The Brief

[Editor's note: This story is part of an ongoing LAist series exploring public art in L.A.]

The mural is called A Better and More Beautiful World, or A shenere un besere velt in yiddish.

It covers a roughly 60-foot-long and 15-foot-tall wall on the side of the Worker’s Circle building in Pico-Robertson. The mutual aid group, founded by Yiddish-speaking Jewish immigrants, opened an office in L.A. in 1908, not long after it started in New York.

This mural stands apart from other Jewish themed public art in L.A. in that it does not focus on the religious or national part of Jewish identity.

Early 20th century labor activist Rose Schneiderman

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“I think that part of what the idea of this mural… was to sort of stake out a claim for a different vision of what it means to be Jewish,” said Caroline Luce, a historian who has researched the history of the Worker’s Circle, also known by its Yiddish name, Der Arbeter Ring.

That vision at the group’s founding more than a century ago, and when this mural was unveiled in 1998, Luce said, challenged ideas of Jewish identity dictated by influential members of Jewish communities, including rabbis or wealthy patrons.

The Workmen's Circle building.

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“That has been the sort of philosophy of the organization… to inspire Jews, not only to worship in the way that they feel and join political movements, but to fight for social justice and to create a better and more beautiful world,” Luce said.

The mural centers portraits of Jewish writers and feminists, as well as labor and educational leaders, and weaves in similar activists from outside the community to show a Jewish identity linked in solidarity with the struggles of other working class people.

From Emma Goldman to Cesar Chavez

Nearly two dozen people are portrayed in the mural, including 19th century Russian writer Sholem Aleichem, early 20th century feminist and labor organizer Rose Schneiderman, and Molly Picon, the early 20th century Yiddish theater’s most famous actor.

An image of Cesar Chavez, at the top of the photo; below him are socialist presidential candidate Eugene Debs (L) and Morris Hillquit, and anti war activist and labor movement lawyer.

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Alongside them are depictions of Martin Luther King, Jr., Chiune Sugihara, the Japanese consul in Lithuania who helped thousands of Jews escape Nazi Germany, and near the center of the mural, farmworker leader Cesar Chavez.

“He is an important part of Los Angeles and California's labor history. We all marched, we marched with SEIU, the hotel workers when they had the big strike,” said Ruth Judkowitz, the head of the Worker's Circle in L.A.

It’s a Filipino-Jewish mural

The mural was painted by Eliseo Art Silva, the artist who designed the Historic Filipinotown Archway just west of downtown L.A.

Silva was in his mid 20s when he painted A shenere un besere velt.

To reflect his own background, he included the shining sun motif from the flag of the Philippines rising above the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor, and his mother as a young girl in a group of kids.

Silva painted the sun over the Statue of Liberty as a reference the sun on the flag of the Philippines.

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”The work is about inclusiveness, and that we all share the same dreams and hopes… the common connections [that] bind us all together as workers, as immigrants,” Silva told LAist.

The mural’s been defaced

While the mural's primary focus is on the history of Jews pushing for social justice, there is an Israeli flag, which has been vandalized over the years.

After the first instance more than a decade ago, artist Silva was asked to fix and modify it. He added the words for peace in English, Arabic and Hebrew displayed on leaves, an allusion to the Philippine Indigenous tradition of writing on leaves.

Behind them he painted an abstract image inspired by Palestinian woven fabric designs.

Silva's addition, a tree with the words peace written in English, Hebrew and Arabic.

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In July, someone defaced the mural again, covering the Israeli flag with a Palestinian flag and painting the U.S. flag upside down.

“In some ways it's just an easy target, [the mural] looks Jewish,” said historian Luce. “It also may be that there's just a fundamental misunderstanding” about what the mural and the organization that commissioned it stand for.

Judkowitz agreed.

"We're pro-humanity, we're pro-people," she said. “We'd love to see a two-state solution. We'd love to have a true Palestinian state… a place they could call home and a place that they can live in peace.”

She's been talking to Silva about doing restoration work on the mural next year. Judkowitz said she’s seeking support from the Los Angeles City Council.

She and others say the mural’s message of encouraging and proposing alternative Jewish identities is as relevant now as in 1908 when Worker’s Circle opened its doors in L.A. and 1998 when the mural was unveiled.

