Ivanpah's hundreds of thousands of mirrors, called heliostats, track the sun so they can reflect light to the beacon in the middle throughout the day.
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Cliff Ho
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U.S. Department of Energy
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Topline:
Photvoltaic solar panels are now so much cheaper than the energy being generated at the Ivanpah facility in the Mojave Desert that the plant is set to close. Whether that's a success or a failure depends on how you look at it.
Success: Taxpayers who helped fund the plant will get most of their money back, and the plant generated clean energy for 11 years.
Failure: But the technology — in which mirrors concentrate sunlight in order to heat a liquid that powers a steam turbine — isn't the cheapest way to harness solar energy. Photovoltaic solar panels win that contest.
Read on ... for why it may not be that simple, though.
This article originally published on Marketplace on April 7, 2025. Listen to Marketplace each weekday at 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on LAist 89.3-FM.
It’s a solar power facility called Ivanpah. It’s been supplying enough juice to power 140,000 homes for more than a decade. But it doesn’t generate electricity directly like rooftop solar panels do. It’s surrounded by a bunch of mirrors in concentric circles.
“Those mirrors reflect the heat of the sun to a receiver that’s mounted at the top of a big tower,” said Ed Smeloff, a clean energy consultant. “And then that receiver heats up, and the fluid in the receiver is used to drive the energy through a conventional steam turbine.”
“The cost of the project compared to other renewable technologies looked reasonable,” said Smeloff. “That, of course, has changed dramatically over the last 15 years or so.”
Whether that counts as a failure depends on how you view the mission of the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office, said Jigar Shah, its former director.
“It was clearly successful in that we gave them money and they commercialized the technology here in the United States,” he said. “It didn’t catalyze a trillion dollars’ worth of investment. So from that perspective, it wasn’t successful. Whereas, the solar PV [photovoltaic] investments that we made did catalyze a trillion dollars of investment.”
He also said taxpayers will get most of their money back. The Department of Energy declined to say exactly how much.
“Long term, the reason we’re doing all of this is to get the technologies that succeed to get successful at scale,” Shah said.
Concentrated solar power won’t die when Ivanpah shuts down. There are still people and companies who think the plant has value.
“I was there two months ago. It’s a beautiful facility. It works,” said Morse. “Clean, carbon-free. You really want to shut that down?”
He said sure, PV solar panels are cheaper in the daytime. But a concentrated solar plant can pump that superheated liquid it generates into an insulated tank so the plant can provide electricity at night.
But Morse said the future investments, like the one Ivanpah needed to get off the ground, are more uncertain as the new trade war and the shrinking of the federal government make investment less likely.
Los Angeles Public Library map librarian Peter Hauge clutches a fistful of maps of South Africa as he adds them to the Central Library's map collection.
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Peter Hauge
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Peter Hauge
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Topline:
The Los Angeles Public Library system has received a massive donation of maps, which its map librarian says has probably increased the entire collection by 30% to 40%.
What’s in the collection: The new additions include thousands of maps from almost every country in the world as well as every state and almost every county in the United States.
The backstory: The donation comes from a man named Bill Hunt who was the founder of a now defunct map distribution company called Map Link. Hunt is a prolific traveler and map collector and wanted to offload his collection.
What's next: The maps will be sorted and added to the Central Library collection over the next year. It will take time to catalog and index them, but many are available for public view now.
The Los Angeles Public Library system is known for more than just books. You can check out tools and computers. And it even has a recording studio.
They’ve got fire insurance maps spanning Los Angeles; old maps detailing curiosities like an alligator farm or an ostrich farm in L.A. County; copies of the Ord Survey, the first formal land survey of the city from 1849.
A recent donation has added thousands of maps from the region and all over the world to the collection.
Stacks of maps from the Central Library's map collection.
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Peter Hauge
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Peter Hauge
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The mapping link
The new addition came from the collection of Bill Hunt, the founder of the now defunct Santa Barbara-based map distributor Map Link.
Hunt is also an avid collector and traveler. His collection, consisting of hundreds of boxes of well preserved and carefully catalogued maps, took up an entire storage space in Ventura.
Hunt got in touch with the Los Angeles Public Library in November to offload some of his collection. The library brought them in starting in January.
Stacks of boxes containing a lot of Bill Hunt's donation of maps to the Los Angeles Public Library.
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Peter Hauge
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Peter Hauge
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A treasure trove
Not since2012 has the Los Angeles Public Library landed on such a sizablecollection. Then, they were from collector John Feathers, who had thousands of maps filling his Mount Washington Home.
“It was said that John Feathers’ collection doubled our map collection,” LAPL’s map librarian Peter Hauge said. “I would say this Map Link donation probably boosted us again by another 30 or 40%. It is absolutely massive.”
Hauge said Hunt’s collection is much more organized, which should make cataloging it all a lot easier.
What’s in the boxes?
Many of the new maps will be housed in the history and genealogy department of the Central Library, located on lower level four. There they’ll be accessible to all Angelenos, no library card required for viewing.
Flat map drawers where a lot of the Los Angeles Public Library legacy collection is kept.
