The Batman and the Bluntman: Deja News Mar 11

Hey Socal! This past week, The Batman dropped in theaters. The film stars Robert Pattinson as the titular Caped Crusader, and Paul Dano as the Riddler. Dano joins a rich legacy of Bat-villains that includes the Joker, Poison Ivy, and let’s be honest, Anne Hathaway. Fire up that Bat-signal while Mike Ciriaco brings it back to your brain with this week’s Deja News!

Los Angeles will be phasing out Covid policies.

The Los Angeles City Council passed a motion Tuesday to explore phasing out temporary COVID-19 programs and policies and get recommendations on which ones should be adopted permanently.

The motion, introduced by Councilman Joe Buscaino, passed 11-0. It instructs the city administrative officer to work with the chief legislative analyst and city attorney to provide recommendations to phase out temporary COVID-19 policies and programs and address the needs of Angelenos with long-term solutions.

The departments will also report on the impacts of policies that were in effect during the COVID-19 State of Emergency, which is ongoing, and which policies should be considered for permanent adoption.

The motion comes as the number of COVID-19 cases in the county continues to decline after this winter’s Omicron surge. Council members are scheduled to vote Wednesday on whether to take steps to scale back one of their most restrictive pandemic policies, requiring people to show proof of vaccination before entering many indoor public spaces.

Paleontologists developed a way to bring back extinct animals we can view on our screens.

Fearsome dire wolves and saber-toothed cats no longer prowl around La Brea Tar Pits, but thanks to new research, anyone can bring these extinct animals back to life through augmented reality (AR). Dr. Matt Davis and colleagues at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and La Brea Tar Pits collaborated with researchers and designers at the University of Southern California (USC) to create more than a dozen new, scientifically accurate virtual models of Ice Age animals, published recently in Palaeontologia Electronica. 

The team is investigating how AR impacts learning in museums, but soon realized there weren’t any accurate Ice Age animals in the metaverse yet that they could use. So, they took all the latest paleontological research and made their own. The models were built in a blocky, low poly style so that they could be scientifically accurate, but still simple enough to run on normal cell phones with limited processing power. 

LA’s cannabis task force seized over 250,000 pounds of marijuana. 

Los Angeles’ cannabis task force seized 257,732 pounds of cannabis and $2,127,112 in 2021, police said Tuesday.

The task force, headed by the Deputy Mayor’s Office of Public Safety, is made up of the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles Fire Department, the Department of Water and Power, the Department of Building and Safety and the Department of Cannabis Regulations.

“The sale of illegal cannabis is a threat to the public’s health and safety. Unlicensed locations may not test their product or have adequate security,” City Attorney Mike Feuer said. “Customers who patronize illegal shops do so at their peril and undermine businesses who play by the rules. My office has been at the forefront of taking action to shut down these illegal businesses, with over 300 closed so far as a result of our prosecutions.”

Mike Ciriaco will be bringing back to your brain next Friday with another Deja News. And for weekend social suggestions, hit up our Hey SoCalendar. Until then, stay svelt, SoCal!

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