A.M. Brief: New Sexual Misconduct Allegations Against Garcetti Advisor

First up, there’s a new allegation of sexual misconduct against a senior advisor to Mayor Garcetti. Also this morning: A bad year for murders in L.A., theme park reopening guidance is on the way, and Swingers Diner is coming back.

Morning News Rundown

On Monday, freelance journalist Yashir Ali accused a senior aide to Mayor Eric Garcetti of sexual misconduct. Ali claims that Rick Jacobs, a top advisor to Garcetti, forcibly kissed and grabbed him on multiple occasions between 2005 and 2015. This is the second time someone has accused Jacobs of sexual misconduct. In his first-person account, Ali also says that he contacted the Garcetti administration in July but no action was taken. As of this morning, neither Jacobs nor Garcetti’s office had responded to a request for comment from the Times. [L.A. Times]

In July, Los Angeles had its worst month for murder in over a decade, and thus, the citywide homicide rate is up 20% compared to 2019. The spike in murders comes even as overall levels of crime have decreased, likely as a result of extended stay-at-home orders. [Crosstown LA]

Attention Disneyland fanatics: Later today, Gov. Gavin Newsom will announce long-awaited guidance for reopening theme parks. But don’t expect it to be a one-size-fits-all approach. The governor cautioned that the state will “break up the theme parks” in terms of reopenings. [KTLA]

A 25-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the fatal stabbing of a Metro employee at the 7th Street/Metro Center station last Friday. [NBC Los Angeles]

Swingers Diner plans to reopen Nov. 1 with new ownership at the helm. Former General Manager Stephanie Wilson purchased the diner from restauranteur Sean MacPherson’s Committed Inc., which had announced in April that Swingers would be closing for good due to the pandemic. [We Like L.A.]

Brian Wilson and Al Jardine were none too pleased to learn that Mike Love’s touring version of The Beach Boys headlined a Trump fundraiser in Newport Beach over the weekend. Wilson and Jardine put out a statement saying they only learned of the concert via an L.A. Times report, they had zero involvement in the decision to perform. [Variety]

This past Friday, a bankruptcy judge in Delaware approved a settlement allowing Exide Technologies to avoid cleanup obligations for an abandoned battery recycling plant in Vernon. The heavy environmental remediation burden now falls on the state government. [ABC 7]