A.M. Brief: Staples to Be General Election Vote Center

You can’t watch games at Staples this year, but you will be able to vote there thanks to an agreement between NBA players and owners. Also: Shots fired at a pro-Trump caravan in the Valley, a local teacher gets death threats over her T-shirt, and another racist rant captured on video. Finally, what’s the stink over at the Huntington? First, some news stuff.

Morning News Rundown

Something (a bullet, maybe…?) was fired at a MAGA caravan (yes, that’s a thing) from an apartment building as the group of cars traveled down Ventura Blvd. in Woodland Hills on Sunday. No one was injured, but a tire was shot out. Law enforcement closed down the street and SWAT engaged in a standoff outside the building. When they finally entered, no one was inside. [NBC Los Angeles]

Testimony from an LASD whistleblower says that the deputy who killed Andres Guardado was also a prospective member of The Executioners. To refresh, The Executioners are/were allegedly a violent subset of Sheriff’s deputies who ran the Compton Patrol Station using fear and intimidation. [Spectrum 1]

A teacher at El Camino Real Charter High School in Woodland Hills says she was forced to leave her home after receiving hundreds of death threats via email. Her crime? She wore an “I Can’t Breathe” T-shirt while instructing students on Zoom. A popular conservative podcast posted a screenshot of that call to social media, which precipitated the deluge of threats. [CNN]

After a nearly three-month hiatus, the Palos Verdes Reef Restoration Project resumed last week in an effort that will ultimately see 58,000 tons of rock dumped into the ocean to build an artificial reef off Palos Verdes Peninsula. The rock is being imported from two quarries on Catalina Island to restore the reef and reinvigorate local marine wildlife populations. [Daily Breeze]

The NBA playoffs are back on, but only after owners agreed to meet some of the social justice advocacy demands set forth by the Players Association. As part of the agreement, the NBA will make some arenas available as voting centers for the upcoming general election, including Staples Center. [NBA]

In an all-too-common sign of the times, another racist rant was captured on video over the weekend, this time at Dockweiler Beach. Three Black women say they were out for a run when another woman called police claiming they’d accosted her. [ABC 7]

On Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom laid out fresh guidelines for reopening the state’s economy, emphasizing the need to be “more stubborn this time.” Los Angeles is currently in the Purple Tier (most widespread), meaning we have more than 7 daily new cases per 100,000 residents and a positivity rate over 8%. Although the state allows counties in the Purple Tier to reopen some indoor businesses at reduced capacity, L.A. County will keep its standing order in place for now. [We Like L.A.]

Down in Orange County, South Coast Plaza (one of the largest shopping destinations in California) is set to reopen at 25% capacity. Orange County, if you’re wondering, is also in the Purple Tier. [CBS Los Angeles]

Death is in the Air

The smell of death is in the air, and no, I’m not talking about our political institutions. The Corpse Flower (Titan Arum) is set to bloom at The Huntington in an occurrence that is as unpredictable as it is strange. In the rare year when the plant begins to flower, it emits a cocktail of chemicals said to simulate the odor of rotting flesh to attract pollinating insects. As of yesterday, the flower had reached a height of 33.5 inches, having grown almost a full foot in the past five days. In 2009, it reached a height of nearly 7 feet. Unfortunately, visitors won’t be able to watch the Corpse Flower bloom in person this year. But the museum does have a live feed where you can watch the plant’s progress, along with a chart showing its daily growth rate. [The Huntington]