TODAY’S ESSENTIAL NEWS
» California AG’s Wife Recuses Herself From State DOJ Budget California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s wife has recused herself from matters related to the state Department of Justice as part of her duties leading a legislative subcommittee that oversees his budget. Assemblymember Mia Bonta, a Democrat, announced the recusal in a statement posted online Sunday. She heads Assembly Budget Subcommittee 5, which oversees public safety spending—including that of the state’s justice department, which is led by Rob Bonta. Mia Bonta’s statement emphasized that while she believes there is no legal or ethical conflict in her role, she has recused herself so Californians “have absolute confidence in the legislative process.” [AP]
» DGA Awards: The Daniels Take Top Honor The Directors Guild of America revealed its winners for the 2023 DGA Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles Saturday night, with Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan taking home the top prize for Everything Everywhere All at Once. At the ceremony, host Judd Apatow nodded to the fact that there were no female filmmakers nominated in the top director category this year. [THR]
» California’s Assault Weapons Ban Could Soon Be Overturned As early as this week, a federal judge could once again rule to overturn California’s longstanding ban on assault weapons. The ruling is believed to be imminent, according to Kostas Moros, a lawyer representing the California Rifle and Pistol Association. Moros said the final response briefs in the cases are due on Tuesday and Judge Roger Benitez could rule any time after that. Advocates on both sides of the gun debate issue say they expect Benitez, who is known for ruling against California’s gun control laws, will decide to strike down the three-decades-old law.[ABC]
» Bafta Awards Face Backlash Over All-white Winners The prestigious British event had a diverse set of nominees, with people belonging to ethnic minorities taking almost 40% of the acting shortlist slots. But that did not translate into wins, with the 49 victors across all categories being white. The controversy comes three years after an outcry and subsequent reforms were sparked when all 20 acting nominees were white. [BBC]
» Crowds Descend On Grand Opening of Long-awaited Pasadena Bookstore, Octavia’s Bookshelf People are excited about Pasadena’s newest paperback palace… like really excited. Visitors from all over Southern California lined down the block to patronize Octavia’s Bookshelf, a bookstore dedicated to writers of color. Overjoyed owner Nikki High teared up as a crowd of more than 300 people on Saturday, Feb. 18, stopped to celebrate her dream. At its peak, the queue to get into the North Hill Avenue store spanned more than 10 blocks, reaching as far back as Victory Bible Church. [Whittier Daily]
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TOP STORIES FROM L.A. MAG
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ONE MORE THING
Sepi Shyne’s West Hollywood Revolution
Sepi Shyne was having her big moment. On January 9, the 46-year-old lawyer, Reiki master, and self-described spirit medium basked in elaborate praise from family, friends, politicians—and, somehow, members of the clergy—before she was sworn into the unelected role of mayor of West Hollywood.
Shyne was riding into her new role from a position of strength. Elected to the West Hollywood City Council in 2020, Shyne raked in over 8,000 votes, more than any other candidate in West Hollywood history. Her landslide victory, at a time of profound racial unrest and awareness in L.A. and nationwide, appeared to have ushered in a new era for the overwhelmingly white governing body. Alongside fellow Councilmember John Erickson’s win, Shyne’s victory also decisively shifted the ethos of the Council, which became, as Los Angeles magazine described, “younger, woker, and sexually and ethnically more diverse.” Shyne herself told me her candidacy was fueled by a desire to create more equity and representation and “bring the people’s voices to City Hall and create more progressive policies.”
