Today’s Headlines: Turkey’s devastating quake serves as a wakeup call for California

Hello, it’s Tuesday, Feb. 7, and here are the stories you shouldn’t miss today.

TOP STORIES

The devastating Turkey earthquake has urgent lessons for California

A powerful magnitude 7.8 earthquake rocked wide swaths of Turkey and neighboring Syria, killing more than 3,400 people and injuring thousands more. The quake has devastated areas that are home to millions of Syrians displaced by war.

This should serve as a wakeup call for California, which is vulnerable to similarly powerful seismic events and has many large buildings at risk of collapse.

Brandon Tsay disarmed a mass killer. Now what?

Brandon Tsay stopped the Monterey Park shooter by wresting a MAC-10 from his hands. Tsay had no idea how those seconds of wrestling with the gunman would change his life.

Within hours, reporters were camped outside his house. His phone exploded with calls, texts and emails. President Biden phoned, thanking him for his bravery.

Since that night, Tsay and those around him say, the self-described “average Joe” has a renewed sense of purpose, though he’s still adjusting to his newfound celebrity.

Why Californians should watch the State of the Union address

President Biden delivers his annual State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress this evening.

For politically engaged audiences, it’s an opportunity to hear the president lay out his accomplishments and priorities. For others less interested in hearing what the president has to say, the speech could still be worth watching, particularly for Californians. One thing to look for is seeing House Speaker Kevin McCarthy sit behind Biden for the first time.

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Goshen shooting suspect had an ‘extensive’ feud with the slain family

One of the men accused of gunning down six members of a Central California family had been embroiled in an “extensive history and feud” with the family and had once shot at one of them, according to police records obtained by The Times.

Angel Uriarte had been embroiled in a feud with the Parraz family, according to police records. He is accused of executing six people, including a baby.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

A unique kind of traffic jam: Charlie Kyurklyan, left, watches as a 1970 Mercedes-Benz Type C 111-II Experimental Vehicle is loaded onto a truck after it was displayed at L.A.’s Petersen Automotive Museum. Read more about the complicated logistics here.

(Nick Agro / For The Times)

CALIFORNIA

He bombed the SAT but now heads the UC Board of Regents. That’s why widening access is a priority. Rich Leib, 66, has been a cheerleader for public education for more than two decades. Now, as UC board chair, his top priority is to open the doors of higher education to more students of varied backgrounds.

Can bighorns, a train and a solar farm coexist in the Mojave Desert? Proposals to build a high-speed electric rail linking Southern California to Las Vegas and revive a long-dead solar project in the area have triggered a clash with conservationists.

Surveillance video shows the fatal police shooting of a double amputee. Huntington Park police released a video showing officers shooting Anthony Lowe, who was holding a knife, as well as a recording of the 911 call from a stabbing victim that led to the fatal encounter.

Southern California water restrictions remain, despite rain. The early-season storms provided some drought relief, but most officials say it would be premature to loosen water restrictions. In fact, more calls for conservation could be coming.

NATION-WORLD

A woman was charged with plotting to disable the Baltimore power grid. The arrest of Sarah Beth Clendaniel of Baltimore County was the latest in a series across the country as authorities warn that the nation’s electrical infrastructure is a vulnerable target for domestic terrorists.

Harry Whittington, shot in the face by Dick Cheney in a hunting accident, dies at 95. Whittington died early Saturday morning at his home in Austin, Texas. He attracted global attention after he was sprayed with more than 200 pellets from Cheney’s shotgun during a quail hunt in 2006.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

Hip-hop and Beyoncé almost saved the show, until the Grammys botched the ending. Despite performances by vibrant artists, energy and excitement were in short supply during the three-hour-plus broadcast, writes television critic Lorraine Ali.

After the Riseborough flap, who will win the lead actress Oscar? The academy determined that Andrea Riseborough would be allowed to keep her lead actress nomination for “To Leslie” following an investigation. But keeping the nomination and winning are different things, writes entertainment columnist Glenn Whipp.

Don’t bet the ranch, Paramount Network says, amid rumors that ‘Yellowstone’ will end. A report Monday alleged that Paramount Global and Paramount Network were taking steps to conclude the Kevin Costner-starring series, but production sources denied the claims, saying the show would continue.

BUSINESS

AMC Theatres offers cheaper tickets for worse seats, while raising prices for the middle. The U.S.’ biggest cinema circuit on Monday said its new pricing initiative, called “Sightline,” will be expanded to all domestic locations by year‘s end.

Google releases ChatGPT rival AI ‘Bard’ to early testers. The company said Monday that its conversational AI service would be opening up to trusted testers and that it is readying the service for the public “in the coming weeks.”

OPINION

Gov. Gavin Newsom promised to punish ‘Big Oil’ for profiteering, but so far it’s just talk. He still hasn’t produced a detailed plan. And the Legislature, which must approve any plan, hasn’t shown much enthusiasm.

How tech is changing L.A. — and how L.A. is changing tech. The buzzwords seem to be coming faster, and the ideas are becoming further detached from the real world and the ordinary consumer. Tech’s metaphorical drift has paralleled its physical migration into Los Angeles, where Silicon Valley companies have entrenched themselves.

SPORTS

Lakers ticket prices skyrocket as LeBron James nears scoring record. James is poised to break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring mark this week, making the Lakers the hottest ticket in the NBA.

UCLA softball is chasing a title with the ‘perfect storm’ of experience and young talent. UCLA softball lost some of its best players from last year, but Maya Brady and the Bruins hope to make another NCAA title run in 2023.

How the Philadelphia Eagles nearly became the Phoenix Eagles in 1984. In a dark moment in Philadelphia sports history forgotten by many, there was a brief stretch at the end of the 1984 season when the beloved Eagles almost relocated to Arizona, the site of Super Bowl LVII.

ONLY IN L.A.

Here’s where to find the best lobster roll in Los Angeles. This is not a town known for its seafood sandwiches. Towers of pastrami, yes. A stellar Italian sub, absolutely. Rolls brimming with chunks of hot lobster? Not so much. But a Boston import, Saltie Girl, has brought an East Coast delicacy to Sunset Boulevard. The Times’ Jenn Harris says it’s worth the visit.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Outfielder Frank Robinson of the Baltimore Orioles in action in 1967.

(Associated Press)

Hall of Fame outfielder Frank Robinson died four years ago. He was 83. Robinson was the only major leaguer to be named most valuable player in both the National and American leagues and the first African American to manage in the big leagues.

Robinson rose from the sandlots of Oakland to become one of baseball’s most feared sluggers — his 586 home runs rank 10th on baseball’s all-time list.

Robinson spent more than 60 years in baseball: 21 as a big-league player from 1956 to 1976, 16 as a manager for four franchises and more than a dozen in executive roles.

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