preserving the cutesy faux French shell of Taix if the restaurant goes out of business. And there’s no good reason to forgo much-needed housing, especially affordable housing, just so people can drive by the old Taix building and savor their memories. Nostalgia is not a sufficient reason to reject development. This is going to become a familiar fight. Los Angeles is a difficult and expensive city in which to do business. The economic upheaval triggered by the pandemic has only made it harder for independently owned outlets to stay afloat. The city can and should develop programs to help “legacy” businesses like Taix — for example, by offering subsidies targeted at small, culturally significant companies unable to keep up with rising costs. There are also adaptive reuse programs that could help keep L.A.’s quirky architecture while transitioning to more efficient use of the buildings. There are ways for the city to serve the interests of both preservation and progress. Los Angeles cannot prioritize the preservation of buildings over people, their livelihoods and their most basic of needs. For decades, Los Angeles has failed to build enough housing, and now we have a crushing affordability and homelessness crisis. This is a city that has to evolve.

The Times podcast: Naomi Osaka drops out of French Open, stands up for mental health

https://www.latimes.com/podcasts/story/2021-06-02/the-times-podcast-naomi-osaka-mental-health

Listen to this episode of The Times: Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Google At just 23 years old, Naomi Osaka is already one of the best tennis players in the world. She was scheduled to play the French Open this month, which is one of the sport’s biggest tournaments. But Osaka caused a stir when she announced before matches even began that she wouldn’t be at any news conferences. She cited the “huge waves of anxiety” she feels talking at them. French Open officials weren’t sympathetic and fined her $15,000. Then on Monday, Osaka stunned everyone. She announced she was withdrawing from the competition altogether. On today’s show, we speak with L.A. Times sports columnist Helene Elliott about the importance of Osaka’s move. It’s highlighted an issue long bubbling in the sports world: In a place where stress is part of the game, what’s the best way to handle an athlete’s mental health? Host: Gustavo Arellano Guest: L.A. Times sports columnist Helene Elliott Further reading: Why Naomi Osaka’s news conference boycott is a major tennis talking point Naomi Osaka withdraws from the French Open Naomi Osaka needs empathy and help, not condemnation, for showing strength Listen to more episodes of The Times here

California bill calls for $7 billion in COVID-19 bonuses for healthcare workers

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-02/california-healthcare-workers-bonuses-covid-pandemic-legislation

California lawmakers are considering legislation that would require hospitals, clinics and skilled nursing facilities to pay medical professionals $10,000 in “hero pay” for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic. But some employers and business groups have bristled at the $7-billion price tag, calling the bill “dangerous and costly.” Assembly Bill 650 by Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi (D-Rolling Hills Estates) would award bonuses in four equal payments of $2,500 during 2022, with smaller bonuses for those who work part time. The pay would be spread out in hopes that the cash would entice healthcare workers to remain in their jobs, said the bill’s main proponent, the Service Employees International Union California, a labor union whose membership includes healthcare workers. “We had the privilege of working from the safety of our homes. Our front-line healthcare workers day in and day out had to go on the front lines of this pandemic and go into combat against this horrific virus,” Muratsuchi said. “They went to work putting themselves at risk on a daily basis to take care of our families, our loved ones, those among us who suffered and died from this terrible virus.” The bill faces a vote in the Assembly this week. If it passes, it will then head to the Senate for consideration. Under the legislation, hazard pay bonuses would be paid next year on Jan. 1, April 1, July 1 and Oct. 1 to each healthcare worker who qualifies. If an employer already gave workers bonuses during the pandemic, that could be subtracted from their employees’ cash awards. The bill exempts small healthcare providers with fewer than 100 employees. Alex Hawthorne, a lobbyist for the California Hospital Assn., said the massive price tag to offer the bonuses comes as hospitals are digging out of the financial hole left by the pandemic. Hawthorne said hospitals in the state received $8.6 billion in federal relief, but suffered $14 billion in losses during the pandemic. Half of the hospitals in California are operating at a loss, he said. Hospitals estimate that the bonuses in the bill would cost them $4 billion statewide, according to an Assembly analysis of the bill. “We have had to make monumental operational changes that have crippled our hospitals’ finances,” Hawthorne said. Amendments made Tuesday to the bill allow a healthcare employer to seek an exemption by declaring under punishment of perjury that they can’t afford to pay the bonuses to employees. The California Chamber of Commerce included the bill on its annual “job killer” list that highlights laws that corporate interests say will hurt employment and the economy. The California Medical Assn., which lobbies for doctors in the state, also opposes the bill. Valerie Lakey, a spokeswoman for Mayers Memorial Hospital District in Shasta County, said the bill would require healthcare providers to award bonuses even if the employer offered additional benefits during the pandemic, such as childcare assistance. “Additional expenditures for us would only mean reduced services,” Lakey said. “The additional cost of AB 650 would place a heavy financial strain on our facilities and many other small facilities like ours.” But supporters argue that the cost of not providing the pay could be steep. They say burnout from the pandemic has resulted in much-needed healthcare workers leaving their jobs. Roughly 30% of healthcare workers have considered leaving their profession and more than half say they are burned out, according to a Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation poll released in April. “This pandemic has been hell on us,” Gisella Thomas, a respiratory therapist at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, said at an Assembly hearing in April. “We are starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel, but the collective physical, emotional and psychological impact will forever-ever-ever stay with me and with us. Healthcare workers deserve recognition for what they are going through and went through.” The bill at first applied only to private sector healthcare workers before it was expanded to include public hospitals and University of California medical workers amid bipartisan criticism that it left some healthcare workers out. The state’s share of the cost for healthcare-worker bonuses is significant. The California Assn. of Health Facilities, the trade group representing skilled nursing facilities, estimated a cost of $924 million to Medi-Cal, the state’s healthcare program for low-income residents, to reimburse skilled nursing facilities for the bonuses. It’s possible half of that would be covered by matching federal funds, proponents of the legislation point out. Additional costs to Medi-Cal are unclear, according to a bill analysis. Kerry Jacob, a spokeswoman for Muratsuchi, said the $7-billion price tag is a fraction of the federal dollars that have been sent to healthcare systems during the pandemic. “Given the significant federal support and billions of dollars in investment income made by many of these systems, we believe that it is critical that this one-time windfall is shared with front-line caregivers to recognize and help retain the healthcare workers who have been called heroes,” Jacob said.

How Disney Hall will reopen this month with a LACO concert (Hint: Vaccination required)

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2021-06-02/disney-hall-reopening-laco-covid

The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra will be the first ensemble to take the stage at Walt Disney Concert Hall since the venue closed its doors more than a year ago, playing a free June 26 concert for invited guests as well as 200 winners of a public tickets giveaway — eligible to those who are fully vaccinated. “It’s been an exercise in organizational agility and fluidity,” LACO Executive Director Ben Cadwallader said in an interview. “It’s a tall order for a concert of this magnitude to be so nimble.” The orchestra, which is renting Disney Hall while the Los Angeles Philharmonic pushes ahead with a summer slate of concerts at the Hollywood Bowl, will employ a two-stage verification process to determine who’s been vaccinated. The first step relies on the honor system: Guests will check a box to indicate they have been vaccinated when reserving their tickets online. Upon arrival, all guests will have to show a CDC vaccination card along with personal ID. The company G8 Check will verify vaccinations at the concert hall. Capacity limits at performance venues are expected to be lifted by June 15, but attendance at the LACO concert will be capped at about 50%. At least one open seat must be maintained between parties. Masks will be required indoors. No food or drink will be available on-site, and there will be no intermission so as not to encourage gathering in common areas. The full orchestra — 40 musicians — will perform, but they will be seated six feet apart. All but the wind players will be masked. Wind players will no longer have to sit behind the Plexiglas barriers that were used during pandemic recording sessions. “One of the concerns we have is we don’t know how audiences will react to in-person performances,” Cadwallader said. “Outdoors is one thing, but sitting in an enclosed space, even an expansive one like Disney Hall, are people going to feel comfortable? One of the great things about this concert for us is it enables us to test the waters.” Twelve LACO musicians will perform a second free concert July 1 for invited, vaccinated guests including donors and subscribers as well as community partners such as the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles and the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles. The concert will reopen the stage at the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens’ Rothenberg Hall, which has also been closed for more than a year. Both concerts will be led by LACO Music Director Jaime Martín, whose contract has been extended for five years, through the 2026-27 season. Martín, a prominent flutist, stepped into his role at LACO in September 2019. He was recently named principal guest conductor of the Spanish National Orchestra starting in the 2022-23 season. “His joyous music making, remarkable artistry, inclusive and bold programming and collegial leadership inspire both LACO audiences and musicians,” Board Chair Leslie Lassiter said in that announcement. “We are delighted the orchestra’s musical trajectory will continue under his baton.” At Disney Hall, the orchestra will perform Alberto Ginastera’s “Variaciones concertantes” as well as Juan Pablo Contreras’ “Mariachitlán” and Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4 in A major, “Italian.” The Huntington concert will include the original 1915 version of Manuel de Falla’s sung ballet “El amor brujo,” featuring L.A. mezzo soprano Suzanna Guzmán. The orchestra will also perform Claude Debussy’s “Prélude à ‘L’après-midi d’un faune’” and the world premiere of KiMani Bridges’ “The Flower.” The orchestra will stream both concerts on its YouTube channel as part of its SummerFest digital chamber music series, now in its second season. “This is a historic moment for LACO and for everyone who loves live music,” Cadwallader said of the upcoming concerts. “We’ve been fantasizing about this moment and now it’s here. But it’s also a moment of profound responsibility and reflection and hope.”

Plaschke: Lakers in trouble when LeBron James can't carry the load

https://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/story/2021-06-02/lakers-game-5-loss-phoenix-suns-lebron-james

He stumbled. He fumbled. He threw a pass into the seats. He clanked shots off the iron. He failed to attack. He could not inspire. This is the night that a rejuvenated LeBron James was supposed to ignite greatness. It was, instead, a night where an aging LeBron James elicited only pity. This was going to be the game where James proved he could still single-handedly carry a team to a critical playoff victory. This was, instead, the game that showed he may never be capable of such singular heroics again. This was going to be a delicious blast from the past. Lakers The Lakers, with Anthony Davis sidelined, score 10 points in the second quarter and fall behind by more than 30 in a Game 5 loss to the Phoenix Suns. June 1, 2021 This was, instead, a scary look at the future. With injured Anthony Davis on the bench in a critical Game 5 of an NBA first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, when he was charged with leading the Lakers by going solo. The Lakers responded by going so low. His teammates didn’t connect, his body couldn’t react, his game couldn’t elevate, and his team got waxed. It was Phoenix 115, Lakers 85, on a night when the ending of the Lakers’ championship defense seemed near and clear. With the Suns leading three games to two in the best-of-seven series, if Davis does not return from a strained groin to join James in Game 6 at Staples Center on Thursday, the Lakers season is cooked. They are done because James, despite flashes of greatness while playing with Davis earlier in this postseason, can no longer do it himself. In the first two minutes of his postgame videoconference Tuesday, when asked about the embarrassment, James said, “I don’t know,” twice. Highlights of the Lakers’ 115-85 loss to the Suns on June 1, 2021, in Phoenix. Didn’t he always used to know? During that same brief initial period, he mentioned an action involving a certain body part twice, and it didn’t sound pretty. “We got our ass kicked, it’s just that simple,” he said, later adding, “I mean, they pretty much kicked our ass, there’s nothing else really to say.” Before Tuesday’s game, Lakers coach Frank Vogel said plenty when asked what he expected of James. “He’s going to play great. … I think we can expect that. … That’s what he’s been throughout his career,” Vogel said. “You know he’s going to rise to the challenge.” Vogel was wrong. Everyone was wrong. At age 36, in his 15th postseason, having participated in more playoff games than anyone in NBA history, James finally showed his wrinkles. Playing on a tender ankle, playing without any inside muscle or outside help, James finally showed his frailty. Yes, this is the same guy who recently won the play-in game against Golden State with a three-pointer, the same guy who controlled the crucial minutes in the Game 3 victory over Phoenix. But those heroics occurred when he shared the court with Davis. While he proclaimed this week that he could handle the burden himself by saying, “These shoulders were built for a reason,” when it came time to prove it Tuesday, those shoulders sagged. He walked off the court and headed to the locker room with 5:40 remaining in the fourth quarter to begin treatment for Game 6, but he was gone long before that. He scored 24 points, but it was such a soft 24 points, the Lakers were a minus-24 when he was on the court, making him statistically the worst player in the game. Instead of charging the rim as he’s done on so many June nights, he hung out on the perimeter as if it were November. He actually took one more three-point attempt than two-point attempts. He fought his way to exactly zero free throws. Instead of jabbing, he lightly sparred, grabbing only five rebounds, with no steals, no blocked shots, and no push. During a second quarter in which the Lakers scored only 10 points, sealing their fate before halftime, there was one sequence during which James threw away a pass, was blocked by Torrey Craig on a layup, then badly missed another layup and awkwardly fell backward into a photographer while trying to save the rebound. All things Lakers, all the time. Get all the Lakers news you need in Dan Woike's weekly newsletter. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. He did have seven assists, but his teammates mostly failed to convert their shots, failed to capitalize on their opportunities, failed to do anything but walk around lifeless and listless. If they still believed in the power of LeBron, they didn’t show it. If they truly believed they could win without both Davis and James, they didn’t act like it. Dennis Schroder, acquired exactly for nights like this, was scoreless with nine missed shots, a huge flop on a giant stage. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, battling a sore left knee after missing Game 4, took only one shot and missed it. Andre Drummond made two baskets. Markieff Morris, starting in place of Davis, made one. The reserves jacked up 20 three-point attempts and made five. “We’re getting some really good looks. … We’re literally just not making shots,” James said. “It’s my job to get guys open looks and finding guys and putting guys in rhythm and also staying in rhythm myself, but we’re just not making many shots.” What they are making is the worst kind of LeBron James playoff history. This is the first time his teams have lost consecutive games in a first-round series, the first time his teams have trailed after a first-round Game 5, and he’s on the verge of being knocked out in the first round for the first time in his career. At this rate, his five-game scoring average of 22.2 points will be the lowest postseason mark of his career. But then again, James is 4-1 in the playoffs after losses of at least 30 points and is the league’s leading scorer in playoff elimination games. “It’s literally win or go home at that point,” he said. “You shoot all the bullets you’ve got and throw the gun, too.” Yet that might not be enough. “We’ll find out what we’re made of and we’ll find out how bad we want this,” said Vogel. Historically, the Game 5 winner of a 2-all series has advanced 82.5% of the time. After Tuesday‘s performance without Anthony Davis, there seems to be a 100% chance the Lakers don’t survive. “I look forward to the environment. … I look forward to the moment, look forward to the challenge, and see what brings out the best in me and my teammates,” said James. It’s long been foolish to doubt him. But after an ominous night in the desert, that doubt has never felt so real.

Germany, Greece kick off EU's new COVID-19 vaccination travel certificates

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-06-02/germany-greece-eu-covid-vaccination-travel-certificates

Germany, Greece and five other nations of the European Union introduced a COVID-19 vaccination certificate system for travelers Tuesday, weeks ahead of the July 1 rollout of the program across the 27-nation bloc. The other countries starting early were Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Croatia and Poland, according to the European Commission. Greece, which depends heavily on tourism, has been pressing for a common vaccination certificate that uses a QR code with advanced security features. The certificates are being issued to people who are fully vaccinated with EU-authorized COVID-19 shots as well as those who have already contracted the coronavirus and developed antibodies, and others who have had a negative PCR test within 72 hours before their arrival. The documents will have both digital and paper forms. They’ll be free of charge, distributed in the national language plus English and valid in all the bloc’s countries. “EU citizens are looking forward to traveling again, and they want to do so safely. Having an EU certificate is a crucial step on the way,” EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said. Greece’s digital governance minister, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, said easier travel would open up within the EU as nations adopt the new verification standard. Science & Medicine We explain what vaccine passports are, how they work, where they’ve been implemented, and why some people object to them. April 13, 2021 “What will happen is that countries will stop issuing certificates using their own convention and adopt the common convention. That will simplify things considerably, because you can imagine the number of bilateral agreements that would otherwise need to be worked out,” Pierrakakis told Skai television. Kyriakides said that, in the next few weeks, all EU nations need to “fully finalize their national systems to issue, store and verify certificates, so the system is functioning in time for the holiday season.” Countries will be allowed to add other COVID-19 vaccines to their individual list of acceptable vaccines, including those that have not been formally authorized for use EU-wide. The EU Commission believes that people who are vaccinated should no longer have to be tested or put into quarantine, regardless of where they are traveling to or from, starting 14 days after receiving their second shot. Member countries, however, have not yet endorsed that recommendation.

Lakers facing elimination with many questions, few answers

https://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/story/2021-06-02/lakers-suns-game-5-lebron-james-anthony-davis-elimination

LeBron James was bent over, his chest heaving, injured teammate Anthony Davis by his side, the two of them talking on the court at the end of another dismal quarter that had left the Lakers down by 29 points entering the fourth quarter. James held a towel with both hands on his hips. Davis was next to him wearing a mask, his night never getting started because his groin injury kept him out of Game 5 on Tuesday against the Phoenix Suns. The two of them made eye contact and started their signature handshake, slapping hands several times before they went their separate ways, with the Lakers’ season on the brink of ending and their aspirations of repeating as NBA champions in jeopardy. James went and sat at the end of the bench while Davis left the court and walked to the locker room before the fourth quarter started. Then, with 5 minutes 30 seconds left in what became a 115-85 beat-down by the Suns, James got out of his seat and walked to the Lakers’ locker room to join Davis. They had plenty to talk about with the Lakers now trailing the best-of-seven series 3-2 and needing a victory in Game 6 on Thursday night at Staples Center to extend their season and force a deciding game on Saturday afternoon here. Highlights of the Lakers’ 115-85 loss to the Suns on June 1, 2021, in Phoenix. “What was going through my mind was, ‘They kicking our ass.’ But at the end of the day, it’s one game. It’s one game and they did what they supposed to do,” James said of the Suns during his postgame videoconference. “They held serve at home, and we go back and we have an opportunity to even the series back out again. “That was really the two things that was going on in my mind. And then the conversations between me and AD stay between me and AD, but definitely back in the back getting treatment for myself, getting ready for Game 6.” Davis has been listed on the injury report as day-to-day, so uncertainty remains over whether he will play in Game 6. If he does, he’ll likely be limited physically. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who missed Game 4 because of a bruised left knee, was unable to play through the recurring pain in Game 5. “My mindset is that he’s not gonna be able to play in Game 6,” James said of Davis. “That’s my mindset. I got into it prepared that’s who’s gonna be in the lineup. KCP tried to give it a go tonight as well. It didn’t work out for him as well. He had to leave the game as well. So, my mindset for me is as if AD won’t be in Game 6, and if something changes, then we go from there. But I’m preparing as if he’s not.” When the Lakers returned to the locker room after the loss, Markieff Morris had some choice words for his teammates. He had started in place of Davis, but Morris had just four points. Lakers The Lakers, with Anthony Davis sidelined, score 10 points in the second quarter and fall behind by more than 30 in a Game 5 loss to the Phoenix Suns. June 1, 2021 He had told his teammates the Suns were “just disrespecting us.” “They’re punching us and we ain’t punching back,” Morris said in his postgame news conference. “That’s how it felt all night.” Dennis Schroder, who was acquired to be the starting point guard to help provide offense, missed all nine of his shots and had only one assist. He said the Lakers should just throw this game away and not look at the tape of Game 5. Morris paused for several seconds when told about Schroder’s comments. He disagreed. “No, I think we got to watch the tape because the tape doesn’t lie. It’s going to show our [lack of a] sense of urgency, our lack of not caring, our lack of fight,” Morris said. “I think we need to show that just to know that, the next game we play like this, this [game] is over. All we worked for, all we’ve been through all year, it’s over. “I think we have to, just to put it in our heads that this is it. There’s no more. If we lose another one, talking about what we could’ve [done], what we should’ve done. This is it.”

Editorial: COVID-19 origins aside, U.S. needs to face its own pandemic failures

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-06-02/covid-19-origins-aside-u-s-needs-to-face-its-own-pandemic-failures

Is the COVID-19 pandemic the result of an accidental release of a dangerous virus created at the Wuhan Institute of Virology? Or did it arise naturally, jumping from an animal to a human, as so many other dangerous infectious organisms do? Until recently the “lab-leak” theory was largely viewed as a political ploy by the Trump administration to deflect attention away from its inept response to the pandemic. Facebook went so far as to ban posts that pushed the idea, which was popular among conspiracy theorists. The scientific community and the Chinese government maintained that SARS-CoV-2 jumped from an animal to a human. It was (and is) a reasonable assumption; that’s how the two previous deadly coronaviruses, which caused SARS and MERS, were presumed born. In March, a joint investigation by the World Health Organization and Beijing concluded that it was “extremely unlikely” the virus escaped from a lab; instead, the investigators said, it could have originated at a wild animal farm. But the lab accident theory is plausible too. Dangerous viruses escape from labs with alarming regularity. And new information has lent new credence to the idea that it’s at least as possible that the virus was manufactured by humans as by nature. The WHO report was criticized, even from within its own ranks, for relying on information from Chinese authorities who, for obvious reasons, had an incentive to withhold evidence that might lay the blame for the pandemic at their feet. Then new information emerged about workers at the lab getting seriously ill from some COVID-like infection in fall of 2019, and a growing number of scientists called publicly for deeper examination of the origin of COVID-19. Last week, President Biden asked the intelligence community for a more thorough investigation into the two scenarios. He’s right to do so. There’s value in trying to pinpoint, to the degree it is possible, the provenance of this deadly virus in order to stop another one from emerging in the same manner. However, it’s unclear if U.S. agents will have better access to any illuminating information than the WHO team. Democrats and the media are now being ridiculed for dismissing the lab leak theory out of hand when President Trump uttered it. The rush to judgment was wrong, but consider the source. Trump lied so often, many of his statements about COVID-19 had no credibility. (Remember bleach injections?) And Trump made it clear from the start of the pandemic that he was going to blame China whether there was evidence to support it or not. We may never be certain of the true origins of COVID-19, but we can be sure that this isn’t the last time humanity will be faced with a deadly virus. To that end, the U.S. needs to spend at least as much energy investigating how it handled — and mishandled in some cases — the pandemic once it arrived. We may not be able to stop nations or nature from letting loose deadly diseases, but we can and should do a better job responding to them.

Are rewards for getting COVID-19 vaccinations really such a great idea?

https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-06-02/are-rewards-for-getting-covid-19-vaccinations-really-such-a-great-idea

At first, getting vaccinated against COVID-19 seemed like enough of a reward. You got the satisfaction of protecting your health and that of the people around you, and the knowledge that soon you would be able to socialize with other vaccinated people without wearing masks. But as demand for the vaccines waned, the prizes began: Fishing licenses in Maine. Crawfish in New Orleans. Baseball tickets in New York. “A shot and a beer” in New Jersey — plus (perhaps less enticing) a chance to have dinner with the governor. Then, in Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine launched a lottery, “Vax-a-Million,” with an eye-catching $1-million prize every week. It worked; DeWine reported that vaccinations jumped 49% in the first two weeks. Politics The Interior Department decision will reportedly halt 11 leases spanning about 553,000 acres of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. June 1, 2021 Other states followed suit. California went big: 10 grand prizes of $1.5 million each, plus 2 million supermarket cards at $50 apiece. It might seem mystifying that so many Americans need to be wheedled, cajoled and bribed into getting a vaccine that’s so clearly in their interest. It turns out that what really motivates people is the chance to strike it rich. What could be more American than that? We’re a proud, unruly, independent people. We don’t like the government to tell us what to do — a sentiment that holds for Republicans, Democrats and independents alike. But we don’t mind snagging a bit of swag; in fact, we’ve been known to fight over it. So, since carrots are more palatable than sticks, why not use them? I asked one of the nation’s top medical ethicists, Arthur Caplan of New York University, if there’s anything unseemly about entering people in a lottery to persuade them to help end the pandemic. “Nah,” he said cheerfully. “There’s nothing wrong with rewarding people for following healthy practices. And once you start thinking about fishing licenses and free beer, it’s not a big jump to paying people outright.” Lotteries appear especially effective, behavioral economists say, because those big dollar figures are eye-catching — and because most of us are bad at evaluating odds, especially long ones. “Lotteries are highly motivating if you’re trying to convince someone to change a behavior,” Katy Milkman of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School told NPR. “People overweight the very low probabilities of winning.” In one sense, the fact that states are resorting to prizes is a sign that the vaccination rollout has succeeded: Almost everyone who wanted a shot has been able to get one. A poll released last week by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 62% of Americans 18 or older have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and only 4% say they want a shot but haven’t managed to get it yet. The remaining third of the adult population is the challenge now, but the same poll shows they’re not a monolithic group. A large segment, about 12%, are people who want to “wait and see” — the vaccine-hesitant. Many say they worry that the vaccine might still turn out to be unsafe. Low-income people, including many Black and Latino workers, often cite practical concerns: They say they can’t afford to take time off from work if they have side effects from the vaccine. And many young hesitators say they simply don’t feel much risk. “To be fair, younger people haven’t been eligible that long,” Liz Hamel, who runs the Kaiser poll, told me. “It’s going to take a bit longer for them to show up.” Different incentives appeal to some more than others. People who worry about safety told the pollsters it would help if the Food and Drug Administration gave full approval for the vaccines instead of the current emergency-use authorization. For low-income workers, it would help if employers offered one or two paid sick days. And for those kids in Generation Z, “incentives like free concerts are more interesting,” Hamel said. The biggest challenge, she added, is not the vaccine-hesitant but the vaccine refusers — including a “hard refusal” faction comprising about 13% of the adult population. “We haven’t seen any decline in that group at all,” she said. They’re mostly Republican, mostly rural and mostly white. Many of them are also politically active. Conservative Republicans in the Ohio Legislature introduced a bill last month to outlaw DeWine’s lottery, even though he’s also a Republican (and even though he stipulates, for those with religious objections, that it isn’t technically a lottery, since you don’t have to pay to enter). The only thing more American than wanting to strike it rich, it seems, is political polarization — no matter what the issue. But the resisters and their political champions are making the rest of us more vulnerable to future coronavirus outbreaks, especially from new variants. Epidemiologists aren’t sure when “herd immunity” — the point at which the virus will die off because it can’t find enough hosts — might kick in. Estimates range from 70%, a number we’re approaching, to 90%, a number that looks unreachable. So it’s worth trying anything that might work, from doughnuts to lotteries, to get the problem under control. The good news in that Kaiser poll is that it suggests that an 85% vaccination rate is reachable — and it gives us some clues as to how to nudge more people to get vaccinated. For some, it will be the chance to win a lottery; for others, a promise that they’ll be able to get into concerts. But for others, it would be a big step forward for employers to offer paid vaccination days. And for everyone, it would be a relief for the FDA to issue those long-awaited approvals. In short, a little bit of everything.

