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It’s Wednesday, Jan. 29 And Here Are The Stories We’re Following Today
Welcome to Wednesday. It’ll be sunny and breezy with a high around 74 degrees and an overnight low of 53 (at least downtown). The countdown to the March 3 primary election continues, and a lot is changing, from where we vote to the machines we vote with. We’ve launched a special guide to help you get prepared. We’re calling it your Voter Game Plan.
What We’re Covering:
- On the election front, we’ll be live-streaming a debate among the candidates for Los Angeles County District Attorney. The debate, hosted by KPCC and the L.A. Times, features incumbent DA Jackie Lacey, former San Francisco DA George Gascon and former federal public defender Rachel Rossi. If you miss it, you’ll be able to catch highlights and analysis tomorrow. Libby Denkmann, who covers politics for KPCC and LAist, will represent our newsroom as one of the moderators.
- As a palate cleanser, food contributor Stefan A. Slater will tell you everything you ever need to know about olive oil — its history, what makes it “extra virgin,” how to pick the best stuff, and more.
- Reporter David Wagner will have a report on pushback from cities in Orange County to a draft of new state housing goals that would significantly increase development in wealthy, coastal parts of Southern California.
- Also on the housing front, the state legislature is considering a controversial bill to zone more units near transit hubs. Senate Bill 50 aims to help alleviate the housing crisis, but some cities and counties chafe at the idea of ceding control to the state. Reporter Caroline Champlin will have more on the impact and reactions here locally.
- Reporter Yingjie Wang talked to the Chinese community about why Kobe Bryant was so popular.
- We’re also continuing to track developments on the coronavirus outbreak that has left more than 100 people dead in China and put travelers on high alert. Late last night we got word the plane carrying Americans from Wuhan will no longer land at Ontario Airport.
Help Us Cover Your Community:
- Got something you've always wanted to know about Southern California and the people who call it home? Is there an issue you want us to cover? Ask us anything >>
- Have a tip about news on which we should dig deeper? Let us know >>
The news cycle moves fast. Stories sometimes get postponed or simply don't pan out. As such, this list is not final.
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.
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