🌱 Hit-And-Run Kills Woman On E St + COVID Hospitalizations Decrease

Welcome back, Los Angeles; today is National Garlic Day! Here's everything you need to know to get this Tuesday started off right.

You could earn $50,000 if you drop the dime on an SUV driver. Also, the number of COVID patients in County hospitals is going down. Finally, what’ll WeHo employers do about implementing the new minimum wage?

First, today's weather:

Mostly sunny and pleasant. High: 74 Low: 56.

Here are the top five stories today in Los Angeles:

1. The LAPD explained that on Saturday, at around 1:45 a.m., “a white four-door GMC SUV traveling on E Street ran off the road” and stuck a 65-year-old woman sleeping on the sidewalk. “The driver then got out of the SUV and got into another car, described as a Nissan Altima” and fled the scene. “A reward of up to $50,000 is available to community members who can provide information leading to the driver’s identification, arrest, and conviction.” (KTLA)
2. There’s some good news on the COVID-19 front. As of Monday, “the number of COVID-positive hospital patients in Los Angeles County has fallen by 28 people to 213.” Of these, 29 are in the ICU, which is “down from 34 on Saturday.” Mind you, the BA.2 subvariant is currently “believed to represent 67% of new infections.” (ABC)
3. How will West Hollywood implement its new minimum wage? The plan was to give workers at large companies a raise to $16.50 on July 1, while those at small businesses receive a raise to $16 an hour. On January 1, 2023, the wages to up to $17.50 and $17 respectively. We learned on Monday that the City Council has offered some guidance on how to implement the changes. Also, there is a “Waiver Application for employers who wish to defer the Minimum Wage increase for a period of one year.” (WeHoVille)
4. On Monday, the Regional Connector Transit Project began testing. “This is a huge, huge milestone. It puts us on track to open for service by the end of this year,” Mayor Eric Garcetti explained. “The Regional Connector Transit Connector Project is intended to fill the gaps between the Gold, Blue, Expo, Red, and Purple lines so that travelers no longer need to transfer trains. Once it is complete, Metro will be able to offer a single-seat ride connecting Azusa to Long Beach and East LA to Santa Monica, instead of requiring three trains and two transfers.” (Spectrum News 1)
5. L.A. has a gang problem. We learned on Tuesday that the Gang Alternatives Program (GAP) has been working on solutions since 1986. There’s “graffiti abatement and prevention as well as community beautification in local areas such as Boyle Heights, Compton, Downtown LA, Carson, Harbor City, Hacienda Heights, Gardena, Harbor Gateway, Hawaiian Gardens, Lynwood, Rowland Heights, San Pedro, South LA, Watts, Whittier, and Wilmington.” There are “youth summer employment opportunities, after-school programs, youth gang prevention, and court-mandated education classes for parents and teens.” (L.A. Downtown News)

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Today in Los Angeles:

• Ancient Homelands: Indigenous Music at the Chatsworth Branch Library (3 PM)
• The Pan African Film Festival Opening Night at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw (5:30 PM)
• Femmes The Rules at The Airliner (8 PM)
• Tuesday Comedy Show at the Ha Ha Comedy Club (10 PM)
• House Tuesdays at Bootsy Bellows (11 PM)

From my notebook:

• The Los Angeles Fire Department arrived quickly at Sylmar Park in the 13100 block of Borden Avenue, to extinguish an engine compartment fire in a compact sport utility vehicle on April 17. (Facebook)
• The Los Angeles Fire Department will conduct residential brush clearance inspections beginning May 1 to ensure wildfire safety at more than 140,000 properties in City of Los Angeles high hazard areas. Don't wait! Survey your property soon. (Instagram)

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Alrighty, you're all good for today. See you all tomorrow morning for another 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.