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.
—Los Angeles: In a big win for L.A. tenant rights, the Los Angeles City Council adopted an ordinance on Tuesday, February 7 requiring landlords to pay relocation assistance to tenants who move out after getting rent increases of 10% or more. Under the ordinance, if a landlord increases rent by more than 10%, or the Consumer Price Index plus 5%, the landlord must pay the tenant three times the fair market rent for relocation assistance, plus $1,411 in moving costs. [Los Angeles Daily News]
—If you were wondering what exactly was going through the mind of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as LeBron James as that fadeaway jumper entered the net and broke his nearly 40-year strong record for being the NBA's all-time leading scorer, the 75-year-old basketball icon penned an eloquent response on his substack to some of the false claims going around online. [Substack]
—The Department of Homeland Security will be present at this year's Super Bowl in Glendale, Arizona. “Dedicated DHS personnel are on the ground preparing and coordinating, and stand ready to provide operational and technical support to the NFL, State of Arizona, and the cities of Glendale and Phoenix to keep Super Bowl LVII safe and ensure everyone can enjoy the game," says the DHS.gov website. Their presence at the venue around the game day is notorious. However, this year, Glendale's local ABC station is reporting that they will have a unit specifically on the hunt for bootleg merchandise named "Operation Team Player." [ABC]
—The devastating magnitude 7.8 earthquake in Turkey on February 6, 2023, and its aftershocks have many people wondering if the same impacts and damage could happen in Southern California. In an episode of the "Getting Through It" podcast, everyone's favorite local earthquake expert, Dr. Jones, lays out how to get from good codes to good buildings. She reminds us that buildings are only as good as the building code that was in place at the time it was constructed and the degree to which that code was enforced. [Getting Through It]
—Brazen food stamp scammers have been stealing millions from L.A.’s poorest. 'They’re hemorrhaging money,' someone was quoted in a recent L.A. Times report. Money meant for the lowest-income Los Angeles County residents is being siphoned from their EBT cards in record amounts. [L.A. Times]
—A music producer for Spanish singer Rosalía who produced her Grammy-award-winning album MOTOMAMI is currently defending Ukraine against Russia's invasion. [Ukraine UA]
