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Vermin in Boyle Heights, LA's aging water pipes, the decline of the stick shift and more
The cleanup effort at the burned warehouse in Boyle Heights is a huge undertaking. Workers are seen here on June 30.
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Genaro Molina
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Jump to
- Boyle Heights attracts pests as food rots at burned-out warehouse
- LA’s aging water pipes
- Manual cars aren’t popular, but if you like them call in and tell us why
- Immigration latest: Child detainments, improved conditions ordered at Adelanto
- The race against Chinese AI
- The scoop on SoCal’s best ice cream shops
Today's show: AirTalk guest host Josie Huang discusses vermin in Boyle Heights, L.A. water pipes, the decline of manual cars, thelatest on immigration, Chinese AI and best SoCal ice cream shops. Josie also hosts LAist's Weekend Edition.
Boyle Heights attracts pests as food rots at burned-out warehouse
The topic:
Flies, rodents and other pests have been a persistent problem in Boyle Heights and nearby communities as millions of pounds of food rot in a nearby burned-out warehouse. It’s gotten bad enough that L.A. Mayor Karen Bass is asking for action from the L.A. County Department of Public Health.
Background: A fire broke out at the warehouse over a month ago on June 17. Toxic smoke from the fire hovered over Boyle Heights for weeks, which has now turned into the smell of rotting food.
Join the conversation: If you are a resident of Boyle Heights or the surrounding neighborhoods, what has the smell been like? How has the odor affected your everyday life? And what are you doing to get through it? Are pests causing problems for you? Give us a call at (866) 893-5722. You can also email us at atcomments@laist.com.
Read more: Flies, rats and other vermin are swarming Boyle Heights. Who’s handling pest control?
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Guest:
- Kevin Tidmarsh, LAist producer covering news and culture
LA’s aging water pipes
In an aerial view, utility repair workers gather near a sinkhole on Sunset Boulevard where a water main break flooded surrounding streets on July 16, 2026, in West Hollywood.
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Mario Tama
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The topic:
A 36-inch water main recently broke in West Hollywood, flooding the area and shutting down Sunset Boulevard. The water main in question, installed in 1916, is 110 years old.
Aging infrastructure: About 30% of L.A.’s water pipes are over 80 years old, many of them installed prior to World War II. Most water pipes last about 100 years before they are recommended to be replaced.
Guests:
- Anselmo Collins, chief operating officer and senior assistant general manager of the Water System for LADWP
- Joseph Reichenberger, professor of Civil Engineering & Environmental Science at Loyola Marymount University
Manual cars aren’t popular, but if you like them call in and tell us why
Do you know how to drive a manual car?
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Jovan Mirkovic
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iStockphoto
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The topic:
Americans almost universally prefer cars with automatic transmissions, leading to a slow decline of manual transmission car sales in the states. Today on AirTalk, we look at why some people still stick to the stick shift.
Background: Less than 1% of new cars made for sale in the U.S. last year were stick shifts according to government data, an all-time low. Across Europe, stick shifts are more alive with about 29% of new cars sold featuring them across the big five countries there.
Yes, but: New car sales don’t tell the whole picture, as Americans are keeping and driving older cars for longer than ever, and teens regularly learn to drive on the family beater.
Join the conversation: Do you prefer manual transmission over automatic? Do you lament the slow decline of manual transmission? Call in and tell us why at (866) 893-5722 or you can email us at atcomments@laist.com.
Guest:
- Dennis Chernyukhin, founder of SHIFTR, which provides stick-shift lessons across California
Immigration latest: Child detainments, improved conditions ordered at Adelanto
The GEO Group, Inc. logo is displayed as an officer closes a gate at the GEO Group Adelanto ICE Processing Center detention facility in Adelanto, California on July 11, 2025.
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Patrick T. Fallon
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The topic:
Today on AirTalk, we discuss the continuing impact of the second Trump administration’s enhanced immigration enforcement locally here in California.
Child detainments: Recent reporting from EdSource found that the number of children detained in California communities has risen during the second Trump administration, and deportations of these children has risen from 8% under Biden to 61% under Trump.
Context: Detainments at the border dropped sharply from Joe Biden to Donald Trump’s presidency due to stricter border policies. At the same time, detainments from the interior of the U.S. have surged.
Adelanto Conditions: At the controversial Adelanto ICE detention facility, a judge has ordered improvements after attorneys alleged inhumane conditions.
Guests:
- Emma Gallegos, equity in education reporter for EdSource, a nonprofit newsroom focused on education in California
- Ryanne Mena, crime and public safety reporter for the Southern California News Group
The race against Chinese AI
A general view of a HUAWEI booth on display during the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference on July 20, 2026, in Shanghai, China.
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Zhe Ji
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Getty Images
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The topic:
Throughout the last decade, the US tech sector has been at the forefront of Artificial Intelligence technology, with companies like Anthropic and OpenAI leading the world with their language model performance and capability. As a result, Chinese artificial-intelligence developers now seek to increase investments in their own companies in an effort to compete on the global stage with the US. As executives at OpenAI and Anthropic have voiced concern over national security risks this may pose, we take a look at what is at stake.
The race: China’s most premier AI models continue to lag behind American AI engines, but Chinese policymakers, along with their tech industry, are taking direct action to corner the market for cheap, customizable intelligence that could, in turn, threaten the more expensive and niche products coming out of the U.S.
Guests:
- Madison Mills, senior AI reporter at Axios and co-writer of the AI+ Daily newsletter
- Mark MacCarthy, adjunct professor and senior fellow at the Institute for Technology Law and Policy at Georgetown Law
The scoop on SoCal’s best ice cream shops
Two women enjoying ice cream cones.
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WeBond Creations
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Getty Images
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The topic:
It’s hot. It’s summer. Which Southern California shop never lets you down, providing the ultimate scoops during these warm days?
Join the conversation: Share your favorite local ice cream shop, what makes it so good and why it deserves to be on SoCal’s best ice cream list? Call (866) 893-5722 or email atcomments@laist.com.
Guest:
- Gab Chabrán, LAist food & culture writer
-
Today on AirTalk: Cyclospora outbreak, PUSD tree removal, odd job skills, World Cup to Olympics, male versus female doctors and The Odyssey box office. -
Today on AirTalk: Data centers, testosterone testing, fathers taking parental leave, community building in sports and Irvine's live music history. -
LAist sat down with chef Adrienne Borlongan to talk about Wanderlust's unique seasonal and signature flavors.
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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.
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