Greater LA

People ages 65 and up are most vulnerable to the novel coronavirus. Health officials are telling them to not go outside, and to practice social distancing. But some are defying regulations and aren’t staying home. Others are feeling isolated. What can folks do to help this sector of the population?

Mayor Eric Garcetti has closed restaurants and bars around LA. There are exceptions for food take-out, drive-thru and delivery. But even before restaurants closed, few Angelenos were going out over the weekend. Many are feeling the economic pinch.

In less than a week, three of the region’s biggest events have been called off or postponed: Coachella, Stagecoach, and the BNP Paribas Tennis Tournament in Indian Wells. Now, hotels that were once booked for these events are scrambling to fill rooms and keep folks employed.

One frequent issue for people experiencing homelessness is hygiene -- how to keep clean when you don’t have ready access to running water, soap, a shower, clean clothes. That’s a particular dilemma now with the spread of the coronavirus. So how are LA officials helping them?  

How are Angelenos who rely on buses and trains feeling about coronavirus? What are LA Metro officials doing to ensure that passengers are safe?

Amid the novel coronavirus spreading, stocks are plunging, an infected cruise ship is docking, and people are stocking up on toilet paper. How worried should you be, and what can you do to avoid getting the virus?

The “ Women’s Weekend Film Challenge ” brings together women professionals to create a movie within 78 hours. Their ages range from the early 20s to mid-60s. They agree: Problems get solved faster, and there are fewer egos here than on male-run production.

As results from Super Tuesday come in, we analyze what happened in LA County and look at other interesting races around Southern California.

It’s primary election day in California and 13 other states (plus one territory). In LA County, about 1000 voting centers are open until 8 PM. We get a report from a voting center in Culver City. Also, what do early indicators say about who’s voted and how?

In Leimert Park, Destination Crenshaw is a 1.3 mile-long open-air, linear museum that features 100 public artworks by primarily black artists. Construction began this past Saturday. Ironically, the project honors African Americans while property values skyrocket and white homebuyers move into the area.

Corrin Rankin wants to convert more Black Democrats into Republicans. She’s a board member on the president’s “Black Voices For Trump” re-election initiative. She voted for Democrats for most of her life, but she was convinced the party wasn’t doing much for her.  

Fans of Los Angeles Football Club follow them wherever they go -- including Mexico on Feb. 18. The players lost the match, but fans gave a stellar performance in the stands.  

California’s primary election has moved up from June to March. But that’s not the only change in store as voters in Los Angeles County head to the polls. 

The Staples Center hosted a memorial for Lakers star Kobe Bryant. It featured music from Beyonce and Christina Aguilera, and speeches from Vanessa Bryant and Michael Jordan. 

Parents are upset about new sex ed resources that the California legislature approved. Parents say they’re too graphic, too encouraging, and doesn’t focus on the consequences of sex. 

A certain kind of coffee cake is served across all LAUSD schools. The original recipe is from 1954. KCRW’s Danielle Chiriguayo, a former LAUSD student, explores the changing production of the now famous coffee cake.

We get updates on past stories. Gwendolyn Lang was facing foreclosure because of a program that aimed to make LA county more environmentally friendly. Where is Lang now? Also, one former lifer is out of prison and applying to get a masters degree in social work. One of the roommates from the Highland Park house with 25 residents has moved on. And a unique plant nursery has relocated.

On this Presidents’ Day, we broadcast a special panel discussion about the messy green rush following the legalization of recreational marijuana in California. 

LA County District Attorney Jackie Lacey announced that she’s moving to dismiss 66,000 marijuana convictions dating back to 1961. Also, the race for LA City Council District 14 (Boyle Heights, downtown LA) is ground zero for problems that affect communities city-wide, such as homelessness, pollution and congestion.

A MacArthur Park school is working with LACMA to bring art into the historic but gentrifying neighborhood. LACMA director Michael Govan talks about the controversial new redesign of its main campus. There are also a ton of art fairs this weekend.

At one worship service, the choir sings Beyonce’s hits to share messages of female empowerment, freedom, and spirituality. Reverend Yolanda Norton says it’s about making black women’s experiences the center of Christanity.

The City of Los Angeles wants to make sure that people whose communities were negatively affected by the war on drugs are the first to profit from the legal cannabis industry. Their plan: give these people an early chance to apply for dispensary licenses in the city. But the plan has hit a few snags. 

Every Wednesday, diverse activists congregate outside the Farmer John’s slaughterhouse in Vernon to pay respect to pigs before their final moments. The activists hope that one day this slaughterhouse will only produce plant-based protein instead of killing pigs.

Angelenos have long criticized Pershing Square as hideous, dated, and user-unfriendly. Redesign plans have languished over the years. Will the dated-looking park -- with a parking garage underneath -- finally get the attention it deserves?

More reported cases of novel coronavirus are popping up outside mainland China. More than 350 people have died. Health experts are warning of a pandemic. So far, reported cases in the LA area have been muted. But fears about the possible spread of the virus are rattling the communities that dot the San Gabriel Valley.