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 at it closely.
—Hollywood: An artist named Nao Bustamante has purchased a grave plot at Hollywood Forever and turned her future grave into a pop-up art space. A two-person art show called "Odd Fellows" kicked off the fun this past weekend, in which Bustamante activated the space with a 1900s-era ritual prop and costume from the legendary Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lodge. [Grave Gallery via Esotouric]
—Compton: Manuel Dominguez High School in Compton was closed on Tuesday and classes were canceled after the school’s cafeteria was destroyed in a fire on Monday night. [LAT]
—The maker of Raw Organic Hemp rolling papers has been ordered by a federal court to stop selling and distributing certain products after a jury found the company engaged in unfair competition and violated the Illinois Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act by making nine "deceptive" statements, including that the papers are made in Spain and that its founder invented rolling paper cones. The court order will change the way Raw is marketed and packaged. [CSP]
—Genaro García Luna, at one time the architect and public face of Mexico’s war on its powerful criminal cartels, was convicted on Tuesday in a New York courtroom of betraying his country and colleagues by taking millions of dollars in bribes from the violent drug cartels he was meant to be pursuing. Luna had often been described as "the J. Edgar Hoover of Mexico." [NYT]
—L.A. landlords and property managers are taking self-defense courses to protect themselves against the possibility of being attacked by angry tenants and others they fear. The course teaches them how to stop life-threatening bleeding, maintain “360 degrees of awareness,” take cover from bullets and disarm shooters. Guess it's easier than fixing that leak. [Capital & Main]
—A Romanian mafia boss who allegedly stole millions of dollars from rigged cash machines in the Mexican tourist beach of Cancun was just extradited to Mexico. Mihai Alexandru Preda is said to be a leader of the Romanian mafia as well as the "Riviera Maya Gang,” which has reportedly been operating in top tourist resorts such as Cancun, Tulum and Playa del Carmen since 2016, according to Mexican officials. [Vice]
—A rare blizzard warning was issued for the mountains in Los Angeles County and Ventura County, starting early this Friday morning until Saturday afternoon. [The Independent]
—A Basquiat exhibit is coming to Los Angeles. [Basquiat King Pleasure]