Deputy body-camera footage shows initial response to San Jose mass shooting

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-02/body-camera-footage-shows-officials-response-to-san-jose-mass-shooting

Body-camera video from a Santa Clara County sheriff’s deputy shows the first law enforcement team that entered a San Jose light rail yard to locate the gunman who took the lives of nine people last Wednesday. The footage, released Tuesday evening by the sheriff’s office, follows a team that consisted of a sheriff’s sergeant, a deputy and three San Jose police officers, Lt. Aaron Simonson said during a media briefing. Deputies were dispatched to the Valley Transportation Authority’s rail yard at 6:35 a.m., a minute after the first 911 call came in. The yard is located in a cluster of public buildings, including the San Jose Police Department and the Santa Clara Sheriff’s Department. At 6:38 a.m., deputies heard shots fired, and officials formed a team to find the gunman. A VTA worker told deputies the shooter was armed with a handgun and was last seen in a building, Simonson said. The video shows members of the team, with guns outstretched, moving up the building’s exterior stairwell leading to the third floor. The sheriff’s officials went first since they were armed with patrol rifles, Simonson said. As the team reaches the top of the stairs, a police officer says he had heard through dispatch that shots were being fired. Shots cannot be heard on the video footage. Seconds later, a VTA supervisor exits a door leading to the stairwell. After slowly moving backward with his hands in the air, he provides officials with his key card to allow them to access the building. At 6:43 a.m., the team enters the third floor and walks through a dispatch center, searching for victims, people who are hiding or suspects. As they move through rooms, three gunshots can be heard. Through a door with a window, officials spot a man — later identified as the assailant — sitting in a chair with his head down, holding a gun. He doesn’t appear to be moving. After approaching the man, the team continues looking for victims. Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith said that after the 1999 Columbine High School shooting in Colorado, the agency changed its tactics so that law enforcement does not wait for a SWAT team to arrive and will “immediately go in.” “This protocol, I believe, saved lives,” Smith said. “There were over 100 people in that area. He had a lot of additional ammunition.” Smith believes that the gunman, 57-year-old Samuel Cassidy — who has been described as a disgruntled VTA worker who hated his job — heard the officials walking through the building or saw their flashlights. On Tuesday, the Santa Clara County’s Office of the Medical-Examiner Coroner confirmed that Cassidy died by suicide from multiple gunshots to the head. The nature of the attack was deliberate and targeted, the investigation revealed. Witnesses have said Cassidy appeared to pass over some people while selecting others to shoot. Authorities have said a search of his house — which was burned in a fire that coincided with Wednesday’s shooting — uncovered multiple cans of gasoline, Molotov cocktails, 12 firearms and about 25,000 rounds of various types of ammunition. Bomb-sniffing dogs at the rail yard found bomb-making materials in what is presumed to be Cassidy’s locker, including detonator cords and the “precursors to an explosive,” according to Smith. A Department of Homeland Security memo indicated that Cassidy had been detained by U.S. Customs Service in 2016 while returning from the Philippines and had been found to profess “a hatred of his workplace,” as first reported in the Wall Street Journal. Smith said the investigation into a motive behind the shooting is ongoing. “It’s something we don’t know,” she said. “We’ve talked to hundreds of witnesses and are putting it together now.” Times reporters Hayley Smith and Richard Winton contributed to this report.

Pelosi rules out having Biden create Capitol riot investigative commission

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-06-02/pelosi-rules-out-biden-create-capitol-riot-commission

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is ruling out a presidential commission to study the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, telling House Democrats that having President Biden appoint a panel would be unworkable after the Senate blocked an independent probe last week. Pelosi (D-San Francisco) on Tuesday laid out possible next steps after last week’s Senate vote, in which Republicans blocked legislation to create an independent, bipartisan panel to investigate the siege by former President Trump’s supporters. She proposed four options for an investigation, according to a person on the private Democratic caucus call who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal conversations. The first option, Pelosi said, is to give the Senate another chance to vote on the commission. Six Republicans voted with Democrats to move forward with the bill, and a seventh missed the vote but said he would have backed it. That means Democrats would need support from only three additional GOP senators to reach the 60 votes needed for passage. The commission would be modeled after a highly respected panel that investigated the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The other options involve the House investigating the attack, meaning that the probes would be inherently partisan. Pelosi suggested that she could appoint a new select committee to investigate the siege or give the responsibility to an existing committee, such as the House Homeland Security panel, which wrote the original bipartisan bill to create the commission. Alternately, Pelosi said committees could simply push ahead with their own investigations that are already underway. Pelosi said a commission appointed by Biden — an idea pitched by some in her caucus after Friday’s Senate vote — was “not a workable idea in this circumstance” because Congress would still need to approve money and subpoena authority for the panel. Pelosi’s comments come as members of both parties have pushed for a deep dive into the insurrection, which was designed to interrupt the presidential electoral count and was the worst attack on Congress in two centuries. Four rioters died in the attack, including a woman who was shot by police as she tried to break into the House chamber while lawmakers were still inside. The rioters brutally beat police and broke in through windows and doors as they hunted for lawmakers and called for Trump’s defeat to be overturned. Politics Senate Republicans use the filibuster to block a Jan. 6 commission on the pro-Trump Capitol riot. Here are the questions that may go unanswered as a consequence. May 27, 2021 The White House has not yet said whether Biden would try to appoint a commission without Congress. On Friday, White House Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that “the president has been clear that the shameful events of Jan. 6 need to be independently and fully investigated” and that he remains committed to that. “We will continue to work with Congress to find a path forward to ensure that happens,” she said. After the Senate vote, some Democrats urged Biden to move on his own. “In light of the GOP’s cowardly filibuster of a bipartisan January 6th commission, I urge President Biden to form and appoint a Presidential Commission to fully investigate the insurrection at the United States Capitol, to identify the individuals and organizations who plotted or were involved in those violent acts, and to make recommendations to prevent such an attack from ever recurring,” Virginia Rep. Gerald E. Connolly said in a statement over the weekend. Politics A serious investigation of the Capitol riot is the right thing to do. But it could turn into a nationally televised embarrassment for the GOP. May 23, 2021 It’s uncertain whether the Senate would hold another vote on the commission and whether any additional Republicans would support it. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) left open the possibility of a second attempt, saying after the vote that “the events of Jan. 6 will be investigated.” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) opposes the commission, saying he believes the panel would be partisan even though it would be divided evenly between the two parties. McConnell’s criticism came after Trump opposed it and called the legislation a “Democrat trap.” Still, six members of McConnell’s caucus defied him, arguing that an independent look was needed, and Pennsylvania’s Patrick J. Toomey would have brought the total to seven but for a family commitment, his office said. The Republicans who voted to move forward on the bill were Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Rob Portman of Ohio and Mitt Romney of Utah. The House passed the bill in May, with 35 Republicans voting with Democrats to pass it.

Biden may be the most pro-union president since Truman. But can he stop labor’s decline?

https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-06-02/biden-pro-union-can-he-reverse-labors-long-decline

As Joe Biden launched his presidential run, he made an early stop at the Washington headquarters of the AFL-CIO to meet with its president, Richard Trumka. The former vice president talked about economic inequality and sluggish wages, analyzing them as a product of the outsize power corporations have over workers, Trumka said. In other words, he said, Biden talked like a union guy. Two years later, that memory spotlights the contrast Trumka and many other union leaders see between Biden and former President Obama, whose administration often left them frustrated. “Obama and [Bill] Clinton both surrounded themselves with a lot of Wall Street people who had no clue,” Trumka said in an interview. “We were an annoyance to be dealt with.” Biden has put unions at the center of policy — viewing them as vehicles not only to rebuild middle-class jobs but also to address climate change and racial and gender inequity. “Our administration will probably prove to be one of the most pro-union administrations that we’ve had, and I say that with pride,” Vice President Kamala Harris said in an interview. One of Harris’ assignments is to lead a high-level administration task force on worker empowerment. “It’s really basic,” she said. “Almost mathematically, if you are requiring the one employee to bargain against a corporation, the outcome will not be fair, because there’s such an imbalance of power.” The vice president’s statement and the task force — which will examine how every aspect of the federal government can support union organizing — go far beyond what the last three Democratic administrations said or did. Biden’s administration may be the most overtly pro-union since Harry Truman left the Oval Office nearly 70 years ago, labor leaders and outside analysts say. It’s a measure of just how formidable the hurdles are for unions in the U.S. that even with such support from the White House, many of organized labor’s top priorities face long odds: An effort this year to organize warehouse workers at an Amazon facility in Alabama failed badly, despite a video Biden recorded supporting efforts to beat back what he called “anti-union propaganda.” The AFL-CIO’s top legislative goal — a long-stalled rewrite of federal labor law to make organizing easier — remains stuck in the 50-50 Senate. And an increase in the $7.25 federal minimum wage to $15 — the first hike since 2009 — suffered an early defeat in the Senate during the debate over Biden’s $1.9-trillion COVID-19 relief bill. Although polls show unions with a more positive image now than at any point in nearly two decades, the share of the workforce that belongs to a union has continued to plummet. Unionized workers make up only about 1 in 10 employees and only 1 in 20 private-sector employees. Politics Biden’s ambitious child tax credit, putting cash in families’ bank accounts soon, could cut child poverty in half. But a lot has to go right on a tight deadline. May 18, 2021 Reversing that trend forms a key part of the Biden administration’s answer to a question that has vexed policymakers: Why have wages for average Americans stagnated for most of the last 30 years, while corporate profits and wealth at the top have swelled? Republicans often blame government, saying regulations and taxes get in the way of economic growth. Former President Trump blamed foreigners and trade deals. Clinton and Obama tended to put the onus on impersonal forces such as technological change. Clinton, in particular, argued that the U.S. had to invest more in education to upgrade workers’ skills. During the Clinton administration, even Biden — then a senator — supported the North American Free Trade Agreement in a 1993 vote, which most unions strongly opposed. Neither the Clinton nor Obama administrations saw unions as a major part of solving the problem. “You often got the sense that they almost seemed embarrassed to express any outward support of unions,” said Jake Rosenfeld, a sociology professor at Washington University in St. Louis who chronicled the diminishing clout of organized labor in his book “What Unions No Longer Do.” Biden, by contrast, sees “organized labor, the revitalization of organized labor, as a key to solving a lot of their domestic policy goals,” he said. The president talks about the “dignity” and “respect” that come with a union job. “It’s not labor; it’s union,” Biden said last month during an event at a Ford factory in Michigan. “Because what you allow people to do is hold their heads up, make a decent living, and have pride in what they do — pride in what you build, pride in what you give this nation.” Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, who spent a career as a labor leader in Boston before becoming the city’s mayor, said wages were paramount, but in an interview he also reeled off a list of benefits, including family leave and widely available pensions, that workers in countries with stronger labor movements had achieved. “Many other workers around the world and European countries have a lot of these things that we don’t have in America,” he said. Biden and his advisors not only reject the Republican diagnoses on stagnant wages but also see previous Democratic answers as insufficient. In their eyes, pay issues have everything to do with a decades-long campaign by corporations to reduce workers’ bargaining leverage. “Without greater bargaining power, the benefits of overall economic growth simply aren’t going to reach the middle and working class,” said Jared Bernstein, Biden’s longtime economic counselor who is now a member of the White House Council of Economic Advisors. Asked why the political environment had changed, Seth Harris, the deputy director of the White House’s National Economic Council and the top White House coordinator on labor issues, cited “at least three decades of very clear experience with rising income inequality, rising wage inequality, rising wealth inequality and increasing corporate power in our society.” “That has caused a lot of people who weren’t really sure how they felt about unions to understand that the only way to address those issues, systematically and for the long term, is through worker organizing and power,” said Harris, who served as a top Labor Department official in the Obama administration. Politics The second day of the climate summit centered on what countries can do to shift away from fossil fuels and create clean energy jobs. April 23, 2021 The rapidly expanding renewable-energy industry has emerged as a key test for Biden’s pro-union ambitions. As the U.S. economy transitions from fossil fuels to renewable energy, the stakes for the labor movement could hardly be higher: Will the new energy industry develop as a unionized, high-wage sector, the way automobile manufacturing was in an earlier era, or as a low-wage, mostly non-union industry, the way online retail has developed in recent years? As part of his infrastructure plan, Biden has proposed funneling hundreds of billions of dollars into jump-starting green energy. The administration has put far-reaching pro-labor provisions into its proposed legislation to try to shape its development. “Whether it’s energy areas, green jobs, whether it’s electric grids, whether it’s power lines ... we want to use that bill to make sure that people come out of it and can have an opportunity to get into the middle class,” Walsh said. Last week, about 200 House Democrats wrote a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) saying they would insist that any infrastructure bill guarantee strong labor protections. Republicans and business groups oppose those labor provisions, as well as changes the administration is making unilaterally to favor union shops in winning large government contracts. “It doesn’t help American workers to punish their employer if the employees have decided that they don’t want to form a union,” said Neil Bradley, executive vice president and chief policy officer at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Though Republicans have not made a major issue so far of Biden’s support for unions, they have consistently attacked him for being more liberal than he appeared in his campaign. The administration’s pro-union stand could emerge more prominently in those attacks in coming months, some strategists think. An early taste of what that might look like came this spring when Republican spokespeople sought to tie Biden to the slow pace of school reopenings, especially in major cities. The administration put teachers unions ahead of the needs of students, they said. Beyond the politics, some outside economists warn that Biden’s insistence on tough labor standards will push up the cost of renewable energy, slowing the effort to replace fossil fuels. “If you make installing solar panels the most expensive thing in the American economy, it’s going to be harder to hit your green-energy goals,” said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, the former director of the Congressional Budget Office and an economics advisor for Sen. John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign. Union officials are nervously waiting to see if Biden will jettison some of their goals to reach a deal, but Biden advisors reject the argument that green energy and labor rights are in tension. “It’s a false choice,” said Seth Harris, the labor issues coordinator. “We don’t have to choose green versus jobs.” Getting unions and environmental groups “moving in the same direction,” however, sometimes requires “very blunt conversations,” he added. Administration officials echo labor leaders in saying that the transition to green energy will be politically sustainable only if workers see jobs in the new economy delivering wages and benefits comparable with those in older, unionized sectors. Vice President Harris said labor activists made the case to her years ago that solar panels and wind turbines needed welders and pipe fitters, just like older industrial jobs, once the “fancy new names” are stripped away. In addition to the battles over the future of green energy, the White House is supporting bills to help workers organize and has made aggressively pro-labor personnel moves. Biden also moved early to reverse a pending Trump administration rule that would have made it easier for companies in the gig economy and the construction industry to classify their workers as independent contractors. All those steps reflect Biden’s belief in the central role that unions play in ensuring a prosperous middle class, said Bernstein, the economic counselor. It’s a position more of the party has come to accept. “I have been talking to Democrats about unions for a long time,” he said. “Some of them are always in the Biden camp, and some of them aren’t. I have found those conversations to be more welcoming in recent years.”

Letters to the Editor: Fleeing San Francisco for Miami, in the era of global warming? Really?

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-06-02/fleeing-california-for-miami

To the editor: Through the eyes of tech entrepreneur Geoffrey Woo, Miami is the place to be — full of parties, no worries about COVID-19 lockdowns and free of the woes of poverty that he saw in San Francisco. (“How I became Florida Man: Why one Bay Area startup founder joined the Miami migration,” May 24) Really? Miami has a shrinking middle class and high poverty, and it is extremely easy for adults in Florida to get a permit to carry a concealed handgun. Many lawmakers there still deny the seriousness of climate change, despite the fact that Miami is threatened by the rise in global sea levels. I certainly understand that everyone has had a difficult time dealing with COVID-19, the necessary lockdowns and the unfortunate rise in poverty in cities such as San Francisco and elsewhere. But I will certainly take California, which at least tries to address societal issues, over a state that has little interest in dealing with the reality of our time. Leslie Simon, Woodland Hills .. To the editor: Did Woo intend to portray himself as a self-centered whiner? Has he thought about how long it will be before Miami is underwater? Does he plan on selling enough of his company’s keto bars to book a seat to Mars with Elon Musk so he can escape it all? Our planet needs courageous, empathic, educated, problem-solving people who aren’t afraid to face reality and help get us through our man-made challenges. John Senteno, Garden Grove

Letters to the Editor: My father was killed in a mass shooting in 1957. This is what's different now

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-06-02/my-father-killed-in-mass-shooting

To the editor: My father and two co-workers were shot to death in 1957 at a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hospital. This was considered a workplace massacre back then, similar to what happened last week. (“A disgruntled worker, a targeted attack and nine victims in San Jose mass shooting,” May 28) There were, however, two important differences: the number of victims and the killing tools used. In both shootings, there was an employee with a grievance and possible mental illness. But in last week’s slaughter, the body count was 10 instead of three. My father’s killer had only a shotgun with a couple cartridges and a revolver holding only six rounds. The San Jose killer’s handguns had large-capacity magazines that could each hold 15 rounds of ammunition. We may not be able to get rid of human grievance and mental illness, but we can get rid of battlefield assault rifles and high-capacity magazines by voting out people like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and like-minded legislators. Jerry Small, Venice .. To the editor: As we send our prayers for those who lost loved ones in another mass shooting, does anyone ask what God is praying for? Do you think God is praying that we don’t pass sane gun laws — that we don’t ban assault rifles or do not require background checks? Or is God wondering how many deaths it will take before we act? Bob Calvert, Oxnard

Editorial: Biden must press Congress to protect the right to vote

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-06-02/editorial-biden-must-press-congress-to-protect-the-right-to-vote

By staging a dramatic walkout Sunday, Democrats in the Texas of House of Representatives prevented passage of a Republican bill that would make it harder for Texans, particularly citizens of color, to vote. But the victory was probably only temporary. At some point Texas is likely to follow the lead of Georgia and Florida, where Republicans have moved to make exercising the franchise more difficult. Like legislation in other states, the Texas bill would rein in voting by mail, but it also targets turnout-enhancing practices that are especially important to voters of color, including 24-hour voting, drive-through voting and early voting on Sunday. One of the Republican sponsors of the bill said that the legislation “isn’t about who won or who lost” but is designed to “make the elections more accessible and more secure.” But it’s impossible to separate this and other “election integrity” bills pushed by Republicans from the ongoing effort to delegitimize President Biden’s victory over Donald Trump. Defenders of restrictive legislation argue that even if there was no significant fraud in 2020, many voters think there was and need to be reassured. But many of those concerns are the direct result of Republican acquiescence in Trump’s Big Lie that the election was stolen from him. Republican insistence on suppressing the vote makes it vital that Congress approve the key provisions of the For the People Act already passed by the House — including requirements that states allow wide use of mail-in ballots and provide a minimum number of days for early voting — as well as the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. The latter legislation would reinvigorate a requirement in the 1965 Voting Rights Act that states with a history of racial discrimination get advance approval from the Justice Department or a federal court for changes in election practices. (Before a 2013 Supreme Court decision gutting this provision, Texas was subject to this requirement.) Biden criticized the Texas legislation and rightly called it part of an “assault on democracy.” He also urged passage of the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. In a speech in Tulsa on Tuesday, he promised to fight for voting rights legislation and announced that Vice President Kamala Harris would help lead that effort. For that effort to succeed, Biden must recognize that protecting voting rights will probably require abolishing or suspending the filibuster, which he has acknowledged has been “abused in a gigantic way.” Then he needs to drive that reality home to Sens. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.). Biden is known to be sentimental about the traditions of a body in which he served for 36 years. But no Senate tradition, however entrenched, should stand in the way of guaranteeing equal access to the ballot box.

