Morning Brief: Welcome To WILD, Masking At Work, And Cool Off At Mt. Wilson

Good morning, L.A. It’s June 18.

On Monday, LAist Studios will launch its newest podcast: WILD, with host Erick Galindo. It’s a show about growing up… kind of. Here’s the story behind the show, in Erick’s own words:

“This is going to sound wild, but I believe everyone has an origin story. And yeah, I’m talking like some super hero moment that made you fight evil, reverse time, or heal at an incredibly rapid pace.

“That’s what my new podcast WILD is all about. It’s about those moments that feel too big to overcome but somehow we manage, like when Linda Yvette Chavez was about to pitch Gentefied to FX while trying to leap over a life-long struggle with imposter syndrome. It’s also about the ones that seem small but will change the trajectory of our lives forever. Like when Sarah ‘La Morena’ Palafox tweeted out a video, or when Megan Tan signed up for a dating app.

“The wild part about the first season of, well, WILD is that it’s made up of 10 of these types of stories that all happened during the year-and-a-half we spent stuck at home because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Covid seemed to come at a time when I, as a first-generation millennial from Southeast Los Angeles, was just starting to come into my own. It ripped me from the life I knew and forced me to become resourceful in a world I didn’t quite get yet.

“But I quickly realized that even though it was difficult, there were triumphs and beauty mixed in. And part of the reason I was able to do that was because I wasn’t really alone. Suddenly, through shared experiences, Zoom windows would open up to vast worlds and deep experiences.

“And I really needed that.

“So I wanted to recreate that feeling for everyone out there that needs it, too. Being a young person in this country can sometimes seem like a bad video game where you lose automatically upon respawning. But WILD is an ongoing conversation about how people, especially my generation, are always finding new ways to cope. About what it was like to grow up during this period. And about who we were, who we had to be, and who we’ve become.”

The first two episodes of WILD will be available on June 21, with subsequent episodes launching weekly. A trailer is available here, and listeners can subscribe to the series now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR One, iHeartRadio and wherever podcasts are available.

Keep reading for more on what’s happening in L.A., and stay safe out there.

What Else You Need To Know Today

• Vaccinated Californians can stop wearing a mask at work, but unvaccinated workers will be required to wear them indoors.
• You still have to mask up on public transit.
• Fire officials are warning it's likely to be an intense year for wildfires.
• With another round of potentially record-breaking temperatures on tap for today, parts of the Southland got an unexpected bout of rain Thursday morning.
• A mixed martial arts fighter, a food blogger and an epidemiologist are so determined to protect older Asian Americans from attacks that they founded a group to train them in self-defense.
• Some community college students have complained during the pandemic of "ghost professors" who seem to be unengaged.
• Assembly Bill 2717 allows people to break a window on a hot car to save a child's life.
• What lessons will we take away about how we prioritize public space as L.A. reopens and recovers?

Weekend Reads

There's a lot going on in the world right now, and it’s hard enough to keep up with our day-to-day lives, let alone to stay current on the news. But if you have some time this weekend, here’s what you may have missed:

The Big One is coming. Here’s your ultimate survival guide. (LAist)

Allensworth in Tulane County is the first and only town in California founded by Black Americans. (KCRW)

Tinhorn Flats in Burbank is finally saying goodbye. (LAist)

LAist contributor Anju Kulkarni reflects on growing up post-9/11 as “the wrong kind of Asian.” (LAist)

Food vendors who’ve always worked at Echo Park Lake now find themselves fenced out. (The LAnd)

Many historic buildings in L.A. were shuttered by the pandemic. Here’s what we lost. (Capital & Main)

Here’s where to find L.A.’s best donuts… (LAist)

… and here are the to-go cocktails to pair them with. (LAist)

Before You Go ... This Week's Outdoor Pick: Mt. Wilson

Explore Mt. Wilson and the newly reopened observatory this weekend.

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Courtesy of Mt. Wilson

)

Since it's hot this weekend, you know people are flocking to L.A.'s beaches and swimming pools. Here's some counter-programming: pack a picnic and head to Mt. Wilson to explore the grounds around the Observatory. Located more than 5,700 feet above Pasadena, it should be a bit cooler. There are plenty of hikes to choose from but if they sound too sweaty, chill with a summer picnic.

Or, you could: Celebrate Juneteenth with block parties, car parades and performances. Play bingo under the stars or pinball at a retro arcade. Thank the father figures in your life on Father’s Day. Dance the last year away as clubs reopen. Check out one of the restaurants or bars that reopened this week. And more.