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.
—It's 4/20! Oklahoma-based Zen Cannabis made the 'Big Zen' to celebrate every cannabis enthusiast's favorite holiday. It broke the record for being the largest cannabis chocolate bar in the world. The cacao mass weighs 420 pounds and the legal medical cannabis company used 100 pounds of cannabis to infuse it. It took 12 people 360 hours to make the Big Zen, reports Cool Material. It has a hard-to-comprehend potency of 4,200,000 milligrams of THC. For comparison, your standard bar of chocolate edibles is 100 milligrams of THC. [Cool Material]
—An anti-Olympics group is criticizing Mayor Bass for appointing “another Olympic executive from the private sector to a city position.” Bass wants Renata Simril to sit on the Board of Recreation and Parks Commissioners. Simril was reportedly instrumental in bringing the Olympics to Los Angeles. NOlympics says it’s a conflict of interest for someone who has a personal interest in the Olympics to be associated with a government agency that is expected to take in millions of dollars from the International Olympic Committee. [No Olympics in L.A.]
—Following criticisms over his performance, Frank Ocean has officially pulled out of being the headline in week two of Coachella. [Pitchfork]
—Inglewood: NBA Owner Shares Firm Decision After Researching Potential Team Name Change. Steve Ballmer said he would not change the name of the Clippers when the team moves to Intuit Dome in Inglewood. “We’ve done our research on this,” Ballmer said, “And our answer is no.” [Eye on Inglewood]
—Richard Riordan, Los Angeles' mayor from 1993-2001, who faced the challenges of rebuilding the city first following the Rodney King riots and then the 1994 Northridge earthquake, has died at age 92. Riordan was a lawyer, venture capitalist, and member of the Los Angeles Board of Recreation and Park Commissioners before his election in 1993. ... Riordan took office slightly more than a year after the rioting that followed the verdict in the state trial of the Los Angeles Police Department officers accused in the beating of motorist Rodney King, then had another challenge to face in his first year in office -- the 1994 Northridge earthquake. ... Mayor Karen Bass says Riordan's legacy includes the Central Library, which he saved and rebuilt, and setting the standard for emergency action following the Northridge earthquake. [City News Service]
—Long Beach: Three clerks have been cited for selling alcohol to underage individuals during three decoy operations conducted in Long Beach, the Long Beach Police Department announced. ... The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and Long Beach Police Department conducted three minor decoy operations between October 20-22 and April 20-23, in which people under 21, under the direct supervision of L-B-P-D detectives and A-B-C agents, attempted to purchase alcohol from 23 retail licensees in Long Beach, police said.
