The Brief

It was the most reliable car he had ever driven — that's how Kris Trexler remembered his General Motors EV1.

"It was just a car that I took home, plugged in at night, got up the next morning — it was like having a gasoline station in the garage," he told NPR Member station Michigan Public in 2010.

Trexler was one of the hundreds of people who got to drive an EV1 — the first modern, mass-produced electric vehicle from a major automaker. The little two-door car looked like a cross between a flying saucer and a computer mouse, and it pioneered technology you can still find in today's EVs.

GM built just over 1,000 EV1s before ending production in 1999, spawning a community of passionate super fans eager to join the EV revolution. But the EV1 was controversial, and short-lived. It was on the road for less than a decade. Many Americans never knew the EV1 existed — and the fight to keep it alive ended with GM crushing nearly all the cars into scrap.

"When it all happened, we just stood there and said, 'What are you guys doing?' " filmmaker and EV advocate Chris Paine told NPR in a 2006 interview about his documentary Who Killed the Electric Car? "The sight of seeing them destroyed before most people ever got to experience them was really quite a shocking moment for us."

The EV1's origins

The story of the EV1 began in 1990, when California passed sweeping regulations aimed at curbing the state's air pollution. The plan mandated automakers build zero-emission vehicles.

"It's a very radical strategy, but it's one that looks well into the next century," California Air Resources Board member Brian Bilbray said at the time. "And it's really going to set the standard for air-quality strategies, not in just this state or this nation, but in the world."

Under pressure, automakers researched electric vehicles, hybrids and even hydrogen fuel cells to comply with the mandate. In 1992, reporter Paul Eisenstein was assigned by NPR to check out the early results, traveling to Arizona to test drive a GM prototype called the Impact.

"As you turn the key, nothing seems to be happening — until you stomp on the Impact's accelerator," Eisenstein reported. "Then with a sudden lurch and an eerie whine, the Impact bursts to life, the speedometer ticking off five, 15, 30, 45 miles an hour."

This is the car that by 1996 hit the market as the EV1. It had zippy acceleration, aerodynamic bodywork that partially covered the rear tires, and an innovative braking system that helped recharge the battery.

"Regenerative braking works by using the motors — the drive motors — in reverse, and they act as generators," GM engineer Larry Oswald said. "So when you apply the brake pedal, essentially what you're doing is generating electricity and putting it back into the battery and storing it for the next acceleration."

The car's battery could take you about 70 miles on a full charge. Battery technology improved over the years, increasing the EV1's range to about 100 miles. But the EV1 gave rise to a new consumer concern: "range anxiety."

"The fear of being stranded; running out of power," Consumer Reports researcher Ron Conlin told NPR in 1997. "The anxiety of the consumer is reflected in our studies."

The EV1 was only available in a few states. And it was expensive: The suggested retail price was $35,000 (more than $70,000 in today's money) but it never actually was for sale — it was only available for lease.

"The car's being marketed to an upscale consumer — very educated, very affluent, as potentially a third vehicle in the household," Conlin said.

Only about 800 drivers leased an EV1, according to an Associated Press article from 2005. However, reports indicated thousands more people put their name on a wait list. GM spokesperson Dave Barthmuss told NPR that the company followed up with those people, and found "less than 50 customers" on the wait list were willing to lease a vehicle.

Many who did get the chance to lease an EV1 grew to love the way the car — with its plug-in charging and appliance-like charm — made them feel "like we were in the 21st century," said documentarian Chris Paine.

A little car with a big legacy

GM had spent more than $1 billion on EV development. But over time, California weakened the mandate to build zero-emission vehicles. The EV1 became an unnecessary cost.

The cars' three-year lease agreements expired in the early 2000s, but GM canceled the program and took its EV1s back. In 2005, NPR reporter Luke Burbank visited a GM facility in Southern California storing dozens of repossessed EV1s. The car's supporters held vigil outside.

"We call that EV1 death row," said Chelsea Sexton, a former GM employee who worked on the EV1 program and was critical of the company's move to stop making electric vehicles.

"It absolutely breaks my heart," Sexton told NPR. "I helped put these cars on the road in the first place, and now they're taking them away from me and from all the other drivers that had them at one point."

