Today’s Headlines: L.A. City Council to consider sweeping vaccine mandate

Here are the stories you shouldn’t miss today:

TOP STORIES

L.A. City Council to consider strict proof-of-vaccination order

The Los Angeles City Council is set to consider on Wednesday a sweeping law requiring adult customers to show proof of full COVID-19 vaccination to enter indoor restaurants, coffee shops, gyms, shopping centers, museums, movie theaters and hair and nail salons, among other businesses.

The plan would be one of the strictest vaccine orders to date — and would likely make demonstrating inoculation status part of the daily routine for Angelenos.

Top general says mistakes left ‘the enemy in charge’ in Afghanistan

Gen. Mark A. Milley testified Tuesday that the American war in Afghanistan ended in “strategic failure,� a grim conclusion that acknowledged a long series of mistakes and miscalculations by the Pentagon’s leaders.

At a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, the nation’s top general said: “The enemy is in charge in Kabul. There’s no other way to describe that.�

Head of Police Commission slams unvaccinated LAPD officers, ‘dubious’ exemption claims

The head of the civilian panel that oversees the Los Angeles Police Department denounced in strong terms the resistance to COVID-19 vaccinations among officers on Tuesday morning, which he called “appalling.�

Los Angeles Police Commission President William Briggs also called it “extremely dubious� that more than 2,600 LAPD personnel had legitimate medical or religious reasons to be exempted from the looming vaccination mandate for city employees, as they have claimed.

As deadlines approach, thousands of L.A. school employees, students remain unvaccinated

Vaccination mandate deadlines are fast approaching in the Los Angeles Unified School District that could result in thousands of employees losing their jobs and tens of thousands of students being forced off campus into an online program.

Although the vast majority of students and teachers in the nation’s second-largest school district will comply, large numbers are resisting. As of now, about 1 in 5 district employees have not begun their immunization.

More top coronavirus headlines

— Pfizer has submitted research to the FDA on the effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine in children ages 5 to 11, but the shots may not be available until November. Officials had previously said they would file an application to authorize the vaccine’s use in the coming weeks.

— Japan’s government announced Tuesday that the country’s coronavirus state of emergency will end this week after six months, to help revive the economy as infections slow.

— At least 400,000 people in the United States have received COVID-19 booster shots since the extra injections were authorized last week, the Biden administration said Tuesday.

— Thousands of healthcare workers in New York faced with either getting vaccinated or losing their jobs received at least one dose as the statewide mandate neared, according to state figures released Tuesday.

For more, sign up for Coronavirus Today, a special edition of The Times’ Health and Science newsletter.

Britney Spears’ conservatorship hearing could change everything

Is Jamie Spears still conservator of daughter Britney Spears’ estate? That’s one of the big questions prior to the pop star’s Wednesday-afternoon hearing. Another question is whether the conservatorship will remain in place. Both sides have filed to end it, with different nuances in the petitions.

The proceedings begin at 1:30 p.m. at Los Angeles County Superior Court in downtown L.A., where supporters of the #FreeBritney movement have gathered on previous hearing days. Another rally is planned for Wednesday at 1 p.m.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Twenty-five years ago today, Nintendo 64 arrived on U.S. store shelves, and The Times hailed it as a “technical wonder.�

“The folks at Sega and Sony should be afraid — very afraid — of Nintendo’s new 64-bit video game machine,� the review said, citing blistering speed and tack-sharp graphics unheard of on personal computers.

CALIFORNIA

— The Los Angeles Police Department has seen a dramatic increase in the use of dispersal orders as officials deal with rising numbers of intense street protests. But a Times investigation found that the LAPD kept little record of such orders and its justifications for them.

— Construction kicked off Tuesday on a 19-story homeless housing project designed to reshape a corner of skid row in the image of more well-to-do environs. The metal-and-glass Weingart Tower will “improve the neighborhood through architecture,� an official said.

