Good morning, SoCal. Here's what you need to know today.

Your Weather Planner

Friday starts off dry for SoCal with the exception of some desert communities. The sky will clear as the day goes on with the beaches staying cool and inland cities warming up with mild temperatures. 

Thursday's storm moves into Arizona on Friday, taking clouds and shower chances away from SoCal. The sky will clear and it'll warm up inland—another five to 15 degrees everywhere away from the beaches. 

Temperatures will essentially be near or right at average inland. Enjoy the mild weather because a big warm-up is on the way.

Get your 7-day forecast: LA West | LA East | San Fernando Valley/Ventura County | Orange County

Around SoCal

1. LA County Tops 23,000 COVID Deaths, but Hospitalizations Dip Again

According to state figures, there were 692 people hospitalized in the county due to COVID as of Thursday, down from 729 on Wednesday. The number of people in intensive care ticked upward, from 169 Wednesday to 183 on Thursday.

Barring any major new surge in COVID case numbers, the county is on track to enter the less restrictive orange tier of the state's Blueprint for a Safer Economy by the first week in April, likely in the days following Easter Sunday.

Moving to the orange tier would authorize the county to lift all capacity restrictions at retail and personal care businesses, while raising the capacity limit from 25% to 50% for movie theaters, churches, museums, zoos, aquariums, and restaurants. Fitness center capacity could be increased from 10% to 25%. The orange tier also would allow for bars to reopen outdoors, while card rooms and family entertainment centers could be cleared to resume indoor operations. 

2. OC COVID-19 Hospitalizations Lowest in Five Months

The county reported just 97 new COVID-19 cases, upping the cumulative total to 249,939, and hospitalizations decreased from 172 Wednesday to 167, with the number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care dropping by one to 35, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency.

The last time overall hospitalizations were this low was Oct. 26.

If current COVID-19 trends continue, Orange County could graduate from the red to the orange tier under the state's blueprint for reopening the economy by March 31, officials said.

3. Protesters, Police Clash Near Echo Park, Few Unhoused Remain

Los Angeles police officers were stationed Friday morning at Echo Park as efforts continued to move the remaining few people who are unhoused out of the park to make way for a $500,000 renovation effort—hours after protesters clashed with authorities near the park.

Officers would support efforts by Councilman Mitch O'Farrell and Los Angeles Park Rangers "to conduct outreach to those experiencing homelessness at Echo Park and connect them with service providers," the Los Angeles Police Department tweeted about 12:30 a.m.

Several protesters were taken into custody, according to multiple media reports, but an exact number was not immediately available from police.

Spectrum News 1's Kate Cagle, along with a few other members of the media covering the situation, were detained and released.

Around the Nation

1. Lawmakers Press Big Tech CEOs on Speech Responsibility

2. Dominion Voting Sues Fox for $1.6B Over 2020 Election Claims

3. Are Vaccine Doses Being Wasted on Those Previously Infected with COVID-19?

Only on Spectrum News 1

We Need to Talk About Anti-Asian Hate

Korean American filmmaker Eugene Lee Yang, known for his work with the Try Guys, was putting the finishing touches on his documentary We Need to Talk About Anti-Asian Hate when news broke of the horrific shootings in Atlanta, Georgia. In this week's episode of our podcast SoCal in 17 with host Alex Cohen, Yang breaks down why the model minority myth can be so dangerous and how anti-Asian racism in America traces back to a lack of education and understanding of Asian American history.

SoCal Snapshot

Fans celebrate after the Los Angeles Lakers scored against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday at Staples Center. This was the first time that the Lakers allowed a small number of fans to attend games. L.A. lost 109-101. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)