Support for LAist comes from
Local and national news, NPR, things to do, food recommendations and guides to Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire
Stay Connected
Listen

Share This

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

News

City Shuts Down Plans For Sold-Out Downtown Slip N Slide Event

Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.

So much for the plan to bring an epic slip n' slide to downtown. The organizers behind the event Slide The City just sent out an e-mail saying that the city has denied them permits for the event that was supposed to take place September 28, and they're pessimistic that a deal can be worked out in time:

After tirelessly working with the City over the past 2+ months we received word that our permit is being denied. We have been working even harder over the past few days to resolve any issues the City may have, but it appears there is no resolution. Whether this is a direct result of the drought or something else, we want to assure all of our participants and vendors that we have gone through every appropriate permitting step required. We have even jumped through many additional "hoops" the City has created in the hope that they would see that we were flexible and willing to work with them. Unfortunately they have still denied our permit.

The organizers had moved the location and date of the event and promised to recycle and reuse the water in negotiations with the city, but that wasn't enough. Thought there had been concerns from the beginning that this was an inappropriate event to hold during a drought, but the company says they aren't quite sure what the city's issue with the event is.

All 3,500 tickets for the event were already sold out. They're offering refunds and an apology, but they haven't given up and canceled the event altogether: "We are very hopeful that the City will work with us so that we can bring this great event to the streets of LA. Please know that we are at the city offices right now trying everything we can."

As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.

Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.

We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.

Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.

Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist