Greater LA

Today the LA City Council approved new rules targeting people who sit, sleep and store their belongings near building entrances, freeway underpasses, parks, homeless shelters, day care centers, and other public facilities. Those who support the ordinance say it addresses many housed people’s concerns about impassable sidewalks and encampments becoming health and safety hazards. Those against it sa...

LA theaters are offering new performances — online and in-person. Culver City’s The Actors’ Gang is out with a new virtual play called “We Live On,” about life during the Great Depression and lessons for COVID recovery. Topanga Canyon’s Theatricum Botanicum is premiering an outdoor show this Saturday called “The Last, Best Town,” about two families from different cultures, and what the American dr...

Project Roomkey, a statewide effort to place medically vulnerable unhoused people in hotel rooms during the pandemic, is scheduled to close at the end of September. In Los Angeles, more than 9,000 people have gone through the program. Was it a success or a failure?

Manufacturing jobs in California have migrated overseas in a race to the bottom on wages and regulations. It’s been happening for years. But now many industries face a new challenge: They depend on access to cheap endless water, and California's future looks increasingly dry. Textile factory owners are among the first to ask: Will we adapt or quit?

El Segundo has roughly 16,000 residents, and nearly three-fourths of them are white, according to the 2019 Census . It was once a sundown town, where signs made people of color know they were not welcome after dark, including those who worked within city limits. A new documentary called “Black in Mayberry” confronts the racist past and present of the city, through personal stories of more than a d...

Most of California is in a drought emergency, but Southern California has largely been spared. LA homeowners are watering green, manicured lawns while some Northern Californians have seen their wells run dry. So why are local reservoirs here still mostly full?

Roughly 53% of LA County residents are fully vaccinated, but cases and hospitalizations are rising. As the Delta variant spreads, people ages 18-29 are being hit hardest. Virologist and immunologist Paula Cannon attributes this spike to unvaccinated individuals, and pediatrician Dr. Leila Bozorgnia says it’s much more of a wildcard to get a COVID-19 infection than a COVID-19 vaccination.

More than a dozen children died in the last five years while in the custody of LA’s Department of Children and Family Services. A two-part investigation by reporter Deepa Fernandes looks into the story of 1-year-old Joseph Chacon, whose death left his mother with unanswered questions.

Getting a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine usually means leaving the house, but not always. LA County has teamed up with  home care specialists to vaccinate residents who are unable to easily leave their homes. “We can come to you,” says registered nurse Savannah Becker. “We can educate, provide that support, and demystify any misinformation they may have heard about the vaccine.”

A rise in violent crime in the City of Los Angeles, including homicides, is making for an ominous summer forecast. Fernando Rejón, executive director of the Urban Peace Institute , says the past year led to a convergence of many key issues, including a national reckoning with law enforcement and systemic racism. That coupled with the large loss of life, mental health issues, and isolation of the p...

LA’s nightclubs are back, ushering in a “Roaring 20s” momentum. As venue promoters and operators clamor to meet booming demand, they must also navigate challenges around hiring and training staff, competing with other venues, and relying on club goers to be careful with coronavirus safety, especially as the Delta variant spreads.

It has become a seasonal tradition in California: Homes burn down, then we hear stories of resilient fire victims promising they’ll rebuild and recover. But many people who lost their homes to wildfires years ago still haven’t rebuilt, or have chosen not to, after discovering how difficult and long the process can be.

Morro Bay is a small fishing village of roughly 10,000 people, known for its iconic view of a volcanic rock off the coast. A new project would add about 200 floating wind turbines in the distance. Some local fishermen are worried that the “skyscrapers” may cause disruption to their livelihood and sea life. Others are banking on what the farm brings to the region — jobs and a big step toward Califo...

Roughly 3 million Americans picked up a golf club for the first time last year. That spike in popularity is playing out across Southern California, where courses are completely booked and golf stores can’t fill their shelves fast enough. Since most pandemic-era restrictions have been lifted and options for outdoor activities have expanded, some Angelenos wonder if these new golfers will continue p...

An explosion rocked a South LA residential neighborhood on Wednesday when the LA Police Department tried to detonate a cache of illegal fireworks they seized earlier in the day. Seventeen people, including 10 law enforcement officers, were injured in the blast. Fireworks can cause injuries, pollute the air, increase the risk of wildfires, and terrify pets. But many LA residents can’t resist settin...

Fireworks won’t be the only thing causing a scene this July 4 weekend. LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva has vowed to remove the homeless encampments from the Venice Beach boardwalk by Independence Day, and the city is planning to start sanitation cleanups on Friday. While LA City Councilmember Mike Bonin plans to move those living by the boardwalk to hotels over the next month and a half, unhouse...

Downtown LA’s Tower Theatre officially became the site of a new Apple store on June 24. Some historical features of the building have been preserved, or even rebuilt, like the classic clock tower. But the building has also received many modern embellishments. The long-standing “Tower” lettering on the exterior is now illuminated with the Apple logo plastered above. With renovations like this and e...

Since August 2020, the mutual aid group Bicycle Meals has been delivering bags of sandwiches, fruit, snacks, masks, and hand sanitizer to unhoused residents of Koreatown. But now volunteers are back to work as the economy reopens, and they can’t donate so much time preparing meals and pedaling them to those in need. Also, the venture is largely self-funded, and contributions from local businesses...

Today’s show looks at various ways people can enjoy the summer across LA. First up, a kayaking trip down the LA River. Then, a visit to various locales where people can enjoy the sights and sounds of Europe without hopping on a plane. And lastly, all the best frozen treats to enjoy in the Southland.

Last year, LA cleared 80 tents from the south side of the Penmar Golf Course near Venice Beach. LA City Councilmember Mike Bonin held it up as an example of how to quickly and humanely break up large homeless encampments, and is fast-tracking a similar plan for Ocean Front Walk. But where did the people from Penmar go?

Just as air travel is ramping up this summer, rideshare availability is slowing down. People looking for an Uber or Lyft are finding spiking rates, long wait times, or a total lack of availability. Some people are seeking out taxis, while others are paying steep prices for a short ride.

OC Supervisors are expected to discuss reviving a proposal that would extend term limits, while also capping those terms for a lifetime. Currently, supervisors can hold office for two consecutive terms — each term lasting four years. After a break, they can run again later for up to two more terms at a time. The new ballot proposal would replace those rules with a lifetime limit of 12 years, meani...

LA currently has zero lesbian bars. Since the closure of LA’s last remaining gay bar in 2017, the second-largest city in the U.S. has been left without any brick and mortar center of lesbian nightlife. It’s a trend reflected across the U.S., which only has 21 lesbian bars. Now young queer women are part of a new wave in LA to feed the hunger of LGBTQ Angelenos and are building new spaces.

More people are experiencing homelessness in New York City than in all of LA County. But fewer people sleep on the streets in  New York — partly because of its state law guaranteeing emergency shelter to every person who qualifies. Now one state lawmaker is proposing a similar law in California.

After 15 months of the pandemic, the Golden State is no longer requiring capacity limits, masks, or social distancing in most places. LA business owners and employees must make some decisions, like whether to ask customers for vaccination proof and whether to leave plexiglass at checkout counters. KCRW speaks with a bar owner and a grocery store worker as they try to navigate this new terrain.