Things to read from the past week:
- L.A.’s Lesser-Known Racist History: The Confederate Mayor Who Was Anti-Mexican and Tried to Make California Into a Slave State (LA Taco)
- A close up look at some of the fossils discovered while building the subway under Wilshire Boulevard: "During construction of the the Purple (D Line) Extension Transit Project we have unearthed more than 500 fossils so far, including some that date back to the Ice Age." (The Source)
- Can ‘equitable’ city planning bridge LA’s gaping divide?: "A interview with Faisal Roble, first ever chief equity officer in the Los Angeles Planning Department" (Crosstown LA)
- $1 Billion Overhaul Underway for Jordan Downs Complex in Watts: " Under the redevelopment’s 10-year master plan, the complex will double in size, from 700 units to 1,400, and most of the new units will be affordable housing." (LA Business Journal)
- Bus shuttles to replace L Line (Gold) service between Union Station and Pico/Aliso Station during 22-month closure to complete Regional Connector (The Source)
- Why we can’t have nice things in Los Angeles: Another postmortem on the Uplift Melrose project (Medium)
- Corruption is a hot topic at City Hall. Here’s how council candidates plan to fight it: "As candidates face off this fall for two seats on the Los Angeles City Council, a debate has entered both campaigns: What’s the best way to root out corruption at City Hall?" (LA Times)
- Why didn’t these L.A. hotels house homeless people? A new report offers some answers: Among the reasons provided by hotel operators - an "extremely complex" contracting process, impacts to the brand, and pushback from lenders and corporate partners (LA Times)
- Fire engulfs East L.A. affordable housing project under construction: The project, which was to have been completed by the end of the year, was to have 31 units of permanent supportive housing for homeless veterans and 28 units for low-income families... (Eastsider)
- The worst fire season ever. Again.: "Eight of the 10 largest fires in California history have burned in the past decade." (LA Times)
- ‘Cheering at a 142’: A Smoke-Shrouded West Coast Is Obsessed with Air-Quality Apps: "And even if you don’t live there, you’ll probably be looking at your AQI number someday soon." (Curbed)
- Korea Air seeks to sell 73-story skyscraper amid financial woes: "Despite its grand beginnings, expectations were hard crushed and the hotel became a financial burden for its parent company due to its piling deficits. The South Korean flag carrier is expected to kick off the sale process of Wilshire Grand when the hotel’s business conditions improve." (Korean Economic Daily)
- What will offices look like in the post-pandemic future? This Hollywood space offers a preview: "Instead of occupying a sealed, monolithic glass office tower, Second Home inhabits a converted community center where the majority of the work spaces are housed in individual studios (there are 60) in a lush garden that was once a vast parking lot." (LA Times)
- LACMA Unveils New Interior Views of Controversial Zumthor Building: "The wait is finally over. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art has at last unveiled updated interior views of its planned building on the east side of the museum’s campus designed by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor. They come after after months of heated debate between local activists, art and architecture critics, movie stars, and the museum, which has divided much of the L.A. art world." (ARTnews)