Newsletter: A reprieve for the ‘Dreamers’

The fate of those protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program remains unclear, even after the Supreme Court rejected President Trump’s plan to repeal DACA.

TOP STORIES

A Reprieve for the ‘Dreamers’

For the so-called Dreamers, the approximately 700,000 young immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children, there’s a sense of relief — and ongoing uncertainty.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court rejected President Trump‘s plan to repeal the popular Obama-era program known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. The program allows these young people to register with the government and, if they have a clean criminal record, to obtain a work permit and be assured they will not be deported. At least 27,000 DACA participants are employed as healthcare workers, and about 200,000 live in California.

In a striking rebuke to Trump led by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., the court called Trump’s plan to revoke DACA protections arbitrary and not justified. Trump had been confident that the high court, with its majority of Republican appointees, would rule in his favor and say the chief executive had the power to “unwind” the policy.

But the chief justice joined with the four liberals to rule that Trump and his administration had failed to give an explanation for why it was repealing a popular and widely lauded program.

The justices did not conclude that Trump’s repeal violated the Constitution or exceeded his authority under immigration law. Instead, the majority blocked the action on the grounds that Trump’s team had failed to explain its rationale as required by the Administrative Procedure Act.

That leaves the door open for Trump or a future president to decide the Dreamers’ fate — and ensures that the program will be a campaign issue. Presumed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s campaign is emphasizing his commitment to providing a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers as it seeks to mobilize Latino voters in key battleground states such as Arizona.

A Statewide Mask Order

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has a message for all those who don’t want to cover their faces simply because they don’t want to: Put a mask on it.

Newsom has ordered everyone in the state to wear face coverings while in public or high-risk settings, including when shopping, taking public transit or seeking medical care. The order comes amid growing concerns that an increase in coronavirus cases has been caused by residents failing to take that precaution voluntarily.

It also comes a week after Orange County rescinded a requirement for residents to wear masks and as other counties across California were debating whether to join local jurisdictions that had mandated face coverings.

On Wednesday, California and Los Angeles County saw single-day highs in coronavirus cases, a clear sign that the COVID-19 pandemic shows no signs of waning in the state. More than 5,300 COVID-19 deaths have been reported in California, including almost 3,000 in L.A. County.

If you’re confused about when and where to wear a mask, and who might be exempt, here’s a quick rundown.

More Top Coronavirus Headlines

— Despite new anti-eviction rules passed in response to the outbreak, some L.A. landlords are trying to oust tenants by locking them out of their homes, turning off their utilities and deploying other illegal methods, especially in predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods in South L.A., a Times analysis of data from the L.A. Police Department has found.

— L.A. County will allow bars, nail salons, tattoo parlors and a range of other businesses to reopen today.

— The L.A. County health department has opened an inquiry for the SoFi Stadium construction site as COVID-19 cases there rise.

— Disneyland has offered more reopening details, but some workers want a delay.

How Black Angelenos Celebrated Emancipation

The listing that ran in the Dec. 31, 1874, edition of the Los Angeles Herald was as short as it was dismissive. But the blurb for a New Year’s Day dinner and dance nevertheless remains significant: It’s one of the earliest documented records of Black people in Los Angeles celebrating the end of slavery in the U.S.

Parties, picnics and parades to mark the occasion have continued ever since with a batch of holidays.

Juneteenth, which falls on June 19 and references the day in 1865 when slaves in Texas found out about their freedom two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation, is the most well-known. But over the past 150-plus years, other dates served the same purpose: Jan. 1 (when the Emancipation Proclamation took effect in 1863), Sept. 22 (when President Lincoln signed it a year earlier), and July 28 (when the 14th Amendment was officially adopted in 1868), among others.

A look through historical archives shows these jubilees were a barometer of their times.

More About Juneteenth

— This year’s celebration is different: It comes as America wakes up to the illusion of the liberation of Black people, writes author Tamara Winfrey-Harris.

— Big corporations including Nike and the NFL are starting to give workers Juneteenth off, the latest example of how American employers are responding to protests that have placed additional attention on racial injustice in the U.S.

— Meet Jonathan Leonard, the Texan who helped Los Angeles learn how to celebrate: With barbecue, red drink and watermelon.

— Alicia Keys and John Legend will square off on the piano today for a celebration.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Los Angeles is infamous for its traffic. But on June 20, 1955, a transit strike made it worse. With streetcars and buses unavailable, more Angelenos decided to drive downtown and “traffic, thy name was jam,” according to The Times. In a story in the next day’s paper, Deputy Police Chief Harold Sullivan claimed traffic was up 40%, or about 100,000 additional automobiles. The story noted that the traffic was worsened by long lines of cars that blocked the entrances and exits to parking lots.

