Illegal cannabis spurs desert massacre
Tomo Chien
January 31, 2024
Good morning. It’s Wednesday, and I’m reading about how Los Angeles is actually nowhere close to having the worst traffic in the country. I refuse to believe it. Onto the five USC, LA and California stories you need to know for today.
A note: I’m axing the referral program. We’ve had too many people game the system with burner emails or alternate addresses.
Thank you to those of you who’ve actually referred your friends, and sorry to cut it short. If you do end up referring five, shoot me an email with their addresses and we’ll work something out.
1.
When California legalized marijuana in 2016, the legislation promised to kneecap black market trade and the violence that comes with it. That hasn’t been the case. A massacre that left six dead last week in a San Bernardino County desert was likely the result of a dispute over illegal marijuana, authorities said. It was just the latest incident of cartel-like violence that’s seen shootings and dismemberments as illegal farms spread through inland desert communities in Southern California, run by growers looking to avoid expensive licensing fees and regulatory costs.
2.
Adjunct professors in USC’s cinema school will begin voting to unionize today. The adjuncts, who actively work in the film industry while teaching at USC, say the university gives no guarantee they’ll teach the next semester and have no clear path to full-time employment. That, they say, combined with low pay and last year’s dual strikes in Hollywood, has left many struggling to make ends meet. The vote closes in three weeks.
3.
For over a year now, public universities in California have been required by law to offer their students abortion pills. The catch: A good number of them don’t advertise it. Students who were already under financial strain described driving more than 300 miles and shelling out hundreds of dollars to receive medication abortions, not knowing that they could’ve just walked into their campus health clinics. Nearly half of California State University health websites fail to mention that they offer medication abortions. A fifth of University of California campuses are in the same boat. USC, for the record, does offer the service.
4.
A coalition of business groups sued California over a law that forces them to publicly disclose their greenhouse gas emissions. The suit argues that the law violates First Amendment protections against compelled speech and that the state is out of line in trying to act as a national environmental regulator. Supporters of the law argue it’s needed to inform consumers and investors as the planet continues to warm at an alarming rate.
5.
A California bill could make it legal to consume alcohol on public streets designated as “entertainment” zones. State Sen. Scott Wiener, who proposed the bill, said it could help revitalize downtown areas that have struggled to regain foot traffic since the pandemic. Wiener, by the way, is a real character. First, he tried to legalize shrooms. Just the other day we wrote about how he wants to install speed limiters in cars. And now he’s trying to legalize public drinking. He’s prolific.