$3.66 DESIGNATED AREAS HIGHER © 2024 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2024 latimes.

com

Bonta pushes
L.A. council
to redraw its
district lines
said Bonta’s legal team has
State attorney general voiced concerns in recent
weeks that the map ap-
has concerns about proved by the City Council in
underrepresentation 2021 does not currently pro-
vide sufficient representa-
of Latinos, sources say. tion for Latinos in parts of
the city.
By David Zahniser Bonta’s office singled out
and Dakota Smith two council districts on the
Eastside — one represented
California Atty. Gen. Rob by Eunisses Hernandez, the
Photographs by Gina Ferazzi Los Angeles Times Bonta has begun pressing other by Kevin de León — as
BIOLOGISTS monitor juvenile Chinook and coho salmon in Wooley Creek, a Klamath River tributary, follow- Los Angeles political leaders areas of concern, saying
ing the recently completed removal of dams as part of a plan to reestablish self-sustaining salmon populations. to sign a legal agreement those districts do not have a
that would force them to sufficient number of Latino
draw new boundaries for the voters to ensure that Lat-

The salmon won’t be dammed city’s 15 council districts — a

dramatic step that could set
off shock waves at City Hall.
The draft legal document
prepared by Bonta’s office, a
inos have the opportunity to
elect the candidate of their
choice, according to the
sources, who declined to be
named because they were
Now free-flowing, the Klamath River carries hope for threatened fish copy of which was reviewed
by The Times, would require
not authorized to speak on
the matter publicly.
the city to finalize new coun- In briefings with council
the Klamath is bringing new cil district maps in time for members, lawyers for the
By Ian James hope among biologists, envi- the 2026 primary election. city said Bonta’s team also
ronmental activists and In- Council members would be has discussed the possibility
SOMES BAR, Calif. — digenous leaders. barred from considering of creating a third “Latino”
Over the last month, salmon “Dam removal couldn’t their own political fortunes district in the San Fernando
have gathered in clear pools come at a better time,” said when approving those Valley — one with a signifi-
in the Salmon River as they Toz Soto, the Karuk Tribe’s maps, the confidential docu- cant concentration of Lat-
have returned to their fisheries program manager. ment said. ino voters, the two sources
spawning grounds. “We really need to build this The document does not said. That idea was pro-
This undammed river, a population back before we indicate whether elected posed by the city’s citizen re-
tributary of the Klamath lose it completely.” city officials have agreed to districting commission in
River near the California- Biologists expect that any of Bonta’s demands — 2021 but discarded by the
Oregon border, is one of the with the Klamath flowing or plan to push back on council.
last remaining strongholds freely, all types of native fish them. It also does not say Bonta has been investi-
of a type of salmon that is in- will benefit, including fall- whether Bonta’s office gating the City Council’s
creasingly at risk of extinc- run and spring-run Chinook found any legal violations or contentious redistricting
tion: spring-run Chinook. as well as coho salmon, steel- other wrongdoing during process for nearly two years.
The salmon population head trout and Pacific lam- the city’s 2021 redistricting He announced his inquiry in
here has sharply declined in preys. The dismantling of process. the wake of a scandal over a
the last decade. But the re- THE STATE is monitoring the river fish as they the dams will allow salmon However, two sources fa- secretly recorded conversa-
cent removal of four dams on gradually move upriver over the next 12 to 15 years. [See Salmon, A7] miliar with the discussions [See Districts, A10]

‘Shaken baby’ case Poll finds

vacated amid shift majority
in medical opinion support
three days, and later — after
for crime
L.A. man is freed after
a decade. Attorneys
he died — examined his
body, told law enforcement
the injuries suffered by the
measure
blame ‘junk science’ in boy — retinal damage, se-
vere hemorrhage and
similar convictions. swelling in the brain — could As many as 60% of
only be caused by someone
By Salvador Hernandez violently shaking the child, a likely voters favor
medical phenomenon called Prop. 36’s stiffer drug
There was no evidence of shaken baby syndrome.
a crime, no witnesses, no After a 16-day trial in 2014, and theft penalties.
sounds of an angry scream Olivares was convicted of as- Hassan Ammar Associated Press
or a violent thud, but 3-year- sault on a child under 8 years PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu made clear Israel would press ahead By Anabel Sosa
old Isiah Meza was dead and old resulting in death, and in its offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon, including airstrikes in Beirut, above.
his mother’s boyfriend, Jose sentenced to 25 years to life. SACRAMENTO — A sol-
Olivares, was the last person Ten years later, a Los An- ANALYSIS id majority of likely Califor-
with him. geles County judge vacated nia voters support Pro-
Olivares told police he’d Olivares’ conviction on position 36, the November
stepped into the bathroom
for about five minutes that
day on Feb. 14, 2011. Isiah was
playing with his toys and
Sept. 19 after attorneys for
the 39-year-old man argued
that new evidence suggests
his prosecution was based
U.S. holds limited sway in ballot measure that would
impose stricter penalties for
retail theft and crimes in-
volving fentanyl, according
jumping on the bed. When
Olivares walked out, Isiah
was on the ground, crying
and acting odd.
on medical testimony that is
now outdated and wrong.
For years, medical experts
believed injuries such as
ally’s march into Lebanon to a new UC Berkeley Insti-
tute of Governmental Stud-
ies poll co-sponsored by The
Times.
Doctors who treated those suffered by Isiah could This week, the U.S. gov- munition. The two countries Imposing harsher pun-
Isiah at the hospital for [See Baby, A10] Israel appears to have ernment is publicly backing have long shared intelli- ishment on repeat offenders
Israel’s march into southern gence, political goals and drove that support, far out-
seized on support and Lebanon, the first such in- foreign policy agendas, and weighing voters’ desire to in-
lame-duck status of cursion in nearly two dec- successive U.S. administra- crease overall prosecutions
ades. The U.S. also supports tions have had considerable or deter future crime, the
Booze exemption bill rankles voters Biden administration. Israel’s anticipated retalia- sway over Israel and its deci- survey found.
Measure aiding Clippers owner’s pet project reeks tion against Iran after sions that had global effects. Nearly half of those sur-
By Tracy Wilkinson Tehran’s bombardment of That ability appears to veyed, however, support re-
of favoritism, Gustavo Arellano says. CALIFORNIA, B1
its archrival this week. Both have waned in the last year, habilitation and treatment
WASHINGTON — The actions could easily push the for a variety of reasons, some for first-time offenders
Melania Trump’s Dodgers seeking relationship between Israel region into all-out war, a less obvious than others. among other options as the
abortion stance some redemption and its closest and most reli- conflict Washington says it The unprecedented scale best way to improve Califor-
Her remarks are a blow They’re eager to face the able ally, the United States, doesn’t want. — and horror — of the Oct. 7 nia’s criminal justice system.
to the MAGA campaign, Padres, who eliminated has started to feel like a case U.S. officials insist they [See Mideast, A4] Voters were almost evenly
Lorraine Ali writes. L.A. from the postsea- of unrequited love. are working to avert a wider split over whether Pro-
PERSPECTIVES, A2 son in 2022. SPORTS, B10 Despite being sidelined war. But they have little to position 36 would reduce
repeatedly by Israel over the show for the effort so far. It homelessness or drug addic-
Printed with soy inks on last year, the Biden adminis- wasn’t always so hard. tion in California, one of the
Weather
partially recycled paper.
Israeli airstrike
Fog to sun. tration keeps up its nearly The United States gives selling points of the mea-
unquestioning support — Israel around $3 billion a
kills 9 in Beirut sure’s proponents.
L.A. Basin: 84/63. B6
even as Israel all but ignores year in aid and much of Military orders addi- “Voters are intent on
For the latest news, American efforts to contain it in weapons: 2,000-pound tional evacuations as it passing this initiative,” said
go to latimes.com. the violence and rein in its bombs, sophisticated air- widens its invasion of Mark DiCamillo, director of
behavior. defense systems, even am- Lebanon. WORLD, A4 [See Propositions, A7]

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A2 F R I DAY , O C T O B E R 4 , 2 0 2 4 L AT I M E S . C O M

PERSPECTIVES

Melania Trump throws the campaign a curve

himself as a “protector” of room, over the last eight
Former first lady women, saying at a rally in years. It would explain the
the battleground state of tension captured in photos
vehemently supports Pennsylvania that he will from their rare and uncom-
abortion rights. Her save them from even having fortable outings together in
to think about having an public. Melania looks like
husband doesn’t. Will abortion. “You will no longer she’d rather be stuck in
he get her vote? be abandoned, lonely or Ross Dress for Less than
scared. You will no longer be standing next to him.
in danger. ... You will no In his presidential
LORRAINE ALI
longer have anxiety from all debate against Harris last
NEWS AND CULTURE
of the problems our country month, Trump would not
CRITIC
has today,” Trump said. say whether he supported a
“You will be protected, and I national ban on abortion.
It pays to listen to will be your protector.” But on Wednesday, he
women. Seems Melania can doubled down on the back-
Republicans have re- protect, and advocate for, pedal, posting an ALL-
peatedly ignored that herself, thanks. CAPS declaration across
adage, as evident in their But are her sentiments social media platforms:
demolition of Roe vs. Wade, genuine? Many a conspiracy “Everyone knows I would
opposition to IVF and con- theorist may wonder if this not support a federal abor-
traception, and derogatory is a part of a calculated tion ban, under any circum-
comments about “childless scheme, cooked up years in stances, and would, in fact,
cat ladies” and “women past advance in the Mar-a-Lago veto it, because it is up to
50.” Situation Room (aka the the states to decide based
Thursday morning deliv- document-storage bath- on the will of their voters
ered the biggest indicator room), to make MAGA (the will of the people!).”
yet that the MAGA party is Robert Gauthier Los Angeles Times appear more in touch with Melania isn’t willing to
losing female voters by the FORMER First Lady Melania Trump appears at the Republican National the feminine view. It’s pos- stand idly by as her hus-
minute when former First Convention in July. Her memoir is scheduled to be released Tuesday. sible, but unlikely. Planning, band flip-flops for votes. As
Lady Melania Trump deliv- after all, requires stability. the long-suffering spouse of
ered a vehemently pro- Melania’s rogue stance didn’t watch that debate. determine what she does Let’s suppose Melania is The Donald, she has taken a
choice message on her X on a woman’s right to On Wednesday evening, with her own body? A wom- a warrior for women’s rights stand.
account. choose may prove to be the the British news site the an’s fundamental right of and she’s not trying to cash Is it weird? Absolutely.
“Individual freedom is a biggest blow yet to the Guardian published ex- individual liberty, to her in controversy for book Chalk it up to one more
fundamental principle that MAGA party that’s strug- cerpts from her new mem- own life, grants her the sales. Imagine the tension bizarre twist in an election
I safeguard,” she said in the gled to win back female oir, “Melania,” with this authority to terminate around the family dinner season full of hairpin turns.
video meant to publicize her voters. Poll after poll shows bombshell: “Why should her pregnancy if she table, assuming they’ve Or call it what it is: an inter-
new memoir, scheduled for a loss in support from wom- anyone other than the wom- wishes.” dined together, let alone nal breach in MAGA’s war
release on Tuesday. “With- en, as well as moderate and an herself have the power to Trump recently cast spent time in the same against women.
out a doubt, there is no independent voters.
room for compromise when A recent NBC News
it comes to this essential national poll found a major-
right that all women pos- ity of voters (54%) said the
sess from birth, individual Democratic presidential
freedom. What does my nominee, Vice President
body, my choice really Kamala Harris, would bet-
mean?” At the end of the ter deal with the issue of
28-second ad, viewers see an abortion, while 33% said the
image of the book’s cover same of Trump. Overall,
and the option to “order Harris has an “off-the-
now” from her website. charts,” 21-point lead with
So she won’t be voting for female voters. And accord-
her husband? ing to a New York Times
It would appear so, given poll, abortion has overtaken
that her comments, deliv- the economy as the single
ered just one month before most important issue for
the election, run in direct women younger than 45.
opposition to former Presi- No wonder Republicans,
dent Trump’s crowning Trump and his running
achievement: ending the mate, JD Vance, are scram-
constitutional right to abor- bling to soften their post-
tion. Twenty states ban Roe messaging.
abortion or restrict the During Tuesday’s vice
procedure earlier in preg- presidential debate between
nancy since the Supreme Vance and Democratic
Court (tipped to the far candidate Tim Walz, Vance
right by Trump’s appoint- lied and said he’d never been
ment of three justices) in favor of a national abor-
overturned Roe vs. Wade in tion ban. In an effort to
2022. promote a kinder, gentler Jae C. Hong Associated Press
Despite recent backped- version of the Republican THE AFTERMATH of the wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii, in August last year, which killed at least 102 people.
aling, Trump has taken Party, he said, “My party, Thousands of residents have sued various parties they believe to be at fault for the conflagration.
credit for toppling Roe vs. we’ve got to do so much

Earlier Maui fire sparked fatal inferno

Wade, and a cornerstone of better of a job at earning the
his 2024 platform is restric- American people’s trust
ting women’s reproductive back on this issue where
rights. As for what comes they, frankly, just don’t trust
next in the lives of women us. That’s one of the things
forced to give birth, Trump that Donald Trump and I Co., the company whose tation at the edge of the that the electric utility failed
has no discernible plan — are endeavoring to do.” Officials present power lines sparked the ear- gully, the report said. to take proper care of the
not even a concept of a plan Ms. Trump apparently lier fire, said in a statement Bulldozers driven by vol- power grid. Exactly who was
— for child care. didn’t get the memo. Or findings of last year’s Wednesday. “Confronted by unteers and contractors are responsible for clearing
blaze that destroyed an extraordinary weather frequently used to protect brush and maintaining the
event and a chaotic situa- towns and farms from wild- area has also been a point of
town of Lahaina, but tion, our employees brought fires across the western U.S., contention among the de-
don’t address liability. their best efforts to their though some groups have fendants, along with the util-
jobs, as they do every day.” questioned their effective- ity’s lack of a public safety
How to contact us By Rebecca Boone,
The officials stressed
that Maui firefighters had
ness in extreme weather
conditions.
power shutoff program.
A few days before the an-
(800) LA TIMES Alanna Durkin Richer done all they could to put out The ATF report was in- niversary of the wildfires,
and Jennifer Sinco the morning fire before leav- cluded as an appendix in a Hawaii Gov. Josh Green an-
Home Delivery and latimes.com/mediakit or call Kelleher
Membership Program (213) 237-6176. ing to address other calls for report from the Maui Fire nounced a $4-billion settle-
For questions about delivery, service on a day when other Department, which asked ment. That’s the amount the
Reprint Requests
billing and vacation holds, or
For the rights to use articles,
HONOLULU — The fires were burning around the agency last year to help defendants — including
for information about our wildfire that killed at least the island. determine how the fire Hawaiian Electric, the state,
Membership program, please photos, graphics and page
contact us at (213) 283-2274 or reproductions, e-mail 102 people on Maui last year “They deployed count- started. Several other agen- Maui County, large land-
customerservices [email protected] or call erupted from an earlier less resources, spent an ex- cies also have investigated owners and others — have
(213) 237-4565.
@latimes.com. You can also brush fire, sparked by tensive amount of time on the fire and the response to agreed to pay to settle
manage your account at Times In Education downed power lines, that the scene, and observed the it, detailing the poor condi- claims.
myaccount.latimes.com. To get the digital firefighters believed they scene after they believed it tions — including emer- But the deal is tied up in
Letters to the Editor Los Angeles Times at no
cost (along with our had extinguished, officials was extinguished,” Jona- gency response missteps — court, awaiting a decision
Want to write a letter to be confirmed Wednesday as than Blais, the ATF’s special that contributed to the from Hawaii’s Supreme
published in the paper and newspaper–based teaching
online? E-mail materials), contact us at they presented their find- agent in charge of the Seattle tragic outcome. Court on whether insurance
[email protected]. latimes.com/tie, or email ings on the cause. Field Division, which in- Communication between companies can go after the
For submission guidelines, [email protected]
The Aug. 8, 2023, fire — cludes Hawaii, said at a news the police and fire depart- defendants separately to re-
see latimes.com/letters. The Newsroom the deadliest U.S. wildfire in conference. “So, yes, I do be- ments was spotty, cellphone coup what they’ve paid to
Know something important
Readers’ Representative more than a century — lieve they did everything networks were down and policyholders. Lawyers for
If you believe we have we should cover? Send a
secure tip at emerged in the afternoon in possible.” emergency officials did not people seeking compensa-
made an error, or you have
questions about our latimes.com/tips. To send a the same area as the blaze Although wind was the activate the emergency tion fear that allowing insur-
journalistic standards press release go to the that began earlier that most likely cause of the fire’s sirens that might have ance companies to sue
newsroom directory at
and practices, our readers’ morning. Driven by strong, rekindling, the ATF’s report warned residents to evacu- Hawaiian Electric and oth-
representative can be latimes.com/staff.
erratic winds, the fire raced said investigators could not ate. Power lines and poles ers will subvert the deal,
reached at Media Relations
readers.representative
through the historic town of rule out another possibility: had fallen throughout town, drain what is available to
For outside media requests
@latimes.com, (877) 554-4000 and inquiries, e-mail Lahaina, destroying thou- that the operator of a bull- and police blocked some pay victims and lead to pro-
or online at [email protected]. sands of buildings, overcom- dozer, trying to help fire- roads to protect residents longed litigation.
latimes.com/readersrep. ing people trapped in their fighters contain the blaze, from potentially dangerous Jake Lowenthal, an attor-
L.A. Times Store
Advertising Search archives, merchandise cars and forcing some resi- could have unwittingly lines. First responders also ney representing people su-
For print and online and front pages at dents to flee into the ocean. pushed smoldering debris had trouble getting a firm ing over the fire, said the re-
advertising information, go to latimes.com/store. It had been unclear to the gully’s edge, only to answer from Hawaiian Elec- port didn’t provide any in-
whether the blaze was a have it erupt in flames later. tric representatives on formation that would
separate fire or a rekindling “The close proximity of whether power had been cut change their theory of liabili-
A Publication
of the morning fire, and the freshly cut firebreak to to the area. ty in the case: that firefight-
Founded Dec. 4, 1881 whether firefighters should the western edge of the gully The blocked roads con- ers left the scene, the utility
Vol. CXLIII No. 306 have left the scene after they does not afford investigators tributed to gridlock that left didn’t maintain its equip-
LOS ANGELES TIMES Print + unlimited digital rates: spent hours dousing it. The the ability to rule out the fleeing people trapped in ment or have a power shutoff
Seven-day $28/week, $1,456 annually.
(ISSN 0458-3035)
Thursday–Sunday $16/week, $832
answers could prove signifi- possibility that while cutting their cars as the flames ad- program, and that some
is published by the Los Angeles Times,
2300 E. Imperial Highway, El Segundo, CA annually. Thursday & Sunday $10/week, cant to questions about lia- the firebreak, the operator vanced. Others died in their large landowners left their
90245. Periodicals postage is paid at Los $520 annually. Saturday & Sunday
Angeles, CA, and additional cities. $9/week, $468 annually. Sunday bility for the destruction, unknowingly moved still homes or outside as they properties untended with
$8.50/week, $442 annually.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to
Monday–Saturday $18/week, $936
though a tentative $4-billion burning vegetation or smol- tried to escape. The death dry, overgrown vegetation
the above address.
Home Delivery Subscription Rates (all rates
annually (also includes Sundays, except settlement has been dering debris into the gully,” toll surpassed that of the that provided ample fuel for
3/31, 5/26, 9/1, and 10/13). Monday–Friday
include applicable CA sales taxes and apply $16/week, $832 annually. reached. the report said. 2018 Camp fire in Northern the blaze.
to most areas)
Printed with soy-based ink on recycled newsprint from wood byproducts.
In presenting their find- The owner of the com- California, which left 85 dead “Every piece of additional
ings, officials with the U.S. pany that provided the bull- and destroyed the town of information allows the com-
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, dozer told ATF investigators Paradise. munity to continue to heal,”
Firearms and Explosives less than two weeks after the Thousands of Lahaina Lowenthal said, “and allows
and the Maui Fire Depart- fire that he had shown up be- residents have sued various us to move forward with how
ment did not address liabili- cause a friend who lived parties they believe to be at the fire was caused and how
ty but found that the wildfire nearby asked for help. The fault for the fire, including we can continue to protect
was clearly a rekindling of owner did not respond to Hawaiian Electric, Maui the community to make sure
Download the app. the morning fire — most several requests for a follow- County and the state of this doesn’t happen again.”
Discover more. likely from winds blowing an up interview, the report said. Hawaii. The defendants
undetected ember into a dry, Neither the owner nor mem- often have tried to point fin- Boone, Richer and Kelleher
overgrown gully nearby. bers of his crew were identi- gers at one another, with write for the Associated
“We deeply regret that fied in the report. Hawaiian Electric saying the Press. Boone reported from
our operations contributed Video from inside the county shouldn’t have left Boise, Idaho; Richer from
to the fire that ignited in the bulldozer showed it piling the first fire unattended, and Washington; and Kelleher
morning,” Hawaiian Electric loose soil and burned vege- Maui County contending from Honolulu.
L AT I M E S . C O M F R I DAY , O C T O B E R 4 , 2 0 2 4 A3

THE WORLD

New NATO chief affirms support for Ukraine

struction on the eastern
Mark Rutte, who has Donetsk region and force
weary Ukrainian troops to
pledged to shore up withdraw from obliterated
Western backing, towns and villages.
Zelensky, at a news con-
visits Kyiv two days ference with Rutte, said it
into the job. was right for Ukraine to pull
its forces out of Vuhledar so
that they could live to fight
By Hanna Arhirova another day. Earlier, he said
and Samya Kullab the latest Kharkiv attack
highlighted the urgent need
KYIV, Ukraine — New for increased support from
NATO Secretary-General Ukraine’s Western allies.
Mark Rutte visited Ukraine Zelensky recently held
on Thursday in his first offi- talks with officials in the U.S.
cial trip since taking office to seek further Western mili-
and pledging the alliance’s tary support.
continued support for Kyiv Russia has had the
in its war with Russia. battlefield initiative since
Rutte met with Ukrain- late last year, when a Ukrain-
ian President Volodymyr Ze- ian counteroffensive petered
lensky in Kyiv as air raid out. Ukraine is grappling
sirens twice went off in the with a critical manpower
Ukrainian capital. problem on the front line
The new head of the and is straining to hold back
North Atlantic Treaty Or- Russia’s grinding assaults.
ganization vowed when he Though Russia’s battle-
took office Tuesday to help field gains have been incre-
shore up Western support Evgeniy Maloletka Associated Press mental, its steady forward
for Ukraine, which has been MARK RUTTE, left, NATO’s new secretary general, visits Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv movement is adding up as
fighting Russia’s full-scale on Thursday. He said recent steps taken by the alliance “build a bridge to NATO membership” for Ukraine. the Ukrainians are pushed
invasion since February backward and yield ground.
2022 and has for most of this the 50-plus partner nations restrictions on Ukraine’s use en by the alliance “build a fighters searched for sur- Both sides have kept up
year been on the defensive who regularly meet to coor- of Western-supplied long- bridge to NATO member- vivors through smoke and regular cross-border aerial
against a relentless Russian dinate weapons aid for the range weapons to strike ship” for Ukraine, including rubble. attacks, usually at night.
army push in the country’s war. deep inside Russia. 40 billion euros — about The city of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s air force said
eastern regions. The two also discussed “Of course, we want $44 billion — in funding as- about 18 miles from the Rus- Thursday that 78 out of 105
Rutte expressed confi- the battlefield situation and Ukraine to not be forgotten. sistance, bilateral security sian border, has been a fre- Shahed drones launched by
dence that he can work with the specific needs of Ukrain- But the best way not to for- agreements between allies, quent target of aerial at- Russia overnight were de-
whomever is elected presi- ian military units. Zelensky get about Ukraine is to pro- and the formation of a new tacks throughout the war. stroyed as 15 regions of the
dent of the United States, reiterated that Ukraine vide the appropriate weap- NATO command to coordi- Increasingly common in country came under attack.
the alliance’s most powerful needs more armaments, in- ons and the necessary per- nate assistance and train- the war, glide bombs have The Russian military,
member, in November. That cluding long-range weapons missions,” Zelensky said. ing. terrorized civilians and meanwhile, intercepted 113
could be a key moment for it has long requested. “And to help shoot down ... Rutte arrived after a Rus- bludgeoned the Ukrainian Ukrainian drones overnight,
Ukraine’s effort to ensure Asked whether the war in the same Iranian missiles or sian glide bomb struck a army’s front-line defenses. according to a statement by
continuing Western sup- the Middle East will affect drones, just as they are shot five-story apartment block Ukraine has no effective the Defense Ministry in Mos-
port. the timeline he had envi- down over Israel, to shoot in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s sec- countermeasure for glide cow. The drones were de-
Zelensky said he dis- sioned for the victory plan, them down in the same way ond-largest city, injuring at bombs, which are launched stroyed over four Russian re-
cussed with Rutte elements Zelensky noted that the U.S. over Ukraine.” least 12 people, including a 3- from Russian aircraft inside gions on the border with
of Ukraine’s so-called vic- and Britain say Iran has sup- Rutte reiterated the alli- year-old girl, local officials Russia. Ukraine — Belgorod, Bry-
tory plan, ahead of a NATO plied missiles and drones to ance’s unwavering support said Thursday. They were a key weapon ansk, Kursk and Voronezh, it
meeting at the Ramstein Air Russia for use against for Ukraine, insisting that The bomb struck in Russia’s capture of the said.
Base in Germany next week. Ukraine. “Ukraine is closer to NATO Wednesday night, igniting a tactically significant town of
The gathering draws to- He also appealed for than ever before.” fire, Kharkiv regional Gov. Vuhledar on Wednesday, as Arhirova and Kullab write
gether defense leaders from Western countries to scrap He said recent steps tak- Oleh Sinegubov said. Fire- Russian forces wreak de- for the Associated Press.

