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Thursday’s Headlines

Climate

By Sahra Sulaiman

9:53 AM PDT on August 8, 2024

L.A. Controller Kenneth Mejia recently posted about the city's settlement payouts, tweeting, "The City of L.A. spent $247M on Liability Payouts in FY2024 but budgeted ONLY $87M for FY2025. One month into FY2025 (July 2024) and we've already spent $39.5M or 45%." Of note, $20M of those payments thus far were tied to the 27th St. fireworks blast. LAPD does consistently tend to be responsible for a significant portion of payouts as a general rule, but settlements related to crashes, trips and falls, and other street-related claims are not insignificant. Source: L.A. Controller

Family files claim against Los Angeles after undercover officer kills 18-year-old son (KCAL, LAT); see full press conference at FilmthePoliceLA’s YouTube

Climate

A melting Alaska glacier keeps inundating Juneau. Floods are getting worse. (WaPo); Rising Seas Already Flood Some Bay Area Schools. The Risk Will Only Get Worse (KQED)
In Montana, 911 calls reveal hidden impact of heat waves on rural seniors (NPR)
When Climate Funds Pay for Highway Expansion (CityLab)
Revisiting Biden’s plan to rip down inner city highways (E&E)

Mobility

City of Vernon, population 220, claims Union Station revamp will hurt local businesses, create traffic congestion and negatively impact emergency response times (KTLA)
Woman brutally attacked, dragged across tracks and onto freeway near Pasadena Metro station (LAT)
Long Beach officers shoot, injure man with fake gun after brief foot chase near Metro platform (KCAL)
Elsewhere: Detroit driver records himself striking bicyclist in Detroit, posts video on social media (Fox 2 Detroit); Woman waiting for bus killed by suspect leading police on chase, officials say (KHOU); South Carolina Cops Target Out-of-State Drivers for Highway Robbery (Reason)

Housing

Sale of massive Skid Row homeless housing portfolio approved by judge. (LAT)
L.A. County Supervisors approve up to $140M for new affordable housing (Urbanize LA)
Fraud investigation launched into homeless service provider for LA’s Inside Safe program (LAist)
LA’s plan to give renters free eviction attorneys as a ‘right’ moves forward (LAist)
18-story senior housing complex proposed at 10354 Wilshire Blvd. in Westwood (Urbanize LA)
Facing a 25% teacher turnover rate, Daly City school district opens affordable housing units for teachers at elementary school (CBS Bay Area; NBC Bay Area)
The Tenant Trap: Rising rents, unlivable apartments leave Chicago tenants desperate, confused, and often helpless (InjusticeWatch)
Overcharged, then evicted: How errors push out public housing residents (WaPo)
Social Housing Isn’t Just a Vienna Thing. It’s Core to New York’s Past – and Could Be Its Future says policy wonk who helped pen NY’s housing authority bill (Next City)

Place

Why honor false histories invented by regional boosters and auto clubs? LAT’s 404 team looks at El Camino Real (404 IG)
Transforming front yards to feed dozens of families (KCAL)
Quakes gonna quake. Dozens of aftershocks continue to rattle SoCal a day after 5.2 earthquake in Kern County (ABC7)
Ferguson 10 years later (Nine PBS); A Living St. Louis Special (PBS); Brown’s mother takes her case to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (NPR)

An update on former Sheriff Villanueva’s shenanigans

Ex-L.A. sheriff’s corruption squad targeted Kuehl. Now state has dropped the case (LAT)

Get national headlines at Streetsblog USA, state headlines at Streetsblog California

Sahra Sulaiman

Sahra is Communities Editor for Streetsblog L.A., covering the intersection of mobility with race, class, history, representation, policing, housing, health, culture, community, and access to the public space in Boyle Heights and South Central Los Angeles.

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