Latest news with #GustavoArellano
Los Angeles Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
The future of Los Angeles and what it could look like decades from now
What does the future of Los Angeles look like 25, 30 or 40 years down the line? That question was at the center of Imagining a Future L.A., a five-part series published by The Times on Sunday. In a city with a plethora of problems, including a worsening housing crisis and an uptick in devastating fires, it's easy to focus on the negative. But what if you could imagine a new Los Angeles, a city that would be sustainable and equitable for everyone? My colleagues set out to do just that, asking community leaders and readers about their hopes for the city. They also consulted experts about how we might build more housing, whether there's a solution for flooding problems, what the future possibilities for fire mitigation might be, and much more. Here's a look at the future of L.A. In Part 1 of the series, Times columnist Gustavo Arellano reminds readers how Angelenos rally like no others when the going gets tough. When neighborhoods were eradicated in the Palisades and Eaton fires in January, the rest of L.A. came together to help survivors through financial donations, and clothing and food drives. After the June 9 Home Depot raid kicked off a summer of chaos in L.A., fundraisers and mutual-aid and neighborhood watch groups sprouted. It's that same resilience that will help the city successfully navigate the rest of the 21st century, Gustavo argues. To solve its housing crisis, Los Angeles must build. The big questions are where, how and how much new housing should be built. As part of the Imagining the Future of L.A. series, The Times reached out to two sources with scenarios that challenge conventional thinking — two plans for the San Fernando Valley, which, half a century ago, provided the space for much of the city's growth. The first proposes awakening a sleepy commercial corridor with low- and mid-rise apartments. The other imagines burying 20 miles of electrical transmission lines that snake through the Valley and building on the land that would then be opened up. The fate of L.A.'s housing stock could also rely on denser neighborhoods, smaller homes, properties co-owned by friend groups instead of just families and ADUs in backyards across the city, separated from their original properties and bought and sold as separate homes. In the wake of the deadly January fires that burned through Altadena and Pacific Palisades, many people wondered: Can we truly fortify our city against a firestorm? Firefighters, architects and futurists say yes, particularly in fire-safe communities. On Jan. 7, architect Michael Kovac's entire street burned in the Palisades, but his fire-resistant house survived. Now, it serves as a blueprint for resistance. New technology is also key to defeating future flames. Autonomous helicopters and drones, AI-powered cameras, augmented-reality helmets and smart fire trucks are some of the many tools that could revolutionize firefighting technology. What won't defeat future fires? Palm trees. As columnist Patt Morrison writes, the season for so many of this city's palm trees is running its course. 'We can no longer afford freeloader trees, however glamorous. Palms suck down water like camels, but give back barely enough leafiness to shade a Hula-Hoop. Falling fronds can deliver a mean whack, and during fires, palms light up like a flare.' Do photo shoots on the palm-tree-lined streets of L.A. while you can, folks. Read more from the Imagining a Future L.A. series here. Today's great photo is from Times contributor JJ Geiger at the L.A. Craftsman of Paul Chan, who channeled 'In the Mood for Love' and the art of the everyday for the home's design. Jim Rainey, staff writerDiamy Wang, homepage internIzzy Nunes, audience internKevinisha Walker, multiplatform editorAndrew Campa, Sunday writerKarim Doumar, head of newsletters How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@ Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on
Los Angeles Times
6 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
El Aliso, the mother tree that stood over L.A. for centuries
At the entrance of the 101 freeway in downtown Los Angeles, a once-revered sycamore tree named El Aliso stood for 400 years before being cut down in 1895. Now, even its commemorative bronze plaque has been stolen. L.A. Times columnist Gustavo Arellano reflects on the tree's powerful legacy and draws a parallel to the city's current struggles—from the Palisades fires and ICE raids to political turmoil. He argues that like El Aliso, L.A. is strong, resilient, and will continue to fight for a hopeful future for all Angelenos.