Op-Ed: China's future hinges on the power of diverse economic systems

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-06-02/china-diverse-economic-systems-taiwan-hong-kong

Late last month, the American actor John Cena issued a groveling public apology after having referred to Taiwan as a “country” in an interview to promote his latest film, “F9.” Though he was using the term to refer to a linguistic media market with a discrete distribution channel, not to the status of the island of Taiwan in international law, the Chinese government would make no allowance for such distinctions. What are we to make of this episode? Clearly, globalization has gone terribly wrong. The speech restrictions dictated by China’s authoritarian government apply not just to China, but also, and increasingly, to the outside world. Even in my own day-to-day experience, I have noticed that far too many people now speak elliptically, elusively and euphemistically about contemporary China. I could do that, too. But I prefer to speak frankly and directly about the real issues that lie behind terminological disputes over Taiwan. In my view, it is in China’s own interest that the government in Taipei remains the sole authority on the island, so that it can continue to follow an institutional and governance path that is different from that of the People’s Republic. Likewise, it is in China’s interest that Hong Kong remains a separate system. The government in Beijing ought to recognize that substantial regional autonomy, especially for areas with non-Han-majority populations, will serve its own long-term ambitions. The appalling and tragic history of genocide, ethnic cleansing and forced assimilation in the 20th century suggest that a top-down approach will sow resentments that will last generations and create conditions for serious trouble in the coming years and decades. Humanity has grown up enough to know that diversity, regional autonomy and cosmopolitanism are better than the alternatives. A regime that aspires to lead the world toward a brighter future should be especially cognizant of this. Nonetheless, President Xi Jinping very much wishes to centralize authority in Beijing. Rightly fearing careerism and corruption in the Communist Party of China, he seeks not a Cultural Revolution but a cultural renaissance to restore egalitarian values and utopian aspirations across the leadership ranks. Supremely confident in his ability to read the situation and issue the right commands, his main concern is that his orders won’t be implemented properly. The solution to that problem, he seems to have concluded, is much greater concentration of power. It is a huge mistake to ignore the benefits that come with more regional autonomy. Consider an alternative history in which the People’s Liberation Army had overrun both Hong Kong and Taiwan in 1949; Sichuan had not been allowed to pursue pilot reform programs in 1975, when Zhao Ziyang was appointed provincial party secretary; and China’s centralization had proceeded to the point that the Guangzhou military district could not offer Deng refuge from the wrath of the Gang of Four in 1976. What would China’s economy look like today? It would be a basket case. When Mao Zedong died in 1976, China was impoverished and rudderless. But it learned to stand on its own two feet by drawing on Taiwan and Hong Kong’s entrepreneurial classes and financing systems, emulating Zhao’s policies in Sichuan, and opening up Special Economic Zones in places such as Guangzhou and Shenzhen. At some point in the future, China will need to choose between governmental strategies and systems. The more that China centralizes, the more it will suffer. But if decisions about policies and institutions are based on a rough consensus among keen-eyed observers who are open to emulating the practices and experiments of successful regions, China will thrive. A China with many distinct systems exploring possible paths to the future might really have a chance of becoming a global leader and proving worthy of the role. J. Bradford DeLong, a former deputy assistant U.S. Treasury secretary, is a professor of economics at UC Berkeley and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Abcarian: Beach apartments for homeless people? Venice residents are leery

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-06-02/beach-apartments-for-homeless-people-venice-residents-are-leery

Maybe it was the house fire near a homeless encampment off Main Street in Venice that killed a beloved family dog. Maybe it was the blaze that leaped from one of an estimated 223 tents on the Venice Boardwalk and destroyed a commercial building on Ocean Front Walk. Or maybe it’s the surge in violent crime, the rash of stolen bicycles or videos of RVs dumping their sewage in the streets. But Venice Beach, where I live, is on edge these days. Next to downtown’s skid row, Venice has the largest population of unhoused people — an estimated 2,000 in three square miles. Their presence has become more visible over the last year because of the city’s decision not to enforce codes that forbid camping on sidewalks during the pandemic. Homeowners and renters say they feel vulnerable, and they certainly have to cope with a lot. But no one is more vulnerable to catastrophic outcomes than the folks who through addiction, mental illness, sheer bad luck or choice sleep outside. Part of the solution has got to be more housing, but that’s complicated in Venice. In 2017, the neighborhood was declared by the Wall Street Journal as one of the most difficult places in the country to add new housing units. The ZIP Code 90291, said the Journal, “had about 700 fewer housing units in 2015 than in 2000, as apartment development stalled and wealthy homeowners gobbled up adjacent properties and leveled them. Home prices in the ZIP Code have more than tripled in those 15 years, rising 246% compared to the national average of 52% in the period.” And never mind how many rental units had been taken off the market to be used as short-term rentals in the last few years. According to the website InsideAirbnb, the Venice Beach area has 2,053 short-term rental units, about 1,668 of which are entire homes or apartments. You might think a proposal to build dozens of affordable apartments near the beach would be met with open arms by socially conscious Venice denizens. But that’s not what happened last week when the Los Angeles Planning Commission held a contentious public hearing on a new housing project one block from the beach. A collaboration between the Venice Community Housing Corp. and the Hollywood Community Housing Corp., the $75-million project would consist of a low-rise complex of about 140 apartments for formerly homeless and low-income people, as well as some work/live spaces for low-income artists, support staff for tenants, a coffee shop on the ground floor and a 3,000-square-foot performance space/community room named for the late, great dancer and actor Gregory Hines, a longtime Venice resident. At the hearing, one neighbor compared the blocky-looking building to the U.K. Brutalist architecture movement of the 1950s, which he claimed was linked to suicides. Others claimed the location is in a flood zone. Commissioners, saying this is exactly the kind of project the city needs, voted unanimously to approve it, and it could break ground a little over a year from now if the L.A. City Council and California Coastal Commission approve it — and it doesn’t get tangled up in lawsuits. Venice Community Housing Executive Director Becky Dennison is hopeful: “I think the city and the Planning Commission have been pretty strong the last few years in acknowledging the level of crisis,” she told me Tuesday. “They have been committed to affordable housing, and the use of city land is a key piece of addressing the crisis.” Situated on the banks of the famous Grand Canal, sandwiched between North and South Venice boulevards at Pacific Avenue, the 2.6-acre city-owned site is currently a flat beach parking lot. And though the parking lot is nothing special, like any expanse of open space, it offers a visual respite at a crowded intersection. But increasingly, open space is an unaffordable luxury, as housing prices have skyrocketed, and Los Angeles has become crowded with homeless encampments. Straddling the Grand Canal, which frankly is not so grand looking right now, the project would also provide parking for its residents, as well as a separate parking structure that will replace the lost surface beach parking lot. Designed by the celebrated architect Eric Owen Moss, the complex would be typical of his work: harsh looking and somewhat bunker-like. Moss is perhaps most famous for designing Culver City’s Hayden Tract, a jumble of eclectic and adventurous experimental buildings that replaced a bunch of decaying warehouses as part of that city’s redevelopment effort. The Los Angeles Conservancy describes Moss as a “deconstructivist,” whose designs are “striking and distinctive sculptures of metal, cement, and glass that almost defy categorization.” During the public comments portion of the Planning Commission’s meeting last week, opponents were far less flattering. They described the design as “hideous,” “a looming mass” and “atrocious.” Brian Averill of the Venice Neighborhood Council told commissioners that his group unanimously opposed the project, which he described as a remarkable feat for a group that rarely agrees on anything. A group called Fight Back Venice has dubbed it “the Monster on the Median” and has vowed to take legal action, challenging the claim that the project is exempt from environmental review under a 2019 state law that was enacted to bypass onerous development requirements in the midst of an affordable housing crisis. And yet, just as many Venetians spoke out in favor of the project as spoke against it. “We are in a dire housing crisis,” said Linda Lucks, a local housing activist and former president of the Venice Neighborhood Council. As for the design, she told me, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and the one thing about design is you can’t legislate taste.’” That is certainly true. And as ungainly as I find the design, I find the sight of human beings living on the streets far, far uglier. @AbcarianLAT

Hong Kong's Tiananmen Square massacre museum shuts three days after opening

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-06-02/hong-kong-tiananmen-massacre-museum-shut-down

A Hong Kong museum commemorating China’s deadly 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protests closed Wednesday — just three days after opening — as the ruling Communist Party tries to stamp out the last traces of public discussion of the event. Hong Kong was the last place on Chinese soil where the June 4, 1989, massacre of protesters in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square was commemorated with candlelight vigils and other events. But authorities have banned public ceremonies for the second year amid a campaign by Beijing to crush pro-democracy activism in the city. Organizers of the June 4 Memorial Museum said it closed after authorities investigated whether it had licenses to conduct public exhibitions. The Hong Kong Alliance of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China said it wanted to protect staff and visitors while the group sought legal advice. The group said the museum had received more than 550 visitors since it opened Sunday. Public memorials of the Tiananmen Square massacre have long been banned on the Chinese mainland. Relatives of people who were killed often are detained or harassed by authorities ahead of the anniversary. World & Nation Thousands of people are fleeing Hong Kong amid a crackdown by Beijing that prompted Britain to loosen visa rules for residents of its former colony. Feb. 1, 2021 In previous years, thousands of people have gathered in Hong Kong’s Victoria Park to light candles and sing in memory of the hundreds, and possibly thousands, of people who died when Chinese troops and tanks rolled into Tiananmen Square. Hong Kong authorities have banned the vigil for the second consecutive year, citing social-distancing restrictions and public health risks from the COVID-19 pandemic. But critics accuse officials of using the pandemic as an excuse to silence pro-democracy voices. Last year, thousands gathered in Victoria Park despite the ban and police warnings. Weeks later, more than 20 activists who took part in the vigil were arrested. This year, organizers have urged residents to mark June 4 by lighting a candle wherever they are. Beijing has been steadily tightening control over Hong Kong, prompting complaints that it is eroding the autonomy promised when the former British colony returned to China in 1997. Pro-democracy activists have been sentenced to prison under a national security law imposed following anti-government protests that began in 2019.

Netanyahu's opponents race to finalize coalition to oust him as deadline looms

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-06-02/israel-netanyahu-opponents-effort-form-government

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s opponents were racing Wednesday to finalize a coalition government to end his 12-year rule — the longest of any Israeli premier — ahead of a midnight deadline. Centrist Yair Lapid and ultra-nationalist Naftali Bennett have joined forces and agreed to rotate the premiership between them, with Bennett going first, but are still working to cobble together a ruling coalition that would include parties from across the political spectrum. Israeli media reported that some lingering disagreements remain over lower-level political appointments but that Lapid was likely to announce an agreement sometime Wednesday. He faces a midnight deadline to inform Israeli President Reuven Rivlin that he has formed a majority coalition of at least 61 seats in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. The assembly would then have a week to hold a vote of confidence. If Lapid misses the midnight deadline, the country will almost certainly go into its fifth election in just over two years, and Netanyahu would have yet another chance to hold onto his position even as he stands trial for corruption. Netanyahu’s Likud party won the most seats in the March 23 election, but he was unable to form a majority with his natural allies. Crucially, a far-right party allied with Netanyahu refused to join forces with a small Arab party that emerged as a kingmaker of sorts. World & Nation Samir Mansour’s bookstore was a cultural magnet for residents of the Gaza Strip until an Israeli airstrike leveled it. Now he has to start over. June 1, 2021 Netanyahu had hoped to extend his long rule and battle the corruption charges against him from the prime minister’s office. He has emerged as a deeply polarizing force in recent years, leaving Israel in a prolonged state of political limbo through a series of inconclusive elections. An emergency government formed last year between Netanyahu and former military chief Benny Gantz to battle the COVID-19 pandemic quickly became mired in political bickering and collapsed in December. That government remains in place as caretaker.

COVID-19 restrictions protected California's economy. Now it's poised for a 'euphoric' rebound

https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-06-02/la-fi-california-economy-recovery-ucla-forecast-june-2021

California’s strict public health measures during the pandemic protected its economy, setting the stage for an even faster recovery in the state than nationwide, UCLA economists reported. The Golden State’s strong technology and white-collar business sectors, along with a relatively rapid boost in home building, will buoy its economy, offsetting a slower return of tourist-dependent leisure and hospitality jobs, according to the UCLA Anderson quarterly forecast. In the nation and in California, “we are about to have one of the best years of economic growth that we’ve had since World War II,” said Leo Feler, the UCLA Anderson Forecast’s senior economist. “We’re looking at a boom time for the U.S. economy.” Emerging from a severe downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the nation’s gross domestic product will spike 7.1% this year, tapering to 5.0% in 2022, and 2.2% in 2023, the forecast projects. It is a “euphoric” recovery compared with that of the Great Recession of 2007-08, Feler said, thanks to generous pandemic stimulus and spending programs enacted by Congress. “We never fully bounced back after a tepid response to the great financial crisis,” he said. “That led to negative economic, political, and social effects. So we learned a lesson. This time, we pumped a lot more money into the economy.” California From mask rules to social distancing, here’s what to expect come June 15. May 21, 2021 Three-quarters of the Golden State’s job losses during the pandemic were in sectors with “a high degree of human contact,” such as leisure and hospitality, education, retail trade and other services such as hairdressers and auto repair, according to forecast director Jerry Nickelsburg. But given California’s current low coronavirus infection rate, and the easing of business restrictions as the state aims to fully reopen by June 15, Nickelsburg said he expects many of those lost jobs to return. Still, the state’s unemployment rate is expected to remain higher than the nation’s “because California is a more entrepreneurial state with a younger population,” he said. “People earlier in their career tend to have more unemployment.” By the end of this year, the state’s unemployment rate will average 5.9%, compared with 4.5% for the U.S., according to calculations by Nickelsburg and economist Leila Bengali. California will add new jobs faster than the U.S., sharply narrowing the gap going forward, they predict. By the end of 2023, joblessness in California could be 4%, compared with 3.7% for the U.S. “Consumers flush with...an appetite to spend like a sailor on furlough will drive the recovery.” — Scott Anderson - chief economist, Bank of the West Despite conflicting political narratives over the impact of business closures, mask mandates and social distancing rules, states with stringent interventions such as California generally have had a more robust economic recovery than states with looser rules, according to Nickelsburg’s analysis. California had less of a contraction last year than Texas, Florida and Indiana, states with fewer restrictions, data show. Overall, economic output shrank 3.5% on average for the U.S., compared with 2.8% for California. Business The office beckons. What rights and protections do you have? Will safety and vaccine issues in the workplace prompt lawsuits? May 20, 2021 UCLA’s forecast is somewhat more bullish than the economic projections underpinning the Biden administration’s budget proposal to Congress last week. The White House predicted inflation-adjusted GDP growth of 5.2% in 2021; 3.2% in 2022; and 2.0% in 2023. UCLA’s outlook is in line with those of other prominent economists. The median forecast of 71 economists surveyed by Bloomberg last month projected 6.6% GDP growth this year, 4.1% next year and 2.4% in 2023. “The U.S. and California pandemic recovery is expected to be as exceptional as the pandemic recession was dire,” said Scott Anderson, chief economist at Bank of the West in San Francisco. “Consumers flush with swelling bank accounts, record personal savings and household wealth, and an appetite to spend like a sailor on furlough will drive the recovery,” he added. Business California accounted for 38% of new U.S. jobs in April as leisure and hospitality businesses ramped up hiring. But the unemployment rate was stuck. May 21, 2021 Despite their optimism, the UCLA economists warn of uncertainties including, in the Golden State, the possibility that more Californians will leave for regions with lower housing costs. National immigration policy and remote work could also affect the recovery. Feler said a lag in international tourism given the persistence of COVID-19 and patchy vaccination rollouts abroad could slow California’s rebound, particularly the reopening of hotels and restaurants. Fewer visitors flying into Los Angeles International Airport also means less work for Uber, Lyft and taxi drivers. Some bars, eateries and retailers may take “a wait and see approach” before staffing up, he said, fearing that many of the usual officegoers, now working remotely, will fail to return. Movie theaters and other entertainment venues, along with nearby restaurants, may hesitate to begin hiring until demand resumes. If the work-from-home trend is threatening some restaurants and retailers, it may nonetheless benefit California’s overall economy. Business, scientific and technical services will lead the state’s recovery “due to the demand for new technologies for the new way we are working and socializing,” the forecast predicts. U.S. productivity is likely to jump too, it reports, because the pandemic taught employees to work more effectively in remote settings. Productivity is also boosted by labor-saving technologies such as the mobile apps used for ordering food for pickup, the report said. This year, information jobs and business and professional services jobs — both of which include technology workers — will grow by 4.3% and 4.8%, respectively, in California, far exceeding the overall payroll increase of 2.6%, the forecast predicts. A rise in residential construction, spurred by the state’s housing shortage and low interest rates, will also boost California’s recovery, the economists project. The forecast suggests 122,000 new units will be built in the state this year, 131,000 next year and 138,000 in 2023. Business The pandemic’s “shecession” could set back decades of progress on workplace equality, especially among Latina, Black and Asian women. May 7, 2021 But that level won’t come close to solving the state’s dearth of affordable housing, the economists wrote. As the economy revs up, “2021 will be a year of weird economic data and surprises,” Feler predicted. “It’s almost never the case that economic recoveries proceed smoothly. More often … out of a recession, there are surprising jobs reports, surprising inflation reports, and surprising indicators for specific sectors.” The pandemic is likely to produce an even more “rocky” recovery than previous recessions, he said, given how abruptly and drastically it devastated the economy. The unexpectedly small U.S. payroll growth in April, just 266,000 jobs, probably was influenced by mothers remaining out of the workforce until schools consistently open and child care becomes more available, and by other workers still fearful of the virus, he said. An unusual inflationary spike last month, with a 3.6% rise in personal consumption spending, probably is due to supply chain disruptions in goods such as lumber or semiconductors, and a pent-up demand for rental cars with travel resuming. Those issues should be resolved over the next few months, Feler said. The forecast predicts U.S. inflation will level off at a 2.7% rate for 2021, and about 2.2% through the rest of the decade.

Iran's largest warship catches fire, sinks in Gulf of Oman

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-06-02/iran-largest-navy-ship-catches-fire-sinks

The largest warship in the Iranian navy caught fire and later sank Wednesday in the Gulf of Oman under unclear circumstances, the latest calamity to strike one of the country’s vessels in recent years amid tensions with the West. The blaze began around 2:25 a.m. and firefighters tried to contain it, the news agency Fars reported, but their efforts failed to save the 679-foot Kharg, which was used to resupply other ships in the fleet at sea and conduct training exercises. State media reported 400 sailors and trainee cadets on board fled the vessel, with 33 suffering injuries. The ship sank near the Iranian port of Jask, about 790 miles southeast of Tehran on the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf. Photos circulated on Iranian social media showed sailors wearing life jackets evacuating the vessel as a fire burned behind them. Fars published video of thick, black smoke rising from the ship early Wednesday morning. Satellites from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that track fires from space detected a blaze near Jask that started just before the time of the fire reported by Fars. Iranian officials offered no cause for the fire aboard the Kharg, though they said an investigation had begun. Meanwhile, a massive fire broke out Wednesday night at the oil refinery serving Iran’s capital, sending thick plumes of black smoke over Tehran. It wasn’t immediately clear if there were injuries or what caused the blaze at the Tondgooyan Petrochemical Co., though temperatures in the capital reached nearly 104 degrees and hot weather in Iran has caused fires in the past. The fire aboard the Kharg warship follows a series of mysterious explosions that began in 2019 targeting commercial ships in the Gulf of Oman. The U.S. Navy accused Iran of targeting the ships with limpet mines, timed explosives typically attached by divers to a vessel’s hull. World & Nation A U.S. warship fired warning shots when vessels of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard came too close to a patrol in the Persian Gulf, officials said. April 28, 2021 Iran denied that, though U.S. Navy footage showed Revolutionary Guard members removing one unexploded limpet mine from a ship. The attacks came amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran after then-President Trump unilaterally withdrew America from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers. Negotiations on saving the accord continue in Vienna. In April, an Iranian ship called the MV Saviz, which is believed to be a Revolutionary Guard base and has been anchored for years in the Red Sea off Yemen, was targeted in an attack suspected to have been carried out by Israel. It escalated a years-long shadow war in the Mideast between the two countries that has included strikes in Syria, assaults on ships and attacks on Iran’s nuclear program. The Israeli prime minister’s office did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday regarding the Kharg. Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said the U.S. was aware of the loss of the ship, but declined to comment further. State TV and semiofficial news agencies on Wednesday referred to the Kharg, named after the island that serves as the main oil terminal for Iran, as a “training ship.” The vessel often hosted cadets from the Imam Khomeini Naval University on the Caspian Sea. Like much of Iran’s major military hardware, the Kharg predated Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. The warship, built in Britain and launched in 1977, entered the Iranian navy in 1984 after lengthy negotiations. That aging military equipment has seen fatal accidents as recently as Tuesday, when a malfunction in the ejector seats of an Iranian F-5 that also predated the revolution killed two pilots while the fighter jet was parked in a hangar. In recent months, the navy has converted a slightly larger commercial tanker called the Makran for use as a mobile launch platform for helicopters. The Kharg also could launch helicopters on a smaller scale. But the newer vessel probably can’t fill the role of the Kharg, which could handle both the refueling and resupplying of ships at sea, said Mike Connell of the Center for Naval Analysis, an Arlington, Va.-based federally funded nonprofit that works for the U.S. government. The Kharg also was seaworthy enough to sail through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean Sea and into South Asia previously and could lift heavy cargo. “For the regular Iranian navy, this vessel was very valuable because it gave them reach,” Connell said. “That allowed them to conduct operations far afield. They do have other logistics vessels, but the Kharg was kind of the most capable and the largest.” The sinking of the Kharg marks the latest naval disaster for Iran. In 2020, during an Iranian military training exercise, a missile mistakenly struck a naval vessel near Jask, killing 19 sailors and wounding 15. Also in 2018, an Iranian navy destroyer sank in the Caspian Sea. Gambrell and Vahdat write for the Associated Press. AP’s Joseph Krauss and Robert Burns contributed to this report.

Dodgers, Mookie Betts fall just short again in loss to St. Louis Cardinals

https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2021-06-01/david-price-struggles-in-dodgers-loss-against-cardinals

The stage was set for those in attendance at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday night to witness what they had only seen on television in 2020. Up came Mookie Betts with two on and two out in a one-run game in the ninth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals, looking to at least extend the game, if not author the kind of signature moment he made a regular occurrence in front of cardboard cutouts last season. For a split second, as his line drive soared to the left-field corner, it looked as if Betts had finally produced one. But, in keeping with his frustrating season, left fielder Tyler O’Neill tracked it down and made a catch at the warning track, topping off the Cardinals’ impressive defensive showing in a 3-2 victory over the Dodgers. Betts went one for four with a walk and emerged with a .247 batting average as the Dodgers (32-23) remain without a walk-off win 55 games into the season after producing two in 60 games in 2020 and 12 in 162 games in 2019. They’re 7-13 in one-run games. No team in the majors has lost more games by one run. Dodgers Mike Marshall, who won the Cy Young Award for the Dodgers in 1974 when he pitched in a major league-record 106 games, died on Tuesday. June 1, 2021 “You got to make your own breaks,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “And if we look back at those games, those 20 games, whatever it is, we could’ve done some other things that probably got us over the top and won those games. So, a lot of times you make your own luck.” The Dodgers tapped David Price as the opener for their bullpen game after he was effective in the role twice over the last two weeks. Ideally, Roberts said, Price would pitch three innings before passing the baton to the rest of the relief corps. Price instead recorded just five outs. He exited after giving up two runs and five hits over 1 2/3 innings. He touched 96 mph but had trouble with his command. He threw 50 pitches. It was Price’s worst outing since he returned from a hamstring injury May 18. The 35-year-old left-hander had tossed 6 2/3 scoreless innings in his previous four appearances. His early exit forced the rest of the Dodgers’ bullpen to cover at least 22 outs, a potentially disastrous scenario. But the relief corps kept the Cardinals (31-24) scoreless until the ninth inning, when Edmundo Sosa lined a go-ahead RBI single off Blake Treinen. That was enough for the Cardinals because the Dodgers’ bats were silenced by John Gant and two relievers with ample help from their defense and some luck. Gant added another performance to his head-scratching success this season. He began Tuesday with an impressive 1.81 earned-run average but also had issued the most walks, 31, in the National League. He has routinely danced around danger, and he continued the act Tuesday. Dodgers Pitcher Trevor Bauer said he will do a deep dive into advanced statistics and video to determine the reasons for the high percentage of long balls. June 1, 2021 The right-hander held the Dodgers scoreless across six innings. He scattered four hits, issued three walks and caught two breaks in the sixth inning. First, Max Muncy, after Betts singled, smashed a 103.5-mph line drive that second baseman Tommy Edman snagged with a jump. Two batters later, Will Smith cracked a liner that would have scored Betts from first base before it bounced over the short wall down the left-field line for a ground-rule double. Gavin Lux then flied out to end the threat. Gant’s night ended there, with a 1.60 ERA for the season. He then watched Giovanny Gallegos, a hard-throwing right-hander, squander the Cardinals’ two-run lead in the seventh inning. Matt Beaty, a half-inning after dropping a routine fly ball in left field, smashed a two-run home run to the right-field pavilion off Gallegos to tie the score. Treinen, making his first appearance since Friday, was kept in the game for the ninth inning after logging a perfect eighth on nine pitches and being unavailable Monday because of an undisclosed injury. Roberts declined to offer details when asked Tuesday what specifically hindered Treinen. “I just don’t want to kind of divulge something I don’t need to,” Roberts said. Kenley Jansen warmed in the bullpen as Treinen, seemingly not hampered by whatever bothered him Monday, took the mound for the ninth. O’Neill then singled, stole second base and scored when Sosa delivered after failing to drop a sacrifice bunt. The difference held up, if just barely. “It was remarkable,” Roberts said of the Cardinals’ defense. “I thought the line score just really doesn’t tell the story as far as how our offense, the at-bats we took.” The original plan for Cody Bellinger when he came off the injured list Saturday, according to Roberts, was for him to start the Dodgers’ next five games. That plan was scratched Tuesday. Bellinger wasn’t in the Dodgers’ lineup after going 0 for 10 with three walks in three games since his return from a fractured left fibula. Bellinger, however, entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning. He struck out on three pitches against Gallegos and lined a two-out single in the ninth inning for his first hit since April 5, the same day he fractured his left fibula. “That’s something I know he’s going to build on,” Roberts said. “And if he can repeat that and put himself in that spot mechanically, a lot of good things are going to happen.” Highlights from the Dodgers’ 3-2 loss to the visiting St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night. The fracture kept the center fielder out for nearly two months, continuing a disjointed start to the 2021 season that began with Bellinger being held out of spring training until mid-March after he underwent shoulder surgery in November. The 2019 NL MVP is five for 31 (.161 batting average) with a .536 on-base-plus-slugging percentage this season. “We look back at what he did to prepare for the season, it was an abbreviated spring training and then I think it was four games into the season, he gets hurt,” Roberts said. “So, as far as game at-bats, he hasn’t had it. So I just think continuing to get the work in and we all know that he impacts us if he’s in the game, in the lineup.” Roberts said Bellinger will return to the lineup Wednesday and start all three road games against the Atlanta Braves this weekend. Jimmy Nelson, on the injured list with right forearm and elbow soreness, faced Yoshi Tsutsugo in a live batting practice session Tuesday. If he rebounds Wednesday without an issue, he could come off the injured list as soon as Friday. The 31-year-old right-hander was put on the injured list May 24, retroactive to May 21. “It was something that was just kind of increasing as I was throwing more and more, so we just kind of shut it down from there,” Nelson said of his injury. “Addressed the issue, and I feel like between the treatment and just the approach back into things as far as throwing and mound work and then live BP today, it’s all gone very well.” Roberts said AJ Pollock (hamstring) is also expected to join the Dodgers on their upcoming road trip. The outfielder went one for three with a home run in six innings on a rehabilitation assignment with single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Tuesday.

