Sponsored message
Logged in as
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen

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

The President is Coming to Town, Traffic Likely to Suck

AP Photo/Charles Dharapak

One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.

Ready your Twitter account and stock up on Netflix: President Obama is coming to L.A.

The president is headed to town next week for a west coast campaign swing. He'll be in L.A. on Monday, then fly to San Diego later the same day.

If past visits have been any indication, there's a good chance of the streets becoming clogged beyond recognition. A presidential visit during the summer of 2010 resulted in epic L.A. traffic jams, and prompted officials to suggest that residents stay home when the president returned to our fair city in April of this year.

But experience breeds wisdom, and we learned this year that the best way to stay current on road conditions when Obama's in town is through Twitter. We also learned that if you can stay home, you should.

One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.

You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.

If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Make your tax-deductible donation today