By Elvia Limón and Jason Sanchez
Hello, it's Wednesday, Sept. 21, and here are the stories you shouldn't miss today:
TOP STORIES
Regulators propose turning from big rigs to zero-emission trucks
California regulators could soon ban the sale of diesel big rigs by 2040, ending a long reliance on the polluting vehicles that are the backbone of the American economy.
The California Air Resources Board is proposing regulations that would end the sale of new diesel-propelled big rigs and other trucks in the Golden State in the next 18 years. It would also require all state and local government fleets to be zero emission by 2027, and large fleet operators like Amazon, Walmart and other companies must convert all their trucks operating in the state to zero-emission vehicles by 2042.
About 6% of the nearly 30 million registered vehicles in California are medium- and heavy-duty trucks like big rigs. But trucks contribute a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions from the top-polluting transportation sector, which accounts for 41% of total emissions, according to the California Air Resources Board.
Southern California's urban coyotes: 'Horrific' or misunderstood?
In recent years, a growing number of coyote horror stories have echoed in municipal hearing rooms and over internet message boards. These are tales of bold predators that roam the back alleys and flood control channels of the Los Angeles Basin, attacking pets and humans alike.
The reports are fueling an escalating war on Southern California's urban coyotes, and exposing deep divisions between those who want to eradicate the animal and groups such as Project Coyote that call for peaceful coexistence.
The widening coyote war is also raising fundamental questions for cities that have long struggled to manage their coyote populations. Those questions include whether local government should be involved at all, and whether such a tenacious and adaptive animal can even be controlled.
Biden is scrambling to shore up Latino support. Is it too late?
President Biden and Democrats have delivered on a number of policy promises of deep importance to Latinos. But some Latino activists worry voters aren't aware of all that's been done, and others worry that the blinkered perspective Biden acknowledged privately has limited Latino representation in his administration.
With Hispanic Heritage Month underway and the midterm elections seven weeks away, Biden and aides have launched a robust outreach effort aimed at ensuring this crucial voting bloc appreciates the sum of Democrats' accomplishments.
The administration's latest efforts to court Latinos could have started sooner, several activists said.
More politics
- The superintendent of public instruction is the only nonpartisan statewide office in California, but it seems impossible to separate politics from the race between Democratic incumbent Tony Thurmond and Republican challenger Lance Christensen.
- The world's leaders converged on the United Nations for the opening sessions of the body's annual General Assembly, with twin crises of war in Ukraine and famine in Africa weighing heavily on the gathering.
- The independent arbiter tasked with inspecting documents seized in an FBI search of former President Trump's Florida home said he intended to push briskly through the review process.
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NBC is bringing back the Golden Globes
After rampant speculation about a comeback, the Golden Globes is returning next year to NBC, its longtime broadcast network, in time for the awards show's 80th anniversary.
The move caps more than a year of chaos and uncertainty for the HFPA, which confronted withering criticism over its operations and the conduct of members. The group has embarked on a series of reforms in an effort to salvage its once high-profile awards show and get back into Hollywood's good graces.
Last year, NBC dropped the broadcast of the 2022 Globes, a contingent of powerful publicists boycotted the organization and studios cut ties after a Los Angeles Times investigation raised questions about the group's ethical and financial lapses and revealed that not one of the then-87 members was Black.
The L.A. Unified cyberattackers are demanding ransom
The hackers who targeted the Los Angeles Unified School District have made a ransom demand, officials confirmed, an indication that the attackers have extracted sensitive data or believe they can bluff the district into thinking that they have.
L.A. schools Supt. Alberto Carvalho declined to disclose the amount of the ransom or any further information about what information — if any — the attackers may be holding.
Officials said they were optimistic that Social Security numbers and other sensitive information of employees remained secure. But the outlook could be different when it comes to student information such as grades, course schedules, disciplinary records and disability status.
