Good morning. In case you didn’t know, all USC students are eligible for unlimited free rides on Metro rail and bus lines. You can read more about that here. Onto the five USC, Los Angeles and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

California lawmakers decriminalized the personal possession of plant-based psychedelics, allowing people over 21 to possess limited amounts starting 2025. The bill, which still needs Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature, would make California the third state to decriminalize psychedelics — a win for advocates who have long highlighted the medicinal benefits for people like veterans and first responders suffering from PTSD.

2.

The Orange Unified School District joined a growing number of districts in California to require that school staff notify parents if their children are transgender — just a day after a judge temporarily blocked a similar policy in Chino Valley. The board member who proposed the policy framed it as protecting transgender youth who have high rates of suicide, and whose parents need to know they’re transgender in order to keep them safe.

3.

LA officials are experimenting with “cool pavement,” a type of reflective coating for roadways that minimizes heat absorption and can lower the ambient air temperature by as much as 3.5 degrees on extremely hot days. The city plans to focus its efforts on local streets with high heat and minimal shade; the paint is less effective on high-traffic roadways because tire marks ruin it.

4.

California could soon impose an 11% excise tax on all guns and ammunition sales, thanks to a bill that soared through the state Legislature and is now headed to Newsom’s desk. If approved, the proceeds would go toward gun violence prevention and school safety programs. The federal government already imposes a 10% to 11% tax that funds conservation and hunter education.

5.

A spicy chip that hospitalized three Northern California high schoolers last year is being pulled from shelves after a Massachusetts teen died. The chip — Paqui’s One Chip Challenge, seasoned with the notoriously spicy Carolina Reaper pepper — had previously gone viral in a TikTok challenge where users filmed their reaction to eating the absurdly spicy snack. The teen’s parents blamed the chip for his death, but the official cause is yet to be determined.

You’re all caught up. Thanks for reading Morning, Trojan, and have a good day. Anna Hsu copy edited this newsletter.

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