CSU strike: Incoming
Tomo Chien
January 10, 2024
Good morning. It’s Wednesday, and I’m looking at this website that lets you check whether your flight is on a 737 MAX (lest a door fly off in the middle of your flight).
I’d like to see the tool expanded to “Was my plane manufactured by Boeing?” Onto the five USC, Los Angeles and California stories you need to know for today.
FYI: I’m now pasting links to The New York Times and San Francisco Chronicle articles as “gift links,” which means you can view the stories without a subscription. Access free LA Times subs for USC students here.
1.
Tens of thousands of California State University faculty plan to launch a five-day strike on Jan. 22, protesting a 5% pay hike offered by the university system that fell far short of the 12% the union asked for. The strike, which will affect all 23 CSU campuses, will see professors, lecturers, counselors, librarians and coaches walk off the job. CSU says the union’s demands are “not financially viable”; faculty say only 12% can keep pace with inflation.
2.
An ACLU report found that K-9s used by state law enforcement agencies inflict “unnecessary, disproportionate” harm on people who commit minor crimes. Two in three people severely injured by K-9s are people of color, and nearly half show signs of a mental health disability or crisis, the report notes. ACLU advocates said a lack of statewide regulations on K-9 training could be partly to blame, a characterization that law enforcement representatives contested.
3.
It’s no secret that the news industry is in trouble. Tuesday was just another reminder, when Kevin Merida, the executive editor of the LA Times, said he’s stepping down. Merida’s abrupt departure from the largest newspaper in the West was something of a surprise to the media industry, already unsettled by a seemingly unending series of layoffs. Pundits say Merida’s departure is likely over financial woes: The paper has fallen far short of its digital subscription goals, and sources say the Times is looking to cut another $10 million from its budget — perhaps a task that Merida was not interested in.
4.
A former soccer coach at California State University, Northridge alleged he was fired in retaliation for exposing wrongdoing at the university, including being told to recruit an athlete whose uncle was likely to donate generously to the school. Keith Andrew West, 50, alleged in a lawsuit that the school’s then-athletic director texted him, “If you don’t get this kid, I'll fire you.” West listed CSUN and the university system’s board of trustees as defendants in his suit.
5.
An LA man was sentenced to four years in prison for falsely claiming he was sexually assaulted by Hollywood executives in 2018. Prosecutors said Rovier Carrington, 34, fabricated emails that made it seem like he’d been assaulted by two executives who he claimed prevented him from producing a reality television program. Carrington also claimed he’s “related to Hollywood royalty,” being the great-grandson of one of “The Three Stooges” actors.
Most long-time readers will know Anna, my copy editor. Here's an excerpt from our Slack DMs yesterday:
