TODAY’S ESSENTIAL NEWS
» Attorneys For Keenan Anderson’s Estate File $50 Million Claim Against City of Los Angeles Attorneys representing the estate of Keenan Anderson, who died from cardiac arrest after he was repeatedly tased by Los Angeles Police Department officers, filed a $50 million claim of damages against the city of Los Angeles for his death, they announced in a news conference Friday. The claim is the first step needed to file a lawsuit against the city, attorney Carl Douglas said. The claim requests $35 million due to damages against Anderson’s son and $15 million for Anderson’s estate, saying the city “failed to properly train the involved officers” who ultimately used “unreasonable deadly force.” [CNN]
» LAPD Ban of “Thin Blue Line” Flags Is Latest In Culture War For some, the “thin blue line” flag is an expression of solidarity with police officers who have lost their lives on the job. To others, the black-and-white American flag with a single blue stripe is a potent symbol of the ties between right-wing extremism and American law enforcement. The tension between those seemingly irreconcilable intonations spilled over at LAPD this month, when Chief Michel Moore ordered the flag, which was widely displayed in station lobbies around the city, to be removed from public view. Moore said his order includes patches on uniforms and bumper stickers on police vehicles. [L.A. Times]
» In Soaked California, Few Homeowners Have Flood Insurance Only about 230,000 homes and other buildings in California have flood insurance policies, which are separate from homeowners insurance. That means only about 2% of properties are covered against flooding. The federal government is the insurer for the bulk of them–about 191,000 as of December. Private insurers issued the rest, according to the most recent state data from 2021. 32 trillion gallons of rain and snow has fallen across the Golden State since Christmas. The water washed out roads, knocked out power and created mudslides by soaking wildfire-charred hills, causing damage in 41 of the state’s 58 counties. At least 21 people have died. [CBS]
» In Unprecedented Move, Rincon Withdraws From California Tribal Gaming Compact A 500-member tribe in northern San Diego County has become the first in California to opt out of state oversight of its gambling operations in favor of federal supervision. The move by the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians ends nearly two decades of legal wrangling rooted in the way California assesses regulatory costs. It could also herald the beginning of the end for the state’s hold on some tribal gaming operations, which last year paid nearly $67 million into a state fund to regulate tribal gaming. That money funds staff at the California Gambling Control Commission, Bureau of Gambling Control, Office of the Attorney General and Office of Problem Gambling. [SD Tribune]
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TOP STORIES FROM L.A. MAG
ONE MORE THING
The Beginning of the End of the Adderall Shortage
It had been months of trying. First, to ration my supply of Adderall before giving up and exhausting my supply; then, I attempted 40 milligrams of Vyvanse as a replacement; the next attempt was 60 milligrams of Vyvanse; then 70 milligrams of Vyvanse, the highest dose one can take. Finally, I was asking my psychiatrist if I could just try some Dexedrine, which led to her calling my former psychiatrist. This brought the realization that most pharmacies were out of Dexedrine, too. So I went the organic route and tried multiple cups of coffee, matcha, and those five-hour energy drinks.
I never believed that I actually had ADD before the Adderall shortage, even though I was diagnosed with the disorder a little over 10 years ago. In 2011, the diagnosis wasn’t presented as a big deal, so I believed, cavalierly, that I had been given Adderall to help me make my deadlines and organize my life. I thought I could work smart, not hard, and hopefully hit the after-work cocktail party circuit with extra vivaciousness. The use of prescription stimulants to treat ADHD has doubled from 2006 to 2016, according to the journal PLOS One, and I was very much part of a growing trend around stimulant use.
