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.
—Mexico: Mexican authorities discovered more than 11,000 tequila bottles containing "concentrated liquid methamphetamine." The bottles were reportedly bound for export. Liquid meth can come in a variety of pigmentations. ABC News reported that the bottles seized by the Mexican Navy contained "a brownish liquid, consistent with the color of 'añejo' or aged tequila." Labels on the bottles were not visible in photos. Fortunately, there have not been any credible reports of liquid-meth-tainted-tequila reaching consumers, according to ABC News. [ABC News]
—Hollywood: Local cop-watcher and independent reporter, Film The Police LA, aka William Gude, reports that a high-pitch noise is playing outside of a Staples in Hollywood (again). In the past, music and high-pitch noises have been used to discourage unhoused people from setting up tents on sidewalks and congregating outside of businesses. [Film The Police LA/Twitter]
—A memorial Mass honoring the life of former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan will be celebrated Friday at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. Riordan died Wednesday at age 92, with his family announcing he "passed peacefully at his home in Brentwood, surrounded by his wife Elizabeth, family, friends, and precious pet dogs." Archbishop José Gomez will preside over Friday's 2 PM Mass. [City News Services]
—Julie Rodriguez, Cesar Chavez' Delano-raised granddaughter, is expected to lead Joe Biden's 2024 reelection campaign. On Tuesday, 80-year-old President Biden formally announced that he will seek reelection. [The Hill]
—Studio City: A 45-year-old Studio City man has been charged for falsely claiming to be a licensed doctor and practicing medicine on thousands of individuals, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced. Stephan Gevorkian, who prosecutors said offered treatment for serious medical conditions, including cancer, faces five felony counts of practicing medicine without a certification. [City News Services]
—It took LADOT seven years to install a sign honoring a woman who was killed by a driver in 2016. But only a couple weeks to remove two community-painted sidewalks at the intersection. "So remember: your family members? Expendable. A bit of paint? Now that's an emergency," the group responsible for the community-painted sidewalks tweeted. [Crosswalks LA]
—After telling Stop LAPD Spying to delete hundreds of photos of police officers obtained through a public records request, the City Attorney is now demanding that a court ban the group from destroying any records. "Make it make sense," Ben Camacho, the Knock LA reporter responsible for the public records request, said on Twitter. [Ben Camacho/Twitter]
—A sculpture weighing an estimated two-to-four tons that was once shown on LACMA, ended up in the "free stuff" section of Craigslist, until this local DJ rescued the work of art and turned it into a sound studio. [LAT]
—West Los Angeles: Yesterday afternoon, a mysterious "ooze" shut down a stretch of Sepulveda Boulevard near the Santa Monica Freeway. "LAFD responded to an 'oil-like' substance continuously seeping from the ground," a firefighter said. [Patch]
—Van Nuys: A judge is being asked to approve a $3.5 million settlement between the Los Angeles Unified School District and a former special needs student who alleged he was sexually abused and provided alcohol by a teacher's aide whose job was to assist him getting to and from class during the 2018-19 school year. [City News Services]
