The Brief

The California Science Center is putting the finishing touches on its biggest “Endeavour” yet — lifting the space shuttle orbiter into its vertical launch position in the soon-to-be Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center.

Endeavour was put in place overnight Monday, and it’ll soon be attached to the external tank and twin solid rocket boosters in the construction zone, completing the world’s only authentic space shuttle stack.

About the orbiter

Endeavour, which NASA named Orbiter Vehicle-105, was the final orbiter to join the space shuttle fleet.

It was built to replace the space shuttle Challenger, which exploded 73 seconds after liftoff, killing all seven people onboard in January 1986.

Endeavour has been making history since its second mission.

The orbiter took Mae Jemison, the first Black woman, into space on its second trip in 1992. It also helped repair NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope so it could see to the farthest edges of the universe, and was part of the first mission to add a U.S. component to the International Space Station.

About the final move

To prepare for the late-night lift, Endeavour moved from its temporary home for the past 11 years, the Samuel Oschin Pavilion, down the street to the construction site last Friday. It took crews several hours to move the orbiter a little less than 1,000 feet.

Jeff Rudolph, the president and CEO of the California Science Center, told LAist the orbiter isn’t quite as heavy as the external tank that made a similar journey earlier this month, but it is much wider.

With a 78-foot wingspan, crews had to maneuver around trees, signs, and other obstacles on both sides of the street. The orbiter was loaded onto SPMTs — self-propelled modular transporters — so they could slowly but surely make adjustments along the way.

Endeavour, covered in a protective shrink wrap, making a slow but steady journey past the construction zone for the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center on Friday, Jan. 26.

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Makenna Sievertson

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LAist

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Once the orbiter was parked right in front of the construction zone, it was ready for the big lift.

It was rigged on a 450-foot crane that started moving the orbiter Monday night. It was also connected to a vertical lifting swing, borrowed from NASA, that helped bring Endeavour into launch position a little more than a half hour into the lift.

Half of the lifting swing was released about 20 minutes later, and the orbiter inched its way up towards the stars for the next hour and a half, with a few short breaks for the handful of helicopters that came within the 1-mile no fly zone.

The lift wasn’t advertised to the public, but at least 50 people were watching through the chain link fence on State Drive. George Ruiz told LAist he lives about a block away and wanted to see this once in a lifetime event.

“This is in our backyard,” he said. “I just remember about 10 years ago when the shuttle came into town and it was a big party.”

People watching Endeavour orbiter being lifted vertically and into its "Go For Stack" position from State Drive in Exposition Park.

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Makenna Sievertson

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LAist

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Clare Davis and her husband were also out watching the big lift. She told LAist they’re not sure if they’ll still be living in L.A. once Endeavour is back on display, but they might come back to Exposition Park just to see it.

“I feel like it's kind of history in the making,” she said. “It's quite an amazing feat of engineering, it's been incredible to watch.”

According to Phillips, there were a few technical challenges during the roughly four-hour lift. For example, he said once the orbiter was in the air, the crane operators were concerned that the angle of the wings wouldn’t clear a nearby building crews on the ground couldn’t see.

Phillips added that NASA had 135 space shuttle missions to practice on, but putting the space shuttle stack together was brand new for the California Science Center.

Once the orbiter was put in place around 2 a.m. Tuesday, it was “soft-mated” with the external tank, which works as the structural backbone of the stack. Phillips said that basically means they put Endeavour on the tank through three points, one at the top and two on the back, and let it sit there to make sure it behaves itself.

If the soft-mate goes according to plan, they’ll then bolt it to the external tank sometime in the next few days, which is bolted to the twin solid rocket boosters. That's considered the “hard-mate” of the orbiter and will complete the space shuttle stack.

People watch as Endeavour orbiter is being lowered into its ready-to-launch from the construction zone for the new building.

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Makenna Sievertson

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LAist

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Alyson Goodall, the senior vice president of the California Science Center, told LAist this “Go For Stack” vision has been decades in the making, and it's really fulfilling watching it come to life.

“The leadership of the Science Center dreamed of this, and we have a rendering back in 1992 showing a space shuttle in launch position, and that was before Endeavour even launched itself,” she said.

What’s next

Now that Endeavour is lifted into its new permanent home, the California Science Center has to finish constructing the rest of the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center.

Crews will add scaffolding and plywood barriers around the entire space shuttle stack to make sure it stays safe during construction, Phillips added.

A close-up of the orbiter as its slowly but surely lowered into its "Go For Stack" position next to the external tank and twin solid rocket boosters.

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Makenna Sievertson

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LAist

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The new addition, which is a 200,000 square foot expansion of the museum, will then finish being built around the 20-story Endeavour display.

The Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center will include 100 exhibits, more than a dozen aircraft displays, and 100 authentic artifacts that explore the science of flight and space exploration in three different zones — Air, Space, and Shuttle.

Diane Perlov is the senior vice president for special projects at the California Science Center. She told LAist the Shuttle gallery will feature a 3-minute introductory film that was made in conjunction with J.J. Abrams’ production company Bad Robot.