“[After Oct. 7] there's an extreme amount of disappointment of the leadership of many of the congregations and communities in which some of these folks grew up and a desire to reinvent what it means to be Jewish,” Luce said. “A kind of return to internationalism and a movement away from Jewish nationalism and specifically of Jewish Zionism.”

Much like when Worker’s Circle started in 1900, some Jewish people in L.A. are starting their own groups to reflect new forms of Jewish identity. They include, Luce said, Der Nister Downtown Jewish Center and others.

A federal judge ruled today that the Trump administration is not entitled to personal information belonging to California’s 23 million voters. Judge David O. Carter made the ruling.

Last year, the U.S. Department of Justice sued California, along with 22 other states and Washington, D.C., for access to their full, unredacted voter files. That includes driver’s license, social security numbers and other sensitive data.

DOJ officials said they needed the data to assess whether states were properly maintaining their voter rolls and ensuring "only American citizens are voting, only one time," as Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said in a social media post in December.

California refused, citing state and federal privacy law. Only a handful of states have complied with the government’s request for their full voter files, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, which has been tracking the issue nationwide.

What did the judge say?

In Judge Carter’s ruling, he wrote that amassing sensitive information at the federal level would have a chilling effect on voter registration, which would lead to decreased turnout “as voters fear that their information is being used for some inappropriate or unlawful purpose.”

He added, “This risk threatens the right to vote which is the cornerstone of American democracy."

LAist emailed a request for comment to a spokesperson for the Department of Justice but has not yet received a response.

Reaction to the ruling

Jenny Farrell, executive director of the League of Women Voters of California, applauded the decision. The group had joined California in opposing the government’s data request.

“ We think that voters should never have to choose between their privacy interests and the right to participate in our democracy,” she said.

Justin Levitt, a Loyola Law School professor and former Department of Justice employee said, “The court did what we thought the court should do.”

Levitt and a group of other former DOJ employees had filed an amicus brief in the case, siding with California.

In a news release, California Secretary of State Shirley Weber wrote: “I will continue to uphold my promise to Californians to protect our democracy, and I will continue to challenge this administration's disregard for the rule of law and our right to vote.”

What's next?

The DOJ's lawsuits against other states are still making their way through the courts.

During a hearing in the case in December, Judge Carter said he anticipated his eventual ruling — whichever way it went — would be appealed, and that a final decision on the issue could rest with the U.S. Supreme Court.

A Superior Court judge has found that the city of Los Angeles violated public open records laws nearly two years ago by taking action on matters related to its homelessness response and failing to report it.

That decision could be a factor in an ongoing hearing in federal court where a different judge is considering whether to hold the city in contempt of court.

In a ruling last week, L.A. County Superior Court Judge Curtis A. Kin found that the city violated the Brown Act on two occasions in January and May 2024 when it took action in closed session on the following:

— approving an encampment reduction plan;

— approving a memorandum of understanding with the county for support on interim housing beds and other issues.

Afterward, the city did not report those approvals in open session.

The city argued its actions were allowed under the Brown Act because they stemmed from the ongoing settlement between the city and the L.A. Alliance for Human Rights, a group of business owners and residents who sued the city over its response to the homelessness crisis.

But Kin disagreed with that argument, saying what the city had done in closed session did not fall within the Brown Act exemptions because they were policy decisions, not litigation decisions concerning the L.A. Alliance settlement.

In federal court, U.S. District Judge David O. Carter has been overseeing the city’s compliance with the settlement. Carter has said he’s concerned “the city has demonstrated a continuous pattern of delay” in meeting its obligations.

Carter has been hearing testimony since November from city officials and others in an ongoing contempt-of-court hearing. This week, the judge said in court documents that he would consider Kin’s ruling as the contempt hearing proceeds.

The parties were last in federal court earlier this week. It’s not yet clear when that hearing will resume.

Sidewalk vendors can now apply to receive a free, health-code-compliant food vending cart through a new program launched in a partnership between the county and the city of Los Angeles.

Who can apply

To receive a cart, applicants must be at least 18 years old, live in LA County, be self-employed as a sidewalk vendor, and earn less than $75,000 annually from vending, according to a news release. Applicants must operate within unincorporated LA County or the city of LA, and commit to full compliance with public health and safety regulations.

You can find the application here.

Permits to secure

Vendors who are awarded carts will have to secure required permits in order to begin operating as fully permitted businesses. This includes obtaining the Compact Mobile Food Operation (CMFO) certificate from the LA County Department of Public Health and any Sidewalk Vending Registration Certifications or permits required to comply with the county and city sidewalk vending programs.