U.K. cedes Mexico vows inquiry

disputed after troops fire on
islands to U.S.-bound migrants
Mauritius ing arms, cocaine and other
By Patrick J. illicit substances.
McDonnell Chiapas is also engulfed
Sovereignty of in a brutal turf war between
MEXICO CITY — Mexi- Mexico’s two leading drug
Chagos chain will be can authorities vowed to in- cartels that has killed doz-
transferred except for vestigate a deadly incident ens and displaced thou-
in which its soldiers opened sands in recent months.
Diego Garcia, home fire on a truck carrying U.S.- The Mexican attorney
to a U.S. military base. bound migrants near the general’s office said in a
country’s southern border statement it had sent a team
with Guatemala, killing six to Chiapas to investigate.
By Pan Pylas and injuring at least 10 oth- It said the incident occurred
ers. while a military unit was
LONDON — The British “It’s a lamentable act posted along a highway after
government agreed Thurs- that has to be investigated having been alerted to
day to hand sovereignty of and punished,” Mexican “armed people” in the vicin-
the long-contested Chagos U.S. Navy President Claudia Shein- ity. Three vehicles ignored
Islands, an archipelago of DIEGO GARCIA , which includes a U.S.-U.K. military base in the Chagos Islands, baum told reporters Thurs- soldiers’ orders to stop, the
more than 60 islands in the remains under British control for 99 years after the transfer of sovereignty. day at her morning news attorney general’s office
Indian Ocean, to Mauritius, conference. said, triggering a chase.
in a deal to secure the future The Chagos Islands, tently and deliberately ig- right to return but voiced its The incident comes as il- Soldiers opened fire after
of a strategically important which conjure up images of nored and we demand full in- “deep regret” for the way the licit immigration has be- being “attacked,” the prose-
U.K.-U.S. military base. paradise with their lush veg- clusion in the drafting of the Chagossian community had come a major issue in the cutors’ office said, though
British Foreign Secre- etation and long stretches of treaty.” been mistreated in the 1960s U.S. elections and Washing- authorities didn’t offer de-
tary David Lammy said the white sandy beaches, have The agreement will have and 1970s. ton has been pressuring tails. In an earlier statement,
agreement will secure the fu- been at the heart of what to be signed off in a treaty Over the years, the Mexico to push migrants the military said the troops
ture of the base at Diego Britain has called the and is dependent on legal Chagossians and Mauritius south and away from the heard “detonations.”
Garcia, the largest in the British Indian Ocean Terri- processes being finalized. have garnered increasing in- U.S.-Mexico border. Two of the vehicles es-
chain of remote islands off tory since 1965 when they Both sides have committed ternational support, nota- The truck on Tuesday caped, the attorney general
the tip of India that has been were siphoned away from to complete this as quickly bly among African nations was carrying 33 migrants said, while the third stopped
under British control for Mauritius, a former U.K. co- as possible. and within the United Na- from various nations, in- and the driver fled the scene.
over 50 years. The base, lony that gained independ- A spokesperson for tions. In 2019, in an advisory cluding Egypt, Nepal, Cuba, Soldiers found the migrants
which is home to around ence three years later. Mau- British Prime Minister Keir option that was nonbinding, India and Pakistan, accord- inside.
2,500 personnel, mainly ritius, an island nation east Starmer said he spoke to his the International Court of ing to a statement from the The two soldiers who
Americans, has been in- of Madagascar off mainland Mauritius counterpart, Justice ruled that the U.K. Mexican military. opened fire were removed
volved in military opera- southern Africa, is about Pravind Jugnauth, on had unlawfully carved up The dead include three from duty, the military said.
tions including the 2003 war 1,250 miles southwest of the Thursday morning, welcom- Mauritius when it agreed to people from Egypt, one from The inquiry by the attorney
in Iraq and the long-running Chagos Islands. ing the agreement after two end colonial rule in the late Peru and one from Hon- general’s office as well as mil-
war in Afghanistan. Following a lease agree- years of negotiations that 1960s. duras, the Mexican attorney itary authorities will aim to
Britain’s Labor govern- ment with Britain, the U.S. began under the U.K.’s pre- In a statement, the White general’s office said. Investi- determine whether the sol-
ment said that without the built the naval base at Diego vious, Conservative govern- House said President Biden gators were still trying to de- diers’ commanders share
deal, the secure operation of Garcia for defense purposes ment. applauded the “historic termine the nationality of blame, Sheinbaum said.
the military base would be in the 1970s. The U.S. has de- “Fifty-six years after our agreement” on the status of the sixth person killed, the The incident prompted
under threat from contested scribed the base as “an all independence, the decoloni- the Chagos Islands. attorney general’s office denunciations from rights
sovereignty and legal chal- but indispensable platform” zation is finally complete,” “The agreement secures said. groups who have long con-
lenges, including through for security operations in the Jugnauth said in a televised the effective operation of the Four died at the scene demned Mexican author-
various international courts Middle East, South Asia and address to the nation later joint facility on Diego Garcia and two succumbed at a hos- ities for doing what they call
and tribunals. East Africa. Thursday. into the next century,” the pital in the town of Huixtla, “America’s dirty work” by
“It will strengthen our Around 1,500 inhabitants The Mauritius govern- statement said. about 50 miles from the bor- detaining U.S.-bound mi-
role in safeguarding global from the Chagos Islands ment said that the treaty will In the U.K., Conservative der with Guatemala in Mexi- grants and often transport-
security, shut down any pos- were displaced to make way aim to resolve all outstand- lawmakers standing to be co’s Chiapas state, the mili- ing them back to southern
sibility of the Indian Ocean for the U.S. base, in what Hu- ing issues related to the is- leader of Britain’s opposi- tary said. Mexico.
being used as a dangerous il- man Rights Watch said last lands, including “its former tion party expressed dismay The sprawling state of It was unclear whether
legal migration route to the year amounted to “crimes inhabitants,” as well as ad- at the decision to hand over Chiapas, which shares a long the surviving migrants
U.K., as well as guaranteeing against humanity commit- dressing “the wrongs of the sovereignty of all but one of border with Guatemala, is a would be allowed to remain
our long-term relationship ted by a colonial power past.” the islands. They were criti- major transit corridor for in Mexico.
with Mauritius, a close Com- against an indigenous peo- It laid out the hope that cized for the comments, giv- migrants from around the
monwealth partner,” ple.” those displaced who are still en that the previous Conser- world heading for U.S. terri- Special correspondent
Lammy said. Chagossian Voices, a alive and their descendants, vative government started tory — but also a zone tra- Cecilia Sánchez Vidal
The agreement also U.K.-based group repre- who are mainly living in the the negotiations. versed by smugglers ferry- contributed to this report.
paves the way for the poten- senting the Chagossian di- U.K., Mauritius and the Sey- One of the candidates,
tial return of the few people aspora around the world, chelles, will have a right to Tom Tugendhat, warned
still alive who were forcibly voiced disappointment that return, as it is now “free” to that the move could see
displaced from their homes the negotiations excluded implement a resettlement Mauritius potentially leas-
on the islands decades ago. those displaced. program on the islands ex- ing one of the islands to
As part of the deal, the “Chagossians have cept Diego Garcia. China.
U.K. will retain sovereignty learned this outcome from It added that the U.K. will “This is a shameful re-
of Diego Garcia for an initial the media and remain pow- financially support the treat undermining our secu-
period of 99 years, and will erless and voiceless in deter- Chagossians, who have rity and leaving our allies ex-
pay Mauritius an undis- mining our own future and fought a long-running legal posed,” he said.
closed rent. It will also create the future of our homeland,” battle about their displace-
a “resettlement” fund for it said in a statement on so- ment, most recently in 2016 Pylas writes for the
displaced Chagossians cial media. “The views of when they lost out in a Associated Press. AP writer
aimed at letting them move Chagossians, the indige- Supreme Court ruling in the Gerald Imray in Cape Town, Edgar H. Clemente Associated Press
back to the islands other nous inhabitants of the is- U.K. At the time, the British South Africa, contributed to SIX migrants died when their truck came under fire
than Diego Garcia. lands, have been consis- government refused their this report. in Chiapas, Mexico. Above, migrants there in July.
A4 F R I DAY , O C T O B E R 4 , 2 0 2 4 L AT I M E S . C O M

Emboldened Netanyahu ignoring U.S., some say

[Mideast, from A1]
attack is one.
A year ago, Hamas-led
militants based in the Gaza
Strip swept into southern Is-
rael, killing around 1,200
people, maiming many more
and kidnapping around 250.
Before that, the Biden
administration had kept its
distance from the govern-
ment of Israeli Prime Min-
ister Benjamin Netanyahu
because of its radically racist
anti-Arab, anti-democratic
members. Netanyahu had
also been exploiting U.S.
partisan politics in recent
years, openly courting GOP
favor and eschewing the
usual Israeli policy of stay-
ing neutral in American poli-
tics.
After Oct. 7, there was a
outpouring of support from
the United States. President
Biden hopped on Air Force
One to pledge American
backing. U.S. Secretary of
State Antony J. Blinken,
evoking his own Jewish faith,
traveled to Israel 10 times in
as many months, trying to
address concerns and con-
tain the potential violence.
Netanyahu appears to
have read that early admin-
istration response as a near-
blanket endorsement for an
open-ended invasion of
Gaza. More than 41,000 Pal-
estinians have been killed in
that assault, Gaza officials
estimate. The authorities do
not differentiate between ci-
vilian and combatant Baz Ratner Associated Press
deaths. AN ISRAELI helicopter releases flares Wednesday near the Lebanese border. U.S. entreaties for a cease-fire have fallen on deaf ears.
“The Israelis saw this as
essentially a green light,” ened, Netanyahu repeatedly has the ear of U.S. officials, lame-duck president’s orities, an antiwar Washing- be betting it can operate
said Steven Cook, a senior outplayed and misled U.S. said Israel was on board. hands. ton advocacy group. more freely in the political
fellow specializing in the officials, according to people Just last week, Biden ad- Biden is among the last of “Politically, it’s really dif- vacuum created by the U.S.
Middle East at the Council with knowledge of talks ministration officials franti- the old-school U.S. congres- ficult to do anything that election.
on Foreign Relations. aimed at halting hostilities cally sought a 21-day cease- sional lawmakers who were seems like it’s changing “I see the Israelis pushing
At the same time, Isra- and freeing Israeli hostages. fire in Lebanon, backed by reared in the post-Holo- American foreign policy to change the facts on the
elis, and particularly Netan- After having laid waste to France and others. They caust period where an right before an election,” she ground as much as they can”
yahu, have increasingly re- much of northern and cen- thought they had secured Is- emerging Israel struggled said. before the U.S. election, said
sisted pressure and advice tral Gaza, Israel promised rael’s agreement. for its survival against great- Even the most minimal Mike DiMino, a longtime
from the Biden administra- U.S. officials it would not do Then Netanyahu landed er Arab powers and won. It challenges to Israel — such CIA analyst based in the
tion when it comes to deal- the same in the southern city in New York for the annual seemed a noble cause, and as sanctions on Jewish set- Middle East.
ing with Palestinians and of Rafah, where a million United Nations General As- Biden frequently has ex- tlers in the occupied West In addition to potentially
other perceived security Palestinians were shelter- sembly and made clear he pressed his undying love for Bank who kill and harass occupying southern Leba-
threats, exerting greater in- ing. would press ahead unfet- the “Jewish state.” Palestinians, or the brief non while the U.S. is preoc-
dependence. Yet as each day passed in tered in his offensive against Fast forward to this sea- suspension of 1-ton bombs cupied with an election, Is-
“Over a period of time, the spring, Israeli airstrikes the Iran-backed Hezbollah son just weeks away from a being lobbed on Gazan rael could also force the next
the Israelis have come to be- gradually chopped away at organization in Lebanon. monumental U.S. presi- population centers — have U.S. president to confront a
lieve that the administra- Rafah. In recent months, In turning a deaf ear to dential election, and Netan- generated backlash from the regional conflict that also in-
tion has not given them good U.S. officials say Netanyahu U.S. entreaties, Netanyahu yahu probably calculates Republican right wing. volves Iran, experts say.
advice [and] they are deter- backed out of cease-fire seems to be taking advan- that Biden will not move “We call on the Biden- Netanyahu “has long
mined ... to change the rules agreements for Gaza even as tage of Biden’s emotional af- forcefully to make demands Harris administration to wished for a big military es-
of the game,” Cook said. some of his spokespeople, finity for Israel and of the po- on Israel when it could cost end its counterproductive calation with Iran that
Increasingly embold- such as Ron Dermer, who litical timing that ties the the Democratic ticket votes calls for a cease-fire and its would force the Americans
in a razor-edge close vote. ongoing diplomatic pres- to join, and perhaps to at-
“American leverage, and sure campaign against Isra- tack Iran directly,” Dahlia
Biden’s leverage in particu- el,” House Speaker Mike Scheindlin, a fellow at the
lar, is very small at this Johnson said after Israel as- Century Foundation, wrote
point,” said Rosemary Ke- sassinated Hezbollah leader in the liberal Israeli news-
lanic, a political scientist Hassan Nasrallah. paper Haaretz. “The cir-
specializing in the Middle By moving aggressively cumstances are ripening in a
East, now at Defense Pri- in Lebanon now, Israel may way they never have before.”

POSTER
CONTEST
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+ L.A. Times digital access. PEOPLE recover victims’ remains Thursday after an Israeli airstrike hit an
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BEIRUT — An Israeli lah-dominated suburb of the Lebanese army position in
provided by Times in Education and LADWP. airstrike hit central Beirut capital. the Bint Jbeil area. The Leb-
on Thursday, killing at least Elsewhere, Israeli troops anese army said its troops
nine people and wounding 14 and Hezbollah fighters con- responded to the source of
others, as the Israeli military tinued to engage in clashes fire.
announced evacuation or- near the Lebanese border in As the fighting with
ders for additional villages the second day of direct Hezbollah has intensified,
and towns in southern Leba- ground confrontations. Isra- so have fears that Israel
non. eli warplanes pounded wide would expand its invasion
Scan the code
Overnight, an Israeli mis- swaths of the south. beyond southern Lebanon.
or visit latimes.com/nie sile slammed into an apart- The Lebanese army, On Thursday the Israeli
to sign up FREE. ment building and the of- which has stayed out of the military issued warnings to
fices of the Islamic Health fighting between the mili- residents in 20 towns and vil-
Committee, a Hezbollah-af- tant group and Israel, said lages not included in previ-
filiated civil defense organi- two of its soldiers were killed ous evacuation orders, or-
zation, Lebanese health au- in two Israeli attacks. dering them to leave their
thorities said. One died during an evac- homes and not return until
The attack, less than a uation and rescue mission further notice.
mile from Lebanon’s seat of with the International Com- The newly included areas
government and a few hun- mittee of the Red Cross in reach up to the Awali River,
dred yards from a main high- the southern border village north of a United Nations-
Teachers at K-12 schools in LADWP’s service area are eligible for enrollment. way in Beirut’s center, was of Taibe. Another soldier declared buffer zone estab-
Program runs through Dec. 2024. the deadliest strike in the and four Red Cross workers lished after the 2006 war be-
capital since the recent esca- were also wounded, the tween Hezbollah and Israel.
L AT I M E S . C O M S F R I DAY , O C T O B E R 4 , 2 0 2 4 A5

THE NATION

Melania Trump says she favors abortion rights

midterm losses and public topic doesn’t surprise me at
The timing of her outrage and unease over all,” said Grisham, who re-
abortion bans. signed after the insurrection
comments is a In early 2023, Trump at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6,
surprise, in the final blamed the “abortion issue” 2021. “The fact that she’s
for Republicans underper- choosing to share it in a
weeks of husband’s forming expectations in the memoir is what I find odd.
presidential campaign. 2022 midterms. Six months Sharing that excerpt right
later, on the anniversary of now and talking about it in a
the Dobbs decision, he memoir at all is kind of
By Seema Mehta called himself the “most pro- strange.”
and Jenny Jarvie life president ever” and “I don’t know,” Grisham
boasted about appointing added. “Maybe she’s trying
Former First Lady Mela- three U.S. Supreme Court to appeal to a different audi-
nia Trump offered a forceful justices who voted to over- ence in order to sell more
defense on Thursday of a turn Roe. copies of the book.”
woman’s right to abortion — Since then, Trump has A notable section of Mel-
including in the late stages of gradually pivoted away from ania Trump’s writing fo-
pregnancy — a direct con- such staunch antiabortion cuses on late-term abor-
tradiction of the political rhetoric. tions, which were a key point
stance of her husband, Re- In a September 2023 ap- in the sole debate between
publican presidential nomi- pearance on “Meet the Donald Trump and Harris,
nee Donald Trump. Press,” Trump dubbed with the Republican claim-
“Individual freedom is a Florida’s six-week abortion ing that Democrats support
fundamental principle that I ban “a terrible mistake.” He allowing abortion in the final
safeguard,” the former pres- pledged to work with Demo- months of pregnancy and —
ident’s wife said Thursday in crats to pass a national bi- falsely — that they even sup-
a video posted on X promot- partisan law on abortion. port killing babies after they
ing her memoir, “Melania,” This week, Trump wrote are born. “It’s an execution,”
scheduled to be released on his Truth Social platform Donald Trump said.
next week. “Without a doubt, that he did not support an Killing babies after they
there is no room for compro- outright national abortion are born is not legal in any
mise when it comes to this Jason Armond Los Angeles Times ban, “and would, in fact, veto state.
essential right that all wom- FORMER FIRST LADY Melania Trump arrives at the Republican National it.” He added that “I fully Very few women have
en possess from birth: indi- Convention in July. Her stance on abortion contradicts that of Donald Trump. support” exceptions for abortions after the first or
vidual freedom. What does rape, incest and to save the second trimester — fewer
my body, my choice really the government,” she wrote. has been on multiple state and their decision to over- life of the mother.” than 1% of such procedures
mean?” She wrote that she has ballots and is expected to be turn Roe v. Wade. Some have From national to state are performed at or after 21
The timing of her com- carried beliefs about a wom- critical in determining said if Kamala Harris wins, and local races, Democrats weeks of pregnancy, accord-
ments is surprising, coming an’s right to bodily autono- which party controls the it’s because Roe was over- have seized upon the issue of ing to the Centers for Dis-
in the final weeks of a presi- my her entire adult life. House of Representatives — turned,” she said. “And now reproductive rights to drive ease Control and Preven-
dential campaign in which “Why should anyone a result that could come we have the wife of the presi- their voters to the polls. tion. Such late procedures
Donald Trump’s role in other than the woman her- down to suburban women in dent who helped [facilitate] “Sadly for the women are almost always per-
curbing abortion rights has self have the power to deter- places such as Orange Roe being overturned say- across America, Mrs. formed because of dire
been a central issue. She has mine what she does with her County and the suburbs of ing she strongly supports a Trump’s husband firmly dis- threats to the health of the
rarely been seen publicly own body?” she wrote. cities such as Philadelphia woman’s right to choose. ... agrees with her and is the mother or the fetus.
during her husband’s cam- She and her husband’s and Atlanta who may have And she’s not the only Re- reason that more than one in “It is important to note
paign against Democratic representatives did not re- conservative views but sup- publican woman to think three American women live that historically, most abor-
Vice President Kamala Har- spond to requests for com- port abortion access. that.” under a Trump Abortion tions conducted during the
ris — an exceptionally tight ment. Polling shows the major- The former president has Ban that threatens their later stages of pregnancy
contest that could be de- Since the U.S. Supreme ity of Americans do not ap- had a dizzying set of posi- health, their freedom and were the result of severe fetal
cided by a small number of Court in 2022 overturned prove of the Supreme tions on the issue. their lives,” Sarafina Chi- abnormalities that probably
voters in a few battleground Roe vs. Wade, the landmark Court’s decision in Dobbs vs. In 1999, he described him- tika, a Harris campaign would have led to the death
states. decision that provided a fed- Jackson to overturn Roe, self as “very pro-choice.” In spokeswoman, said in a or stillbirth of the child. Per-
In excerpts of her memoir eral right to abortion access, and support abortion rights. 2011, when he was courting statement. haps even the death of the
published by the Guardian the issue has been central in Jessica Levinson, an elec- conservatives as he consid- Stephanie Grisham, Mel- mother,” the former first
on Wednesday, Melania the nation’s politics. Adver- tion law professor at Loyola ered a 2012 run for the White ania Trump’s former chief of lady wrote. “These cases
Trump writes that she does tisements in swing states Law School, said Melania House, he said, “I am pro- staff and press secretary were extremely rare and
not believe the government such as Arizona feature the Trump’s support for abor- life.” In the weeks before he turned critic, said in an in- typically occurred after sev-
should play a role in women’s testimonials of women with tion rights shows why cur- won the 2016 election, he terview she was not sur- eral consultations between
reproductive healthcare. nonviable pregnancies who tailing them — once an aca- vowed to overturn Roe vs. prised by the former first la- the woman and her doctor.
“It is imperative to guar- could not get timely medical demic discussion that has Wade. dy’s beliefs, but she was sur- “As a community, we
antee that women have au- care until their health wors- now become a reality — Since the Dobbs deci- prised by the timing. should embrace these com-
tonomy in deciding their ened because of doctors’ could be deeply problematic sion, Trump has frustrated “She has always been mon-sense standards.”
preference of having chil- fears of running afoul of for Republicans. his onetime allies in the anti- very independent and done
dren, based on their own state laws. “One of Donald Trump’s abortion movement by re- her own things, so the fact Mehta reported from Los
convictions, free from any in- In addition to the presi- biggest impacts is how he peatedly changing his mes- that she has such a different Angeles and Jarvie from
tervention or pressure from dential campaign, abortion changed the Supreme Court sage in response to GOP position from him on this Atlanta.

After Helene, human connections bring hope in North Carolina

“Our job is to help as
Hurricane’s death toll many people as we can as
quickly as we can and as
tops 200 and could thoroughly as we can,” he
rise as searchers make said.
“We’re not leaving until
their way to places you’re back on your feet
hardest to reach. completely,” Biden said.
Vice President Kamala
Harris traveled to neighbor-
By Jeff Amy, ing Georgia on Wednesday.
Erik Verduzco
and Brittany Peterson
Inquiry into deaths
BLACK MOUNTAIN, of factory workers
N.C. — Sarah Vekasi is a pot- Employees at a plastics
ter who runs a store in Black factory in rural Tennessee
Mountain, N.C., called who kept working last week
Sarah Sunshine Pottery, until water flooded their
named after her normally parking lot and power went
bubbly personality. But out at the plant were among
these days she’s struggling those killed. The floodwa-
with the trauma of Hurri- ters swept 11 workers away,
cane Helene and uncer- and only five were rescued.
tainty about the future of her Two are confirmed dead.
business. Tennessee state author-
“All I can say is that I’m ities said they are investigat-
alive. I’m not doing great. ing the company that owns
I’m not doing good. But I’m the factory after some em-
extremely grateful to be ployees said they weren’t al-
alive, especially when so Mario Tama Getty Images lowed to leave in time to
many are not,” Vekasi said. TAMMIE MANCE, right, hugs her boss Liesl Steiner in Black Mountain, N.C., on Thursday as they see each avoid the storm’s impact.
One thing that makes her other for the first time since Hurricane Helene passed through. Steiner’s home was destroyed in the storm. Hospitals and healthcare
feel a little better is the fel- organizations in the South-
lowship of the daily town Black Mountain for 43 years, Robin Wynn lost power at service. Even if they have a mountains of splintered east mostly stayed open de-
meeting at the square. said her children invited her her Asheville home early Fri- landline, a lot of that isn’t wood, demolished homes spite dealing with blackouts,
“It’s incredible being able to come to Charlotte after day and was able to grab a working,” Williamson said. and massive pieces of siding wind damage, supply issues
to meet in person,” said the storm, but she wants to bag of canned goods and wa- “So we’re bringing them crumpled like paper. Biden and flooding. Many hospi-
Vekasi, who was cut off by stay in her community and ter before getting to a shelter food and water, but also just met with people who had tals halted elective pro-
impassible roads for days. look after her neighbors. despite water up to her bringing them a smile and a lost homes; one couple were cedures, but only a few
At Wednesday’s session “I’m going to stay as long knees. prayer with them just to give living out of a trailer near the closed.
more than 150 people gath- as I feel like I’m being use- “I didn’t know where I them comfort.” wreckage of their home, In Florida, officials were
ered as local leaders stood ful,” Sullivan said. was going, didn’t know what Volunteers in Asheville their personal belongings turning to “low risk” state
atop a picnic table shouting was going to happen next. gathered Wednesday before strewn on the ground. prisoners to help clear the
updates. But I got out and I’m alive,” going out to help find people The president also was mountains of debris left be-
In the midst of the devas-
Helping one another Wynn said Wednesday. who have been unreachable due to visit Georgia on hind.
tating destruction left by the in hard-hit areas Now that she’s back because of phone and inter- Thursday. “Department of Correc-
deadliest hurricane to hit In remote mountain home, her neighbors have net outages. They took along Biden flew over the dev- tions, they do prison labor
the mainland U.S. since areas, helicopters hoisted been watching out for one boxes of drinking water. astation in North and South anyways. So they’re bring-
Katrina, human connec- the stranded to safety while another. Plenty of people Even notifying relatives Carolina on Wednesday. The ing them to do debris remov-
tions are giving the sur- search crews moved toppled have come around to make of people who died in the administration announced al,” Gov. Ron DeSantis told
vivors hope in western North trees so they could look door sure everyone has a hot meal storm has been difficult. a federal commitment to reporters on Wednesday.
Carolina. While government to door for survivors. In and water, she said. “That has been our chal- foot the bill for debris remov-
cargo planes brought food some places, homes teetered Eric Williamson, who lenge, quite honestly, is no al and emergency protective Amy, Verduzco and
and water into the hardest- on hillsides and washed-out works at First Baptist cell service, no way to reach measures for six months in Peterson write for the
hit areas and rescue crews riverbanks. Church in Hendersonville, out to next of kin,” said Avril North Carolina and three Associated Press and
waded through creeks Electricity is being slowly normally makes home visits Pinder, the county manager months in Georgia. The reported from Black
searching for survivors, restored, as the number of to members who can’t phys- in Buncombe County, where money will address the ef- Mountain, Swannanoa,
those who made it through homes and businesses with- ically get to church. This at least 61 people have died. fects of landslides and flood- N.C., and Hendersonville,
the storm, whose death toll out power dipped below 1 week, he’s their lifeline, de- “We have a confirmed body ing and cover costs of first re- respectively. AP journalists
soared to 202 on Thursday million for the first time livering food that meets die- count, but we don’t have sponders, search and rescue Colleen Long in Raleigh;
and could rise higher still, since last weekend, accord- tary restrictions and tossing identifications on everyone teams, shelters and mass Kate Payne in Madiera
were leaning on one another. ing to poweroutage.us. Most out food that had spoiled. or next-of-kin notifications.” feeding. Beach, Fla.; John Raby in
Martha Sullivan, also at of the outages are in the Beyond checking in on Speaking afterward in Charleston, W.Va.; John
the town meeting, was tak- Carolinas and Georgia, the essentials, he says it’s Raleigh, N.C., Biden praised Seewer in Toledo, Ohio;
Biden and Harris
ing careful notes so she where Helene struck after important to just socialize the Democratic governor of Jonathan Mattise in
could share the information barreling over Florida’s Gulf with folks in a moment like view the damage North Carolina and the Re- Nashville; Michael
— roads reopened, progress Coast as a Category 4 hurri- this to help them know they President Biden spoke publican governor of South Kunzelman in College Park,
in getting power restored, cane. Deaths have been re- aren’t alone. with survivors and first re- Carolina for their responses Md.; and Cedar Attanasio
work on trying to get water ported in Florida, Georgia, He has a handwritten list sponders and surveyed to the storm, saying that in and Jim Mustian in New
flowing again — with others. Tennessee and Virginia, in of everyone he needs to visit. damage Thursday in Keaton the wake of disasters, “we York contributed to this
Sullivan, who has lived in addition to the Carolinas. “They don’t have telephone Beach, Fla., walking past put politics aside.” report.
A6 F R I DAY , O C T O B E R 4 , 2 0 2 4 L AT I M E S . C O M

BUSINESS
After bad launch, Sonos tries to get groove back
but pioneering at the time: a tomers in 2012 when it re- the new one, he acknowl-
A glitchy new app wireless audio system that leased a Maps app that con- edged the company still has
would enable people to play tained inaccurate driving di- work to do. He couldn’t say
has angered loyal music over the internet any- rections, Chatterjee said. when the app will be com-
customers, presenting where in their home. They But Sonos is in a “trickier” pletely fixed.
were working years before spot because the app is part Other customers have
a major challenge in a the start of popular stream- of what makes the compa- found workarounds to still
competitive market. ing services such as Spotify ny’s audio system function stream their music from
and Pandora, as well as the seamlessly for the 15 million their Sonos speakers even if
launch of the iPhone. households that use its the app doesn’t work.
By Queenie Wong In January 2005, the products globally. Fearing issues with the
company released the “Without that seamless- rollout of the new app, 32-
Heath Evans really ZP100, a device with a re- ness, there is no ease of use, year-old product designer
needed his Sonos speakers mote control that allowed and without the ease of use, Matthew Mocniak said, he
to work. people to stream music the company cannot com- disabled his Sonos system
He and his wife counted through their computers. mand its premium price from automatically updat-
on one of the three wireless The product garnered pos- with consumers or its pre- ing the app but the solution
devices he owned to play lul- itive reviews including from mium position in the mar- worked only temporarily.
labies to help put their baby Jeenah Moon Bloomberg Walt Mossberg, a tech col- ket,” he said. Mocniak, who lives in
daughter to sleep. THE MISSTEP has forced Sonos to lower sales pro- umnist at the Wall Street Sonos Chief Executive North Carolina and has
So, in May, when Sonos jections. Above, a Sonos event in New York in May. Journal, who called the sys- Patrick Spence has ac- spent more than $2,000 on
released a new controller tem “easily the best music- knowledged that the com- Sonos speakers, said he’s
app that was so riddled with that make smart speakers to Thursday at $11.58, has fallen streaming product I have pany has let down its cus- able to stream music
problems he couldn’t get the capture more of the busi- 39%. In the quarter ending seen and tested.” tomers. He told investors in through Apple’s Airplay fea-
speakers to work, Evans was ness’ customers. June 29, it reported $397 mil- As in many startups, August after Sonos released ture.
angry. “Sonos knows it is on pre- lion in revenue, a 6% in- Sonos executives were wor- its quarterly earnings that it As someone who works in
“We just need reliable carious ground because crease over the same period ried about competitors . The had to rebuild the app to ad- the tech industry, Mocniak
music that plays lullabies while it has built up cus- last year, and $3.7 million in first song played publicly on dress “performance and reli- knows rebuilding software
while we’ve got a screaming tomer goodwill, it plays in a net income. the ZP100 was the Beastie ability issues” and position can be harder than it looks.
baby trying to go to sleep,” highly competitive space,” This week, the company Boys’ “No Sleep Till Brook- the company for growth as “It’s very easy to promise
said Evans, a 40-year-old said Dipanjan Chatterjee, outlined a plan to make sure lyn,” a tune engineers could the company expands “into certain features or certain
entrepreneur in Australia vice president and principal it doesn’t have similar fail- relate to as they hustled to new categories and move deadlines,” he said. “It’s also
who had received the speak- analyst at research firm For- ures in the future, including improve the quality of the ambitiously outside of the easy to forget that there are
ers from his wife last year for rester in an email. improvements to how it device before its release. home.” Sonos released its people responsible for that
his birthday. Over its more than 20 tests products before they’re Appearing on the pod- first pair of headphones in stuff on the other side.”
Fed up with the time years, the publicly traded released, the appointment cast “How I Built This with June. Ben Brown, a 49-year-old
Sonos has taken to fully fix company has weathered of a “quality ombudsper- Guy Raz” this year, one of For some Sonos custom- creative director in the
the app, the family has given tough times before, includ- son,” creation of a customer the founders, John MacFar- ers like Evans, Sonos’ re- United Kingdom, said his
up on trying to use the de- ing the 2008 financial crisis. advisory board, and extend- lane, recalled the pressure sponse has been “tone deaf,” Sonos app still says his
vices, which cost about But its latest misstep is a ing its warranty for certain he and others felt to unveil underscoring the trust the speakers are not connected.
$1,300. They’ve turned in- multimillion-dollar blunder items, such as its home thea- their first product in time for company still needs to win Instead, he’s been using Am-
stead to a cheap speaker to that has forced it to delay the ter and plug-in speaker the holiday season — a goal back. azon’s Alexa assistant to
stream music for their launch of new products and products. Executives agreed they ultimately missed. Re- “Why on earth would I play music on the speakers.
daughter’s bedtime. lower sales projections for to forgo their annual bo- leasing the ZP100 before it care about a quality om- Brown, who also pur-
Evans is among a legion the pivotal final months of nuses for 2025 unless their was ready would have “killed budsman? I’m a guy sitting chased multiple Sonos
of unhappy customers who the year when they other- turnaround plan succeeds. the company,” he said. in Melbourne nursing a baby speakers for his home, said
are upset with Santa Bar- wise would be looking to “There are many wonder- “You had to have a great in Australia with a speaker he was so frustrated that he
bara-based Sonos. Today, capitalize on a holiday sales ful brands that have made positive first experience if that doesn’t work,” he said. felt the urge to throw the
the company is still trying to boost. missteps, have gone out and you’re going to build the Despite looking at the Sonos Roam portable
mitigate the fallout from the Sonos said it’s spending apologized to fix things and brand on word of mouth,” possibility of bringing back speaker in the sea while on
app debacle and salvage its $20 million to $30 million to won back the trust of their MacFarlane said. the previous version of the vacation.
reputation as a powerhouse fix the app and provide more customers,” said Eddie Laz- The challenge of striking Sonos app, Lazarus said the “I would never have done
in the audio industry offer- customer support — an arus, Sonos’ chief strategy a balance between moving company ruled it out be- it, really, but that’s how an-
ing an array of portable, emergency investment it officer. “We’re going to be the fast and having a good prod- cause there were a lot of gry it makes you,” he said.
high-quality wireless speak- hopes will win back the trust next one in that line.” uct is still one that Sonos “technical concerns.” While “It’s those moments where
ers. The hit to Sonos’ brand of customers and steady its Sonos was founded in and other tech companies the company has said it’s re- you just want to take a
has swung the door open for financial footing. In the last 2002 by entrepreneurs who have grappled with through- introduced many of the fea- speaker outside, eat some
rivals such as Amazon, Bose, six months, the company’s set out to build something out their history. Apple tures from the old version of dinner and listen to some
Apple and other tech giants stock, which ended trading that is commonplace today faced backlash from its cus- the app that were missing in music.”

