California’s minimum wage will rise to $15.50, triggered by soaring inflation "California’s current $15 minimum hourly wage for large businesses is the nation’s highest, according to federal data. Two states currently require higher wages for small companies, though the change announced Thursday would likely vault California to the top of the list for all employment sectors. Some communities in the state already have plans for higher pay rules. In Los Angeles, the minimum wage will rise to $16.04 an hour in July." (LA Times)
The Great Wall of Bunker Hill "While Bunker Hill was famously wiped clean, it does contain a small quantity of interesting archaeological sites. The telling soil contours at Second and Hill. A remaining bit of retaining wall at Fourth and Olive. Less known (or at least not as yet mentioned by me) is the retaining wall at Fourth and Hill." (Bunker Hill Los Angeles)
Southern California housing plans contain ‘fake sites,’ lack analysis, critics say "Housing proponents worry some cities are treating the once-every-eight-year planning process as a "paper exercise" that's unlikely to produce all the homes needed by 2030." (OC Register)
A bid to stop freeway expansions in California hits a roadblock: Organized labor "Labor leaders contend that limiting freeway widening overestimates the state’s ability to transition from an automobile-centered culture and does so at the expense of good-paying jobs." (LA Times)
Officials Consider Infrastructure Projects "The projects, which department officials presented Tuesday as part of the city’s annual budget process, range from bike lanes to traffic-signal improvements. About $10 million would go to facility projects, while another $8 million would go toward streets and sidewalks." (Burbank Leader)
Historians Explore L.A's Forgotten Underground Railway Tunnels "As automobile ownership was on a steady rise in 1920s Los Angeles, Pacific Electric Railway developers sought out ways to modernize their aging system, creating subway tunnels that ran under L.A.'s congested downtown area. Some of those tunnels, like the abandoned Belmont substation under Bunker Hill, still exist today." (Lost LA | KCET)
Overview of Metro’s Proposed Fiscal Year 22-23 Budget "Metro is flush with sales tax and stimulus, but holding to inadequate transit spending, while increasing highway construction" ( Streetsblog LA)
