Headlines: Union Station Hosting Free Public Watch Party Tonight For Dodger’s Season Opener

Welcome to L.A. TACO’s daily news briefs, where we bring our loyal members, readers, and supporters the latest headlines about Los Angeles politics and culture. Stay informed and look closely.

—Downtown: Batter up! Los Angeles Union Station is excited to host a free-open-to-the-public watch party event and fan fest for LA’s Home Team season opener on Thursday, March 30th from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm in the South Patio. Watch the game live on a large LED screen surrounded by family-friendly activities such as face painting and a make-your-own baseball card photo station. Enjoy music, prizes, and giveaways with fan-favorite branded mini bats, iconic baseball-themed snacks, and Union Station swag.

—Lynwood: Papa John’s workers the 11123 Long Beach Blvd, Lynwood, CA 90262 location will rally outside their store today (Thursday) to protest management’s abrupt announcement that the location would close and that the store’s  workers would lose their jobs. On Wednesday evening, management called a staff meeting to announce that that would be workers’ last day. During the lunchtime protest, cooks, cashiers and delivery drivers plan on occupying the store until they reach an acceptable agreement with management on severance pay and guaranteed transfer to the owner’s other locations. The protest will start at 10 AM.

—Legendary L.A. skateboarder Robbie McKinley has passed away. The details still remain unclear. McKinley, aka McCrooks, made a heavy impact in the skateboarding world in the early 2000s, and he appeared in such classic videos as; Harsh Euro Barge (2002), Rodney Mullen vs Daewon Song (2002), Yeah Right! (2003), and DC Video (2003). Throughout his career, McKinley was known for his daring and innovative approach to skateboarding. He landed the switch frontside heel at UCLA and nailed the 360 flip over the Chaffey block, which made core skateboarders talk about it for years since there were no social media back then, and all about word of mouth. RIP Robbie Mckinley. [Dose]

—Gilberto Cetina Jr., the head marisquero behind Holbox in downtown, and Carlos Salgado of Taco Maria in Costa Mesa are among the finalists to win a coveted James Beard Award. They are both competing in the "Best Chef California" category. L.A. TACO wishes both taqueros the best of luck and thanks them for representing Southern California's taco power at the national level.

—A freelance photographer, Manuel Alexandro Barrientos, has tentatively settled his lawsuit for an undisclosed amount against the city of Los Angeles in which he alleges he was struck by an LAPD projectile while taking images during the Lakers championship parade after the 2020 NBA Finals. Barrientos was taking photos of the parade on Oct. 11, 2020, near what was then known as the Staples Center when he was struck in the face by an LAPD rubber bullet, knocking out teeth and causing other injuries, the suit alleged. Barrientos was hospitalized and underwent surgery, according to his suit filed in October 2021. [City News Service]

—LA County Deputy DA Jonathan Hatami announces bid to unseat DA George Gascón. A Los Angeles County deputy district attorney has announced he is running for office in an attempt to to unseat L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón in 2024. [ABC]