In L.A. suburbia, they tuned out Biden-Trump with a concert in the park -- free of politics, rage

Good morning. It’s Friday, June 28. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.

• At a park in this L.A. suburb, the Trump-Biden debate wasn’t as important as a picnic and some tunes.
• More perspectives emerge about what happened at violent synagogue protest.
• Every Southern California theme park ride, ranked.
• And here’s today’s e-newspaper

Trump-Biden — or a concert in the park?

Joe Biden and Donald Trump were attacking each other on a debate stage in Atlanta — an event that in a different era might bring the nation together for a collective discussion of the issues.

But at Del Valle Park in Lakewood, a community came together in a different way. Hundreds of people — families, teenagers, little kids — arrived by minivan, SUV, golf cart, electric bike and scooter for a concert in the park. A country music band played on stage, and families spread out on the grass for picnic dinners.

I arrived wondering if I could catch people taking in the debate. But it was clear it was the last thing on their minds. This was a time for music, kicking around the soccer ball, catching up with neighbors and enjoying the sunset in this quintessential SoCal suburb. I noticed two teenagers hunched over a smartphone; I smiled and asked, “Debate?” They shook their heads. It was TikTok.

After spending a few minutes walking the park — with the sounds of a loud Trump and a muffled Biden flowing through my ear buds — I came to admire the choice of the people at Del Valle Park.

There were predictions that the viewing public would have little enthusiasm for two people Americans know far too well and many might like to know a little less. Those who did tune in were faced with a spectacle painful to watch. Trump was the guy we remembered back in 2020 — belligerent, insulting and, according to the experts, in serious need of a fact check. Biden, however, seemed like a different person. His voice was faint at times. Some of his sentences trailed off. Here is some analysis from The Times’ political team:

• “Biden’s early struggles with his words and the ... timbre of his voice have instead created panic among Democrats.” — Noah Bierman and Anita Chabria
• “Abundant disdain between the two men overflowed.” — James Rainey and Seema Mehta
• “Democrats now have tough choices to make.” —Lorraine Ali
• “It may go down as one of the great political miscalculations of modern times.” — Mark Z. Barabak
  

As I walked through Del Valle Park — with shouts of “criminal,” “sucker,” “loser” and dueling golf scores being drilled into my head — I wondered how this was going to change Trump’s and Biden’s political fortunes.

Lakewood was the classic postwar suburb, the model for the trac -home, Little League and shopping mall communities that dot Southern California. It was once white and conservative, many of its residents getting paychecks from the booming aerospace industry.

It’s much more diverse now (white people make up about 41% of the population). Lakewood generally votes Democratic, but there are still some purple parts. In 2016, the area around Del Valle Park narrowly backed Trump over Hillary Clinton. In 2020, the community narrowly backed Biden over Trump.

So the people at the concert in the park represent a swing area (even if California overall remains deep blue). I’m sure when the sun finally set, the band played its finale and the last of the chocolate chip cookies were eaten, many went home and caught up on the debate. A bad night for the Democrats — that seems the near-universal conventional wisdom. But will the slugfest change minds? Will voters put Biden’s clear struggles above all else (including Trump’s many fictions)? The polls should tell us soon.

But I doubt the concertgoers will regret missing the debate. The vibe in that park was so different from the Atlanta debate stage.

Critics of suburbs often fault what they perceive as their insular nature.

“People [in Lakewood] may be able to look out for themselves,” one academic told The Times in a 1996 story about the city. “But what about the rest of society?”

In that same article, historian and Lakewood chronicler D.J. Waldie offered a different perspective. Waldie had just published his classic book about the city, “Holy Land,” and took my colleague Thomas Curwen to Del Valle Park to observe the kids playing sports and neighbors coming together. Lakewood was far from perfect, Curwen noted, citing racial and economic strife that some boosters liked to ignore.

But the strife wasn’t everything.

As Waldie wrote in “Holy Land”: “In the suburbs, a manageable life depends on a compact among neighbors. The unspoken agreement is an honest hypocrisy.”

Today’s top stories

A protest Sunday outside the Adas Torah synagogue in Pico-Robertson turned violent.

