Morning, neighbors, and happy National Love Your Pet Day! It’s me again, Sylvia, your host of the Los Angeles Daily.

There were arrests Friday night when some folks thought doing donuts in intersections was a good idea. Also, will we be able to travel to Vegas in 90 minutes come 2026? Finally, the LAFD extinguished a fire in Echo Park.

First, today’s weather:

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Fog, then some sun. High: 68 Low: 53.

Here are the top five stories in Los Angeles today:

Find out what’s happening in Los Angeles with free, real-time updates from Patch.

  1. Beverly Hills doesn’t take kindly to intersection takeovers. A case in point is Friday’s 11:30 p.m. group of 100 vehicles at the intersection of Canon Drive and Lomitas Avenue. In addition to the vehicles, there were 150 spectators, some of whom lit fireworks. “Officers stopped several vehicles, which led to the arrest of multiple suspects.” (CBS)
  2. We learned Friday that Brightline West plans to break ground in 2023 for a Las Vegas to Los Angeles high-speed rail line. It would be “a 170-mile electrified railway line that would be built on leased land close to I-15.” If the trains can travel at the proposed 180 miles per hour, the trip that would typically take six hours by car would only take 90 minutes by train. The company’s ambitious plan is to have passenger service begin in 2026. (Santa Monica Mirror)
  3. There was a fire at 1874 N. Alvarado St. on Saturday morning. Thirty-four LAFD personnel responded to the call at a unit in the two-story Echo Park condo. It took the team 19 minutes to put out the fire. (Patch)
  4. Would you be able to get your car out of auto shop storage if you had to pay $10,000? An Inglewood woman “claims her cars are being held hostage due to costly storage fees charged by an auto body shop.” After someone crashed into her cars, a tow truck showed up and took the vehicles to a collision repair shop. “From that day on, both cars started to rack up all types of fees such as $110 for a COVID cleaning fee, $140 for a Hazmat fee, $275 for a forklift fee, $200 for photos, and $225 a day for storage — for each car.” What some call predatory towing practices, others call the cost of doing business. According to the shop’s owner, the customer “signed every invoice she was given.” (CBS)
  5. The L.A. County Coroner has provided a tally of how many people experiencing homelessness died in 2021. We learned Saturday that the figure is 1,612, which is up 16% from 2020, and translates into 4.5 individuals each day. (@CrosstownLA)

Today in Los Angeles:

  • National Love Your Pet Day Adoption Event at the West Los Angeles Animal Shelter (11 AM)
  • Art, Food & Hollywood Glam With Women Of Culture LA at The Hollywood Roosevelt (11:30 AM)
  • Sounds of L.A.: 120,000 STORIES with Nobuko Miyamoto and Guests (online) (4 PM)
  • The 3rd Annual White Dress Party at the GYM Sportsbar and Grill (4 PM)
  • Friendship Buddies Comedy at Verdugo Bar (8 PM)

From my notebook:

  • The Los Angeles Unified reminds you that all schools are closed on Monday, February 21 in recognition of Presidents Day 2022. (Instagram)
  • The Los Angeles Public Library is honored to be virtually hosting Misty Copeland, the first Black woman promoted to the Principal Dancer position in the American Ballet Theatre company’s 75-year history. (Facebook)
  • Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell, from LA City Council District 13, has a Friday Fact: Since 2018, the 13th District’s portable restrooms and showers for unhoused individuals have been accessed more than 300,000 times. (Nextdoor)
  • An Eagle Rock North neighbor lost a super friendly gray cat named Tom. Lives on Townsend Ave. please contact them if he’s seen! (Nextdoor)

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Thanks for following along and staying informed! See you all tomorrow for another update.

— Sylvia Cochran

About me: Sylvia Cochran works out of sunny Southern California and has been freelance writing full-time since 2005. She loves dogs, cats, books, plays Best Fiends (don’t judge), embraces social justice, and tries to live out Micah 6:8.

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