Chelsea Sexton hugs Paul Scott during a vigil held outside the General Motors Training Center in Burbank, Calif., protesting GM's plans to crush its EV1 electric vehicles located in the facility's parking lot.

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GM loaded the EV1s onto semi trucks, hauled them to Mesa, Ariz., and crushed them. Photos showed flattened EV1s stacked on top of each other. GM said the cars were destroyed because a lack of replacement parts made the EV1 unsafe.

"There are 2,000 unique parts to this vehicle," Barthmuss said. "Some of them are computer control modules that control the braking on the vehicle. If that part fails, there are some serious safety concerns."

The EV1 was ahead of its time

Twenty-five years after EV1 production ended, every major automaker is building EVs — including GM. In October the company said it's on track to build about 200,000 EVs this year. GM set a goal to phase out gas-powered vehicles by 2035.

As for the EV1, some of the little cars escaped the crusher. In 2010, former EV1 driver Kris Trexler visited the very car he once plugged in to charge each night. It was in a new home: the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles — one of only 40 EV1s still intact, according to the museum.

"Wow, this brings back some serious memories," Trexler said. "This is just amazing to see this car again."

The L.A. County District Attorney alleges a former Los Angeles Unified information technology employee illegally helped a tech company win more than $22 million in district contracts. Prosecutors say the case is “one of the largest money laundering schemes” in the district’s history.

According to the complaint, between 2018 and 2022 Hong “Grace” Peng worked in LAUSD’s IT department and participated in the approval and recommendation of over $22 million in payments to Innive Inc. for services primarily related to the district’s student data system. In the same time period, prosecutors allege Innive CEO Gautham Sampath paid Peng over $3 million.

“This is the type of evidence that you just shake your head, like you can’t believe it,” said District Attorney Nathan Hochman in a recorded statement about the case.

Hochman presented multiple text messages where Peng and Sampath discussed Innive’s contracts with the district. In one, Peng said Sampath was “lucky” she was on a selection committee. When he asked why, she responded "Because you have me...lol...I broke all law for you already lol."

How did this get uncovered?

According to the complaint, the district first became aware of the alleged scheme in 2022, when an LAUSD IT employee attended a conference and learned from a former colleague of a possible connection between Peng and Sampath. The district employee alerted a supervisor, who alerted the district's inspector general.

A district spokesperson sent LAist a statement Thursday saying staff will continue to participate in the investigation “as appropriate.”

“We will not comment further on the specifics of the case while legal proceedings are ongoing,” the statement read.

What happens now?

Prosecutors charged Sampath with felony counts related to money laundering, “having a financial interest in a contract or purchase made in an official capacity” and “aiding and abetting a government official to have a financial interest in a contract or purchase” made in an official capacity. Peng faces two felony counts — one related to money laundering and the other with “having a financial interest in a contract or purchase made in an official capacity.”

LAist has reached out to both Peng and Sampath. Peng said she had no comment.

The court issued warrants for Peng and Sampath’s arrests and bail was set at $500,000 for each.

The Los Angeles Metro Board approved on Thursday the agency staff-recommended route of the K Line Northern extension with an amendment.

The amendment calls for additional study of tunneling under Mid-City to inform what that section of the train ends up looking like.

The amendment was billed as a compromise in a political push-and-pull that continued into early Thursday morning between unabashed supporters of the route, including the city of West Hollywood, L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, who has tried to appease persistent concerns over the project's impact on residents of the Lafayette Square neighborhood.

“ I am very optimistic, and I'm very pleased that we got to an agreement so that we can all move together jointly,” West Hollywood Mayor John Heilman said to LAist in an interview before the vote.

Metro staff, Horvath and Bass assured the public Thursday that the approved amendment won’t delay the project, including the city of West Hollywood and L.A. County’s joint plan to potentially front billions of dollars to kickstart the project without raising taxes.

“[The amendment] explicitly ensures that continued study, engagement and refinement in the Mid-City segment will proceed without scheduling, cost or job impacts,” Bass said about the amendment during the meeting.

The amendment was unanimously approved in an 11-0 vote. Metro Board Directors Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker and Holly Mitchell recused themselves since they own property in proximity to the proposed extension.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath has championed the K Line Northern Extension.

