Good morning. It’s Monday, and I’m reading about how Los Angeles is the country’s second-most forgetful city. Onto the five USC, LA and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

USC canceled all outside speakers at this year’s main graduation ceremony, citing the “highly publicized circumstances” of the event. The said circumstances are, of course, the national firestorm that the university set ablaze when it canceled valedictorian Asna Tabassum’s speech at least ostensibly over “safety concerns.” Also: The American Civil Liberties Union said it’s considering representing Tabassum in a free speech lawsuit against USC. This is, truly, the gift that keeps on giving.

Stephanie Saul / The New York Times

2.

California authorities won’t share the results of a three-year investigation into the scandal-ridden LA Sheriff’s Department that they previously promised to make public. Then-California Attorney General Xavier Becerra initiated the probe in 2021 in response to years of allegations of deputy gang violence, misconduct and deputy shootings. But the report has only been shared in closed-door meetings between state and county officials — not with the public or even the county’s civilian watchdog commission. 

Cerise Castle / Capital and Main

3.

U.S. officials are increasingly distancing themselves from China, a primary geopolitical rival. Not so for California politicians. San Francisco Mayor London Breed just returned from a chummy nine-day visit to the country only a few months after a similar visit by Gov. Gavin Newsom. And, no doubt thanks to their courtship, Chinese officials say they plan to send giant pandas to zoos in San Francisco and San Diego in a move that’s largely seen as a form of soft diplomacy. 

Jonathan Cheng / The Wall Street Journal

4.

If you were hoping for another superbloom this year: Sorry, you’re out of luck. Turns out the extravagant display of wildflowers that famously blanketed California last year is a fairly rare phenomenon. Native wildflowers thrive when long periods of drought precede wet conditions because they don’t have to compete with invasive plant species — which can’t survive the dry stretches. But back-to-back wet winters have allowed invasive grasses to thrive and drown out the colorful cast of wildflowers in the desert. 

Fiona Ng / LAist

5.

A devastating but unsurprising USC study raised the possibility that teens who consume high levels of junk food could face long-term memory problems. Researchers found that adolescent rats who were fed a fatty, sugary diet struggled to keep up with a control group when put through memory tests. Switching the test group to a healthier diet later in life yielded no benefits — meaning, the damage is done during adolescence. And I am, personally, done for.

Emily Gersema / USC Today