Roundup: Shalhevet feeds off electric crowd to advance to 3A semifinals

https://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/story/2021-06-01/high-school-roundup

Home-court advantage in basketball had pretty much disappeared during COVID-19 restrictions, but Shalhevet, a modern orthodox Jewish school seeded No. 1 in Southern Section 3A, decided Tuesday’s quarterfinal playoff game against 14-0 El Segundo deserved a party-like atmosphere, complete with loud music, screaming students wearing masks and fans waving handmade drawings of starting players created by a math teacher. “We feed off them,” sophomore Avi Halpert said after scoring 28 points to lead Shalhevet to a 67-52 victory and into the 3A semifinals. “It was electric,” Shalhevet coach Ryan Coleman said of his team’s fans. “We’ve been waiting 16 months to pack our gym. Our community loves basketball. It brings us together.” Shalhevet 67, El Segundo 52. Can’t wait to see how they celebrate a championship. 28 points for Avi Halpert. 27 for El Segundo’s CJ Hardy. pic.twitter.com/5Y37FcICiN With El Segundo focused on stopping seniors Ze’ev Remer and Jacob Pofsky, Halpert was left open and made El Segundo pay. He had six threes. He’s the younger brother of two former Shalhevet standouts. Eitan plays for Yeshiva University and another brother, Simcha, plays in Israel. “I’ve been bullied all my life,” Halpert said of competing against his brothers. “There’s no moment too big for him,” Coleman said. It’s loud at Shalhevet. And sophomore Avi Halpert is insanely hot. He had 19 of his 21 points in second quarter. Made five threes. Shalhevet 40, El Segundo 27. pic.twitter.com/2VTbWPvAcC Remer contributed 20 points and CJ Hardy led El Segundo with 27 points. Shalhevet is expected to play on Thursday night in the semifinals at Marina. Mater Dei 62, Harvard-Westlake 57: Harrison Hornery scored 26 points and Nick Davidson 22 for the Monarchs. It means in the Division 1 pool B, Mater Dei, Harvard-Westlake, Damien and Corona Centennial are all 1-1 going into Friday’s final round of pool play. Etiwanda 48, St. John Bosco 46: The Eagles are 2-0 in Pool A and will play at Sierra Canyon on Friday to decide the pool winner. Sierra Canyon 82, Ribet 70: Amari Bailey broke loose for 38 points to rally the Trailblazers to victory. Santa Margarita 42, Laguna Beach 34: Jake Heberle had 11 points and Colby Barnes 10. Capistrano Valley 57, JSerra 50: The Cougars advanced to take on Heritage Christian in Division 1. Rolling Hills Prep 48, Fountain Valley 47: Kenny Manzi scored 17 points and Benny Gealer 10. Dominguez 69, Servite 52: Elijah Evans scored 26 points and Cristan Butler and Colby Evans 16 apiece for Dominguez. Los Altos 58, Colony 49: Jazz Gardner had 26 points to help Los Altos eliminate the top-seeded Titans in 2AA. Los Altos will face Long Beach Poly, which defeated Orange Lutheran 67-49. Jalen Pitre scored 24 points for Poly. Chaminade 72, St. Bernard 68: The Eagles advanced to the Division 1 semifinals. Keith Higgins scored 24 points and KJ Simpson 23. The Eagles will play Bishop Montgomery on Friday at Chaminade. Bishop Montgomery defeated Oak Park 63-60 behind Xavier Edmonds, who scored 26 points. Heritage Christian 64, Windward 54: Malik Moore had 17 points. Agoura 65, West Ranch 59: The Chargers pulled off the road victory. Birmingham 4, Godinez 2: The Patriots advanced to the Division 1 regional semifinals behind goals from David Diaz, Cristian Moran, Enrique Pineda and Anthony Miron. Birmingham will play Clovis, which defeated Loyola on penalty kicks.Mira Costa advanced to the other semifinal against Servite after defeating El Camino Real on penalty kicks. Salesian 3, Bell 1: Julian Valasquez and Ernesto Vergara had goals to help Salesian advance in Division 3. Sierra Canyon 2, Canoga Park 1: UC Irvine-bound Jordan Becker scored a golden goal in a Division V game. Goooaaalll!! Coto scores the PK! ECR leads 1-0 pic.twitter.com/pscpGVuKqn Harvard-Westlake 1, Torrey Pines 0: The unbeaten Wolverines advanced on a golden goal in overtime from Daniela Quintero in Division 1. Villa Park 7, Granada Hills 0: The Spartans eliminated the City Section champions and will play at Harvard-Westlake on Thursday in the semifinals. GIRLS GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP:Congratulations to Granada Hills on defending its team title! #Back2Back 🏌️‍♀️ pic.twitter.com/h3yMHRnool Granada Hills won the City Section girls’ golf championship. Kira Reisner of Granada Hills won the individual title with a one-under-par 72 for a two-stroke victory. Patrick Song of Yorba Linda won the Central Regional boys’ individual title in the Southern Section, firing a 69. Loyola 15, Palos Verdes 8: The Cubs advanced to the Division 1 semifinals. Matt Gottfried was 26 for 27 on faceoffs and Aidan Lee had four goals and Owen Gaffney three.

High school soccer: Southern California Regional results and pairings

https://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/story/2021-06-01/high-school-soccer-southern-california-regional-results-and-pairings

BOYS’ SOCCER SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL DIVISION I Quarterfinals, Tuesday Birmingham 4, Godinez 2 Clovis 1, Loyola 1 (Clovis advances on penalties, 4-2) Servite 1, San Diego Cathedral 1 (Servite advances on penalties, 4-3) Mira Costa 1, El Camino Real 1 (Mira Costa advances on penalties, 7-6) Semifinals, Thursday Birmingham 4, Clovis 2 Mira Costa 1, Servite 0 DIVISION II Quarterfinals, Tuesday San Diego St. Augustine 2, Aliso Niguel 1 Placentia Valencia 1, Tulare Union 0 Corona Santiago 3, Escondido San Pasqual 1 Hart 2, Sanger 2 (Hart advances on penalties, 4-3) Semifinals, Thursday San Diego St. Augustine 4, Placentia Valencia 1 Corona Santiago 3, Hart 1 DIVISION III Quarterfinals, Tuesday Salesian 3, Bell 1 West Torrance 3, San Diego Rancho Bernardo 1 Norte Vista 3, El Cajon Valhalla 1 Bakersfield Garces 3, Villa Park 2 Semifinals, Thursday Salesian 5, West Torrance 0 Norte Vista 2, Bakersfield Garces 1 (OT) DIVISION IV Quarterfinals, Tuesday Palmdale 4, Fowler 0 Vista Rancho Buena Vista 2, Baldwin Park 1 Santa Monica 1, Bakersfield Highland 0 Citrus Hill 1, Granada Hills Kennedy 0 Semifinals, Thursday Palmdale 3, Vista Rancho Buena Vista 3 (Palmdale advances on penalties, 7-6) Santa Monica 3, Citrus Hill 2 DIVISION V Quarterfinals, Tuesday Crossroads 3, Whitney 1 Sherman Oaks CES 4, El Cajon Foothills Christian 1 Chula Vista Olympian 3, Wildomar Cornerstone Christian 1 Sierra Canyon 2, Canoga Park 1 Semifinals, Thursday unless noted Crossroads 2, Sherman Oaks CES 0 (Friday) Chula Vista Olympian 2, Sierra Canyon 0 Championships, Saturday Division I: Mira Costa 4, Birmingham 3 (OT) Division II: San Diego St. Augustine 1, Corona Santiago 0 Division III: Salesian 1, Norte Vista 0 Division IV: Palmdale 4, Santa Monica 1 Division V: Crossroads 2, Chula Vista Olympian 1 GIRLS’ SOCCER SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL DIVISION I Quarterfinals, Tuesday Harvard-Westlake 1, San Diego Torrey Pines 0 Villa Park 7, Granada Hills 0 Corona Santiago 0, Carlsbad La Costa Canyon 0 (Santiago advances on penalties, 3-2) Garden Grove Pacifica 1, Fresno Clovis North 0 Semifinals, Thursday Harvard-Westlake 2, Villa Park 1 Garden Grove Pacifica 2, Corona Santiago 1 DIVISION II Quarterfinals, Tuesday San Diego Del Norte 1, La Mirada 0 San Diego Cathedral 2, Claremont 1 Clovis Buchanan 3, Saugus 3 (Buchanan advances on penalties, 4-3) Downey 2, Cleveland 0 Semifinals, Thursday San Diego Cathedral 5, San Diego Del Norte 0 Clovis Buchanan 5, Downey 1 DIVISION III Quarterfinals, Tuesday Buena 2, King 1 Alta Loma 0, El Camino Real 0 (Alta Loma advances on penalties, 4-2) San Diego Westview 3, Crescenta Valley 2 Hanford 1, Kingsburg 0 Semifinals, Thursday unless noted Alta Loma 5, Buena 0 San Diego Westview 2, Hanford 0 (Friday) DIVISION IV Quarterfinals, Tuesday El Segundo 1, Escondido Classical Academy 0 Exeter 3, Venice 0 San Dimas 2, San Marcos 1 Paraclete 2, Los Angeles CES 0 Semifinals, Thursday El Segundo 4, Exeter 0 San Dimas 4, Paraclete 0 DIVISION V Quarterfinals, Tuesday St. Bonaventure 3, Arvin 0 Santa Maria 3, Gardena 0 Elsinore 3, Escondido Orange Glen 0 Linfield Christian 3, Canyon Springs 0 Semifinals, Thursday St. Bonaventure 0, Santa Maria 0 (St. Bonaventure advances on penalties, 4-2) Linfield Christian 2, Elsinore 0 Championships, Saturday unless noted Division I: Harvard-Westlake 6, Garden Grove Pacifica 1 Division II: Clovis Buchanan 4, San Diego Cathedral 1 Division III: San Diego Westview 2, Alta Loma 0 (Tuesday) Division IV: San Dimas 4, El Segundo 2 Division V: Linfield Christian 1, St. Bonaventure 0

High school boys’ basketball: Southern Section playoff results and updated pairings

https://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/story/2021-06-01/boys-basketball-southern-section-playoff-results-new-pairings

SOUTHERN SECTION BOYS’ BASKETBALL OPEN DIVISION Tuesday unless noted POOL A Sierra Canyon 82, Ribet Academy 70 Etiwanda 48, St. John Bosco 46 POOL B Corona Centennial 82, Damien 69 (Monday) Mater Dei 62, Harvard-Westlake 57 Friday POOL A #4 Etiwanda (2-0) at #1 Sierra Canyon (2-0) #8 St. John Bosco (0-2) at #5 Ribet Academy (0-2) POOL B #3 Mater Dei (1-1) at #2 Corona Centennial (1-1) #7 Harvard-Westlake (1-1) at #6 Damien (1-1) NOTE: Championship (Winner Pool A vs. Winner Pool B), June 11. DIVISION 1 Quarterfinals, Tuesday Heritage Christian 64, Windward 54 Capistrano Valley 57, JSerra 50 Bishop Montgomery 63, Oak Park 60 Chaminade 72, St. Bernard 68 Semifinals, Friday #4 Capistrano Valley at #1 Heritage Christian Bishop Montgomery at #2 Chaminade DIVISION 2AA Quarterfinals, Tuesday Los Altos 58, Colony 49 Long Beach Poly 67, Orange Lutheran 49 Rolling Hills Prep 48, Fountain Valley 47 Santa Margarita 42, Laguna Beach 34 Semifinals, Friday Long Beach Poly at Los Altos #3 Rolling Hills Prep at #2 Santa Margarita DIVISION 2A Quarterfinals, Tuesday Crean Lutheran 75, Culver City 57 Dominguez 69, Servite 52 Agoura 65, West Ranch 59 Murrieta Valley 92, Capistrano Valley Christian 60 Semifinals, Friday #1 Crean Lutheran at Dominguez Murrieta Valley at Agoura DIVISION 3AA Quarterfinals, Tuesday Burbank 79, Foothill 73 (2OT) King 62, Maranatha 56 Cerritos Valley Christian 62, Covina 56 Aquinas 84, Lakewood 80 (OT) Semifinals, Friday Burbank at King #3 Cerritos Valley Christian at #2 Aquinas DIVISION 3A Quarterfinals, Tuesday Shalhevet 67, El Segundo 52 Marina 60, St. Paul 59 Glendora 55, Palm Desert 52 (OT) Citrus Valley 49, Knight 42 Semifinals, Friday unless noted Marina 76, Shalhevet 74 (Thursday) Citrus Valley at #3 Glendora DIVISION 4AA Quarterfinals, Tuesday Pasadena Poly 67, South El Monte 27 Elsinore 49, Orangewood Academy 46 Arcadia 65, Da Vinci 64 Paramount 74, Victor Valley 59 Semifinals, Saturday Elsinore at #1 Pasadena Poly, 7 p.m. Paramount at Arcadia, 6:30 p.m. DIVISION 4A Quarterfinals, Tuesday Linfield Christian 68, Chino 55 Milken 65, Lakeside 50 Pilibos 69, Arlington 58 Rio Mesa 51, West Valley 32 Semifinals, Friday Milken at #1 Linfield Christian, 4 p.m. Rio Mesa at #3 Pilibos DIVISION 5AA Quarterfinals, Tuesday Santa Ana Calvary Chapel 59, Moreno Valley 58 AGBU 76, Western 29 Costa Mesa 67, El Monte 61 Valley Torah 71, Nordhoff 58 Semifinals, Friday #4 AGBU at #1 Santa Ana Calvary Chapel #2 Valley Torah at Costa Mesa, 2:30 p.m. DIVISION 5A Quarterfinals, Tuesday Desert Hot Springs 49, Orange 46 Edgewood 61, Bosco Tech 58 Faith Baptist 57, Acaciawood Academy 22 Webb 37, Malibu 34 Semifinals, Friday #4 Edgewood at Desert Hot Springs Faith Baptist at Webb NOTES: Championships, June 9.

High school boys’ lacrosse: Southern Section playoff results and updated pairings

https://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/story/2021-06-01/high-school-boys-lacrosse-southern-section-playoff-results-and-updated-pairings

SOUTHERN SECTION BOYS’ LACROSSE DIVISION 1 Quarterfinals, Tuesday Loyola 15, Palos Verdes 8 Corona del Mar 7, St. Margaret’s 4 Foothill 9, Tesoro 8 (OT) Mater Dei 11, Los Alamitos 6 Semifinals, Friday Loyola 9, Corona del Mar 6 Foothill 7, Mater Dei 6 (OT) Championship, Tuesday, 7 p.m. #1 Loyola vs. #3 Foothill at Tustin DIVISION 2 Quarterfinals, Tuesday St. Francis 15, Saugus 2 San Marcos 11, San Juan Hills 6 Aliso Niguel 17, Brentwood 9 Culver City 17, Redondo 3 Semifinals, Friday St. Francis 18, San Marcos 9 Culver City 8, Aliso Niguel 5 Championship, Tuesday, 7 p.m. #1 St. Francis at #2 Culver City DIVISION 3 Semifinals, Tuesday Norco 19, Chaparral 9 Temecula Valley 6, King 3 Championship, Monday, 7 p.m. Norco 11. Temecula Valley 7

High school tennis: Southern California Regional results and pairings

https://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/story/2021-06-01/high-school-tennis-southern-california-regional-results-and-pairings

BOYS’ TENNIS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL Quarterfinals as noted Harvard-Westlake 7, San Diego Torrey Pines 0 (Wednesday) Woodbridge 7, Palisades 0 (Tuesday) San Diego Canyon Crest 6, Mira Costa 1 (Tuesday) Semifinals, Thursday Harvard-Westlake 7, Fresno Clovis North 0 (Thursday) Woodbridge 4, San Diego Canyon Crest 3 (Wednesday) Championship, Saturday Harvard-Westlake 6, Woodbridge 1 GIRLS’ TENNIS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL Quarterfinals, Tuesday Peninsula 6, San Diego Torrey Pines 1 La Canada 4, Fresno Clovis North 1 Westlake 6, Palisades 1 San Diego Canyon Crest 4, Palos Verdes 3 Semifinals as noted Peninsula 4, La Canada 3 (Friday) Westlake 4, San Diego Canyon Crest 3 (Thursday) Championship, Saturday Westlake 5, Peninsula 2

Anthony Davis-less Lakers routed in Game 5, one loss from elimination

https://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/story/2021-06-01/lakers-suns-game-5-anthony-davis-sits-out-loss

LeBron James glared quickly over at the Lakers’ bench, where Anthony Davis wore a T-shirt honoring Kobe Bryant instead of a uniform. Andre Drummond had just worked for an offensive rebound and, in the tightest of quarters, fired a passoff James’ knees, and the Phoenix Suns were heading the other way. After Game 4, James spoke about his broad shoulders. During Game 5, he spent more time shaking his head in shock and disbelief to how things could go so wrong so fast. The Lakers lost 115-85 Tuesday night, a disastrous effort and performance in the series’ biggest game to date. “We got our ass kicked,” James said. “Just that simple.” After two wins in three games, the first-round series belonged to the Lakers. In the eight quarters since, things couldn’t have changed more, the Lakers standing close to elimination. Lakers Anthony Davis will not play for the Lakers in Game 5 against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday because of his strained left groin muscle. June 1, 2021 With Davis unable to play because of a strained groin and the Lakers’ offense stuck in a rut, just having James clearly isn’t enough. Devin Booker scored 18 points in the first quarter, bouncing off of defenders and displaying why he’s one of the most creative shot-makers in the NBA. Cameron Payne, the speedster backup guard, flew by whatever defender was in front of him. And with the crowd chanting “Beat L.A.,” the Suns leader, Chris Paul, stepped into a top-of-the-key three pointer, the 16,000 fans in the building roared at the injured guard’s first bucket of the game. They didn’t even need him — the shot put the Suns up 21. All of the Lakers’ warts were exposed Tuesday, the lack of cohesion, the late-season injuries, the wonky shooting and the inconsistent offense. Dennis Schroder, acquired to help provide offensive punch, missed all nine shots and dished out just one assist. James had 24 points, but Kyle Kuzma with 15, was the only other Laker in double figures. The dreadful three-point shooting that heated up just at the right time last season in the bubble was the only cold thing in Phoenix Tuesday, with each miss making the Lakers’ less and less likely to willingly shoot them next time they were open. James made six of 10 from distance, the bulk coming during a 17-point third quarter, but by then, none of it mattered. Their passing was a mess, James firing passes to places where teammates weren’t — the Suns turning those mistakes into buckets, sometimes with James walking behind the play. He smiled and playfully slapped his hand against his head as a layup rimmed out in the third quarter, yet another mistake that ended with a Booker basket on the other end. Booker scored 30 in 33 minutes, with Payne adding 16 off the bench. Combined, the two Suns guards made 20 of 33 shots. Davis appeared to try to play, going through multiple on-court workouts before tipoff. And while people in and around the team believed Davis probably was not going to play, the Lakers didn’t officially rule him out until 30 minutes prior to game time. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the other Lakers starter sidelined with an injury, was able to return to the starting lineup. But as he was clearly still bothered by his knee injury, Caldwell-Pope was ineffective on both ends of the court, playing only 15 minutes. The Lakers allowed a 16-0 run in the first quarter, scored only 10 points in the second and trailed by 30 at the half, one of the all-time bad playoff performances in Lakers history. “Once we got punched in the mouth, we just kind of took it,” Kuzma said. “Didn’t respond.” In response to the performance, Vogel started Marc Gasol and Alex Caruso in the second half instead of Andre Drummond and Markieff Morris, who was replacing Davis in the lineup. Like James’ shooting, that didn’t matter either. Neither, it turned out, did Paul re-aggravating his injured shoulder positioning for a rebound with Wesley Matthews. Even with Paul not at his best, the Lakers’ season is only guaranteed two more days, their future tied to whether Davis can find his way back onto the floor. The Lakers aren’t optimistic, James saying he’s planning like Davis will be out once again. “If something changes, we’ll go from there,” James said. Even James isn’t going to be enough, and Phoenix can sense it. In the final minute as the clock mercifully ticked down, a new chant broke out — “Suns in six.”

Coronavirus Today: Is Las Vegas coming back?

https://www.latimes.com/science/newsletter/2021-06-01/las-vegas-reopening-coronavirus-today

