Greater LA

There’s a bit of optimism on the pandemic front. Cases are trending down, and projections show ICU capacity increasing in the coming weeks. Through the darkest days of the holiday season surge, rapid response nurse Erin McIntosh recorded audio diaries logging her thoughts and experiences as deadly records were set daily. Her hospital, Riverside Community, was one of the most overwhelmed.  In a com...

Nearly half of food grown in the United States gets thrown out . More food is tossed once it reaches a household fridge than at any other point in the supply chain. With every strawberry that doesn’t get eaten comes the wasted water to grow it, the wasted gas to transport it, the methane it emits while it rots, and crowded landfills.

One year after his passing, Kobe Bryant’s legacy continues. The Lakers’ 2020 championship victory was dedicated to him. LA artists have painted hundreds of murals around town to represent him and his daughter Gianna. A local youth basketball coach gains inspiration from Bryant on and off the court.

As LA’s queer community grapples with the closures of popular bars like Rage, Oil Can Harry’s and Flaming Saddles, other bars are struggling to keep the lights on. 

Santa Monica’s new City Hall East structure uses solar energy and captures rainwater. But the showstopper? It uses “foam-flush” toilets that turn human waste into nutrient-rich compost for the garden on site. But that makes some employees a little uncomfortable.

California is about 2,300 miles from Washington D.C., and despite recent violence and insurrection, some Angelenos still wanted to see the pomp and circumstance of the inauguration in person. Others, however, are staying put. KCRW talks with two LA residents on the swearing-in of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

With calls to stay home during the pandemic and threats of more violence in Washington, D.C., most Joe Biden supporters from Southern California will watch the inauguration virtually. But some are willing to take the risk. KCRW speaks with a Riverside resident from Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ sorority who canceled her trip to D.C. after the insurrection on January 6, and a Highland Park re...

Dodger Stadium went from the world’s largest COVID-19 testing site to the country’s largest vaccination site. By the end of the week, the goal is to be able to give 12,000 shots to patients per day.  One disaster relief worker calls this the most important project in her 15 years of work. And one patient reports that the process is surprisingly efficient and smooth.

Following the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and this week’s impeachment vote, several California Republicans are attempting the delicate maneuver of being a Trump loyalist while recalibrating based on recent events. KCRW looks at how they’re making their political calculations.

In LA County right now, COVID-19 is killing one person every eight minutes . California Governor Gavin Newsom said earlier this week the state has vaccinated fewer than 800,000 people, even as millions of shots sit ready in freezers.  Newsom announced today that California would be following the new CDC recommendations to prioritize anyone age 65 and up.  KCRW looks at delays in distributing vacci...

Greater LA kicks off a new weekly series exploring neat solutions to waste. It begins with plastic, including why its popularity exploded in the 20th century, why it continues to pile up in our landfills and oceans, and how one toymaker is redefining playtime without it.

Cases of COVID-19 are on the rise among people experiencing homelessness in LA County. Group shelters are having a particularly hard time controlling the spread. Since October, coronavirus positivity rates within the sheltered homeless population have gone from about 2% to 10%, according to Dr. Heidi Behforouz, chief medical officer for LA County’s Housing For Health program.

After a mob of Trump supporters entered the U.S. Capitol building on Wednesday, many people are concerned about what the remaining weeks of Trump’s presidency will bring.  California Congresswoman Karen Bass says, “I would love to see this presidency end today because I worry about our country over the next 13 days.” She talks about what she saw during the upheaval in DC, and what she expects in i...

Hundreds of thousands of California workers have applied for unemployment benefits, are eligible to receive them, but still haven’t been paid. Antiquated computer systems, staffing and training problems, and a massive fraud case are to blame. In the meantime, people are struggling.

Category 10 and World War III are descriptions of what’s happening inside LA’s hospitals and morgues. They underscore how serious the winter and holiday super surge of COVID-19 really is.  Meanwhile, Orange County residents are still arguing over wearing masks in public. “There's so much mixed messaging, at least in the totality of Orange County. It's not surprising then that some people really do...

Greater LA offers a highlight reel of some of the year’s best stories. A community cookout was born out of the pandemic and helps feed those in need. Wave pools in Palm Springs help lure surfers to the desert hot spot. An outdoor space fosters community for dogs and humans alike. 

The COVID-19 pandemic presented many challenges in 2020, perhaps the least of which (and the last of which) is what to do about the holiday party. History shows that holiday parties — and particularly company holiday parties — are already fraught with the perils of drunken embarrassment and potential harassment suits. What changes as the whole production moves to Zoom? Will people learn anything t...

A hint of Christmas spirit is still alive in the quaint, Danish tourist town of Solvang, and despite stay-at-home orders, some people can’t help but see it for themselves. While the local chocolate shop and bakery owners say tourism is down to a fraction of what it usually is this time of year, some Californian travelers say the risk is worth a day escaping their worries in this fantasyland.

As the coronavirus pandemic tears through Los Angeles, city officials continue intensive cleanings of homeless encampments. Last week they expanded the sweeps to three new locations in San Pedro and Wilmington. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends allowing people experiencing homelessness to shelter in place, but city officials say they must balance a variety of public health...

Jolly Old St. Nick is still coming to town this pandemic Christmas — straight to living rooms via Zoom, Skype, etc. With 2020 being a tough year emotionally and economically, Santa Ric Erwin, who’s based in Hemet, California, says digital visits have been a lifesaver on several fronts. “My economic season was saved. My emotional season has been salvaged. And I’m really having a ball.”

As TikTok gained popularity, talent management companies had an idea. Why not gather 10 or 15 of the most popular TikTok stars and put them in a fancy house to make videos together? What’s the appeal? Why do these TikTok accounts go viral? Does anyone make money from this? KCRW spends the day inside one of them, Honey House, to find out.

As the national COVID-19 rollout begins, frontline workers from different industries are vying for a top spot for the treatment. But not everyone is as excited for the vaccine.

The wind-driven Silverado Fire in Irvine burned 12,466 acres two months ago. The land is a scorched checkerboard with some areas black and barren, and others with signs of life.

KCRW investigates an affordable housing development in the Westlake neighborhood. The project, a renovation of an old motel into apartments for unhoused veterans, has already soaked up more than $30 million, including $10.2 million from LA taxpayers, and isn’t scheduled for completion until March. Why so much? Where has the money gone? And who in city government is following it?

Getting together for cocoa and Christmas caroling isn’t safe during this pandemic. But people can still hop in their cars to see drive-thru light displays. Irwindale Speedway and Dodger Stadium offer big professional light installations. Small communities around Southern California are also going all out.  Plus, what’s this time of year without “The Nutcracker?” The Los Angeles Ballet is hosting a...