TODAY’S ESSENTIAL NEWS
» Biden Says Banking System Is Safe, Promises Accountability For Silicon Valley Bank Failure After the failure and federal seizure of Silicon Valley Bank this week, President Biden criticized former President Trump, the banking industry, and Silicon Valley in a speech on Monday. He accused Trump of damaging trust in democracy and dividing the country while blaming the banking industry for the 2008 financial crisis and Silicon Valley for spreading misinformation and hate speech. Biden emphasized the need to hold corporations accountable for their actions, particularly those that engage in predatory lending or allow harmful content online. [L.A. Times]
» Man Left Brain Dead After Montclair Police Beat And Tasered Him The Montclair Police Department in California is facing a lawsuit after a video surfaced showing officers ruthlessly beating a man during an arrest in 2019. The video shows Antonio Ibanez, who was initially pulled over for a nonviolent traffic violation, being beaten by several officers with their fists and batons. Ibanez’s attorney claims that his client was compliant with officers and did not resist arrest. The lawsuit alleges excessive force, assault, battery, and civil rights violations. The Montclair Police Department has not commented on the ongoing lawsuit. The incident highlights ongoing concerns over police use of force and the potential for alternative responses to nonviolent criminal incidents. [ABC]
» California Court Rules For Uber, Lyft In Ride-hailing Case California voters have decided that companies such as Uber and Lyft can classify their drivers as independent contractors, rather than employees. In 2020, California voters passed Proposition 22, which exempts “gig economy” companies—where people earn income by providing on-demand work, services or goods—from a state law that would have required them to treat their workers as employees with benefits such as minimum wage, workers’ compensation, and sick leave. However, the California Supreme Court has now ruled that the state’s minimum wage law does apply to Uber and Lyft drivers, as they are performing work that is part of the companies’ regular business. The decision could lead to further legal challenges over the classification of gig economy workers and their employment rights. [AP]
» Free Rides For Students On L.A. Metro Transit Are A Hit The Los Angeles Metro Transit has received a huge response from students after announcing free transportation passes for those aged 18 and under who attend schools in the Metro area. Since the initiative was launched in February, over 20,000 passes have been distributed to students. The move aims to help reduce the transportation costs of low-income families, encourage student attendance, and support a greener environment by reducing traffic congestion. Funded by Measure M, the initiative represents a half-cent sales tax, which was approved by L.A. County voters in 2016 to raise funds for transportation projects. The Metro Transit agency hopes to expand the program in the future. [CNS]
» California Cancels Salmon Fishing Season As Population Dwindles The Golden State’s 2023 salmon fishing season has been canceled due to drought conditions that have affected the state’s rivers and waterways. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife made the decision after determining that the numbers of salmon in the state’s rivers were too low to support a full fishing season. The cancellation will have serious economic impacts on fishing communities, which rely on the season. The decision highlights the ongoing challenges of managing natural resources in the face of climate change and the need for sustainable practices. [CBS]
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TOP STORIES FROM L.A. MAG
District Attorney George Gascon says that moving a patient from New York into the Fairfax senior living center caused the fatal outbreak
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ONE MORE THING
Google Is Tattling On the Really Bad Online Manners of Californians
The results are in: If you judge a state by its Google search trends, California has some major egg on its face—and appalling online manners.
In a new project helmed by word game helper WordFinder by YourDictionary, the Golden State ranks as the least polite in the country when it comes to the language it’s using in online searches. According to project manager Rachel Kirsch, the deep dive took a team of about 12 researchers and around 8 weeks to complete. Starting with an in-depth round of brainstorming, the development team pooled 23 different terms they deemed “generally polite,” 23 common terms of endearment, and a range of common positive slang terms. The team then used these terms as a key, of sorts, in analyzing how much or how little they occurred in searches per 100,000 residents in every U.S. state.