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The low-down on the extension

The K Line currently runs from Redondo Beach to Crenshaw and stops at the LAX/Metro Transit Center. Earlier in March, Metro officials recommended a nearly 10-mile route for the train to continue north through Mid City and West Hollywood and terminate at the Hollywood Bowl.

The route would connect to the D Line in Wilshire and the B Line in Hollywood, closing a north-south gap that currently exists in Metro’s rail network. The extension would link to cultural hubs, including the Museum District and Hollywood Bowl, major employers such as Cedars Sinai Medical Center and queer nightlife along Santa Monica and Sunset boulevards.

According to Metro staff estimates, the route that was mostly approved today would serve the highest number of riders and reach the most residents and jobs compared to other alternatives studied.

You can read more about the specifics and the lead up to Thursday’s vote in our earlier coverage.

Didn’t Metro already study tunneling in Mid-City?

Lafayette Square residents have for years expressed fears over the effects of tunneling on property values, noise and vibration.

Based on the concerns, the Metro Board directed agency staff in October 2024 to do further analysis and community outreach. That work, which cost an additional $2.3 million, involved studying 12 different route options through Mid-City and concluded that tunneling will be deep enough to zero out any surface-level disruptions.

It’s unclear what the study prescribed by the amendment approved Thursday will materialize that hasn’t already been addressed.

Once fully built out, the K Line will run from the South Bay to Hollywood.

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L.A. Metro

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What happens now?

Thursday’s affirmative vote was necessary before the city of West Hollywood and L.A. County pursue a plan to capture a certain proportion of future property tax growth in a defined area near the project and funnel it towards construction. Critically, this plan wouldn’t involve raising taxes.

“Every time a property is redeveloped or sold, it adds to that increment, which adds to the amount of money that you can raise,” Eli Lipmen, head of transit advocacy group Move LA and supporter of the Metro-recommended route for the extension, said to LAist last week.

Now that the board green-lit the route, West Hollywood City Council and the L.A. County Board of Supervisors will pursue creating the district within which property tax growth could be captured.

The completion of that legislative work will trigger a 12- month clock to conduct the additional Mid-City tunneling study and finalize the route there.

It’s all about compromise

A draft version of the amendment that circulated earlier this week did not include the 12-month time cap on the additional analysis, which raised a red flag for the city of West Hollywood.

“If additional outreach and technical work must be done … it should be capped at a reasonable maximum duration to prevent further delays,” Heilman and City Councilmember Chelsea Byers wrote in a Wednesday letter to the Board.

Heilman said he worked through Wednesday night and into Thursday morning with Horvath and Metro and Bass’ staff toward the amendment that the Board approved.

Today’s vote isn’t final project approval, and it will return back to the Metro Board several more times before shovels hit the ground.

The projected cost of the train is fluid until the Mid-City section is finalized. However, earlier estimates had the staff-recommended route for the train extension coming in at around $15 billion. Measure M, the half-cent sales tax county voters approved a decade ago, includes more than $2 billion for the project.

Those funds won’t be available until the 2040s, but the financing plan that West Hollywood and the county are pursuing could expedite the release of that money and construction.

The current Metro K Line train opened to the public on October 7, 2022.

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Raquel Natalicchio

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K Line Northern Extension elicited historic feedback from community

Public officials said the K Line Northern extension was an extraordinary display of community passion and pressure.

Inglewood Mayor James Butts, who sits on the Metro Board and was listed as a co-author on the draft amendment, said he received “767 emails from West Hollywood.”

“I applaud you,” Butts said during the meeting. “You guys are the strongest advocacy group I’ve seen in 54 years of municipal service.”

The days are getting longer and there's way more pastel out there — yes, it's Easter Sunday on April 5. You may be thinking about getting together with friends and family, so here's a list of the best Easter brunches under $100 per person that your whole fluffle will love.

(In case you didn’t know, a fluffle is an adorable way to say a group of bunnies, so rabbits just got even cuter.)

The London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills (West Hollywood)

Celebrate Spring with a lively Easter brunch.

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The London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills is hosting a Rooftop Easter Brunch & Egg Hunt when you visit the hotel on Easter weekend.