Fewer viewers tune in for Vance-Walz debate Shortage is over for

The surprisingly civil
Lilly weight-loss drugs
showdown fell short
of the number who
— a blow to copycats
watched Harris-Pence based Lilly’s shares were lit-
By Ike Swetlitz
faceoff four years ago. and Madison Muller
tle changed in premarket
trading, while rival Novo
Nordisk, the maker of the
By Stephen Battaglio Eli Lilly & Co.’s block- anti-obesity drug Wegovy,
buster weight-loss and dia- rose 0.9% in Denmark.
The lone 2024 vice presi- betes drugs are no longer Lilly has been investing
dential debate between Sen. considered to be in shortage heavily in manufacturing to
JD Vance (R-Ohio) and in the U.S., threatening to boost supply of the popular
Democratic Minnesota Gov. upend the many knockoffs shots and aggressively tried
Tim Walz scored an average that became popular when to limit compounded ver-
of 43.1 million TV viewers patients couldn’t find the sions of the drugs, raising
Tuesday, a steep decline brand-name medicines. concerns about the quality
from the comparable The Food and Drug Ad- of the knockoffs and saying
matchup that took place ministration said Wednes- some were contaminated
four years ago. Matt Rourke Associated Press day that the shortage of with bacteria or impurities.
CBS News staged the de- THE DEBATE between JD Vance and Tim Walz on Tuesday drew 43.1 million TV Lilly’s Zepbound and Moun- Compounders have said
bate between the running viewers, compared with 57.9 million for the 2020 vice presidential matchup. jaro is resolved. The agency they follow regulations and
mates of former President added that there are “legal make high-quality drugs.
Trump and Vice President a vice presidential debate The most unusual mo- tunity to correct each other. restrictions on making cop- The drugmaker said
Kamala Harris, which was was 70 million in 2008 when ment of the debate occurred However, the network news ies of FDA-approved drugs” Wednesday that while all
moderated by “CBS Evening Biden, then Barack Oba- when the moderators felt it division said the moderators when there isn’t a shortage. doses of Zepbound and
News” anchor Norah O’Don- ma’s running mate, faced off was necessary to point out could clarify any remarks by The FDA first put the Mounjaro are available, the
nell and “Face the Nation” against Sarah Palin, who ran how the Haitian immigrants the candidates. shortage classification in supply chain for refrigerated
host Margaret Brennan. The on the Republican ticket in Springfield, Ohio, were in Vance offered an expla- place at the end of 2022. That medicines is complex and
telecast was shared with with John McCain. the U.S. legally. nation of the Temporary designation allowed com- patients’ ability to find par-
other broadcast networks After the cacophony of Vance had spread false Protected Status program pounding pharmacies to sell ticular doses in pharmacies
and cable news channels. the Trump years, the civility stories on the campaign trail that brought the Haitians to knockoff versions of the may still vary.
The total for the 15 net- of the 2024 vice presidential and social media that Hai- the U.S., while Walz talked brand-name medicines — “We know many people
works measured by Nielsen debate evoked an earlier era tian immigrants were dining over him, leading the mod- Mounjaro for diabetes and rely on our medicines, so we
was down 25% from the of political discourse. The on the pets of Springfield, erators to cut off their micro- Zepbound for obesity — invested significantly to ex-
57.9 million viewers who two candidates acknowl- Ohio, residents. During the phones. The campaigns without completing the pand manufacturing and
watched Trump’s vice presi- edged when they agreed on discussion on immigration, were told ahead of time that same arduous testing proc- bring new options to the
dent, Mike Pence, face off aspects of policy and showed Vance repeatedly referred to CBS News had that option. ess. These copycats have market,” Patrik Jonsson,
against former Vice Presi- warmth to each other after- the migrants as illegals. CBS had the largest audi- been widely available from president of Lilly Car-
dent Joe Biden’s running ward on the stage. When the moderators ence of any network, with medical spas and telehealth diometabolic Health and
mate, Harris, in 2020. Brennan and O’Donnell clarified the point, Vance 9.1 million viewers, according companies, often at a much Lilly USA, said in an emailed
The event from the CBS focused on issues and policy, said, “The rules were that to preliminary Nielsen data. lower cost. statement.
Broadcast Center in Man- generating substantive an- you guys weren’t going to Fox News was second with Shares of Hims & Hers Experts estimate that
hattan was ranked ninth out swers from both candidates fact-check.” 7.7 million, followed by ABC Health Inc., a telehealth hundreds of thousands of
of the 12 vice presidential de- with little trace of the insults CBS News stated at the (6.1 million), NBC (5.4 mil- company that sells copycat Americans have used copy-
bates since 1976. The average or overheated hyperbole outset that the moderators lion), MSNBC (4.6 million), weight-loss drugs, fell as cat versions of Lilly’s medi-
audience for the previous 11 that has been frequent in would not fact-check the CNN (3.2 million) and the much as 9.8% before mar- cines or similar shots from
was 46.7 million. presidential debates involv- candidates in real time but Fox broadcast network kets opened Thursday in Novo, which have also been
The largest audience for ing Trump. would give them the oppor- (2.4 million). New York. Indianapolis- in short supply. Overall,
makers of such com-
pounded drugs are bringing
in as much as $1 billion a
year, according to invest-
‘Rust’ to premiere at Poland film festival; tribute to Hutchins planned ment bankers who work
with the industry.
Compounding also at-
announced Thursday that missed amid a dispute over Souza, as well as one of production on “Rust.” tracted telehealth compa-
A panel discussion “Rust” will be screened at the special prosecutor’s Hutchins’ mentors, Stephen “We knew that our event nies that marketed services
the event, followed by a handling of evidence. The Lighthill, and the cinemato- was important to her, and to connect patients with
will explore the slain panel discussion honoring actor had pleaded not guilty. grapher who finished the that she felt at home among healthcare providers who
cinematographer’s Hutchins. EnergaCamerim- This week, a New Mexico film, Bianca Cline. cinematographers from all can prescribe the drugs.
age will take place Nov. 16 to judge denied a request to re- The panelists are ex- over the world, who have The end of the shortage is
artistic vision as well 23 in Torun. lease Hannah Gutierrez pected to discuss how the been gathering at Camerim- likely to limit future com-
as safety on set. Hutchins was working on from prison after the “Rust” filmmakers completed the age for over 30 years,” festi- pounding, but some may be
the New Mexico set of “Rust” armorer was found guilty of picture while maintaining val director Marek Zydowicz allowed to continue under
in October 2021 when a bul- involuntary manslaughter Hutchins’ artistic vision. said in a statement. other U.S. policies.
By Christi Carras let from star and producer and sentenced to 18 months Other topics will include the “During the [2021] festi- The FDA’s announce-
Alec Baldwin’s prop gun in prison. Gutierrez has role of women in cinemato- val, we honored Halyna’s ment doesn’t mean that the
Three years after cine- killed the 42-year-old maintained that she loaded graphy and the importance memory with a moment of drug will always be available
matographer Halyna Ukrainian cinematographer Baldwin’s gun with what she of safety on set. silence and a panel of cine- everywhere.
Hutchins was fatally shot on and wounded director Joel believed were inert According to the festi- matographers discussed “Patients and prescrib-
the set of “Rust,” the movie is Souza. “dummy” rounds, unaware val’s announcement, Hutch- safety on set. Now, once ers may still see intermittent
set to make its world pre- Baldwin recently stood that a live bullet was in the ins suggested bringing the again, together with cine- localized supply disrup-
miere in Europe. trial in New Mexico for invol- chamber. film to EnergaCamerimage matographers and film en- tions,” the agency said.
The organizers of Po- untary manslaughter in con- After the “Rust” screen- — a festival celebrating the thusiasts, we will have this
land’s EnergaCamerimage nection with Hutchins’ ing, EnergaCamerimage will art of cinematography — special opportunity to re- Swetlitz and Muller write for
international film festival death, but the case was dis- host a panel featuring during the early stages of member her.” Bloomberg.
L AT I M E S . C O M F R I DAY , O C T O B E R 4 , 2 0 2 4 A7

This free-flowing river could let salmon thrive

[Salmon, from A1] data that can support ef-
to swim upstream and forts to rebuild salmon
spawn along more than 400 populations.
miles of the Klamath and its The creek provides a rare
tributaries, reaching cold cold-water refuge for salm-
spring-fed waters that have on, which is especially im-
been inaccessible for more portant as climate change
than a century. brings warmer water tem-
Spring-run Chinook were peratures, Soto said, and
once abundant along the other creeks will now be-
river. They return from the come similar refuges.
ocean in the spring, and un- The dismantling of four
like other types of salmon, dams, which began in June
they arrive holding large 2023 and has involved hun-
quantities of fat, which en- dreds of workers, is the larg-
ables them to spend months est dam removal effort in
maturing in freshwater and U.S. history. In August,
to venture farther upstream workers carved channels in
into the riffles and rapids of the remnants of two dams,
mountain streams. They allowing water to flow freely
spawn in late September along more than 40 miles of
and early October. the Klamath for the first
Their high fat content time in more than a century.
made the fish a delicious and The nonprofit Klamath
valuable food source for the River Renewal Corp. an-
Native people who caught nounced Wednesday that
them. But they were largely dam removal work is now
wiped out when dams were finished. But other efforts to
erected. restore the watershed to a
Scientists expect that more natural state will con-
the diminished population tinue for several years.
of spring-run Chinook will Crews have been scattering
make their recovery more Gina Ferazzi Los Angeles Times millions of seeds of native
difficult and time-consum- SPRING-RUN CHINOOK have returned to the Salmon River following the removal of four dams. Salmon plants to restore vegetation
ing than for other types of populations have declined due to drought, water diversion and climate change, making recovery challenging. on 2,200 acres of reservoir
salmon, and that restoring bottomlands that were
them to their historical habi- as summer steelhead. merous variety. But because populations in the Klamath small number of spring-run underwater for generations.
tats in the upper Klamath From 1990 until 2016, the of low population numbers, calls for monitoring fall-run salmon may make it far up- “Having that free-flowing
River will likely require hu- surveys found an average of the state has banned com- Chinook and coho salmon, stream, there wouldn’t be river, and all of the restora-
man intervention. more than 700 salmon annu- mercial and recreational as well as steelhead and lam- enough to jump-start the tion that’s going to come
For now, there are two ally, with some years bring- salmon fishing for the last preys, as fish gradually move population. along with that, is just going
areas where spring-run Chi- ing more than twice that . two years. Members of the into areas upriver over three Soto is optimistic about to be hugely beneficial to
nook return annually in the But in the last decade, the Karuk and Yurok tribes have or four generations during restoration plans, which the salmon in California,”
Klamath’s lower tributaries: numbers have fallen. This continued small-scale sub- the next 12 to 15 years. tribes have helped to devel- Greenberg said.
one in the Trinity River, year, the survey found just sistence fishing. Charlton Bonham, the op along with state and fed- Salmon are central to the
where some spawning oc- 115 salmon. State wildlife officials say department’s director, said eral agencies. cultures and fishing tradi-
curs in a hatchery, and in the California declared the the removal of dams on the the idea is that “if we can “It’s going to take time. tions of Native tribes along
undammed Salmon River Klamath population of Klamath, along with other mostly stay out of the way, It’s going to take multiple the river.
and the creeks that feed it. spring-run Chinook threat- efforts, should give a signifi- these fish populations will generations,” he said. Cooking and eating salm-
One morning in mid-Au- ened in 2022. cant boost to salmon in the heal themselves, sustain Soto watched as a group on is a vital part of their cere-
gust, Soto stood on a road- “Dam removal is prob- coming years. themselves.” of men wearing wetsuits, monies. And Indigenous
side scanning the gently ably the No. 1 most impor- Indigenous leaders and The plan calls for initially masks and snorkels swam in leaders say they hope the
flowing Salmon River. tant thing that could hap- activists have celebrated the supplementing populations Wooley Creek, a tributary of eventual recovery of salmon
“There he is. See him?” pen to help spring Chinook,” demolition of dams as a ma- of fall-run Chinook and coho the Salmon River, searching will help people strengthen
Soto said. “It’s a springer, for she said. “So I’m just really, jor victory that came in re- salmon by raising them at in the clear water for juvenile their ancestral connection
sure.” really hoping that it’s not too sponse to years of protests. the newly built Fall Creek Chinook and coho salmon. to the river.
He pointed to a dark little, too late, and it defi- The utility PacifiCorp Fish Hatchery. Using a seine, the Karuk “All these years we’ve
shape in the water that was nitely offers up a lot of hope agreed to take down the ag- The state’s plan cautions, Tribe fisheries team formed been trying to maintain our
drifting at a spot where the and a lot of possibility.” ing dams — which were used however, that spring-run a circle and pulled up their culture, religion and all
rocky bottom descended In recent years, salmon for power generation, not Chinook may not repopulate catch. At first, they found these things, and trying to
into a deep pool. have suffered declines in riv- water storage — after deter- their historical habitats on only steelhead trout. But af- restore what has been lost,”
Also standing by the river ers throughout Northern mining it would be less ex- their own because those ter a few tries, the net came said Leaf Hillman, an elder
was Karuna Greenberg, res- California as they have faced pensive than bringing them areas lie more than 100 miles up filled with small wriggling and ceremonial leader of the
toration director of the non- successive droughts intensi- up to current environmental upriver from waters where salmon. Karuk Tribe. “The only ma-
profit Salmon River Resto- fied by climate change, along standards. The $500-million they survive. Scientists with Emptying the fish into a jor ceremony that we haven’t
ration Council. with other pressures, such project’s budget includes Oregon’s Department of bucket, the team went to restored is the spring salm-
Each summer in July, as the large amounts of wa- funds from California and Fish and Wildlife and the work. They inserted track- on ceremony.”
Greenberg helps organize an ter diverted to supply farms from surcharges paid by Klamath Tribes have devel- ing tags in the small coho The potential return of
annual snorkel survey in and cities. PacifiCorp customers. oped a plan to release hatch- salmon, and clipped tiny those special fish, he said, is
which dozens of volunteers Most years, fishing crews The California Depart- ery-raised spring-run Chi- pieces from Chinook salmon bringing hope that one day
swim along the river and fan out in boats along the ment of Fish and Wildlife’s nook in Oregon. fins, placing them in envel- the Karuk people might be
count the number of spring- California coast to catch fall- plan for reestablishing wild, Soto said this approach opes for genetic testing. able to consider holding that
run Chinook salmon, as well run Chinook, the most nu- self-sustaining salmon is necessary because, while a The tests will provide ceremony once again.

Likely voters favor harsher penalties for repeat offenders, poll finds
[Propositions, from A1] millions of dollars annually. the past that led to state voters opposed the ballot crimes such as shoplifting able, and highly incentivizes
the Berkeley IGS Poll, a non- The measure is strongly prisons being so over- measure, which opponents with a less punitive ap- drug treatment for people
partisan survey of California backed by a group of Califor- crowded that the federal say will unfairly target peo- proach than the prosecutor- with addictions” and that
public opinion. “The rea- nia prosecutors and large re- courts ruled the state was ple of color, while majorities driven Proposition 36. That the poll is “consistent with
sons, I think, are interest- tailers, including Walmart, violating the constitutional of white, Latino and Asian measure was abruptly with- what we hear every day from
ing.” and aims to overhaul parts rights of inmates. DiCamillo American/Pacific Islander drawn by the governor in Californians from every
The Berkeley poll also of Proposition 47, a measure said the leaders’ warnings voters supported it, the poll early July. community in the state.”
found support slipping for approved by voters in 2014 haven’t swayed voters thus found. Newsom has also publicly Anthony York, a former
an initiative to increase Cali- that reduced certain drug far. Forty-two percent of challenged the costs the spokesperson for Newsom
fornia’s minimum wage that, and property crime penal- “There are things voters likely voters don’t believe measure would impose, call- who now serves as a spokes-
along with Proposition 36, is ties. have on their minds that ap- Proposition 36 will reduce ing it an “unfunded” man- person for the No on Pro-
among the 10 statewide mea- Before Proposition 47 parently the politicians have homelessness and the num- date. position 36 campaign, said
sures on California’s Novem- passed, some thefts could be underestimated,” DiCamillo ber of people addicted to The governor last month the opposing side has done
ber ballot. considered felonies if the said. drugs, while 39% believe it also criticized the drug an “effective job of mislead-
Support also remained merchandise stolen was val- Sixty percent of likely will be effective in doing so. treatment component of the ing voters.”
tepid for the ballot measure ued at $450 or more, but Pro- voters supported Pro- Among the likely voters measure, saying it “guaran- “The survey shows voters
that would expand local gov- position 47 raised the position 36, a slight increase who opposed Proposition tees” mental health treat- support treatment,” York
ernments’ authority to en- threshold to $950. Law en- from the Berkeley poll’s find- 36, 86% said they believe it’s ment but it remains unclear said, arguing that Pro-
act rent control. forcement organizations ings in August, while 21% op- more important for Califor- how enforcement would position 36 would cut fund-
The Homelessness, Drug and others have criticized posed the measure and 19% nia to expand rehabilitation work when residential treat- ing for treatment and in-
Addiction and Theft Reduc- those changes, saying the re- were undecided. and treatment for first-time ment facilities in 22 of the crease prison spending. “It’s
tion Act, known as Pro- duced punishment has led A majority of Republi- offenders or explore other al- state’s 58 counties “don’t our job in the coming weeks
position 36, would impose to an increase in thefts and cans and independents ternatives as the best way to exist.” to tell them what’s really be-
stricter sentences for repeti- other lawlessness across strongly backed the mea- improve the criminal justice Greg Totten, co-chair of hind Prop. 36.”
tive theft and offenses in- California. sure, as did a plurality of system. Among the mea- the Yes on Proposition 36 The poll also gauged how
volving the deadly drug fen- Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democrats. Both men and sure’s supporters, 31% hold campaign, said that voters voters feel about other ini-
tanyl. California’s Democratic leg- women supported Pro- that view. want a “balanced approach tiatives dealing with Califor-
The nonpartisan legisla- islative leadership oppose position 36, as did all age Newsom and Democrats to improving safety in their nia’s minimum wage and ex-
tive analyst’s office proj- Proposition 36, fearing it groups, though voters under attempted to craft a rival neighborhoods that holds panding rent control.
ected the initiative could would return the state to 30 years old expressed the ballot measure this summer repeat theft offenders and A significant change
cost the state hundreds of tough-on-crime policies of least support. Likely Black that would have addressed fentanyl traffickers account- compared with the early Au-
gust poll reveals that sup-
port for Proposition 32, a
measure to increase the
MARKET ROUNDUP state minimum wage,
Major stock indexes dipped below 50%. Two
Oil prices climb again on worries about Index
Dow industrials
Close
42,011.59
Daily
change
-184.93
Daily % YTD %
change change
-0.44 +11.47
months ago, 52% of voters
said they would vote to raise
the minimum wage, but as of
the Middle East as U.S. stocks pull back S&P 500
Nasdaq composite
5,699.94
17,918.47
-9.60
-6.65
-0.17
-0.04
+19.50
+19.37
late September, only 46%
were in favor of doing so.
S&P 400 3,088.21 -8.97 -0.29 +11.03 Proposition 32 is most
week below $72. It’s poten- One showed growth for real popular in urban regions, in-
associated press Russell 2000 2,180.15 -14.86 -0.68 +7.55
tially on track for its biggest estate, healthcare and other cluding 56% of likely voters
weekly percentage gain in U.S. services businesses ac- EuroStoxx 50 4,921.33 -41.96 -0.85 +8.84 in the San Francisco Bay
NEW YORK — Crude nearly two years. celerated to its strongest Nikkei (Japan) 38,552.06 +743.30 +1.97 +15.20 Area and 50% in Los Angeles
prices jumped Thursday on Oil prices rose after Pres- pace since February 2023 Hang Seng (Hong Kong) 22,113.51 -330.22 -1.47 +29.72 County who said they will
worries that worsening ten- ident Biden suggested and topped economists’ ex- Associated Press vote in favor.
sions in the Middle East Thursday that U.S. and Isra- pectations, though employ- “There’s resistance
could disrupt the global flow eli officials were discussing a ment trends may be slowing. help, as U.S. hiring has been tions for what the Fed will do across other parts of the
of oil, while U.S. stocks possible strike by Israel A separate report sug- slowing. The U.S. govern- with overnight rates, rose to state on minimum wage,”
pulled back further from against Iranian oil facilities. gested that the number of ment will release the latest 3.70% from 3.64%. DiCamillo said, noting op-
their records. “We’re in discussion of layoffs across the United monthly update on the jobs In stock markets abroad, position in the Inland Em-
The Standard & Poor’s that,” Biden said to report- States remains relatively market Friday, and econo- Japan’s Nikkei 225 jumped pire, Central Valley and Cen-
500 fell 9.60 points, or 0.2%, to ers. He added, “I think that low. Slightly more workers mists expect it to show hir- 2% as its sharp swings con- tral Coast.
5,699.94 amid a shaky week would be a little — anyway,” filed for unemployment ben- ing slowed slightly from Au- tinued amid speculation Support has also become
that’s knocked the index off without finishing the efits last week, but the num- gust’s pace. about when the country’s lukewarm on Proposition 33,
its all-time high set Monday. thought. Biden also said he ber remains low compared On Wall Street, Levi central bank may hike inter- which would expand the au-
The Dow Jones industrial doesn’t expect Israel to re- with history. Strauss dropped 7.7% de- est rates next. thority of local governments
average dropped 184.93 taliate immediately. Outside of this week’s spite reporting better profit Hong Kong’s Hang Seng to enact rent control. In
points, or 0.4%, to 42,011.59, Iran is a major producer Mideast worries, the domi- for the latest quarter than has also been swerving, and early August, 40% of voters
and the Nasdaq composite of oil, and a worry is that a nant question hanging over analysts expected. it gave back 1.5%. Stocks in had said they would vote in
slipped 6.65 points, or less broadening of the fighting Wall Street has been Nvidia helped cushion China have largely been favor, but in late September,
than 0.1%, to 17,918.48. could not only choke off whether the job market will the losses, and the 3.3% gain surging on hopes for a flurry that number went down to
Stocks sank as oil prices Iran’s flows to China but also continue to hold up after the for the chip company was of recent announcements 37%.
kept rising amid the world’s affect neighboring countries Federal Reserve earlier kept the strongest force pushing from Beijing to prop up the The Berkeley poll was
wait to see how Israel will re- that are integral to the flow interest rates at a two-dec- up on the S&P 500. world’s second-largest econ- conducted online in English
spond to Iran’s missile at- of crude. ade high. The Fed wanted to The yield on the 10-year omy. With Shanghai and and Spanish from Sept. 25 to
tack Tuesday. A barrel of In the bond market, press the brake hard enough Treasury rose to 3.85% from other markets in China Oct. 1 among 3,045 Califor-
Brent crude, the interna- Treasury yields rose after re- on the economy to stamp 3.78% late Wednesday. The closed for a weeklong holi- nians considered likely to
tional standard, leaped 5% ports suggested that the out high inflation. two-year yield, which moves day, trading has crowded vote in the November elec-
to $77.62 after starting the U.S. economy remains solid. The job market could use more closely with expecta- into Hong Kong. tion.
A8 F R I DAY , O C T O B E R 4 , 2 0 2 4 L AT I M E S . C O M / O P I N I O N

OPINION

EDITORIAL
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ELECTION 2024

These measures will fight political corruption in Los Angeles

wo years after Los Some reform is better than no District 5, for example, now rep-

T Angeles City Hall was

rocked by scandal, vot-
ers on Nov. 5 have the
chance to enact impor-
tant reforms to curb elected offi-
cials’ political power and increase
independent ethics oversight.
reform. Voters should support the
following charter amendments,
knowing this is the beginning, not
the end, of fixing City Hall.

Charter Amendment
DD: Yes
resented by Jackie Goldberg, takes
a weird C-shape that wraps around
District 2 and stretches from
southeast cities, such as Maywood
and Huntington Park, to Los Ange-
les neighborhoods of Koreatown
and Eagle Rock that have
Good government advocates Every 10 years state and local markedly different demographics
have been pushing these reforms governments have to redraw politi- and interests.
for years but they were largely ig- cal district lines based on updated Charter Amendment LL would
nored by the city’s elected leaders, census population and demo- create a 14-member independent
who didn’t want to give up power or graphic information. Los Angeles’ redistricting commission to draw
face greater scrutiny. redistricting process is one of the the lines for LAUSD Board of Edu-
That changed after the release worst. Though it purports to be in- cation districts. The commission-
of the leaked recording of three dependent, commissioners are ap- ers would be appointed with no in-
City Council members and a labor pointed by the same elected offi- volvement from politicians, with
official exchanging racist com- cials who benefit from the new rules to prevent any conflicts of in-
ments about their colleagues, lines. There’s nothing independent terest involving the school district.
while plotting to carve up the city about it. Four members would have to be
into districts that protect their Charter Amendment DD would parents or guardians of L.A. Uni-
own interests. Much of L.A. was create a truly independent redis- fied students; undocumented im- Wally Skalij Los Angeles Times
united in outrage, and that opened tricting commission so that never migrants would be allowed to serve L.A. CITY HALL scandals led to these government reforms.
a door through which reform could again can the city’s politicians as well.
finally be pushed. draw their own lines and, in effect, LAUSD students and their fam- they regulate — for their funding. troller access to contractors’ and
For more than a year the coun- choose their own voters to boost ilies deserve a school board that And it would require the City subcontractor’s records for audits
cil’s Ad Hoc Committee on City their reelection chances. better represents them. Council to consider all commission of how city funds are spent.
Governance Reform, led by then- The new 16-member redistrict- recommendations within 180 days, HH would also require that the
Council President Paul Krekorian ing commission would be similar to Charter Amendment making it harder for elected offi- five-member Harbor Commission
and Councilmember Nithya Ra- those for the state and L.A. County. ER: Yes cials to kill ethics reforms they include one member who lives in
man, consulted with academics, DD directs that the commission be Los Angeles has a corruption don’t like. San Pedro and one who lives in
community groups and racial jus- impartial, with members selected problem. In the last few years, two ER would also triple penalties, Wilmington to ensure communi-
tice advocates. The goal was to though a nonpolitical process to former City Council members have which haven’t been updated in dec- ties near the Port of Los Angeles
come up with a package of changes reflect the race, gender, age and in- gone to prison for corruption, one ades, to $15,000 per violation. And it have a say in its operations.
to the city’s charter to increase come diversity of the city. DD more has been sentenced for fraud would prohibit elected officials
transparency, discourage corrup- would prohibit political candi- and bribery and two current mem- from appointing relatives, cam- Charter Amendment
tion and make elected officials dates, political staff, lobbyists and bers face accusations of ethics vio- paign consultants or major cam- II: Yes
more representative and respon- others with conflicts of interest lations. At least four high-ranking paign donors to the commission. The Ad Hoc Committee on City
sive to constituents. The City from serving on the commission. city officials have pleaded guilty to The City Council chose to not Governance Reform asked city de-
Charter is like L.A.’s Constitution. This is a long overdue reform or been found guilty of various cor- put other smart ethics reforms on partment managers if there were
It lays out the structure, responsi- that will help restore public confi- ruption charges. the ballot, which was disappoint- any charter updates needed to im-
bilities and powers of city govern- dence in City Hall and encourage The Ethics Commission is the ing. ER is a good start. Voters prove operations. They sent back a
ment, and any changes, even clari- more people to participate, which watchdog over the city’s elected of- should support it and demand slew of recommendations, and
fications, must be approved by the is vital for a healthy democracy. ficials, candidates for office, politi- more policies to strengthen the some of the more simple ones are
voters. cal appointees and lobbyists. But Ethics Commission. included in Charter Amendment
A few of those changes are on Charter Amendment the commission doesn’t have the II.
the Nov. 5 ballot, along with one LL: Yes independence or authority to be as Charter Amendment The changes include clarifying
that establishes independent re- The Los Angeles Unified School powerful as Angelenos expect or HH: Yes that departments can sell food and
districting for L.A. Unified. Other District’s redistricting process is need. Charter Amendment HH is a merchandise to raise money for op-
worthwhile reforms proved too beset by the same problems as the Charter Amendment ER would hodgepodge of tweaks and erations, allowing electronic signa-
controversial for the current lead- city of L.A.’s. There have been ru- strengthen the commission with changes to the City Charter, most tures on certain government docu-
ers, such as expanding the City mors through the years of board several changes. It would guaran- of minor importance. Some are ments and allowing joint-use
Council, and were punted to a members attempting to quietly tee a minimum annual budget so noteworthy, including giving the agreements between LAUSD and
newly appointed Charter Reform shape the districts they represent, commission staffers aren’t de- city attorney the power to sub- the Department of Recreation and
Commission, which will make rec- as well as questionable gerryman- pendent on the goodwill of the City poena witnesses and evidence in Parks to make more recreational
ommendations for future ballots. dering. Council and mayor — the people civil cases and giving the city con- space available for the public.

