A.M. Brief: Three Beverly Hills Residents Face Charges in Capitol Insurrection

Your inauguration day brief: New charges against Capitol insurrectionists from Beverly Hills, Disneyland’s vaccination hub is closed again due to high winds, and new variants of COVID-19 have health officials worried about the coming weeks. It’s a new day with a new administration. Here is your news. Take it!

Morning News Rundown

Three locals—all Beverly Hills residents—now face federal charges in connection with the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Gina Bisignano, 52, John Strand, 37, and Simone Gold, 55 were expected to appear in federal court in downtown Los Angeles yesterday to face a range of offenses including aiding and abetting the willful injury or depredation of U.S. property and disorderly conduct on U.S. Capitol grounds. Investigators say video obtained from social media shows the three individuals both outside and inside the Capitol building. [KTLA]

For the second day in a row, the large-scale vaccination site at Disneyland will be closed due to high winds and elevated fire danger. Those who had their appointments canceled yesterday will be notified of rescheduling options. No appointments had been scheduled for Wednesday. [ABC 7]

At 9 a.m. PST this morning, Joe Biden officially became the 46th president of the United States in a relatively low-key and socially distanced ceremony on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. At the same time, former California Senator Kamala Harris made history becoming the first woman, first Black person, and first person of South Asian descent to be sworn in as vice president of the United States. [LA Mag]

In the wake of the pandemic, overall crime reports in Los Angele fell 11% year-over-year from 2019 to 2020. Nonetheless, despite an overall crime reduction, murders and shootings grew to their highest levels in years. 2020 saw homicides increase by 36% from the year prior. [Crosstown LA]

COVID-19 hospitalizations and case rates are both decreasing statewide. Los Angeles County has seen a dip in the 7-day positivity rate over the past week, dropping from around 20% to about 15%. However, health officials are deeply concerned that the spread of the new variants of the virus— one thought to be 50% more transmissible—will cause another spike in infections, hospitalizations, and deaths. [L.A. Times]