“When they finish the film, there'll be some mist that goes in the gallery, and it'll be like a launch is happening,” she said. “Then all of a sudden, the screen will rise, and people will look out, and they will see the real stack.”

Perlov added that the space shuttle stack has been placed on a huge seismic isolator that will protect it from being damaged or falling over in an earthquake.

The California Science Center also needs to secure the rest of the funding first. They’re still about $40 million short of their $400 million goal.

Phillips said no gift is too small. Plus, if you sign up to sponsor one of the thermal tiles on the orbiter, your name will be featured in that exhibit.

“There are opportunities for people to get involved in this project,” Phillips said. “I mean, meaningfully involved at virtually every level. Kids can bake cookies, we'll take it."

The Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center doesn’t have an opening date yet, but construction is expected to take at least a few years.

“So [Endeavour] will be going away for a while, but it's for the better,” Rudolph said.

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.

It’s official: Eight Democrats and two Republicans say they have filed paperwork for the June 2 primary ballot in the California governor's race, setting up a wide-open contest in which two Republicans who have consistently led in polls could shut out all other Democrats.

Here are the 10 candidates:

• Xavier Becerra, Democrat, former U.S. Health and Human Services secretary and former California Attorney General
• Chad Bianco, Republican, Riverside County Sheriff
• Steve Hilton, Republican, Fox News contributor and former adviser to conservative British prime minister David Cameron
• Matt Mahan, Democrat, mayor of San Jose
• Katie Porter, Democrat, former U.S. representative representing Orange County
• Tom Steyer, Democrat, billionaire entrepreneur and former presidential candidate
• Eric Swalwell, Democrat, U.S. representative from the Bay Area
• Tony Thurmond, Democrat, state superintendent of public instruction
• Antonio Villaraigosa, Democrat, former mayor of Los Angeles and former Assembly Speaker
• Betty Yee, Democrat, former state Controller

Steyer became the last to officially file on Friday, the deadline for submitting candidacy paperwork.

Former Assembly Majority Leader Ian Calderon exited the race earlier this week, endorsing Swalwell instead.

What's next?

The secretary of state’s office says it will verify the paperwork their campaigns submitted and publish an official list of primary candidates by March 21.

The top two vote recipients in the primary, regardless of party, will advance to the general election. But the two Republican frontrunners enjoy more consolidated support from their base than their Democratic counterparts, who risk fragmenting the Democratic vote. At the February state Democratic Party convention, delegates were so split that no candidate earned enough votes for the party endorsement.

With the current field, there’s a 27% chance of a Republican faceoff in November, according to statistical modeling by Democratic strategist Paul Mitchell.

The prospect is worrisome for many Democratic leaders, including state party leader Rusty Hicks, who earlier this week penned an open letter calling for those without a “viable path” to victory to drop out before the Friday deadline to file paperwork. And for those who remained, he pleaded, drop out by April 15 at the very latest if they couldn’t make “meaningful progress.”

The call appeared to fall on deaf ears, as eight of the nine announced Democratic candidates stayed in. Even if someone drops out now, their name will still appear on the primary ballot as long as they qualify, risking siphoning votes away from other Democrats.

Discounting the risk

When asked about the risk of a November shutout at a Thursday gubernatorial forum, several Democratic candidates brushed it aside while insisting they each would be voters’ best choice.

Villaraigosa told CalMatters the GOP base will coalesce behind just one candidate when President Donald Trump makes an endorsement.

“When that happens, that person is going to surge up and the other (Republican is) going to go down, it’s as simple as that,” he said.

Of the Democratic attendees at the forum, only Porter acknowledged the risk of a crowded field of Democrats.

“I think it is terrifying to think about what Trump would do to Californians if we had a governor who at every turn cooperated with him rather than stood up for our California values,” she said. “So I don’t think it’s a certainty, but I do think it’s a risk, and I think the stakes are very, very, very high.”

This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.

James A. Garfield High School in East Los Angeles is headed to state after winning the Los Angeles Unified School District’s 45th annual Academic Decathlon.
The Eastside school claimed the top prize — the Superintendent’s Trophy — earning 44,336.10 points out of 60,000 points. Abraham Lincoln High in Lincoln Heights scored 40,181.70 and is among the eight LAUSD schools advancing to the state competition.

The LAUSD teams will compete at the California Academic Decathlon on March 19-22 in Santa Clara. 

Decathletes representing Garfield High are Derek Dominguez, Ana Santos, Davian Valladares, Joseph Villa, Liana Lopez, Julie Lopez, David Ventura, Kimberly Palacios, and Briana Zuniga.

Villa was among the top students who earned the highest district-wide scores, coming in third with 8,267.5 points out of 10,000 points.

Board member Rocío Rivas, who represents East LA, said Garfield’s win “reflects the real progress taking shape across our district and the momentum we’re

building as they represent our communities at the California Academic Decathlon.”

The district said it holds 23 state titles – more than any district in California – and 19 national titles. 

“At Los Angeles Unified, we are proud to represent one of the most diverse student communities in the nation,” said Academic Decathlon Regional Director Dr. Neena Agnihotri in a statement.