LETTERS
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

entity is a good thing, but that are not equipped to If the Supreme Court
Reagan’s rhetoric added handle these issues are continues to ignore the
fuel to underlying beliefs today’s psychiatric hospi- evidence regarding Trump’s
that have always been pre- tals. treachery, what is to stop
sent in the American psy- Aviva Monosson any future president from
che. Los Angeles sending a group of thugs to
Carried to extremes, hang the justices? Would
they become fantasy-based :: this also constitute an offi-
paranoia that plays out, for cial act?
example, as believing that Let’s not forget that as Dennis Clausen
any law or regulation that governor, Reagan forced the Escondido
limits ownership of assault University of California
rifles translates to “the system to start charging ::
government wants to take tuition. He did this after
my guns,” or election work- large protests at UC Berke- In light of Smith’s new
ers receiving threats for ley, when that school and filing, the country owes a
simply doing their jobs. other UC campuses were great debt of gratitude to
There are countries in tuition-free. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Bur-
the world where the govern- He also oversaw the bank), who originally and
ment actually works, in closure of many state psy- consistently opposed
large part because the peo- chiatric institutions. Trump’s tyrannical ambi-
ple who carry out its work Reagan was not so great in tion.
are not despised. my book. Without his sometimes
Bob Fey Nina Trotta-Sutton singular patriotic voice, the
Robert Gauthier Los Angeles Times Orange Simi Valley coup may have succeeded.
AN ABANDONED Hollywood Hills mansion owned by TV and film executive John Gallogly
John Powers Middleton has seen repeated trespassing and vandalism. :: Los Angeles
These aren’t
Canvases for a housing crisis I was never a fan of
Reagan. Very often I disa-
greed with his actions and
‘official acts’ We need more
Re “Vandals scar Bel-Air mansion,” Oct. 1, and “A billionaire’s son and his graffiti-scarred
his reasoning behind them.
However, I do not doubt
Re “Prosecutors describe
Trump acts as unofficial,”
Jimmy Carters
mansions,” Sept. 28 that he sincerely held our Oct. 3 Re “Georgia celebrates
country’s best interests at former President Carter on
our article on vandalized mansions in the Hollywood Hills illustrates one aspect heart when carrying out his Justice Department his 100th birthday,” Oct. 2

Y of how wealth inequality exacerbates our complex housing shortage.

The owner of these two single-family residences does not live in either, and both
have apparently been vacant for years. While this situation is newsworthy for the neglect of
decisions. It is sad to think
that we cannot currently
presume that to be true
about many of our current
special counsel Jack Smith’s
filing, which addresses the
U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling
that former President
Happy 100th birthday,
former President Jimmy
Carter!
the homes by their owner and the unfortunate publicization of these homes as targets for leaders and candidates. Trump is immune from Thank you for dedicating
various miscreants, it is not that unusual for superwealthy individuals to own multiple Chris Blankenhorn prosecution for official acts, your whole adult life to the
homes, some of which they rarely, if ever, use. Valencia exposes new and deeply service of our country. Most
Yes, it’s a free country and all that. But I can’t help feeling a twinge of guilt by genera- disturbing details of the of all, thank you for remind-
tional association when I see how society’s ability to share, empathize and moderate our :: Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. ing us that a practicing
behavior has devolved on my cohort’s watch. It reveals overwhelming Christian is one who loves
Susan Wolfson, Glendale I am surprised that Max evidence that Trump him- God, feeds the hungry,
Boot failed to include a self was the architect of the shelters the homeless, heals
significant reason Reagan is attempt to undermine our the sick, welcomes the
not held in great esteem by election and overthrow the stranger, visits the impris-
I was struck by two re- wide world beyond) are fornia or president. But I do many in California and will of the people. It also oned and loves his neighbor,
cent stories in The Times of without homes. think he did lasting damage elsewhere. proves unequivocally that even the “least” among us.
vandalized mansions in Tanya Goodman to our country by support- Shortly after his inaugu- Trump was responsible for Please pray that the
wealthy areas, and by the Los Angeles ing and promoting extreme ration in 1981, he dismantled the deaths and injuries that United States is blessed
way Bel-Air resident Fred anti-government sentiment. the Mental Health Systems were the result of the riot. with more leaders like you.
Rosen, one-time chief exe- He famously said, “Gov- Act that was signed into law This includes the threat Linda Mele Johnson
cutive of Ticketmaster,
placed blame on “woke” Los
‘Government ernment is not the solution
to our problem; government
by President Jimmy Carter.
This shortsighted decision
to his own vice president,
Mike Pence, who Trump
Long Beach

Angeles leaders for lapses in

security.
is the problem’ is the problem,” and, “I’ve in effect ended local mental deliberately exposed to
always felt the nine most health treatment programs extreme danger. As Smith’s
I would place more scru- Re “The left’s misguided terrifying words in the Eng- throughout the country, filing reveals, Trump’s reac- HOW TO WRITE TO US
tiny on the seemingly non- loathing of Gov. Ronald lish language are: I’m from and it has a direct link to the tion to being told that Pence Please send letters to
chalant ability of the mon- Reagan,” Opinion, Sept. 27 the government, and I’m current mental health crisis was in peril was, “So what?” [email protected]. For
eyed few to let valuable real here to help.” and homelessness in our In other words, the for- submission guidelines, see
estate sit empty while so I didn’t loathe Ronald Healthy distrust and major cities. mer president engineered a latimes.com/letters or call
many in our city (and the Reagan as governor of Cali- skepticism of any powerful Sadly, jails and prisons potential assassination. 1-800-LA TIMES, ext. 74511.

Executive Chairman Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong

News: Executive Editor Terry Tang • Managing Editor Hector Becerra • Editor at Large Scott Kraft • Deputy Managing Editors Shelby Grad, Amy King, Maria L. La Ganga • Assistant
Managing Editors John Canalis, Steve Clow, Angel Jennings, Iliana Limón Romero, Craig Nakano, Ruthanne Salido • General Manager, Food Laurie Ochoa • Opinion: Editorials Editor Mariel
FOUNDED DECEMBER 4, 1881 Garza • Op-Ed Editor Susan Brenneman • Business: President and Chief Operating Officer Chris Argentieri • Chief Human Resources Officer Nancy V. Antoniou • President of L.A. Times
A Publication Studios Anna Magzanyan • Chief Information Officer Ghalib Kassam • General Counsel Jeff Glasser • V.P., Communications Hillary Manning
L AT I M E S . C O M / O P I N I O N F R I DAY , O C T O B E R 4 , 2 0 2 4 A9

OP-ED

Women make
better doctors.
Why are they
still a minority?
By David Weill

“W
hen will I see the doctor?”
Most female doctors have
been asked this question
many times. It feels like a
slight — a failure to recognize
the struggle it took to get to where they are, a fight
that is far from over once a woman has her medical
degree.
Women now make up more than half of medical
students but only about 37% of practicing doctors.
That is partly because the makeup of the medical
workforce lags that of the student body. But it’s also
because persistent sexism drives higher attrition
Abdel Kareem Hana Associated Press among women in medicine.
THE AFTERMATH of an Israeli airstrike on a crowded tent camp in the Gaza Strip last month. Even in households headed by a mother and fa-
ther who both work, the woman is frequently ex-
pected to be the primary caretaker. As a result, fe-

Why Biden can’t stop the fighting

male physicians often feel forced to work part time,
choose lower-paying specialties such as pediatrics
or leave the profession altogether.
That’s unfortunate not just for doctors but also
for patients. On the whole, female doctors are more
empathetic, detail-oriented and likely to follow
may want wars to be short and relatively tation and suffering in Gaza, Sinwar on through than their male counterparts. In other
The last year has shown that restrained, they rarely are. The unfortu- some level still believes that he is winning. words, they are better doctors.
nate battlefield reality is that any war Even if America had successfully se- Admittedly, that is a generalization, but it’s one
the United States has less power against a group such as Hamas — with its cured a bilateral cease-fire, it would be un- worth making. I experienced it firsthand working
to stop Israel’s war in the Gaza estimated 30,000 fighters and hundreds of likely to produce a lasting peace. Indeed, with female colleagues, and I’m informed by that ex-
miles of tunnels embedded in one of the all the structural and political reasons perience in addressing my own medical needs. I pre-
Strip than many claim. most densely populated places on Earth that have prevented peace for decades re- fer to see female doctors.
— was going to be a long, bloody slog. main. It wasn’t always that way. But after seeing a series
There is very little that anyone — even an Because Israel would have to free hun- of male doctors who were not listening to me, in a
By Raphael S. Cohen American president — can do to change dreds of militants serving life sentences hurry to get out of the exam room or appearing only
that. for murder in exchange for the release of mildly interested in figuring out the cause of my

A
s the world prepares to Biden’s critics counter that the admin- remaining hostages, Hamas’ ranks would problem, I made the switch — and I’m not going
mark the first anniversary of istration could put more pressure on Ne- swell during a cease-fire. Eventually the back.
Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack tanyahu to force a cease-fire. They note battered organization would rebuild and While I found that male doctors typically decided
and the ensuing war is set to that Israel receives billions of dollars’ strike again. Moreover, regional spoilers what my diagnosis was and how to treat it before en-
drag into a second year with worth of American military aid and de- — most notably Iran — view a continuing tering the exam room, female doctors tended to be
intense fighting on another front, many pends on American diplomatic cover. proxy conflict with Israel as being in their open-minded about what my medical issues were
Americans are wondering why President They say that provides sufficient leverage strategic interest. and — gasp! — listen to my answers to their ques-
Biden has been unable to end the conflict. to force Netanyahu’s hand. But does it? A year in, the Biden administration’s tions.
Contrary to plenty of commentary, it In practice, the United States often diplomatic offensive has yielded some But don’t take my word for it. Look at the data.
certainly has not been for lack of trying. has less influence over its allies than one modest results. The rate of casualties — One recent study found that both female and
Since the war broke out, Biden has vis- might think. Historically, economic sanc- even as reported by Gaza’s Hamas-con- male patients had lower mortality rates when they
ited Israel and had a host of conversations tions have a poor track record of forcing trolled Health Ministry — has slowed. Aid were treated by female physicians. Perhaps not sur-
with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Ne- major concessions, particularly when ex- to Gaza’s civilians, albeit insufficient, is prisingly, the benefits of getting care from women
tanyahu. Secretary of State Antony J. istential security matters are at stake — flowing. More than three-fifths of the hos- were greater for women than for men.
Blinken has made at least 10 trips to Isra- which, in Israel’s case, they are. Indeed, tages taken on Oct. 7 have either been “What our findings indicate is that female and
el. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III threats to sanction the hard-right el- freed or recovered, although 97 have not. male physicians practice medicine differently, and
has also made multiple visits to the coun- ements of Netanyahu’s coalition have yet And, most important, a full-blown, re- these differences have a meaningful impact on pa-
try since Oct. 7 and had seemingly count- to produce any sort of moderation. At the gional Middle East war — widely feared at tients’ health outcomes,” said Yusuke Tsugawa, a
less talks with his counterpart, Israeli De- same time, the International Criminal several junctures over the last year — has senior author of the study.
fense Minister Yoav Gallant. This is all on Court’s announcement that it would seek been averted, at least for the moment. Female doctors seem more likely to discover the
top of lower-ranking U.S. officials’ contin- arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gal- All that is admittedly cold comfort to root cause of a medical problem, as we are taught to
uous efforts to engage with Israel. lant produced what few other policies the Palestinians caught in the crossfire, do in medical school, rather than merely treat the
And yet for all the time and effort the could: It united Israel’s fractured political the Israeli hostages who remain in Gaza symptoms.
Biden administration has expended, it spectrum around the current govern- and the growing displaced populations of “Female physicians spend more time with pa-
has failed to broker a cease-fire between ment. southern Lebanon and northern Israel. tients and spend more time engaging in shared med-
Israel and the militant group Hamas. Even if U.S. pressure were effective In the wake of the Iraq and Af- ical decision-making,” Dr. Lisa Rotenstein, a co-au-
Meanwhile, the threat of a wider war enough to motivate the Netanyahu gov- ghanistan wars, Americans have become thor of the study, told Medical News Today. “Evi-
loomed again this week as Iran launched a ernment to try to end the war, it still might far more aware of the bounds of what mili- dence from the outpatient setting demonstrates
missile attack on Israel in retaltion for the not succeed. Ending the war, after all, tary power can achieve. But other tools of that female physicians spend more time on the elec-
escalation of its conflict with the Iran- would require the cooperation of both Is- national power, including diplomacy, tronic health record than male counterparts and de-
backed militant group Hezbollah in Leba- rael and Hamas — and more specifically have their limits too. Outside mediators liver higher-quality care. In the surgical realm, fe-
non. Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who shows can’t end this war, particularly if the com- male physicians spend longer on a surgical pro-
The Biden administration is hardly no signs of budging. batants themselves don’t want to stop cedure and have lower rates of postoperative read-
alone in its struggle to find diplomatic Sinwar could unilaterally declare a fighting. missions. We need to be asking ourselves how to
common ground in the Middle East. Ever cease-fire, release all the remaining Isra- provide the training and incentives so that all doc-
since the Oslo accords some three dec- eli hostages and deny Israel one of its core Raphael S. Cohen is the director of the tors can emulate the care provided by female physi-
ades ago, a series of American adminis- justifications for the war. But Hamas strategy and doctrine program at Rand cians.”
trations have tried and failed to broker seems intent on executing hostages and Project Air Force and of the national One reason for the discrepancy might be male
peace between Israelis and Palestinians. otherwise doubling down on the hostil- security program at the Pardee Rand doctors’ propensity to be more ego-driven. They
At the same time, although Americans ities. Presumably, despite all the devas- Graduate School. may revert to “mansplaining” to patients instead of
engaging in an equal, cooperative patient-physician
relationship. I’ve been guilty of that myself, so I know
it when I see it.
What’s blocking women’s advancement in medi-

We all made the Pete Rose tragedy possible cine? Old-fashioned sexism in the workplace is the
most obvious answer. Female doctors are paid 25%
less than their male counterparts on average, ac-
cording to the 2019 Medscape Physician Compensa-
By Keith O’Brien in ways he’d never truly acknowledge. He tion Report, earning an estimated $2 million less
couldn’t stop gambling. Many people over a 40-year career.

I
n Pete Rose’s old neighborhood on knew it — journalists, Major League Base- There is also a power imbalance. Men are more
the West Side of Cincinnati, kids ball officials, the Reds’ management, his likely to be full professors at medical schools and
were taught to look both ways when friends, even ordinary fans — and in the presidents of professional medical associations. A
crossing U.S. 50, to be home by sup- end they all just watched him fall. 2019 survey found that women oncologists were less
per, to fight for everything in life and In the days, weeks, months and maybe likely than their male counterparts to attend scien-
to never speak ill of the dead. years to come, there will be many debates tific meetings because of child care and other de-
Rose — Major League Baseball’s all- about whether Rose should finally be re- mands. And anyone in medicine will attest that
time hit leader and most notorious gam- instated and placed on the ballot for in- these conferences provide opportunities to angle for
bler — learned these lessons well. Even af- duction into the National Baseball Hall of leadership positions.
ter he became a baseball pariah, banished Fame. Many have long speculated that Excluding women from leadership deprives
to the hinterlands of his sport for betting this would come after his death, after he young female doctors of role models. While I haven’t
on his own team and sabotaging himself was gone. And it’s a debate worth having. seen female doctors being asked to get coffee for
again and again, Rose rarely dished dirt These conversations reveal a lot about us their male colleagues (though I have seen women
on other players and refused to insult A. and raise important questions. nurses asked to do so, even recently), the unequal
Bartlett Giamatti, the commissioner who What are we celebrating at a Hall of distribution of responsibilities is undeniable. Fe-
oversaw his 1989 ouster and died of a heart Fame? Are we honoring players for the male physicians are often overburdened with me-
attack eight days later. Associated Press lives they lived, the choices they made, or nial, uncompensated assignments, secretarial tasks
“I like Bart Giamatti,” Rose told me ROSE , seen at bat for the Reds in for the games they played, the statistics and committee service that does not necessarily
once. “He was an honest guy. And a good 1978, was beloved by sportswriters. they compiled? And if we are making mor- lead to promotions, taking precious time away from
league president. A good commissioner.” al judgments about players, where do we activities that would be more likely to advance their
Rose wanted me to know that if I wanted squander his opportunity. He worked draw the lines? Many bad actors are al- careers.
him to attack the man who had overseen hard, studied pitchers and hitting, and ready enshrined at Cooperstown. Things These and other factors lead to higher burnout
the end of his career, I was going to be somehow he became more than the sum get messy when we start lionizing anyone, rates among women physicians. A 2022 American
waiting a long time. of his parts. Rose became our most ordi- perhaps especially young men who were Medical Assn. survey found that 57% of female phy-
With Rose’s death this week at 83, the nary extraordinary athlete — and sports- just good at playing a child’s game. sicians reported suffering at least one symptom of
moment calls for us to break the West writers loved him for it. But the more interesting debate is burnout, compared with 47% of men.
Side code. We must reckon with his com- They were almost all white, male and about our complicity in creating Rose. Be- “Women physicians are paid less than men, work
plicated legacy, tally the cost of his mis- working-class, just like him. Female re- cause while he is gone, we are still here harder, have less resources, are less likely to be pro-
takes and lies. And we must acknowledge porters wouldn’t even be allowed inside and prone to making the same mistakes moted and receive less respect in the workplace,”
the uncomfortable reality that we — the major league locker rooms until 1978. And in a world where there are fewer reporters Roberta Gebhard, a former president of the Ameri-
sports media, the fans, the culture — in this de facto white boys’ club, Rose be- in the locker room, new barriers to media can Medical Women’s Association, told the Hill.
helped make the tragedy of Pete Rose came a god; he became Charlie Hustle. access to players and widespread risks “With all of these barriers to success in the work-
possible. Sportswriters celebrated him for his grit that Rose never faced, such as legalized place … it’s no wonder that women physicians are
Rose was, from the beginning, a deeply and determination and happily ignored sports gambling on our phones. more likely to stop practicing than men.”
flawed person, prone to narcissism and his obvious flaws: his womanizing, his Today the leagues want us to place our The patriarchal system is alive and well in medi-
excess. As a young man, he was never the gambling and his apparent addiction to bets — during the next commercial break, cine, and it isn’t helping our patients. We must ad-
best player, but driven by an overbearing both. as soon as possible and as often as we can. dress this antiquated disparity. It is incumbent on
father, he acted as if he were. He swag- It was an easy choice for the writers. They make money from licensing deals medical institutions to champion female physicians,
gered through high school, told team- Rose was charming, loved to talk about and profit from the engagement that not only as rank-and-file doctors but also as leaders
mates he was great, and in the minor baseball and always made light of any sports gambling creates. But no one of the profession and its organizations. Patients
leagues in the early 1960s, he infuriated concerns about his propensity to get wants to discuss the reality. No one wants should also examine their own assumptions and
other players by appearing to try too down a bet. He admitted being addicted to admit the truth. The next Pete Rose is challenge the notion that seeing a male doctor will
hard. They didn’t like that he sprinted to to gambling only later, and only when it out there right now, and we are almost yield better results.
first base on a walk or slid headfirst into served him. The first time was in 1990, certainly cheering for him, just as we once It’s time for doctors to live up to one of the highest
bases. And they really didn’t like it when when he was seeking leniency in his fed- cheered for Charlie Hustle. ideals of medicine: that all people should be treated
Rose jumped the line, passing over more eral sentencing for tax evasion, and he ac- equally. That includes female physicians.
established players to become the start- knowledged it again in 2004, when he pub- Keith O’Brien grew up in Cincinnati
ing second baseman for the Cincinnati lished a shallow, self-serving memoir that and is the author, most recently, of David Weill is a physician, a former director of
Reds in 1963. he hoped would get him reinstated to “Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Stanford’s Center for Advanced Lung Disease, the
It could have ended there; Rose wasn’t baseball. Rose and the Last Glory Days of principal of the Weill Consulting Group and the
yet a great ballplayer. But he refused to In reality, Rose was horribly addicted Baseball.” author, most recently, of “All That Really Matters.”
A10 F R I DAY , O C T O B E R 4 , 2 0 2 4 L AT I M E S . C O M

Medical opinion shifts in ‘shaken baby’ cases

[Baby, from A1] seen as false.
be attributed only to shaken Jones had stated he was
baby syndrome, or SBS, but holding his son when he
new research suggests a fall tripped over a shoe in his
from a short distance — for Sacramento home. Jones
instance, tumbling off a bed was unable to break his fall,
— could cause the same in- and his son hit the back of
juries. his head against the wall.
On Wednesday, Olivares In Texas, Robert Rober-
was released on a $100,000 son is set to be executed
bond. Oct. 17 for the death of his
“The facts always showed daughter in 2002, but 86
that Mr. Olivares was inno- Texas lawmakers are asking
cent but the medicine the Texas Board of Pardons
needed time to catch up and and Paroles for clemency in
prove it,” said Lauryn Bar- the case. Roberson’s daugh-
bosa Findley, a lawyer with ter was believed to have died
the Northern California In- of shaken baby syndrome,
nocence Project who repre- but a growing number of
sents Olivares. “Mr. Oli- voices have argued against
vares’ case is both extraordi- the original conviction.
narily unique and tragically The Northern California
common because faulty Innocence Project, or NCIP,
medical testimony has been since 2019 has been conduct-
used for too long to convict ing a systematic review of
far too many loving parents SBS-related convictions go-
and caretakers.” ing back decades, and has
The latest medical find- found many of them led to
ings have cast a new critical convictions based primarily
eye on hundreds of SBS con- on the opinions of medical
victions in California and experts, even though no
across the country — cases other evidence pointed to
in which attorneys say par- abuse or violence, said Todd
ents and caregivers might Photographs by Carla Spain Northern California Innocence Project Fries, executive director of
have been falsely accused JOSE OLIVARES hugs Lauryn Barbosa Findley, a lawyer with the Northern California Innocence Project, the NCIP.
and wrongly convicted of after he was released from jail Wednesday. His parents, Martina and Jose Guadalupe Olivares, look on. The organization has
killing children in their care. identified 419 convictions in
But Olivares’ legal trou- dous double tragedy where a California involving SBS, he
bles still loom. parent, or a caretaker, loses said. It is currently litigating
In court filings, prose- a child and in the same five cases and reviewing
cutors note that one of the breath they’re being blamed about 40 others, he said.
doctors who testified in the and convicted for the The review has been a
trial, Donald Minckler, death,” Findley said. challenge. In SBS cases, he
changed his opinion from his Not everyone is con- said, many of the defendants
prior testimony and agreed vinced. find themselves at a loss as
with defense attorneys that Moses Castillo, one of the to how to argue their inno-
a habeas corpus motion met LAPD detectives in the case cence when their conviction
legal standards. who is now retired, called the was based on medical ex-
But prosecutors opposed theory that Isiah fell from perts.
dropping all of the charges the bed “B.S.” “Often in cases of junk
outright, arguing that four “It’s no way that a fall science, people don’t know
other doctors who had testi- from 18 inches is going to what went wrong in their
fied in the trial believed Isi- cause this,” he said, arguing case, and they don’t know
ah’s death “was not acciden- that the injuries were too se- how to challenge the case,”
tal.” vere. “I’ve seen these injuries Fries said.
Olivares is set to return to when kids are falling from The review of cases has
court Oct. 31 for a pretrial four stories or higher. also highlighted a troubling
hearing. There’s no way.” pattern, he said. In about
Hours after Isiah was Castillo said he still be- 77% of cases where the race
taken to a hospital, Los An- lieves Isiah was killed. of the defendant has been
geles police responded. One “The shaking must have identified, he said, the ac-
of the attending physicians, been so violent that it cused was a person of color.
Dr. Barry Markovitz, told an caused these injuries,” he The organization is still
officer that Isiah’s injuries — OLIVARES talks with his nephew moments after his release. Prosecutors are still said. reviewing the data, but the
retinal damage, severe hem- weighing whether to seek another trial in the 2011 death of a 3-year-old boy. Olivares’ conviction is concern is that doctors, so-
orrhage and swelling in the not the first to come under cial workers, police and
brain — were “inconsistent” trial pointed to the injuries aminers has supported the be attributed solely to SBS, question. prosecutors might be more
with falling off a bed. and the medical opinion of medical opinion that such and that short falls could In 2002, then-18-year-old inclined to suspect abuse in
“Those injuries could not the time. injuries to a child could be cause fatal intracranial in- Zavion Johnson was con- cases involving families of
be sustained just by a child “This case is really sim- attributed to SBS, and pub- juries. victed of killing his 4-month- color, Fries said.
falling off the bed,” the doc- ple,” prosecutors told jurors lished reports stating that “This particular area of old daughter, Nadia. Like “It tells me that certainly
tor told the officer, according in their closing statement, the “constellation of these science or medical science Olivares, Johnson’s criminal prosecutors, but also hospi-
to court filings. according to court filings. injuries does not occur with has been fraught and ex- case was based on expert tal staff, are really consider-
Olivares, who had been “You either believe that short falls.” posed as unreliable in cer- medical testimony, although ing race when making the
dating Isiah’s mother for Isiah fell from 18 inches while But many medical ex- tain cases,” said Joseph 13 witnesses had testified determination that abuse
about a year, had no history jumping, which the defense perts now believe some Trigilio, executive director that Johnson had no history has occurred,” Fries said.
of abuse, his attorneys ar- would have us believe, or he cases previously attributed of the Loyola Project for the of abuse. In 2017, his convic- Most of the cases appear
gue. Three other adults who suffered violent abusive to shaken baby syndrome Innocent at Loyola Law tion was reversed. to have occurred in the 1980s
were in the house when Isiah head trauma at the hands of could be caused by short School, who also worked on In 2021, 45-year-old and 1990s, he said, but the
was hurt said they did not this defendant who was sup- falls. In 2020, the American Olivares’ case. Clifton Jones was released number of SBS cases going
hear yelling, hitting or signs posed to take care of him but Academy of Pediatrics up- The new medical findings from prison after his attor- to trial seems to have signifi-
that Olivares had been an- instead killed him.” dated its position, and in a on SBS could have ramifica- ney argued that the medical cantly declined since. Legal
gry, or that Isiah had been The American Academy new report wrote for the first tions for many other convic- opinion that had been experts believe that may be
fussy. of Pediatrics and the Na- time that there were no tions. widely accepted at the time due to the change in medical
But prosecutors in the tional Assn. of Medical Ex- “unique” injuries that could “This causes a tremen- of his conviction was now consensus.

