Skip to Content
Los Angeles

Headlines To Know Today: Historic Lakers Dunks; Lincoln Heights Fights to Save Flat Top

9:00 AM PST on January 20, 2022

@deanbennett/Unsplash

Welcome to L.A. TACO’s new daily news briefs, where we will bring our loyal members, readers, and supporters the latest headlines about Los Angeles politics and culture. Stay informed and always look at it closely. 

—Shawn Laval Smith, the 31-year-old man accused of murdering 24-year-old UCLA grad student Brianna Kupfer at her job on La Brea last week, was arrested in Pasadena yesterday. [CBS]

—In the other LA., Gary Chambers Jr., a Baton Rouge-raised Democratic Senate candidate is featured burning a big old blunt in his new campaign ad to shine a light on racial disparities in arrest levels for cannabis. He'd get our vote. [Vice]

—Flat Top, the scenic Lincoln Heights property beloved by locals and endowed with immortality in Blood In, Blood Out, has concerned preservationists and neighborhood residents fighting to save it from becoming a proposed single-family home. [LAist]

—The Beverly Hills house that sits on the property where Sharon Tate was murdered by members of the Manson Family in 1969 has been sold for $85 million by its owner, the creator of Full House. [MSN]

—Four suspects stole $72,000 from a Studio City Lululemon store on Tuesday, before leading cops on a high-speed chase, crashing, and being arrested. [KTLA]

—35-year-old, Long Beach-raised, former pro skater Evan Jaime Hernandez was sentenced to over eight years for distribution of the skante and laundering crypto. [LBPN]

—There are some early signs that California could be "reaching a crest" in our current surge of Omicron infections. [LAT]

—It's time for... some of the greatest dunks in Lakers history!! [SI]

—Film production in Los Angeles set an all-time quarterly record in 2021. [THR]

—Murder charges are being upheld in the case of the Long Beach school security officer who fired shots at a fleeing car last year, killing 18-year-old Manuela Rodriguez, one of two young women involved in an earlier fight he attempted to break up. [LAT]

More Stories

ICE Watch Newsletter: Will Newly Elected Officials Finally Melt ICE?

If these politicians are truly working in the best interests of their constituents, we’ll see the quick defunding and absolute abolishment of ICE, as well as better support for small businesses, working families, and improved resources for the homeless community.

November 5, 2026

Raman and DSA Candidates Have Defeated the Odds. That May Be the Easy Part

It's been 21 years since an incumbent L.A. Mayor didn't win a second term, plus other crucial takeways from the mid-term election.

November 5, 2026

Ye Rustic Inn (and Its 50 Years Worth of Regulars) Are Not Going Down Without a Fight

Hear ye, hear ye. Over 100 regulars gathered at Ye Rustic Inn, including L.A.'s new Mayor-Elect Nithya Raman. Where were you?

November 5, 2026

Southeast L.A. Residents Can Save Thousands on an Electric Vehicle by Attending This Free Event In South Gate

It can also bring you money-saving rebates on electric upgrades to your home.

November 5, 2026

Asada Inflation: A Rare Look at How L.A. Taqueros Are Handling Soaring Beef Prices

We take a deep dive into carne asada inflation with the owners of Sonoratown, Tacos Royale, and Luis' Butcher Shop.

November 4, 2026

An Anarchist Feminist’s Personal Eulogy for Dolores Huerta

If a government sends choppers to silence a five-foot-tall woman, whatever she has to say must be dangerously important.

November 3, 2026