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The Terminator got his first dose of COVID-19 vaccine yesterday, and something tells us he’ll definitely “be back” for the sequel. Also this morning: There’s not enough vaccine for everyone eligible, the young L.A. poet who stole the show at yesterday’s inauguration, and a lawsuit against hero pay. As always, this is your daily news brief. Take it!
Morning News Rundown
Yesterday morning, former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger dusted off an old chestnut from Terminator 2 to pump up awareness and encouragement for everyone to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. “Come with me if you want to live,” Schwarzenegger deadpans into the camera after he receives a shot in the bicep at the Dodger Stadium drive-though site. The video, posted to Twitter just before noon yesterday, has so far garnered more than 2 million views on Twitter. We presume he’ll be back for his second dose in a couple weeks. [Twitter]
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An order from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has made coronavirus vaccinations available to residents 65 and older. One problem: The current supply is less than 25% of what’s needed to vaccinate the over 4 million County residents now eligible. The glut is causing major headaches for those trying to sign up for an appointment. [LAist]
A new variant of COVID-19 believed to have originated in California has been detected in more than half of the positive samples taken from Los Angeles and reviewed by scientists over the past week. Research is underway to determine if the new variant, named CAL.20C, is more contagious than other forms of the virus. [New York Times]
Joe Biden was technically the headliner at yesterday’s inauguration, but it was 22-year-old L.A. native Amanda Gorman who captured the heart of the nation with her poem, “The Hill We Climb.” A re-watch and re-reading of Gorman’s words are definitely in order. If you haven’t seen her performance, then do yourself a favor and check it out. [We Like L.A.]
On Tuesday, Long Beach City Council unanimously approved a “hero pay” ordinance that requires grocery stores to bump up wages by $4 an hour for workers at a higher risk of exposure to COVID-19. Then, only a day later, the California Grocer’s Association filed a lawsuit arguing that the hero pay ordinance is unconstitutional. [LB Post]
We tend to think of Southern California as all sunshine and heatwaves, but the fact is, our winters are more than cold enough to endanger the thousands of unhoused individuals without shelter, particularly those with pre-existing medical conditions. A new data analysis by L.A. Taco shows that since 2016, at least 28 unhoused individuals have died of hypothermia on the streets of Los Angeles. In 2018, more unhoused people died in Los Angeles than in New York and San Francisco combined. [L.A. Taco]
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