Bonta is pressing L.A. to create new council boundaries

[Districts, from A1] independent redistricting Valley, bringing the final dis-
tion about the proposed process in L.A. — one in trict maps closer to what
maps. which the council has no in- they had originally been.
Council President volvement — that would be- This isn’t the only time
Marqueece Harris-Dawson gin in 2031. the city has faced outside
declined to discuss Bonta’s Redrawing council dis- scrutiny over redistricting
demands, which were the trict boundaries by 2026 also and Latino representation.
topic of a lengthy closed- would potentially collide In 1985, the federal Depart-
door session of the council with the city’s new charter ment of Justice sued the city,
last week. He referred ques- reform commission, which is accusing council members
tions to City Atty. Hydee being formed and is ex- of fracturing Latino voters’
Feldstein Soto, whose office pected to look next year at political influence in maps
declined to comment. expanding the size of the approved a few years earlier.
Joanne Adams, deputy City Council. The lawsuit alleged that
director of communications Redistricting normally the city’s 1982 redistricting
for Bonta’s office, also de- occurs only at the start of process dispersed Latino
clined to comment, saying each decade, following the residents who lived in or
only that the attorney gener- release of U.S. census data. near downtown across sev-
al’s investigation into L.A.’s In L.A. up until now, the City eral council districts. It also
2021 redistricting process Council has had final say alleged that the maps
“remains ongoing.” over the maps. The process were drawn in a way that
The draft document, has been politically fraught, weakened Latino voting
which is titled “(Proposed) with neighborhood, advo- strength in the northeast
Stipulated Judgment,” does cacy and civil rights groups, Valley.
not say when talks with the as well as council members, The council resolved the
city began or when they are pressing for boundaries they case by creating a new dis-
expected to conclude. Sev- believe will best serve them- trict near downtown — one
eral council members have selves or their constitu- with a high concentration of
declined to comment, saying encies. Genaro Molina Los Angeles Times Latinos. They also made
they are barred from dis- The demands from Bon- CALIFORNIA ATTY. GEN. Rob Bonta raised questions about the redistricting major changes to the lines in
cussing legal matters taken ta’s office could spark new process after a secret recording of L.A. council members was released in 2022. the San Fernando Valley, in-
up in closed sessions. questions about whether creasing the number of Lat-
The document calls for the council could have done council district map that notion that there could be is- districts in or near the San inos in the district that
the city to prepare a new more to enhance Latino vot- was being prepared by the sues with Latino represen- Fernando Valley. includes Sylmar and Pa-
map that complies with the ing power in 2021, when the citizen redistricting com- tation in their districts. During the deliberations, coima.
federal Voting Rights Act map was approved. Al- mission. Bonta announced his in- the commission called for Although the document
and the state’s Fair Maps though Latinos make up In the wake of that scan- vestigation days after the the creation of a council dis- drafted by Bonta’s office
Act, which require that dis- nearly half the city’s popula- dal, activists packed the audio leak broke, saying that trict with a majority-Latino does not say whether inves-
trict boundaries be drawn to tion, only one-third of the council chamber, accusing the redistricting process is population in the west Val- tigators found specific
ensure that underrepresent- council’s seats — five out of the three council members “foundational for our ley. About 40% of the voting- wrongdoing, it highlights
ed groups, such as Black and 15 — are held by Latinos. of working to undermine democracy and for the abil- eligible population would other areas of concern.
Latino voters, have the abil- A new redistricting proc- Black voting power. Mar- ity of our communities to have been Latino, poten- The document calls for
ity to elect the candidates of ess could also force the coun- tinez quickly resigned. make their voices heard.” tially increasing the pro- council members, their staff
their choice. cil to revisit a particularly tu- Cedillo served out the re- The leaked audio, he said spects for a Latino council and all other city employees
Any stipulated judgment multuous period. mainder of his term, having at the time, had cast doubt member in future years. to take a training course on
would need to be signed by In 2022, the public heard already lost reelection. on that process. That proposal would the state’s Ralph M. Brown
both parties and approved a secretly recorded audio De León apologized for “We will endeavor to have required major Act and the California Pub-
by a Superior Court judge. featuring three council things he said and did not bring the truth to light to changes to districts repre- lic Records Act, both de-
The talks between Bonta members — De León, Nury say during the conversation. help restore confidence in sented by Martinez and signed to ensure transpar-
and the city come at a strik- Martinez and Gil Cedillo — But he denied trying to di- the process for the people of three other council mem- ency and open government.
ing moment. Candidates in discussing redistricting with minish Black voting power, our state,” Bonta said. bers — Paul Krekorian, The city also would be re-
the Nov. 5 election have been a high-level labor leader. noting that the council left The 2021 redistricting Nithya Raman and Bob Blu- quired to create new safe-
waging fierce campaigns to That conversation, which the three districts with process was especially con- menfield. At one point, Ra- guards on communications
represent three council dis- took place in 2021, featured Black representatives al- tentious, with several coun- man and Krekorian faced and recordkeeping by its
tricts, whose boundaries crude and racist remarks as most entirely unchanged in cil members at odds with the the possibility of losing their employees. City officials
were approved in 2021 and well as commentary about the 2021 redistricting. 21-member citizens commis- entire districts. would need to develop a pol-
had been considered final. Latino political clout, or lack Neither De León nor Her- sion. That commission In the end, the City Coun- icy prohibiting the use of
Voters will also decide next of it. The participants also nandez would comment on recommended major cil rejected many of the “personal accounts” to con-
month whether to create an discussed how to rework the Bonta’s investigation or the changes to the boundaries of changes proposed for the duct city business.
 B

CALIFORNIA F R I D AY , O C T O B E R 4 , 2 0 2 4 :: L A T I M E S . C O M / C A L I F O R N I A

68 people with
alleged ties
to supremacist
gang indicted
the indictment says.
Those charged in the Collecting a “tax,” or cut
of the proceeds, prosecutors
Peckerwoods case allege, were members of
are accused of drug the Aryan Brotherhood,
the dominant white gang in
trafficking and fraud. the California prison sys-
tem. Two alleged Aryan
By Matthew Ormseth Brotherhood members were
charged in the indictment:
Federal prosecutors on Paul John Pichie, aka “Sinis-
Wednesday indicted 68 al- ter,” and Michael “Suspect”
leged members and affiliates Vitanza, who are both ac-
of the Peckerwoods, claim- cused of conspiring to traffic
ing the white supremacist drugs.
Genaro Molina Los Angeles Times gang sold drugs and com- Vitanza once shared a
A STATE bill extends the time alcohol can be served to 4 a.m., but only in a private club at Intuit Dome in mitted fraud in the San Fer- prison cell with Danny Trox-
Inglewood. Restaurant and bar owners have pushed for decades to loosen California’s last-call mandate. nando Valley under the aus- ell, described at a recent
pices of imprisoned mem- racketeering trial as a mem-

Booze exemption is the

bers of the Aryan Brother- ber of the Aryan Brother-
hood. hood’s three-man ruling
Twelve alleged Pecker- “commission.” A witness at
woods members are charged the trial testified that Vi-
with racketeering, while 56 tanza was “Danny T’s right-
additional defendants are hand man.”

kind of thing voters hate

charged with conspiring to In a call secretly recorded
distribute drugs. by authorities, Vitanza al-
The Peckerwoods, who legedly told a female associ-
took their name from a de- ate he was the “youngest
rogatory term for white in- made member of the Aryan
mates in the California pris- Brotherhood.”
on system, embraced Nazi [See Peckerwoods, B5]

Legislation benefiting only a billionaire’s pet project is a iconography and traded rac-
ist comments in a private
Facebook group, according
rank example of favoritism in the annals of Sacramento to an indictment unsealed

GUSTAVO McKinnor must be a whiz

Wednesday.
During the height of the
protests following the killing
Child
care gets
ARELLANO with a turkey at Thanksgiv- of George Floyd in 2020, the
ing, because the Hawthorne indictment says, one mem-
Assembly Bill Democrat’s bill is a carve- ber of the Facebook group
3206 is why out worthy of a medallion. wrote: “I wish all the blacks
people hate
politics.
Signed by
Gov. Gavin
In an era when people on
both the left and right rail
against politicians beholden
to the rich and powerful, a
and all the cops would just
kill ALL of each other. Our
side of the dayroom only! If
thats all that was left in the
national
Newsom over
the weekend,
the bill creates an exemp-
piece of legislation that only
benefits a venue owned by
billionaire Clippers owner
world, that would be awe-
some.”
But according to the in-
spotlight
tion to a decades-old state Steve Ballmer is as rank an dictment, the Peckerwoods’
law banning the serving of example of favoritism as you primary concern was mak-
alcohol after 2 a.m. can find in the annals of ing money — through selling Vance, Walz tackled
But don’t head down to Sacramento — and that’s methamphetamine, heroin
your local dive bar just yet to saying something. and fentanyl, prosecutors the issue in their
raise a toast: This applies Assembly Bill 3206 is why say. They are also accused of debate. Here are some
only to a private club at the people hate elites. more sophisticated crimes
Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Restaurant and bar such as identity theft and facts and background.
which will now be able to Irfan Khan Los Angeles Times owners have pushed for bank fraud, and some Peck-
sling cocktails until 4 a.m. L.A. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, left, is shown decades to loosen Cali- erwoods robbed drug deal- By Jenny Gold
Assemblymember Tina with others including L.A. Mayor Karen Bass. [See Arellano, B2] ers and stole merchandise and Kate Sequeira
in “smash-and-grab” heists,
The vice presidential
candidates appeared to find
some agreement during
their Tuesday night debate

Who’s leaving bottles of pee in Pasadena? over child care and paid fam-
ily leave, in the longest and
most in-depth campaign ex-
change about these issues to
date.

Two TikTok filmmakers have made it their No. 1 concern to find out In California
throughout the nation,
these issues are key to im-
and

proving quality of life for

a seemingly random electri- families that struggle to take
By Noah Goldberg cal box. time off to care for a newborn
That behavior is odd or ailing loved one, or to find
On the south side of the enough. But what about the affordable child care. De-
134 Freeway in Pasadena, two self-appointed docu- spite California’s significant
amid the brush and the dirt mentarians who have de- investments in these areas,
and detritus, there is an voted themselves to identi- solutions still fall short of
empty tub of Dreyer’s vanilla fying the urine bottler and meeting the needs of many
ice cream and an empty understanding his ways? parents.
drink cup from Subway. The story is a confluence of Republicans in Congress
They appear to be litter, classic California weirdness opposed President Biden’s
perhaps cast out of fast- and the Hollywood show ambitious 2021 plan to cre-
moving cars by careless free- business hustlers always ate an affordable child-care
way drivers. there to track it. system and a universal paid
In fact, they hide strate- family leave benefit. Yet Sen.
gically placed security cam- :: JD Vance (R-Ohio) — for-
eras aimed at capturing the mer President Trump’s run-
man some in Pasadena have Derek Milton enters ning mate — appeared to of-
named the “Piss Bandit.” stage left, dressed as a con- fer some support for both is-
The mystery man has a struction worker in a bright sues during the debate, voic-
penchant for placing full yellow vest and a hard hat. ing more moderate stances
bottles of human urine on a Like many fake construction than he has in recent ap-
specific Pasadena Water & workers in Los Angeles, Mil- pearances.
Power electrical box on Col- ton is a filmmaker. He has “I think there is a biparti-
orado Boulevard. For years, come to the side of the 134 san solution here because a
he has deposited full bottles Genaro Molina Los Angeles Times Freeway on this sunny lot of us care about this is-
of pee (unscientific but A MYSTERY MAN has been placing bottles of urine on an electrical box on Col- morning in September with sue,” Vance said in response
newspaper-safe term) atop orado Boulevard. Derek Milton, center, and Grant Yansura are on the case. [See Urine, B4] to a question from CBS
News’ Margaret Brennan
about a national paid leave
program. As for the child-
care crisis, Vance agreed

Party magician, others assaulted in Pacific Palisades with Minnesota Gov. Tim
Walz — Vice President Ka-
mala Harris’ running mate
— that the government
sucker-punched in the mid- tacks started around 3:30 owner Mike Deasy was driv- porch — with both hands, so needs to spend more money.
By Sandra McDonald dle of a children’s birthday p.m. Saturday. ing home, he noticed Sten- he couldn’t close the door “We’re going to have to in-
party, according to victims Bryan Stennett, 36, as- nett walking nearby. As behind him — and put it in- duce more people to want to
A man was arrested last and witnesses. saulted an individual in the Deasy drove past, he told side. provide child-care options
week in Pacific Palisades on Before police could ap- 400 block of Mesa Road, ac- The Times, he heard Sten- When he returned to for American families be-
suspicion of assaulting three prehend him, the suspect cording to the Los Angeles nett make a loud noise. close the door, he said, Sten- cause the reason it’s so ex-
people — including a home- was chased by angry par- Police Department. When Deasy got home, he nett was in the doorway. pensive right now is because
owner who was left bloodied ents, witnesses said. About 15 minutes later, as picked up a package that Stennett asked him, “Is this you’ve got way too few peo-
and a magician who was The bizarre string of at- Pacific Palisades home- had been delivered to his [See Palisades, B2] [See Child care, B5]

SPORTS ON THE BACK: Future of the Angels’ TV broadcasts facing uncertainty. B10
B2 FR I DAY , O C T O B E R 4 , 2 0 2 4 L AT I M E S . C O M

This bill is why people hate politics in the state

[Arellano, from B1] Assembly Bill 3206 is why about whether turning
fornia’s last-call mandate, people hate Gavin Newsom. Inglewood into a play-
arguing that just a few more In 2020, at the height of ground for the world is
hours would help their pandemic shutdowns, the coming at the expense of
bottom line, and keep down- governor was caught on residents. I would have
towns vibrant, at a time camera dining maskless at loved to press him again. No
when the restaurant indus- the uber-fancy French response.
try is suffering. Law enforce- Laundry. He was there to If politicians can’t talk to
ment officials have pushed celebrate the birthday of his the media about what they
back, arguing that letting friend, influential lobbyist support, what else do they
people drink well into the Jason Kinney. have to hide?
early morning is irresponsi- Newsom apologized for Assembly Bill 3206 is why
ble. his night out, but the subse- people hate Sacramento
State Sen. Scott Wiener quent uproar fueled a recall under Democratic rule.
(D-San Francisco) spon- campaign that ultimately In a state afflicted by so
sored bills that would have failed. Among the people many issues, McKinnor’s
created a pilot program for who funded Newsom’s fight bill should have been
some cities, including West to stay in office? Connie laughed out of the Legisla-
Hollywood, to try out 4 a.m. Ballmer, Steve’s wife, who ture. In a state where a blue
bar closings. But Gov. Jerry donated a million dollars. supermajority in the state
Brown vetoed one bill in But back to Kinney. If a Capitol has boasted about
2018, and another failed friend put me in a situation making life better for the
in the Assembly two years that nearly destroyed my neediest residents, making
ago. career, I’d stay as far away Kirby Lee Getty Images life easier for a billionaire’s
When a tech baron such from the homeboy as pos- WHEN A TECH baron such as Steve Ballmer wants it, state legislators and Gov. party room is out-of-touch
as Ballmer wants it, state sible. Instead, Newsom Gavin Newsom seem more than happy to oblige. Above, the venue in Inglewood. liberalism at its worst.
legislators and Newsom signed off on the 4 a.m. The only silver lining I’ve
seem more than happy to Intuit Dome booze bill, for narrowly tailored to the know “if we have anything carve-out similar to what found in this sordid mess
oblige. which Kinney’s firm lobbied. needs of one business, and further to add.” As of this some other arenas in Cali- was my text message ex-
Sean McMorris, who State records show that what advice he has for oth- writing, they don’t. fornia enjoy. change with Anthony Ren-
specializes in transparency Ballmer’s company paid ers who want to sell alcohol Assembly Bill 3206 is why A spokesperson said don, the Assembly speaker
and ethics for the nonparti- $530,000 to the firm during until 4 a.m. people hate politicians. McKinnor was unavailable emeritus from Lakewood
san California Common the legislative session. Gardon directed me to a It’s not McKinnor’s first for an interview. In an earli- who’s termed out at the end
Cause, told my colleague Newsom, for all his high- letter Newsom wrote to the ride on behalf of Ballmer, er statement, McKinnor of the year.
Mackenzie Mays that McK- falutin rhetoric about cham- state Assembly, promising who built the $2-billion lauded her legislation as When I asked why he
innor’s bill “exemplifies the pioning all Californians, just to direct the California Intuit Dome with his own “another entertainment supported McKinnor’s bill,
disproportionate influence can’t quit the gentry and the Highway Patrol to work money and has committed option” to complement Rendon said he has always
of wealthy individuals and insiders who have made his with “local law enforcement $100 million to projects in Ballmer’s investment, add- voted yes on legislation
corporations on the legisla- career. agencies” to track DUIs Inglewood, including afford- ing that “Inglewood’s ren- extending last calls, because
tive process.” I asked Newsom spokes- around Intuit Dome — you able housing and youth aissance is well underway.” he thinks those decisions
To paraphrase F. Scott person Izzy Gardon for an know, something that programs. Last year, McK- The politician did have should be made by munici-
Fitzgerald, I guess the rich interview with his boss. I should already be happen- innor voted yes on a bill time Tuesday at 1 a.m. to palities, not the state.
drink different from you and requested that the governor ing. making it easier for alcohol post photos on social media “If it’s a carve-out, it’s
me — and Sacramento is at least answer whether he Gardon ended his email companies to sell ads at of her 60th birthday party at pretty sleazy,” he said about
helping them tipple it up. has ever signed a bill so by saying he would let me Intuit Dome by creating a a resort in Tulum, Mexico, Assembly Bill 3206. I told
including a shot of herself him that’s exactly what it is.
with a glass of red wine. The dots that signify an
I also reached out to iPhone user is texting
Inglewood Mayor James stopped for a while.
Butts, who has remade the “Mea culpa,” he finally
latimes.com/placead

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city into a sports and enter-
tainment powerhouse and
has publicly supported the
Intuit Dome drinking exten-
wrote back. “Yeah, I f— up
and didn’t read it closely
enough.”
A politician who admit-
sion, which still needs to be ted he royally messed up —
approved by the City Coun- what a concept! If only
Legal Notices Legal Notices Legal Notices Legal Notices Legal Notices Legal Notices cil. Newsom, McKinnor and
We once had a testy everyone else would do the
AMENDED NOTICE OF PETITION exchange on a podcast same.
Legal Notice TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF:
Summons (Form CH-210) JOHN NEIL GIELEGHEM
(Civil Harassment Restraining Order)
Notification is hereby given that JPMorgan CASE NUMBER 24STPB09320
Citacion (Orden de restriccion por acoso civil)
Case No.: 24STRO05335 Chase Bank, N.A., 1111 Polaris Parkway,

Person asking for Protection:

La persona que solicita proteccion:
KIMBERLY KARDASHIAN
Columbus, Ohio 43240 has filed an
application with the Office of the
Comptroller of the Currency (the “OCC”) on
To all heirs, beneiciaries, creditors, contingent
creditors, and persons who may otherwise be
interested in the will or estate, or both, of JOHN NEIL
GIELEGHEM
Parents chase suspect
or about October 4, 2024, as specified in 12
Notice to (name of person to be restrained):
Aviso a (nombre de la persona a ser restringida): :
MELVYN JEFFERY CONLEY
CFR Part 5, for permission to establish a
domestic branch at the northwest corner of
the intersection of East Chapman Avenue
and North Pomona Avenue, Fullerton,
A Petition for Probate has been iled by Laurie
Jamison in the Superior Court of California, County
of Los Angeles.
after attack at party
The petition for Probate requests that Laurie
Restrained Party: MELVYN JEFFERY CONLEY Orange County, CA 92832. If you have any Jamison be appointed as personal representative to [Palisades, from B1]
additional comments, you can send them to administer the estate of the decedent. your house?”
The person KIMBERLY KARDASHIAN is asking for the Director for Large Bank Licensing, Office The petition requests authority to administer the “I don’t remember what I
a Civil Harassment Restraining Order against you. estate under the Independent Administration of
of the Comptroller of the Currency, 7 Times said,” Deasy said. The man
La persona KIMBERLY KARDASHIAN pidiendo Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal
una orden de restriccion por acoso civil contra
Square, 10th Floor Mailroom, New York, New then rushed him and
York 10036 or representative to take many actions without
usted obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very
punched him half a dozen
[email protected]., times, he said. The moments
important actions, however, the personal
You have a court date: within 30 days of the date of this publication. leading up to the attack were
representative will be required to give notice to
Tiene una audiencia en la corte The public portion of the filing is available
Date (Fecha): November 01, 2024 interested persons unless they have waived notice caught on home surveil-
upon request from the OCC. The public may or consented to the proposed action.) The
Time (Hora): 8:30 A.M. lance video in which the as-
find information about the filing (including independent administration authority will be
Dept .(Depto) : 35
the closing date of the comment period) in sailant appears to speak in-
Room (Sala): 411 granted unless an interested person iles an
the OCC’s Weekly Bulletin available at objection to the petition and shows good cause why
coherently before attacking.
Name and address of court: www.occ.gov. the court should not grant the authority. In an interview with
Nombre y direcci6n de la corte, si no es la misma ABC7, Deasy appears bat- Raul Roa Los Angeles Times
de arriba: Published in the Los Angeles Times A hearing on the petition will be held on tered, with a bloody fore- A MAN was arrested
Superior Court of California, County of 10/29/2024 at 8:30 a.m. in Dept 11 head and bandaged and after a series of assaults.
Corte Superior de California, Condado de Legal Notices Legal Notices located at Superior Court of California, bruised arms. Speaking
Los Angeles County of Los Angeles
Central District 111 North Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Monday with The Times, he primal dad feeling,” Egan
111 North Hill Street
SUMMONS said he was in “a lot of pain” said he “football passed” the
Stanley Mosk Courthouse
Los Angles, CA 90012 (CITACION JUDICIAL) but had been cleared of a infant to his mother-in-law
Case Number (Numero del Caso): 23CV00809 If you object to the granting of the petition, you head injury by doctors. and took off running toward
What if I don't go to my court date?
If you do not go to your court date, the judge can
should appear at the hearing and state your Less than an hour later Stennett with two of his
NOTICE TO DEFENDANT: objections or ile written objections with the court
grant a restraining order that limits your contact (AVISO AL DEMANDADO): and a quarter of a mile from friends.
before the hearing. Your appearance may be in
with the person KIMBERLY KARDASHIAN. Having a Khalid Taylor, and Ray Young, and DOES 1-50, inclusive, Mesa Road, at the Rustic Stennett fled, and the
restraining order against you may impact your life person or by your attorney.
Canyon Recreational Park, three chased him to Sunset
in other ways, including preventing you from YOU ARE BEING SUED BY PLAINTIFF:
having guns and ammunition. If you do not go to (LO ESTA DEMANDANDO EL DEMANDANTE): If you are a creditor or a contingent creditor of local performer “California Boulevard before Egan re-
your court date, the judge could grant everything DAVID McKAY the decedent, you must ile your claim with the Joe, the Explorer Magician” turned to the park.
that the person KIMBERLY KARDASHIAN asked court and mail a copy to the personal representative was performing a pirate- The two other men con-
NOTICE! You have been sued. The court may decide appointed by the court within the later of either (1)
the judge to order.lQue pasa si no voy a la
against you without your being heard unless you themed magic act for a 4- tinued the pursuit to the
audiencia? four months from the date of irst issuance of
respond within 30 days. Read the information below. year-old’s birthday party in North Village neighborhood,
Si no va a la audiencia, el juez puede dictar una You have 30 CALENDAR DAYS after this summons letters to a general personal representative, as
orden de restriccion que limita su contacto con la deined in section 58(b) of the California Probate front of about 60 guests. he said, keeping Stennett in
and legal papers are served on you to file a written
persona KIMBERLY KARDASHIAN . Una orden de response at this court and have a copy served on the Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or About 30 children were view until police arrived to
restriccion en su contra puede tener otras plaintiff. A letter or phone call will not protect you. personal delivery to you of a notice under section sitting in a semicircle arrest him.
consecuencias, como prohibirle tener armas de Your written response must be in proper legal form if 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other around a tree, said Alec Ribuffo, who suffered
fuego y municiones. Si no va a la audiencia, el juez you want the court to hear your case. There may be California statutes and legal authority may afect
puede ordenar todo lo que pide la persona a court form that you can use for your response. You Egan, the birthday girl’s fa- bruises and swelling on his
your rights as a creditor. You may want to
KIMBERLY KARDASHIAN. can find these court forms and more information at ther. head from the attack, said he
the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www. consult with an attorney knowledgeable in
courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp), your county law library, or California law. When parents saw a man was given a clean bill of
How do I find out what KIMBERLY KARDASHIAN the courthouse nearest you. If you cannot pay the fil- walking behind the tree, health and credited his calm
is asking for? ing fee, ask the court clerk for a fee waiver form. If you You may examine the ile kept by the court. If you they thought he might be reaction and control of the
To find out what the person, KIMBERLY do not file your response on time, you may lose the
KARDASHIAN is asking the judge to order, go to case by default, and your wages, money, and property
are a person interested in the estate, you may ile part of the magician’s act, or situation to his study of mar-
the courthouse listed at the top of page 1. Ask the may be taken without further warning from the court. with the court a Request for Special Notice (form at least someone invited to tial arts.
There are other legal requirements. You may DE-154) of the iling of an inventory and appraisal of
court clerk to let you see your case file. You will the party. “Put your kids in karate,
need to give the court clerk your case number, want to call an attorney right away. If you do not estate assets or of any petition or account as
know an attorney, you may want to call an attorney provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request “He kinda looked like a people,” he said.
which is listed above and on page 1. The request
for restraining order will be on form CH- 100, referral service. If you cannot afford an attorney, you for Special Notice form is available from the court dad who maybe took mush- Both Egan and Ribuffo
may be eligible for free legal services from a nonprofit clerk. rooms,” said Egan, who was said the shock of the attack
Request. for Civil Harassment Restraining Order. legal services program. You can locate these nonprofit
?Como puedo entender lo que pide la persona KIMBERLY groups at the California Legal Services Web Site (www. standing about 15 yards stemmed partly from its set-
KARDASHIAN Para entender lo que pide la persona lawhelpcalifornia.org), the California Courts Online Attorney for petitioner: from the tree holding an in- ting in the park, which both
KIMBERLY KARDASHIAN, vaya al tribunal en la direcci6n Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp), or Richard D. Moths
indicada en la parte superior de la pagina l. Pida al fant. described as safe.
by contacting your local court or county bar associa- 1207 I Street, Modesto, CA 95354
secretario de la eorte penniso para ver el expediente tion. NOTE: The court has a statutory lien for waived (209) 522-2211
Egan said he heard Sten- “It was so out of no-
de su caso. Tendra que darlc al scerctario cl numero fees and costs on any settlement or arbitration award nett yell a slur at the magi- where,” Ribuffo said.
de su caso, que aparece arriba y en la pagina 1. La of $10,000 or more in a civil case. The court’s lien must cian, whose real name is The children returned to
be paid before the court will dismiss the case. Published in the Los Angeles Times 9/27, 10/4, and
solicitud de una orden de restriecion se hace en el
formulario CH-I 00, Solicit11d de ordenes de іAVISO! Lo han demandado. Si no responde 10/11/2024 Richard Ribuffo. the party after the incident
restriccion por acoso civil. dentro de 30 dias, la corte puede decider en su Ribuffo told The Times and had fun until its sched-
contra sin escuchar su version. Lea la informacion a
continuacion. he saw Stennett and uled end, Egan said. His
Where can I get help? Tiene 30 DIAS DE CALENDARIO despues de que Your exclusive Don’t let the thought the man was a par- daughter is fine, he said, but
Free legal information is available at your local le entreguen esta citacion y papeles legales para
court's self-heIp center. Go to
guide to SoCal phone stop ent trying to do something asked what “assault” was
presenter una respuesta por escrito en esta corte y
www.courts.ca.gov/selfhelp to find your local hacer que se entregue una copia al demandante. Una real estate ringing disruptive to his routine to and whether the man had
center. carta o una llamada telefonica no lo protegen. Su listings. be funny, “which happens been invited to the party.
?Dode puedo obtener ayuda? respuesta por escrito tiene que estar en formato legal more than you think.” His daughter’s preschool
Pucde obtener informaci6n legal gratis en el centro correcto si desea que procesen su caso en la corte. Es
posible que haya un formulario que usted pueda usar Advertise Today
He said he heard Sten- sent letters to parents with
de ayuda de su corte. Vea
www.courts.ca.gov/sclthclpselthelpcentcrs.htm?rd para su respuesta. Puede encontrar estos formularios nett yell, “Turn the voices advice on how to explain the
de la corte y mas informacion en el Centro de Ayuda Advertise with
off ” — Ribuffo thinks he may incident to their kids, he
eLocaleA - s para encontrar de las Cortes de California (www.sucorte.ca.gov), en LA Times Classified
la biblioteca de leyes de su condado o en la corte LA Times have been referring to the said.
Classified
Do I need a lawyer? que le quede mas cerca. Si no puede pagar la cuota (800) 234-4444
LA Times Classified
(800) 234-4444
sound from his microphone. As for California Joe,
de presentacion, pida al secretario de la corte que le He appeared to be under the Egan said, “He took [the
You are not required to have a lawyer, but you may
de un formulario de exencion de pago de cuotas. Si
want legal advice before your court hearinf. For no presenta su respuesta a tiempo, puede perder el influence of drugs or having punch] like a champ.”
help finding a lawyer, you can visit caso por incumplimiento y la corte le podra quitar su a mental health crisis, Ribuffo said he was dis-
www.lawhelpca.org or contact you local bar sueldo, dinero y bienes sin mas advertencia.
association. HOW TO PLACE AN AD Ribuffo said. appointed he was unable to
?Necesito un abogado? The name and address of the court is: (El nombre y Then, Egan said, Sten- finish his show for the chil-
No es obligatorio tener un abogado, pero es direccion de la corte es): nett ran from behind the tree dren. He tried to give the
posible que quiera consejos legates antes de la SANTA BARBARA SUPERIOR COURT
1100 ANACAPA STREET Self-service 24/7: and sucker-punched the parents a discount but was
audiencia en la corte.
Para ayuda a encontrar un abogado, visite SANTA BARBARA, CA 93101 magician in the forehead, paid the full amount and
www.lawhclpca.org/cs/homcpage o contacte al
latimes.com/placead about three yards away from even tipped, he said.
The name, address, and telephone number of
Colegio de Abogadosblocal. plaintiff’s attorney, or plaintiff without an at- the children. He is not angry at the
torney, is: (El nombre, la direccion y el numero “It caught all of us by sur- man who attacked him, he
de telefono del abogado del demandante, o del Contact us by phone 24/7: prise,” Ribuffo said. He said said, but hopes he gets the
Date filed: October 2, 2024
demandante que no tiene abogado, es):
/s/ By: David W. Slayton, Clerk MICHAEL P. RING 95922 RING & ASSOCIATES 800-234-4444 he was able to keep distance help that he needs. “He’s
/s/ By: E. Martinez , Deputy 1234 SANTA BARBARA STREET between himself and his at- having a much worse day
SANTA BARBARA, CA 93101 tacker, asking for parents to than I am right now,” he said.
(805) 564-2333
Published in the Los Angeles Times call 911, until help arrived a Stennett was arrested on
ADVERTISING POLICIES
Date: (Fecha) 2/28/2023 moment later — in the form suspicion of assault and
For Los Angeles Times advertising terms of angry fathers. booked into the Van Nuys
Darrel E. Parker Clerk and conditions go to:
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(Adjunto)
L AT I M E S . C O M F R I DAY , O C T O B E R 4 , 2 0 2 4 B3

CITY & STATE

Are we in a second summer? Bills signed to

Intense temperatures persist across the state, with little relief in sight close gap on fake
By Grace Toohey
and Joseph Serna nudes of children
Daily temperature re- been used in production and
cords around California con- By Jon Healey actually engaged in or simu-
tinued to shatter this week lated the sexual conduct de-
as an unusual October heat Using an AI-powered app picted.”
wave broiled the state, with to create fake nude pictures Assembly Bill 1831, au-
little relief expected the next of people without their con- thored by Assemblymember
few days for much of the sent violates all sorts of Marc Berman (D-Menlo
state’s interior — and even norms, especially when Park), expands the state’s
parts of the coast. those people are minors. child-porn prohibition to
Though the current It would not, however, material that “contains a
stretch of heat peaked on violate California law. But digitally altered or artificial-
Wednesday, the high pres- soon it will. intelligence-generated de-
sure system sweltering A pair of bills newly piction [of] what appears to
much of the Southwest will signed by Gov. Gavin New- be a person under 18 years of
again strengthen this week- som outlaw the creation, age” engaging in or simulat-
end, creating almost two possession and distribution ing sexual conduct. State
peaks of hot temperatures, of sexually charged images law defines sexual conduct
according to Kyle Wheeler, a of minors even when they’re not just as sexual acts, but
National Weather Service created with computers, not graphic displays of nude
meteorologist in Oxnard. It cameras. The measures take bodies or bodily functions
will cool between 4 and 8 de- effect Jan. 1. for the purpose of sexual
grees Thursday and Friday The expansion of state stimulation.
across the Southland — Robert Gauthier Los Angeles Times prohibitions comes as stu- Once AB 1831 goes into ef-
while still remaining warmer OCTOBER weather will bring a brief cool-down before potential record-breaking dents are increasingly being fect next year, AI-generated
than average for this time of temperatures return this weekend, according to meteorologist Kyle Wheeler. victimized by apps that use and digitally altered materi-
year — before returning to artificial intelligence either al will join other types of ob-
potentially record-breaking media. of 101. high at 108 degrees, following to take a photo of a fully scene child pornography in
highs again Saturday and But Crystal Oudit, a me- In Northern California, an all-time October high clothed real person and digi- being illegal to knowingly
Sunday. teorologist with the weather several daily heat records from the day before, at 113 de- tally generate a nude body possess, sell to adults or dis-
“Hot temperatures will service in Monterey, said it’s were broken Wednesday, in- grees, according to the (“undresser” apps) or seam- tribute to minors. It’s also il-
come roaring back Sat- not really an accurate term, cluding at Stockton airport weather service. Las Vegas lessly superimpose the im- legal to be involved in any
urday,” the weather service’s especially when the Bay where it reached 105, break- has repeatedly set records, age of a person’s face onto a way in the noncommercial
Oxnard office said in a Area, and much of Califor- ing its old record of 101 set in adding to its tally of days at nude body from a porno- distribution or exchange of
Thursday morning forecast. nia, often sees September 1952. And in Modesto, it or above 100 degrees in a graphic video. such goods to adults know-
The Climate Prediction Cen- and October heat waves. reached 104, breaking the year, now at 107, already a According to a survey re- ing that they involve child
ter warned that much of “It’s pretty normal for us previous record of 99 de- week beyond the previous leased last month by the pornography, even if they’re
Central and Southern Cali- to have breaks [in heat grees set in 2012. record from 1947. Center for Democracy & not obscene.
fornia would likely experi- events],” she said. On Wednesday, Glamis, While San Francisco Technology, 40% of the stu- Senate Bill 1381, authored
ence hazardous heat this In the last two days, daily in eastern Imperial County, didn’t set any records, it hit a dents polled said they had by Sen. Aisha Wahab (D-
weekend, with highs from 90 heat records have fallen was the nation’s hottest lo- high of 95 degrees Wednes- heard about some kind of Hayward), covers similar
to 110 degrees threatening across the state. cation, hitting 114 degrees. day, something particularly deepfake imagery being ground, amending state law
temperature records. On Wednesday, it On Tuesday, Palm Springs rare for the typically mild, shared at their school. Of to clearly prohibit using AI
“Into the weekend, we’ll reached 111 degrees in Wood- and Indio tied for that spot, coastal city, especially in Oc- that group, nearly 38% said to create images of real chil-
be right back up to those land Hills, breaking the pre- at 117 degrees, according to tober. Temperatures in San the images were nonconsen- dren engaged in sexual con-
peak levels both Saturday vious Oct. 2 record of 109 de- the weather service. Francisco have hit above 90 sual and intimate or sexually duct, or using children as
and Sunday,” Wheeler said. grees set in 1991. At Palmdale “We are talking about degrees in October in only 31 explicit. models for digitally altered
The Mohave Desert and Airport, it was 105 degrees, temperatures that aren’t of the last 150 years, accord- Very few teachers polled or AI-generated child por-
Coachella Valley are under eclipsing the old record of 101 just hot because it’s the ing to Rachel Kennedy, a said their schools had steps nography.
excessive heat warnings degrees set in 2020. Inland, desert, it’s hot because of the weather service meteorolo- in place to slow the spread of Ventura County resident
that have been extended temperatures reached 110 weather pattern,” said Alex gist in Monterey. nonconsensual deepfakes, and former Disney actress
through Sunday and degrees at Lake Elsinore, Tardy, a National Weather “This has definitely been the center’s report said, add- Kaylin Hayman, 16, was a vo-
Monday, while much of in- breaking its record of 106 de- Service meteorologist in our hottest couple of days on ing: “This unfortunately cal advocate for AB 1831, hav-
land Southern California, in- grees set in 2012. San Diego. “This heat is not the coast this year,” Ken- leaves many students and ing experienced the problem
cluding Burbank and the In Central California, just Southern California — nedy said, though she noted parents in the dark and firsthand. According to the
Los Angeles County moun- Fresno Yosemite Interna- it’s Northern California, it’s that the Bay Area often sees seeking answers from Ventura County district at-
tains, are under an excessive tional Airport set a daily Nevada, it’s Arizona. It has a some of its warmest weather schools that are ill-equipped torney’s office, a Pennsylva-
heat watch for the weekend. record Wednesday when it large grip on the South- in the late summer and early to provide them.” nia man created images that
The spell of warmer tem- reached 102 degrees, break- west.” fall. What schools have spliced her face onto sexu-
peratures has some Califor- ing its previous record of 101 Phoenix has seen a Campo, at 105, and Palm tended to do, according to ally explicit bodies — images
nians referring to this set in 1980. As did Merced, streak of record-breaking Springs, at 117, set record the center, is respond with that were not punishable at
stretch as a “second sum- which hit 103 degrees, sur- hot weather, on Wednesday highs Tuesday for any Octo- expulsions or other penal- the time under California
mer,” especially on social passing the high from 1905 topping a daily temperature ber. ties for the students who cre- law. Instead, the man was
ate and spread the deep- prosecuted in federal court,
fakes. For example, the Bev- convicted and sentenced to
erly Hills school district ex- 14 years in prison, the D.A.’s
pelled five eighth-graders office said.

