The Brief

Metro’s final environmental impact report for the proposed gondola project that would connect Union Station to Dodger Stadium was released Monday with at least two “significant and unavoidable” effects.

How would the gondola work?

The gondola would be able to take 5,000 people from downtown L.A. to Dodger Stadium per hour in each direction, according to the report.

People would be able to get on the gondola at one of three passenger stations:

• Alameda Station, located between Los Angeles Street and Cesar E. Chavez Avenue
• Chinatown / State Park Station, located along Spring Street at the southernmost point of Los Angeles State Historic Park
• Dodger Stadium Station, located in the parking lot

The roughly 1-mile ride would take 7 minutes each way.

There would need to be an additional junction at the intersection of North Broadway and Bishops Road, but that would not be accessible to passengers. The project would also need to build a system of cables, towers, and cabins.

The gondola would be free for Dodger ticket holders, which the report said will take 3,000 cars off the streets of L.A. on game days.

If approved, the project would cost between $385 million and $500 million and take an estimated 25 months to build.

What are the “significant and unavoidable” impacts?

The proposed project would cause major construction noise and vibration, according to the report.

While most of the project would be on public property, some of the cables and cabins would pass over private property. Crews would be able to work on building the gondola between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, as well as Saturdays and national holidays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Jon Christensen is a founder of the LA Parks Alliance, which is part of the Stop The Gondola coalition. He told LAist the project would be very disruptive to the Chinatown community.

“That whole stretch is going to be a construction zone for more than two years,” he said.

The report outlines ways to mitigate those effects, such as temporary noise barriers, noise suppression devices, and limiting idling equipment.

However, even if all of those steps are taken, the construction would remain “significant and unavoidable.”

How would the proposed gondola project impact traffic?

Some lanes would be closed between 10 and 24 hours a day during certain parts of construction, the report notes.

Before the gondola is given the green light, the project will need to have a detailed traffic plan that includes street closures, lights, and detours. That plan will also need to be submitted to the city for approval before a building permit is issued.

Some parking spaces at Dodger Stadium would also be temporarily closed during construction.

What would it take to upkeep?

The gondola would cost an estimated $8 million to $10 million a year to operate and maintain, officials say.

The system would also need to pass formal state testing at least every seven years, which means it would be closed for a few days each time.

Any routine maintenance would be worked on overnights, according to the report.

What’s next for the proposal?

The Metro Board of Directors will need to sign off on the final report — and then the project.

The gondola proposal also needs approval from the city of L.A., Caltrans, the California Department of Parks and Recreation, and the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health.

For the last three years, the record store and music venue Healing Force of the Universe has been operating on a sleepy street corner not far from Pasadena City College. Nearby businesses include a shoe repair store, a nail salon and several auto shops.

“We're kind of in a dead corner,” owner Austin Manuel said. “No offense if anybody lives here, but not a very foot-trafficked area, kind of a hard place to have a store.”

In spite of the location, Manuel said Healing Force has become a home away from home for musicians and music fans. One of them is Bobby Bradford, a jazz trumpet legend who lost his house and personal archive in the Eaton Fire. He performs regularly at the venue. (Healing Force has also partnered with LAist on fire recovery events.)

Its current location is set to close this month, but Manuel and his team are already raising funds to cover a move to another space: G-Son Studios in Atwater Village. The repurposed ballroom was the Beastie Boys' home base when they recorded their classic albums Check Your Head and Ill Communication. Run-DMC and Biz Markie stopped by at one point, and Beck also laid down tracks for his album Odelay there.

Inside Healing Force's space in Pasadena.

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The vibe

Healing Force sells records, of course, but these days it’s more of a nighttime performance space. Manuel said he wants people to feel comfortable striking up conversations after a show.

“I grew up in the church in the South, and I was like, ‘How do I design this so that it feels like a Southern church lady could come in here and feel welcome?’" Manuel said. “ I didn't want it to be too cool.  I wanted it to feel kind of suburban in a way.”

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Though the name might call to mind a cult slogan — and Manuel said they lean into that aesthetic on purpose — it’s actually a reference to the 1970 album Music Is the Healing Force of the Universe by saxophonist Albert Ayler.

At the venue, “people can kind of get … into a meditative zone,” Manuel said. “After the [January 2025] fires, it felt so good to come back together in this room and feel the healing of community.”

Healing Force's stage setup.

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The performances

The shows Healing Force puts on share a common thread: They’re meant to promote peace and relaxation, as well as deep, careful listening on the hi-fi sound system. But they’re an eclectic mix of genres. On one night, you might see L.A. spiritual jazz band Phi-Psonics, who turned a residency at the venue into a live album, Expanding to One.

On another night, you might catch a spaced-out electronic set, an up-and-coming singer-songwriter or a group of session musicians who’ve played with the likes of Paul Simon, Elton John and Lucinda Williams.

About the fundraiser

With the new space on Glendale Boulevard, Manuel said, Healing Force would triple its capacity for concerts, get a bar space and be closer to other venues in Northeast L.A.

“If 1,000 people gave $25, we would get there,” Manuel said – though he also said most people have been giving more.

You can read more about the fundraiser and donate at Healing Force’s GoFundMe.

See the Pasadena space before it closes

The venue is still open at 1200 E. Walnut Street and is holding events through this Halloween weekend. You can see their events calendar on their website.

The racist DNA of Jim Crow discrimination may be embedded in your housing documents.

The language in housing documents that restricts sale or use of a property only to a person of the white race is called a “restrictive covenant,” and in California the practice goes back to the 19th century and continued into the mid-20th century. While housing discrimination persists, the practice was found unconstitutional in 1948.

California counties are reporting mixed progress in meeting the demands of a 2021 law to excise the language from property records.

According to Sylvia Manzo, deputy recorder in the Orange County Clerk-Recorder’s office, the county finished the job in March of this year, removing racist language from more than 27,000 property documents with the help of computer software.

This 1924 property document from Bakersfield includes racist language limiting use of the property in question to people of "the white or Caucasian race."

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L.A. County is far from done. It says that with the help of an outside company hired in 2024, 50 million pages will be examined yearly, which would take about 10 years to finish the job.

Public agencies could use the public’s help.

Language examples

Here’s a 1924 example from a property in Bakersfield. The text reads, “That the lands herein conveyed shall never, at any time, be sold to or rented to or occupied by any person not of the white or Caucasian race.”

Or this language from a 1936 document relating to a Costa Mesa property: “That said premises shall not be sold, conveyed, rented, or leased to, or occupied by any person of African, Mexican, or Asiatic descent.”

How to get it taken out

The Restrictive Covenant Modification Form is at the heart of the effort to remove the racist language from housing documents. Each county has its own process. Some charge a fee; others don’t. Some require a notary certification for the signature; others don’t.

L.A. County:

Registrar-Recorder officials recommend these steps:

• Highlight or underline the unlawful provision on the recorded document
• Complete the Restrictive Covenant Modification Form
• Submit the form and the recorded document by email: RCM@rrcc.lacounty.gov or in person at the Norwalk headquarters at 12400 Imperial Highway in Norwalk
• Mail instructions are here.

Orange County:

The Orange County spokesperson says there may be some properties not caught by its software and urges the public to report them. Here’s the form

Riverside County:

Here’s the Riverside County form

San Bernardino County:

Here’s the San Bernardino County form

San Diego County:

Here’s the San Diego County form

Santa Barbara County:

Here’s the Santa Barbara County form

Ignoring the racist language in property documents, some say, reinforces the legacy of segregation, while taking steps to remove restrictive covenant language is a way individuals and organizations can repudiate policies that sought to discriminate.