Greater LA

The pandemic has altered streetscapes all across Southern California. In the San Fernando Valley, there is perhaps no better example of this than Van Nuys Boulevard. Brick and mortar stores have suffered the most, with “For Lease” signs visible on just about every block. KCRW speaks with business owners along a stretch of the boulevard.

Hawaiian Gardens has one of the lowest vaccination rates in LA county — 9%. That’s partly because there aren’t many vaccination sites nearby, and the closest appointments are typically 10 miles away in Downey. There’s been a lot of bureaucracy in trying to set up a vaccination site in Hawaiian Gardens   “We’ve been asking for these mobile unit sites, and we haven’t received any, and we haven’t rec...

Today LA County restaurants received the green light to reopen indoors at 25% capacity as soon as March 15.  Some think it's way too soon. Others restaurant owners are cautiously optimistic. 

Elderly people were among the first in line to get the COVID-19 vaccine, but many are now getting left behind as eligibility widens. There are language barriers and transportation issues. But the biggest problem has been the digital divide, especially for older people who live alone. KCRW shares the story of an elderly landlord, without family nearby, who gets help from his tenant.

As scientists and political leaders continue to fight climate change with new technologies and initiatives, a global movement of people are popularizing one of the oldest methods of conservation. They’re reusing, repurposing, and regifting.

California is banning the sale of new gas cars starting in 2035, as part of its goal to curb carbon emissions. People working in the automotive industry are nervous about what that means for their livelihoods. And people looking to purchase new automobiles must turn to the two main alternatives: electric vehicles (EVs) and hydrogen fuel cell cars.

Santa Barbara is the latest city in California to consider phasing out fossil fuels by requiring new construction to be all-electric. But with extreme weather events that can knock power out in an instant, some residents worry putting all our eggs in the electrical basket is unsafe. Supporters say making smart investments in solar panels and batteries will boost our safety and self-reliance while...

This week, the Los Angeles City Council voted to override a veto by Mayor Eric Garcetti and approve a new proposal for how millions of dollars taken from the LA Police Department will be spent to address homelessness, poverty, unemployment. KCRW looks at how the vote played out, which communities will benefit, and who will oversee the money.

Online sales have skyrocketed during the pandemic, and so have the mountains of packaging that protect those orders in transit. Packaging designers are working to figure out how to lessen the environmental impact of their creations, but it’s a challenging question they have yet to answer.

During the pandemic, many renters have stayed in their homes because of local and state eviction protections, but are still on the hook for back rent. Some landlords are financially struggling too. A new rental assistance program is rolling out on March 15. It uses $2.6 billion in federal funds, and is meant to help the most vulnerable renters and their landlords.

LA County reached 20,000 COVID-19 deaths this week. The death rate has caused a backlog at cemeteries and funeral homes, affecting the physical and emotional wellbeing of those tasked with laying the dead to rest.

At a greenhouse in La Jolla, California, scientists are trying to harness the carbon-sucking power of plants to clean up the atmosphere. They’re behind the Harnessing Plants Initiative . When carbon isn’t polluting the atmosphere, it’s often in the ground, enriching the soil that plants need to grow. The goal is to genetically modify the plant’s cellular structure. Then the plants will sprout bigg...

The Ballona Wetlands are juxtaposed against busy streets and tech companies. The area is a small, serene stretch of marsh, mud flats and birds. The wetlands once stood at more than 2,000 acres, but only 577 acres remain today. The state has a plan to restore Ballona and make it more inviting to the public. However, not everyone agrees with that plan.

Many Angelenos are camping out on a sidewalk overnight to be first in a daily unofficial standby line for leftover COVID-19 vaccine doses. That’s raising equity questions at Kedren Community Health Center in the Historic South Central neighborhood of LA, where residents are predominantly Black and Latino, and the people in line are predominantly white and driving from more affluent neighborhoods.

College students have a lot on their plates these days: an upended academic career because of the pandemic, the specter of the virus itself, and the general stress of exams and assignments. All of that fretting and stressing prompted a UC Santa Barbara student and professor to team up and launch the Resilience Summit and Certificate Program. Built around concepts rooted in “positive psychology,” i...

Maurice Harris owns Bloom & Plume, a flower business with an adjacent coffee shop. Before the pandemic, his products were selling well and his social commentary was resonating. Harris now faces a sobering reality. “When the pandemic hit, we just stopped working because everything left and right was just getting canceled. Sister ‘Rona showed up and she was just like, shutting it all down,” he s...

As technology becomes more sleek and complex, repairing is more difficult and dangerous. When something breaks, it’s often easier to buy a new one. But California politicians and environmental activists are working to pass a Right to Repair bill to make it easier to fix technology and reduce the e-waste going to landfills.

Despite being stuck in a pandemic and the isolation that comes with it, a subsection of Angelenos are making their dating lives work. Using apps like Hinge and Bumble, prospective dating partners are meeting up in real life. For others, the pandemic has served as a time for self-reflection.

A few weeks ago, Los Angeles city and county officials were in the process of ending Project Roomkey, a program that places older and medically vulnerable people experiencing homelessness in empty hotel rooms. Now the promise of new federal funding from the Biden administration is bringing it back to life — if local government can find a way to front the costs.

Construction waste comprises almost a third of our landfills. That’s partly because the way we make buildings hasn’t changed much in more than a century. But now several construction startups are building homes quickly and affordably while creating minimal waste, with the help of giant 3D printers.

Northridge’s long-time Skateland roller rink will reopen as a homeless shelter by November 2021, if all goes according to plan. Hope of the Valley, a service provider for the unhoused, aims to provide around 100 beds, plus case managers, storage space, mental health services, and recovery programs on-site. More than 700 people are unhoused in the northwest San Fernando Valley, according to the lat...

Electronics have become the largest source of toxic waste in the U.S. But many devices and their parts are still usable. That’s why Homeboy Electronics Recycling is refurbishing, repurposing and reselling tens of thousands of pounds of electronics every week, all while employing formerly incarcerated and gang-affiliated people to do it.

Governor Gavin Newsom is pushing to get kids back in schools this month. Some parents, especially whose kids have special needs, say it’s about time. But LAUSD is pushing back, saying case rates are too high and school staff must be vaccinated first. It wasn’t until one teacher and her children got COVID that she agreed with the district.

In Los Angeles County, COVID-19 has exacerbated racial and economic inequality. Latino residents face the deadliest risk from the disease, while Black and Asian residents are also dying at higher rates than white residents. And the poorer you are, the greater your risk of dying from the virus. Housing is one part of what’s behind these disparities.

LA District Attorney George Gascón is getting intense blowback from prosecutors in his office. The union representing them says his sentence enhancement prohibition violates California’s three strikes law, which requires prosecutors to seek longer sentences for defendants with previous convictions. But Gascón stands by the legality of his new directives.