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PHOTO OF THE DAY
Jumpy: A Southern California mountain yellow-legged frog squirms in a container before being released in a remote creek.
Read: "
Rare yellow-legged frogs are returned to drought-hammered San Gabriel Mountains."
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
CALIFORNIA
A crash that killed nine has spurred calls for new cars to detect drunk drivers. The National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates the most severe traffic collisions along with other transit disasters, wants in-vehicle technology that tests all motorists for potential impairment. The recommendation came after reports showed a 2021 New Year's Day crash in Avenal, Calif., was caused by an impaired driver who was speeding at nearly 100 mph.
Santa Monica's mayor says it's time to end the L.A. County needle exchange program at one of the city's parks. In an open letter to county officials last week, Mayor Sue Himmelrich called for the program to be relocated from public spaces in the city to, preferably, an indoor site.
An assault near UC Berkeley is being investigated as an anti-Asian hate crime. An aggravated assault using rocks was reported Monday morning near the intersection of Ellsworth Street and Durant Avenue, according to university police. The assailant wasn't arrested. Based on the information provided about the incident, authorities believe it was an anti-Asian hate crime. Hate crimes against Asian Americans rose 177.5% in California from 2020 to 2021, according to state data.
The family of a cinematographer killed during filming is suing USC and two students. The parents of Peng Wang alleged the university had sanctioned the project and knew that the team would be using off-road vehicles and shooting in the desert. USC officials previously suggested that the students had gone rogue in making the short film "Finale." The students targeted in the suit included the driver of the vehicle Wang was riding in when he was killed and another who helped him put on a helmet.
The Marilyn Manson sexual abuse investigation was turned over to the Los Angeles County D.A. The Sheriff's Department's Special Victims Bureau, which handles sexual and physical abuse investigations, submitted its extensive investigation into the performer, whose real name is Brian Warner, for filing consideration. Multiple women have accused Manson of sexual and physical abuse. He has repeatedly denied the allegations.
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NATION-WORLD
Election officials fear a 2020 replay in the midterms. Swing states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin allow no-excuse mail-in ballots but give local election offices no time before election day to process them. Election workers' inability to do that work ahead of time means many of the mailed ballots may not get counted on election day, delaying results in tight races and leaving a gaping hole for misinformation and lies to flood the public space.
Iran is facing international criticism following the death of a woman in custody. Mahsa Amini, 22, was detained last week by the Islamic Republic's morality police, who took her to a station where she collapsed and died three days later. Iranian police have denied mistreating Amini and say she died of a heart attack. The U.N. human rights office called for an investigation. The U.S., which is trying to revive the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, called on the nation to end its "systemic persecution" of women.
Here's how to help Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic recover from Hurricane Fiona's devastation. Most of the Caribbean island has been left without power and water after the hurricane made landfall with 85-mph winds, according to the National Hurricane Center, and a historic amount of rain. The American Red Cross, Project Hope and a number of other U.S. and international relief groups are gathering funds to help the two islands.
And here's how to help Pakistan as it struggles with relentless flooding. Local, national and international organizations are aiding the country, including UNICEF, which said relief and rescue operations remained "extremely hard to carry out" because "many communities are still cut off by floodwater."
HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS
Roseanne Barr gets a special on Fox Nation. The company announced that "A Rosanne Comedy Special" would stream in the first quarter of 2023. It will be the comedian's first stand-up special in 16 years. Barr has been persona non grata since she was fired from a 2018 reboot of her eponymous hit sitcom following a racist tweet about President Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett.
"Days of Our Lives" made the move to streaming. Some loyal fans are feeling burned. Last week, the daytime drama took a leap many viewers might never accept: NBC moved the soap, a staple of its daytime programming since 1965, to Peacock, NBC Universal's streaming service. Although some fans welcome the move as a vital lifeline for their beloved soap, many other longtime viewers, particularly older ones, are outraged.
