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.
—Karen Bass is officially the new Mayor of Los Angeles and plans to "declare a state of emergency on homelessness" as her first move. [CBS]
—Lincoln Heights: City Councilman Kevin de Léon, now emerging weeks after the racist audio leak he was part of, got in a fight with Jason Reedy, an activist, at a Christmas gift giveaway in Lincoln Heights on Friday night. While the video is not completely clear on who started assaulting whom, it clearly shows De Léon with his hands around Reedy's neck as he throws him towards the floor. [Roots Action]
—Downtown: A GoFundMe has been set up for Chingón Catering, which sets up in the Arts District and was recently robbed when a car pulled up alongside the truck and stole the generator that keeps it powered. The owner, whose family is expecting a child, was injured while attempting to stop the robbery. [GoFundMe]
—Griffith Park: Protestors both for and against the pony rides at Griffith Park clashed on Saturday, with some arguing for the tradition to continue in the face of children having fewer non-digital outlets for fun and others concerned for the welfare of the animals. Owner Steve Weeks, meanwhile, says there has been a surge of people who want to adopt the ponies once the attraction closes. [NBC]
—Long Beach: Firefighters confronted a four-alarm fire at a vacant strip mall on Sunday morning. [KTLA]
—Thieves targeted three nearby locations of Crumbl Cookie stores in L.A. and O.C. in one single night last week. [LAHoodMedia]
—Elon Musk's Neuralink is reportedly under investigation for animal cruelty following the revelation that the company's hasty animal testing has killed 1,500 animals in four years. [Mashable]
—The Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control has issued its first-ever unicorn license to a six-year-old girl who is now tasked with finding one to put in her backyard. [CNN]