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Peter Hauge
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Peter Hauge
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Hauge said the donation, global in scope, helps to fill out the library’s own collection. For example, the library now has 12 new maps from different time periods and regions of Senegal, building on its much smaller, previous collection.
“That was really the most exciting part of it,” Hauge said. “The quality and the scope of the maps I think is what made it so much more important and valuable.”
The donations span pretty much every country in the world and just about every type of map you can think of.
“ This collection has folded maps, travel maps, street guides from the entire United States, just about every county, from every state in the country,” Hauge said.
Many of the new maps are already available for the public to access. However, Hauge said it'll take at least a year before the entire trove is added to the collection, and even longer for them to be properly cataloged and indexed.
These maps are lenses to the world and the past. Hauge said people come to the map library for all sorts of reasons. Some are writers looking to accurately describe what the transportation system was like in Los Angeles. Others are residents looking for the history of their neighborhoods and how they developed.
Whatever it is, the library probably has a map that can help you out.
From top to bottom, Christian Rasmussen driving the yellow Indy car and Graham Rahal driving the green and white car prepare to go head to head at The Pike Outlets for the Thunder Thursday event where Indy cars race against each other in Long Beach on April 16, 2026.
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Justin Enriquez
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Long Beach Post
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Topline:
The annual Grand Prix of Long Beach, known as the longest-running major street race in North America, iS underway this weekend.
Why it matters: The marquee IndyCar race is Sunday, when drivers go 90 laps around a nearly 2-mile street course that whips around Long beach landmarks.
Why now: The event kicked off Thursday evening for the free motocross and car show.
Read on ... to check out the scene...
Crowds packed into the Pike Outlets in downtown Long Beach on Thursday evening for the free motocross and car show that marks the beginning of Grand Prix weekend every year: Thunder Thursday.
Stunt motorcyclist rides in the air for the Thunder Thursday event by The Pike Outlets, Long Beach on April 16, 2026.
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Justin Enriquez
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Long Beach Post
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Already, the area has transformed into 1.97 miles of track that, on Sunday, will belong to the world’s best IndyCar racers as about 200,000 fans watch them during the 51st annual Grand Prix.
Marcus Ericsson driving the purple and black indy car races against Rinus Veekay driving blue and white car race on Shoreline Drive, Long Beach on April 16, 2026
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Justin Enriquez
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Long Beach Post
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On Thursday night, families, fans and revelers got a taste of the high-energy fun with motocross stunt shows, exhibition races, classic car displays and pit crew competitions.
Audiences took their phones to record the final race for the Thunder Thursday event on Shoreline Drive by The Pike Outlets, in Long Beach, April 16, 2026 Photo by Justin Enriquez
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Justin Enriquez
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Long Beach Post
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Adrian Gallegos volunteers his time to help pack up vinyl records at Planet Books in Long Beach on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. The used bookstore will be moving to a new location.
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Thomas R. Cordova
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Long Beach Post
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Topline:
Planet Books, the 4,000-square-foot warehouse of used tomes, toys, life-size posters and delicate antiquities, has found a new home.
Read on ... to learn about the herculean process to move 150 tons of books and magazines — and how you could help.
Lifesize cutouts of Deputy Ringo Starr next to the defunct bathroom, Freddy Krueger standing over the entrance, delicate china guarded by the Incredible Hulk‚ and 150 tons of books and magazines.
It is moving day at Planet Books, the 4,000-square-foot warehouse of used tomes, toys, life-size posters and delicate antiquities, and all of it must leave.
Store owner James Rappaport and manager Argyl Houser have spent the first half of the month packing, consolidating and bidding goodbye to the warehouse they have worked in since 2020. They must have it all out by the end of the month.
Around them, boxes line the narrow aisles, taped tight and labeled by genre. Some glass cases are emptied of their knick-knacks, some walls naked of their posters. Public radio, KJazz 88.1, remains on as usual, though Rappaport said the queue has been nonstop rock and blues.
“We had like three solid days of Eric Clapton,” he said with a smile.
“I couldn’t find anything within a thirty-mile radius that was under two dollars [per square foot],” Rappaport said.
Approaching the store’s 30th anniversary, the two are set to celebrate in a new location, a former furniture store turned sound studio at 1819 Redondo Ave. — the second time the bookstore has moved since it opened in 1998.
The new place is larger — by about 600 square feet — and twice the cost to rent. It’ll also be a year-long sublease before they can lease it on their own. But it’s a needed move, one that offers the opportunity to organize, consolidate and rebuild their vision of a bookstore that the two have talked about for years but never had the momentum to act on.
How to help
Planet Books is looking for volunteers to help with this move. If you’re reading this and jazzed about the idea, James and Argyle said to either call the store at (562) 985-3154 or simply stop by at 1855 Freeman Ave. any day this month between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
“It’s a huge amount of work, but it’s also an opportunity to make the store just the way we wanted … an opportunity to really make the store shine,” Houser said.
The two plan to downsize a tenth of their stock through donations to nearby schools, shelters and prisons. They’re giving away half of their hardcover mysteries, at least half of their small paperbacks and looking to downsize their knick-knacks. Rappaport is also selling his treasured vinyl collection.
