In Huntington Beach, the site of a “white lives matter” rally where left-wing counter protesters have already showed up. Two people have already been arrested. Interview with PIO TK in thread. Lt. Brian Smith of Huntington Beach PD said two people were arrested. One was arrested for a noise infraction, saying he wasn’t allowed to bring amplified music. The other was arrested for “impeding an officer” though he couldn’t specify what that meant.

I've had a busy week or so reporting on alleged corruption in Baldwin Park for @SGVTribune. The city has faced numerous lawsuits and corruption allegations for a long time. It's been a lot to catch up one, but I'm diving in head first. Here's a thread of where I'm at. 1/6 I started with some history on Ricardo Pacheco, a City Councilman who retired in early June. He said he retired to spend more time with his family, but he also has a lengthy history of legal troubles and snafus. Here's a rundown of his legal history. 2/6 bit.ly/3eVt5YN

I’m at the Vanllee Hotel in Covina where residents are protesting its use as a shelter to house homeless individuals during the coronavirus pandemic. I’ve written three articles on the issue so far, so check them out below. When L.A. County picked the Vanllee, they didn’t coordinate with Covina leaders, who said they were blindsided by the decision. bit.ly/2S72YVr

I’m here early at the Pomona Fairplex, a new polling center with new voting machines. Today’s the first day of early voting. No one has showed up yet to vote, and with 10 days to cast your ballot, volunteers here aren’t sure what their turnout will be today. These polling machines are pretty neat. For 2020, this seems like a natural—and convenient—way to vote. Read more about the new machines here: bit.ly/2uZcnWO

I’ll be covering the @WhittierCityGov meeting tonight in place of @WhitReporter. In this special meeting, the city will discuss the homelessness issue at Parnell Park, which has become a public safety concern for residents. Most recently, a man was punched by a homeless person after he yelled at them to leave Parnell Park. bit.ly/39L8JiD

Press conference to announce final cleanup of debris from Woolsey Fire — closing in on 100% completion. LA County Public Works Director Mark Pestrella: “97,000 acres were destroyed by the Woolsey Fire. 1,500 structures, 3 bridges, 6 miles of guard rail and roadway were destroyed or damaged. Damages are estimated at $98M. Today marks the day their homestead is safe to return to.”

With that last final, I have one more semester of college left. This has been a very long year, but a productive one. I contributed to a book, a magazine and brought some awards home with the student paper. I’m proud of it all. A thread: Newcomers to Neighbors: Middle Eastern Migrants and Refugees in Southern California taught me so much about life outside this little bubble I live in. This book opened my eyes and changed my perspectives. I hope you can learn from it as well. Buy it here! mjpr.biola.edu/newcomers