And the 'Moron of the Year' is...

Author

Tomo Chien
May 06, 2024

Good morning. It’s Monday, and here’s the winner of the inaugural “Moron of the Year” competition:

It wasn’t particularly close. I’ll mail it to her office today. Onto the five USC, Los Angeles and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

USC President Carol Folt said she “absolutely” won’t resign over her administration’s response to campus protests — and that “all along the way, we’ve made the right choice.” Incredible. Also: In a late-night operation, USC cleared its second pro-Palestinian encampment. At least 12 student protesters were either suspended or expelled. And some Black professors and women who wear hijabs say they’re facing undue scrutiny at campus security checkpoints: lending further credence to my “TSA-esque” characterization. 

2.

LA Metro’s bus lines were snarled Friday when hundreds of drivers called in sick to protest rising attacks on bus operators. Passengers have punched, kicked, spit on, stabbed and hijacked drivers in recent headline-grabbing incidents, which led Metro to declare a state of emergency over the violence late last month. Metro officials called the Friday protest an “unsanctioned sick-out” and said it led to delays on about a third of bus lines.

3.

The union that represents campus police officers at University of California schools blamed UCLA higher-ups for the bungled response to violent counterprotests at the school’s pro-Palestinian encampment. The hand-wringing comes as UCLA continues to take heavy flak for allowing violent pro-Israel demonstrators to assault student protesters for hours while police stood by. “UCLA administration owns all the fallout,” a union official said.

4.

When Ronald Reagan was governor of California, he made a habit of antagonizing student protesters — calling anti-war demonstrations “orgies of destruction” and sending the National Guard to quell them. Compare that to Gavin Newsom, a similarly strapping young governor with White House ambitions. He’s said, well, not much. As California college campuses boil over in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war, the governor has largely maintained radio silence and declined to choose sides: Apparently, he doesn’t think he can afford the political risk.

5.

A man who attacked Dave Chappelle during a 2022 show at the Hollywood Bowl is suing the venue and its security team, alleging he was beaten “ruthlessly” when he stormed the stage and tackled the comedian. Isaiah Lee, the attacker, said he “became upset by the discriminatory nature” of Chappelle’s jokes about LGBTQ and homeless people and “rushed the stage in protest.” Chappelle might have a different take: “I just stomped a n—a backstage,” he said after the incident. “I’ve always wanted to do that.”