Some things to read over the weekend.
- At Los Angeles toppling of Junipero Serra statue, activists want full history told: “'My family was brought to the San Fernando mission in 1799,' he says. 'So when I talk about Native people who lost their culture, their language and their lives — and were worked like slaves at the missions — I’m talking about my great-great-great-great-grandparents.'" (LA Times)
- ‘This is the Beginning of Healing:’ Descendents of Tongva, Chumash, and Tataviam Tribes Organized the Toppling of Junípero Serra Statue In the Birthplace of L.A. (LA TACO)
- LA County Unemployment Near Record 21% in May Despite Uptick in Payroll Jobs: "The state Employment Development Department sharply revised upward the April unemployment rate from an initially reported 19.6%, meaning May was the second straight month where the rate topped 20%, a level not seen in Los Angeles County since the Great Depression of the 1930s. For comparison, the May 2019 unemployment rate was 4.5%." (LA Business Journal)
- Silverstein Pursues US Bank Tower: The owner and developer of the World Trade Center is in talks to purchase LA's 2nd* Tallest Building (LA Business Journal)
- Calls to defund the police spread to L.A.'s transit system: "Activists and community groups argue that, on a system where violent crime is relatively low, the money could be better spent: on free fares, on better and more frequent service, on homeless outreach workers." (LA Times)
- LA County’s ‘corridor of corruption’: "Southeastern Los Angeles County is a jumble of small cities containing mostly poor and/or immigrant residents who have been clobbered by the COVID-19 pandemic and the deep recession it induced. However, the region is also 'a corridor of corruption' in the words of Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, who represents a piece of it." (CalMatters)
- Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar Arrested on Federal RICO Charge that Alleges He Agreed to Accept At Least $1.5 Million in Illicit Benefits: More details on the FBI probe into City Hall corruption emerge (USDOJ)
- How Beating of Unhoused Boyle Heights Man Exposes Woeful Inadequacy of LAPD Reform Proposals (Streetsblog LA)
- UCLA Economists Say We're In For A 'Depression-Like Crisis': "While economists had hoped for a V-shaped recovery — with a steep downturn followed by an equally steep snap back — the UCLA report envisions a recovery shaped more like the Nike swoosh, with a sharp 42% drop in GDP followed by gradual job growth playing out over years." (LAist)
- Officials, activists agree it’s time to ‘reimagine’ the LAPD, but they continue to spar over how: "One motion would have the LAPD work with other city and county agencies that handle health and homelessness issues to 'develop an unarmed model of crisis response that would divert non-violent calls for service away from LAPD to the appropriate non-law enforcement agencies and related matters.'" (LA Times)
- The history behind LA City Councilman Jose Huizar’s corruption scandal: In 2012, the city’s council districts were redrawn, a process that happens every 10 years. That’s when Huizar became the representative for most of downtown, and that laid the groundwork for the scandal unfolding today. (KCRW)
- Curbed LA Is Closing: "Starting Monday, June 29, our stories will appear on Curbed.com, our flagship site. That’s in preparation for an exciting move over to New York Magazine this fall, where Curbed will relaunch as the newest vertical alongside brands like Vulture, the Cut, and the Strategist." (Curbed)