A complaint alleges that DeMario Jackson, once the center of a "Bachelor" scandal, raped two women. In the legal document, two women claim they separately went on dates with Jackson that ended with him forcing them into nonconsensual sex. Both Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 reported their alleged assaults to the Rape Treatment Center at UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center.
"Not for sale": Kanye West is claiming that his music catalog has been put up for sale without his knowledge. The "Donda" rapper went on to compare the situation to Taylor Swift's where the pop singer-songwriter was embroiled in a bitter fight with manager Scooter Braun over ownership of her six first albums. Swift eventually re-recorded her albums, starting with her 2008 album "Fearless," then her 2012 album, "Red."
BUSINESS
Southern California's housing slowdown is apparent in August's home prices. The six-county region's median held steady at $740,000, the fourth consecutive month prices didn't increase, according to new data. Sales of new and existing houses, condos and townhomes dropped 28.3% from a year earlier. Rising mortgage rates have slowed the housing market in recent months. The steep rise in borrowing costs adds more than $1,000 to the monthly payment for a median-priced home — a cost many can't afford.
OPINION
Should the U.S. declare Russia a sponsor of terrorism? The Biden administration fears that adding Russia to the state-sponsored terrorism list will limit options on how to resolve the Ukrainian conflict and other highly contentious bilateral issues. Yet a convincing case has not been made that adding Russia to the list would limit flexibility. The argument it would limit diplomatic solutions to the Ukrainian conflict is a red herring.
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SPORTS
Maury Wills, legendary base stealer for the Dodgers, has died at age 89. Wills played a key role for the 1960s Dodgers, leading the National League in steals six times, earning two Gold Gloves for his fielding, and beating out Willie Mays for the league's MVP award in '62, when he startled the baseball world by setting a record with 104 stolen bases, eclipsing Ty Cobb's record. From Bill Plaschke: Maury Wills stole Dodger fans' hearts and changed the game. That unbelievably wasn't enough for the Hall of Fame.
The Stockton youth football legend churning toward USC fame. Those who ushered Raleek Brown along the way from being the 12-year-old star of the Southside Vikings all the way to becoming USC's running back, offer similar explanations for how they came to believe Brown was bound for stardom. They just knew, they say.
We have a new Lakers book. In an effort to help you remember 17 championships in 75 years, The Times has put together a 160-page hardcover book. It's based largely on the work of award-winning reporters and photographers of the Los Angeles Times. Check it out.
ONLY IN L.A.
This is the spot for training with free weights inside Heimat. (Heimat / Purple PR)
Is this Los Angeles' bougiest gym? At Heimat, a multistory "fitness concept club" in Hollywood, membership is by application only and costs $150 a month for those under 25 years old and $350 a month for those over 25.
The first floor houses traditional weight lifting equipment and there's a separate cardio room with lighting fixtures shaped like clouds. The design is undeniably sexy — the ceilings are high; the equipment is sleek; the walls are marbled, mirrored or muraled, with large windows framing a breathtaking view of … La Brea traffic.
FROM THE ARCHIVES
Nov. 9, 2007: Workers clean up oil-covered Rodeo Beach near Muir Beach, Calif., after the Cosco Busan oil spill. (Eric Risberg / Associated Press)
Eleven years ago this week, on Sept. 19, 2011, the owner and operating companies of the Cosco Busan agreed to pay $44.4 million for environmental damage from an oil spill four years earlier in the San Francisco Bay.
In November 2007, the 901-foot-long cargo ship sideswiped the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. The collision ruptured two fuel tanks, dumping more than 53,000 gallons of fuel oil into the bay. A little over a year later, federal officials determined that a lack of communication between crew members led to the spill: "Despite dense fog, the ship's captain and pilot did not discuss the ship's proper speed or extra precautions that should have been taken." The spill befouled 69 miles of shoreline and killed nearly 7,000 birds, according to the Mercury News.
Times staff writer Amy Hubbard contributed to this report.
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