Today’s Headlines: Eviction notices spur growing concerns about Skid Row receiver

Hello, it’s Thursday, June 8, and here are the stories you shouldn’t miss today:

TOP STORIES

Eviction notices spur growing concerns about Skid Row receiver

A spate of eviction notices issued at properties owned by Skid Row’s largest nonprofit landlord is prompting Los Angeles city officials to demand answers from the person they installed to oversee the buildings.

City Atty. Hydee Feldstein Soto deemed the eviction notices illegal and said the apparent blunder is contributing to an erosion of the city’s confidence in Mark Adams, the receiver appointed by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge in April to fix 29 buildings owned by Skid Row Housing Trust after its financial collapse earlier this year.

What does Pride mean when LGBTQ+ Americans are under attack?

Over the past few months, states have passed or proposed bills that limit the rights and visibility of trans people, drag performers and LGBTQ+ youth. In recent weeks, corporations such as Target and Anheuser-Busch caved to criticism from conservative groups over their partnerships with members of the LGBTQ+ community. On Tuesday, the Human Rights Campaign declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ+ people in the U.S.

This was the backdrop as thousands flocked to West Hollywood Park for WeHo Pride last weekend. A Times reporter and photographer spoke with attendees to ask what Pride means to them in this political and cultural climate.

Here’s what they told us.

Four of California’s prisons ranked worst at handling COVID

More than three years after the pandemic started sweeping through the California prison system, a report from UCLA offers a new measure of just how bad it was — and which prisons handled it the worst.

After analyzing nearly 300 letters and interviews from people in prison, a team of law students ranked which facilities had the most red flags for potential constitutional violations between April 2020 and April 2021, the first year of the pandemic.

At the top of the list were the prisons in Chino, Solano, Chuckwalla and Mule Creek.

Coastal Commission OKs new public path to Malibu Beach

After a 40-year battle, the California Coastal Commission unanimously approved an agreement with two homeowners that will restore a long-obscured public access point to Escondido Beach from the Pacific Coast Highway.

It will mark the first new direct or “vertical” path from the highway to a beach in Malibu since 2015. Wealthy residents here have been known to use considerable resources to deter such access to the shoreline.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Magician Sharpo performs at the Magic Castle with guests Trichia Sulham, left, and Matt Sulham. Read more: “A Trick for Getting Into the Magic Castle — and How to Avoid the Bracelet of Shame”

(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

CALIFORNIA

ATM fraud cases surge: Why a Romanian politician is sitting in the Ventura County jail.
Since last spring, at least 60 people — nearly all with connections to Romania — have been arrested or charged on suspicion of theft involving forged EBT cards in Southern California. A Romanian court translator in the region says they’ve never had so much work.

Renters dominate California — but they are struggling to survive. New census data reveal over a quarter of U.S. households had solo occupants in 2020, more than three times the 1940 estimate and more than twice the 1960 level.

Southern California can expect cooler temperatures and cloudy skies. How long will June gloom last? Southern California can expect another week of June gloom, with a chance of thunderstorms and showers on the horizon.

Three were arrested outside the Glendale school board in violent clashes over LGBTQ+ rights. Law enforcement declared an unlawful assembly after fighting broke out outside the Glendale Unified School District building.

NATION-WORLD

A white woman accused of fatally shooting her Black neighbor is arrested in Florida. Susan Louise Lorincz, 58, was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter with a firearm, culpable negligence, battery and two counts of assault in the death of her neighbor Ajike Owens, 35.

Remains found near Guadalajara were those of workers who tried to quit a drug cartel call center. Officials confirmed the brutal story that began late last month when relatives reported the young people missing after they did not return from work. Suspicions and fears rose last week when heaps of hacked-up body parts were found in plastic bags.

Trump documents probe now involves a Florida grand jury in addition to a Washington one. A variety of witnesses, including lawyers for Donald Trump, close aides and officials with the Trump Organization, have appeared over the last year before the grand jury in Washington. But the use of a different grand jury in Florida suggests that prosecutors may also be eyeing at least some potential charges in that state.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

Saint Dolly does it again: Imagination Library expands free book efforts in California. The “Jolene” hitmaker has partnered with Gov. Gavin Newsom to bring her free books program to children across all 58 counties of California. It will provide California children younger than 5 with a free book — available in English and Spanish — every month.

