The Brief

Koreatown's Park's BBQ has been a mainstay for Angelenos looking to taste high-end Korean grilled meats and fresh-tasting banchan for over 20 years.

When the pandemic hit in 2020, decimating business, chef Jenee Kim swung into action. Taking advantage of the city’s emergency al fresco dining program, which allowed owners to cut through the usual permitting red tape, she spent $80,000 to build an outdoor patio in the parking lot.

It brought customers back, getting her through hard times. Today, with plenty of lighting and ample seating, it's become part of the restaurant's overall vibe.

But recently, Kim had been planning to tear it down.

After meeting with the city's building and safety department, she discovered that she needed a permanent permit for the patio.

"They said we need to get all these permits, which costs a lot of money and takes a lot of time, and it's not really worth it," she said. "They want us to start with the floor plan and everything. That's too much."

Ryan Kim, Park BBQ's Operations Director, said the city had told him they were going to try to make it easy to get a permit, "but there's nothing easy because we have to follow every single rule. So we just gave up... we just decided to take it down."

Why are we even talking about 'sunsetting'?

What they hadn't realized was that last year, the city had announced that the emergency al fresco ordinance from 2020 was sunsetting. While that temporary ordinance had simply required a restaurant owner to go online and fill in a quick form, the new, permanent ordinance reinstated much of the red tape that had been slashed during the pandemic.

The sunset deadline was July 31. So, restaurants would have to go through the complex approval process, and do it quickly.

Business owners had been scrambling to get the paperwork in order. But on Tuesday, the day before Wednesday's deadline, Mayor Karen Bass unexpectedly announced an extension. Businesses would now have an extra six months, until December 31, to get their affairs in order.

“We want restaurants and businesses to thrive in Los Angeles. With that commitment, I am announcing an extension to the deadline for businesses to transition to the permanent Al Fresco program, which carries forward the spirit of this vital program,” Mayor Bass said in her statement.

“I want to encourage businesses holding temporary permits to apply today. The City is ready to assist you.”

The hurdles that still remain

For many in the restaurant world, it was a huge relief. Eddie Navarrette, AKA "Fast Eddie," who oversees the Independent Hospitality Coalition, a restaurant advocacy group, said it gives restaurants "a chance to breathe… it's one less death by a thousand cuts."

Park BBQ's Ryan Kim said the news means they will keep their patio open for the foreseeable future. When asked if he felt optimistic about the situation, he said, “For now, yes.”

Navarrette says, however, that the permitting process remains complex. He told LAist 89.3's AirTalk "It's essentially a building permit for private property.... four engineers were assigned to your project. It had to have a green engineer for environmental standards, one for disabled access, one for zoning, and one for your building. That's four people to look at your project."

He said businesses also have to get approvals from multiple city departments. Instead of going to one centralized office, businesses must contact the city’s Building and Safety Department, the Transportation Department, and the Health Department. With so much to do, often, a business has to hire a professional to do it.

But he hopes that the process can be streamlined. Navarrette is working on some recommendations, like a self-certification process for restaurants, allowing them to have tables and chairs in their parking lots. He also wants to improve accessibility. According to him, the materials for the application process, including a training webinar, were mainly in English, effectively leaving non-native English-speaking restaurant owners to fend for themselves.

"It's progress, but we have a long way to go," said Navarette. "I'm proud of the Mayor and her staff doing the right thing, but the only way we're going to get there is to do the work. This is a step in the right direction, but it's not a sprint; it's a marathon, and we gotta stay in the race."

A slow leak from a chemical tank smeared an orange cloud across the sky of a Southern California neighborhood on Tuesday, but authorities said they quickly got it under control.

Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Aaron Katon said authorities responded to a business that makes cleaning products after receiving a call shortly before noon about the cloud. Police evacuated a nearby middle school as a precaution, Katon said.

They do not yet know what the chemical was, but all shelter-in-place orders have been lifted, he said. The regional air quality management district has deployed staff to the area to investigate, said Connie Villanueva, a spokesperson for the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

The company, Shepard Bros., could not immediately be reached for comment.

Three company employees reported minor respiratory irritation and declined further treatment, Katon said.

The leak occurred in the city of La Habra near a mix of residential neighborhoods and industrial warehouses about 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Anaheim.

Keary Godinez, who works in a nearby restaurant, said she saw what appeared to be a dark yellow cloud spread across the sky. The 20-year-old said she watched students across the street board buses to evacuate, but police told her the eatery could remain open.

“It looked like pollen dust,” Godinez said, adding she didn’t detect a smell from the cloud. “It just kind of smeared in the sky and started going away.”

La Habra Mayor Jose Medrano had urged residents to shelter in place and said some streets were being evacuated.

Luis Gomez, who manages a nearby pickleball program, said earlier Tuesday he saw the cloud, called police and was told anyone within a mile radius of the location was under an evacuation order.

The Los Angeles Lakers will unveil a statue of former coach Phil Jackson outside their downtown arena next year.

The Lakers announced the plan Tuesday to honor Jackson, who led the Lakers to five championships and seven NBA Finals appearances during two stints totaling 11 seasons as their head coach.

The statue will be unveiled April 9 before the Lakers’ home game against Minnesota.

After his famed tenure leading Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls to six championships, Jackson joined the Lakers in 1999 and immediately began another era of major success for the 17-time NBA champion franchise.

His first three teams in Los Angeles won championships behind the dynamic duo of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, and the Lakers added two more titles in 2009 and 2010 led by Bryant and Pau Gasol. His Lakers also made the NBA Finals in 2004 and 2008.

Jackson set the Lakers franchise record for coaches with 610 victories while leading his teams to the playoffs in every year of his tenure, which ended in 2011.

“Phil Jackson defines championship basketball for a reason,” Lakers governor Jeanie Buss said in a statement. “His masterful approach to coaching brought out the best in some of the greatest athletes to ever play the game. After he accepted my dad’s invitation to join the Lakers, Phil’s unmatched creativity and commitment to excellence restored our championship legacy, bringing five titles and setting a standard of excellence for generations to come. It is a great joy to be able to mark that achievement with the statue he so richly deserves.”

Jackson will be the ninth person associated with the Lakers to be honored with a statue in Star Plaza outside their arena. He joins Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Bryant, O’Neal, broadcaster Chick Hearn and former coach Pat Riley, whose statue was unveiled earlier this year.

Jackson’s 11 championships as a head coach are the most in NBA history. The North Dakota native and former New York Knicks forward is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame.