News from a West Coast perspective.
Housing does not come cheap in Los Angeles. But if you are willing to live somewhat like a troll, there might be something available for you in Alhambra.
The 450-square-foot apartment built in 1949 has a terrace that looks over a stream & a rooftop patio that sits next to a road bridge, separated only by a fence. It is priced at $250,000 — a steal considering the median sale price for an existing single-family house in Southern California is about $785,000.
Gov. Gavin Newsom took his feud with Gov. Ron DeSantis to new heights on Monday, seemingly threatening him with kidnapping charges after California officials say South American migrants were sent to Sacramento by the state of Florida as a political stunt.
“This isn’t Martha’s Vineyard. Kidnapping charges?” Newsom said in the tweet.
Newsom said that his administration is working with the California Department of Justice.
More than a dozen migrants from South America who were recently flown on a chartered jet from New Mexico and dropped off in Sacramento were carrying documents indicating that their transportation was arranged by the state of Florida, California’s attorney general said.
Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta didn’t mince words in blaming Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for the incident.
Rep. Katie Porter snapped selfies with fans. Rep. Adam B. Schiff delivered a combination of risqué humor and dad jokes during a nighttime stand-up performance. And Rep. Barbara Lee leaned heavily into her long history of supporting liberal causes.
Very little separates the trio on policy. So to forge a path to victory in the 2024 race, they need to find a way to differentiate themselves before California’s March primary.
Read more at https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2023-05-29/senate-feinstein-schiff-lee-porter-california-democratic-party
A rail line running through the heart of downtown Los Angeles, better connecting the foothills to the beaches, opens on June 16.
Known as the Regional Connector, the two-mile line eliminates the need to transfer between the L (Gold), A (Blue) and E (Expo) lines, enabling commuters to ride from Azusa to Long Beach in one hour and 58 minutes or East Los Angeles to Santa Monica in one hour and nine minutes. Officials plan to make rides free for the opening.
Read more:
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-05-23/la-me-metro-regional-connector
Juan López left Nicaragua for the U.S. last year in hopes of escaping the violence plaguing that Central American nation.
But his life ended tragically on the streets of Los Angeles, felled by a bullet while working to earn money so his daughter back in his home country could celebrate her ninth birthday.
“He was so happy because he was going to earn that money to send his girl to buy the cake,” said Ruth López Suarez, Juan López’s sister.
The seven states that depend on the Colorado River announced on Monday that they have reached an agreement on cutting water use from the river over the next three years to prevent reservoirs from falling to critically low levels.
Representatives of the states reached the consensus after months of negotiations, with California, Arizona and Nevada together committing to reduce water use by about 3 million acre-feet between now and the end of 2026.
The company had already relocated some workers in anticipation of the Lake Nona campus. But some employees balked at the planned move and Disney is in a legal battle with Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Dancers at a North Hollywood topless bar will become the only strippers in the United States to gain union recognition after the club’s management withdrew challenges to their guild election, the union announced Tuesday.
Front-line workers essential to solving Los Angeles County’s homelessness crisis do not make enough money to afford housing themselves, leading to burnout and high turnover, a new report has found.
Researchers with Rand Corp., the nonpartisan think tank that published the report on Wednesday, estimate that the workers need to make $64,000 annually to afford a one-bedroom apartment, or $82,000 for a two-bedroom.
Instead, they make about $40,000 to $60,000.
The Los Angeles Times won two Pulitzer Prizes on Monday for coverage of two of the most troubling problems facing Southern California — homelessness and racial division.
The Times has now won seven breaking news Pulitzers, more than any other news organization. This also marked the fifth year in a row that the outlet won at least one Pulitzer, considered the top honor in journalism.
Read more at https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-05-08/pulitzer-2023-latimes-breaking-news-features-photography
Breaking: A dispute over how writers are compensated in the streaming era came to a head Monday night, as leaders of the Writers Guild of America called on their members to stage Hollywood’s first strike in 15 years. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2023-05-01/hollywood-writers-strike-after-talks-over-pay-conditions-in-streaming-age-fail
L.A. County facing up to 3,000 plaintiffs in sex abuse cases after decades of failure. County officials predicted they may be forced to spend between $1.6 billion & $3 billion to resolve the claims, which allegedly took place in the county’s foster homes, children shelters, and probation camps & halls dating to the 1950s.
Experts say the volume is unlike anything they’ve heard of in local government. There is only one apt comparison, attorneys say: the Catholic Church.
Ex-Dodgers owner Frank McCourt’s company, now known as McCourt Global, highlights this slogan: “Building for tomorrow.” McCourt did not sell the Dodger Stadium parking lots because he anticipated building something there, some day.
What might that be? And is the gondola intended to carry us to that day?
The pursuit of those answers took Bill Shaikin to Dodger Stadium, to City Hall, and to a meeting of MLB owners.
https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2023-04-30/dodger-stadium-gondola-project-frank-mccourt
The expected annual cost from earthquake damage for California is climbing sharply amid an increase in property values and better understanding of how soft soils could result in greater damage during shaking.
California is projected to lose an average of $9.6 billion a year from earthquake damage, the new estimates show. That’s a 157% increase from the last estimate, in 2017.
Read more at https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-04-30/major-california-earthquake-cost
Trigger Warning: Sexual assault
Eric Uller was a civilian employee with the Santa Monica Police Department and the city. It took decades to uncover that he was a sexual predator, the center of a stunning series of crimes that destroyed the lives of children.
Read the full story: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-04-26/santa-monica-sex-abuse-warnings-ignored
More than a month after heavy storms eroded a section of the L.A. Aqueduct, work crews are still scrambling to complete repairs and shore up flood defenses in the face of a weeklong heat wave that threatens to trigger widespread snowmelt in the Sierra Nevada.
Historic snowpack levels in the Eastern Sierra are expected to melt into runoff that is 225% of normal, which translates to about 326 billion gallons of water that will need to be managed, DWP officials said.
Heather Barron and her boyfriend Kareem Leiva, who were convicted last month of torturing Anthony Avalos and his siblings and ultimately killing Anthony, 10, Barron’s oldest child, were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Tuesday's hearing caps a painful five years for Anthony’s other family members — some of whom also gave testimonies.
A growing share of low-income students admitted to the renowned University of California system are choosing community college instead as skyrocketing housing costs and insufficient financial aid put their dream campuses out of reach.
“I cried about it, I will not lie,” Jonathan said about his financial aid shortfall. “You did all these things, tried your best. Then you look at the money aspect and see you can’t afford it.”
It’s Spring cleaning time at the upper levels of Hollywood and the media business.