Good morning, we hope you’ve gotten a good start to your week. Onto the five USC, Los Angeles and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

An off-duty pilot on a San Francisco-bound flight attempted to shut down the plane’s engines before being subdued Sunday. The crew said that 44-year-old Joseph Emerson, a Bay Area resident, tried to trigger the fire suppression system — which would’ve cut off fuel, electricity and hydraulic power to the engine — while sitting in the cockpit’s jumpseat. The pilots were able to subdue Emerson, who was jailed on suspicion of attempted murder. FBI investigators are still piecing together a motive.

2.

A federal trial for the captain of the Conception — the boat that caught fire in 2019 off the California coast, killing 34 people onboard — begins Tuesday with jury selection in LA. Jerry Boylan, the captain, is accused of failing to post a night watchman who could’ve spotted the blaze earlier and potentially prevented the worst maritime disaster in recent memory. Boylan previously went on trial in 2020, but a judge tossed the indictment. He’s now charged with one count of misconduct or neglect of ship officer and faces 10 years if convicted. Boylan has pleaded not guilty.

3.

California officials are urging residents to prepare for a second winter of heavy flooding, evacuations and power outages, thanks to a strengthening El Niño weather pattern expected to bring wetter-than-average conditions to the state. More than 7 million California residents live in areas at risk of flooding, officials say, and state agencies are already working to distribute emergency supplies like sandbags.

4.

Officials are investigating allegations that LA County hotels are replacing striking workers with unhoused migrants living on Skid Row — then underpaying them and potentially violating child labor laws. Unite Here Local 11, the union representing the hotel workers who have been on strike since July, first brought the allegations to the LA County District Attorney. Advocates allege that the hotels have taken advantage of vulnerable migrants in an effort to undermine union workers fighting for a living wage.

5.

Surprise! A Harvard-based study found that 1 in 3 children from the wealthiest American families tend to score a 1300 or higher on the SAT, while just 5 in 100 middle class test takers manage the same feat. The disparities begin long before students take the tests — and schools aren’t always at fault. The disparities instead may stem from the fact that American neighborhoods are increasingly becoming segregated by income, and outside-of-school factors like stress in home lives, parents’ vocabulary and what children do after school have a large impact on academic performance.

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

3630 Watt Way, ANN 102, Los Angeles, CA 90089.