Greater LA

A reported 126,000 gallons of crude oil is leaking out of a broken pipeline located some four miles off the coast of Huntington Beach. Some of it is making its way onshore. The pipeline connected an offshore oil platform named Elly to a refinery station in Long Beach. This spill is comparable to the 2015 spill at Refugio Beach in Santa Barbara — in terms of size, scope, and public sentiment. That’s according to CSU Channel Islands environmental professor Sean Anderson. Greater LA also looks at how the state’s Homekey program is trying to convert old motels into new housing for people living on the streets.

Beginning October 7, everyone who enters a bar, wine bar, brewery, lounge, or nightclub in LA County will be required to show proof of at least one COVID-19 shot. Full vaccination will be required by November 4. Augustine Wine Bar in Sherman Oaks has required proof since August. Despite some negative feedback, owner Gus Renaud says he made the right call. Camila Perry, owner of The North End Hollywood, is planning to comply with the new rule, and may have to fire unvaccinated employees. Meanwhile, other business owners say they don’t plan to enforce any vaccine mandate on employees or customers. Also, KCRW’s new DJ Tyler Boudreaux shares her music influences, and Pippa Garner’s solo exhibition at JOAN dives into the idiosyncratic inventor.

Piñatas are often the centerpiece at parties, birthdays, and quinciñeras. But they’re also artistic objects that have been overlooked. One art exhibit wants to change that: “Piñatas: The High Art of Celebration” at Craft in America in Mid-City. Also, Italian architect Renzo Piano has restored the 1939 May Company Building. It’s now the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which opens Thursday. Reusing the building preserves history and cuts the project’s carbon footprint.

There are over 50,000,000 creators monetizing their online content. From TikTok to YouTube to Instagram, influencers are advertising products on their feeds. But there isn’t a lot of transparency on how much money they actually make and how much money brands are paying them. Enter F*** You Pay Me, a platform that’s being called the Glassdoor for influencers. Plus, LA County District Attorney George Gascon said he plans to dismiss almost 60,000 cannabis convictions. And a new investigation called “Dangerous Air” looks at how wildfire smoke is choking many parts of the U.S.

People can rent the historic telescopes at LA’s Mt. Wilson Observatory for one night — complete with snacks and a guide — for $1,700. How did this sanctuary of science become a fun night out for anyone with a credit card? Plus, a local watchdog panel wants the California attorney general to investigate the LA Sheriff’s Department for illegal activity. And there’s controversy in Orange County over who won a $200 million contract to build new toll lanes on the 405 freeway.

From “Back to the Future” to “The Jetsons,” when pop culture imagines the future, it often includes flying cars. KCRW recently looked at how LA is hoping to have flying cars zipping around in two or three years. But what if a more realistic future isn’t so high-tech, and instead involves more bikes and public transit? Plus, West Hollywood is about to have the strictest vaccine mandates in LA. And Thrillist’s LA editor gives a rundown of the best autumn activities in Southern California. 

Political leaders in LA are now turning to the race for LA’s next mayor and the candidates so far include Kevin de León, Joe Buscaino, Mike Feuer, and Jessica Lall. Congresswoman Karen Bass says she is also “seriously considering” a run. National forests in Southern California reopen on Thursday, but some say we should get used to annual closures due to climate change. And a proposed high-speed rail line between Southern California and Las Vegas could threaten the habitat of bighorn sheep in the Mojave Desert.

To get medical treatment without waiting weeks, you might have to break the bank. For those who can afford it, they’re increasingly turning to “concierge medicine,” so they can avoid crowded and potentially infectious waiting rooms. Some are concerned that this private option for the wealthy will complicate efforts to create an equitable health care system. Plus, LA Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer talks about transmission and vaccination rates, as LAUSD is back in session and Angelenos are heading into colder months. Also, one doctor in LA is helping Afghans get access to medical care and food. 

After the fatal stabbing of an unhoused military veteran outside the VA in Brentwood last week, county officials say they plan to move everyone at the camp into housing by the end of the year. It was the second homicide this year at the same location. Last week, the LA City Council took a step toward developing an unarmed crisis response program. The idea is to divert certain 911 calls away from armed police and into the hands of trained crisis specialists. OC police documented 112 hate crimes in 2020, a 35% increase from 2019. And among those, there was a 1,800% increase motivated by anti-Asian hate. That’s all according to a new report from the Orange County Human Relations Commission.

Flying cars are coming to LA, possibly as early as 2023. The “urban air mobility” industry sees the city as an ideal place to build highways in the skies, but there are safety and regulatory hurdles aplenty, and even sky highways won’t cure LA’s congestion problems. Also, you’ve likely seen an old couch or bedside table sitting idly on a sidewalk in LA. Writer Julissa James explores the sometimes controversial obsession of reclaiming abandoned furniture.