New law could help clear RV camps who shared fake nudes of 16
other eighth-graders in Feb-
ruary.
The Beverly Hills case
“Advocating for this bill
has been extremely empow-
ering, and I am grateful to
the DA’s office as well as my
“one of our biggest obstruc- was referred to police, but le- parents for supporting me
L.A. will have access tions to facilitating these gal experts said at the time through this process,” Hay-
RVs getting off the street in a that a gap in state law ap- man said in a news release.
to Caltrans land to more expedited fashion.” peared to leave computer- “This law will be revolution-
store vehicles and aid During the pandemic, generated child sexual ary.”
there was an explosion of abuse material out of state “Through our work with
homeless people. people living in tattered rec- prosecutors’ reach — a situ- Kaylin Hayman, who coura-
reational vehicles parked in ation that would apply even geously shared her experi-
By Rachel Uranga neighborhoods and indus- if the images are being cre- ence as a victim, we were
trial stretches. The influx ated and distributed by able to expose the real-life
Mayor Karen Bass prom- has raised the ire of many adults. evils of computer-generated
ises Angelenos will see more neighbors, who complain The gap stems in part images of child sexual
RV encampments cleared about unsightly tarps, trash, from the state’s legal defini- abuse,” Dist. Atty. Erik
and people housed after raw sewage and crime, even tion of child pornography, Nasarenko said in the re-
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed as the camps are essential which did not mention com- lease. “Kaylin’s strength and
a bill that opens up more housing for thousands of puter-generated images. A determination to advocate
than two dozen properties people. Unlike tent camps state appeals court ruled in for this bill will protect mi-
near L.A. freeways to store that can be cleared easily, 2011 that, to violate Califor- nors in the future, and her ef-
towed RVs, feed homeless in- Genaro Molina Los Angeles Times RVs pose serious logistical nia law, “it would appear forts played a pivotal role in
dividuals and provide emer- A BICYCLIST rides past a line of campers along issues. that a real child must have enacting this legislation.”
gency shelter. Jefferson Boulevard in Marina del Rey in 2023. Bass pushed for the bill in
The legislation carried by hopes that it would help her
Assemblyman Rick Chavez But it might take a while. available, there often isn’t a as she expands her Inside
Zbur, who represents Santa At the moment, only one of city yard where these recre- Safe effort beyond tent en-
Monica, Beverly Hills, Holly- the California Department ational vehicles can be held. campments. In December,
wood Hills and other West- of Transportation’s 64 so- Some are legally required to more than 50 RVs were
side communities, gives Los called airspace properties is be held for up to 120 days be- cleared along Forest Lawn
Angeles access to 25 Cal- available. fore being destroyed, Drive, with roughly 31 dwel-
trans parcels under or near “As other properties be- claimed or auctioned. lers accepting housing and
freeways for $1 a month. come available, Caltrans will There are only 325 spaces 20 RVs turned over to the
The bill sponsored by contact the city,” Matt for RVs in city lots, and as of city.
Bass aims to solve the logis- Rocco, the agency’s spokes- early 2024, 95% were occu- “RV encampments pose
tical problem that has vexed person, said in an email. pied, according to a legisla- a range of tactical and logis-
city officials for years — City officials have strug- tive analysis. tical challenges that require
where to store towed RVs. gled for years with a short- Councilmember Monica legislative and regulatory
Angelenos will “see the age of vehicles that can tow Rodriguez, who created a fixes,” Bass said. “This bill
difference in more RV en- the hulking campers that home placement program in will help us move RVs out of
campments being cleared,” now line communities from her San Fernando Valley dis- neighborhoods and bring
Clara Karger, a spokeswom- Van Nuys to South Los An- trict for people living in RVs, more Angelenos into hous- Jason Armond Los Angeles Times
an for Bass, said in an geles. said the legislation isn’t a ing in a faster and cheaper GUARDS stand outside Beverly Vista Middle School
emailed statement. Even when tow trucks are panacea but it addresses way.” after fake nudes of 16 eighth-graders were circulated.

Former sheriff’s deputy held in L.A. robbery and shooting

proached and robbed by two roukian was arraigned and working for the Sheriff ’s De- hires typically begin their ca- partment paid him just over
By Keri Blakinger men armed with a semiauto- pleaded not guilty. Bail was partment as a trainee in late reers. $100,000 in 2023.
and Libor Jany matic handgun. set at $500,000. 2022, according to county While Tsaroukian was While relieved of duty,
After the two other men His attorney did not re- payroll records. stationed at Men’s Central Tsaroukian “allegedly en-
A former Los Angeles fled in a car, he told police, he spond to a request for com- A magazine published by Jail in 2023, the department gaged in criminal miscon-
County sheriff ’s deputy has got in his vehicle and started ment Tuesday. the deputies’ union listed said, it “became aware of al- duct,” the department said
been arrested on suspicion following them. When the The Los Angeles County him as a member of Sheriff ’s legations” involving him; of- in a statement. Officials
of being involved in a rob- robbers spotted him in pur- Sheriff ’s Department said in Academy Class 464 — the ficials didn’t specify what again didn’t specify what the
bery and shooting. suit, one of them got out of a statement Tuesday that class in which many recruits those allegations entailed, misconduct may have been,
Adrian Tsaroukian, 23, their car and fired two the former deputy’s alleged were injured and trauma- saying only that they related but said he “separated” from
is now in jail at the rounds in his direction, ac- conduct “damages the in- tized in late 2022 when an to off-duty conduct. the agency in late August
county’s Twin Towers Cor- cording to police. tegrity and trust” in the SUV plowed into them dur- Officials opened an inter- this year.
rectional Facility, facing fel- The shots hit the car door agency among the commu- ing an early-morning train- nal investigation, and Tsa- Just over three weeks
ony charges of robbery and of the robbery victim, who nity. ing run in Whittier. Twenty- roukian was relieved of duty later, he was arrested in
shooting at a car. was unhurt. One robber re- “The department does five trainees were hurt, and in August 2023. connection with the alleged
Just after 2 a.m. on Sept. portedly fled with the gun not tolerate any behavior one later died. That month, the state robbery.
22, Los Angeles police re- and the stolen property. The that compromises our val- It’s unclear whether suspended his peace officer Tsaroukian is due back
sponded to a call about a other suspect, identified by ues or mission and individu- Tsaroukian was among the certification on grounds in court Oct. 8 for a prelimi-
possible armed assault near police as Tsaroukian, was als who engage in criminal injured, but he went on to of unspecified criminal nary hearing to determine
Pico and Crenshaw boule- arrested at the scene. activity will be held account- graduate from the academy charges and unreasonable whether there is enough evi-
vards. A man at the scene Two days later, criminal able,” the statement said. and began working in the use of force. Still, county dence to move the case for-
told them he’d been ap- court records show, Tsa- Tsaroukian started county’s jails, where new payroll records show the de- ward toward a trial.
B4 FR I DAY , O C T O B E R 4 , 2 0 2 4 L AT I M E S . C O M

Obituaries
Place a paid notice latimes.com/placeobituary
Search obituary notice archives:
legacy.com/obituaries/latimes

Stories live on.

Steven Fuss Tell theirs.
September 6, 1948 -
September 28, 2024 placeanad.latimes.com/obituaries

Kind spirited, free thinker.

Great wit & intellect. Keen
sense of design. Loved In partnership with
music, radio, books, art with
an amazing understand-
ing of how things work.
Studied communications.
Alum of Marshall High, Cal
Poly SLO, & Chico BA. OG
surfer, el camino, humble.
Deeply loved and missed Don’t let the
forever by mother, Florence,
sisters, Teddy Ann & Hilary
story go untold.
Photographs by Genaro Molina Los Angeles Times
(Krystianne), brother, Bob, placeanad.latimes.com/obituaries
BOTTLES OF URINE started mysteriously appearing on an electrical box on Pasadena’s Colorado Boulevard
and many cousins.
about two years ago. Two documentary filmmakers say they think one man is responsible, his motive unclear.

In partnership with
Honor a life
go to latimes.com/placeobituary
Filmmakers on a self-appointed
mission to identify mystery man
[Urine, from B1]
Grant Yansura — also a film-
maker and owner of a skate-
board company — whom
Milton has disguised as his
“recently divorced, dishev-
eled project manager.”
It is very important that
they dress as a construction
RONALD APPEL team because they need to
be incognito to investigate
January 8, 1934 - September 25, 2024
Urinegate. First, they don’t
Ron’s story truly began when he met Lois. They want to be mistaken by pass-
met, fell in love, and from that day forward, there ing drivers and pedestrians
was no looking back. Their marriage spanned an for the person who’s actually
extraordinary 70 years. Their love is eternal. leaving the bottles. That
would be a real situation.
Second, it’s funny.
Ron served in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Germany.
And it needs to be funny,
Towards the end of his service, Lois joined him there, and it was
because the ultimate goal
there that they exchanged vows and began their life together.
here is to turn the bottles of
urine into internet gold.
Ron’s professional journey began humbly, changing tires The disguises are one of
in his Uncle Mark C. Bloom’s tire shops. Mark ignited Ron’s the recurring bits in Milton
ambition, setting him on the path to become a successful and Yansura’s six-part,
businessman. Ron’s father, John, owned a few gas stations deadpan-comedy-meets-
in South Central Los Angeles during the 1950s, and it was true-crime-documentary DOCUMENTARIANS Grant Yansura, left, and Derek Milton have placed cam-
here that Ron established himself and pursued his dreams. series on TikTok about the eras camouflaged as discarded containers in the hope of capturing the urinator.
Together, they founded United El Segundo, Inc., better known urine depositor (think
as “United Oil,” in 1959. Over the next six decades, United HBO’s “The Jinx: The Life has proved difficult because
Oil expanded to 135 stations, developed a transportation and Deaths of Robert of his complete lack of inter-
division, and became a prominent distributer of fuel under Durst”) (on second thought, est in speaking with Milton
the 76 and Shell brands. United Oil was known not only for don’t). The short films have or Yansura.
its high-volume locations, but also for its innovative and made minor stars of the two The filmmakers have
award-winning design and architecture. The company fostered
filmmakers; the first install- captured footage of him
a unique culture called “We Got It,” encouraging personal
ment drew more than 6 mil- more than once. In the first
growth and community, earning United a reputation as one
of Southern California’s best private companies to work for. By lion views, and their subse- instance, the camera shows
2014, when the company was sold, United Oil was generating quent videos have racked up the hands of a man eerily
over $3 billion in revenue, ranking seventh on the Business millions as well. reaching over the freeway
Journal’s List of Largest Local Private Companies. After the They’ve been recognized wall in the dark and arrang-
company was sold, United continued to flourish under Ron’s in airports and restaurants, ing numerous bottles of uri-
leadership by investing in high profile retail and apartment although their fans don’t al- ne on the electrical box.
properties throughout West Los Angeles. ways remember their Another time they in-
names. stalled a ReoLink Go PT
“You’re the piss guy,” fans Plus in the tree above where
Ron’s legacy wasn’t defined by his business success alone. say when spotting one of the mystery man stands
What made him truly remarkable was how he conducted him- them in the wild. Milton and when he places his bottles.
self – with kindness, integrity, and a genuine care for others. Yansura try to remain hum- The camera had a function
He built his company through hard work and determination, ble. through which Yansura and
but he never compromised on his principles. He was beloved The ongoing documenta- Milton could watch the area
by those who knew him and all those who crossed his path.
ry has a simple premise. Mil- THE PERPETRATOR, shown in footage from a live and speak to whoever
He was always approachable, always ready with personal
advice and guidance.
ton and Yansura hope to fig- hidden camera, has not engaged with the filmmakers. was there. When the man ap-
ure out who the urine bottler peared late one night, the
is and why he does what he I simply had to know “This person removed/ filmmakers’ hearts began to
He remained grounded in his humble beginnings. He was does. They insist their goal is more, so last week I joined destroyed (vandalism) the race.
a simple man who was rich in what he valued the most - the not to publicly identify the them. The videos were not pyramid and placed more Yansura, who was watch-
love he shared with his family and friends. urinator, but to understand enough. I needed to see the bottles there,” said Lisa ing the action on his phone,
his motives. receptacles of urine with my Derderian, a spokeswoman was not able to communi-
Milton and Yansura say own eyes. Milton asked if I for the city of Pasadena, in cate. He said he was drunk
Ron was a proud father to his children, Jeff and Cheri, and they believe it is one person, would be comfortable wear- an email. (or as the Brits say, pissed)
cherished the families they built. His joy only deepened as a man. The city of Pasadena ing a construction pinny. The department has at a casino, and it was loud
he became a grandfather and great-grandfather, reveling also said it is investigating a Sure, I said, why not. since fabricated a new pyra- there. It fell on Milton to
in the time spent with his beloved grandchildren and great- man, whom officials did not We walked across Col- mid, she said. “Seems to be make first contact.
grandchildren. A man of many passions, Ron enjoyed tennis identify. orado Boulevard, and there working so far.” “What’s up, dude?” Mil-
and golf in his younger years, but later found delight in Since the bottles started they were, glinting in the Obviously, not everybody ton said. Classic.
watching movies and taking family trips, especially cruises. appearing around 2022, Mil- Pasadena sunshine, 13 bot- in the community found the The man looked up
He and Lois shared a love for traveling the world together.
ton said, multiple theories tles full of liquid in varying urine situation amusing. briefly, then continued
While family was his greatest source of pride, Ron also ap- about the source and pur- hues — from a worryingly Complaints have poured working.
preciated life’s finer things. He had a taste for elegant clothing, pose have been asserted, dark amber to a hydrated, in from residents and a “I would like to interview
good liquor, and he loved betting on sports and playing craps then discarded like so many light gold. It was weeks’ councilman. Police are in- you. Can you hear me?” Mil-
in Las Vegas. A true gentleman, Ron had a generous spirit and bottles of... worth of urine. vestigating, according to ton continued.
was always ready to help those less fortunate, giving with an Some thought the man — The reasons we were Derderian. The man froze. Then he
open heart because it brought him joy. and people invariably as- there were twofold. Yansura “Hey funny guy,” one per- looked back up slowly, stood
sume it’s a man — was pro- and Milton were installing son had scribbled in a hand- on top of the fence and re-
viding clean urine for people new cameras inside the Sub- written note affixed to the moved the camera. He
Though life presented him with physical challenges, includ-
to pass drug tests. Others way cup, the Dreyer’s ice electrical box. “If I catch you didn’t say a word.
ing four back surgeries that left him in pain and unable to
walk, Ron rarely complained. In his later years, he was blessed thought the urine contained cream tub and a fake shrub. leaving your piss here, I will He seemed to have no in-
with the care of two remarkable people, Nikki D. and Jeanette, liquefied drugs. Some didn’t They would place the cam- make you drink every last terest in speaking with
who became like family, caring for Ron 24/7 for many years. believe the urine was actu- eras in the vicinity of the drop! You will have wished I them, much less revealing
Their devotion brought comfort to Ron and his loved ones. ally urine. electrical box in hopes of called the cops! I am watch- his identity.
Yansura and Milton capturing video of the man ing you and you don’t know Another time, Milton had
Ron is survived by his loving wife Lois, his son Jeff, his sought to dispel those behind the bottles. who I am, but I know who left a board with questions
daughter Cheri, his daughter in law Arezou, and his son
doubts by performing a uri- Three types of cameras you are. You have been written on it and a Sharpie
in law Alan, as well as his adored grandchildren: Courtney
nalysis and a drug test on were installed (and this next warned!” for the bandit to answer
Volpi (Lucio), Chelsea Parrish (Mark), Sophia Appel, Charlie
Appel and great grandchildren: Siena Volpi, Téa Volpi, Willow one of the urine bottles. part is important): a Re- The note was months old. questions such as “How and
Parrish and Haven Parrish. Ron was preceded in death by his They determined it was olink Go PT Plus, a Reolink The bandit remains as ac- why did you choose this elec-
grandson, Danny Appel. “clean, healthy piss,” as they Go PT Ultra and a Reolink tive as ever. trical box?” and “Do you
say in their video. Go Ranger PT. It’s impor- Others found the situa- have an artist name?” The
Why were they willing to tant because Milton thinks tion endlessly amusing. bandit returned to leave
Ron will be deeply missed, but his legacy of love, kindness do a urinalysis on a strang- it’s funny to use the full “It’s pretty fantastic,” more urine, but did not leave
and perseverance will live on in the hearts of all who knew him. er’s pee? Yansura suffers names of the cameras every said Daniel Rossman, who any answers.
from anosmia, Milton says in time he mentions them in pulled over to the side of the His identity remains a
the video, meaning he has no his videos, like they’re road to join us when he rec- mystery. Milton and Yan-
sense of smell. And also, British royalty. ognized Milton and sura are working on their
funny. The second reason we Yansura, whose videos he seventh video in the series.

Share a memory
“Grant was in the zone,” were there was to see the has been watching reli- Despite the bandit’s un-
Milton said in Part 4 of the bandit’s handiwork. The giously with his wife. willingness to interact with
series. “He flawlessly com- Pasadena Department of “A lot of us have driven by the filmmakers, Milton does
pleted the urinalysis.” Water and Power had in- and wondered, but I appre- believe the man has watched
“I think we both do pretty stalled a pyramid of metal ciate you’re doing the labor the viral videos.
To sign a guest book please go to funny, weird things,” atop the electrical box in the to answer the unanswered For years, the bandit
Yansura said. “[He] and I hope of using hostile archi- questions,” he told the film- wrote “urine” or “human uri-
latimes.com/guestbooks both like to go way too far tecture to end the bandit’s makers. “Real life is strange ne” on the bottles. Since Mil-
into detail [about] seem- reign of liquid terror. Days sometimes.” ton and Yansura started
ingly mundane or not-that- later, the pyramid had been posting their “Piss Bandit”
important things.” removed, possibly through :: videos online, the man has
the use of a crowbar, and changed what he writes.
:: bottles of urine once again Communication with the “Human piss,” the bot-
befouled the box. mysterious urine depositor tles now read.
L AT I M E S . C O M F R I DAY , O C T O B E R 4 , 2 0 2 4 B5

A more in-depth look at issue of child care

[Child care, from B1] more than $277,000 for a fam- employers.
ple providing this very es- ily of four. Families earning Vance did not say
sential service,” he said. more would have continued whether there should be a
But this diagnosis of the to pay full price. national law but agreed that
child-care market as a sim- paid family leave is a “bipar-
ple supply-side problem What do Republicans pro- tisan issue,” saying that his
conflicts with how child-care pose as a solution for child wife, an attorney, benefited
experts see it. care? from such a policy from her
“It reveals a fundamental Trump has not yet of- employer.
misunderstanding of the fered details for improving Currently, the federal
child-care problem because the child-care system, and government guarantees up
it’s a broken market,” said the GOP campaign platform to 12 weeks of unpaid but job-
Kathryn Anne Edwards, a does not mention the issue. protected family and medi-
labor economist and policy “Child care is child care, cal leave for eligible employ-
consultant who studies the it’s something you have to ees. In 2019, Trump also
child-care market. have in this country. You signed into law up to 12
Meanwhile, Vance’s solu- have to have it,” Trump told weeks of paid parental leave
tion — that the problem can business leaders at the for qualifying federal em-
be solved by offering families Economic Club of New York. ployees.
more choice of who can pro- His proposed tax on imports A national paid leave law
vide care for their children — from foreign nations at has been shot down multiple
is something the govern- higher levels, he said, would times over the last several
ment already does. And “take care” of such prob- decades.
under the current system, lems.
low-income families can use How does paid family leave
subsidies provided by the Why doesn’t the U.S. have work in California?
government to pay for the national paid family leave? California is home to the
child care of their choice, in- The U.S. is one of only a oldest paid family leave pro-
cluding faith-based pro- few countries that does not gram in the country, which it
viders and care provided by guarantee paid leave nation- has continued to tweak since
a relative or friend. ally. Only Washington, D.C., its passage in 2002. Starting
Brian van der Brug Los Angeles Times and 13 states — including in January, the state is in-
Why is child care so expen- CHILD CARE is expensive in the United States and is often described as a “bro- California — have passed creasing how much a worker
sive in the U.S.? ken market.” Above, a prekindergarten class at Educare in Long Beach in March. such legislation. But the is- can collect while on family or
Child care is often de- sue has bipartisan support medical leave as part of an
scribed as a “broken market” helps fund subsidies for fam- You don’t get access to any of Meanwhile, families in from voters, according to effort to ensure low-wage
for good reason: Child-care ilies earning a maximum of these federal monies.” the middle class are general- Laura Narefsky, senior workers can afford to take it.
employees are some of the 85% of their state’s median This is false. ly left paying sticker price. counsel for education and Those who earn up to
lowest-paid workers in the income — $104,544 for a fam- The government allows workplace justice at the Na- $60,000 a year will be able to
economy, at an average of ily of four in California — subsidies from the block What do Democrats pro- tional Women’s Law Center. get 90% of their income re-
$13.22 an hour, yet despite through the Child Care and grant program — in the form pose as a child-care solu- “This is not a polarizing placed while on family or
these low wages, the price of Development Block Grant, of vouchers to families — to tion? issue for the American peo- medical leave in California,
care is astronomical for fam- though many states cap it be used for a variety of op- Harris announced a ple, because at some point up from 60%. Workers who
ilies. far lower. tions — including both child-care plan proposing everyone has had to give or earn more will be able to col-
In California, for exam- During the debate, Vance churches and care provided that working families would provide care,” Narefsky said. lect 70%.
ple, placing an infant in a pri- said these subsidies fund by a family member, friend not pay more than 7% of Walz, who called paid
vate child-care center cost only “one kind of child-care or neighbor. their income for child care. family leave a “Day One” is- This article is part of The
an average of $19,547 per year model. Let’s say you’d like The problem is that the It was proposed in 2021 in sue at the debate, touts a Times’ early childhood
in 2021, according to the non- your church, maybe, to help available vouchers are not Biden’s Build Back Better program he signed into law education initiative,
profit Child Care Aware. you out with child care. May- nearly enough to meet the bill, which Congress failed to in Minnesota that will pro- focusing on the learning and
That’s 15% of the median in- be you live in a rural area or need. Of the nearly 6.3 mil- pass. vide up to 20 weeks in a year development of California
come for a married couple in an urban area, and you’d like lion children ages 5 and The plan would have for family and medical leave. children from birth to age 5.
the state, and 47.6% of the to get together with families younger in the U.S. whose capped a family’s child-care The program, which will go For more information about
median income for a single in your neighborhood to pro- families qualify for these spending for anyone earning into effect in 2026, will be the initiative and its
parent. vide child care in the way subsidies, fewer than 840,000 up to 250% of state median funded by a payroll tax philanthropic funders, go to
There are shortages of that makes the most sense. receive it. income. In California, that’s shared between workers and latimes.com/earlyed.
care in many places, includ-
ing Los Angeles. But while
Vance’s suggestion to ex-
pand supply might help
more families find care, it is
unlikely to significantly
bring down costs.
That’s because the big-
Honeywell will MARKETPLACE latimes.com/placead
To place an ad call 1.800.234.4444

gest problem is that child

care costs more to provide
than families can afford to
pay. There aren’t many op-
fund groundwater JOBS · REAL ESTATE · MORE

portunities to trim costs, be-

cause the job of a child-care
worker can’t be automated
cleanup in Valley Garage and
Yard Sales
ANNNUAL PLAYA VISTA
Legal Notices Legal Notices
CITATION TO PARENT
Case No.: 24A0006, 24A0007
and employers can’t pay
YARD SALE Legal Notices In Pro Per
them any less. Workers are Honeywell’s predecessors When: Saturday, October 5th SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
already fleeing the profes- By Ian James manufactured aircraft parts Where: Concert Park in Playa “Notice of SERVICE BY COUNTY OF KINGS
Vista (across from the Coffee
sion in search of higher and other industrial equip- Bean) PUBLICATION is given
Time: 8AM-2:30PM to JAIME RODRIGUEZ IN RE THE MATTER OF THE PETITION OF,
wages in retail or fast food. Decades ago, chemicals ment starting in the 1940s at SALANGA, who is being Jesus Lopez, Petitioner
Walz was not asked di- from manufacturing plants a facility in North Hollywood This is our annual commu- used by Sal Garcia at the
nity yard sale where 60-70 Superior Court of Califor- TO: Eric Grande
rectly about child care, but seeped into the ground- known as the Bendix site.
sellers take part in this event. nia, Los Angeles.”
addressed it in a question water in the San Fernando Regulators determined that Sellers will have old and new
about paid family leave in Valley, contaminating the operations at several indus- items for sale. This event has By order of this court you are hereby advised that
been happening for 18 years you may appear before the Judge presiding in
somewhat vague terms, say- aquifer. As part of ongoing trial plants, including that now and the word has got-
ten out that this yard sale Department 1 of this Court on November 1, 2024 at
ing that child-care workers cleanup efforts, the federal site, caused the contamina- 8:15am, then and there to show cause, if any you
is one of the best on the
needed higher wages, and Environmental Protection tion of groundwater in a part westside. This year we have have, why Damien Eric Grande and Ismael Grande
families more support to pay Agency has announced that of the Superfund site called added a free shredder truck should not be declared free from your custody and
from 9am-1pm. Come early
for care. the company Honeywell In- the North Hollywood Op- and bring lots of cash be- control for the purpose of freeing Damien Eric
“You can’t expect the ternational Inc. has agreed erable Unit. cause items go quickly. Grande and Ismael Grande for placement for
adoption. The following information concerns rights
most important people in to pay for building water The groundwater in the 16TH ANNUAL TOLUCA LAKE and procedures that relate to this proceeding for
our lives to take care of our treatment facilities in North area is contaminated with NEIGHBORHOOD YARD SALE
the termination of custody and control of said minor
Saturday, October 5th
children or our parents to Hollywood. harmful chemicals including 8AM - 12PM as set forth in Family Code Section 7860 et seq.:
get paid the least amount of The EPA said the facili- trichloroethylene and per- Many households will par-
ticipate! Clothing, furniture,
money,” he said. “And we ties will treat groundwater chloroethylene. electronics, antiques, and 1. At the beginning of the proceeding the court
have to make it easier for in a portion of the San Fer- Under the agreement, more! Go to https://viewer. will consider whether or not the interests of the
mapme.com/tl-yard-sale- minor child require the appointment of counsel. If
folks to be able to get into nando Valley Superfund contaminated groundwater map for map of participat- the court inds that the interests of the minor do
that business and then to site, enabling the Los Ange- will be pumped, treated and ing homes!
require such protection, the court will appoint
make sure that folks are able les Department of Water delivered to LADWP. The counsel to represent him/her, whether or not
to pay for that.” and Power to use the water purified water will be he/she is able to aford counsel. The minor will not
In the Democratic plan, as part of its supplies. enough to meet the needs of be present in court unless he/she requests or the
this would mean the federal The agency said in its about 144,000 L.A. residents, court so orders.
government subsidizing announcement Tuesday restoring a local source that
2. If a parent of the minor appears without
care for more families. that the agreement was will help boost local sup- counsel and is unable to aford counsel, the court
reached after more than a plies, the EPA said. must appoint counsel for the parent, unless the
What can families spend decade of negotiations and Martha Guzman, the parent knowingly and intelligently waives the right
their child-care assistance that it “resulted from a coop- EPA’s Pacific Southwest re- to be represented by counsel. The court will not
on? erative process” involving gional administrator, said appoint the same counsel to represent both the
The government already the company, the EPA and the announcement “marks minor and his/her parent.
provides subsidies to low-in- LADWP. major progress on the clean- 3. The court may appoint either the public
come families to help cover LADWP had previously up of groundwater in the defender or private counsel. If private counsel is
child-care costs; families can announced in 2021 that Hon- San Fernando Valley.” appointed, he or she will receive a reasonable sum
also attend free govern- eywell was funding and “This is a key step for compensation and expenses, the amount of
ment-funded programs in- building treatment facilities towards returning the aqui- which will be determined by the court. That amount
cluding Head Start and to clean up groundwater in fer to use as a drinking water must be paid by the real parties in interest, but not
by the minor, in such proportions as the court
state preschools. the San Fernando Valley. source for the people of Los believes to be just. If, however, the court inds that
The federal government According to the EPA, Angeles,” Guzman said. any of the real parties in interest cannot aford
counsel, the amount will be paid by the county.

