Greater LA

As California gears up to reopen in mid-June, the prospect of returning to the office is creating anxiety for the workforce that was forced to work from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At least 70% of employees have been doing all or most of their work from home, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey. That’s compared to pre-pandemic levels, when only about 20% of employees telecommuted. KCRW speaks with three experts on hybrid workplace models, receiving input from employees, and how to best equip offices for the post-pandemic future.

The City of LA fenced off Echo Park Lake more than a week ago, forcing roughly 200 unhoused people living there to leave. For several days, activists protested the city’s move to clear out the park, and even faced off against police. City and county officials offered to move the lake’s residents to shelters or hotel rooms through Project Roomkey, a program meant to house people during the pandemic. But some people chose to stay elsewhere on the streets instead. KCRW talks to three people who were displaced from the lake.

California's Wonder Valley is arid and sparsely populated, where property values have jumped close to 20% in the last year, according to an estimate by Zillow. The typical home price is now close to $180,000. That’s a far cry from LA County’s sizzling real estate market, where the median home price is more than $700,000, according to the financial services company CoreLogic. But people who have lived here for decades are wondering what all this change might mean for them.

Beloved LA video rental store “Vidiots” is reopening in Eagle Rock early next year. They’re banking on human connection post-pandemic to keep people coming back to this store and cinema.

Older adults and essential workers are currently flooding COVID-19 vaccination sites. But every once in a while, someone who’s not officially eligible jumps the line by finding an expiring dose, taking advantage of a loophole, or lying. Some of those people explain why they don’t regret doing whatever it takes to get vaccinated.

For decades, Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area has been the only California site to allow off-roading on the shores of the Pacific and in a seaside slice of the Sahara. But that all-terrain vehicle action hinged on a temporary permit from the state. After almost 40 years, the California Coastal Commission decided conservation outweighed recreation and voted to phase out off-roading at the dunes over three years. Some in the area say it’s past due, but others are worried it will hobble the local economy and end family traditions that span generations.

Tens of thousands of people are getting vaccinated in Los Angeles every day. The people putting those shots into arms say their patient interactions are so intimate, and working at vaccination centers is the most rewarding work they’ve ever done. These are their stories.

LA gyms reopened at 10% capacity after the county moved into the red tier of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s reopening plan. LA resident Cynthia Godslaw was happy and shocked to get the “welcome back” email from her local LA Fitness, which she returned to right away. Cesar Fonseca returned only after getting the COVID-19 vaccine. Simone Cromer cancelled her gym membership immediately after driving by an LA Fitness parking lot filled with cars. 

The city of LA is expected to shut down Echo Park Lake, put up a fence, and move out all the unhoused people living there this week. The logistics are unclear, even as City Councilman Mitch O’Farrell says all the people experiencing homelessness there will be offered a bed. KCRW hears from people protesting the impending closure.

Long known as “the spa city,” Desert Hot Springs is looking to expand its relaxation and recreational offerings by going big on so-called “cannatourism.” The Coachella Valley community recently approved a pair of ordinances that will allow for consumption and sales of pot at hotels and entertainment venues. Already a hotbed of cannabis cultivation and production, the city is betting on tourists stopping to sample the industry’s wares as they explore nearby Joshua Tree National Park and the rest of the desert.