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.
—A lightning strike torched a palm tree in Downtown Long Beach at about 4:50 PM, L.A. TACO member Arturo Enciso reports. He tells L.A. TACO that he was in the area wearing earphones, and the boom was audible even while wearing them. He thought it was an explosion at first. Long Beach firefighters showed up around 10 minutes after to extinguish it. [@Artudough/IG]
—Police arrested a suspect believed to be the man caught on video forcibly walking a teenager he later sexually abused in an El Sereno park. As of 7 a.m., the suspect had not yet been booked, so no details about that individual or how the man was arrested were available. More details are expected Wednesday afternoon. No further information about the teenager has been shared, but police said the teen is back home with family. [NBC]
—Amid furious public calls to resign, City Councilperson Nury Martinez has resigned as president and taken a "leave of office," which might not even be totally legal. Martinez did not say in her statement whether she would resign from office over the remarks, and she was not up for re-election this election cycle. [LAist]
—Even President Joe Biden is calling on these racist motherfuckers to resign."He believes that they all should resign," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. "The language that was used and tolerated during that conversation was unacceptable, and it was appalling." [USA Today]
—Irvine and Santa Monica are among the top ten cities paying the highest bills in California, at numbers 7 and 8, respectively, while L.A. came in third overall for U.S. cities. Doxo, a personal finance resource, found that the average U.S. household will spend $24,032 on bills annually. Bills, in this case, cover ten categories: mortgage, rent, auto loan, utilities, auto insurance, cable/internet/phone service, health insurance, mobile phone, alarm and security, and life insurance. [KTLA]
—Eric Kay, the former Angels executive found guilty of providing fentanyl-laced pills to deceased MLB pitcher Tyler Skags has been given a sentence of 22 years in prison. Kay, the former communications director of the Anaheim, California-based team, was eligible for a 20-year sentence, but life was also a possibility, according to federal prosecutors who took their case to U.S. District Court in Fort Worth. [NBC]
—LAPD officers shot and killed a man they claim was armed with handguns who had crashed a stolen truck they were pursuing before fleeing on foot in the Wilmington neighborhood yesterday. The man, whose name has not been released, was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said his handguns were taken into evidence. It was not immediately clear how many firearms were found or whether officers knew he had them in his possession when they opened fire. [USNWR]
—Police are looking for two suspects who broke into and robbed a Beverly Hills pharmacy this morning. The suspects were only described as wearing dark hooded sweatshirts with trash bags. It's not clear what they got away with. [ABC]
—The Dodgers beat The Padres last night in the first game of the NL Division Series. Graterol, who recorded only one of the final 12 outs, called this "the best bullpen I've seen in my life." [ESPN]
—Oh, nothing. It's just that grenades are washing up on Oregon's beaches. Police in Oregon last week warned local beachgoers about grenades that had washed onto the shore and appeared to still be able to explode. Labeled M116A1, the grenades were white in color and cylindrical in shape, according to a photo of the unusual discovery that was shared by the department. The phrase “Warning: Explosive” was written on them in large red letters. [The Guardian]