Good evening. I’m Russ Mitchell, and I’m a tech reporter up in the Bay Area. I’ll be bringing you the pandemic news for these next two weeks before the California economy reopens. It’s Tuesday, June 1, and here’s what’s happening with the coronavirus in California and beyond. Tomorrow is the last day of the school year in my household, and my 15-year-old daughter will soon be off on a trip to Vegas. It’s not what you may think, dear readers: She’s going with her mom. She knows she’s too young for the casinos. She doesn’t like being near smokers and can’t comprehend why anyone would get a tattoo. She’ll be fully vaccinated. So I’m not worried — well, not too worried. She’s headed to the Mirage as a black-belt competitor in the U.S. Taekwondo Grand Prix tournament, which draws kids from all over the country. The fact that so many parents are now willing to put their kids on a plane to Sin City is powerful anecdotal evidence that a comeback is indeed at hand. The Year of COVID has been miserable for Las Vegas’ tourist-dependent economy. As detailed by my colleague Kurtis Lee, the city’s bustling economy got slammed last year. Its unemployment rate soared to near 30%, up from 4% before the pandemic, as gambling revenues took a 45% hit. Lee’s well-crafted story tells the tale through the lives of everyday workers and small-business proprietors hit hard by the crisis. There’s Bernard Sykes, a bartender at the Rio hotel who likes to tell stories about celebrities he’s met while serving drinks for $14 an hour. He got laid off at the start of the pandemic and has been out of work since. There’s Charolette Richards, owner of A Little White Wedding Chapel, where Bruce Willis married Demi Moore. The chapel’s drive-through service window kept the place afloat. There’s Yaneth Chavez, mother of two young children, who prepped food at the Red Rock Casino for $18 an hour before she was laid off on May 1 last year. She found an on-call job working events at Allegiant Stadium, the new home for the NFL’s Raiders, but the sporadic nature of the job sometimes forces trips to the food banks. Las Vegas was closed for two months and has been in a very slow reopening mode ever since. It’s throwing the doors wide now, and hoping people will show up. The more that do, the more jobs there’ll be. It is, in a sense, a test of America’s ability to reclaim itself. I’m hoping the people who need jobs get hired back, that the taekwondo tournament is a sign that the city’s on its way back to economic health, and that my daughter wins a gold medal — or at least does her best. California cases, deaths and vaccinations as of 5:52 p.m. Tuesday: Track California’s coronavirus spread and vaccination efforts — including the latest numbers and how they break down — with our graphics. No doubt, Walt Disney Co. can hardly wait for Disneyland’s capacity limits to be lifted, allowing the free-spending fanatics to return in full force. Disney’s short-term loss can be your gain. The Happiest Place on Earth is now operating at 35% of its usual capacity, and that’s making those who get in even happier than usual. “We get to ride all the rides twice today,” said Stephanie Bush of San Diego, who took advantage of the smaller crowds to try attractions she normally wouldn’t have time for. Los Angeles Times writer Christi Carras visited the park and its next-door neighbor, California Adventure, recently and matched her wait times against pre-pandemic averages. The differences are not subtle. Space Mountain? A line that used to last for 65 minutes now takes just 5 minutes and 56 seconds. Alice in Wonderland? That line dropped from 33 minutes then to 63 seconds now. A turn on Radiator Springs Racers previously forced visitors to cool their heels in line for 86 minutes; Carras made it to the front in 13 minutes. But the most dramatic difference was for a ride called Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission — Breakout! Before the pandemic, guests would have to wait 94 minutes for this attraction; that dropped to just 1 minute and 46 seconds when Carras was there. If this sounds enticing, enjoy it while it lasts. On June 15, the state will allow out-of-state visitors to return, and crowds can go back to their normal size. That could please certain individuals, such as Brian David of Los Angeles, who told The Times, “I feel like half the ride is the anticipation building up to it … but I have a lot of fond memories of standing in some of the lines.” For him, paradise awaits. But enough about Disneyland. Let’s get back to work. Wouldn’t it be nice if your workplace could let groups of vaccinated employees take off their masks? California’s workplace safety board is considering a proposal that would make that possible as long as no unvaccinated people lurked in the crowd. That would be a tall order for stores, restaurants and other businesses where workers interact with the public, so they’ll probably still need to mask up for now. The new proposal to relax mask and social distancing rules was drafted by the California Division of Occupational Health and Safety, known as Cal/OSHA, and will be a topic of discussion at a board meeting on Thursday. If the board endorses it, the state Office of Administrative Law will have 10 days to approve it. The sooner people get vaccinated, the sooner everyone will be allowed to go mask-free. But while more than 70% of Californians 18 and older have received at least one shot, the pace of vaccinations has slowed way down. At the peak, providers around the state were administering about 400,000 vaccine doses per day. Over the last week, the average was about 141,000 shots per day, according to data compiled by The Times. “It’s those first doses, those first shots, that are way down,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said. With fewer people beginning the vaccine regimen, an even larger drop-off is on the horizon, he added: “You can see that cliff coming in the next week or two.” Meanwhile, as we near the end of the state’s tiered reopening system, more counties moved Tuesday into less restrictive tiers. Marin, Monterey, San Benito and Ventura counties just joined the least-restrictive yellow tier, in which counties can let most businesses operate indoors with some modifications, and another four — Nevada, Sacramento, San Joaquin and Solano — have progressed into the orange. See the latest on California’s coronavirus closures and reopenings, and the metrics that inform them, with our tracker. Consider subscribing to the Los Angeles Times Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. Become a subscriber. Do you confuse the B.1.1.7 coronavirus variant with B.1.351? What about P.1, P.2 and P.3? Thanks to the World Health Organization, you now have one fewer thing to worry about. The global health agency has unveiled a new variant naming system that replaces the letter-dot-number framework with a much simpler one based on Greek letters. B.1.1.7, first identified in the United Kingdom and often referred to as “the U.K. variant,” becomes Alpha, and B.1.351, which you may know as “the South Africa variant,” is now Beta. And the really confounding pair from California known as B.1.427/B.1.429 now goes by Epsilon. Scientists frown on naming pathogens and diseases after places — they say it can be stigmatizing. (In their book, the Spanish flu should be known as the 1918 H1N1 virus.) But the Greek letter system is a tacit acknowledgement that their way of referring to viral variants needed some work. So far, four variants of concern and six variants of interest have earned Greek letters. If we get to the unfortunate point where the list of variants is longer than the Greek alphabet, WHO said it will come up with a new naming scheme. That would avoid a scenario in which fraternities and sororities find themselves sharing names with viruses. For now though, the variants do keep coming. Yet another made its appearance several days ago in Vietnam. The new variant is a hybrid of the Alpha and Delta variants. Laboratory tests suggested it might spread more easily than other versions of the virus, the Vietnamese health minister said. A recent surge has spread to 30 of Vietnam’s 65 municipalities and provinces, and the new variant could be to blame, according to the health minister. Meanwhile in Peru, officials have revised the way they count COVID-19 deaths. As a result, the country’s toll now stands at 180,764 — more than double the previous tally. Under the old rules, only those who “had a positive diagnostic test” were classified as having died of COVID-19. Under the new rules, the criteria have been expanded. The change means that Brazil and Mexico are the only Latin American countries with more COVID-19 deaths. While the virus surges in parts of Southeast Asia and Latin America, it is waning across Europe as vaccination rates accelerate. The travel industry has its fingers crossed that infections, hospitalizations and deaths will continue their downward trend, rescuing the summer tourist season. Speaking of vaccines, pregnant women who are unsure whether to get vaccinated against COVID-19 received an assurance from the head of the National Institutes of Health that the two mRNA vaccines “appear to be completely safe” for expecting mothers. Dr. Francis Collins, the NIH director, explained in a blog post Tuesday that pregnant women had been excluded from initial clinical trials of the vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. But he said two new studies involving small groups of pregnant women indicate the two vaccines are “safe and effective in pregnancy, with the potential to benefit both mother and baby.” One study found that women who were pregnant or were breastfeeding produced coronavirus antibodies that were able to fight off some troubling variants. The antibodies were also detected in cord blood and breast milk, suggesting that infants received some of the vaccines’ protection too. The second study also found that the vaccines worked properly in pregnant women and caused no unexpected damage to the placenta, Collins wrote. Today’s question comes from a reader who wants to know: Why does your vaccine tracker graphic show the percentage of all Californians who have been vaccinated instead of the percentage of people who are eligible? Several of you have written to us asking about how we’re tracking vaccinations, and what the percentages shown in our trackers reflect. After all, as some of you have pointed out, the vaccine isn’t even available to kids under 12, so we might get a better handle on how the rollout is going if we focus on vaccinations among those who are eligible to receive it. This particular reader’s question pertained to a version of the vaccine-tracking graphic that we included in the newsletters a while back. Here’s what that graph looks like based on today’s data: It may seem silly to focus on the percentage of all Californians vaccinated. But think of that graph not as a gauge of California’s progress toward vaccinating currently eligible groups, but rather as a measure of how far we’ve come toward ending the outbreak. We are tracking the percentage of all Californians vaccinated to gauge our progress toward herd immunity. Experts anticipate we’ll get there once about 85% of all Americans — including the nation’s 75 million kids — have been vaccinated. When herd immunity is reached, the virus will have a hard time finding new hosts to infect, and the outbreak will sputter to an end. But that will take a while, since as the reader notes, COVID-19 vaccines are not yet being administered to young children. Although both Pfizer and Moderna are testing their vaccines in children as young as 6 months, results of those tests may not come until fall and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration may not authorize them for young children until late this year or early next. But we’re getting closer. Already, Pfizer’s vaccine is being administered to kids age 12 and older, and last week, Moderna said its shot works in kids that age too, and that it plans to submit data to regulators early this month. Vaccines may not carry us to total herd immunity, but the greater the number of people who are vaccinated, the lower the risk that our healthcare system will be overwhelmed by COVID-19. A well-vaccinated population also means less chance of a dangerous new variant taking hold. And immunizing kids will be key to curbing those risks. My colleague Deborah Netburn wrote more last month about why this matters. We want to hear from you. Email us your coronavirus questions, and we’ll do our best to answer them. Wondering if your question’s already been answered? Check out our archive here. Resources Need a vaccine? Sign up for email updates, and make an appointment where you live: City of Los Angeles | Los Angeles County | Kern County | Orange County | Riverside County | San Bernardino County | San Diego County | San Luis Obispo County | Santa Barbara County | Ventura CountyNeed more vaccine help? Talk to your healthcare provider. Call the state’s COVID-19 hotline at (833) 422-4255. And consult our county-by-county guides to getting vaccinated.Practice social distancing using these tips, and wear a mask or two.Watch for symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills, shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and loss of taste or smell. Here’s what to look for and when.Need to get tested? Here’s where you can in L.A. County and around California.Americans are hurting in many ways. We have advice for helping kids cope, resources for people experiencing domestic abuse and a newsletter to help you make ends meet.We’ve answered hundreds of readers’ questions. Explore them in our archive here.For our most up-to-date coverage, visit our homepage and our Health section, get our breaking news alerts, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

Huntington Beach Mayor Pro Tem Tito Ortiz resigns, citing personal attacks

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-01/huntington-beach-mayor-pro-tem-tito-ortiz-resigns-citing-personal-attacks

Huntington Beach Mayor Pro Tem Tito Ortiz has resigned his position, citing an onslaught of public attacks on his character and a fear for the safety of his family. During a Tuesday night City Council meeting, Ortiz said that although he had been “under a notion that I was in a bipartisan position and that we all had the common goal that our city and our constituents could have... [but] to put it frankly, that’s not the case.” He said that he has been the “sole focus of character assassination each and every week with multiple news stories” that sought to defame his name. The attacks, he said, now involve his family, causing him to fear for their safety. “I was sworn in, and I was met with hostility and judgment,” said Ortiz, 46. He said his resignation was effective Tuesday. Mayor Kim Carr did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a statement, Catherine Jun, assistant to the city manager, said the City Council will hold a special meeting Wednesday to consider the appointment of a new mayor pro tem. Ortiz, who was sworn in as a councilman Dec. 7, has been outspoken about his refusal to wear a mask or get a vaccine to protect against COVID-19. He’s previously accused his fellow council members of singling him out because of his conservative views. Ortiz’s campaign slogan in last year’s race was “Make Huntington Beach Safe Again,” a nod to former President Trump’s slogan “Make America Great Again.” When the ballots were counted in November, Ortiz received more than 42,000 votes — the most in a council race in the city’s history. “We’ve got to be on the right side of history, the good side of history,” Ortiz told a crowd of Trump supporters during a “Stop the Steal” rally in December protesting the election of President Biden. “This is good versus evil. I don’t want a communist country.” During an interview on a podcast last year, Ortiz called the coronavirus the “Chinese virus” and said it’s a form of “population control” by the left and a “political scam” that would disappear by election day. He’s frequently appeared at events without a mask to pose for photos and chat with supporters. Ortiz was nearly stripped of his mayor pro tem title during a City Council meeting in February after he was criticized for refusing to wear a mask. He received heavy public backlash after he recorded a video outside a Huntington Beach burger shack in January criticizing the venue for not letting him order unless he was wearing a mask. Community members accused Ortiz of potentially sending customers away when small businesses were struggling to survive amid coronavirus restrictions. A special meeting was held Feb. 1 on whether to rid Ortiz of his mayor pro tem title after an incident where he was denied entry to a strategic planning meeting at the Central Library because he showed up without a mask. The council opted to table the item to give him more time to learn the ropes of his position. “This is not a partisan seat,” Councilman Mike Posey, a longtime Republican, has said in an admonition of Ortiz. “It’s about serving the community. It’s about serving your neighbors. If wearing a mask makes somebody more comfortable, then put it on.” More recently, Ortiz received criticism for filing for unemployment against the city in February, despite not having his hours cut during the pandemic. In a statement on his Facebook page in response to an Orange County Register story on him filing for unemployment, he wrote that his businesses have “suffered tremendously due to the COVID lockdowns” and that he had “forfeited many income-generating opportunities to serve Huntington Beach as an elected official.” “What is most alarming is that high-level Huntington Beach city employees and/or elected officials may have colluded with local activists to disclose my confidential information to the OC Register as part of an ongoing character assassination campaign against me,” he wrote. Ortiz is a longtime Huntington Beach resident. His biography on Huntington Beach’s website says that he “decided to step into the political arena to fight for his hometown.” Daily Pilot staff writer Matt Szabo contributed to this report.

High school softball: Southern Section playoff results and updated pairings

https://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/story/2021-06-01/high-school-softball-southern-section-playoff-game-results-and-updated-pairings

SOUTHERN SECTION SOFTBALL DIVISION 1 First round, Thursday, 3:15 p.m. unless noted Aliso Niguel at #1 Norco, 4 p.m. Orange Lutheran vs. California at La Serna Los Alamitos at El Modena Cypress at La Mirada Crescenta Valley 5, Royal 0 (Wednesday) Murrieta Mesa 8, Valley View 0 (Tuesday) La Serna 13, Valencia 5 (Wednesday) Newbury Park at #4 Esperanza Marina at #3 Garden Grove Pacifica Vista Murrieta 4, Sonora 1 (Wednesday) Santa Margarita at Ayala, 2:15 p.m. Dana Hills at Eastvale Roosevelt, 4:30 p.m. Corona Santiago at Chino Hills South Torrance 7, Saugus 4 (Wednesday) Gahr at Mater Dei Great Oak at #2 Huntington Beach, 6 p.m. DIVISION 2 Wild-card games, Tuesday Long Beach Wilson 8, La Palma Kennedy 4 Diamond Bar 3, San Clemente 2 First round, Thursday, 3:15 p.m. unless noted Long Beach Wilson at #1 Camarillo El Dorado at La Habra Palm Desert at Riverside Poly Santa Fe at Rio Mesa San Dimas at Oaks Christian Warren 9, Mission Viejo 1 (Wednesday) Glendora at Los Altos Yucaipa at #4 Upland Buena at #3 Westlake Lakewood at South Hills Torrance at Grand Terrace Etiwanda at Beaumont Chaminade at Downey Diamond Ranch 2, Simi Valley 1 (Wednesday) Godinez at St. Paul Diamond Bar at #2 Villa Park DIVISION 3 Wild-card games, Tuesday, 3:15 p.m. St. Anthony 5, Woodbridge 1 Bonita 3, Paloma Valley 2 Mira Costa 11, Chaffey 3 Charter Oak 9, Village Christian 0 First round, Thursday, 3:15 p.m. unless noted St. Anthony at #1 Whittier Christian Highland at Santa Paula Chino at Millikan Patriot at Cerritos Irvine at North Torrance, 4 p.m. Culver City at Grace Brethren Sultana at La Quinta Bonita at #4 Louisville Mira Costa at #3 Ramona Beckman 10, Mayfair 0 (Wednesday) Arcadia at Bishop Amat Aquinas 10, South El Monte 0 (Wednesday) Dos Pueblos at Quartz Hill Redondo 7, Tesoro 6 (Tuesday) Hart at Don Lugo Charter Oak at #2 Sierra Canyon DIVISION 4 First round, Thursday, 3:15 p.m. unless noted Paraclete vs. #1 Sherman Oaks Notre Dame at Franklin Fields (Encino) Summit 10, Sierra Vista 0 (Wednesday) Burbank Burroughs at Temple City Hemet at West Valley Sunny Hills at Oak Hills Nordhoff at Santa Ana Calvary Chapel Garden Grove Santiago at Newport Harbor Banning at #4 Segerstrom Artesia at #3 Arlington La Canada 10, Flintridge Sacred Heart 1 (Wednesday) Oxnard at Garey Laguna Hills at Temescal Canyon, 1 p.m. Silverado at Citrus Valley Palm Springs at Coachella Valley Long Beach Poly at Anaheim #2 Rosary at Loara DIVISION 5 First round, Thursday, 3:15 p.m. unless noted #1 Western Christian, bye Barstow at Riverside North Jurupa Hills at Colton Canyon Springs at San Jacinto El Monte vs. Santa Clara at Beck Park (Oxnard), 1:15 p.m. Burbank def. Coast Union, forfeit Norwalk at Fillmore Bell Gardens at #4 Heritage Christian San Marino at #3 Schurr Mayfield at San Marcos Fountain Valley at Carter Knight at University Prep, 11 a.m. Ontario Christian at Bishop Montgomery Savanna at Ocean View Apple Valley at Nuview Bridge, Friday, 10 a.m. Capistrano Valley 22, Westminster La Quinta 0 (Wednesday) DIVISION 6 First round, Thursday, 3:15 p.m. unless noted Cantwell-Sacred Heart at #1 St. Bonaventure Pioneer at Sacred Heart, 2:30 p.m. Lancaster 6, Vasquez 3 (Wednesday) Edgewood at Twentynine Palms Bishop Conaty-Loretto at Alhambra Costa Mesa at Rancho Alamitos Downey Calvary Chapel at Hawthorne Arrowhead Christian at #4 Arroyo. Friday #3 Lompoc vs. St. Genevieve at Northridge LL, 3 p.m. Faith Baptist at United Christian Bloomington at Eisenhower, 4 p.m. Rio Hondo Prep 8, Nogales 0 (Wednesday) Indio at Azusa Beverly Hills at Victor Valley Monrovia at San Jacinto Valley Academy Gabrielino at #2 Orange Vista DIVISION 7 First round, Thursday, 3:15 p.m. unless noted #1 Southlands Christian, bye Lennox Academy, bye St. Monica, bye Perris at Academy of Careers & Exploration Alverno, bye Hesperia Christian at Riverside Bethel Christian Leuzinger at Magnolia #4 Glenn at Shandon Pomona at #3 Lakeside Santa Ana at Orangewood Academy Anza Hamilton at Riverside Prep Lancaster Desert Christian at Viewpoint Cobalt, bye Da Vinci, bye Rim of the World, bye Academy for Academic Excellence at #2 Burbank Providence NOTES: Second round in all divisions, Saturday; quarterfinals, June 8; semifinals, June 10. Championships, June 18-19 at Barber Park (Irvine).

High school baseball: Southern Section wild-card playoff results

https://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/story/2021-06-01/high-school-baseball-southern-section-wild-card-playoff-game-results

SOUTHERN SECTION BASEBALL DIVISION 1 First round, Thursday, 3:15 p.m. unless noted #1 JSerra, bye Chaminade at Capistrano Valley, Friday Vista Murrieta at Yucaipa, Wednesday South Hills at Damien Santa Margarita at Huntington Beach Redondo at Corona Crescenta Valley at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame Beckman at #4 Ayala Aliso Niguel vs. #3 Orange Lutheran at Hart Park (Orange), Wednesday, 6 p.m. Foothill at Mira Costa West Ranch at La Mirada St. Bonaventure at Bishop Amat, Friday Servite at King Temecula Valley at Cypress Dana Hills at Arcadia, Wednesday, 3:30 p.m. Temescal Canyon at #2 Harvard-Westlake DIVISION 2 Wild-card game, Wednesday, 3:15 p.m. Gardena Serra at Moorpark First round, Friday, 3:15 p.m. Wild-card winner at #1 Thousand Oaks Marina at Mission Viejo Dos Pueblos at Maranatha Santa Fe at San Dimas Los Alamitos at Garden Grove Pacifica El Dorado at Paloma Valley Bonita at La Quinta Simi Valley at #4 Ocean View Yorba Linda at #3 Villa Park Alemany at Rio Mesa La Canada at Camarillo Northview at Corona del Mar Oak Hills at Quartz Hill Canyon Springs at Trabuco Hills Gahr at Long Beach Poly Summit at #2 Sierra Canyon DIVISION 3 First round, Thursday, 3:15 p.m. unless noted #1 Hart, bye Cerritos, bye Los Osos at Lakewood Calabasas vs. Pasadena Poly at San Marino, 3:15 p.m. Torrance, bye Millikan at Mary Star Redlands East Valley at Carter Saugus at #4 Santa Barbara, Friday Irvine at #3 Chino Hills, 3:30 p.m. Fountain Valley at Don Lugo Palos Verdes at West Torrance Sonora, bye La Salle at Ontario Christian Arlington at Tahquitz, Wednesday Grand Terrace at Capistrano Valley Christian #2 Warren, bye DIVISION 4 First round, Friday, 3:15 p.m. unless noted California at #1 Murrieta Mesa Woodcrest Christian at Xavier Prep Alhambra at Monrovia Village Christian at Grace Brethren Culver City at La Sierra Rancho Cucamonga at El Modena Valley View at Kaiser Downey at #4 Westlake #3 Royal at Nogales El Rancho at Montebello Charter Oak at Los Altos Fullerton at Woodbridge Corona Centennial at Loara Segerstrom at Heritage, Thursday Salesian at La Serna Oxnard at #2 Paraclete DIVISION 5 Wild-card games, Tuesday Claremont 8, Bishop Diego 5 Laguna Hills 1, Bellflower 0 Crean Lutheran 1, Rio Hondo Prep 0 Burbank Burroughs 5, Arroyo 1 Cajon 3, Shadow Hills 2 Serrano 9, Silverado 8 First round, Thursday, 3:15 p.m. unless noted St. Margaret’s at #1 Citrus Valley Santa Paula at Highland Claremont at San Marcos Orange Vista at Sultana Laguna Hills at Citrus Hill Garey at Walnut Oxford Academy at St. Anthony #4 Crean Lutheran at Century Burbank Burroughs at #3 Malibu Savanna at Indio Schurr vs. Pomona at Garey Cajon at Adelanto Serrano at Hemet Sierra Vista at Burbank Ventura at Flintridge Prep Mayfair at #2 North Torrance, Friday DIVISION 6 Wild-card games, Wednesday, 3:15 p.m. A--Chaffey at Big Bear B--Downey Calvary Chapel at Knight C--Westminster at Anaheim D--Gladstone at West Valley E--Linfield Christian at Lakeside F--Crossroads at Carpinteria G--Santa Ana at St. Bernard First round, Friday, 3:15 p.m. unless noted Winner wild-card A at #1 Aquinas Orange at Westminster La Quinta Winner wild-card B at de Toledo Buena at Foothill Tech Bloomington at Elsinore, Thursday, 6 p.m. Ontario at Excelsior South Pasadena at Jurupa Valley #4 Viewpoint vs. Trinity Classical at Master’s U. (Santa Clarita) University Prep at #3 Ramona Winner wild-card C at Santa Ana Calvary Chapel Winner wild-card D at Pasadena Marshall Barstow at Cerritos Valley Christian Winner wild-card E at Colton Winner wild-card Fat Beverly Hills Winner wild-card G at Bishop Montgomery Rim of the World at #2 La Habra DIVISION 7 First round, Thursday, 3:15 p.m. unless noted #1 Hesperia Christian, bye Santa Clarita Christian at Wildomar Cornerstone Christian Los Amigos vs. Temecula Prep at Rancho Christian, Friday, 3:30 p.m. Pioneer vs. La Verne Lutheran at Bonita, Friday, 6:30 p.m. Indian Springs at Desert Hot Springs, Wednesday Cobalt at Arroyo Valley Milken at Da Vinci Villanova Prep at #4 Lancaster Desert Christian Banning at #3 Tarbut V’Torah Santa Monica Pacifica Christian at Coast Union, 1 p.m. Lancaster at Ojai Valley, Friday Academy for Careers & Exploration at Gabrielino Western Christian at Lennox Academy Hawthorne vs. Verbum Dei at Bosco Tech Desert Mirage at Santa Rosa Academy Mountain View at #2 Vasquez, Wednesday, 2 p.m. NOTES: Second round in all divisions, June 8; quarterfinals, June 11; semifinals, June 15. Championships, June 18 at Blair Field (Long Beach) and June 19 at Cal State Fullerton.

Democrat Melanie Stansbury wins U.S. House race in New Mexico

https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-06-01/democrat-melanie-stansbury-wins-us-house-race-in-new-mexico

Democrat Melanie Stansbury has won election to Congress in New Mexico to fill a vacant seat previously held by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. Stanbury prevailed Tuesday in a four-way race after campaigning in support of major initiatives of the Biden administration. Her victory shores up the Democratic majority in Congress ahead of the 2022 midterm election. Stansbury defeated third-term Republican state Sen. Mark Moores to fill an Albuquerque-based seat that has been held by Democrats since 2009. Her victory preserves an all-female House delegation in the state. Libertarian nominee Chris Manning and independent Aubrey Dunn Jr. also sought the 1st Congressional District seat. The 1st Congressional District encompasses Albuquerque, rural Torrance County and other outlying areas that include the Indigenous community of Sandia Pueblo. Politics Biden asks Vice President Kamala Harris to lead his administration’s efforts to protect voting rights as many states work to add restrictions. June 1, 2021 The district’s voters have heavily favored Democratic candidates in recent years, favoring Joe Biden by 23 percentage points in 2020 and reelecting Haaland by a 16-point margin as voter participation reached an all-time high. Tuesday’s election is among a handful of races to fill vacancies in Congress ahead of the midterm. Democrats held a 219-211 majority in Congress going into Tuesday’s vote in New Mexico. New Mexico’s 1st District seat has been a steppingstone to higher office for Republican and Democratic politicians, including late Interior Secretary Manuel Lujan Jr., former Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson, U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. The district relies heavily on federal military and research funding as home to Kirtland Air Force Base and Sandia National Laboratories. President Trump in 2020 fell flat with Albuquerque-area voters after he sent federal agents to bolster local law enforcement efforts. Republicans last year flipped the state’s sprawling 2nd Congressional District in southern New Mexico as Yvette Herrell of Alamogordo ousted incumbent Xochitl Torres Small.

Sparks' win streak snapped in loss to Wings

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2021-06-01/sparks-win-streak-snapped-in

Tyasha Harris scored a career-high 18 points, with four 3-pointers, and Kayla Thornton had 15 points and seven rebounds to help the Dallas Wings beat the L.A. Sparks 79-69 on Tuesday night, snapping a four-game losing streak. Arike Ogunbowale added 14 points for Dallas (2-4). Moriah Jefferson had 10 points, six rebounds and six assists, and Marina Mabrey added 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Dallas outrebounded Los Angeles 41-24. The Wings also made 10 3-pointers and 17 of 18 free throws. Dallas led 38-28 at halftime behind balanced scoring. Thornton scored nine points, and Mabrey, Jefferson and Ogunbowale added eight points apiece. Kristi Toliver scored 14 points, making 4 of 5 3-pointers, for Los Angeles (2-3), which had a two-game winning streak snapped. Te’a Cooper added 12 points, and Amanda Zahui B scored 10. Los Angeles star Nneka Ogwumike sat out for much of the fourth, with her left knee wrapped, after a fall early in the quarter. Ogwumike finished with 10 points in 25 minutes.

