The Inequalities In Funding Climate Solutions (And Other Headlines)

You don’t need a degree in rocket science to know that it’s going to take a lot of money and resources to alleviate the climate crisis. The question is: Who is going to get it?

Fixing Climate's Diversity Problem

While we’re all experiencing the increasing dangers of air pollution, heat and drought, more investment is going towards climate tech and venture capital-backed businesses to fix these issues. But as my colleague Erin Stone writes, those who get the money to come up with solutions tend to be white and male — even though low-income Black and Latino communities feel the brunt of environmental hazards more than other groups due to systemic, environmental racism.

There is some hope for change though. Erin talked to the CEO — and a few of the beneficiaries — of one nonprofit that fosters the growth of Black, Latino and women-led climate startups and small businesses. It’s called the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator, or LACI, and it provides the resources for people to develop their businesses and cultivate a more “inclusive green economy.”

Erin reports the work is already making an impact. Read Erin’s story to learn more about LACI's successes and why it’s so crucial to have more Black, Latino and women leaders in climate tech.

Stay safe and cool, L.A. There’s more news below — just keep reading.

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(After you stop hitting snooze)

• Tomorrow, SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) will restart contract negotiations. What do they want? Check out my colleague Kevin Tidmarsh’s article to learn more. 
• Los Angeles Mission College in Sylmar will now offer a bachelor of science degree in biomanufacturing. This new program comes at a time when community colleges are amping up their profiles by providing more bachelor’s programs. 
• For the first time, L.A. Mission College has created a series of Spanish speaking mental health workshops for those who live around the campus in north San Fernando Valley. My colleague Adolfo Guzman Lopez wrote about the details of this program. 
• L.A. Metro’s ridership is getting closer to pre-pandemic levels. My colleague Amancai Biraben has more information on the increase in bus and rail service riders. 
• A team of USC marine scientists found that adult coral don’t pass down heat tolerance to their offspring as previous research and projects suggested. This finding could change how researchers perceive tests and interventions regarding climate change in coral reefs. 
• California officials are creating new rules around where people can grow shrubs due to the increasing amount of intense wildfires. NPR’s Lauren Sommer writes that it might be a tough change to sell to homeowners. 
• Public library card holders have been able to get free day passes to state parks but that program is expected to end in 2024. Why? The state needs $9 million to continue to fund it and two other programs. 
• Looking for a good time this week? Laugh your head off at the Cinema Ha-Ha (Spooky Version) show at the Frida Cinema tonight. Snap your fingers to some dynamic poetry at The Moth’s first L.A. SLAM Showcase tomorrow night at the L.A. Theatre Center. Or explode a pumpkin at the Exploding Pumpkin Carving Workshop at the Craft Contemporary on Thursday night. Check out the rest of this week’s events on the Best Things To Do list.

Wait! One more thing...

Reclaiming Stolen Treasure From The Nazis

Cheryl Bernstein and Rebecca Friedman at the Holocaust Claims Processing Office at Art Restitution Ceremony in Prague, Czech Republic, 2023.

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Courtesy of the Bernstein Family

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For eight decades since arriving in Los Angeles in the early 1940s Hedy Shenk and her family have tried to get back artwork and other treasures that were stolen from them by the Nazis during the Holocaust.

LAist contributor Hadley Meares tells the remarkable story of how Shenk fought to reclaim her family’s art – one painting in particular was on her mind – with her daughter and granddaughter at her side. It’s a story full of perseverance, hope and pain that ends in victory for Shenk’s family. You can now immerse yourself in their story at the Skirball Cultural Center with RECLAIMED: A Family Painting, an exhibition that runs now through March 3, 2024.