Want more of the Los Angeles Times archives? We’re on Instagram.

YOUR WEEKEND

— Considering camping? Before you pack, read the first edition of our new outdoors newsletter, The Wild. Sign up here.

— If you’re missing your favorite professional sports, this tool from The Times will help you find a new one to watch.

— Get cooking — but make sure you’re using the right kind of salt. Here’s how.

— Get coffee from one of L.A.’s Black-owned coffee shops.

CALIFORNIA

— After frenzied weeks of negotiating, the city and county of Los Angeles announced an agreement to create 5,300 beds for homeless people over the next 10 months, rising to 6,000 over a year-and-a-half.

— Terron Boone was distraught when his younger brother was found hanging from a tree in a park near Palmdale’s City Hall last week. A week after his brother’s body was found, Boone was shot and killed by L.A. County Sheriff’s deputies in what authorities described as a wild shootout that ended a bizarre series of events in which authorities accused Boone of pistol-whipping, imprisoning and threatening a former girlfriend over a week-long period.

— Prosecutors in Torrance are considering misdemeanor charges against a woman whose racist, anti-Asian tirades were captured on cellphone video in two separate incidents.

— Carrizo Plain National Monument is best known for its stunning wildflower blooms and bone-white Soda Lake. Environmentalists are voicing outrage over a May 21 decision by the federal Bureau of Land Management to allow an oil well and pipeline project there.

NATION-WORLD

— The lynching of a Black man in Duluth, Minn., a century ago continues to haunt. Here’s how the descendants of three people linked to the killing have come together.

— Police are taking a knee and Washington’s mayor commissioned a mural. But many of the same leaders who appear to be embracing the Black Lives Matter movement have also been obstacles to overhauling local departments. And the activists who have long battled them are skeptical of their gestures.

— Facebook removed a series of ads from the Trump campaign for prominently featuring an upside-down red triangle in its posts about antifascist activists, a symbol once applied by Nazi Germany to political prisoners.

— As Trump heads to Tulsa, Okla., for a rally on Saturday, foreboding among many Black residents grows.

— Trump has trashed John Bolton, his former national security advisor, as a “liar” and a “dope,” as he has many other ex-aides. If so, why did he hire them in the first place?

— Thousands of Hong Kongers are resettling in Taiwan as Beijing tightens its grip on their home.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

— Zoë Kravitz loved the movie “High Fidelity” so much, she wasn’t sure she wanted to star in Hulu’s TV version. Here’s how she learned to embrace the role.

— Citing an increase in submissions, the Television Academy said the Emmys would expand the number of nominated shows in the drama and comedy series categories from seven to eight.

— When author Peter May first wrote his novel “Lockdown” — set amid a virus outbreak that shuts down London — publishers told him it the premise wasn’t believable. Now it’s a bestseller.

— The 17 best lyrics from Bob Dylan’s new album, “Rough and Rowdy Ways.”

BUSINESS

— Spotify said it would be expanding its exclusive podcast library to include stories from the DC Universe. The narrative scripted podcasts are part of a multiyear partnership between Spotify, Warner Bros. and DC.

— About 1.5 million laid-off workers applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week, evidence that many Americans are still losing their jobs even as some parts of the economy start to recover. Government loans helped save millions of jobs, but the money is starting to run out for many.

SPORTS

— When the Lakers and Clippers arrive for game day in the NBA bubble at Walt Disney World, they’ll find strict rules about everything from video gaming equipment to tennis court use, lots of testing and luxury hotel rooms.

— Simmering anger between MLB team owners and players could jeopardize the baseball season.

OPINION

— Four DACA recipients told The Times how the program changed their lives: “DACA gave me the opportunity to work in a community filled with dreams of a better life.”

— Newsom’s new mask order won’t sit well with the resistance. Columnist Steve Lopez knows firsthand, given the state of his email inbox.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

— The National Archives on Thursday located what appears to be the original handwritten “Juneteenth” military order informing thousands of people held in bondage in Texas they were free. (Washington Post)

— What do LAPD officers do? An analysis of call records shows plenty of crime-related calls but also a lot of responding to loud parties, fireworks and road hazards. (Crosstown)

— Four physicists explain why gravity is different from other forces. (Quanta)

ONLY IN L.A.

You can wear one rollerblading through Venice. You can wear one driving down Hollywood Boulevard. You can even wear one piloting a 787 at Los Angeles International Airport. Yes, L.A., you can do it: masked transit. And here are a dozen photos to prove it.

A cyclist pedals past a mural on Melrose Avenue.

(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

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