Origins of California's housing crisis, L.A. Live air taxis, and more

AEG and Archer Aviation announced plans this week to developer a "vertiport" for Archer's air taxis at the L.A. Live complex in Downtown Los Angeles. 

The location for vertical takeoffs and landings within L.A. Live is not identified, although at least one observer points to a parking garage roof deck as the likely candidate. Archer boasts that its air taxis, which currently do not provide commercial operations, will be able to allow commuters to move across the city in 10 to 20 minutes.

Archer purchased the ground lease for Hawthorne Municipal Airport earlier this year to serve as its local base of operations.

Here's what we're reading this week:

Is Long Beach ready for a floating nuclear power plant? Here’s what to know "America’s second largest port and its partner are trying to tap into the energy that powers nuclear submarines and build power plants on barges." (LA Times)

Fullerton Eyes Parking Lots in Downtown for New Housing "Staff will also be exploring housing opportunities at the Fullerton Transit Center parking structure and a surface lot off of Chapman Avenue across from Bank of America." (Voice of OC)

California lawmakers sound the alarm about urgent need for $2B for Olympics transportation "Federal lawmakers representing the Los Angeles region warned that the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games could be a congestion nightmare if the federal government doesn’t fulfill a request for billions of dollars for transportation projects." (LAist)

The unexpected California city that led a century of home price growth "California’s major coastal cities have one factor in common that drove prices up dramatically through those years — a chronic undersupply of housing. The 1970s were the turning point for San Francisco and Los Angeles, when construction in both cities slowed significantly despite high demand, seeding the massive shortage we have today. " (SFGate)

L.A. Rising: Graffiti Gambit L.A. Business Journal does a deep dive on the doctor-turned-developer who wants to finish Oceanwide Plaza (LABJ)

JANM is coming back in January after a two-year transformation "The museum in L.A.’s Little Tokyo is reshaping its galleries and expanding its signature exhibition to include more perspectives and connections between Japanese American history and current debates over race, immigration and democracy." (LAist)

Producer takes over former Quixote studio facility in Pacoima as Hollywood struggles "As Hollywood grapples with steep production declines, producer Manny Halley is reviving the former Quixote North Valley studio facility, rebranding the 125,000-square-foot complex as Imani Studio under a 25-year lease." (LA Times)

Will Metro and Caltrans 405 Freeway Widening – through Carson – Really Mean Cleaner Air? "Metro and Caltrans plan to widen the 405, adding two more lane-miles in the city of Carson. Project draft environmental studies comments are due by September 21." (Streetsblog LA)

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