Today on the show, we talk to reporter Erika Aguilar about the latest in the Echo Park gang injunction debate. Then we discuss how the Lakers ran out of eligible players Wednesday night but still managed to win the game. Also, Silver Lake is no longer considered the Eastside, LAUSD teachers are calling for "repairs not iPads," State of Affairs looks at the latest political news and much more.
Neighborhood Council: Silver Lake no longer the Eastside
It's official. Another L.A. neighborhood — Silver Lake — is no longer the Eastside.
After much contentious debate, the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council passed a motion last night to remove itself from the roster of Eastside communities like Boyle Heights and Lincoln Park.
But how can you even have this debate about which side is better if you can't pinpoint the boundary between east and west? To help us out with this question, we're joined now by our favorite L.A. expert, Patt Morrison of the Los Angeles Times and frequent KPCC contributor.
INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS
On where Patt lives—East or Westside:
I’m an Eastsider because I live east of the LA river. Silver Lake, unless the river moved over night, was never part of the Eastside and saying it so doesn’t make it so.
On what divides the Eastside and Westside:
Why do you think it’s called Western Avenue? Because that was 100 years ago meant to be the western boundary of the city of Los Angeles. The Prime Meridian of LA is 1st and Main Street. If you live in Silver Lake and you go down for your cocktail, look up at the street sign. It says “West Sunset Boulevard.” There’s your clue.
On considering La Brea the east-west divider:
I put the Westside at La Cienega. In the middle you can call it Middle Earth or whatever you want but it is not the Eastside. In calling Silver Lake or Echo Park the Eastside, you’re robbing the true Eastside of its character. You’ve got Mariachi Plaza, you’ve got Evergreen Cemetery. This is really sort of real estate agent neighborhood creep and we’ve seen it all over Los Angeles. How many times have you seen a listing that says Beverly Hills adjacent and it could be in San Pedro?
On why Silver Lake decided to discuss its Eastside identity:
I think because Los Angeles is so big we have spent all of our time trying to define neighborhoods. Koreatown for example or Toluca Lake, places like that, you need something better than LA because it’s so immense and so to identify yourself with a characteristic is important.
On LA’s north and south divide:
1st and Main is the main divider. I think a lot of people look at the 10 freeway as the main divider. You remember Los Angeles tried to rebrand South Central Los Angeles as South Los Angeles to make it sound less dangerous and crime ridden.
On Silver Lake and Echo Park’s true identity:
This is where the first movie studios in LA were. They weren’t in Hollywood. This is the true identity of Silver Lake and Echo Park and what they should be promoting, maybe something related to Hollywood, but Eastside just isn’t a good fit.
If you want to share where you live and what that says about you, share in the comments.
Scholarship for dreamers aims to fund college degrees
A new scholarship program launched this week aims to fund the college education for dreamers. It's designed to help 1,000 young, undocumented students complete a college degree, with the goal of doubling that number in the future.
The money, some $25 million, comes from donors including Donald Graham. He was CEO of the Washington Post. Founders also include Henry Muñoz and Carlos Gutierrez.
RELATED: College fund will pay for Dreamers to go to Long Beach schools
For more, we're joined by Gabby Pacheco, she's the program director for the fund, called TheDream.US.
To view the complete guidelines of the scholarship fund: http://thedream.us/scholars/scholarship-guidelines.
South Korea running out of kimchi
We have some important economic news out of South Korea now. The country is running a deficit of kimchi. The fermented cabbage dish plays a huge part in Korea's national identity.
But now, unbeknownst to many eaters there, Korea is being forced to import increasing amounts of kimchi from its rival, China. This is causing quite a stir in Seoul, where our next guest lives.
Daniel Grey is head of marketing and food tours at Ongo Food Communications.
"Welcome to Paradise, Now Go to Hell"
The North Shore of Oahu is a surfer's paradise. Gorgeous beaches, epic waves. But lurking underneath all that stunning, natural beauty are some very dark forces: Crime, corruption, drugs.