Why young adult television suddenly feels different. With such series as “Wednesday,” the reimagined “Bel-Air” (Peacock), “School Spirits” and “Wolf Pack” (both Paramount+), and “Cobra Kai” (Netflix), channels and showrunners are taking darker turns with multigenerational storytelling that features complex and nuanced characters and situations. It might just be enough to get them taken seriously during award season.

The return of Vidiots could alter L.A.’s moviegoing map for good. The ambitious new Vidiots space, with programming planned for seven days a week, is looking to insert itself into the already lively repertory screening scene around Los Angeles, serving audiences in neighborhoods that have a deficit of screening options.

BUSINESS

Los Angeles Times to cut 74 newsroom positions amid advertising declines. The Los Angeles Times is cutting its newsroom staff, becoming the latest news organization to contract amid economic pressures brought on by advertising and print readership declines.

Chris Licht ousted as CNN chairman as the network faces a leadership crisis. Licht, the beleaguered chairman of CNN, is stepping down, marking an abrupt end to the executive’s rocky 13-month tenure.

Medical bills pushed a Santa Monica family into poverty. They’re not alone. It’s a uniquely American issue: In the United States, medical debt is the largest source of debt in collections — more than credit card, utilities, and car loans combined — and one of the leading causes of bankruptcy. And anyone is vulnerable, even the insured.

SPORTS

Agoura High’s Jonny DeLuca is poised to complete his journey from Dodgers fan to starter. “I remember speaking to Jonny and his father when he was a freshman, and I said, ‘Man, you’re gonna play in the big leagues one day,’ ” Agoura High baseball coach Anthony Chevrier said. “His dad kind of giggled, but you could just tell. The physical tools, the intangibles, the decision-making skills were there. He was the complete package.”

The Iron Sheik, wrestling and social media legend, dies at 81. One of wrestling’s most beloved heels, the Iron Sheik was known for his camel clutch finishing hold, his fierce rivalry with fellow wrestler Sgt. Slaughter and a signature look that included a shaved head, a waxed mustache and curled boots.

OPINION

Editorial: A Hollywood mess. Writers are striking, and actors may too, over the future of the industry. The sooner all sides get into serious negotiations to protect the creators, the performers and the long-term viability of the industry, the better it will be for everyone. Hollywood doesn’t need one strike — much less two — disrupting lives and the L.A. economy.

Column: DeSantis picks an immigration fight with Newsom because he’s scared to attack Trump. “The stranglehold that Trump has on the GOP means that DeSantis can’t pick a fight with the former guy for fear of alienating the Republican base, not to mention fear of unleashing Trump’s toxic brand of rhetorical annihilation,” Robin Abcarian writes.

Commentary: I helped break the Schwarzenegger groping story. It took him 20 years to own it. “In total, we published accounts from at least 15 women claiming they were groped or sexually harassed by Schwarzenegger. I couldn’t imagine how people could elect him just a few days later as the state’s top lawmaker. Had he not forfeited his right to hold that kind of honor and responsibility by harassing women?” writes Carla Hall.

ONLY IN L.A.

(Patrick Hruby / Los Angeles Times)

Chances are you’ve stumbled across a labyrinth sometime in your life. Perhaps it was at a public garden, a nature center, or a church.

There is no one way to walk a labyrinth, but there are strategies that can make your experience more meaningful.

However you plan to use the labyrinth, here are 12 in the L.A. area that you might enjoy.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

On June 8, 2002, Serena Williams became the first Black American woman to win the French Open since Althea Gibson in 1956.

(Daniel Ochoa de Olza / Associated Press)

On this day 21 years ago, Serena Williams defeated her older sister Venus for the first time in a Grand Slam event, winning her first French Open tennis title.

That same day, Serena also became the first Black American woman to win the French Open since Althea Gibson in 1956.

With that feat, Serena had become her own person, not just Venus’ younger sister, and crowded her older sister off the stage, right off the court with her powerful strokes.

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