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.
—University Park: A clash erupted at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on Sunday evening as activists rushed the Español stage to protest a talk by archaeologist Richard Hansen over his decades of excavation and research at a vast ancient Maya complex in Guatemala called El Mirador. A group of about 15 masked protesters rushed the stage where Hansen was being interviewed by L.A. Times en Español columnist Alejandro Maciel. The protesters overturned chairs, shouted “this is stolen land!” and “f— imperialism!” and unveiled a large banner that read “Gringo colonizer fuera del Mirador.” [LAT]
—Anaheim: A fire-breathing, animatronic dragon burst into flames during Disneyland's popular "Fantasmic!" show on Saturday night. "The head started going on fire instead of the fire projecting out," said visitor Ryan Laux, who noted that the flames didn't come from where they usually do. No injuries were reported. [NPR]
—East L.A.: A Sunday morning shooting on the 600 block of Keenan Avenue has left one man dead. [ABC]
—Inglewood: After facing community pushback, Inglewood has reportedly dropped a plan to demolish a Von's supermarket on Manchester Avenue to accommodate a maintenance facility serving the $1.8-billion people mover system. [Urbanize LA]
—Jefferson Park: A car-to-car shooting in Jefferson Park on Sunday night led to one victim dying in the hospital. The 30-year-old victim was sitting in the passenger seat of a vehicle at St. Andrews Place and Jefferson Boulevard at about 8:30 p.m. when he was shot by someone in another vehicle, according to LAPD. There were three males in the other vehicle, police said. The victim's girlfriend drove away and pulled over in Exposition Park at the intersection of Exposition Boulevard and Vermont and called 911. Paramedics took the unidentified man to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. [CBS]
—Hollywood: A man and woman were shot at a 7-11 early Sunday morning, and both are expected to survive. The woman, who was found inside the store by responding officers, said six suspects exited a vehicle in front of the market before one of them began firing multiple shots. Both victims are reported to be in stable condition. [NBC]
—An L.A. Times investigation highlights the story of Aaron Spolin, a West L.A. attorney accused of widely marketing legal services to the incarcerated following California's landmark criminal justice reforms, signing on nearly 2,000 clients who, along with their families, spent money and resources based on the allegedly false promises of hope Spolin encouraged in them while apparently never successfully changing any of their sentences. [LAT]
—"Why are there no homeless people in Beverly Hills?" A Reddit discussion with some surprising theories. [r/AskLosAngeles]
