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 is the most surveilled city in the nation and the 10th most surveilled municipality in the world, according to a new report by a website called Visual Capitalist. According to the website, there are nine cameras per 1000 people in the City of Angels. For context, though, it appears the website included Beverly Hills in the City of Los Angeles. Beverly Hills reportedly has more than 2,000 cameras for its population of roughly 32,000 people, or about 62 cameras per 1,000 people. [Visual Capitalist]
—Joe Biden ordered a chicken quesadilla from one of Tacos 1986's locations on the westside near UCLA. The President of the United States was joined by mayoral candidate and friend Karen Bass. He reportedly left an extra $60 "for the next people that come in here." [Twitter]
—COVID cases in Europe are already starting to surge, a sign that cases in the US might also peak again this fall and winter. Across Europe, cases are up nearly 10 percent from a week ago. So far in Los Angeles, COVID cases have remained relatively flat, though. On Thursday, the health department reported more than 1,300 new cases. But that might change. Last year's devastating Omicron surge started around this time. [TIME]
—The L.A. Times reports that Los Angeles rappers are "rethinking security protocols" following a string of high-profile robberies and killings. L.A. TACO previously reported that L.A. ranks among the deadliest cities in the country for rap artists. In less than a year, at least six prominent rappers have been killed here. [L.A. Times]
—A white 15-year-old allegedly killed at least five people ranging from the ages of 16 to 53 in Raleigh, North Carolina, yesterday. Including an off-duty police officer. Two others were hospitalized, according to media reports. We're losing count of how many tragic mass shootings there has been this year.
—A Department of Justice investigation revealed that the Orange County Sheriff's Department "engaged in a practice or conduct that resulted in the deprivation of criminal defendants' sixth and fourteenth amendment rights." The DOJ found that between 2007 and 2016, the OCSD ran a program that relied on confidential informants within the Orange County Jail "to obtain incriminating statements" from homicide and gang-related inmates. The OCSD then used those statements against defendants during trial. The sixth amendment gives defendants a right to counsel while the fourteenth amendment ensures due process. [Twitter]
