Eastside

A jacuzzi.

The Ovarian Psyco-Cycles have been a game-changer in the Los Angeles cycling landscape. And now, with a documentary featuring the stories of three of their members set to debut at South by Southwest (SXSW) this year, they are essentially announcing that they are here to stay. Y con ganas.*

The office of Governor Jerry Brown sent out a press release earlier today announcing his intention to "pursue an additional appropriation" of $176.6 million for lead testing and clean-up in the 1.7-mile radius around Exide Technologies' now-shuttered lead-acid battery recycling facility in Vernon (seen above).

Caltrans was involved in two very different bridge demolitions last week, and has posted time-lapse footage of both of them.

Hide your wife! Hide your kids! And try to hide the bitter tears the L.A. Times believes you will probably shed when you struggle to visit "downtown's trendiest bars and pubs" this weekend because THE 101 FREEWAY IS CLOSING FOR 40 HOURS starting at 10 p.m. tonight!

"Dots are not a very democratic way to do things."

This Sunday, January 31st, the eviction of the community gardening collective known as Proyecto Jardin from the garden space behind White Memorial Medical Center in Boyle Heights will mark a significant change for the neighborhood. In a community that has felt very much at the mercy of externally-driven change in recent years, many residents are determined not to let this shift go unchallenged.

Complaints about the condition of Whittier Boulevard are common among youth that regularly walk from the southern end of Boyle Heights to Roosevelt High School and back. And they're only one of several groups of schoolkids that must cross and/or move along Whittier on a daily basis -- a handful of schools and recreational centers straddle the three-quarters of a mile between Lorena and Soto Streets.

Last week, the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) began a second round of clean-ups of lead-contaminated soil in the residential areas around Exide Technologies' now-shuttered lead-acid battery recycling facility. The Vernon plant and serial violator of environmental regulations cut a deal with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in March, 2015, to close up shop in exchange for avoiding criminal prosecution. As part of the closure process, Exide must clean up toxic waste at its former facility as well as lead-contaminated soil at residences, schools, and parks surrounding the plant.