4. The court may continue the proceeding for not

more than thirty (30) days as necessary to appoint

Supremacists hit with charges counsel to become acquainted with the case.

Date: Sep 03, 2024

Nocona Soboleski, Clerk of Court
Court Executive Oicer
[Peckerwoods, from B1] By: Jonathan Colvard, Deputy Clerk
“The Peckerwoods’ vi-
Published in the Los Angeles Times 9/13, 9/20, 9/27
olent white-supremacist
and 10/4/2024
ideology and wide-ranging
criminal activity pose a THAT SCRAMBLED WORD GAME
grave menace to our com- By David L. Hoyt and Jeff Knurek
munity,” U.S. Atty. Martin Unscramble these Jumbles,
Get the free JUST JUMBLE app • Follow us on Twitter @PlayJumble

Estrada said in a statement. one letter to each square,

“By allegedly engaging in to form four ordinary words.
everything from drug-traf-
ficking to firearms offenses LASAI
to identity theft to COVID
fraud, and through their alli-
ance with a neo-Nazi prison
gang, the Peckerwoods are a U.S. attorney’s office GIWHE
destructive force.” FROM DRUG DEALS, $20,000 was allegedly sent
The indictment makes from one Peckerwoods gang member to another.
clear that Vitanza and other
defendants were communi- ganization with orchestrat- stalled following the federal BZGEOA
cating with prisoners using ing murders both inside and Bureau of Prisons’ refusal to
contraband cellphones. The outside the California prison accept the California in-
indictment lists dozens of system. mates.
unnamed conspirators who Prosecutors this year One Aryan Brotherhood MFNYIA
were not charged. convinced a jury to convict member who pleaded guilty
The case against the Troxell and two co-defend- to murder in aid of racket-
Peckerwoods follows similar ants of murder in aid of rack- eering in that case is now try- Now arrange the circled letters
©2024 Tribune Content Agency, LLC to form the surprise answer, as
racketeering indictments eteering. But their stated ing to withdraw his plea, say- All Rights Reserved. suggested by the above cartoon.
brought against the Aryan goal of transferring the de- ing he signed it only because
Brotherhood in Sacramento fendants, who were already he’d been assured he’d
and Fresno. In those cases, serving life sentences in spend the rest of his life in a
(Answers tomorrow)
authorities have accused im- state custody, to more re- federal — not California —
Jumbles: MACAW HOUSE WIDGET DIGEST
prisoned leaders of the or- strictive federal prisons has prison. Yesterday’s
Answer: They loved their “talkative” kitty and thought she
was — THE CAT’S MEOW
 E

ENTERTAINMENT F R I D AY , O C T O B E R 4 , 2 0 2 4 :: L A T I M E S . C O M / E N T E R T A I N M E N T

Vance’s
A MIDDLE-EARTH future?
Careful,
MYSTERY IS SOLVED America
‘Rings of Power’ Season 2 finale reveals MARY McNAMARA

what many fans have suspected all along Do vice-

presi-
dential
BY EMILY ZEMLER debates
matter?
Conven-
This article contains spoilers wizard also known in Tolkien’s tional wis-
for the Season 2 finale of “The writing as Olórin. dom says
Rings of Power.” “No one will believe us, but this no. Histori-
was a journey of discovery for the cally, polls have shown that
those quadrennial 90 min-

T
he Lord of the character and the characters
Rings: The Rings around him, and it was a journey of utes have little effect on how
of Power” has con- discovery for the writers,” McKay people will vote in the presi-
firmed what many says. “We wanted this to be the ori- dential election.
fans suspected all gin story of a wizard coming to Tuesday night’s debate
along: the Strang- terms with who he is and what he between the Democratic
er is Gandalf. has to do.” nominee, Minnesota Gov.
In the season finale, the myste- Payne adds that they went deep Tim Walz, and his Republi-
rious, gray-haired wizard, played into Tokien’s legendarium to look can opponent, Sen. JD
by Daniel Weyman, finally learns at which wizards would have been Vance of Ohio, seems to be
his name, acknowledging, “Gan- around in the Second Age. “Deep following that pattern.
dalf. That’s what they’re going to in the history of Middle-earth, Vol- Some pundits have claimed
call me, isn’t it?” ume 12, he confirms that Olórin that Vance, who delivered a
The reveal was an intentional had already visited Middle-earth. polished and unflappable
slow burn on the part of showrun- So Tolkien left it open that Gan- performance, “won” the
ners Patrick McKay and J.D. dalf may have come earlier than debate; Walz appeared
Payne. The Stranger was intro- the Third Age,” he says. “But there more nervous and fumbled
duced in Season 1 as a potential were also things that we discov- several questions, although
red herring for the villain Sauron ered inside the story that really he did, according to fact-
(Charlie Vickers), but by the end of seemed to fit with the character as checkers, lie far less often.
the season, it was clear that he was you meet him later on.” Walz also scored big at the
one of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Istari, mag- There were other options for end, when he pushed Vance
ical beings usually associated with the Stranger’s identity, including to confirm that President
the Third Age of Middle-earth. Saruman and the Blue Wizards. Biden did win the 2020
But McKay and Payne say But McKay and Payne discarded election and called Vance’s
the Stranger wasn’t always in- those because they didn’t make [See Vance, E2]
tended to be Gandalf, a powerful [See ‘Rings,’ E6]

Caleb Heymann Marvel

KATHRYN Hahn, left,
with creator-showrun-
ner Jac Schaeffer on set.

Witchy
song
casts its
spell
In ‘Agatha All Along,’
‘The Ballad of the
Witches’ Road’ keeps
changing its tune.
By Ashley Lee

This article contains

spoilers for Episode 4 of “Ag-
Ben Rothstein Prime Video atha All Along.”
DANIEL WEYMAN on learning the Stranger’s identity: “To suddenly be given this information was a real pinch-me moment.” “It’s just a stupid song,”
says a witch in the second
episode of “Agatha All
Along.”
MOVIE REVIEW However, as viewers of
the new Marvel series know
by now, “The Ballad of the

Self-destructive tale in more ways than one Witches’ Road” is anything

but stupid. It’s a cultural
touchstone for the cen-
turies-old witches, an in-
windswept remoteness. struction manual for naviga-
Slipshod filmmaking The problem is that ting the road and an infec-
Ronan is also forging her tious tune that’s become an
distracts from ‘The compelling warts-and- earworm since the season
Outrun’s’ compelling all portrait of obliteration premiere last month.
and recovery in another And in the fourth epi-
story of an alcoholic. type of gale storm, that of sode, the song transforms
undisciplined filmmaking like the road itself, and what
By Robert Abele at odds with the patient was once an ancient chant
harvesting of characteriza- [See ‘Agatha,’ E3]
In “The Outrun,” a young tion.
Scottish woman’s alcohol- A camera that wants to
ism is a personal catastro- be as drunk as the self-de-
phe of environmental and structive figure it’s sup- Fireworks over
geographical breadth, posed to observe, on top of festival kickoff
bringing her to the edge of slapdash time-jumping and
the world, which is also her interludes of encyclopedic A pyrotechnic launch
childhood backyard. narration about science and of Getty Museum’s
The part of Rona is myth that pull us away from PST Art event leaves
the kind of I-contain-multi- the central performance, injuries, questions. E2
tudes acting job you should makes for an ultimately un-
only trust to someone who stable partner — no matter A truer jury of
commands a frame with how well-intentioned, and Grammy peers
ease, which is why director even occasionally effective, Recording Academy
Nora Fingscheidt, in adapt- Fingscheidt’s handling of chief praises diversity
ing co-screenwriter Amy this material. A relentless efforts ahead of voting
Liptrot’s memoir, is fortu- bid for poetic transcendence and awards nods. E3
nate Saoirse Ronan knows is more likely to tire than
how to do more than hold Natalie Seery Sony Pictures Classics achieve liftoff. Comics ................... E4-5
her own against the Orkney A YOUNG alcoholic (Saoirse Ronan) flees to Scotland’s remote Orkney Islands Rona may hail from a Puzzles ...................... E5
archipelago’s breathtaking, to recover and reckon with her past in the film adaptation “The Outrun.” [See ‘The Outrun,’ E6]
E2 F R I DAY , O C T O B E R 4 , 2 0 2 4 L AT I M E S . C O M / E N T E RTA I N M E N T

PST Art festival has an explosive kickoff

Cai Guo-Qiang’s
daytime fireworks
display injured guests
at L.A. Coliseum.
By Jessica Gelt

It wasn’t the experience

many people had expected.
The daytime fireworks show
kicking off the Getty’s PST
Art festival seemed to have
suffered an explosive mal-
function. Or had it?
Debris, including fire-
works tubes and what
looked like rocks the size of
quarters, rained down on David Colker
the crowd of 5,000 assem-
bled at the Los Angeles Me-
morial Coliseum for the
show, titled “We Are,” by Chi-
nese artist Cai Guo-Qiang.
At least two people reported
injuries from the falling
rocks, which turned out to be
clay fireworks caps sent sky-
ward during the detonation
of 50,000 pyrotechnic de-
vices. In photos sent to The
Times by a bystander
watching “We Are” from the Kenryou Gu Cai Studio David Colker
lawn at the neighboring Na-
tural History Museum of Los CAI GUO-QIANG’S colorful chalk-based fireworks explode over the L.A. Coliseum as part of “We Are: Explosion Event.” But some of the
Angeles County, one per- crowd of 5,000 on the field reported falling debris, top right, that burned holes in the sweatshirt of a person watching nearby.
son’s sweatshirt had burn
holes purportedly created tions from The Times, he from the top of the Colise- “The fireworks company cedures in hosting this event dium’s bowl-like structure
by the falling debris. The of- said: “There were no mal- um’s perimeter wall, and for I hired to realize the show and have no further com- might have amplified the
fice of the state fire marshal functions with the fire- the first time in 100 years, py- has executed hundreds of ment.” sound.”
is investigating the event. works.” rotechnics erupted from the fireworks displays at this A representative for the He added, “In hindsight, I
According to people in at- The artist said the fire- cauldron of the Olympic stadium and its surround- Los Angeles Fire Depart- realize I should have re-
tendance, including Times works displayed as he had torch atop the stadium, rep- ings and is highly experi- ment told The Times that minded the audience via
classical music critic Mark designed, but even he was resenting “humanity’s theft enced,” Cai said. “It worked Cal Fire’s Fire Engineering broadcast about the poten-
Swed, the fireworks were un- surprised by the severity of of fire,” Cai said. One part of closely with relevant agen- and Investigations unit in tial for loud sounds.”
expectedly — some said ex- the sound and the debris — the show, he added, was his cies. My studio and I ad- Hollywood, working under Complaints on social me-
cruciatingly — loud. Resi- adding that he was “deeply expression of a story from hered to the fireworks com- the state fire marshal, is con- dia raised the hypocrisy of a
dents in the surrounding uneasy and apologetic.” He his childhood in which the pany’s professional guid- ducting the investigation, science- and environment-
South L.A. neighborhood said winds that day may god of thunder lashes out ance and requirements at per protocol for any “injury themed art festival creating
said they thought bombs have been to blame, and that against bad children. every stage of the process.” or malfunction involving so much air and noise pollu-
were exploding, and the he relied on his pyrotechnics Pyro Spectaculars by When asked about re- fireworks.” tion. Cai has used gunpow-
smoke that wafted into their contractor to stage the show Souza did not respond to ports of injuries, including “PST meets PTSD,” der in his art for years and
streets unsettled them, forc- safely. The Times’ multiple re- one person on a stretcher, quipped Swed, who said the said he has “long been in-
ing some to close windows Cai contracted the Ri- quests for comment, but a the Getty confirmed that noise was war-like and the volved in improving the envi-
and leading others to believe alto-based company Pyro behind-the-scenes video it two people inside the Colise- explosions strong enough to ronmental and safety as-
that they were in the midst Spectaculars by Souza, posted on YouTube shows um required first aid but de- make the ground shake. pects of fireworks, both from
of an emergency. which has operated for the six days it spent setting clined to provide more de- Other members of the audi- an artistic and technical per-
In the wake of the Sept. 15 nearly 100 years and dubs it- up the event, an effort that tails. A spokesperson said ence noted the presence of spective.”
event, commissioned by the self “one of the largest and involved 70 technicians and Getty Trust Chief Executive children in the Coliseum and A PST Art exhibition of
Getty, many questions re- most respected fireworks a 30-person drone crew who Katherine Fleming ex- dog owners in the park try- Cai’s work, “Cai Guo-Qiang:
mained unanswered. Did display companies in the prepared and placed 11,000 pressed her concern and of- ing to calm pets distressed A Material Odyssey,” is run-
anybody involved — the world.” pyrotechnic devices in a 360- fered assistance in person. by the explosions. ning at the USC Pacific Asia
Getty, the L.A. Coliseum, the The artist used his own degree formation within the Regarding the noise, the Those in attendance Museum in Pasadena. It ex-
fire marshal, the pyrotech- AI model, called cAI, to Coliseum’s seating and Getty spokesperson said: “It noted that it was a cool, plores Cai’s long history of
nics team hired to stage the power the performance, mounted 2,300 drones with was certainly loud. We regret windy day — a welcome re- working with gunpowder
display or the artist who de- which he had hoped would fireworks. that some neighbors and at- spite a week after a heat and pyrotechnics to create
signed it — anticipate the introduce AI into the “cre- The 50,000 fireworks ex- tendees were disturbed by wave that baked the city visually arresting — and
noise and debris? Why was ative choreography of fire- ploded with organic, sus- the sound. The Coliseum fol- with temperatures soaring often highly unpredictable
nobody in the audience, or works.” The result included tainable dyes — a hallmark lowed its normal process for into the triple digits. — artwork.
neighborhood, warned of an opening scene featuring of Cai’s practice. Promo- events held at the stadium Cai speculated that “un- Cai said that despite the
the risk? And what exactly 12 exploding zodiac signs, tional materials from the and notified municipal part- expected gusts of wind” sent unease his art might pro-
did go wrong? followed by air bursts set off Getty called the event the ners.” the debris into the crowd, voke, his aim remains “an in-
For the first time since among the seats of the sta- first such display in U.S. his- A spokesperson for the “since fireworks were finitely fascinating experi-
the event, Cai has spoken dium forming words coined tory to feature a drone for- Coliseum wrote: “The Los launched 360 degrees ence that fills one with
about what happened. In an by the AI model. Long mation equipped with py- Angeles Memorial Coliseum around the audience,” he boundless admiration and
email responding to ques- plumes of color were fired off rotechnic devices. followed all event pro- said. “Additionally, the sta- emotion.”

Vote Trump? A warning on

how things could play out
[Vance, from E1] a concern considering how rival, Vice President Kamala
deflection “a damning historically low Vance’s Harris, and to pull out of a
nonanswer.” approval ratings are: Before scheduled “60 Minutes”
According to instant the debate, Vance was more interview, indicate that he
post-debate polling, most unpopular than any vice may already be struggling
voters considered the de- presidential pick in modern with issues of cognition
bate a tie, and both men saw history, including Sarah and/or stamina, in addition
bumps in their favorability Palin, who is often credited to whatever strategic rea-
ratings, although these are with helping John McCain sons are behind the choices.
unlikely to change the fact lose his election in 2008. In addition to regular
that Walz’s numbers are Vance would be, after all, non sequiturs about sharks
unusually high while a heartbeat away from the and Hannibal Lecter, and
Vance’s are remarkably low. presidency. And should he outrageous lies that Haitian
None of which, as previ- win, the 78-year-old Trump immigrants in Springfield,
ously stated, will likely would, by the end of his Ohio, are eating their neigh-
matter come November. term, be the oldest presi- bors’ dogs and cats, Trump
Except for one thing. dent ever to hold the office. recently accused the presi- Victor J. Blue Bloomberg via Getty Images
One very important and And Trump’s recent dent of North Korea of IN DEBATE performance Tuesday, Sen. JD Vance offered a preview of himself as
rarely mentioned thing: If rambling and nonsensical trying to kill him (he ap- leader of the free world, should Trump win and have to step down as president.
Donald Trump wins, Vance speeches, as well as his pears to have confused
could very well become decision to refuse a second North Korea with Iran) and doesn’t know what the the main function of the vice a preview of himself as
president. Which should be debate with his Democratic acknowledged that he Congo is (even as he falsely president is to support the leader of the free world.
claimed that “many peo- president, occasionally fill in As many have said in
ple” from there are flood- for the president and, most praising his performance,
ing the U.S.) important, assume the Vance offered a more pol-

TM
NOTAFRAID
OF SUBTITLES
It goes without saying
that if Harris said any of
office of the presidency
should the president die or
ished version of Trump’s
many ill-considered policies
these things, the press become incapacitated. (tariffs, Project 2025), mis-
Info Line 310.478 .3836 www.LAEMMLE.com would be calling on her to Even if Trump’s notable characterizations (say,
TOWN CENTER ROYAL GLENDALE NoHo 7 step down. Which is pre- lack of coherence and ener- about the Biden adminis-
17200 Ventura Blvd. Encino 11523 Santa Monica Blvd. West L.A. 207 N. Maryland Ave Glendale 5240 Lankershim Blvd. No. Hollywood cisely what happened after gy are not indications of tration’s responsibility for
BLINK B THE OUTRUN E A DIFFERENT MAN E President Biden fumbled, in mental and physical de- inflation) and outright lies
1:00 3:10 5:15 7:30 1:00 4:00 7:00 A DIFFERENT MAN E 1:20 4:20 7:20 a far less dramatic way, his cline, the fact remains that (claiming that violent crime
THE PROBLEM WITH PEOPLE 1:10 4:10 7:20 JOKER: FOLIE A DEUX E June debate against Trump. Vance is, based on Trump’s is up, for instance, or that
GOEBBELS AND THE 12:50 4:00 7:10
FUHRER 1:20 7:20 In the absence of Biden age alone, among the vice most Americans support
4:20 PM HOLDING BACK THE TIDE FRANKIE FREAKO THE OUTRUN E on the campaign trail, presidential candidates draconian abortion laws).
4:30 PM 1:00 4:10 7:00
THE OUTRUN E 10:00 PM Trump and Vance have been most likely to be called upon Most important, by
STRIPPED FOR PARTS: WHITE BIRD C
1:10 4:10 7:10 1:10 4:10 7:15 attacking Harris’ “policies,” to fulfill that role in the refusing to contradict
AMERICAN JOURNALISM ON
JOKER: FOLIE A DEUX E which honestly displays a history of the republic. Trump’s Big Lie about the
WHITE BIRD C THE BRINK MEGALOPOLIS E
1:10 4:10 7:00 1:10 4:10 7:10 12:50 4:00 7:10 10:15 4:00 PM shocking ignorance about Yes, the guy who wrote 2020 election, Vance told us
LEE E NEWHALL MY OLD ASS E the role of vice president. the intro to a book by one of pretty much all we needed
22500 Lyons Ave. Santa Clarita THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW 12:55 3:05 5:15 7:30
1:20 7:20 Those of us who have the architects of Project to know about his potential
MASSACRE: 50TH THE SUBSTANCE E
MEGALOPOLIS E BLINK B taken a high-school civics 2025, who doesn’t trust presidency. As an unde-
12:50 3:00 5:10 7:20 ANNIVERSARY E 12:50 7:10
3:55 PM class, or seen at least one people that don’t have cided Michigan voter told
10:10 PM LOVELY JACKSON
THE SUBSTANCE E JOKER: FOLIE A DEUX E 7:20 PM episode of “The West Wing” children, who admitted that CNN after the debate: “I
12:50 7:00 12:50 4:00 7:10 9:50 or “Veep,” understand that the racist tales about the don’t think I can trust some-
MEGALOPOLIS E LOVELY JACKSON
THE OUTRUN E 1:30 4:20 Haitian community in one with my vote if they’re
MONICA 1:10 7:00 12:50 7:10
1332 Second Street Santa Monica CLAREMONT Springfield were false but not going to respect it.”
WHITE BIRD C 450 W. 2nd Street Claremont
spread them anyway, who When Biden defeated
BLINK B 1:10 4:10 7:15 MY OLD ASS E
A DIFFERENT MAN E thinks that women should Trump in 2020, many wor-
1:00 3:15 5:20 7:30 THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW 1:00 3:10 5:15 7:30 1:10 7:10 10:10 BAYTHEATERLA.COM
MASSACRE: 50TH 310-230-1457 stay in abusive relation- ried that MAGA Republi-
JOKER: FOLIE A DEUX E ANNIVERSARY E JOKER: FOLIE A DEUX E 1035 N SWARTHMORE AVENUE ships for the sake of “fam- cans would next find a can-
1:00 4:00 7:00 THE SUBSTANCE E 1:00 4:00 7:10 10:00 PALISADES VILLAGE MALL
9:50 PM ily” and that the solution to didate that would push
4:00 10:15 WHITE BIRD C
LEE E MEGALOPOLIS E NOW PLAYING our childcare problem is the same nationalistic,
1:20 7:10 4:00 10:10 1:10 4:10 7:00 10:10 CARRIE COON, NATASHA LYONNE
GIRLS WILL BE GIRLS AND ELIZABETH OLSEN IN Grandma and who has elitist and divisive agenda,
HIS THREE DAUGHTERS*
THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW
MEGALOPOLIS E MY OLD ASS E 1:20 7:00 MASSACRE: 50TH referred to rape as an in- only without the orange
REZ BALL* “SYDNEY
1:10 4:10 7:10 1:00 3:10 5:15 7:30 10:00 ANNIVERSARY E FREELAND’S BASKETBALL DRAMA
10:00 PM IS A FEEL-GOOD WINNER.” – INDIEWIRE convenience. That guy makeup, the many lawsuits
THE WILD ROBOT B
MY OLD ASS E
1:10 3:15 5:20 7:20 1:20 4:20 7:00 10:15
BORDERLAND: THE LINE
MEGALOPOLIS E WILL & HARPER* “ASURPRISE.”JOYOUS AND WELCOME
– GQ
could very well become and the tendency to veer off
WITHIN our president. into narcissistic and often
THE SUBSTANCE E 4:00 PM
NETFLIX & CHILLS
THE SUBSTANCE E 10:00 PM 4:10 PM MY OLD ASS E JOIN US FOR A SPOOKTACULAR TIME So Tuesday night’s de- baffling rants.
4:10 PM EACH WEEK THROUGH HALLOWEEN
bate should be seen less as Based on the vice presi-
HUBIE HALLOWEEN*
BEETLEJUICE 1:00 3:05 5:15 7:30
BEETLEJUICE C HAUNT SEASON THE WILD ROBOT B
WALLACE & GROMIT: Vance facing off with Walz dential debate, it looks like
MUSIC FOR MUSHROOMS
THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT
1:00 3:05 5:15 7:30 1:30 4:30 7:30 10:15 10:10 PM 1:30 4:30 7:20 10:15 and more as Vance offering they have.
*
ALL SHOWS AVAILABLE WITH CLOSED CAPTIONING AND AUDIO DESCRIPTION.
BARGAIN IN ( ) CLOSED CAPTION NON-STANDARD PRICING FOR 10/4/2024 ONLY
L AT I M E S . C O M / E N T E RTA I N M E N T F R I DAY , O C T O B E R 4 , 2 0 2 4 E3

Grammys
chief praises
diversity steps
new members, the academy
Recording Academy has shed Grammy voters
turnover means that that no longer meet the or-
ganization’s qualifications
‘relevant’ acts will for membership — “voters
pick awards, he says. that maybe had a hit record
or a song published in the
’70s or ’80s and just kept vot-
MIKAEL WOOD
ing,” as Mason put it. The
POP MUSIC CRITIC
group’s goal, he said, is an
electorate composed of “rel-
Two-thirds of the profes- evant music people.”
sional musicians who will Asked whether some of
decide the results of next those deemed irrelevant
year’s Grammy Awards were protested their expulsion,
Photographs by Chuck Zlotnick Marvel not members of the Record- Mason laughed. “There were
COMPOSERS Robert Lopez, far left, and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, right, watch as Patti LuPone, from left, ing Academy as recently as some cases, of course, where
Sasheer Zamata, Debra Jo Rupp, Kathryn Hahn and Ali Ahn sing “The Ballad of the Witches’ Road.” 2018. people wanted to continue
That’s one of the key find- to be members,” he said.