“Our Decathletes come from many cultures, languages, and life experiences, and that diversity is one of our greatest strengths,” Agnihotri said.

Also competing in the California Academic Decathlon are: Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies, Van Nuys High School, John Marshall High School, Bell High School, The Science Academy STEM Magnet and Dr. Richard A. Vladovic Harbor Teacher Preparation Academy.

This story appeared first on LA Local.

FIFA World Cup organizers expect more than 150,000 extra visitors to flood the Los Angeles area during eight World Cup games this summer, and all of them are going to need places to sleep.

AirBnB, the short-term rental giant, is kicking up its efforts to recruit more properties to the platform by offering a $750 bonus to first-time hosts in World Cup cities.

The company courted new hosts with lunch and a special workshop Thursday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, where the games will be played. Other short-term rental companies — like Vrbo and Booking.com — are also promoting rentals near World Cup stadiums.

Renting out houses, apartments and rooms in Los Angeles and Inglewood is less of a cavalier process than it was a decade ago.

Lawmakers in many places have developed tighter short-term rental regulations in hopes of cracking down on neighborhood disruption, collecting more tax dollars and preventing scarce housing stock from being converted into full-time vacation rentals.

If you’re a local who is hoping to make a few extra bucks by renting out your place this summer, here are three tips to get you started, straight from active short-term rental hosts and property managers.

Get the ball rolling soon

It takes time to get a space properly listed for short-term rental.

Many local governments, including the city and county of L.A., as well as Inglewood, require hosts to apply for permits. Approvals can take two to four weeks in the city of L.A., said Lisa Giuntoli, whose company Nonpareil Stays manages 45 short-term rentals in the area.

Giuntoli said short-term rental listings perform better in web searches the longer they remain online, and for the World Cup, in particular, visitors are booking places well in advance.

“It takes a minute to get up to speed,” she said. “If you’re interested, do it now.”

Do your homework on local rules

Each local government sets its own guidelines for short-term rentals. Several have revamped their ordinances in recent years.

Hosts can bear some responsibility for how their rentals affect the neighborhood. Inglewood, along with the city and county of L.A., requires permitted hosts to keep their renters up to speed on noise regulations and other local rules.

Not everyone can get a permit. Inglewood requires permit applicants to have lived within the city for 10 consecutive years. In the city of L.A., secondary residences and rent-stabilized properties aren’t eligible to become short-term rentals.

Perrita King, a Leimert Park resident, said she has still been able to keep her extra space listed by renting to people looking to stay longer than a month, such as traveling nurses.

If you live in the city of LA, you can check here to see if your property falls under rent stabilization.

If the logistics seem daunting, consider a specialist

If you’re not interested in waking up at 1 a.m. to help out a renter who lost their key, there are a few different ways to hire a specialized short-term rental manager.

Companies like Nonpareil Stays manage portfolios of dozens of short-term rentals. King, the Leimert Park host, said she goes through a web-based company called Fairly.

You can also narrow your search through Airbnb’s co-host network, which allows you to filter prospective managers by location and other factors.

Longtime Republican Rep. Darrell Issa will not seek reelection, he announced Friday.

His decision comes four months after his San Diego-area congressional district was redrawn to favor Democrats and shortly after San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond, a Republican, filed papers to run in the same district.

Issa, a longtime GOP stalwart, said he was endorsing Desmond in a statement announcing his decision to retire.

“This decision has been on my mind for a while, and I didn’t make it lightly,” he said. “But after a quarter-century in Congress — and before that, a quarter-century in business — it’s the right time for a new chapter and new challenges.”

A history of reshuffling

Issa represented the San Diego area in Congress for more than 20 years. He briefly retired in 2019 when his seat, now represented by Democrat Mike Levin, became more competitive. He returned to Congress in 2021 after winning a seat in the 50th District, which was redrawn after statewide redistricting later that year. He moved to his current seat in the 48th District in 2023.

The newly configured seat attracted a slew of Democratic challengers after it became more competitive when voters approved Proposition 50 last fall. The redistricting measure was designed to give Democrats up to five additional seats in the U.S. House and counter similar redistricting efforts in other states that favored Republicans.

Desmond had previously announced that he would run in the 49th District against Levin.

“They drew me into this district, but the truth is I’ve been serving this community for years,” Desmond said in a statement to CalMatters. Prior to Prop. 50, Desmond lived in the 49th District. He now lives in the 48th. “I’ll fight every single day to make life more affordable, more safe and more free.”

Crowded field of Democrats

In the 48th District, two Democratic candidates — Ammar Campa-Najjar, a former opponent of Issa's, and San Diego City Councilmember Marni von Wilpert — lead a crowded field eager to flip the district blue. No candidate garnered enough support for the party’s endorsement last month.

California Republicans have been reshuffling for months as their districts were redrawn.

Republican Rep. Ken Calvert, one of the longest-serving members in Congress, is now running in the 40th District against Republican incumbent Young Kim of Orange County. His present district, the neighboring 41st, was moved entirely out of conservative pockets of Riverside County to Los Angeles County.

Issa briefly contemplated a congressional run in Texas in December after the new districts were created but decided against it.