It's a very different side of the surf world, one that surf journalist Chas Smith writes about in his new book "Welcome to Paradise, Now Go to Hell."
Before Chas became a surf journalist he wrote about war and conflicts around the world. He had run-ins with Hezbollah, was chased by Somali pirates and was even caught in the middle of Al Qaeda crossfire.
Yet, in his book he writes that none of those things frightened him like the North Shore of Oahu.
Chas stopped by the studios recently to talk about how the North Shore could be scarier than a war zone.
Gang injunction sparks debate in Echo Park
As mentioned, some times neighborhoods in LA change - a lot.
Take for instance, Echo Park. Recently, gang members who once lived there have been priced out of the neighborhood, but they still show up in Echo Park to hang out.
City officials have been hoping to crack down on neighborhood gang activity with an injunction, but their plan has sparked a fierce debate. For more on this we're joined now by KPCC's Erika Aguilar.
RELATED: Judge denies motion to challenge Echo Park gang injunction
Does disparity in the workplace come down to bias?
A WNBA rookie makes about $35,000 a year.
Minimum salary for their male counterparts in the NBA is $470,000.
This may be a bit of an extreme, but as President Obama reminded the nation last week, on average, women earn 77 cents for every dollar a man makes.
What's behind the disparity? Our next guest used hard data to look at workplace inequality. Ben Waber is the CEO of Sociometric Solutions and joins us to discuss.
Los Angeles Sparks announce new owners
Wednesday, under the same roof they share with the Lakers at the Staples Center, the Los Angeles Sparks officially announced their new owners.
The Guggenheim Group, featuring NBA legend Magic Johnson, will take over the franchise and keep the team here in LA.
The new owners, led by Mark Walter, are the same group that bought the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2012.
Mechelle Voepel wrote about this for ESPN.com and joins us now.
Facebook page calls for LAUSD 'repairs not iPads'
The debate over iPads in the classroom is a very contentious one.
Supporters say the little tablets are a great way to help kids learn.
Critics say iPads are a waste of money, especially at a time when funds are needed for so many other things.
Recently, that argument has moved into the world of social media...
RELATED: Anonymous LA school employees turn to Facebook to spotlight needed repairs
KPCC's Annie Gilbertson has been reporting on this and joins us now.
Lakers run out of players during game
The Lakers have had a lot of ups and downs this season.
Actually, mostly downs.
But last night they hit a new low more worthy of intramural basketball than the NBA.
"The Lakers don't have enough eligible players to play, I've been covering the NBA for 20 years, I've never seen this happen."
That's Laker's play by play announcer John Ireland, and yes, late in the fourth quarter, the Lakers ran out of players.
But the thing is, they still managed to win the game.
For more on this we're joined by John Ireland.
Fresno County begins ban on marijuana cultivation
A ban on marijuana cultivation in Fresno County takes effect this week under the protests of medical marijuana patients.
The California Report's Alice Daniel says the ban includes fines of $1000 per plant.
It's a first for any county in the state, and it's modeled after a similar ban in Live Oak, near Sacramento.
CNN Latino says adios
Latino audiences are a booming television market in America with more than 50 million viewers and counting.
A host of new broadcast stations and websites have stepped up to try and get their attention, from the TV network Fusion to CNET en español.
But recently, two high-profile outlets have called it quits.
In November, NBCLatino.com shut down after only 16 months. And just yesterday CNN Latino announced it will cease operations by the end of this month.
KPCC's Leslie Berestein Rojas explains what this means for the future of Latino-focused media.
State of Affairs: Waxman to retire, Fluke to run for Senate
It's Thursday and that means it's time for State of Affairs, our look at politics and government throughout California.
To help us with that we're joined in studio by KPCC political reporter Alice Walton and KPCC political correspondent Frank Stoltze.