Applications will be selected by lottery, will be reviewed on a monthly basis, and will be prioritized based on “compliance readiness.” Priority will also be given to those who are based in the county’s “highest-need areas,” as according to the county equity explorer map.

Eligible applicants will be connected to partner organizations like Inclusive Action for the City to help navigate the permitting process and to provide business business support and language assistance.

What kind of carts?

Carts offered through the program include:

• Integrated grill carts for precooked meat for tacos, hot dogs, and hamburgers that are assembled on a cart
• Hot-holding carts for pre-portioned cooked tamales, corn, quesadillas, gyros, pupusas
• Cut fruit carts for fruits, bionicos, and acai bowls
• Cold-hold ice cream carts that store prepackaged ice cream items

Currently, the county and city have 50 hot-holding and 30 cold-holding carts for the first round of awards with 40 integrated grill carts underway.

More about the program

The launch of the Sidewalk Vending Cart Program – which invests $2.8 million in more than 280 carts – follows the passage of state legislation that decriminalized street vendors and that streamlined the permitting process.

“The program aims to help vendors meet new legal requirements, overcome financial barriers to formalization, and operate safely and legally in their communities,” according to the news release.

Los Angeles County Board Chair Hilda Solis said the program can help ensure a “permitted pathway” toward entrepreneurship.
“Many vendors are navigating increasingly difficult and uncertain times due to cruel federal immigration actions, and we know vendors play an essential role in the economic and cultural vitality of Los Angeles County,” Solis said in a statement. “This is more than a program — this is a chance to support small business growth, economic stability, and even generational wealth.”

The biggest mobile network in the United States, Verizon, experienced a huge outage on Wednesday, leaving at least tens of thousands of customers without cell service for much of the day.

An update on Verizon's website today said the outage had been resolved. "We are sorry for what you experienced and will continue to work hard day and night to provide the outstanding network and service that people expect from Verizon," it said.

What happened?

It's still unclear. Verizon has not posted details nor an explanation of the cause of the outage on its website. In an email to NPR, a company spokesperson wrote that the problem stemmed from "a software issue" and that Verizon is conducting a full review.And while Verizon hasn't released a figure for how many customers were affected, the staff at the Downdetector website — where users go to report service outages — posted on Facebook that they received 2.3 million outage reports for Verizon throughout the day. (That doesn't necessarily translate to 2.3 million affected customers.)

Cell networks experience small outages fairly regularly, though, and sizable ones are not uncommon. Verizon had a disruption across several major cities in September 2024, and competitor AT&T was hit by a large outage in February 2024, affecting more than 125 million registered devices and customers in all 50 states.

Sanjoy Paul, a wireless network expert at Rice University, says telecommunications systems have become more complex over the past decade and a half as they've moved from physical infrastructure — wires and cables — and into the cloud.

"What used to be a completely hardware-dependent network transformed into a complete software-dependent network," he said. That shift has given operators more flexibility to add services or tweak products but, he said, it has come at the expense of reliability.

With a cloud and software-based networks, there are more opportunities for glitches and attacks, he said. Small issues with computer code buried inside these systems can have big consequences.

What have been some consequences of the outage?

Users had no connectivity for much of the day and were only able to access "SOS" mode during the outage.

Verizon, which has styled itself as America's best and most reliable network, has been in damage control mode. The company has issued instructions for customers to restart their devices to reconnect to the network if they are still having problems. It also pledged $20 credits as "a way of acknowledging your time and showing that this matters to us," according to their website.

The Federal Communications Commission said in a statement it was "continuing to actively investigate and monitor the situation to determine next steps."

Could it happen again?

Yep — to Verizon or any of its competitors.

Since the cause of this latest outage remains unclear, it's too early to say whether or not this exact thing could happen again. But Lee McKnight, an associate professor in the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University, told NPR's Morning Edition outages are "a fact of life these days for major telecommunications firms."

"Modern telecom networks are cloud networks. 5G networks are mainly, like, hundreds of different cloud services," he said. "The telecom companies haven't yet adjusted their training to that reality, that their staff have to be expert not just in cell towers and wireless, like we think about, but about cloud services, like AWS, or Microsoft, or Google."

At the end of the day, experts say, consumers should consider having a "Plan B" for connectivity. That may mean a land line for your house or getting a second phone on a different cell network.
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