Andrew Whitworth brought offseason training home for Rams offensive linemen

https://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/story/2021-06-01/andrew-whitworth-home-offseason-training-rams-linemen

At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, Rams left tackle Andrew Whitworth began outfitting his garage with gym equipment. Whitworth did not initially envision that it would become a workout spot for Rams teammates. But the 15-year veteran said all offensive linemen, except for recently drafted rookies, have spent this offseason training together in his Westlake Village home gym. “Most of the guys just call it ‘The Dojo,’ right now,” Whitworth said Tuesday during a videoconference, adding, “Everybody’s involved and invested in it and that’s made it unique. It’s created a really special bond between us.” Whitworth, 39, is the leader of a line that must protect new quarterback Matthew Stafford for a team that will begin the season as a Super Bowl contender. Whitworth will celebrate his 40th birthday on Dec. 12, the day before the Rams play the Arizona Cardinals in a late-season game on “Monday Night Football.” “I tell him all the time, he’s like a fine wine,” coach Sean McVay said. “He gets better with age.” Rams Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford opened up in an interview, including his decision to ask for a trade and an eating contest he had with Clayton Kershaw. May 19, 2021 Whitworth signed with the Rams in 2017 after playing 11 seasons for the Cincinnati Bengals. Last season he suffered a knee injury that forced him to sit out the final seven games. Whitworth returned for the playoffs, helping the Rams to an NFC wild-card victory over the Seattle Seahawks. The season ended with a divisional-round loss to the Green Bay Packers. In February, McVay replaced Aaron Kromer, the Rams’ offensive line coach the last four seasons, with Kevin Carberry, who coached the last three seasons at Stanford. Carberry and the linemen have worked together for the first time during organized team activities, which conclude next week with a minicamp. “Almost like a feeling-out process,” Whitworth said, “Like, ‘Hey, here’s some things we’re going to check, and see where are we with these things.’ ” Whitworth said Bengals Hall of Fame tackle Anthony Munoz, who retired after the 1992 season, mentored and instilled in him the importance of offseason work, and the need to focus on individual improvement. Rams Will the Rams be good enough to make a run to a Super Bowl that will be played at SoFi Stadium? Here are some takeaways from the Rams’ 2021 schedule. May 13, 2021 “He used to always tell me, ‘Man, the offseason is the time to be selfish,’ ” Whitworth said. “And what he meant by that is that it’s really the time to hone in on what is that you do, and really to fine tune those skills so that when you get together in camp, when you get together in a season, it’s really about executing football.” Whitworth gets in his work while enjoying the camaraderie of teammates. He said his garage is replete with squat racks, weight benches, dumbbell racks and cardio equipment to work on strength and mobility. There are other training devices as well. “We got all kinds of nooks and crannies and little gadgets everywhere, in every corner, in every cabinet I can find stuffed with some kind of equipment,” he said. Whitworth, 6 feet 7 and 330 pounds, has not given in to age. He follows a regimen that during the season includes a controlled, healthy diet. He acknowledged that he allows himself some dietary liberties during the offseason. “Every time I DoorDash to Taco Bell, I feel it,” he joked. “So, my joints know what happened, I can assure you that.” Whitworth aims to be in top shape when the Rams open the season Sept. 12 against the Chicago Bears at SoFi Stadium. He will be protecting the blind side of Stafford, a 12-year veteran acquired in a trade with the Detroit Lions for quarterback Jared Goff and two first-round draft picks. Rams Now that defensive leader John Johnson has left via free agency, it’s up to recent draft picks Jordan Fuller and Taylor Rapp to fill the safety positions. May 25, 2021 As with Whitworth, Stafford joined the Rams after spending more than a decade in the Midwest with a team that did not win a playoff game. “It’s almost invigorating, and then also a little nerve-wracking to come somewhere else where there’s expectation,” Whitworth said, adding, “It almost fires you up and makes you feel like a rookie again.” After playing with Goff for four seasons, Whitworth — and younger Rams linemen — are getting acclimated to Stafford’s voice, snap cadence and movement. Whitworth said there is not a coverage scheme or defense that Stafford has not seen. “He understands all of the little nuances of things that, there’s just no way you can have those without the time in the game and without the experience,” Whitworth said.

High school baseball: City playoff pairings

https://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/story/2021-06-01/high-school-baseball-city-playoff-pairings

CITY BASEBALL OPEN DIVISION First round, June 9, 3 p.m. #1 Granada Hills, bye #9 Narbonne at #8 Birmingham #12 Venice at #5 Wilmington Banning #4 San Pedro, bye #3 Los Angeles Roosevelt, bye #11 El Camino Real at #6 Sylmar #10 Chatsworth at #7 Palisades #2 Cleveland, bye NOTES: Quarterfinals, June 11, 3 p.m.; semifinals, June 16, 3 p.m. Championship, June 19, 3 p.m.. DIVISION I Wild-card games, Friday, 3 p.m. #17 Westchester at #16 Los Angeles CES First round, June 9, 3 p.m. Los Angeles CES/Westchester winner at #1 Sun Valley Poly #9 South East at #8 Carson #12 North Hollywood at #5 Granada Hills Kennedy #13 San Fernando at #4 Taft #14 Valley Arts/Sciences at #3 Verdugo Hills #11 Roybal at #6 Los Angeles Hamilton #10 Bell at #7 Los Angeles Marshall #15 Torres at #2 Garfield NOTES: Quarterfinals, June 11, 3 p.m.; semifinals, June 16, 3 p.m. Championship, June 19, 12 p.m. DIVISION II First round, June 8, 3 p.m. #16 Reseda at #1 Los Angeles Wilson #9 Harbor Teacher at #8 Santee #12 Monroe at #5 Van Nuys #13 Fairfax at #4 Maywood CES #14 Canoga Park at #3 Legacy #11 Fremont at #6 Marquez #10 Franklin at #7 Vaughn #15 Contreras at #2 Port of Los Angeles NOTES: Quarterfinals, June 10, 3 p.m.; semifinals, June 15, 3 p.m. Championship, June 18, 3 p.m. DIVISION III First round, Tuesday, 3 p.m. #8 North Valley Military at #1 King/Drew #5 West Adams at #4 Los Angeles University #6 Animo Robinson at #3 Mendez #7 WISH at #2 Bravo NOTES: Semifinals, June 12, 3 p.m. Championship, June 18, 3 p.m.

Former Dodgers star reliever Mike Marshall dies at 78

https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2021-06-01/la-sp-mlb-mike-marshall-dies-dodgers-cy-young

Mike Marshall, who set a major league standard for endurance during an iconoclastic but award-winning career, died Tuesday, the team said. He was 78. The Dodgers said he died in Zephyrhills, Fla., where he resided. The team did not announce a cause of death. In 1974, as the Dodgers’ top relief pitcher, he appeared in 106 games, still the major league record. He pitched in all five games of the World Series that year, including a memorable pickoff of Herb Washington, the track star the Oakland Athletics signed for the sole purpose of pinch-running. Marshall won the National League Cy Young Award as the league’s best pitcher that year, the first relief pitcher to win the award. He ranked among the top five in Cy Young voting four times, unusually high finishes for a relief pitcher. Then again, Marshall finished an unusually high number of games, with an unusually high number of innings. He pitched in 13 consecutive games in 1974, pitching the final four innings one day and the final inning the next. He pitched 208 1/3 innings and faced 857 batters that year, one of three in which he appeared in at least 90 games. Only five men in major league history have appeared in 90 games, even once. The most recent pitcher to appear in at least 90 games, Pedro Feliciano in 2010, pitched 62 2/3 innings and faced 280 batters. Dodgers Pitcher Trevor Bauer said he will do a deep dive into advanced statistics and video to determine the reasons for the high percentage of long balls. June 1, 2021 Marshall attributed his endurance to a self-taught regimen he adopted in 1967, after his rookie season left his pitching arm so sore he could not lift his arm high enough to shave. He ordered X-rays, studied high-speed film and determined that he was throwing the ball all wrong. He could minimize stress on the arm, he concluded, if he delivered the ball by turning his hand so that his wrist rotated into his body and his thumb pointed down, not up. He streamlined his body’s motion during his delivery. In retrospect, Marshall was a man ahead of his time. The Dodgers’ Trevor Bauer, for instance, worked independently and with private coaches to refine his game and win the NL Cy Young Award last year. Bauer and many other pitchers make use of sophisticated biomechanical feedback that shows stress points in the delivery, a technology-driven improvement toward the same goals Marshall had half a century ago, on the way to his doctorate degree in kinesiology. Today, teams embrace technology-driven instruction, even from outside the organization, and freely hire coaches who never played professional baseball. In Marshall’s day, players were expected to follow standardized instruction and obey coaches, not challenge them. “I’m afraid Mike’s problem is that he’s too intelligent and has too much education,” pitcher Jim Bouton wrote in “Ball Four,” published in 1970. Marshall pitched 14 seasons in the major leagues, but for nine teams, never spending as many as four full seasons with the same team. He believed teams dumped him in part because of his activism in the nascent players’ union. After he retired in 1981, he thought teams would approach him about coaching. He believed, after all, that he could teach techniques that could virtually eliminate the chance of a pitcher suffering an arm injury. “Without listening to what I have to say, ‘traditional’ baseball pitching coaches, orthopedic surgeons, biomechanists, general managers and almost everybody else that coaches baseball believe that all baseball pitchers will eventually suffer injuries,” Marshall wrote on his website. He did not hide his disdain for conventional wisdom, or its purveyors that declined to turn their team’s pitchers over to him. “They’re still teaching the same motion of the first guy who won a ballgame,” Marshall told the Kansas City Star in 2007. “There’s not one of them who knows anything of science. They think Sir Isaac Newton invented the Fig Newton.” Without a professional outlet for his coaching, Marshall opened a pitching school in Florida, but the pupils generally had washed out of the major leagues or had little hope of getting there. In 2007, Times staff writer Kevin Baxter visited the school, where Marshall had introduced work with weights and weighted balls long before such work became accepted in the major leagues. Dodgers Chris Taylor lashes a 97-mph fastball into right-center field for a three-run double in the sixth inning of the Dodgers’ 9-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. May 31, 2021 “They just didn’t want my ideas to get in,” Marshall told The Times. “That’s ridiculous. But that’s the small-mindedness of Major League Baseball. They don’t know what the hell they’re doing. And if I get in, everybody will know that they don’t know what the hell they’re doing.” In his interview with the Star, Marshall expressed his frustration that even former teammates and colleagues within the major leagues would not return his calls. He talked about a movie that hit home for him. “You spend your lifetime working on something that everybody ignores,” he said, “and then you’ll understand.” Marshall is survived by his wife, Erica, and three daughters: Rebekah, Deborah and Kerry Jo.

Clippers hope to give home fans something to shout about in Game 5

https://www.latimes.com/sports/clippers/story/2021-06-01/clippers-mavericks-game-5-preview

Tyronn Lue was his typical, composed self Sunday night after his team’s second consecutive road victory tied its first-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks 2-2 — until the final seconds of his postgame videoconference. Raising his right hand into a fist, the coach of the Clippers thumped a table. “Clipper fans, if you’re listening, we need” — bang! — “your energy” — bang! — “come Wednesday,” Lue said. “We’re ready, baby.” The call to action ahead of Wednesday night’s Game 5 at Staples Center generated hundreds of shares on social media. But will it generate a home win? That would be a first. After the NBA resumed last season inside a fan-free Florida campus, then returned to home markets this season in front of sparse crowds — if spectators were allowed to return at all — teams have come to understand that home-court advantage is still present, though perhaps not as powerful. Road teams were 16-16 in the playoffs through Monday, with seven making 40% or more of their three-point attempts. There has been no series in which home teams have put out the welcome mat more than Clippers-Mavericks, the first series since 2017 to begin with four consecutive victories by the visitor. “Home court does mean a lot,” Lue said Tuesday. “It’s just both teams play well on the opposing team’s floor.” Sports Who tanked to avoid playing whom in the NBA playoffs is last week’s news. The Lakers and Clippers enter Game 5 of their series in pure survival mode. June 1, 2021 The Mavericks made 35 of their 70 three-point tries during two games in Los Angeles, unfazed as the allowable crowd size jumped from just shy of the nearly 3,000 allowed during the regular season’s final games to nearly 7,000 for the postseason. The Clippers responded in Dallas by shooting 40.6% from deep, while also making 55 of their 89 shots inside the arc, during their two-game rebound that has evened the series. “Hopefully the mandates are lifted some more and we get more fans in there, we continue to have as packed crowds as possible and have our fan base behind us 100%,” Clippers guard Reggie Jackson said. “And then when we go on the road, I think we’re enjoying and embracing the idea of loving being hated.” Hundreds of fans milled outside American Airlines Center in Dallas last week before tipoff, taking pictures in front of life-size cutouts of their favorite Mavericks players and gathering in restaurants blaring music. Once inside the building, more than 17,000 — the largest crowds the Clippers had played in front of in 15 months — created a wall of sound as the games began. By the end of the Clippers’ two-game stay, Clippers All-Star Paul George — who averaged 24.5 points on 50% shooting from the field in Games 3 and 4 — called the atmosphere “fun.” “You get to find out this game isn’t the same — isn’t nowhere near the same experience that it is with the fans,” Jackson said. “It was fun to play amongst a rowdy crowd. Now we’re looking forward to playing in front of a crowd who loves us. ” The Clippers could be without backup center Serge Ibaka for a third consecutive game after back spasms led him to be listed as doubtful, though the lack of a 7-footer hasn’t exactly hurt his team. Of the team’s nine lineups that have played at least five minutes together, four of the top six don’t feature a traditional center, as gauged by plus-minus. Dallas coach Rick Carlisle noted that the Clippers, after starting forward Nicolas Batum in place of center Ivica Zubac, played much faster in Game 4. “I’ve been through so many wild playoffs series that had all kinds of ups and downs, and wacky stuff like road teams winning and teams struggling at home and all that kind of stuff,” Carlisle said. “You’ve got to treat every day as a one-game day.” Clippers Kawhi Leonard and Paul George lead the Clippers to a Game 4 defeat of the Mavericks, and the series is looking like it could be over. May 31, 2021 After injuring his neck during Game 3, Mavericks guard Luka Doncic hasn’t looked as comfortable as he had in Los Angeles — and neither has his team. Center Boban Marjanovic said Tuesday that he can tell how Doncic usually moves his head, and that right now it’s “not like his regular move.” Yet Carlisle expects both Doncic and forward Maxi Kleber (Achilles tendon soreness) to play in front of what Lue hopes will be a home crowd that exits having seen the Clippers finally take advantage of home court. “Having our first playoffs in a year at home is a little different,” Lue said. “But the fans, you always feed off your fans, the crowds, the energy, what they bring to the arena. When your team doesn’t have it that day, you really need to feed off the fans. Like I said, we’re going to need our fans. We want that place rocking.”

Kenneth Murray Jr. loves downhill battle in Chargers' new defensive scheme

https://www.latimes.com/sports/chargers/story/2021-06-01/kenneth-murray-jr-loves-chargers-defensive-scheme

He started all 16 games, called defensive signals for most of the season and finished with a team-high 107 tackles. Yet, on Tuesday, Kenneth Murray Jr. said he doesn’t think he “ever felt comfortable” in the scheme of the 2020 Chargers. So, now, with a new coaching staff implementing a new system that exploits his skills, the linebacker explained that he is nothing but encouraged. “I definitely feel way more comfortable,” Murray said. “I definitely feel like it plays more to my strengths of being aggressive and playing downhill.” Head coach Brandon Staley and defensive coordinator Renaldo Hill appear set to unleash Murray in his second season. Their plans more closely align with what the versatile defender did at Oklahoma, where he performed well enough to become a first-round draft pick. Chargers Takeaways from the Chargers’ 2021 schedule unveiling on Wednesday. May 13, 2021 Among other assignments as a rookie, Murray at times was asked to drop into pass coverage. He said he has been told to plan on “blitzing a lot more, being aggressive” this season. “I feel like this scheme fits me 100% to my strengths,” Murray said. “The big emphasis from him [Staley] is getting me to play more downhill.” Murray became just the second Chargers rookie to finish with 100 tackles, joining safety Derwin James, who did it in 2018. But Murray had only one sack and no other quarterback hits. He also struggled during the middle of the season and lost signal-calling duties at one point as the Chargers attempted to ease his load. Having turned 22 in November, Murray is younger than fellow defenders Chris Rumph II and Nick Niemann, both of whom were just drafted by the Chargers. “He’s able to run sideline to sideline, and he’s big enough to plug it up in the middle,” Hill said. “We see that he’s a flex guy. We want to try to use all those attributes to really get him going.” The Chargers are transitioning to a scheme that will offer a 3-4 look and attempt to emphasize positional versatility. Murray and Drue Tranquill are the starting inside linebackers. Chargers It appears the Atlanta Falcons will trade star receiver Julio Jones, and betting on a deal with the Chargers is appealing given the long odds. May 27, 2021 The two were unable to play together in 2020 after Tranquill, coming off his own breakthrough rookie year, suffered a season-ending ankle injury minutes into the opener at Cincinnati. Murray ended up playing 93% of the Chargers’ defensive snaps despite a shoulder problem that required offseason surgery. He believes the original injury happened in college. He still hasn’t been cleared medically, but Murray said he feels healthy and could play right now if the schedule called for it. He has been lifting weights and said he isn’t limited in any team workouts. He also isn’t alone in feeling a sort of rebirth in the new defense. Safety Nasir Adderley also expressed increased optimism entering his second season as a starter. In August, Adderley was pushed into the lineup at free safety after James went down with a knee injury that ended his season. Adderley had an up-and-down showing in Gus Bradley’s scheme. Instead of lining up exclusively deep, Adderley is expected to be given chances to move around and perhaps better display the ball-hawking skills he showed in college at Delaware. The Chargers have talked about Adderley’s ability to also play cornerback, something he suggested Tuesday remains a possibility. “If anybody knows me, I’m an aggressor,” Adderley said. “I want to fly around out there. I think I’m going to have a lot more opportunity to do that.” Staley became the Chargers’ head coach after he coordinated the NFL’s top-ranked defense with the 2020 Rams. At 38 and with only four seasons as an NFL assistant, he quickly has earned a reputation for maximizing the skills of others. Chargers Chargers rookie coach Brandon Staley lived through his first day of being the top guy on the field with reverence, citing the surroundings of his rise. May 14, 2021 With the Chargers, players such as Murray, Adderley, edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu and lineman Jerry Tillery are popular projections to flourish in a system designed to create and seize upon mismatches. “He tries to create matchups on defense,” Murray said. “That’s really been the biggest thing that I’ve noticed, just how he tries to schematically set up the matchups to take advantage of the offense.” The Chargers are nearly two months from the start of training camp. They continue to work out only in shorts and T-shirts, moving mostly at walk-through pace. But the good vibes are in midseason form as a new regime brings a new hope. “To put it plain, I’m just very, very excited,” Adderley said. “It’s different for us. It’s something a lot of us, maybe, had similarity from college. But it’s a very exciting defense.”

Verbal jiujitsu, disarming and other tips for dealing with microaggressions

https://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/story/2021-06-01/what-is-a-microagression-how-to-address-subtle-racism

“I was wondering why you don’t have an accent,” U.S. figure skater Mirai Nagasu recalled a parent asking her at a recent meet-and-greet, after asking if she was from California. Nagasu froze, unsure how to respond. For the record: 10:15 a.m. June 2, 2021A previous version of this article identified Mindy Hoang as a physician. She is a medical student. Did the person assume all Asians were recent immigrants? Was it naive ignorance or subtle racism? The moment passed, but Nagasu continued to dwell on the interaction. As a public figure and role model, she needed to be diplomatic, especially when interacting with kids. But she also felt the need to push back, especially now during the resurgence in anti-Asian hate and xenophobia that left her parents concerned for their safety. Olympian or not, her experience is all too relatable. For Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, The Times asked our readers: How have you responded to microaggressions? One spoke of having to educate co-workers about why a racial slur was offensive. Others shared how frequently they were asked where they’re from or mistaken for other Asians. Another spoke of how they now dread going to work after a colleague shared a yellowface meme and their boss responded “LOL.” Psychologist Derald Wing Sue calls microaggressions the “everyday slights, indignities, insults, putdowns and invalidations” that people from marginalized communities experience on a regular basis. Although these affronts often come from well-intentioned people, they are draining and have a “macro impact” on our health and well-being, said Sue, a professor at Columbia University who researches microintervention strategies. Whether and how we respond to a microaggression is situational, but we don’t have to passively let them happen to us or in front of us. There are ways, large and small, to push back and “signal to both the perpetrator and onlookers that this is unacceptable behavior,” Sue said. He has four tactics for disarming and dismantling microaggressions: 1. Make the invisible visible. Because microaggressions are easier to trivialize and brush off than explicit racism, it’s important to acknowledge that it happened. “Making the invisible visible” means pointing out the underlying message within the microaggression. When people compliment Sue’s English, they are assuming that he did not grow up in the U.S., which reinforces the stereotype that Asian Americans are perpetual foreigners. Sue responds, “I hope so. I was born here” or “Thank you. You do too.” His comeback — “a form of verbal jiujitsu” — undermines the implicit subtext and indicates they said something wrong, without creating a huge amount of defensiveness, Sue said. 2. Disarm and dismantle the microaggression. Some microaggressions are too harmful to go unchecked, Sue said. In these cases, Sue recommends tactics that range from deflections that express disapproval to challenging what was said or done. When someone starts to tell a racist joke, you can cut them off before they can reach the punchline, Sue said. “I know you meant that to be a joke, but that’s not funny.” Or, say you don’t want to hear it and walk away, Sue said. By stopping the microaggression in its tracks, you indicate that what they’re saying is offensive and unacceptable, Sue said. 3. Educate the perpetrator. Depending on your relationship with the microaggressor, you may want to explain why their behavior was harmful, Sue said. For those conversations, Sue recommends separating the microaggressor’s intent from the impact. “If you try to argue over intent, it’s a waste of time and energy,” Sue said. “But if you get them to think about impact and the harm, you force the dialogue into your territory.” Mindy Hoang, a Vietnamese American medical student from Ohio, remembers when an Asian American doctor asked if her parents were fond of gambling and if they worked in a nail salon. The blatant stereotyping left her feeling stunned and anxious. She lied and said that her mom was a nurse and her father was a manager. Looking back, she wished she had said, “I don’t think that is an appropriate generalization to make.” “Next time when someone asks me, I’ll say, ‘Yes, my parents are nail salon workers,’” Hoang said. “‘No, they don’t have advanced degrees, but they are smart, compassionate and they work hard to be able to be the best parents for me and my brothers.’” 4. Seek external reinforcement and support Given the constant and cumulative nature of microaggressions, it’s important to find outside help, especially if there’s a power imbalance or if pushing back puts you at risk or in danger. For example, if a teacher or boss doesn’t seem like they’d be receptive to you speaking up, Sue recommends finding allies who have equal-status relationships with the perpetrator to intervene on your behalf. External support, whether in the moment or afterward, is also important. When Sue’s research team studied racial microaggressions within classroom dynamics, they noticed that after a teacher said or did something inappropriate, the students of color would make eye contact with each other. “That’s nonverbal microintervention support,” he said. “What they are saying is, ‘We’re with you. That really happened. Don’t buy into that stereotype they have of you.’” Salvin Chahal — a Los Angeles-based Punjabi Sikh performer and producer — said people often follow him in their cars during his walks, disrespect him in grocery stores or don’t bother to acknowledge his presence. But even when he gets frustrated, he stops himself from publicly expressing his anger. As a South Asian man with a beard, he doesn’t want to put himself in danger. Instead, he calls up his Sikh American friends who can relate. “When dealing with microaggressions, I allow myself to process the emotions when I am in a safe place,” he said. “I remind myself of the power I come from, which can never be taken away from me.” Nagasu said she is still figuring out how she wants to respond to microaggressions, but she’s found ways to use her platform to be an ally to young skaters who might not be able to speak up for themselves yet. Recently, Nagasu intervened when a well-meaning choreographer was pressuring the young Japanese American skater she coaches to compete to a song from Disney’s “Mulan.” “My little student was like, ‘I’m not Chinese. This does not reflect who I am,’” said Nagasu. Nagasu stepped in and let her student choose her music for her next program — from figure skating anime “Yuri on Ice” — and created all-new choreography for her. Her student’s enthusiasm for skating soared. “It makes me happy in a giggly way that I’m able to influence the younger generation in a way that was different [than it was] for me,” she said. More tips from Derald Wing Sue on how to respond to microaggressions Pick your battles. You can spend your whole life dealing with microaggressions, and you don’t want to burn out. Different people require different tactics. With a stranger, you might choose not to respond or to be more blunt. With a friend or relative, you might spend more time with microinterventions that lead to more enlightening discussions. Remember that seeking support is not a weakness but a sign of strength. Document the incident, especially if the microaggression is harassing in nature, so you can report it if necessary.

