Things to read from the past week:
- California megadrought? Not if you look at precipitation: "In 126 years of statewide record-keeping, you can’t find a drier February than the one we just experienced. But February 2019 was the third-wettest on record....The extremes underscore how global warming is exaggerating the year-to-year swings in California precipitation, which is naturally the most variable in the country. (LA Times)
- Los Angeles County Residents Ignore “No Fireworks” Order, Celebrate With Massive Display: So, same as every other year, then? (Deadline)
- If you haven't already commented on Metro's 2020 Draft Long Range Transportation Plan, you have until July 13 to do so (Metro)
- One Way to Address LA's Racial Inequality? Build More Parks in Communities of Color: "Los Angeles has one of the largest urban parks in the country, but the city has routinely been on the bottom in rankings that track municipalities' percentage of land devoted to green spaces." (LAist)
- Former L.A. Councilman Mitchell Englander pleads guilty in City Hall corruption case: Englander, who served on the council from 2011 to 2018, is the third figure to plead guilty in the sprawling City Hall corruption probe. (LA Times)
- Whittier Moves Forward on Homeless Navigation Center: "A navigation center program is designed to support highly vulnerable and long-term homeless residents who are often fearful of accessing traditional shelters and services." (Streetsblog LA)
- Office leasing in L.A. falls to lowest level since Great Recession: "The commercial rental market has stabilized enough lately that many large and small tenants feel comfortable to move forward with lease negotiations, but they are more interested in leases that last a year to 18 months as opposed to terms of five or 10 years that were common in the past." (LA Times)
- 'The Wrong Complexion For Protection.' How Race Shaped America's Roadways And Cities: "The highways and public spaces that shape our cities were often intentionally built at the expense of Black, Latino and other minority Americans." (NPR)
- The Los Angeles Mayor Who Was Also a KKK Leader: LA Taco on John Clinton Porter (LA TACO)
- A State Bank For California? An LA Lawmaker Hopes It Could Help With Pandemic Recovery: "Los Angeles voters initially rejected a measure to create a city-operated bank in 2018, but a law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last year now allows California cities and counties to form their own public banking systems. They cannot compete with local banks or credit unions." (LAist)
- City moves to kill $700M megaproject linked to Huizar scandal: "Planning Director Vince Bertoni wrote in a June 15 letter to the U.S. subsidiary of China-based Shenzhen Hazens Real Estate Group, that the city was 'commencing revocation proceedings.' Shenzhen Hazens received approval from the city in 2017 to build a 435-unit, 49-story residential tower and a 29-story, 300-key W Hotel, along with 80,000 square feet of retail space." (TRD LA)
- County supervisors propose closing Men’s Central Jail next year: "The board voted unanimously in favor of a proposal co-authored by Supervisors Hilda Solis and Sheila Kuehl directing an existing task force to map out what would be required to close an antiquated and dilapidated facility that even Sheriff Alex Villanueva called a dungeon." (Los Angeles Wave)