Good morning. It’s Monday, and I’m looking at stunning photos of Yosemite’s “Firefall.” Onto the five USC, Los Angeles and California stories you need to know for today.

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1.

A potentially landmark hearing resumes today, where federal labor officials will determine whether some USC athletes should be paid employees of the university, the Pac-12 and NCAA. A ruling in favor of employee status could turn the tide on the NCAA’s long-standing insistence that its players are amateur “student-athletes” — but don’t get too excited yet. It’ll likely take a Supreme Court ruling for professional status to become the norm across the NCAA, and that’ll take years.

Tomoki Chien / College Brief

2.

When a UC Berkeley freshman died of a likely fentanyl overdose earlier this month, he joined nearly 200 Americans who are killed every day by the drug. It might be time to rethink the public health system’s approach to the epidemic. The CDC recommends two primary measures: using test strips and stocking the overdose reversal drug Narcan. But there are glaring problems with that approach. Fentanyl isn’t always evenly distributed in a single pill, so there’s no guarantee that the portion you test contains the substance. And Narcan works well, but only if you have a friend to help administer it — and 30% of fatal overdose victims die alone. Preaching abstinence, as boring as it sounds, might be the only way to keep kids alive.

James Fishback / The Free Press

3.

On a late night last November, two USC students were walking home from class when they stumbled upon a fellow student calling for help, blood gushing out of his femoral artery. Graduate students Sandeep Kahlon and Sheba Naderzad sprung into action and fashioned a makeshift tourniquet on the student’s leg using a jacket — a decision that ultimately saved his life. He had impaled himself jumping the fence outside of his apartment when the gate’s keypad broke. USC officials honored Kahlon and Naderzad with the “Lifesaving Recognition Award” last week in a small ceremony, presenting each a bronze statue of Tommy Trojan engraved with their names.

Qais Adawiya and Cherry Wu / Daily Trojan

4.

Adjunct professors in USC’s cinema school voted to unionize Friday, adding to the ranks of a growing coalition of unionized workers at the university. The professors will join the United Auto Workers union, which also represents USC’s graduate student workers who unionized last year. Broadly, the professors are calling for higher pay and multi-year contracts, and an end to what they allege is unpaid work while preparing courses and attending trainings. USC appeared to indicate in a statement that it won’t file any objections to the vote.

Katie Kilkenny / The Hollywood Reporter

5.

Young people aren’t voting in LA County. Only 4% of voters have submitted absentee ballots in the March 5 primary, and just 9% of those ballots represent voters ages 18 to 24. That group makes up about a fourth of the electorate. Why should you care? Well, when you don’t vote, you let your parents and grandparents run the show: Usually that means elevating older, whiter and more “establishment” candidates. And if you’re a Democrat, you might be miffed to hear that a disproportionate number of Republicans are turning out to vote thus far. See a voter guide from our partner newsroom, CalMatters, here. You have just over a week left.

Dakota Smith and David Zahniser / Los Angeles Times