A.M. Brief: City Plans to Sweep Echo Park Lake Encampment on Thursday

A planned encampment sweep sparks controversy at Echo Park Lake, Amoeba Music will open its new location in April, and LAUSD families remain uncertain about a return to the classroom. And finally, just how far would the water reach if a tsunami hit Los Angeles? All that and more in your Tuesday news brief.

Morning News Rundown

According to new reporting from the L.A. Times, the City of Los Angeles is planning a major sweep at a homeless encampment at Echo Park Lake this Thursday. The sweep will include the removal of 100 tents and a fence will be installed around the perimeter of the park. After that, the park will close indefinitely for repairs. Previous attempts to clear the lake area of unhoused individuals have drawn large protests, with demonstrators arguing that it is inhumane to force those living in tents to leave without a clear alternative path to housing. [L.A. Times]

Amoeba Music is reopening at a new location on April 1. The iconic record store, previously stationed on Sunset Blvd., has new digs at the corner of Hollywood Blvd. and Argyle. [LAist]

LAUSD families remain skeptical of a return to in-person learning. New survey results estimate that less than 30% of students at LAUSD elementary schools would be immediately returning when campuses reopen. [KTLA]

Vaccine deployment in the golden state is about to get much more uniform as Blue Shield of California takes full administrative control of the network on March 31, per a plan by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Some localities are resisting uniform standards in how they roll out vaccines, but eight counties, including Los Angeles, have now agreed to follow the guidelines set forth by the new centralized system. [NBC Los Angeles]

Can real estate in Southern California get any higher in the short term? As of this past February, the median sales price is the region is at an all-time high of $619,750. In Los Angeles County specifically, the median sales price increased 14.3% to $708,500 in February and sales went up by 19.1%. [L.A. Times]

The California Geological Survey has released an interactive map showing hazard zones in Southern California should the region be hit by a tsunami. A large enough event could increase water elevations by 12 to 15 feet, flooding both the Port of Long Beach and Port of Los Angeles. The map can be found here. [LB Post]