Welcome to L.A. TACO’s daily news briefs, where we bring our loyal members, readers, and supporters the latest headlines about Los Angeles politics and culture. Stay informed and look closely.
—Mid-City: Local al pastor phenomenon Leo's Tacos appears in Bad Bunny's new video for the song "Ojitos Lindos," lending its big orange truck to a scene in which Bunny goes out with a woman for tacos and takes the liberty of pouring a bottled salsa all over her food. [Leo's Tacos]
—Five-term California Senator Dianne Feinstein announced yesterday that she would not seek re-election following the end of her term in 2024. The 89-year-old is the oldest member of the Senate and her ability to serve has come into question in recent years amid reports of her declining memory. [Axios]
—Downtown: Construction has begun on the first high-rise building to hit the Arts District. Alloy, as it's called, comes from the prolific L.A. developers at Carmel Partners and will include a 35 story tower. The building's existence was once in doubt due to its connections to a City Hall corruption scandal centered on former Los Angeles City Councilmember Jose Huizar, who accepted political contributions from Carmel on behalf of his wife's City Council run in the middle of the project's approval process. [Urbanize]
—Altadena: We finally know who won that recent $2.4 billion Powerball jackpot from a ticket bought at Joe’s Service Center. Edwin Castro, who is accepting a $997.6 million payout, is keeping a low-profile, not appearing at a news conference in Sacramento and saying, "the real winner is the California public school system." [KTLA]
—Culver City: Culver City has passed a citywide ban on homeless encampments with the exact date undetermined. Under the ordinance, unhoused individuals will be allowed to have sleeping bags and blankets, but tents and other structures will be banned. The controversial ban will reportedly not go into effect until other alternatives are in place, including housing through Project Room Key and local motels as well as setting up a designated camping site at the Virginia Parking Lot. [ABC7]
—A group of young women said to be residents of Carlsbad are being called out for their demeaning treatment of a Southern California food vendor. In a video, the women are shown verbally disrespecting a vendor as they pick food from his plancha with their bare hands. [Edin Alex Enamorado]
—California's population declined by 500,000 people between April 2020 and July 2022, surpassing the number of those coming here by 700,000. In addition to remote work, the primary reason reported for the exodus is the state’s high housing costs, in addition to long commutes, crowds, crime, and pollution in the state's larger urban centers. [LAT]
