New federal guidelines on face masks mark a pandemic turning point, but how they apply in California and Los Angeles remain to be seen.
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Mask Milestone, Mask Confusion
In a sign of America’s progress against COVID-19, federal officials have announced a sweeping relaxation of face mask guidelines, which now suggest fully vaccinated people can stop wearing masks in most places — either outdoors or inside.
Though the move is a milestone moment in the pandemic, it comes with some caveats. First, the guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is only a recommendation, with the final call largely being decided by state and local governments. California has strict mask rules consistent with the CDC’s previous mask guidance, and officials said they will remain in effect at least for now as they study the new recommendations.
Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said the state and county will review the CDC’s recommendations in order to “make sensible adjustments to the orders that are currently in place.” It could be a week or more before substantive changes to mask-wearing orders take effect locally.
In addition, the CDC order remains in effect that requires masks to be worn by everyone traveling on public transportation, including buses and trains, and at airports and stations.
And then there are concerns that the CDC’s new guidelines could make it easier for the unvaccinated to flout rules and shed masks inside stores and other businesses, putting people at greater risk who cannot be vaccinated, such as young children with preexisting health conditions.
Here’s more about what the CDC mask changes mean for travel, shopping, gatherings, outdoor life and so on.
Coronavirus Headlines
— California Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed adding $1.5 billion to a program providing grants of up to $25,000 to small businesses harmed by the pandemic, allowing thousands more to get financial help.
— Did the coronavirus escape from a lab? Scientists say that the coronavirus’ origins deserve more study and that there’s not enough evidence to rule out the theory.
For more, sign up for Coronavirus Today, a special edition of The Times’ Health and Science newsletter.
Mideast Fighting Intensifies
Israel said it was massing troops along the Gaza frontier and calling up 9,000 reservists ahead of a possible ground invasion of the Hamas-ruled territory, as the two bitter enemies plunged closer to all-out war. Egyptian mediators rushed to Israel for cease-fire efforts but showed no signs of progress.
The stepped-up fighting came as communal violence in Israel erupted for a fourth night, with Jewish and Arab mobs clashing in the town of Lod. The fighting took place despite a bolstered police presence ordered by the nation’s leaders.
The four-day burst of violence has pushed Israel into uncharted territory — dealing with the most intense fighting it has ever had with Hamas militants while simultaneously facing the worst Jewish-Arab violence within the country in decades. A late-night barrage of rockets from Lebanon that landed in the sea threatened to open a new front along Israel’s northern border.
Early Friday, the Israeli military said air and ground troops struck the Gaza Strip in what appeared to be the heaviest attacks yet. Here is the latest.
‘We’ve Lost Our Park’
L.A.’s struggle to get a handle on its growing homelessness crisis is running up against Angelenos’ love of their outdoor recreation spaces, which served as a lifeline for many during the stay-at-home orders of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The latest focal point is on the Westside, where L.A. City Councilman Mike Bonin proposed that two parks, three beach parking lots and a waterfront parking lot in Marina del Rey be evaluated as possible locations for sanctioned overnight camping, tiny homes or overnight parking for people living in their vehicles, depending on the location.
The proposal, which heads to a City Council vote later this month, has sparked an outcry in parts of Bonin’s district, which stretches from Los Angeles International Airport to Pacific Palisades. Now, there is an effort to recall Bonin.
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FROM THE ARCHIVES
In 1939, the city of Los Angeles banned pinball machines. A clear majority of 161,000 people voted for a ballot item to ban the games, along with “marble boards, scoop claws and similar devices.” Pinball opponents considered the machines a public nuisance that encouraged “petty gambling,” The Times reported.
Police were given the authority to confiscate pinball machines, but it proved difficult to enforce. And it raised an important question: What to do with the seized machines? On May 15, 1940, a Times photographer captured city employees destroying them with a sledgehammer. The law was later overturned by the California Supreme Court.
