Does Starbucks discriminate against lactose intolerance?
Tomo Chien
March 22, 2024
Good morning. It’s Friday, and I’m reading about why Trader Joe’s employees wear those shirts. Onto the five USC, Los Angeles and California stories you need to know for today.
1.
Three Californians sued Starbucks, alleging that the coffee chain discriminates against lactose intolerant people because it charges an extra few cents for non-dairy milk. They’re seeking $5 million because regular milk is “not a choice” for them — lest they get a stomach ache — which they say means they’re forced to pay more for higher-priced alternatives. The lactose crusaders might actually be onto something: Legal experts say their argument could hold weight because federal law recognizes lactose intolerance as a disability.
2.
The family of Ryan Gainer, a 15-year-old boy with autism who was killed by San Bernardino County deputies, filed a wrongful death claim against the county — the precursor to a lawsuit. On March 9, the teenager got into an argument with his parents over household chores, which ended in him breaking glass and hitting his sister. A family member dialed 911, asking authorities to “take him in,” but later called back once Gainer calmed down to say they no longer needed help. But deputies were already enroute. When they arrived and announced themselves, Gainer panicked and strode toward the door with a gardening hoe. Deputies shot him three times, killing him.
3.
It’s about to get a lot more expensive to own a home in parts of California. You can thank State Farm, the state’s largest home insurer, which said it’ll discontinue coverage for 72,000 homes and apartments starting this summer — leaving many of those residents with no choice but to switch to a state insurance pool, which provides minimal coverage and is far more expensive than standard insurance. The announcement came less than a year after State Farm said it wouldn’t issue any new policies in California, citing the soaring risk of wildfires and regulations that restrict insurers from raising premiums.
4.
The U.S. Justice Department sued Apple for allegedly running an illegal monopoly. The feds, along with 16 state attorneys general, say that Apple uses its dominance in the smartphone market to illegally thwart competition by refusing to support cross-platform messaging apps, blocking mobile cloud streaming services and limiting third-party wallets. Apple called the suit a “dangerous precedent” and argued that its walled garden creates “a magical experience for our users.” The tech giant is expected to face a separate sweeping probe in the European Union in the coming days.
5.
Long-shot presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr has found a puzzling ally: Alex Villanueva, the controversial former LA County sheriff. Villanueva is set to join Kennedy’s Cesar Chavez Day event in LA next weekend as the White House hopeful looks to tap into the Latino vote. It’s unclear what the men have in common other than their long history of anti-vaccine rhetoric. If anything, the scandal-plagued former sheriff might be a liability for Kennedy — Villanueva has frequently been compared to Donald Trump, is accused of letting deputy gangs run rampant under his watch and raided a county supervisor’s home in a thinly veiled political attack.