‘Ballad’ delivers the rules of

ings of a report the academy “But we really felt strongly
released Thursday, one day that making sure everyone
before the start of first- was requalified” — meaning
round Grammy voting, dur- a voter could submit record-
ing which the organization’s ing credits from within the

‘Agatha All Along’ in song roughly 13,000 voting mem-

bers will determine nomina-
tions for the music indus-
try’s most prestigious prize.
Nominations for the 67th
last five years — “would have
an impact on the outcomes
of our elections.”
Added Mason: “We can
celebrate the stats. But my
Grammys will be announced hope is we can celebrate the
[‘Agatha,’ from E1] Ahn is hunched over and Nov. 8; the ceremony itself results — better nomina-
has become a head-banging hiding herself in those early will be held Feb. 2 at Crypto- tions, better wins, more re-
— and heart-healing — ’70s episodes; after the shoot, “I .com Arena in downtown flective of what’s happening
rock hit. Creator and needed so many massages!” Los Angeles. in music.”
showrunner Jac Schaeffer said the actor.) The turnover in the acad- To that end, Mason sent a
promises that additional The song kicks off with emy’s electorate is signifi- letter to voters in July im-
versions are still ahead. Hahn, wearing cape sleeves cant given the criticism the ploring them to put in the
“ ‘The Ballad’ is the back- and jeweled fringe, owning group has faced for years work of listening to eligible
bone of the whole show,” she her lead singer status. that its voters are too old, recordings and judging
told The Times. With each “I had to put myself in a too male and too white to them “with pride and with
new version, “It’s less about bubble of confidence be- properly recognize excel- purpose.” Many younger
the genre and more about cause otherwise I would lence in modern popular members have complained
the era and its significance have been a puddle on the music. According to the re- about the academy’s cum-
to Agatha. So rather than floor,” said Hahn, who chan- port, the share of academy bersome voting process,
doing what we did in neled “that gender-less members who identify as which Mason said the group
‘WandaVision’ — which was quality of ’80s rockers” like people of color has increased has tried to improve with an
phenomenal, but it was Siouxsie Sioux. “It was a 65% since 2019 while the per- app it soft-launched last
quite cutesy, like we ran it long day, and every time they centage of women has grown year and is more heavily pro-
through a filter every time — said, ‘Save your voice’ or, 27%. moting this time around.
this is different because it’s ‘Don’t go full throttle,’ I did. I In 2019 — a year before the “But it’s not supposed to
ingrained and embedded in couldn’t comprehend it, I academy ousted its first fe- be easy,” he cautioned of the
a way that’s far more about just kept belting it.” male chief executive, Debo- process. “It’s not supposed
story than it is about window Though sections of the rah Dugan, amid an explo- to be something you just do
dressing.” studio keep bursting into sive scandal involving casually while you’re watch-
ALI AHN , left, sings the ’70s version of the song,
Schaeffer knew early on flames, the members of the charges of discrimination ing TV.” The academy re-
that the “WandaVision” which is “her mom’s way of loving her,” the actor says. coven — this time with the and vote-rigging behind the ceived more than 20,000 en-
spinoff series would set the still-unnamed Teen (Joe scenes at the Grammys — tries for the 2025 Grammys,
characters in “different performed by Agatha, divi- stake. Locke) and Agatha’s myste- the academy said it in- he added, which must be
trials that are like witchy es- nation witch Lilia Calderu “All signs point to a jam rious rival Rio Vidal (Aubrey tended to add 2,500 female winnowed down to just five
cape rooms,” each with var- (Patti LuPone), potions ex- session,” Agatha concludes. Plaza) in tow — each take up members by 2025. The new to eight nominees in each
ied wardrobe and produc- pert Jennifer Kale (Sasheer “You should have burnt to a their own instruments. report says it’s added more category for the final round
tion design, strong emo- Zamata), protection witch crisp years ago, but here you (Schaeffer said Lilia was than 3,000 women a year of voting, which is set to run
tional breakthroughs and Alice Wu-Gulliver (Ali Ahn) are, sullen and aimless, but supposed to play “an old- ahead of schedule. from Dec. 12 to Jan. 3.
opportunities to play with and Agatha’s neighbor alive. That’s because at any timey sounding instrument “What we’re doing is “My hope is we can be
perceptions of witches Sharon Davis, a.k.a. Mrs. given moment, somewhere, like the lyre, and Patti we’re looking at the mem- very intentional in our vot-
throughout history. Hart (Debra Jo Rupp) — someone is playing that LuPone was like, ‘Isn’t the bership that we have, and ing,” he said.
Anchoring it all with a outlines, in poetic detail, song that you hate so much. zills funnier? And could I we’re comparing that to As he looks toward next
song made sense, since “Ag- that the legendary Witches’ Lorna’s ‘Ballad’ is a protec- have a stash of hand instru- what’s going on in our music year’s ceremony, does Ma-
atha All Along,” the minute- Road is revealed when a tion spell. It protected you.” ments that I keep switching community — who’s making son remember the public
long ditty that revealed Aga- coven sings it, unlocking the Adds Lilia, “And maybe out throughout the song?’ ”) the music, what’s their gen- scolding the academy re-
tha Harkness’ (Kathryn trials they must face to reach now, it can protect us.” Alice plays the piano tim- der, what’s their age, what’s ceived from Jay-Z at Febru-
Hahn) Westview villainy, the end. “Up until this moment, idly, and it’s not just because their ethnicity,” Recording ary’s show, where the veter-
went viral in 2021, spawning “It released us of this Alice really didn’t know if her the character is nervous Academy CEO Harvey Ma- an rapper said he couldn’t
countless covers, remixes enormous expositional bur- mother loved her because about the trial and has a son Jr. said in an interview. understand why his wife,
and an Emmy win. den of explaining the road’s her mom was obsessed with complex relationship with “And then we’re trying to Beyoncé, had never won the
“I love musical interludes rules,” Schaeffer said. “We performing this song for her her mother’s number. make sure that our member- Grammy for album of the
in content where it’s not a needed all these witches to fans, and died when Alice “I don’t even put on my ship is representative of year?
traditional musical and it’s be on the same page quickly, was just a teenager,” said résumé that I play piano be- that.” “Oh, I remember it,” Ma-
more world-ized,” Schaeffer and because all witches were Ahn of the reveal. “But the cause I grew up doing classi- In its public messaging, son said. “Initially, to be hon-
said, citing the 1991 movie aware of ‘The Ballad,’ they song is actually her mom’s cal music competitions, and the academy has long em- est, I was a little bummed,
“The Commitments” and already knew everything way of loving her. That mis- that world is intense — kids phasized the idea that a because I always want the
the 1996 movie “That Thing about it. Almost all of the communication between practice piano for hours and Grammy is the preeminent artist community — espe-
You Do!” as prime examples. world-building in the show, mother and daughter is a hours a day,” Ahn said. “So music award because it’s be- cially artists that have a
She tasked Kristen An- you can point to a word or a universal thing, but there is to suddenly be back in front stowed by an artist’s peers platform like that — to
derson-Lopez and Robert phrase in the song.” something particular about of this instrument that I just (as opposed to an American understand and appreciate
Lopez — the “Frozen” and For example, what hap- the lack of transparency do not touch anymore, that Music Award, a Billboard the progress. And I felt like,
“Coco” composer-lyricists pens if a witch dies midtrial? that can happen between used to just be about pres- Music Award or an MTV Vi- ‘Dang, he didn’t understand
who created the “Wanda- “If one be gone, we carry on,” Asian generations.” sure, it was definitely scary, deo Music Award, which are what’s happened so far.
Vision” theme songs — with read the lyrics. Pulling inspiration from and I really had to face my determined by fan votes or Maybe he doesn’t have
writing multiple, distinct Filming this version for Fleetwood Mac, the Eagles own demons about it.” chart statistics). Yet the enough information. How
versions of “The Ballad.” Episode 2 “felt sacred,” said and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Alice takes over the lead electorate’s perceived older- can I share with him the
Hahn of the full-length, Young, the songwriters vocal during the bridge, white-man contingent has things I’m passionate about
SIMILAR YET a cappella rendition, which wrote Lorna’s version of playing more robustly and been widely blamed for con- that have changed in the or-
DIFFERENT begins with the witches vis- “The Ballad” first (and then roaring with a newfound re- spicuous losses in recent ganization?’
“Each version had to in- ibly hesitant and ends with transformed the composi- solve, even when the winged years by acts, including Bey- “But that quickly faded,
clude some new and vital them holding hands and tion into a sacred chant, a demon (Jade Quan) lands oncé and the Weeknd, who and I realized that the
piece of information, and be clearly connected. blues tune and the yet-to-be- on her shoulders and sets represent the music indus- Grammy is important to
changed enough to feel like a “I’ll never forget that day. revealed iterations). The them ablaze. try’s creative power centers. him. It’s important to the
different song,” said Ander- We ran through it together piano-driven track had to The unlikely catalyst for Mason said the academy people that he was speaking
son-Lopez about the assign- to get the master shots, but work as both “a bitter love that climactic beat: Fleet- has been “very strategic” of. And it gave me hope to
ment. for coverage, each person song full of pain and heart- wood Mac’s 1997 perform- since he assumed his role in remember that this is such
The married songwriters sang their part of the har- break,” said Anderson- ance of “Silver Springs,” in 2019 in conducting outreach an aspirational award, and
created all of the song’s vari- mony alone,” she recalled. Lopez, and a vow from a re- which Stevie Nicks turns to to communities that tradi- that it really, really matters.
ations in a three-week pe- “So all you heard were these signed parent to an es- Lindsey Buckingham and tionally have been underrep- And I will say: Since then,
riod, making only minor beautiful, vulnerable notes tranged child. delivers the haunting song resented in the organiza- I’ve had a chance to share
tweaks to the lyrics for plot by Sasheer and Ali, and then directly to her former flame, tion. In 2024, 72% of those in- more information, and I
needs. “It was a multidimen- all of a sudden, you heard A LONG-STANDING who inspired the composi- vited to join the academy ac- hope to continue to be able
sional puzzle, each like its Patti, and oh my God, the INTEREST tion. cepted the offer, the to do that.”
own little musical magic power! And that was her “As a kid, I was interested “Something in her snaps, organization says, resulting Did he find that Jay-Z
trick of, ‘Hey, same tune, holding back!” in folk music, like ‘Streets of and it’s like she’s singing in an all-time high of more was open to such info?
mostly, same words, mostly. “They were all singing as Laredo’ or ‘Black Is the Col- from the depths of her soul, than 2,800 new members. Of “I won’t even comment
But listen closely, this time is actors, not as vocalists, so or of My True Love’s Hair,’ it’s so electric,” said Schaef- the new recruits, 45% said on that,” Mason replied.
different,’ ” Anderson- there’s a rawness to the re- songs that had been around fer of the band’s footage. they were below the age of 40, “But I just took it as an op-
Lopez explained. cording that’s really spe- for centuries that also made “Trying to channel that according to the academy. portunity to learn from him
“The Ballad” is intro- cial,” added Schaeffer, who their way into modern mu- while also having a per- In addition to enlisting and share information.”
duced in the series’ opening directed Episode 2, written sic,” Lopez said. “We wanted former in a harness on Ali’s
moments: Agatha herself is by Laura Donney. “And they a song that felt like it had shoulders, how do we make
humming the tune, whether all have such rich textures to been around forever, but the mechanics work and still
she realizes it or not. From their voices. It’s true to the also sounded like it really feel emotionally impactful
there, remnants of the melo- themes of the show, where could be a hit love song from and not ridiculous? It came
dy are peppered throughout these witches have very dis- the ’60s and ’70s, when these down to editing within the
Christophe Beck and Mi- tinct personalities, but they bands were putting so much song, making sure the cuts
chael Paraskevas’ score, and harmonize together on the craft into their harmonies.” felt right and, in the grand
a blues version — echoing day.” (The Lopezes’ early take tradition of Bruce the Shark
the theme songs of shows The most drastic trans- even included a standout [from “Jaws”], limiting how
like “True Detective” and mutation of “The Ballad” guitar solo, performed by much we see the demon so
“True Blood” — plays over thus far is in Episode 4, writ- Carole King’s grandson Dil- that we maximize scari-
the pilot’s title sequence and ten by Giovanna Sarquis lon Kondor, but it was cut for ness.”
is sung by Matthew May- and directed by Rachel time.) In upcoming episodes,
field. Goldberg. The road puts the This musical moment is “The evolution of the song is
“That one is sung by a coven in a ’70s-era recording ambitious. Like the “Try a pretty amazing,” teased
man, as a bit of a misdirect,” studio and specifically chal- Little Tenderness” scene in Hahn.
Schaeffer said. “I love watch- lenges Alice, the daughter of “The Commitments,” the “Our fan base is so ex-
ing things that scratch at my Lorna Wu, who recorded the performance “starts out traordinary, their eyes are so
subconscious, so we made it most famous version of the slow and awkward, and it peeled, and they don’t miss
so that when you hear them ballad and, despite her builds and builds until anything,” added Schaeffer.
singing together in the base- drinking problem, was con- they’re firing on all cylinders “The ballad itself is meant to
ment [toward the end of Epi- stantly on tour with her rock by the end,” Schaeffer said. be shared amongst the cov-
sode 2], it feels familiar band, the Coral Shore (a ref- Plus, Alice is forced to en that is the fans of the
somehow, like you already erence to Alice’s mother in confront the demon she’s show, and I’m interested in
Allen J. Schaben Los Angeles Times
know it.” the comics). been unknowingly carrying them starting to pay atten-
That sacred chant The trial? To stop them on her back for years, as her tion to the lyrics in these dif- RECORDING Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. says
version of “The Ballad” — all from getting burnt at the mother did. (Notice how ferent versions.” its goal is an electorate of “relevant music people.”
LAT I M E S . C O M / E N T E RTA I N M E N T F R I DAY , O C T O B E R 4 , 2 0 2 4 E5

COMICS

SUDOKU BRIDGE
he ducks a diamond. If West offense. A double might let
By Frank Stewart wins and leads the queen of you reach a game if partner
clubs, South ducks and has a decent hand, but a
What’s an ace worth? On ducks the jack also. West pass is your soundest action.
the 4-3-2-1 scale popularized then leads a second heart,
by Charles Goren (someone and South wins and ducks South dealer
else devised it), an ace is another diamond. N-S vulnerable
worth four points. Goren ad- Declarer wins East’s dia-
NORTH
vocated adding a point for mond return and takes the ♠ A K 10 3
holding all four aces. ace of clubs. He then has a ♥KQ6
Aces are controls and count: West had two clubs, ♦643
cards that promote the val- one diamond, six hearts — ♣ 10 8 4
ue of lower-ranking honors. and four spades. So South WEST EAST
♠J974 ♠62
Moreover, an ace may be a takes the A-Q and leads a ♥ J 10 9 8 5 3 ♥7
card you can take when you spade to dummy’s 10. ♦Q ♦ K J 10 8 5
want. You hold: ♠ Q 8 5 ♥ A 4 2 ♣QJ ♣K9652
At 3NT, South took the ♦ A 9 7 2 ♣ A 7 3. Neither side SOUTH
queen of hearts and went vulnerable. The dealer, at ♠Q85
right after the spades: He your right, opens one spade. ♥A42
cashed the king, queen and What do you say? ♦A972
ace. When East discarded, Answer: I would be reluc- ♣A73
South had eight tricks and tant to put down this hand SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST
no more. as dummy if I doubled and 1♦ Pass 1♠ Pass
Before attacking the partner bid (“advanced”) 1 NT Pass 3 NT All Pass
spades, South should try to two hearts. The hand is full Opening lead — ♥ J
get a count of the East-West of losers, and the queen of
KENKEN distribution. At Trick Two spades may be worthless for Tribune Content Agency
Every box will contain a number; numbers depend on the size of the grid. For a 6x6
puzzle, use Nos. 1-6. Do not repeat a number in any row or column. The numbers in each
heavily outlined set of squares must combine to produce the target number found in the
top left corner of the cage using the mathematical operation indicated. A number can be ASKING ERIC
repeated within a cage as long as it is not in the same row or column.

Dear Eric: My brother and bring some of that local hon- I do my best to refill my
sister-in-law visit infre- ey we like,” or something of “positivity” tank with things
quently, usually only once or that nature. that soothe my soul, and I
twice a year, including a ma- Bottom line: It’s your rely heavily on my faith, but
jor holiday. After each visit I house and you should be I’m finding it harder to look
tell my husband that we will comfortable. But hosting on the bright side. How can I
not host them again. guests is always going to dis- keep looking for the silver
In the past, their arrival/ turb our preferred modes a lining?
departure times have been little bit. Determine how far Trying To Stay on
inconvenient. They converse outside of your comfort zone the Sunny Side
loudly after others have re- you’re willing to be.
tired for the evening or be- Dear Sunny Side: I am
fore others have risen in the Dear Eric: I am generally really sorry you’re stuck in
morning. Doors are an upbeat person. Unfortu- this space. Try having a
slammed simply from habit. nately, my husband of 30 heart-to-heart with your
They are provided com- years and my 80-year-old husband to emphasize how
10/4/24 fortable guest accommoda- mother are definitely not. much you need his support.
tions and multiple meals, My husband could best be A “Hey, honey, that’s not
but never bring a host gift. I described as a middle-aged helpful to me right now” can
have the impression they Sheldon from “The Big Bang go a long way.
HOROSCOPE feel entitled, as some of the Theory” — an analytical sci- Can he also support you
families do not have finan- entist who will always more in action? Can he pick
Do you have too much? You much happier without. cial concerns. Please let me choose logic over feelings no up the phone when you
By Holiday Mathis already know the answer, Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. know, shall I “buck up” and matter the situation. can’t? Part of this problem is
though you may need to 18): The ding of a text can tolerate their lack of man- My mother, on the other logistical and that’s a place
Aries (March 21-April 19): work up more gumption to send a rush of dopamine ners and consideration, or hand, has always been a he can shine.
The first step in getting un- remedy the situation. through you if you see the suggest they book a room at closet Eeyore/Negative Nel- Track your search for the
stuck is realizing that you’re Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 23): right name attached. You one of several local hotels? lie. I don’t live near her, but I light in a joy journal or some
stuck. To find out if you’re The song you liked yesterday still care if they still care. Rental Relative speak to her multiple times other regular diary. Make
really stuck, try to leave. just doesn’t energize you the Pisces (Feb. 19-March daily on the phone. Every time and space to connect
Taurus (April 20-May same way today. You are 20): You prize humor, en- Dear Relative: This is the phone call brings a new more regularly with people
20): Just because you don’t new, and so it is time to find couragement, optimism and paradox of telling guests, es- boatload of doom, gloom who are also finding their
have much contact with a new delights. initiative. You’ll find these pecially guests we’re related and worries. I am her re- own joy.
thing doesn’t make it less vi- Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 21): and more around you today. to, that they should “make maining family member and You may not be able to
tally important in the mo- You take your responsibili- Today’s birthday (Oct. themselves at home.” if she can’t reach me within banish the gray, but flooding
ment you need it. ties seriously, and you ex- 4): You try new roles this Pick one or two things two phone calls, she panics your world with even more
Gemini (May 21-June 21): pect others to do the same, year and are entrusted with that you’ll just chalk up to a and will start, and has light will help. I have also re-
Thinkers might linger in though it doesn’t matter un- duty that honors you. You’ll difference in styles. With the started, calling my friends, cently appreciated the work
doubt, but it’s the doer who til their responsibility con- be relieved of a burden that rest, communicate clear ex- acquaintances, neighbors, of psychologist Dacher Kelt-
crosses the finish line. When nects in some way to your allows room for a new hobby pectations before the visit. law enforcement, etc. ner, particularly the new
you’re taking action, instinct own. Such is the case today. and relationship. High- For instance, if they plan to She vehemently refuses book “Awe: The New Science
kicks in to lead the way. Sagittarius (Nov. 22- lights: glamorous gather- arrive at an inconvenient to learn to use a smartphone of Everyday Wonder and
Cancer (June 22-July 22): Dec. 21): Don’t be too quick ings, generations educating time, tell them it’s inconven- or any technology, like tex- How It Can Transform Your
The “who” matters more to call out your strengths, one another to create a to- ient and give them a range of ting, that would make it eas- Life.”
than the “what” today, and and be even more reticent to morrow of peace and togeth- times that work for you. If ier for me to reassure her if I
you’ll plan accordingly. name your weaknesses. You erness, a debt paid in full. you expect a host gift, tell cannot immediately speak Email questions to
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22): It’s are among the least quali- Sagittarius and Capricorn them. “Next time you come, to her. [email protected].
more fun to look for things fied to judge the matter. adore you. Lucky numbers:
that seem to want to be Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 2, 12, 4, 49, 32.
found. What doesn’t want to 19): Diamonds over cubic zir- FAMILY CIRCUS By Bil Keane DENNIS THE MENACE By Hank Ketcham
be found is a joyless search. conia, real flowers over silk ... Mathis writes her column
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): but when the genuine article for Creators Syndicate Inc.
Do you want too much? Are isn’t available? You’ll find The horoscope should be
you consuming too much? there are some things you’re read for entertainment.

CROSSWORD
Edited By Patti Varol
By Gary Larson & Amy Ensz © 2024 Tribune Content Agency
ACROSS
1 Floor it
6 Grasps
10 Exchange
14 Eighth Greek letter
15 Do roadwork
16 Deli sandwich
17 Die-hard independent?
19 Came to rest
20 Alpine cheese from Italy
21 Vexes
23 Support on a course
24 “Stay” singer Lisa
27 Ode or haiku FREE RANGE By Bill Whitehead MARMADUKE By Brad & Paul Anderson
28 Baked potato?
30 One of Bo Peep’s
charges
33 Incident that hurts
one’s credit score
36 Hence
37 Place atop
39 “To the stars,” in
mottos
41 Facility that’s in a
constant state of
ferment
43 Kitchen gadget
44 Carp kin
46 Writer Bombeck
47 Comics shriek
8 At any time 54 Soda purchase
48 Diamond heist?
9 Oaxacan wrap 55 Año Nuevo month
51 Rolling in dough
10 Lose 56 Streep of “Only Murders
53 Henry VI’s school
11 Gauge on an oil rig? in the Building”
54 Apollo vehicle, briefly
12 “Songversation” artist 57 Order
57 Netflix title role for Lily
India.__ 58 Tony who holds the
60 Gender-neutral ethnic
13 Double boilers, e.g. Cowboys record for
identity
18 Owl most touchdown
62 Ninth Greek letter
22 Like Vikings passes BLISS By Harry Bliss
63 Problematic dental SPEED BUMP By Dave Coverly
25 Robinhood alternative 59 Playwright Bogosian
patient?
26 App issue 61 Layer
66 “Couldn’t agree more”
28 Socks 64 401(k) rollover target
67 Country whose name
29 Excavator-maker 65 Tennis mulligan
comes from a Gaelic
31 Compost bin helper ANSWER TO
goddess
32 Grammy winner from PREVIOUS PUZZLE
68 Not fully trusting
69 Shredded Donegal
70 “Out!” 33 Uncommon
71 Barnett of CBS News 34 Actress Falco
35 Quality-control
DOWN inspector at a knapsack
1 Mid-Mar. figure factory?
2 Lunar cycle component 38 Amphoralike vessel
3 Supercreepy 40 Take in
4 Blues guitarist Baker 42 Get a second opinion?
5 Company that invented 45 Part of the upper
black-light fluorescent deck?
paint 49 Takes to task
6 Upscale bathroom 50 Empower
installation7 Down 52 Idiotic 10/4/24
E6 F R I DAY , O C T O B E R 4 , 2 0 2 4 L AT I M E S . C O M / E N T E RTA I N M E N T

‘Rings of Power’ reveal is no stranger to fans

[‘Rings,’ from E1] wright appeared at the end
sense for the story. By the of Episode 4, but in the fina-
Season 1 finale, the le, Weyman and Kinnear
showrunners had solidified performed a few verses.
their decision and reverse- “There’s a way a song
engineered the details from laces into your being, and I
there. The Stranger even ut- tried to play with the idea
tered one of Gandalf ’s most that the song is one of those
famous lines: “If in doubt, al- things that the Stranger can
ways follow your nose.” vaguely remember, a bit like
“They had about five dif- the sunset,” Weyman says.
ferent lines that they wanted “He might have heard this
me to record at that point, before and he might have felt
some of which were Gandalf like he was coming home, in a
in lines and some of which way, and that was quite fun.”
would never [have] been Payne and McKay have
said before,” Weyman re- ideas for how Gandalf can
members. “Obviously, I evolve in future seasons. For
knew there was resonance instance, in the Third Age,
there. But as we talked the five Istari are forbidden
about it, the idea was that it from destroying Sauron
might be nice that a line that with their magic.
Gandalf says was said by an “Why might that prohib-
unknown wizard in the Sec- ition be put in place?” Payne
ond Age. It’s become a wiz- says. “If you have five wiz-
ard thing over time. All of ards and it’s five on one, why
that played for me because couldn’t they just take on
at that point he didn’t have a Sauron in an all-out wizard
name and I didn’t need to grudge match? That’s a
know it.” Ross Ferguson Prime Video question that we’re looking
But McKay says the RORY KINNEAR, left, portrays Tom Bombadil and Daniel Weyman is the Stranger in “Rings of Power.” at in terms of, what journey
showrunners have not “been does Gandalf go on in the
trying to play games or trick but it’s always undergirded ard.” He has to make mistakes. Poppy Proudfoot — and gets Second Age that might
people. And, in fact, even by a deep love.” Although some of Gan- So that gives us license to be the staff in the process. make that prohibition exist
more clues have been pre- Despite the hints, Wey- dalf ’s characterization has different from where Gan- McKay says they wanted in the Third Age?”
sent throughout Season 2 man himself didn’t officially been drawn directly from dalf might end up. The only Gandalf to earn his staff in Still, there is a general
leading up to the big reveal. find out about the reveal un- Tolkien’s writing, the way of becoming wise is “the most unexpected way,” plan the showrunners want
“We were really playing til the middle of shooting showrunners have also tak- through lots of life experi- which Tom confirms when to follow, which includes
with our hands open very Season 2. en some dramatic license. ence.” he tells the Stranger that the Gandalf.
early,” McKay says. “The The showrunners were fi- The version of the wizard A key element to reveal- “staff picks the wizard.” “We were very fortunate
hobbits started talking nally forced to tell the actor seen in “The Rings of Power” ing Gandalf ’s identity is the Holding the prop was an to get hired for this gig be-
about, ‘Well, maybe you need because they needed to film is not the same as the one onscreen introduction of “extraordinary” moment for cause we pitched it as heavi-
a “gand” to help you control the scene from Episode 8 readers and film fans know Tom Bombadil, an impor- Weyman, who says two staffs ly serialized, long-form sto-
your powers.’ I don’t know where Gandalf acknowl- from the Third Age. What tant character in Tolkien’s were made for shooting pur- rytelling — a 50-hour movie,”
how much more obvious to edges what he will be called. happens in the planned five legendarium. Bombadil, poses. McKay says. “So while there
be. And later somebody calls The conclusive scene was seasons of the prequel series played by Rory Kinnear, is a “It was just so beautiful,” are discoveries along the
him ‘grand elf.’ ” shot in Tom Bombadil’s will lay the groundwork for mysterious immortal being the actor says. “When I tou- way and you never want to
The showrunners have house — a set that was about who Gandalf becomes when with significant wisdom and ched it, it really felt like I had be locked into a plan that
also dropped visual hints to be taken down prior to the he is better known as Gan- power. In “The Rings of hoped in my head this idea of misses something that
about the character’s iden- end of production. The dalf the Grey. Power,” he appears in Rhûn him finding a staff would feel could be better, the sign-
tity, including a wizard’s showrunners sat Weyman “What we do on this show as a guiding force for the like. That suddenly there’s a posts that we’re hitting are
robe that finds its way to the down and said, “You’re going all the time is we look for el- Stranger. connection between all that holding to that plan. We have
Stranger. to be recognizing your name lipses in the mythology and “In the first season [my this tree had lived and its a destination and an arc and
“There’s a delight to is Gandalf.” then those become great op- character’s] been in this connection through its roots a journey for him that will
watching a character come “This was the first time portunities to hopefully fill relatively small microcosm to the soil and the earth and hopefully tie into later sto-
together, piece by piece, in I’d heard anything about it,” in the blanks,” McKay says. of the Harfoots,” Weyman everything down there. And ries in a way that is unex-
terms of costume, and Weyman says. “The whole “Gandalf the Grey falls to says. “They’re very small in it felt like a friend. This is his pected.”
there’s a delight to seeing first season was about keep- the Balrog and then is sent terms of the universe. He new companion.” Playing the character is a
him become the character ing the audience in the dark back as Gandalf the White, hasn’t had any experience Gandalf ’s journey in Sea- “privilege” for Weyman, but
that you know,” Payne says. about whether he was going who’s not exactly the same with anything bigger than son 2 ends with him saying the actor also doesn’t want
“You might also eventually to be good or whether he was guy but he is the same guy. that and then he comes into farewell to Nori (Markella to succumb to the pressure
see him get a hat.” going to be evil. And the This is the idea that perhaps contact with Tom, who Kavenagh) and joining Tom of embodying such a signifi-
You also see his person- whole of Season 2, I didn’t there was an even earlier it- knows what is eternal for- in his house where he speaks cant literary figure.
ality develop, Payne says. feel too bothered about the eration before he was the ward and backward.” his name and the pair join “I’ve been with the
“He has a somewhat wry and buzz around his name be- Grey.” Tom sets up a conun- their voices in song. The Stranger now for four years
sardonic relationship with cause I was just playing “I’m playing Gandalf at drum for the Stranger, who lyrics for the tune, “Old Tom and the essence of him is sol-
the characters in the Third these really precise scenes. the very, very beginning of has to choose between sav- Bombadil,” were drawn id,” Weyman says. “The only
Age,” he says. “We see him To suddenly be given this in- a journey, as opposed to ing his Harfoot friends and from Tolkien’s writing, al- change is that people are go-
start to develop some of that formation was a real pinch- what we might know later embarking on a journey of though Payne and composer ing to start calling him a dif-
sense of humor and warmth me moment as a 47-year-old on — thousands of years power by selecting a staff. Bear McCreary rewrote ferent name. But I think he
and, at times, testy annoy- thinking back to my child- later,” Weyman adds. “He Ultimately, he helps Elanor them to fit the series. A ver- knows what he is and what
ance with these creatures, hood dreams of being a wiz- has to experience things. “Nori” Brandyfoot and sion sung by Rufus Wain- he wants to become.”

Watch the ‘Tulsa King’ Q&A.

Screening sponsored by

Martin Scott Powell Sony Pictures Classics

SAOIRSE RONAN is a woman in recovery on a remote island in “The Outrun.”

‘The Outrun’ can’t escape

slapdash directorial moves
[‘The Outrun,’ from E1] Roy Imer, whether in land-
Northern Isles sheep farm, scape or landscape-of-a-face
but as a 20-something study- ‘The Outrun’ mode, this is the montage-
ing biology in London, her ification of a life. And though
life is one long, blitzed club Ronan is nothing less than a
Rated: R for language and
crawl until a particularly brief sexuality wholly present actor, able to
chaotic night ends in her be- fully charge a moment with
Running time: 1 hour,
ing assaulted — this narra- coiled energy or the freckled
57 minutes
tive’s fulcrum as we move melancholy of her Mo-
forward and backward. Playing: In wide release digliani-esque visage, she’s
Coming out of an intensive rarely given a chance to in-
90-day program, she heads habit a scene’s possible com-
back to the Orkneys to in temporal bits and pieces. plexities. We’re charting a
ground her new sobriety in a In fact, one struggles to recovery, but hardly getting
taste of home: bracing air, fully comprehend what free- inside it.
lambing, seal sightings, na- spirited Rona’s descent is Although the narration
Check out the Screen Gab Live post-screening ture reserve volunteering all about, since everything wants to explain the
Q&A with the executive producer and cast of and walks along the rocky with Fingscheidt is a mood: Orkneys’ appeal for us, the
“Tulsa King.” Go behind the scenes of the coast in a headphones-pro- music, sound, ambient edit- ancient pull of the place is
tecting cocoon of techno mu- ing. A German filmmaker palpable. Solitude doesn’t
Paramount+ drama series in our discussion with sic. whose background is docu- have to mean loneliness: To
Terence Winter, Jay Will, Dana Delany and But in staying with her mentaries, Fingscheidt has a troubled soul, the climate
Neal McDonough, moderated by Times Senior calm, religious mom (a fine lately turned to social dra- and terrain can be like-
Television Writer Yvonne Villarreal. Saskia Reeves) while she mas centered on mending minded companions of pro-
helps her farmer dad turmoil-ridden people (the found, tempestuous spirit.
(Stephen Dillane), who’s angry child-driven “System When Rona opts to iso-
bipolar, there’s a constant Crasher” and the prison re- late herself further on an ex-
reminder that she comes demption tale “The Unfor- treme-weather island tip
from dysfunction, disease givable” starring Sandra called Papay, this movie that
and divorce as much as a Bullock). at times feels like a woo-woo
place of grandeur and seren- She makes sure we’re al- solo-journey sister to “No-
ity. ways right there with Rona, madland” does enter its
Scan the code Her memories of party- but it’s a facile shadowing; home stretch with a strong-
to watch now. ing inevitably land on the we never land anywhere long er coalescing of its restless
shameful fact that her out- enough — pre- or post-rehab style.
of-control drinking wrecked — to feel either layered pain Ultimately the vibe of
things with the man she or the hard tick, tick, tick of “The Outrun” is closer
loved, Daynin (Paapa genuine progress. to meandering travelogue
Essiedu), a character ill- Despite the splendid than the knottier healing
served from being absorbed cinematography by Yunus drama we were hoping for.