The menu for Easter Sunday is à la carte and includes crab toast green papaya ($24), lemon ricotta hotcakes ($26), and wood charred spring lamb ($48), among others. Guests with brunch reservations can also enjoy a visit from the Easter Bunny, cookie decorating on the rooftop, plus an egg hunt at 9:30 a.m. or 12:30 p.m. for the kids. Meanwhile, adults can take a ride on the London rooftop Bloody Mary trolley ($26).

Make your reservations on OpenTable

• Location: 1020 N. San Vicente Blvd., West Hollywood
  Hours: Brunch is from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. 

LouLou Santa Monica (Santa Monica)

The Easter-themed champagne flight at LouLou.

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Perched atop the Santa Monica Place mall is Lou Lou, a French-inspired rooftop spot known for live DJs, drag shows, and more.

For Easter, they're offering an unlimited brunch buffet ($75), including “Le Gigot D’agneau,” a seven-hour roasted leg of lamb, along with dauphine potatoes, flageolet beans, and deviled eggs. Easter-themed cocktails will also be available. Entertainment includes Live DJ Music and a visit from the Lapin himself.

Make your reservations on OpenTable. Parking is FREE for 90 minutes in the surrounding structures.

• Location: 395 Santa Monica Place #300, Santa Monica
  Hours: Brunch is available from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 
  

Rooftop of the Wayfarer Hotel (DTLA)

The view from the Wayfarer hotel rooftop.

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Get lost in the skyline of downtown Los Angeles as you nibble Nueske’s applewood smoked bacon and plunge into buttermilk pancakes. This unlimited brunch includes glazed honey ham, roasted Pacifico sea bass, and a roasted leg of lamb with pomegranate chimichurri. Dessert includes a seasonal fruit display, mini cheesecakes, and cookies. The cost is $70 for adults and $35 for children ages 3 to 12.

Make your reservations on OpenTable.

• Location: 813 Flower St., Los Angeles
  Hours: Brunch is available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

The Raymond 1886 (Pasadena)

The Raymond 1886 Hotel's exterior

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Courtesy The Raymond 1886

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There's nothing quite like stepping back in time while dining in the craftsman-style dining room at The Raymond 1886. Whether you're outside on the patio or tucked inside a dark booth, it's hard not to feel right at home. Easter specials include a pastry and fruit board for the table, featuring everything from apple coffee cake to spinach quiche, plus seasonal fruit and berries ($40). You also can't go wrong with Grand Marnier-infused French toast ($24) or a garden omelette ($24). Brunch cocktails include familiar mimosas ($15) alongside more inventive beverages like a charred sunset cocktail with mezcal strawberry foam ($18).

Reservations can be made on their website.

The Portofino Hotel & Marina (Redondo Beach)

The view from the Portofino hotel and marina.

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Courtesy The Portofino Hotel and Marina

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For a truly family-friendly experience, visit The Portofino Hotel & Marina in Redondo Beach, where the Bayside Ballroom is home to your brunch. The hotel will offer two seatings for an endless dining experience, complete with pancakes and waffles, a smoked salmon station, a full charcuterie and cheese board, made-to-order omelettes, prime rib and a sweet station.

Even more important than the food is the fun, which includes an egg hunt and face painting for the kids following the brunch. Adults also have a chance to win prizes, like an overnight stay in a junior suite. The price is $95 for adults and $45 for children under $12.

Reservations can be made on their website.

Gelson's (Various)

Focus on family instead of fixing things up, thanks to an Easter brunch at home, catered by Gelson's.

Try a spiral-glazed ham that feeds eight ($60) or a vegetable lasagna for 12 ($75) Finish the fiesta with touches like fresh flowers ($8.99+) and smoked salmon deviled eggs with caviar ($45 for 24 pieces).

Online ordering is already open with store pickup from April 3 to April 5. The last day to order is April 3.

The Culver Hotel (Culver City)

Tea for two, or however many you'd like, at the Culver Hotel.

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Courtesy Culver Hotel

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The Culver Hotel will host their afternoon tea in the Grand Lobby and Crystal Room, where Easter bonnets are encouraged. Take in the sounds of a live harpist while you relish in housemade scones, chicken curry tea sandwiches, petit fours, and loose-leaf teas.

The cost is $75 per person before adding on garden-fresh cocktails or bubbly. The hotel will also be hosting a full buffet brunch for $95 per person and $45 for children if you'd prefer a little more feasting. Face painting will be offered in the garden for children of all ages.

