Good evening, SoCal. We're wrapping up the day for you with the most important stories you need to know and your weather outlook.
Your Weather Planner
The chilly air settles in over SoCal again Thursday night. People living in the high desert will once again wake up to freezing temperatures Friday morning.
Daytime highs across SoCal will range from chilly in the mountains to mild in the valleys and basins.
We’ll remain rain-free through the weekend, with a slight warm up expected Friday into Saturday.
Tomorrow's Highs
Get your 7-day forecast: LA West | LA East | San Fernando Valley/Ventura County | Orange County
Today's Big Stories
1. Live updates: Luna extends lead; Caruso holding slight lead over Bass
The Los Angeles mayoral race remains tight after the latest update from the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk's Office. Developer Rick Caruso leads Rep. Karen Bass by just over 2,000 votes, with 1,452,192 ballots counted. Caruso led Bass by just over 12,000 votes after the previous update early Wednesday morning.
Updated returns just released from Tuesday's election show former Long Beach police Chief Robert Luna slightly extending his lead over incumbent Alex Villanueva in the race for Los Angeles County sheriff. Luna now has nearly 58% of the vote, compared to just over 42% for Villanueva.
Results in the four races for Los Angeles City Council seats did not change much Thursday after the latest update from the LA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.
An additional 134,099 vote-by-mail ballots returned through Election Day were added to the vote count Thursday afternoon, bringing the total ballots counted to 1,452,192. The next update will be Friday afternoon.
Hugo Soto-Martinez maintained his lead over incumbent 13th District Councilman Mitch O’Farrell. Soto-Martinez leads O’Farrell by more than 2,000 votes.
Follow along for the latest updates in big races across Southern California.
2. USC report: Rent hikes on tap for LA, OC
Renting an apartment in Los Angeles and Orange counties will be getting more expensive, with a USC Casden Economics Forecast released Thursday predicting continuing rent increases over the next two years.
While Los Angeles is projected to have a relatively moderate rent increase of $100, apartment rents are projected to increase an average of $184 in Orange County, according to the forecast.
The annual report from USC Lusk Center for Real Estate assesses current market conditions and makes two-year projections for multifamily rents and vacancies in Southern California.
Richard Green, director of the Lusk Center, noted that the forecast was somewhat uncertain due to fluctuations in inflation, rising interest rates and relocations.
3. Dodgers decline $16M club option on All-Star Justin Turner
The Los Angeles Dodgers have declined their $16 million option on two-time All-Star Justin Turner.
The team also said Thursday it extended qualifying offers to two All-Stars, shortstop Trea Turner and left-handed pitcher Tyler Anderson.
Also not receiving a qualifying offer for the second straight year was Clayton Kershaw. As a result, the left-hander will have additional time to consider his future rather than make a decision at the beginning of free agency. The Dodgers did the same thing last year, and Kershaw signed a one-year deal.
Justin Turner will receive a $2 million buyout. The 37-year-old third baseman could still re-sign with the Dodgers for next year, although likely at a lower salary than the $16 million he would have received if the team had exercised its option. During his nine seasons in Los Angeles, he has been a fan favorite and active in the community.
4. CalMatters: California’s bid to police its police is lagging
In the last 16 months, the California Justice Department opened 25 investigations of law enforcement officers who shot and killed an unarmed person. This scrutiny was part of a new law that took effect on July 1, 2021 — one of California’s answers to the emotional and political upheaval of the 2020 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Before, investigations of fatal police shootings in California were conducted at the local level; officers were rarely charged.
As of Nov. 10, the Justice Department has resolved only one of the state’s 25 opened cases.
CalMatters found that the department has struggled to meet the goals set by the new law — including the attorney general’s own pledge to complete investigations in one year. Internal emails indicate that Justice Department employees were worried that the new workload would overwhelm them. Department officials also have complained that the Legislature slashed in half their original $26 million budget request to cover these investigations.
Click the link above to learn more.
5. Section of destroyed shuttle Challenger found on ocean floor
A large section of the destroyed space shuttle Challenger has been found buried in sand at the bottom of the Atlantic, more than three decades after the tragedy that killed a schoolteacher and six others.
NASA’s Kennedy Space Center announced the discovery Thursday.
“Of course, the emotions come back, right?” said Michael Ciannilli, a NASA manager who confirmed the remnant's authenticity. When he saw the underwater video footage, “My heart skipped a beat, I must say, and it brought me right back to 1986 ... and what we all went through as a nation."
It's one of the biggest pieces of Challenger found in the decades since the accident, according to Ciannilli, and the first remnant to be discovered since two fragments from the left wing washed ashore in 1996.
The piece is more than 15 feet by 15 feet (4.5 meters by 4.5 meters); it's likely bigger because part of it is covered with sand. Because there are square thermal tiles on the piece, it’s believed to be from the shuttle’s belly, Ciannilli said.
The fragment remains on the ocean floor just off the Florida coast near Cape Canaveral as NASA determines the next step. It remains the property of the U.S. government. The families of all seven Challenger crew members have been notified.
Your Notes for Tomorrow
- Friday is Veterans Day
- President Biden attends the U.N. Climate Change Summit in Egypt (COP27)
- First lady Jill Biden and the Second Couple attend the Veterans Day Observance at Arlington National Cemetery
- Tropical Storm Nicole forecast to hit Georgia
- Takeoff's funeral services held at State Farm Arena
- Free entry to national parks
- MLS Expansion Draft
- People Magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" issue with Chris Evans published
In Case You Missed It
With race still undecided, Rick Caruso woos the Latino electorate
On Election Day, Rick Caruso went to Boyle Heights to cast his vote. While he doesn't live in the area, it was a strategic move for the Los Angeles mayoral candidate.
"Inside the Issues: The Podcast" hosts Alex Cohen and Sara Sadhwani point out Caruso's not-so-secret campaign strategy: woo the votes of the oft-ignored Latino and Asian American electorates.
Click the link above to listen to the full episode.