Lakers' Anthony Davis out for Game 5 against Suns

https://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/story/2021-06-01/lakers-anthony-davis-out-for-game-5-against-suns

Anthony Davis will not play for the Lakers in their critical Game 5 meeting with the Suns on Tuesday night because of his strained left groin muscle. The team will start Markieff Morris in Davis’ place. Davis left Game 4 at halftime with the injury and was ruled out early in the third quarter. He was also battling a left knee injury that he suffered in Game 3. Davis is averaging 21.8 points and 8.0 rebounds in the first-round series with the Suns. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who missed Game 4 because of a bruised knee, returned to the court and starting lineup for Game 5. Game 6 will be Thursday night in Los Angeles. Sports Who tanked to avoid playing whom in the NBA playoffs is last week’s news. The Lakers and Clippers enter Game 5 of their series in pure survival mode. June 1, 2021

This is what reopening looks like at the Music Center in DTLA: joyful dancing

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2021-06-01/music-center-plaza-covid-reopening

About halfway through a tap dance performance on the Music Center plaza in downtown Los Angeles, the Department of Water and Power building behind the outdoor stage lights up like a lantern. Each empty office, blazing electric orange, is a reminder of how the city’s core hollowed out during the pandemic. On this Sunday night, however, the Music Center stages its cautious return to live performance with its fifth and final Dance at Dusk show featuring queen of tap Dormeshia. “The Super Villainz: A Tap Dance Act for the Modern Age” awakens L.A.’s cultural nerve center, which crackles with energy. About 150 audience members sit in 39 pods, each with up to four people. The pods are staggered in taped-off yellow squares across the plaza. A bottle of water has been placed by each metal folding chair, and no other refreshments are allowed or provided. This last part doesn’t seem to bother the audience, most of whom appear content just being there — in a public space, surrounded by others, experiencing a live performance after a 14-month pandemic-induced drought. Before the dancing begins, a recorded voice greets the audience and explains the safety protocols. Cheers and hollers ring out. Signs encourage audience members to text “dance” to 55741 to receive a program on their device. The performance is a joyful eruption of movement and sound, punctuated by the rhythmic tippity-tap-tap of amplified metal-soled shoes against the propulsive tempo of a live jazz quartet. Dormeshia, Jason Samuels Smith and Derick K. Grant electrify the crowd with jaw-dropping, complex footwork that looks impossibly effortless. The socially distanced nature of the performances — with echoes of the May reopening of the Hollywood Bowl, which welcomed 4,000 audience members in its 17,500-seat venue — is poised to be an anachronism as low infection rates vault the state toward Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed full reopening by June 15. But for this moment in time, as a weary public takes its first tentative steps back to collective interaction, the familiar safeguards feel just right. Masks are worn onto the plaza and taken off without fear as audience members chat with their pod mates, sip water and crane their necks to observe the unfamiliar social scene. Smiles warm faces used to being covered in cloth. Children giggle and bounce, couples wrap arms around each other. Conversation bubbles and laughter rings out — each welcome sound providing confirmation that life is moving on and the city is opening up. As the sun kisses the buildings on the western horizon, the city blushes bright pink. The color fades to gentle black as night makes its entrance. The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion to the left, its decadent chandeliers dripping light, awaits its debut Sunday when Los Angeles Opera returns inside for “Oedipus Rex.” The Mark Taper Forum’s curves are bathed in shadow to the right, and the Ahmanson peeks out from around the corner. City Hall stands at attention behind it all, silently observing the action.

As Texas GOP moves to revive bill to limit voting, Democrats plot next move

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-06-01/as-texas-gop-moves-to-revive-bill-to-limit-voting-democrats-plot-next-move

Texas Republicans pressed ahead with their push to limit voting options Tuesday, vowing to ensure Democrats’ weekend victory over one the most restrictive voting measures in the country would only be temporary. GOP Gov. Greg Abbott prepared to call lawmakers back for a special session to revive the voting measure that died when Democrats staged a dramatic walkout from the state Capitol just before the end of the legislative session Sunday night. Bolstered by Republican majorities in the House and Senate, Abbott also was weighing whether to use the extra session to take up other top conservative priorities that had failed during the session. That left Texas Democrats facing the aftermath of their last-minute maneuver and confronting how — or even whether — they can turn it into more than just temporary roadblock in the GOP’s nationwide pursuit to limit voting across the U.S. “There are consequences,” said state Sen. John Whitmire, one of Texas’ longest-serving Democrats. Democrats who staged the revolt in the state House of Representatives just before a midnight deadline Sunday did not leave indefinitely. Most were back on the House floor 12 hours later for ceremonial business, and none are calling to boycott a special session. They are instead betting their dramatic flight out of the Texas Capitol and to a Black church will make Republicans think twice about some provisions in the legislation — such as banning early voting on Sunday mornings, when many Black worshipers go to the polls after church — and give them more say on the next election bill. World & Nation The Texas Senate has pushed the state one step closer to becoming the largest in the nation where the GOP is making voting harder following the 2020 elections. May 30, 2021 But bare-knuckled Republican governing is a way of life in the Texas Capitol, and no concessions are so far promised. Abbott has begun punishing and taunting Democrats while he settles on deciding when he will order them back to work. He said Monday he would veto the part of the budget that funds legislators’ salaries, a move that could impact not just Democrats but also other Capitol staff. He then tweeted a reminder of the last time Texas Democrats dramatically blocked a bill: when then-state Sen. Wendy Davis talked for more than 11 consecutive hours in 2013 to filibuster a sweeping antiabortion measure, which Republicans immediately revived and passed in a special session. “We all know how that story ended,” Abbott tweeted. Texas Republicans may also enter a 30-day special session with not just commanding majorities, but new leverage. Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the right-wing leader of the Senate, also wants Abbott to demand that lawmakers try again to pass a ban on transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s sports. Politics Biden asks Vice President Kamala Harris to lead his administration’s efforts to protect voting rights as many states work to add restrictions. June 1, 2021 The Texas GOP’s bill to limit voting rules, known as Senate Bill 7, would reduce polling hours, empower partisan poll watchers and limit voting options. It includes a ban on drive-through voting centers and 24-hour polling places, both of which were used last year around Houston, reflecting how Republicans went after Texas’ largest Democratic stronghold. But it was new provisions added during final negotiations between the House and the Senate that triggered the Democrats’ walkout. One of the new measures would have made it easier to overturn an election by allowing a judge to void a candidate’s victory if the number of fraudulent votes cast could change the outcome, regardless of whether it was proved that the fraud actually had affected the result. It was kind of provision could allow a favorable judge to side with a candidate who makes broad claims of fraud with little or no evidence — as then-President Trump did in trying to overturn his 2020 election loss. Some Democrats suggested they would allow a vote on the elections legislation if it more closely resembled the earlier version and included some bipartisan input. Democrats had voted against that as well, but had not staged the protest. “If we get back on track with that mentality, we might be able to come up with election policy that is less objectionable,” Democratic state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer said. There were some signs Republicans might back off some of the most restrictive provisions. Republican state Rep. Travis Clardy, one of the negotiators on the final version of the Texas bill, told NPR on Tuesday that banning early Sunday morning voting was essentially a typo — that instead of starting voting no earlier than 1 p.m., the bill was supposed to say 11 a.m. “That’s one of the things I look forward to ... fixing the most. Call it a scrivener’s error, whatever you want to,” Clardy said. But the Senate author of the bill, Republican Bryan Hughes, made no mention of any such mistake over the weekend while defending the new Sunday limits. “Election workers want to go to church, too,” Hughes said. It the new bill is not acceptable to Democrats — and they were to walk out again — Republicans don’t have to stand pat. State troopers could be mobilized to try to forcibly bring lawmakers back to the House, as was the case in 2003, when Texas Democrats fled to Oklahoma and New Mexico to try and block new voting maps. Whitmire, who was first elected to the Texas Legislature in 1973, spent 36 days holed up in a hotel before breaking ranks with his fellow Democrats and returning home. The decision gave Senate Republicans at the time the quorum needed to get back to work on a redistricting plan that would give the GOP more seats in Congress. “Of upmost important is, what are you going to do when you get back?” Whitmire said of denying a quorum. “Are things going to be different? Probably not. But it educates the public and lets your core group know how committed you are to principles.” Texas Democrats’ move has reverberated across the country. President Biden on Tuesday urged Democrats and their allies to step up the fight to defend voting rights, which is expected to heat up in Washington later this month when Congress debates a federal rewrite of elections law. “I urge voting rights groups in this country to begin to redouble their efforts now to register and educate voters. June should be a month of action on Capitol Hill,” Biden said.

Major U.S. stock indexes end nearly flat after early gains evaporate

https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-06-01/major-u-s-stock-indexes-end-nearly-flat-after-early-gains-evaporate

A wobbly day on Wall Street ended with a mixed finish for the major stock indexes Tuesday as losses in the technology and healthcare sectors largely offset gains elsewhere in the market. The Standard & Poor’s 500 gave up an early gain, ending down less than 0.1%. That broke a three-day winning streak. The benchmark index had been up 0.7% earlier in the day. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite inched down 0.1%, while the Dow Jones industrial average eked out a 0.1% gain. The market’s modest moves came as investors returned from a three-day holiday weekend. Traders weighed a new report showing more growth in manufacturing as the COVID-19 pandemic wanes in the U.S. but were also looking ahead to the Labor Department’s monthly jobs report, which is due out Friday. Expectations that the upcoming jobs report will show a strong increase in hiring in May stoked worries about rising inflation and about how the Federal Reserve may respond to it. That helped push bond yields broadly higher Tuesday, said Quincy Krosby, chief market strategist at Prudential Financial. The S&P 500 slipped 2.07 points to 4,202.04. The index is coming off its fourth straight monthly increase. The Dow inched up 45.86 points to 34,575.31, while the Nasdaq edged down 12.26 points to 13,736.48. Small-company stocks outpaced the rest of the market. The Russell 2000 index climbed 25.77 points, or 1.1%, to 2,294.74. U.S. markets were closed Monday for Memorial Day. Stock trading has been bumpy in recent weeks as investors moved past a stellar corporate earnings season and focused on the tug-of-war between the economic recovery and rising inflation. The concern is that the global recovery could be hampered if governments and central banks have to withdraw stimulus to fight rising prices. Banks were among the biggest gainers as bond yields ticked higher, which enables banks to charge more lucrative interest rates on loans. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 1.61% from 1.58% on Friday. Bank of America rose 1.3%. Energy stocks were the biggest gainers in the S&P 500. Crude oil prices jumped more than 2%, helping to send producers higher. Exxon Mobil rose 3.6%. Healthcare and technology companies fell, checking gains elsewhere in the market. Abbott Laboratories slumped 9.3%, the biggest loss in the S&P 500. Microsoft slid 0.9%. The Institute for Supply Management reported that manufacturing picked up again in May. The institute’s manufacturing index came in at 61.2 last month, much better than the 60.6 expected by economists surveyed by FactSet. The growth in manufacturing came despite supply shortages that have plagued many manufacturers for weeks, particularly those that require semiconductors. It’s the latest piece of economic data that has shown the U.S. economy growing quickly. AMC Entertainment jumped 22.7% after the movie theater operator announced a stock sale. AMC, whose stock is up more than 1,000% this year, is among a handful of companies such as GameStop that gained the attention of online retail investors this year. Business Some were just in it for the money. Others saw a chance to stick it to Wall Street. Between them, they made GameStop the latest symbol of chaotic internet-fueled change. Jan. 29, 2021

Signs aim to protect sea lions from humans at La Jolla Cove amid pupping season

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-01/la-jolla-cove-sea-lions-social-distancing

Human visitors to La Jolla Cove will soon see signs asking them to keep a “social distance” from the sea lions there. During a media briefing overlooking the cove Tuesday, San Diego City Councilman Joe LaCava — whose District 1 includes La Jolla — and San Diego Parks & Recreation Department Director Andy Field, joined by other city leaders, announced the plans for the signs and encouraged “responsible tourism” during the summer. “Today marks the first day of sea lion pupping season,” LaCava said. “From now through Oct. 31, many of the female sea lions will be giving birth and caring for their young. Pups must remain on dry land for the first few months before they are ready to venture out into the open ocean. “The pups are especially vulnerable, and the mothers, who weigh 200 to 400 pounds, are quite protective. ... To ensure the pups’ survival, we must respect the sea lions and their habitat. In collaboration with the Parks & Recreation Department, we are adding additional signage to protect those sea lions and visitors.” Field said the signs’ language is being drafted to “better inform the public about the pupping season and the steps they can take to keep themselves and the surrounding marine life safe.” “The language needs to be quick and easy to read, like ‘no smoking.’ The idea is to have similar signs about the need for social distancing away from sea lions [and] giving them a little bit of space,” he said, adding that because of the pandemic, everyone has “had plenty of practice with that this past year, so it should be easy for everyone to remember.” Field said there were an unprecedented number of visitors to La Jolla Cove last summer, and similar numbers are expected this year. “While it’s understandable for the public to be fascinated by the local sea lion population and want a closer look, it is of the utmost importance that we are doing everything we can to protect and respect these animals while they care for their young,” Field said. City rangers and staff have been and will continue to be on site to educate visitors. “There are few places where you can be on dry land and watch the sea lions up close in their natural setting,” LaCava said. “Being this close has its advantages, it’s a memorable experience for children and adults alike. However, we have to remember we share the coastline with these marine mammals, which seem docile, but are wild animals that will protect themselves and their young. We are committed to keeping both humans and animals safe ... not only during pupping season, but all year round.” The announcement of the signage came after a weekend of chaos at La Jolla Cove, during which Sierra Club Seal Society docents reported multiple incidents of harassment of newborn sea lion pups. LaCava said his office was in the process of “independent verification” of these incidents. The docents were on site during the long Memorial Day weekend to encourage visitors to keep their distance from the sea lions. “The sea lions don’t have the same protection as the harbor seals at Children’s Pool,” which is closed during the harbor seal pupping season, said docent Elena Tillman. “I’ve seen people hop the wall and go down the stairs leading down to see the sea lions. I’ve seen people getting in their faces, fly drones in their faces, stand over the pregnant females, take selfies with them. ... This seems innocuous, but the sea lions have a really low threshold for abandoning their pups. If someone gets close to them or the pup, if the pup smells like a human, they will abandon them. I have also seen emaciated pups, and I have seen some die. Abandonment is a big issue.” Docent Donna Beal added that she witnessed a visitor kicking the sea lions to get them to lift their heads for a photo. “A lot of bad stuff is happening,” she said. “It’s chaos.” During one of her patrols overlooking the beach, she said, “I saw a mob of people and a small sea lion corralled into a corner. They were trying to touch it and get selfies. They had its face against the cliff and the water was beating this pup for a few minutes. By the time I could run down the stairs and clear the area, the pup could barely move. ... We knew it wasn’t going to make it through the night. Sea World came the next morning and confirmed the pup didn’t make it.” Wildlife photographer Mandy Etpison, who moved to La Jolla a year ago, said she was shocked at the lack of protection and full-time staff to keep people and sea lions apart. “There is a huge difference between [when] the rangers are there and when they are not,” she said, adding that she documented a sea lion pup being born and the crowd of people that soon surrounded it. “A lot is a lack of education,” Etpison said. “If there is no one there to stop them, people can gather and stress the animals out. They don’t understand the cost.” Mackin-Solomon writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

In honor of Pride Month, Lil Nas X has good advice for LGBTQ allies: Open your wallet

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2021-06-01/lil-nas-x-gives-advice-to-allies-to-lgbtq-allies

For allies of the LGBTQ community, pop musician Lil Nas X has some advice. “For pride month if you have friends who are part of the lgbtq+ community let them know that they are loved. give them all of your money,” the Grammy winner tweeted Tuesday, marking the first day of Pride Month. 2021 marks two years since the “Old Town Road” singer publicly came out by tweeting a link to his song “C7osure.” Since then, the rapper, born Montero Lamar Hill, has been candid about his sexuality, even though there was someone who had initially cautioned him about doing so. “I had only come out to, like, my sister and my dad in the same month … but I wanted to be someone that people are proud of,” Lil Nas X told The Times in 2019. Lifestyle June is Pride Month. Celebrate and learn about LGBTQ organizations and creatives through our list. June 7, 2021 This year, amid tweets about the NFL and other memes, the “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” hitmaker shared snapshots of a colorful photo shoot and tweeted a link to “C7osure” again. A fan quote-tweeted the song and added “‘the closet can be a scary place’ one of the first things you ever said to me when i joined twitter and i’ve grown so much since then. i’ve come out to my brother, his fiancée, her sister, and a lot of my friends. thank you so much for helping me find myself.” “the closet can be a scary place” one of the first things you ever said to me when i joined twitter and i’ve grown so much since then. i’ve come out to my brother, his fiancée, her sister, and a lot of my friends. thank you so much for helping me find myself 🏳️‍🌈🤍 https://t.co/MaLj5ZoAIq Lil Nas X tweeted a few weeks ago that he wanted to do “something special” for Pride Month. He recently performed his two latest singles, “Montero” and “Sun Goes Down,” on “Saturday Night Live.” (And he infamously ripped his pants during a pole-dancing sequence.) His video for “Montero” spurred controversy on social media for its satanic imagery. The music video for “Sun Goes Down,” however, took a more melancholic view at Lil Nas X’s childhood. Music Musicians Lil Nas X and FKA twigs cleared the air after fans recognized similarities between the videos for his “Montero” and her “Cellophane.” March 31, 2021 “In the ‘sun goes down’ video i go back in time to visit a younger version self who’s struggling inside, hating himself, & doesn’t want to live anymore,” the rapper tweeted about the video, which was released May 20. “I try my best to uplift him. can’t wait to share this song and video with you guys on friday. this one is really special to me.”

Kamala Harris will lead Biden administration's push on voting rights

https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-06-01/biden-kamala-harris-voting-rights-effort

President Biden on Tuesday announced that Vice President Kamala Harris would steer the administration’s efforts to bolster voting rights, a daunting task that Democrats and voting rights advocates say is urgent in the face of a barrage of Republican-led efforts to change state voting laws. The issue is one of the most difficult the administration faces. Democrats in the House passed a sweeping voting rights bill in early March, but it faces a dim future in the evenly divided Senate. Texas became the latest Republican-led state to put forward a bill that would make voting harder by, for example, banning drop boxes for mail-in ballots and limiting hours for early voting, and would give more power to partisan poll watchers. The bill was on the verge of passing before a Democratic walkout on Sunday night prevented a vote. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has vowed to call the Legislature back for a special session. The Republican efforts to change voting rules have been spurred by former President Trump’s false and persistent claims that he was the rightful winner of the November election. Despite a lack of evidence, he has asserted widespread fraud. Voting rights advocates say the new hurdles will disproportionately affect poor and minority voters who form the backbone of the Democratic coalition. Some states have moved to restrict Sunday voting hours; advocates say that’s when many Black churchgoers head to the polls after services. Biden announced Harris’ new role during a speech in Tulsa, Okla., to mark the 100-year anniversary of a massacre there, in which a white mob wiped out a prosperous Black community. Biden said that voting rights are a key challenge in rectifying racial injustice today and that his administration would push for the bill that would set nationwide standards for federal elections. Politics The Republican and Democratic parties’ battle over voting rights and restrictions threatens to dominate and embitter the country’s politics. March 3, 2021 “I’m going to fight like heck with every tool at my disposal for its passage,” Biden said. “To signify the importance of our efforts, today I’m asking Vice President Harris to help these efforts and lead them among her many other responsibilities,” he said. “With her leadership and your support, we’re going to overcome again — I promise you. But it’s going to take a hell of a lot of work.” Harris issued a statement minutes later, saying, “We must protect the fundamental right to vote for all Americans regardless of where they live.” She pointed to two bills in Congress, the broad bill that passed the House and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, intended to bar discriminatory practices. Harris said she would work with voting rights and community groups along with the private sector “to help strengthen and uplift efforts on voting rights nationwide” and work with Congress to push the bills. The assignment came as Harris was preparing for her first trip abroad as vice president to Guatemala and Mexico, beginning Sunday. Harris was asked in March to lead diplomatic efforts in Central America aimed at addressing what the administration calls “the root causes” of migration to the U.S. border. That job, like the voting rights task, is especially difficult. Many of those who leave are fleeing poverty, crime and natural disasters. And many of the governments Harris needs to deal with are plagued by corruption. The assignments are beginning to pile up for the vice president. Harris’ other assignments include leading efforts to help organized labor expand, increase broadband access, help women hit hardest by the pandemic’s economic toll, and persuade hesitant people to take COVID-19 vaccines.

Why Twitter is up in arms about Ellie Kemper’s 'racist' debutante crown from 1999

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2021-06-01/ellie-kemper-twitter-drama-veiled-prophet

Twitter users have been quick to paint actor Ellie Kemper as racist after her never-secret teenage involvement in an elite society’s celebration in St. Louis, Mo., recently resurfaced online. They’ve even gone so far as to call her a “KKK Princess.” Confused? Here’s the backstory: In December 1999, when she was 19, the star of “The Office” and “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” was honored by an organization with a racially exclusionary past. Some have claimed the group has ties to the Ku Klux Klan. Others, including the professor whose writings are being used by some on Twitter to criticize Kemper, are baffled by the brouhaha. Neither Kemper, 41, nor her manager immediately responded to The Times’ request for comment Tuesday. Here’s what we know so far. No. Of course not. She was named Queen of Love and Beauty at the Fair Saint Louis, the 105th to be given the title. The event was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic but the title was awarded through 2019. Fair Saint Louis was, until 1992, called the Veiled Prophet Fair and is a well-known celebration by some of St. Louis’ wealthiest locals. It was put on by the Order of the Veiled Prophet. For generations, VP, as it’s known colloquially, was a “lily-white group,” according to Thomas Spencer, a professor of history at Texas A&M University-Kingsville who wrote the book “The St. Louis Veiled Prophet Celebration: Power on Parade, 1877-1995.” Awards Ellie Kemper still gets emotional thinking about where the titular character she plays on Netflix’s “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” finds herself at the series’ end. June 7, 2019 A 2014 Atlantic article that excerpted passages from Spencer’s book is now being quoted in tweets condemning Kemper, though Spencer says what Kemper was attending was essentially a debutante ball. Spencer says VP was intended to maintain the social and economic order desired by “elites” in the late 1870s, creating a mythology involving a hooded figure called the “Veiled Prophet.” The image of the initial Veiled Prophet strikingly resembles classic depictions of Klansmen in white hoods. “The first parade has some pretty overt racial symbolism and intimidation,” Spencer told The Times in an interview Tuesday. “The VP was armed, and there was an executioner’s block on the float, etc.” The ball has been part of the organization’s lavish celebrations, which have included parades televised to millions. At the ball, the disguised member serving as that year’s Veiled Prophet crowns that year’s Queen of Love and Beauty. Kemper was honored in 1999, 20 years after VP finally began admitting Black members; her crowning was covered by local newspapers. “Here’s how I think about it: It’s a debutante ball that has existed for a long time,” said Spencer, likening it to other debutante balls in St. Louis and to similar events elsewhere. “The daughters are doing it because their dad wants them to do so, and it’s a way to honor their father.” Television May 13, 2017 The celebrations drew many protests over the years over the organization’s racial exclusivity. Its first Black member joined in 1979. “In the 1970s, the organization almost shut down” over protests, said Spencer. Up until the 1950s, he said, “It really had this sort of power-consolidating function, and then when they created other ways of running the show, with [the policy-driving group] Civic Progress and other organizations, it became purely social.” Devin Thomas O’Shea, a journalist who has researched VP, said in a 2019 NPR interview, “That first Veiled Prophet is very clearly decipherable as a first-wave Ku Klux Klansman. ... Especially to Black St. Louisans, the symbology would not have been lost on them.” Awards Ellie Kemper is surprisingly small and compact, and surprisingly red-haired. June 11, 2015 In the same broadcast, St. Louis civil rights activist Percy Green of ACTION (Action Committee to Improve Opportunities for Negroes), a since-disbanded organization that was a longtime thorn in VP’s side, said, “ACTION’s view of the white Veiled Prophet [was] as a Ku Klux Klan organization by another name.” However, while echoing the substance of O’Shea’s remark, Spencer asserted that he “never found any close connections between the two organizations. There were several founding members of the organization who were native Southerners, but I found no evidence they had ever been Klansmen. A few had served in the Confederate Army.” Regarding Kemper, O’Shea tweeted Monday, “we all love ending memorial day weekend with pitchforks and fire, but Ellie Kemper was like 17 when she was the VP Queen—the larger point is that the Veiled Prophets rich white fathers keep this ball going without telling their daughters what they’re getting into.” we all love ending memorial day weekend with pitchforks and fire, but Ellie Kemper was like 17 when she was the VP Queen—the larger point is that the Veiled Prophets rich white fathers keep this ball going without telling their daughters what they're getting into This has not stopped many Twitter users from expressing certainty that Kemper is a “KKK princess”: “Ellie Kemper was brought up in a wealthy family apart of an elite society,” said one. “She was attending Princeton University at the time she has crowned KKK princess at 19. I’m 100% sure she was well aware of the history of the Veiled Prophet Ball.” Ellie Kemper was brought up in a wealthy family apart of an elite society. She was attending Princeton University at the time she has crowned KKK princess at 19. I’m 100% sure she was well aware of the history of the Veiled Prophet Ball. https://t.co/KLMxQvUdS2 Many others took the characterization to be true: “i mean..... ellie kemper was apparently crowned in a legit kkk beauty pageant so.... people obviously change, so it doesn’t mean she’s a terrible person *now* but.... might benefit from offering some kinda explanation of what’s changed since then,” said one. Spencer, whose book is highly critical of VP, didn’t understand the current social media controversy fueled in part by truncated descriptions from his detailed writings. “I cannot figure out for the life of me what the point is of going after some actress for something she did 20 years ago when she was 19,” he said. “I’m not going to defend the organization; it has a lot of problems. It just baffles me to think that you should make a big deal about someone being in a debutante ball.”

