Greater LA

Now that kids are back on campus, teachers are bringing lessons outside to keep them safe. The health benefits for students extend far beyond COVID safety. Many local schools want to make a permanent change, but that’s a tall order for schools with asphalt playgrounds and little shade.

Gaylord Wilshire was a land speculator, billboard tycoon, failed politician and inventor. He built Wilshire Boulevard, a street that became LA’s primary escape route from the horse-drawn era. But as the city got bigger, Gaylord Wilshire got smaller.

Republicans are the most vaccine-hesitant group in the state, according to a new poll by the Public Policy Institute of California. Nevertheless, the majority of Republicans are willing to get vaccinated, and rates of skepticism are on the decline.

In East Hollywood, a parking lot has been turned into LA’s first government-run homeless encampment. It offers 24-hour security and free meals for the 100 or so people who are expected to move there temporarily. But some advocates worry that officials are investing too much in short-term band-aids over permanent housing.

Earth Day is an annual reminder that everyone can help protect the planet. Lucy Jones — seismologist, author , and musician — is trying to inspire people to do more by tapping into their emotions. She wrote a song to synthesize climate change data going back nearly a century and a half. She sees music as a way to help people understand the real threat of climate change.  “We need to feel angry abo...

Many people in LA and across the nation have long called for significant changes to policing and public safety. But that can mean different things to different people. Greater LA hears from Black Lives Matter-LA co-founder Melina Abdullah and LA civil rights attorney Connie Rice about their perspectives after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murdering George Floyd.

The people getting COVID-19 vaccines tend to be whiter and more affluent. That’s why the city of LA deploys 10 mobile vaccination teams to some of the hardest-hit neighborhoods. For this site in Watts, volunteers made sure it wouldn’t be cut off by gang territory lines. They also knocked on doors to assuage residents’ vaccination fears.

With so many unaccompanied minors crossing the U.S.-Mexican border, the federal government is scrambling to find places to house them. Roughly 20,000 kids are in federal custody right now — the vast majority from Central America. In Long Beach, Mayor Robert Garcia said his city will take in 1,000 children at the Long Beach Convention Center. There are plans for the Fairplex in Pomona to receive ro...

A new Latinx-owned ice cream pop-up in Koreatown is using sweet treats to broach sensitive topics surrounding mental health and self care. Sue Mancini, who owns Sad Girl Creamery and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 26. “I figured sharing my own personal experiences with mental health could make people relate and feel a little alleviated with the sad feelings they’re having at home.” She...

ArcLight and Pacific Theater locations all over LA and the country are closed for good now. That includes the iconic Cinerama Dome, which said in a statement on Monday, “This was not the outcome anyone wanted, but despite a huge effort that exhausted all potential options, the company does not have a viable way forward.” The news sent shockwaves across Tinseltown, with Angelenos taking to social m...

About 10,000 units of affordable housing in LA County are likely to flip to market-rate in the next five to 10 years. Officials say this could wipe out many of the gains from new construction in relieving the region’s housing crisis.

Six Flags Magic Mountain welcomed visitors again this past weekend as theme parks got the green light to reopen due to reduced COVID-19 case numbers. Maria Cruz visited with her husband and kids from the San Fernando Valley. “We're like, ‘Finally we get to breathe a little bit.’ [But] it’s not what I expected. I think it's too busy, I think the lines are extremely long. The waiting time is too muc...

As California gears up to reopen in mid-June, the prospect of returning to the office is creating anxiety for the workforce that was forced to work from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At least 70% of employees have been doing all or most of their work from home, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey. That’s compared to pre-pandemic levels, when only about 20% of employees telecommut...

The City of LA fenced off Echo Park Lake more than a week ago, forcing roughly 200 unhoused people living there to leave. For several days, activists protested the city’s move to clear out the park, and even faced off against police. City and county officials offered to move the lake’s residents to shelters or hotel rooms through Project Roomkey , a program meant to house people during the pandemi...

California's Wonder Valley is arid and sparsely populated, where property values have jumped close to 20% in the last year, according to an estimate by Zillow . The typical home price is now close to $180,000. That’s a far cry from LA County’s sizzling real estate market, where the median home price is more than $700,000, according to the financial services company CoreLogic. But people who have l...

Beloved LA video rental store “Vidiots” is reopening in Eagle Rock early next year. They’re banking on human connection post-pandemic to keep people coming back to this store and cinema.

Older adults and essential workers are currently flooding COVID-19 vaccination sites. But every once in a while, someone who’s not officially eligible jumps the line by finding an expiring dose, taking advantage of a loophole, or lying. Some of those people explain why they don’t regret doing whatever it takes to get vaccinated.

For decades, Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area has been the only California site to allow off-roading on the shores of the Pacific and in a seaside slice of the Sahara. But that all-terrain vehicle action hinged on a temporary permit from the state. After almost 40 years, the California Coastal Commission decided conservation outweighed recreation and voted to phase out off-roading at t...

Tens of thousands of people are getting vaccinated in Los Angeles every day. The people putting those shots into arms say their patient interactions are so intimate, and working at vaccination centers is the most rewarding work they’ve ever done. These are their stories.

LA gyms reopened at 10% capacity after the county moved into the red tier of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s reopening plan. LA resident Cynthia Godslaw was happy and shocked to get the “welcome back” email from her local LA Fitness, which she returned to right away. Cesar Fonseca returned only after getting the COVID-19 vaccine. Simone Cromer cancelled her gym membership immediately after driving by an LA Fi...

The city of LA is expected to shut down Echo Park Lake, put up a fence, and move out all the unhoused people living there this week. The logistics are unclear, even as City Councilman Mitch O’Farrell says all the people experiencing homelessness there will be offered a bed. KCRW hears from people protesting the impending closure.

Long known as “the spa city,” Desert Hot Springs is looking to expand its relaxation and recreational offerings by going big on so-called “cannatourism.” The Coachella Valley community recently approved a pair of ordinances that will allow for consumption and sales of pot at hotels and entertainment venues. Already a hotbed of cannabis cultivation and production, the city is betting on tourists st...

Why is affordable housing so expensive to build in Los Angeles? It’s all about the money — where it comes from and how long it takes to get it. Some developers are changing the traditional funding model to save on time and costs.

In the aftermath of the Atlanta shootings of six Asian women, some AAPI Angelenos are fearing their parents’ safety. Michelle Gonzales tells KCRW she has forbidden her mother from taking walks in their predominantly Filipino neighborhood in Carson. “That was just our way of protecting her from violence that could actually happen in our community, when before we would never have thought that someth...

Live music has mostly been on hold for the last year, but as LA County begins to reopen and allow for more activities, music venues are looking at potential in-person events. Venues with outdoor options are at an advantage, but there are still uncertainties about when events can take place and how big the crowd can be. KCRW hears from music industry insiders about how they are planning for future...