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May 15, 1940: Urban F. Emme, chief clerk of the city marshal’s office, wields a sledgehammer on confiscated pinball and other marble machines ordered destroyed by Municipal Court judges. (Los Angeles Times)
YOUR WEEKEND
— Coffee shops were the lifeblood of L.A. pre-COVID. What will they be after reopening?
— Ai Weiwei’s Lego portraits at the Skirball, and 25 other culture picks for you weekend.
— The indisputable and 1,000% correct Pasta Sauce Power Rankings — according to Lucas Kwan Peterson, that is.
— How Crowns & Hops is building a Black-owned craft beer brand — and a community.
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CALIFORNIA
— A panel of judges from the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has temporarily frozen the deadlines of a federal order to offer housing or shelter to everyone on Los Angeles’ skid row by October.
— The death of rising rapper Pop Smoke stunned the music world in February of last year. Now, details of the slaying and how detectives tracked his alleged killers have come to light. (This story is exclusive to Times subscribers.)
— A Times analysis finds that donors who gave millions to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s nonprofit gave through accounts that mask their identity, a practice that alarms ethics watchdogs.
— A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge granted a request to allow former Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey’s husband to enter a diversion program and avoid jail time after he aimed at a gun a three unarmed protesters outside the Lacey home.
— During a meeting that was moved online over safety concerns, the Los Alamitos Unified school board voted unanimously to approve a set of social justice teaching standards that attracted backlash and controversy.
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NATION-WORLD
— The trial of three former Minneapolis police officers charged with aiding and abetting in the death of George Floyd will be postponed until March 2022, a judge ruled.
— Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey joined a growing number of Republican governors who are stopping payment of an extra $300 per week in pay for unemployed workers paid for by a federal virus relief package to force people to return to work.
— A 17-year-old student’s mysterious death sparked a public outcry in China after a series of recent deaths that have left parents heartbroken. It also attracted a rare government response.
HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS
— For “The Underground Railroad,” about the harrowing escape from slavery, director Barry Jenkins took a novel step: hiring a mental health counselor. TV critic Lorraine Ali says the lead performances in the Amazon Prime Video series are transporting.
— The announcement that Ellen DeGeneres will end her show is another step toward the end of television as viewers once knew it. Meanwhile, she calls recent drama “orchestrated” and says it didn’t take down her talk show.
— Many regrettable fads from the early aughts are back, but one has been met with glee: Bennifer. And things are different this time.
— NBC’s khaki-wearing data king Steve Kornacki has earned a new multimillion-dollar contract that aims to take greater advantage of his data analysis skills and pop culture appeal.
BUSINESS
— Bitcoin, dogecoin, NFTs, GameStop — business columnist Michael Hiltzik asks, have we reached the peak of investment absurdity?
— Colonial Pipeline paid nearly $5 million to Eastern European hackers, contradicting reports that the company had no intention of paying an extortion fee to help restore the largest fuel pipeline in the U.S., according to two people familiar with the transaction.
SPORTS
— Desperate for a different direction, the Pac-12 has settled on an unexpected leader from outside college sports: George Kliavkoff, president of entertainment and sports at MGM Resorts International.
— Sparks season preview: Nneka Ogwumike takes center stage almost a decade after the team picked her first overall in the WNBA draft.
Free online games
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OPINION
— Columnist Mark Z. Barabak on on the tyranny of the minority, or how Trump and other sore losers are making our nasty politics worse.
— Want to see the big lie die? Take it to court, writes Harry Litman.
WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING
— The “Disinformation Dozen”: Researchers say just 12 people are responsible for the bulk of misleading claims and outright lies about COVID-19 vaccines on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. (NPR)
— Larry Flynt’s FBI file is 322 pages long and filled with some wild material. (Vice)
ONLY IN L.A.
At Cupid’s Hot Dogs in Winnetka, if the Thursday roller-skating carhop service doesn’t get you moving and grooving, the monthly car show and cruise night will. On the last Saturday of every month, car clubs make their way to the stand, now run by sisters who don roller skates themselves. Check out the action in these photos.
Morgan Walsh, co-owner of Cupid’s Hot Dogs, delivers an order during the Thursday carhop service. (Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)
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