The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is grappling with a troubling case in which deputies are seen on video repeatedly shooting a man holding a knife outside his family's home.
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[Essential California Newsletter] August 3, 2021
[View in browser]( Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California [newsletter](. Itâs Tuesday, Aug. 3. Iâm Shelby Grad filling in for Justin Ray. The Los Angeles County Sheriffâs Department is grappling with a troubling case in which deputies are seen on video repeatedly shooting a man holding a knife outside his familyâs home. The family had called deputies because the man, David Ordaz Jr., was acting suicidal. The video, taken by deputy body cameras, was released Friday night by the department. The Times spoke to several use-of-force experts who said it showed problematic behavior by deputies. The video: Ordaz, 34, had told deputies he was upset because they wouldnât shoot him. His sister had told a 911 dispatcher that Ordaz had talked about suicide-by-cop, and that she was âafraid for that.â As a deputy yelled at Ordaz to âstand back,â several shot stun-bag rounds at him from what appeared to be several yards away. Ordaz then advanced a few steps forward and was hit with nine bullets in a barrage that continued even after he fell onto the pavement. The analysis: Seth Stoughton, a former Florida police officer and University of South Carolina law professor, said the volley of shots went on longer than necessary. Other experts who viewed the footage at The Timesâ request said it was counter-productive for multiple deputies to have tried to communicate with Ordaz, potentially escalating the situation. [See more of their comments here.]( The fallout: [In sign of how serious the incident is,]( Sheriff Alex Villanueva, in a rare criticism of his own deputies, has said the shooting has given him âgrave concerns.â One of the deputies has been relieved of duty and his police powers are suspended. The Sheriffâs Department said it will forward the investigation to the FBI for review. Ordazâs [heartbroken family is outraged.]( Here [is the graphic video]( the Sheriffâs Department. And now, hereâs whatâs happening across California. Note: Some of the sites we link to may limit the number of stories you can access without subscribing. ADVERTISEMENT
L.A. STORIES Backers have called L.A.âs new camping ordinance a more humane way to clear encampments, with outreach teams offering shelter and services before any enforcement takes place. Critics say it punishes people for living on the street. Who is right? We explore. [Los Angeles Times]( Despite protections, âeviction clustersâ hit Long Beach. [CalMatters]( Is L.A.âs transit system failing women? Some believe so and are offering these solutions. [LAist]( Can an outdoor market slow gentrification in the Inglewood area? âDown the street with the Hollywood casino and so much gentrification going on, I wanted someone from the community to bring something back here that was for the people here.â [L.A. Taco]( Our daily news podcast If youâre a fan of this newsletter, youâll probably love our new daily podcast, âThe Times,â hosted by columnist Gustavo Arellano, along with reporters from across our newsroom. Every weekday, it takes you beyond the headlines. Subscribe [on Apple Podcasts]( and follow [on Spotify](. CRIME AND COURTS There is a wildcard in the corporate fraud trial of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes: Her patients. Can they offer her a defense? [Wall Street Journal]( Fans mourn at a movie theater in Corona where a Tik Tok star was fatally shot with his friend. [Press-Enterprise]( Support our journalism [Subscribe to the Los Angeles Times.]( CALIFORNIA CLIMATE A cocktail of high temperatures, gusty winds and low humidity will create hazardous conditions this week, prompting the National Weather Service to caution about elevated fire risk for the Southlandâs valleys, mountains and deserts. [Los Angeles Times]( What the wildfires in California, Italy and Turkey have in common. [Wall Street Journal]( Palm Springs is hitting some stunning heat records. [Desert Sun]( This is one California town that is fed up â with a lot of things. [Fresno Bee]( ADVERTISEMENT
CORONAVIRUS Officials in a large swath of the Bay Area announced [Monday that people]( will again need to wear masks in all indoor settings regardless of vaccination status, amid a surge in coronavirus cases fueled by the highly transmissible Delta variant. The move comes several days after Los Angeles County became one of the first in the nation to impose an indoor mask mandate, and Mondayâs move greatly expands the number of people covered by such rules. [Los Angeles Times]( In a short span, L.A. has gone from a place with a vaccine honor system to something tougher. âWe havenât fought this hard, for this long, to let it go awry now,â announced one restaurant imposing a vaccine mandate for customer. âThere will be a security guard out front checking all guests.â The reason? To avoid another shutdown. [Los Angeles Times]( Millennials are increasingly driving the coronavirus surge in some cities. [San Francisco Chronicle]( There are renewed concerns about inspections where COVID-19 outbreaks have occurred. [Mercury News]( An anti-vaxxer learns a lesson the hard way. [Eureka Times-Standard]( CALIFORNIA CULTURE An untold history of movie stars, racism and custom suits. âIn the days when S.F. was chockablock with show people, the Macintosh suit was a legendary trademark â huge padded shoulders, drape shape, nipped-in waist, high-rise pants with deep pleats,â Herb Caen once said. [SFGATE]( Hard Summer festival at the NOS Event Center in San Bernardino was the first large-scale music festival to return to the L.A. area since the coronavirus pandemic threw the concert industry into a year and a half of turmoil. It was both a fun and anxious time. And a time to offer the vaccine. [Los Angeles Times]( Coronavirus is causing problems for a highly anticipated L.A. art show. [Los Angeles Times]( [The Immersive Van Gogh exhibit]
The Immersive Van Gogh hard hat tour, as the exhibition was being installed. (Deborah Vankin / Los Angeles Times) Whatâs really behind the legal war between Scarlett Johansson and Disney? And does she really have a case? [Hollywood Reporter]( The reception for âJungle Bookâ is another troubling sign for movie theaters but good news for streamers. [New York Times]( Free online games Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games in our new game center at [latimes.com/games](. Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com. ADVERTISEMENT
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