California lawmakers urge more help for schools, businesses in budget talks with Newsom

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-01/california-lawmakers-urge-more-help-for-schools-businesses-in-budget-talks-with-newsom

Democratic leaders of the California Legislature unveiled a state budget blueprint on Tuesday that would boost public schools and small businesses beyond the proposal made last month by Gov. Gavin Newsom, a move that is likely to set the stage for friendly but detailed negotiations before the June 15 constitutional deadline for action. The $267-billion legislative plan largely aligns with Newsom’s proposal, constructed with the expectation of a short-term tax revenue windfall of more than $75 billion. But it adds substantial funding to help those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and those who face ongoing, systemic challenges such as finding affordable child care and access to grants that cover a portion of the costs to attend college. “I’d say that we restructured a few things” in the governor’s plan, said state Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), the chairwoman of the Senate Budget Committee. In one key part of those provisions, lawmakers want to rethink Newsom’s plans for almost one-fourth of the $27 billion in federal funds the state is slated to receive under the relief law approved this year by Congress and President Biden. That change would free up additional state funds to use on programs or to pay off debts such as state bond obligations and pension payments owed by K-12 schools. Legislative leaders also believe state tax collections will be slightly higher in the next few years than the projections used by Newsom, another way to help finance some of their plans for additional spending. In some cases, spending would increase more slowly under the proposal by legislative Democrats. Their plan would delay full implementation of the governor’s promise to offer transitional kindergarten to all 4-year-olds in California until the 2025-26 school year. A few of Newsom’s most ambitious proposals would be curtailed. Last month, the independent Legislative Analyst’s Office pointed out that the governor’s budget called for large amounts of near-term spending on proposals that weren’t fully detailed. As a result, the analysts wrote, the programs might be hard to implement in a short time frame. “There are a number of new programs, new initiatives that have pretty large price tags that we got very little detail on,” said Assemblyman Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), chairman of the Assembly Budget Committee. “So rather than spend money in those areas, we decided to prioritize healthcare, prioritize higher education, child care and transitional kindergarten.” The legislative plan seeks a significant boost in child care services for lower-income families, proposing to boost the rates paid to providers and the number of available slots for children. Expanding child care services has been on the to-do list of legislative Democrats for several years. So, too, has an effort to remove immigration status as a condition of eligibility for full access to Medi-Cal, the state’s healthcare program for low-income adults and families. Access is currently given to any income-eligible Californian up to age 26. While Newsom’s plan adds all immigrants age 60 or older, the legislative plan would set the threshold at age 50. Other changes to Newsom’s budget reflect anger over what was missing in his May proposal. The Legislature’s budget proposal includes $200 million in ongoing funding for local public health agencies, a provision pushed by healthcare advocates after Newsom’s spending plan offered no similar assistance. Instead, the governor proposed a $3-million study of the needs faced by public health programs — a wait-and-see approach that healthcare officials said would follow a dangerous pattern in previous state budgets of underfunding local public health agencies. The proposal unveiled Tuesday also seeks to address two issues that have been left out of budget deals in recent years: a full restoration of cash grants to aged, blind and disabled people that were cut during the Great Recession and an eventual boost in the rates paid to providers who work with developmental disabilities. Democrats are also backing an expansion of the Cal Grant program that would remove rules excluding some college students who are older and have been out of high school for a longer time period. More nontuition costs would also be covered by state grants under the legislative plan. Lawmakers said Tuesday that they want to revamp Newsom’s plans to offer tax relief for businesses that will otherwise face higher payroll taxes in coming years to cover the pandemic’s costs in unemployment insurance — offering $2 billion in assistance over the coming decade to small businesses across California. Budget committees in both legislative houses are expected to approve the plan during public hearings Wednesday. But it’s unclear to what extent Newsom will sign on. A budget spokesman for the governor said Tuesday that the administration is concerned about some of the long-term spending pressures the legislative budget could create, while Skinner told reporters that the effort to pay down existing debts would serve to lessen those pressures. “Responsible budgeting was one of our top priorities,” she said. The budget proposal outlined Tuesday largely reflects the priorities — and differences — expressed by Democrats who serve in Sacramento. For the last decade, California budgets have been crafted almost exclusively by Democratic lawmakers and governors under voter-approved rules that require only a simple majority in each house for passage. Republican lawmakers participate in budget hearings and often make their own proposals but because Democrats hold a supermajority of seats in the Legislature, GOP votes are not needed to ratify spending plans. Times staff writer Melody Gutierrez contributed to this report.

Plans to reopen Costa Mesa's Lions Park, aka 'Airplane Park,' take wing

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-01/costa-mesa-lions-park-airplane-park-reopening

Plans to reopen Costa Mesa’s Lions Park — referred to as “Airplane Park” by generations of locals but officially named for the beloved Harbor Mesa Lions Club fish fries held there — are taking wing in advance of an unveiling this summer. The long-closed space is being outfitted with new play equipment, landscaping and irrigation, lighting, concrete pathways and restrooms. But a mainstay for 60 years, a Korean War-era Grumman F9F Panther jet, is staying put. Several volunteers led by Costa Mesa Police Capt. Vic Bakkila convened last week at the fenced-off playground area to put the finishing touches on the aviation-themed attraction. The jet was purchased decades ago for the bargain price of $1 by Ted Tanner, a local and retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel who served in the South Pacific during World War II. It has since been coated with layers of concrete for safety purposes. But before that, its dials, knobs and cockpit contraptions delighted generations of would-be pilots and adventurers, volunteer Cindy Brenneman said. “The kids used to play on it when it was metal. It had all the gadgets,” Brenneman said, stenciling the word “Navy” in blue painter’s tape on the structure’s rear fuselage. Bakkila said he also harbored fond memories of the old Panther. “I grew up in Irvine and would get to play on this if I was a good boy at the beach,” he said. “Everybody knows this plane.” Pete Carolan, a retired Navy SEAL who in 1970 was tasked with retrieving astronauts from the failed Apollo 13 mission upon splashdown, dedicated a morning last week to painting the cockpit window and leading edges of the wings. The first model airplane he assembled as a third-grader was an F9F Panther, he said. But whether modeling or painting concrete planes in city parks, Carolan approaches the task with a sense of reverence. “You’ve got a jet here, and it represents the United States,” the veteran said. “So you want to make it look as prestigious as possible for people, especially going into Memorial Day.” About five years has gone by since the concreted aircraft was last touched up. Early iterations of its paint job had been randomly applied (Bakkila recalled one unappealing shade of yellow), but more recently attention has been paid to sticking with historically accurate markings and tones. Himself a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, Bakkila attributes the shift to longtime Costa Mesan Al Bernstein, who worked on an aircraft carrier during his service in the Navy and remembered hauling those exact models across the high seas. Now, volunteer painters work alongside an image of a real plane to ensure numbers and logos are appropriately placed. Sue Lester, who’s lived in the city for 11 years, said she sees the service as a way to honor the nation’s veterans and preserve history for future generations. “Seeing things from the past gives us the opportunity to have conversations with people who are younger, and I like that,” Lester said, her paint roll loaded up with white paint. “If I can be part of helping preserve something like that, count me in.” The Lions Park playground work was made possible by the dedication of $1.78 million from the Costa Mesa City Council in September. It’s one of many upgrades at the park in recent years. In May 2019, the city celebrated the opening of the new 23,355-square-foot Donald Dungan Library, built on the site of the former Neighborhood Community Center. A new community center, named after Norma Hertzog, the city’s first female City Council member and mayor, will be completed this year. Both projects have been estimated to cost a total of $36.5 million. Originally slated for completion by spring 2020, the projects were delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cardine writes for Times Community News.

Photos: Firefighter fatally shot, captain injured by colleague at Agua Dulce fire station

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-01/photos-firefighter-fatally-shot-captain-injured-by-colleague-at-agua-dulce-fire-station

An off-duty firefighter killed a fellow firefighter and critically wounded a captain in a shooting at Agua Dulce fire station Tuesday morning, officials said. The suspect then fled to his home on Bent Spur Drive, about 10 miles away. Within minutes, that home was on fire, and by 3 p.m., it had been reduced to near rubble by the flames. A person believed to be the suspect was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in a small pool on the property, according to sheriff’s officials. Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Daryl L. Osby said it was a “tragic day for the Los Angeles County Fire Department.” More visual journalism from the photography staff of the Los Angeles Times

California's slavery reparations task force is convening. Here's what happens next

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-01/california-slavery-reparations-task-force-convenes

A historic California task force met for the first time Tuesday with the ultimate goal of recommending reparations for descendants of enslaved people and those affected by slavery. The state is beginning to consider compensation and other potential remedies after the Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom approved a first-of-its-kind law last year that required the study and development of reparations proposals. “You’re here today not just to sit and answer to say was there harm, but your task is to determine the depth of the harm and the ways in which we are to repair that harm,” Secretary of State Shirley Weber, who introduced the law last year as a state legislator, said to members of the task force on Tuesday. “There has been enough research for the fact that slavery still has an impact today.” The group is charged with determining what reparations should look like in California and who might be eligible, among other considerations. “As our country reckons with our painful legacy of racial injustice, California again is poised to lead the way towards a more equitable and inclusive future for all,” Newsom said. Why was the task force established? Assembly Bill 3121, which was introduced by Weber, mandated that the state create the “Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans, with a Special Consideration for African Americans Who are Descendants of Persons Enslaved in the United States.” Weber has said the law, which was signed in 2020, forces California to come to terms with its role in slavery. Although California entered the Union as a “free state” in 1850, slavery continued here though the state Constitution outlawed it the previous year. Slavery was abolished by the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1865. The law says state-level reparations should not be seen as a replacement for any future remedies from the federal government. What will the group do? The law requires the task force to examine slavery that existed in the United States, discrimination in the public and private sectors against those who were enslaved and their descendants, and the lingering negative effects of the institution of slavery. The group is required to recommend ways to educate the public on its findings and to recommend remedies. The law says the task force will recommend how California will issue a formal apology, how to eliminate discrimination in existing state laws and how to establish new programs, policies or projects to address the group’s findings. The task force will also determine how any potential compensation should be calculated and who would be eligible, as well as additional forms of rehabilitation or restitution. Who is on the task force? The task force is made up of nine members, with five appointed by the governor, two appointed by the Senate and two by the Assembly. Newsom’s appointees: Assembly appointees: Senate appointees: What’s next? The task force is expected to hold 10 meetings in total over the next two years. AB 3121 requires the task force to submit a report on its findings and recommendations to the Legislature within one year of its first meeting. But on Tuesday the task force adopted a recommendation from the attorney general’s office to issue the report in two parts, with the first released next summer and the recommendations for reparations included in a second report published in 2023. After the report is released, the Legislature would need to pass another bill to approve any reparations.

U.S. formally ends policy for asylum seekers to wait in Mexico

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-06-01/us-formally-ends-policy-for-asylum-seekers-to-wait-in-mexico

The Biden administration on Tuesday formally ended a Trump-era immigration policy that forced asylum seekers to wait in Mexico for hearings in U.S. immigration court. A seven-page memo by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas marked the end of the Migrant Protection Protocols, which returned about 70,000 asylum seekers to Mexico from January 2019 until it was halted on President Biden’s first day in office two years later. The announcement appeared to be a foregone conclusion after Biden promised as a candidate to end the policy, known informally as “Remain in Mexico,” but he left a window open by ordering a review before shutting it down permanently. Mayorkas said keeping the policy intact or modifying it “would not be consistent with this Administration’s vision and values and would be a poor use of the Department’s resources.” He said the costs would far outweigh any benefits. The policy coincided with a sharp decline of asylum seekers at the border, but critics noted that people were hampered by violent conditions in Mexico, lack of access to lawyers and difficulty making it to court. Mayorkas acknowledged those concerns by noting the high rate of denied claims for failing to appear in court and the lack of housing, income and safety in Mexico. Since Feb. 19, about 11,200 people with active cases have been allowed to return to the United States to wait for a ruling, a process that can take years in the backlogged court system. The administration has yet to say if tens of thousands more whose cases were either dismissed or denied will get another chance. The administration has largely kept in place pandemic-related powers introduced by President Trump in March 2020 to expel people to Mexico without an opportunity to seek asylum, on grounds of protecting public health. Mayorkas acknowledged planning for those pandemic-related powers to be lifted but was light on specifics. The secretary pointed to a new docket in immigration court announced Friday that aims to decide asylum cases at the border within 300 days. He promised “additional anticipated regulatory and policy changes,” without elaborating.

Bank of America must provide more proof of fraud before freezing EDD accounts, court orders

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-01/bank-of-america-ordered-to-unfreeze-unemployment-benefit-cards-in-california

A federal judge on Tuesday prohibited Bank of America from freezing accounts for California unemployment benefits based solely on an automated fraud filter and required it to do a better job of responding when jobless people say their benefits were stolen. U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria issued a preliminary injunction that was sought in a lawsuit by 15 jobless Californians who are among thousands whose benefit debit cards were frozen. Bank of America negotiated the terms of the order to prevent the unfreezing of debit cards on thousands of claims it or law enforcement has determined to be fraudulent. “The court’s order provides substantial and immediate relief to hundreds of thousands of unemployed Californians,” Brian Danitz, an attorney for unemployed people who sued the bank, said in a statement. “The order prohibits the bank from freezing accounts based on a flawed fraud filter, requires the Bank to reopen unauthorized transaction claims it summarily denied, and requires the Bank to comply with the law by investigating those claims and providing provisional credit.” The judge also ordered the creation of new customer service phone lines to help people whose accounts were affected by fraud. A representative for Bank of America said it will meet the requirements of the preliminary injunction. “As California’s unemployment program faced billions of dollars in fraud, Bank of America’s No. 1 goal always has been to ensure legitimate recipients could access their benefits,” said Bill Halldin, a spokesman for the bank. “With this agreement, we are committing to additional measures to help unemployment recipients who have been victimized by fraud receive their benefits as quickly as possible.” The bank issues debit cards containing unemployment benefits under a contract with the state Employment Development Department, which administers the benefits program. The EDD said in January that at least $11 billion in benefits had been paid on fraudulent claims and that it was investigating an additional $19 billion in claims. In October, officials announced the bank had frozen 350,000 debit cards because of suspicious activity that included a high number of claims to a single address. However, many jobless Californians with legitimate claims said their benefits were also frozen, in some cases after criminals hacked into their cards and stole money. The lawsuit was filed in San Francisco by defendants including Jennifer Yick, who lost work in real estate only to see her benefit account emptied by unauthorized transactions on her Bank of America EDD debit card. She complained that when she tried to report the fraud to the bank, she was repeatedly disconnected without getting help. The lawsuit alleged that the bank unlawfully deprived unemployed people of essential benefits to help them weather the COVID-19 pandemic, did not implement effective security measures and froze people out of their accounts for months. The injunction prohibits Bank of America from considering the results of the bank’s automated claim fraud filter as the basis for freezing debit card accounts. In cases in which a debit card holder files a claim saying there were unauthorized transactions on their account, the court order bars the bank from denying or closing the claims, or denying provisional or permanent credit to claimants’ accounts without concluding a full investigation into the alleged unauthorized transaction. The bank is also blocked from denying or closing claims of unauthorized transactions without providing the claimant a written explanation of the findings of its investigation. Within 10 days, the bank must give written notice to people whose accounts are blocked solely based upon its claims fraud filter that explains the bank will unblock the account if the person authenticates their identity. “The hardship to the defendant from this injunction is outweighed by its benefits to the class members,” said the order signed by Chhabria. “The injunction is also in the public interest.” The bank has 20 days to set up a dedicated toll-free number that must operate at least 14 hours on weekdays and 10 hours on Saturdays. The judge was critical of the bank’s handling of the fraud problem during a recent court hearing. “What seems clear to me from the record is that Bank of America has been violating people’s rights by not doing a good enough job of responding to this crisis,” he said.

French Open: Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Ash Barty advance

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2021-06-01/french-open-rafael-nadal-novak-djokovic-ash-barty-advance

Winning a match against Rafael Nadal at the French Open is downright difficult, of course: He went into Tuesday with a 100-2 career record at the place. Just taking a set off the guy is nearly impossible, too. So when Alexei Popyrin twice came within a point of doing so during their encounter at Court Philippe Chatrier on Day 3 of this year’s tournament, the enormity of it all was just too much for the King of Clay’s 21-year-old opponent. “Choked,” was Popyrin’s self-assessment. Nadal began his bid for a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title — and 14th at the French Open, adding to a mark he keeps adding to, year after year — with a, yes, straight-set victory over Popyrin. The 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (3) triumph increased Nadal’s run to 26 consecutive sets in Paris, dating to the last two of the 2019 final that he won against Dominic Thiem. Nadal won all 21 sets he played across seven matches at the 2020 French Open, which was played in the autumnal chill of September-October after being postponed from its usual calendar spot because of the coronavirus pandemic. “I feel like I was a little bit scared to get injured, no? But that’s past,” Nadal said Tuesday. “This year everybody is much more comfortable.” Sports Like Naomi Osaka, who decided to exit the French Open, Mardy Fish once stepped away from a successful tennis career because of mental health issues. June 1, 2021 Back to its usual May-June schedule, the tournament has been held more under the sort of conditions Mallorca’s Nadal enjoys — the temperature was around 80 degrees Fahrenheit (26 Celsius) on Tuesday under a sun-filled sky, although rain was in Wednesday’s forecast — and he played rather well against Popyrin until a shaky patch in the third set. Nadal trailed 5-2, and Popyrin was a point from ending the set streak while serving at 5-3, 40-30. But Popyrin couldn’t close the deal there, double-faulting to deuce. Then came another set point for the 63rd-ranked Australian at Ad-In, but he shanked a leaping overhead, nearly hitting Nadal with the ball several feet beyond the baseline. Two wild forehand misses later, Popyrin had given away the game. And soon enough, the match belonged to Nadal, too. “The moment got to my head a little bit. You know, taking a set off Nadal, especially in French Open, is not the easiest thing to do,” Popyrin said. And then, with a smile, he added: “The guy is solid. What can I say?” Indeed, it’s not as if Nadal was feeling any sort of pressure at that juncture of the match. His mindset, he said afterward, essentially amounted to: “So what if I dropped that set? I already was up by two to none.“ “Match point is a different story,” he said. “You lose the point, you’re (done). You are back home. Here, you lose the set. OK. We are playing best-of-five. The other player needs to win two more sets to beat you, and I know I’m going to be there fighting for every single point.” As good as Nadal is at Roland Garros, he is seeded only No. 3, because the French Open sticks strictly to the rankings to determine its seedings. That left him behind No. 2 Daniil Medvedev, a two-time Grand Slam finalist, and No. 1 Novak Djokovic, who owns 18 major titles. Djokovic improved to 17-0 in first-round matches at Roland Garros by beating Tennys Sandgren 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 in just under two hours on Tuesday night. Djokovic saved all six break points he faced and compiled a total of 33 winners in the last match of the clay-court tournament’s first round. The top-ranked woman, Ash Barty, played much earlier in the day — and it looked for a bit as if her stay in the draw would not last long. Sports Naomi Osaka revealing her struggles with depression and anxiety shows why her decision to withdraw from the French Open deserves understanding. June 1, 2021 Elsewhere, Petra Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon champion, pulled out of the tournament with an injured ankle, while No. 7 seed Andrey Rublev lost his opening match in five sets. Dealing with a left hip problem, Barty struggled through a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 win against 70th-ranked American Bernarda Pera in her first match in Paris since winning the 2019 title. Barty decided not to try to defend her title last year because of the coronavirus pandemic, choosing instead to remain home in Australia. In the buildup to this French Open, she played 13 matches on clay, winning 11. But she was forced to retire in the quarterfinals in Rome in May because of an injury to her right arm, raising concerns about her condition ahead of the trip to Paris. “I just keep fighting, I just keep trying,” Barty said after improving her three-set match record to 12-2 this year.

Hollywood Bowl will return to full capacity just in time for summer lineup

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2021-06-01/hollywood-bowl-tickets-summer-lineup-full-capacity

The show will go on this summer at the Hollywood Bowl, which recently announced plans to return to 100% capacity as 54.4% of Californians have now received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and Gov. Gavin Newsom has vowed to fully reopen the state by June 15. Single-event tickets went on sale Tuesday for the iconic performance venue‘s summer lineup, which includes high-profile acts such as H.E.R., Christina Aguilera and, of course, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. Starting in July, the concert destination will begin operating at full capacity after the COVID-19 pandemic canceled an entire season’s worth of performances for the first time in 98 years. That means previous plans to offer socially distanced and fully vaccinated-only seating areas have been scrapped for upcoming shows. A few pandemic-era guidelines still remain, however, particularly for unvaccinated guests, who are encouraged to produce a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of a performance and wear a face covering during a show. The Bowl’s website notes that the venue is “awaiting updated guidance from L.A. County Department of Public Health regarding changes to our mask policy after June 15.” Entertainment & Arts Timeline of a comeback: historic cancellation of an entire season, painful layoffs, transformation into a recording studio, a whirlwind race to reopen. May 15, 2021 (Unvaccinated ticket holders also have been urged to stay home if they’re exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 or have been exposed to it within 10 days of a performance.) Prior to its partial reopening last month, the Bowl had planned to reserve 85% of its socially distanced spots for guests immunized against the novel coronavirus with the remaining 15% allocated to unvaccinated attendees, who would be required to show negative COVID-19 test results within 72 hours of the show. Before the latest capacity update, L.A. Phil President and Chief Executive Chad Smith projected that the Bowl was positioned to earn about half its usual summer revenue of approximately $65 million because of pandemic limitations. “There was this institutional resolve from the board and the musicians and the staff that, regardless of the size of the audience, we were going to put on concerts,” Smith told the Los Angeles Times last month. “The financials might be terrible, but we decided if we could give concerts, we had to give concerts — we run the venue as stewards of the community.” Entertainment & Arts A landmark in hibernation, a surprise from the governor, tears and hugs: Behind the scenes of the whirlwind push to bring music back to the Bowl. May 14, 2021 According to the Bowl’s website, a recent survey conducted by the beloved amphitheater found that 94% of attendees said they had been partially or completely immunized against COVID-19, while 98% intended to become immunized. You can find more info about COVID-19 restrictions, tickets and performers on the Hollywood Bowl website.

U.S. lawmakers want Ma'Khia Bryant foster care journey investigated

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-06-01/us-lawmakers-want-makhia-bryant-foster-care-journey-probed

Three Democratic members of Congress are asking the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to investigate the foster care experience of Ma’Khia Bryant that preceded the 16-year-old’s fatal police shooting in Ohio. Rep. Joyce Beatty and Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, along with Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, wrote a letter last week on behalf of Ma’Khia’s parents, asking the federal agency to look into the teen’s experience through the foster care system. “When a child dies in foster care, the system has failed,” the lawmakers wrote. “It failed Ma’Khia Bryant, who lived in her foster family home for about two months before a police officer shot and killed her in front of that home on April 20, 2021.” Ma’Khia was shot four times by Columbus Police Officer Nicholas Reardon as she swung a knife at a young woman, just seconds after pushing another woman to the ground. Ma’Khia was Black and Reardon is white. Police were responding to a 911 call made from Ma’Khia’s foster home about a group of girls threatening to stab members of the household. Ma’Khia’s family previously told the Associated Press that the teen and her younger sister were the ones who called for help. While Ma’Khia’s killing further heightened tensions in Ohio’s capital city over the fatal police shootings of Black people, her death also cast a light on the state’s foster care system. An attorney representing the slain teen’s family called for an investigation of the system and whether girls in the foster home were properly supervised. In the letter, the Democratic lawmakers urged Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families to provide assistance to the Franklin County Children Services, where Ma’Khia was in foster care, during their review of the case. The letter, which was released Tuesday, also asks the federal agency’s Office of Civil Rights to launch an independent investigation to examine whether the state and the county foster care systems were in compliance with federal non-discrimination services. Among the parts of her foster care experience under scrutiny include Ma’Khia being placed in five foster homes within two years. The foster home she was staying in at the time of her death was the scene of more than a dozen 911 calls since 2017. The majority of the calls were made by Angela Moore — the home’s foster mother — seeking help with foster girls who had left without permission or didn’t return after being out, according to documents and 911 calls obtained by AP. “The whole world has placed Ma’Khia on trial based on this one incident where they see her swinging a knife,” the family’s attorney Michelle Martin said in late April. “But why aren’t we looking further and figuring out who were those girls? How did they get there? How did this develop so quickly? “What trauma was not being addressed within the home?” she added. “I mean, so many questions that have to be answered.” Days after Ma’Khia’s shooting, Franklin County Children Services said it had an obligation to make changes. “We are committed to ensuring that our programming and services most appropriately address the needs and concerns of those we serve,” the agency said. Requests for comment were sent to Health and Human Services, Franklin County Children Services and the state. But the lawmakers who wrote the letter, as well as child welfare advocates, say the foster care system in Ohio — and nationally — is broken, especially when it comes to the treatment of Black children. A review released in March, ordered by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, found the state’s system was infused with racial inequity. The review also showed example in which the system failed to value Black voices and experiences and poorly equipped foster parents to raise multiracial families, which sometimes results in the children in their care experiencing racism. “These inequities played out in Ma’Khia’s life and are all too familiar for children and young people in the foster care system, particularly Black and brown children who are overrepresented in the child welfare system,” the lawmakers wrote.