— Enrollment in the Los Angeles Unified School District has dropped by more than 27,000 students since last year, a decline of close to 6% — a much steeper slide than in any recent year.

— Gusty winds blowing through the southern Sierra Nevada continue to spread the KNP Complex and Windy fires, which have burned more than 135,000 acres combined as they tear through steep, rugged terrain.

— Citing a lack of trust in Sheriff Alex Villanueva, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors has requested inquests into the fatal shootings of three men by sheriff’s deputies last year.

NATION-WORLD

— Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is sounding an urgent call for Congress to raise the government’s borrowing limit, a day after Senate Republicans blocked consideration of a bill that would have done so. Failing to raise it by Oct. 18 would likely cause “a financial crisis and economic recession,� Yellen said.

— Democrats are deeply divided over how to enact President Biden’s agenda, but they agree on one thing: No one comes close to Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s acumen in muscling bills through the House. But with Biden’s “Build Back Better� plan hanging in the balance, she’s facing perhaps the most complex test of those skills.

— A man who killed five people at a newspaper in Maryland was sentenced Tuesday to more than five life sentences without the possibility of parole.

— Barabak: There are some drastic ideas to overhaul California’s recall. Be careful, says one expert.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

— “No Time to Die� is finally here. We have (00)7 things you might like to know about Daniel Craig’s final James Bond movie.

— “The Bachelor� is welcoming Season 5 star Jesse Palmer back to the franchise, this time as the host. ABC announced Tuesday that the former NFL player will host Season 26 of the show.

— The 2021 Latin Grammy Award nominations are here. Colombian pop singer-songwriter Camilo and Dominican bachata pioneer Juan Luis Guerra lead this year’s nominees.

— BTS is back in concert. First stop? Four nights at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium.

— Should you watch the nine-episode Korean series “Squid Game,� Netflix’s surprise hit? Our critic weighs in.

BUSINESS

— Amazon on Tuesday unveiled a home robot called Astro, a screen on wheels that works with the company’s Alexa voice software.

— Netflix, which has made video games a priority for expansion, acquired its first game developer with the purchase of Glendale-based Night School Studio.

— Since the start of the pandemic, thirsty Americans have drowned their sorrow in bottled water, with its clean, healthful image. It’s a triumph of perception over reality, writes business columnist David Lazarus: Bottled water is mostly just expensive tap water.

SPORTS

— Jaime Jarrín, the Spanish-language voice of the Dodgers since 1959, has announced he will retire after the 2022 season. With each despídala con un beso home run call, he became an icon in Southern California and beyond, crossing time zones and borders.

— NBA teams start training camp this week, but instead of roster changes and championship hopes, many teams were left talking about vaccination controversy. Here’s what we know so far.

— Meanwhile, the Lakers put on their most impressive media day performance in years Tuesday by displaying a dazzling array of shots, writes columnist Bill Plaschke. Not shots taken, but shots received. On the coronavirus, the league’s oldest team is acting like its most mature team.

OPINION

— The vaccines work. The call for booster shots doesn’t change that. COVID-19 has become a pandemic of the unvaccinated.

— L.A.’s mayor race will be a Rorschach test for the city. The 2022 race is setting the stage for a major reset, and there’s never been a better time for it.

— Verbosity isn’t Biden’s problem; misreading the room is.

ONLY IN CALIFORNIA

After a year of pandemic hiatus, the Michelin Guide, and its authoritative but divisive star rating system, has returned to California. On Tuesday morning, the international restaurant guidebook revealed its 2021 selections, including five new two-star designations. Among the recipients was Brandon Go’s Hayato, an intimate Japanese kaiseki restaurant in L.A.’s Arts District — a surreal honor, Go said. The restaurant had been forced to close in 2020 due to the pandemic and only recently reopened. See the rest of the honorees here.

Cuisine from Hayato.

(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)

Today’s newsletter was curated by Laura Blasey and Amy Hubbard. Comments or ideas? Email us at [email protected].