Another win for the campus gates
Tomo Chien
April 17, 2025
Good morning. It’s Thursday, and I’m reading about how Culver City is a noodle Mecca. Onto the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.
1.
LAPD detectives recovered a 331-year-old violin stolen from USC earlier this month. Police said the thief waltzed into a music building, nabbed the $650,000 Giovanni Grancino that a student was borrowing, stole a scooter on his way out, then tried to barter with the instrument at a homeless encampment. Yet another win for Fortress USC.
2.
Adjunct faculty at the School of Cinematic Arts filed federal labor charges against USC, accusing the school of bargaining in bad faith with their union and unilaterally changing employment policies. The union alleged that the school cut professors’ hours so they no longer quality for health insurance.
3.
The Trump administration asked the IRS to revoke Harvard University’s tax-exempt status, a major escalation of its burgeoning feud with the school. Harvard called the development “unlawful.” Indeed, federal law bars the president from directly or indirectly asking the IRS to investigate specific targets.
4.
California became the first state to sue the Trump administration over the sweeping tariffs it has imposed on U.S. trading partners. Gov. Gavin Newsom skewered Trump’s “bogus” legal justification and described the suit as “a lock,” pointing out that the state’s almond, pistachio, and dairy industries are highly export-dependent.
5.
This year’s Coachella festival has brought an explosion of clever music billboards to the desert highway on the way to Indio. The billboards have long been a tradition, marketing experts say, but reached a critical mass this year. See a compilation at the link below, or one take on rankings here.