"Metropolis develops technology for checkout-free payments and automated access systems in industries including parking, retail, hospitality and security. Its platform uses vehicle and camera recognition technology and... made Metropolis North America’s largest parking operator in 2024" 😮‍💨

This is today! Join us at 7 p.m. on Zoom

If 'remove graffiti from towers' is done by painting over the windows like they do at some vacant strip mall stores, then definitely #1. If not, People Mover by default.

News that the graffiti towers will be de-graffitied follows this mayoral announcement bragging that that the convention center expansion we're paying $100 million per year for just to service the debt "will bring more than 103,000 people to Los Angeles" over the next ten years 😬

The only cool and memorable thing that has happened in DTLA in over a decade will be FIXED

Crazy to see a sense of urgency in LA government now that Karen Bass might actually lose her job to @nithyaforthecity.bsky.social.

Can someone explain to me why people freak out over graffiti? Most of it looks better than billboards & anyway it's insane to spend a lot of money removing paint that will never be seen 1/2 way thru construction

LOL right in time for the election

I look at the towers from my condo. I’m waiting.

None. I think the correct answer is none.

Is there an option for none ever happening?

gone (someday?) never forgotten bsky.app/profile/raha...

It’s a tourist attraction, not a blight.

The Big One.

Godot arrives.

Personally they should keep the graffiti. Put a layer over it to preserve it! It would be cool as fuck!

Which will happen first: Graffiti removed from towers Lineage fire cleaned up LAX people mover opens

RIP Graffiti Ghost Towers: "The proposed buyer has committed to immediately begin comprehensive remediation work, to be completed within three months."

Bring all your World Cup questions and join us Tuesday night at 7!

And that’s a wrap ✌🏼

And it doesn't matter who wins today because THIS MOMENT ALREADY WON THE WORLD CUP

Reminder that due to our ongoing inability to dramatically reimagine our antiquated century-old streets in a way that might allow us to both maintain critical infrastructure and usher in a new golden era of climate resilience the CicLAvia route will be slightly truncated 😇 Game is at Walk of Fame

Situational Awareness for July 19 IT'S THE LAST DAY Spain vs. Argentina at noon *Open streets x 3* CicLAvia Meet the Hollywoods COAST Santa Monica Beach Streets Long Beach *Fan zones x 3* West Harbor Fairplex Downtown Burbank Autry Museum, Music Center, and four Kick It in the Parks today

Endorse

Plus here's my latest story featuring a behind-the-scenes look at the city of LA parks department's brand-new fleet of mobile screens

Situational Awareness for July 18: two days left! France vs. England at 2 p.m. Downtown Burbank fan zone opens West Harbor fan zone in San Pedro Fairplex fan zone in Pomona Kick It in the Park at the Hansen Dam pool — yes, *your* public pool, yes, the watch party is actually IN THE POOL

Situational awareness! July 17! No matches! But yikes I've got a close eye on air quality forecasts for Sunday's final in New York/New Jersey where AQI from Canadian wildfire smoke was hovering around 180 this morning... but rain *should* clear the skies somewhat

So to recap: RAP commissioners retroactively voted to approve a contract for an event that did not actually happen in the way described in said contract 🙃 And are there no penalties for failing to deliver what was promised? Here's the agreement: recreation.parks.lacity.gov/sites/defaul...

At RAP commission where Venice residents say last weekend’s fan zone event was misleading, unsafe, and left trash on the beach for days. This situation being described was exactly what I observed on the first day of the event

Also on my radar: it looks like LA84 Foundation CEO Renata Simril is no longer on the RAP board. She was appointed by Bass in 2023 to a term that I believed was supposed to run through 2028, and was serving as president before her departure. Needless to say I will be going to today's meeting!

But the biggest concern from Venice residents is that the fan zone's licensing agreement with RAP hasn't been approved yet — in fact, it's on the RAP commissioners agenda for *this morning* 😬 Now how does something like that happen? Do we normally approve licensing agreements after the fact?

Another update! In my hydration station story I wondered why Karen Bass hadn't announced her new heat officer, especially as we headed into another extreme heat event during a megaevent. Bass still hasn't announced her new heat officer. But @sammyroth.bsky.social did: Daniela Simunovic

In my story last week, I wrote that Hansen Dam "really should have been a marquee destination for the ultimate watch party/pool party." Now, thanks to the city, Hansen Dam will be a marquee destination for the ultimate watch party/pool party! Which is great because it will be 90 on Saturday!

Situational Awareness 7/16 — STILL HOT 🌡️ 🚫 No matches 🚫 Which is kind of a good thing because it was downright blistering on the pavement at the fan zone in Pomona yesterday. Luckily, they had everyone watching the matches indoors in these very fun beer hall-esque viewing areas

Friends did we just manifest an actual watch party at the Hansen Dam pool 👀

Not the mayor bragging about once again boosting the influence of IOC and FIFA global sponsor Airbnb 😅

🥵 Situational Awareness 7/15: STICKY 🥵 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England vs. 🇦🇷 Argentina at noon West Harbor fan zone in San Pedro Fairplex fan zone in Pomona Kick It in the Park at Jackie Tatum Harvard Recreation Center & Venice Beach (back to being free 😬) Cool spots: Central Library, Hammer, Music Center splash pad

That felt more like a lottery than an application.With experience in the 2015 Special Olympics and 2017 Police and Fire World Games (in a non-LA28 sport), I'm curious if we'll get through the first pass.

I worked in an analytical chemistry lab in college. Does that count?

Un unpaid volunteer could make a lot of money saying he didn't see any doping by the person he was chaperoning...

I’m in the middle of filling out my application. It’s a lot!

I also learned through LA28's application that the city of LA is starting its own volunteer program for 2028: volunteerin2028.lacity.gov This is separate from Shine LA and it appears that the Kick It in the Park volunteer program was the pilot program

We're two years out from the opening ceremonies and applications for LA28 volunteers opened today. Did you sign up? Are these jobs really something we're leaving up to volunteers???

lmao

LA: Whew, so glad we're almost done with this megaevent and we only had three measles cases LA County Department of Public Health:

Thanks to Karen Bass’s campaign for including my NY Times quote in your social media post! And an even bigger thank you for selectively editing this story to make it seem like she said this when we all know who actually did say this 😇

Situational Awareness for July 14! 🇫🇷 France vs. 🇪🇸 Spain at noon West Harbor fan zone opens in San Pedro Fairplex fan zone opens in Pomona Casa España in Culver City LA Galaxy celebration moves to Hermosa Beach Bastille Day Grand Performances in DTLA (Yes, France is really playing on Bastille Day)

Uhhhh anyone else get this email from LA28? Did they accidentally add on that proposed city tax 🙃