TODAY’S ESSENTIAL NEWS
» California Faces Threat From The Type Of Back-To-Back Mega-Earthquakes That Devastated Turkey The mega-quakes in Turkey this week showcase how a magnitude 7.8 quake could trigger a magnitude 7.5 aftershock on a different fault, with 60 miles of distance between the epicenters. A similar seismic scenario could occur in California. Mega-quakes that could rupture the southern San Andreas fault from near the Mexican border through Los Angeles County and beyond could trigger major aftershocks and shake cities as far away as Sacramento and San Francisco. [L.A. Times]
» New Permit Proposal Could Threaten L.A.’s Outdoor Dining Program A new proposal could threaten the L.A. Al Fresco program, which was prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic and allowed about 2,5000 restaurants to quickly open or expand their outdoor dining areas. The Al Fresco program was introduced in May 2020 and was quickly adopted by restaurants throughout Los Angeles—without the usual paperwork, bureaucracy, fees and months of applying. But now a proposed ordinance would put restrictions in place and force restaurants to apply for expensive new permits for existing patios that would cost businesses tens of thousands of dollars each, possibly forcing those that cannot afford it to shut down. [ABC]
» Lakers Trade Russell Westbrook For D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, and Jarred Vanderbilt in Three-Team Deal The Los Angeles Lakers are completing a deal for D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, and Jarred Vanderbilt in a three-team trade with the Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves. The details of the trade are not yet official, but reportedly the Timberwolves will receive guards Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker from the Utah Jazz, as well as draft picks. The Jazz will receive Russell Westbrook, Juan Toscano-Anderson, and Damian Jones from the Lakers as well as the team’s 2027 first-round draft pick. [NBC]
» L.A. County Approves $600M For Homeless Initiatives The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has approved more than $600 million for homeless initiatives in the region. It’s a record-setting plan to combat the issue, which Sup. Katheryn Barger said is “plaguing” the county. The focus will be on moving people out of homeless encampments and into housing, increasing mental health and substance abuse treatment for the homeless and providing thousands of interim housing beds to move people into more suitable environments. [KTLA]
» Alec Baldwin Charged Under Gun Law That Didn’t Exist at Time of Rust Shooting Prosecutors in New Mexico charged Alec Baldwin last week with a gun allegation that was not on the books at the time of the Rust shooting. Baldwin is facing a charge of involuntary manslaughter as well as a “firearm enhancement” in connection with the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The enhancement carries an additional five-year penalty for the discharge of a firearm in the course of a felony. But that enhancement did not become law until May 2022, seven months after Hutchins was killed. [Variety]
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ONE MORE THING
Elon Musk’s Personal Tesla Has Now Been Up in Space for 5 Years
Space is a busy highway. In fact, tens of thousands of man-made satellites—or items that have broken off of them, often as small as a piece of gravel, are orbiting the earth; these items were meant to be disposable. Occasionally, they smash into each other, or fall out of orbit and burn up in the atmosphere. Sometimes, smaller pieces will dent larger ones, like pedestrians on a busy sidewalk.
The North American Aerospace Defense Catalog Number is a database of all the artificial objects currently orbiting the earth. Number 43205 is Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster, according to the New Yorker; it has a dummy driver named Starman behind the wheel. The auto is also full of Easter eggs, and a sign that reads “Don’t Panic”—a reference to sci-fi writer Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Also loaded into the Roadster is a data storage device stuffed with the work of another science fiction writer, Isaac Asimov, and a plaque bearing the names of thousands of SpaceX employees.
