Headlines: Bartz BBQ Is ‘Pretty Annoyed’ By L.A. Pop-Up Prices, Reduces His Menu Prices to ‘Lead By Example’

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.

—Dustin Bartz, the owner of Bartz Barbecue, is "pretty annoyed" about the prices at L.A.'s pop-up restaurants, writing,"$18 for a quesadilla or $11 for a single cheese burger is crazy. The truth is currently most meat items are cheaper now than they were in 2019. Chicken and pork right now is the cheapest I have seen in 3 years. Brisket is down from $6 a pound to $3.59/lb now. But for some reason everyone wants ridiculous prices... People are going to say "Yeah labor is so expensive" all that means is you have been underpaying them all along." [Bartz.Barbecue]

—Downtown: L.A. City Controller Kenneth Mejia remembers when City Hall opened its doors to unhoused people in L.A. during a cold winter storm in 1987 that killed four to hypothermia. The politician says he saw a frozen person lying on the street lifeless on Sunday morning, as paramedics tried to save them. [LA Controller]

—Lynwood: Balam taqueria was unfortunately broken into this weekend, reporting that a "few things were lost," while not affecting opening hours. Go support! [Balam]

—Koreatown: Using donations, volunteer-driven Ktown For All was able to buy out the supply of three tamal vendors and donate tamales to the unhoused this weekend. Simultaneously, the purchase allowed the tamal vendors to get out of the rain for the day. [Ktown For All]

—Burbank: Pablito's Tacos was also targeted by thieves, who stole gas cans from the business in the early hours of the morning. The restaurant put up video of the suspect and the vehicle they used in the heist. Go support! [Pablito's Tacos]

—In the U.S., migrant child labor is everywhere. Children stitch “Made in America” tags into shirts for J. Crew. They bake dinner rolls sold at Walmart and Target, process milk used in Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and help debone chicken sold at Whole Foods. [NYT]

—The five top companies in 2022 whose products end up as plastic pollution, as researched and reported by Sungai Watch, include Danone, OT, and Wings. [SunGai Watch]

—Demonstrations took place in over 100 cities in Mexico against the recent overhaul of the country’s electoral watchdog, which officials say could make fair and free elections difficult. Over 100,000 protestors were reported in Mexico City's central Zócalo. Looming over the protests was the recent conviction in a Brooklyn courtroom of Genaro García Luna, a former top Mexican law enforcement official, who was found guilty of taking bribes from cartels — a verdict widely viewed in Mexico as damaging to one of the opposition parties associated with the demonstration on Sunday. [NYT]

—The number of patients hospitalized with a Coronavirus infection in
Los Angeles County has again dropped below 700. As of Friday, 692 people were hospitalized with COVID-related illnesses, down from 726 one day earlier. [SoCal News]

—The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said that as of late Sunday night, more than 38,000 customers were without power. Some of the hardest hit
communities include Glassell Park, Hancock Park, Hollywood, Studio
City, Chatsworth, Mission Hills, North Hollywood, Sun Valley, Tarzana, Van Nuys, and Woodland Hills. And nearly 5,000 Southern California Edison customers were without power countywide. [SoCal News]

—Summarizing some people's "Millennial struggle" in two sentences. [Brave New Films]

—A comic book-style tamal cart designed by @Rrrubenochoa and @revolution_carts tells the story of Juan Aguilar, the tamalero who was verbally attacked by a racist man in San Pedro while selling his tamales. It’s currently being displayed at the Cheech Marin Center For Chicano Art in Riverside and features an L.A. TACO article written by our own Janette Villafana on it! [Janette Villafana]