Make your reservations on OpenTable for both the tea and the brunch.

Bunny Bungalows (The Grove and The Americana at Brand)

Too many brunch cocktails and you'll start thinking this guy is real.

Although not a brunch, it’s easy to curate an afternoon adventure around this family photo opportunity. The Easter Bunny is currently burrowing at the Bunny Bungalows at The Grove and The Americana at Brand. Make your reservations from now until Sunday, April 5, for VIB (very important bunny) photo packages. Caruso Members can get extra perks like petting zoo access on select days, and keep your eyes open for golden egg days, which come with $15 vouchers to select restaurants. Pricing begins at $55.

The International Olympic Committee will prohibit transgender athletes from participating in women's sports, starting at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

The new policy, approved by the IOC's executive committee Thursday, requires all athletes to undergo a genetic test to compete in women's sporting events at the Olympics.

The move comes as transgender athletes' participation in sports at all levels — from youth athletics to professional competition — faces intense scrutiny and often partisan debate, including in communities in California.

"At the Olympic Games, even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat," IOC President Kirsty Coventry said today, announcing the ban. "So, it is absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category."

The number of transgender women competing in international sporting events like the Olympics is estimated to be tiny, according to the Williams Institute at UCLA Law, a research center focused on sexual orientation and gender identity law and public policy. The push to bar trans athletes from girls' and women's sports has picked up as a raft of new policies in the U.S. target the rights of transgender people.

The Trump administration has ramped up efforts to keep trans athletes out of women's sports, through an executive order and legal action, including a lawsuit against California for allowing trans girls to compete in girls' school sports.

" It is basically the IOC bowing down to the pressure on its body by the federal government, and particularly Donald Trump," said Terra Russell-Slavin with the Los Angeles LGBT Center, responding to the new policy on Thursday.

About the new policy

The new Olympic policy limits participation in the women's competitions to "biological females" in order "to ensure fairness, safety and integrity in elite competition."

The IOC had previously allowed individual sports federations to set their own rules for trans athletes — but the topic became a huge focus of controversy in Paris in 2024, when conservative commentators questioned the sex of two female Olympic boxers, including gold medalist Imane Khelif, kicking off an international firestorm.

The policy change faced immediate criticism from some women's groups and LGBTQ organizations.

“By mandating sex testing and excluding transgender and intersex women from competition, the International Olympic Committee is embracing a policy that invites confusion, stigma and invasive scrutiny rather than clarity or safety," Brian Dittmeier, director of LGBTQI equality at the National Women’s Law Center, said in a statement.

Dittmeier also said the decision would "trickle down" to school sports and discourage young athletes. According to a recent survey by the L.A.-based Trevor Project, less than one in three young LGBTQ people reported participating in sports. Many cited fear of discrimination as a barrier.

The policy will require all female athletes to do an SRY gene test to determine if a "Y" chromosome is present. According to the IOC, with "rare exceptions," no athletes who test positive will be able to compete in women's sports at the Olympics.

Groups respond to new rule

InterACT, a group that advocates for intersex youth, said the IOC's new required genetic test discriminates against intersex athletes — athletes whose sex characteristics don't fall into the binary categories of male or female.

"Sex testing invades all women’s privacy, forcing them to give up their personal medical and genetic information for the IOC to determine if they are 'woman enough' to compete," Erika Lorshbough, interACT’s executive director, said in a statement.

Some groups in California celebrated the change, including the California Family Council, a conservative and religious advocacy group that is pushing the California Interscholastic Federation, California high school's governing body for sports, to ban trans youth from girls' sports.

"We're going to see that reflected in the Olympics, which will be coming up in L.A.," Sophia Lorey with California Family Council said in a video on Instagram about the IOC's new policy. "So it's going to be interesting to see how this plays out."

Russell-Slavin with the L.A. LGBT Center said Olympic organizers and local politicians should respond to the ban by affirming their support for trans people in Los Angeles.

" The fact that the policy will be implemented for the first time in Los Angeles is also at direct odds with our values as a city," she said. "I feel very clearly that one of the things that makes Los Angeles so great is our diversity and our inclusion, and this is the opposite."