LA transit agency seeks to override state law allowing more homes near train and bus lines

LA transit agency seeks to override state law allowing more homes near train and bus lines

Before it passed last year, a major new California housing law that allows more apartments near public transit stops faced stiff opposition from Los Angeles politicians. L.A. elected leaders are continuing to fight it, arguing the law jeopardizes efforts to expand local transportation infrastructure. The latest round of resistance comes from the L.A. Metro Board of Directors, which voted Thursday to formally oppose local implementation of the law, SB 79. The only members who declined to join in opposition were L.A. County Supervisors Janice Hahn and Lindsey Horvath. The transit agency recently published a staff report that recommended the board stand against a bill that seeks to clarify certain points on how SB 79 will be implemented. The Metro staff report went beyond asking for technical tweaks to the legislation. One of its suggestions called for “exempting Los Angeles County from SB 79.” Another recommendation suggested “limiting the bill’s applicability to the Bay Area as a pilot project.” Joining us to talk about resistance to the housing bill is David Wagner, LAist senior housing reporter and Janice Hahn, LA County supervisor representing the 4th District and chair of the Metro Board of directors.

Read the full LAist story here.

A check in on California’s effort to get plastic out of landfills

The Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act passed in 2022 aims to reduce plastic packaging by requiring that all forms of single-use packaging sold in California be recyclable or compostable by 2032. But making good on this act has been a bumpy road for the state’s waste management agency, CalRecycle. This month the agency pulled back their proposed regulations for implementing the law. On top of this, a new report from CalRecycle shows that of these kinds of single plastics being sold in the state, very little is actually being recycled, and there’s been movement in Congress to supersede California’s own recycling laws. So what’s the outlook for plastic recycling in the state? Joining AirTalk this morning to give listeners a better picture of our rubbish reprocessing is Susanne Rust, investigative reporter at LA Times specializing in environmental issues.

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Jade Rabbit brings generations of Chinese American cuisine into one fast casual restaurant

Chinese-American food in Los Angeles has taken on a life of its own, although not as popular as Mexican-American cuisine, it isn’t too far off. That’s come as a result of generations of fast casual Chinese American restaurants, where you choose what combination of items you’d like pair together. Given this popular format and cuisine, Bryant Ng, who grew up in a family of Chinese American restaurateurs, decided to start his own restaurant with his partner Kim. Now serving Angelenos at Jade Rabbit, a fast casual Chinese American restaurant in Santa Monica, both further the legacy that Bryant’s family has established with their respective establishments. Today on Food Friday, we’ll talk to Kim and Bryant about Jade Rabbit, which officially opened last fall, and what it’s been like to develop their menu.

FilmWeek: ‘Mercy,’ ‘Mr. Nobody Against Putin,’ ‘Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!,” and more!

Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Peter Rainer, Tim Cogshell and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms. And we remember the beloved animation director Roger Allers, known best for co-directing Disney’s The Lion King, and award-winning actress Joan Plowright.

Films:
Mercy, Wide Release
Mr. Nobody Against Putin, Streaming on the Kino Film Collection
Arco, AMC Burbank & AMC Century City
H is for Hawk, In Select Theaters
Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!, Streaming on HBO Max
Disneyland Handcrafted, Streaming on Disney+
Sound of Falling, Laemmle Royal [West LA]
Cosmic Princess Kaguya, Streaming on Netflix

Feature: The 101 Best LA Films…according to the LA Times

The LA Times released a list of the best 101 films set in Los Angeles. The number one spot went to the 1974 film Chinatown, directed by Roman Polanski, starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway, with the backdrop of a 1930’s Los Angeles. Second place went to David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive (2001), and some other notable picks include Blade Runner (1982), Her (2013), Tangerine (2015) and Boyz n the Hood (1991). Joining Larry Mantle on FilmWeek to discuss some of the more surprising films included and their personal favorites are LAist film critics Manuel Betancourt, assistant editor of Documentary Magazine, and one of the contributors to the LA Times’ Best LA Movies list, and Wade Major, film critic for CineGods.com and author of the “Hollywood Heretic” Substack.

You can read the LA Times’ 101 Best LA Movies list here.