🌱 DeLeon On Illegal Dumping + Designer Dognapping Victim Is Home

Happy Thursday, neighbors, and happy National Carrot Cake Day! Let's get this day started. Here's everything happening around town today.

A candidate for mayor wants to cut response times for illegally dumped items from five days to two. Also, a French bulldog was returned to its owners. Finally, the Santa Ana winds continue to whip through the city.

First, today's weather:

Sunny. High: 65 Low: 47.

Here are the top five stories in Los Angeles today:

1. City Councilman Kevin de Leon has developed a “Clean Streets Now” plan. He announced Tuesday that the city “is facing a crisis when it comes to trash, bulky items, and illegal dumping. In every corner of the city, pieces of furniture, loose debris, and trash piles are prevalent.” At this time, the Bureau of Sanitation has 18 employees who clean up illegally dumped items. The mayoral candidate now wants to scrutinize spending and fund allocations to make city cleanup more efficient and “respond to requests within 48 hours.” Right now, the response time is five days. (ABC)
2. On Monday, just before noon, a couple was walking their French bulldog near Flower Street and Olympic Boulevard. A couple of men pulled up in a black Infiniti, brandished semi-automatic handguns, and stole the dog. One of the owners took a picture of the vehicle, captured the license plate, and leveraged the power of social media to ask for help and offer a $5,000 reward. On Tuesday morning, “a woman had called the couple saying she found their pup wandering around Slauson Avenue.” Experts say that “‘designer dognapping’ is on the rise.” (KTLA)
3. The Santa Ana winds are continuing through Thursday. After a brief break, there’ll be more Santa Anas coming to L.A. These winds are known for bringing dust, creating fire weather conditions, and leading to severe high wind advisories. As of Thursday, we’re expecting “northeast winds of 35 to 45 mph, with gusts up to 60 mph” in the mountains and “winds of 15 to 25 mph, gusting to between 40 and 45” in the city. (Patch)
4. Slow Burn at 2112 Sunset Boulevard is no more. In spite of glowing reviews on Yelp and the availability of Pimento Cheese Croquettes, Sushi Casserole, and Wagyu Flatiron Steak, the restaurant closed for good after only being open a couple of weeks. Not even insiders understand what happened other than that the owner “has already pulled the phone, website, and Instagram pages offline.” (Yelp, LA Eater)
5. Where do Rihanna, Hailey Bieber, and other celebs buy their KN95s? We learned Tuesday that L.A.’s hot label for face masks is Maskc. The company offers KN95s in a variety of colors such as black plaid and electric tones. Besides that, you can get an interlocking gold mask chain that keeps you from losing it. (Uncover LA)

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Today in Los Angeles:

• Story Time (Online) with the Playa Vista Branch Library (10 AM)
• Superfine LA Art Fair Preview at the Magic Box/The Reef (6 PM)
• The Ahmanson Theatre presents Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (8 PM)
• Acapulco Gold - Mapamota, Svengali, 1morning, Space Master at the Melody Lounge (9 PM)
• Bathtub Comedy Shower Hour at The Yard Theater (9:45 PM)

From my notebook:

• Join the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Sheriff Alex Villanueva as he goes LIVE on Facebook to discuss topics and issues impacting the County of Los Angeles and to answer your questions. (Facebook)
• Find local Black History Month events with Discover Los Angeles. (Instagram)
• The Los Angeles County Fire Dept. mourns fallen LACoFD Fire Fighter Jonathan “Jon” Flagler. (Instagram)
• The friendly folks at the LA County Museum of Art wish all who celebrate a Happy Lunar Year with confidence, boundless creative energy, and the strength to take on all your challenges in the year ahead! (Instagram)
• A neighbor lost their cat near Chatsworth Street and Encino Street. Did you see it? (Facebook)

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You're all caught up for today. I'll be back in your inbox tomorrow morning with your next update!

— Sylvia Cochran

About me: Sylvia Cochran works out of sunny Southern California and has been freelance writing full-time since 2005. She loves dogs, cats, books, plays Best Fiends (don't judge), embraces social justice, and tries to live out Micah 6:8.