Greater LA

Fifty years ago, the Chicano Moratorium sought to underscore the costs of the Vietnam War among Latinos. What started out as a peaceful demonstration ended violently. Riot-clad police attacked the crowd, and the crowd pushed back. When it was all over, 400 people were arrested, and four people were dead. One of those killed was Los Angeles Times reporter and KMEX news director Rubén Salazar.

Lien Ta closed her Koreatown restaurant, Here’s Looking at You, in July. But she managed to keep open her Silver Lake restaurant, All Day Baby, by downsizing staff and focusing on takeout and delivery. However, will she be able to keep paying utility bills or rent for All Day Baby? Nothing is guaranteed.

Dodger Stadium is home to one of the largest COVID-19 testing sites in the United States, with the capacity to test 6,000 Angelenos every day. We hear from three volunteers who have worked at Dodger Stadium since the site’s early days.

On San Vicente Boulevard in Brentwood, there’s an unusual-looking homeless encampment. It’s a row of nearly two dozen large, identical tents with American flags pinned to the outside. This is home to a number of homeless veterans who say they’re protesting decades of failure to provide more permanent housing for them on the nearby West LA VA campus. KCRW learns the origins of the protest and gives an update on future plans for the property.

A fight about masks on Nextdoor is typical of pandemic tensions. What’s not typical is that everyone in this fight agrees on the importance of wearing masks. KCRW talks to USC neuroscientist Jonas Kaplan about the psychological and emotional traps we fall into when wrestling with tough issues.

For the past month, hair and nail salons in California have been able to reopen outdoors only, with masks and strict sanitary protocols in place. Some salons don’t have enough space to expand outside, and their clients either feel unsafe or want certain services that can’t be offered. But others are trying to embrace the al fresco experience.

The new academic year starts this week for students across Southern California. Typically, parents prepare by spending hundreds of dollars per child on supplies and clothes. But this fall semester is starting with virtual learning to curb the spread of COVID-19. It’s turned the back-to-school market upside down.

The Democratic National Convention kicks off tonight in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where speakers will be virtually addressing audiences who are watching from home. Rep. Karen Bass, who represents parts of West and South LA, would usually be at that packed convention hall. Bass talks to KCRW about the convention, mail-in voting, coronavirus-related federal aid, calls to defund the police, and Joe Biden picking Kamala Harris as his running mate. 

The Pac-12 conference has decided to postpone all sporting events for the rest of the year. That means no soccer, volleyball or football. Pac-12 health officials say it’s too risky, for example, for a player to recover from COVID, end up with an enlarged heart, and then sustain a big hit on the football field.

Coaches, fans, marching band members, and people who work seasonal jobs at the games are affected too. There will be financial impacts, from the lost ticket revenues to TV deals and sponsorships.

The Pac-12 is hoping that the fall slate of sports could be played in spring 2021.

The Trump administration announced last week that the 2020 Census count would end a month early on September 30, raising concerns among Census takers and community groups about an undercount.