(David Swanson / AFP via Getty Images)

Violent synagogue protest

• Four days after a violent protest outside a Los Angeles synagogue sparked national furor, more perspectives are emerging about what happened.
• Protest violence outside an L.A. synagogue spurred widespread condemnation. Bass vowed quick action.
• The LAPD and the feds looked for synagogue protesters as the city mulled mask restrictions and added security.
• Could L.A. enforce antimasking laws for protesters? Experts weigh in.

Courts

• The Supreme Court upset a $10-billion opioid settlement because it shields the Sacklers.
• The Supreme Court rejected Idaho’s appeal — for now — to ban abortions in medical emergencies.

Sports

• NBA history: Lakers draft Bronny James, who will join father LeBron.
• NFL ordered to pay billions in damages for ‘overcharged’ Sunday Ticket.
• Column: Lakers’ decision to draft Bronny James is a costly move toward chaos.

Climate and environment

• Despite seismic concerns, the last segment of Los Angeles-to-San Francisco high-speed rail line is cleared environmentally.
• California environmental group sues U.S. Forest Service over Arrowhead bottled water operation.
• California’s first-ever ‘climate information system’ falls victim to budget ax.

More big stories

• “Kind of bunk”: Here’s a closer look at the controversial case against a top L.A. D.A. official.
• How a San Diego doctor led the antiabortion movement to embrace controversial pill “reversal.”
• California lawmakers exempted their new office building from state environmental law.
• The latest violence linked to Metro: A man was fatally stabbed after exiting a South L.A. bus.
• Sierra Club workers voted to authorize a strike amid layoffs and allegations of mismanagement.
• Neil Young and Crazy Horse canceled their tour and Hollywood Bowl show: “A couple of us got sick.”
• A Dodgers batboy saved Shohei Ohtani with an incredible dugout catch.
• San Clemente nixed a July 4 tradition of racing office chairs, sofas, surfboards down a steep street.
• California’s new high school requirement: Balance a checkbook, manage credit, avoid scams.
• High interest rates are hurting people. Here’s why it’s worse for Californians.
• Metro OKs plan to start its own police agency, wind down contracts with sheriff, LAPD.

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Commentary and opinions

• LZ Granderson: The debate showed Biden and Trump are terrible choices, but not equally terrible.
• Editorial: Banning masks at protests is a bad idea.
• Anita Chabria: The Supreme Court plays kick the can with two big cases.
• Michael Hiltzik: How a surgeon general’s warning and a Supreme Court ruling may place gun control on the front burner.

Today’s great reads

(Illustration by Jim Cooke / Los Angeles Times)

The average wedding costs $41,000 in California. 16 couples share what they really spent. California ranks as one of the most expensive states to host a wedding. These newlyweds share how they broke down their budgets, along with what they would have done differently.

Other great reads

• Pressured by cops, a mom made a false murder confession. Now, her sons can prove she’s innocent.
• Disillusioned with big city life, recent college graduates in China take up farming.

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.

For your downtime

Awan ice cream’s new Melrose Avenue flagship offers more than a dozen flavors of the fully vegan ice cream made with coconut cream and Balinese vanilla.

(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)

Going out

• 🍨 Some of L.A.’s best ice cream expands with new Larchmont flagship.
• 🎡 Every Southern California theme park ride, ranked.
• 🥾 4 great L.A. hikes that offer treats near the trails.

Staying in

• 📕 A memoir about Chicano studies, intertwined with a history of Compton.
• 🎧 Melissa Fumero and Stephanie Beatriz hope to make your life ‘More Better’ with their new podcast.
• 🧑‍🍳 Here’s a recipe for summer vegetable salad.
• ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.

And finally ... a great photo

Show us your favorite place in California! We’re running low on submissions. Send us photos that scream California and we may feature them in an edition of Essential California.

Marine photographer Eric Mailander has captured images of juvenile great white sharks congregating in Monterey Bay.

(Eric Mailander)

Today’s great photo is from Times contributor Eric Mailander who captures juvenile white sharks “smiling” in the warm waters of Monterey Bay.

Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor and Saturday reporter
Christian Orozco, assistant editor
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters

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