“It’s been in the back for years, and I’ve finally decided I’ve got to start selling my things, getting too old to save everything,” Rappaport said.
The new store, they envision, will have art books in the front; specialty vintage will rest in the back left and leatherbound classics will have the windowed area to the right. Their rarest tomes, currently spread across five locations in the store, will be consolidated and put in a glass display.
They want better seating and wider aisles, envisioning a trendy establishment where customers can sit at tables and couches and sip cappuccinos or listen to live music — preferably jazz or blues — and enjoy poetry readings or book signings.
It’s a bittersweet move and a goodbye to a long chapter of the bookstore’s history. But with change comes the relief of certainty, a fresh start and finally, two new toilets that actually work.
Josie Huang
is a reporter and Weekend Edition host who spotlights the people and places at the heart of our region.
Published April 18, 2026 5:00 AM
More than 600 grazing goats will be on assignment in the Arroyo for the next six to eight weeks.
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Daniel Rossman
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Topline:
More than 600 goats are munching through brush in Pasadena’s Arroyo Seco as part of a pilot program that aims to reduce wildfire risk ahead of peak season.
Why it matters: The Arroyo, home to the Rose Bowl, sits in a high fire severity zone and can act as a wind corridor, letting fire spread quickly.
The backstory: Using goats to clear fire fuel is an ancient land management strategy that has caught on in recent years around the country. The nonprofit One Arroyo is raising funds to help cover the $85,000 to hire the goats.
Why now: Recent rains have led to the proliferation of invasive species that will dry out into “flash fuels” by summer. The effort also comes as Pasadena look for more proactive fire strategies after the Eaton Fire.
What's next: After six to eight weeks, the quality of the goats' work will be clear and lead to discussions as to whether their brush clearing can be a long-term solution for the city.
On the steep, brush-covered slopes of the Arroyo Seco, home to the Rose Bowl, a new kind of wildfire defense has arrived — on cloven hooves.
Starting this morning, more than 600 goats are being deployed across roughly 100 acres to help kick off Earth Day celebrations in the city.
Over the next six to eight weeks, they’ll reduce fire risk by munching through invasive vegetation like mustard that can quickly turn into dangerous fuel.
The pilot program, led by One Arroyo Foundation with city backing, combines an ancient technique with urgency around climate change, which the Eaton Fire that devastated parts of Pasadena bordering Altadena has only heightened.
“It’s become more evident that we need to do everything that we can to make sure that we’re adding wildfire resiliency to the way we manage this place,” said Daniel Rossman, executive director of the foundation.
The Arroyo sits within a high-severity fire zone, according to state maps, and acts as a natural corridor for wind, meaning a fire could spread rapidly if conditions align, Rossman said.
The G.O.A.T.'s
Pasadena is the latest Southern California city where goats are eating the fuel load, joining Arcadia, Glendale and Santa Clarita.
Unlike traditional brush clearance methods, which often rely on gas-powered equipment, goats offer a low-emissions alternative.
“You don’t need fossil fuels to run goats,” Rossman said. “They run on their own fuel, which is the brush that they eat.”
The grazers also shine where humans and machinery struggle on the Arroyo’s steep, uneven terrain.
“The goats can go to places that are very difficult for humans to get to with heavy equipment,” Rossman said. “Also, as they go up those hills, they're not degrading them as an adult [human] would by stepping on them with just two feet.”
Other cities like Arcadia have also hired goats to graze on fuel loads.
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City of Arcadia, CA
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City of Arcadia, CA
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While on assignment, the animals owned by Capra Environmental Services, Corp., will graze day and night in the Arroyo, watched over by a herding dog and a herder who will live in a trailer on-site.
“The goats do not have a strong labor union,” Rossman said, tongue firmly in cheek. “They work 24 hours a day. But on the other hand, they take naps whenever they feel like it.”
One Arroyo is covering the roughly $85,000 cost and has launched a “Goat Fund Me” campaign to invite public support. The nonprofit will be posting about the goats' whereabouts on its Instagram so locals can come watch the animals at work.
Just be aware that there will be temporary electric fencing set up to keep the goats from wandering into nearby homes and businesses. And don’t try to pet the goats.
“These goats are generally grumpy,” Rossman said. The animals that can stand humans will be at a petting zoo in Saturday’s Earth Day event by the Rose Bowl's Aquatic Center.
A test run
The hope is that the goat grazers will demonstrate success so that city officials may adopt the effort long-term.
How to know if it’s working?
Rossman said the first test is to see how well goats clear the invasive species and make room for the native plants.
“We want to get to that sweet spot where they chew things down and that then allows these perennial natives that stay green year-round to come back and compete,” Rossman said.
The timing of the goat deployment close to the last of the winter rains was intentional. Rossman said rain spurs rapid plant growth, especially invasive species that then dry out and turn into “flash fuels” by summer.
Removing that growth before peak fire season, he said, is key to protecting an “environmental treasure” that even more locals have turned to since the Eaton Fire.
“Many people who maybe used to hike Eaton Canyon are coming to the Arroyo and enjoying this place to connect with nature and to connect with themselves and restore,” Rossman said.