Fox News
08-08-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
LA Times columnist begs Los Angeles to pull out of hosting the 2028 Olympics because of Trump's involvement
A Los Angeles Times columnist urged the city of L.A. to abandon the 2028 Olympics over concerns about President Donald Trump's involvement. In a new column for the outlet, Gustavo Arellano lamented that Trump will be heading the task force in charge of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and warned the president would use the spectacle and the city for his own agenda. "That's why L.A. needs to withdraw from hosting the Olympics — the sooner the better," Arellano wrote. Arellano said when Los Angeles 2028, the group tasked with organizing the Olympics in the city, chair Casey Wasserman announced Trump as head of the task force, it was like him offering the city a "giant whoopi cushion." The columnist went on to trash other top officials from the Trump administration who were present at the announcement. "On Trump's right was a rash of L.A. haters, some of whom played a prominent role in Southern California's summer of deportations, including Vice President JD Vance and Department of Homeland Security head Kristi Noem," he wrote. "Not present, but hailed by Trump during the presser as an 'MVP candidate,' was Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, who has made it his life's mission to crush the multicultural metropolis that birthed him." Wasserman's praise for Trump was, according to Arellano, nothing short of groveling. "I haven't seen such a suck-up since the last time I vacuumed my dad's pool," he wrote. "And you definitely don't entrust kiss a-- like Wasserman — I'm still not sure what he did to deserve his powerful LA28 gig, except being the grandson of the late Hollywood mogul Lew Wasserman — with calming down someone like Trump." Arellano noted how the federal government was always going to be involved with hosting the Olympic Games but said that the fact that Trump is part of it makes it problematic. "The federal government was always going to play a role in providing security for the 2028 Olympics, just as it has for previous Games in the U.S. But Trump, as the head of the task force, now gets to personally oversee our own siege," he wrote. "With the Games happening in a presidential election year, Trump would love nothing more than to traipse around an L.A. radically transformed by his deportation blitzkrieg to proclaim his mission accomplished and broadcast his conquest to the world." He also warned that Trump would use the next three years of Olympics prep to "humiliate blue L.A. at every chance." Arellano asked readers if they wanted to give Trump and his "goon squad" more opportunities to make life "miserable" in Los Angeles. He said he'd rather forego the city hosting the games because "I don't want my money going toward something that Trump will use to bolster his noxious legacy. I'm not going to cheer on Wasserman as he chums up Trump while la migra continues to terrorize L.A., possibly for months, if not years." "La Migra" is a Spanish language term, often used in slang, that refers to U.S. immigration enforcement agencies, primarily U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the U.S. Border Patrol. "I don't want to support an event where footage of an occupied L.A. might be as front and center as the Coliseum or badminton. What true Angeleno would?" he added. The 2028 Summer Olympics will be held July 14 to 30. L.A. was announced as the host city in 2017. The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Letters to the Editor: If you can't take to the streets, financial assistance is a form of protest too
To the editor: Gustavo Arellano's column asks us to rebel smarter ('Trump wants L.A. to set itself on fire. Let's rebel smarter,' June 9). As we take to the streets, let us also act decisively to financially support the organizations and families affected by the president's reckless actions. Their next steps are to secure legal counsel, find physical safety and demand accountability from their government. Over the last few years, I have been a part of a local Latino giving circle in Los Angeles that has raised nearly half a million dollars for immigrant-serving organizations since 2017. We are currently raising more money to support our immigrant communities in need at this moment. While some of us may not be able to march against this government's actions, or choose not to for whatever reason, we all can give, no matter the amount. That too is an act of protest and a call to action for the just society that eludes us still. Pamela Wright, Los Angeles This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Letters to the Editor: If you can't take to the streets, financial assistance is a form of protest too
To the editor: Gustavo Arellano's column asks us to rebel smarter ('Trump wants L.A. to set itself on fire. Let's rebel smarter,' June 9). As we take to the streets, let us also act decisively to financially support the organizations and families affected by the president's reckless actions. Their next steps are to secure legal counsel, find physical safety and demand accountability from their government. Over the last few years, I have been a part of a local Latino giving circle in Los Angeles that has raised nearly half a million dollars for immigrant-serving organizations since 2017. We are currently raising more money to support our immigrant communities in need at this moment. While some of us may not be able to march against this government's actions, or choose not to for whatever reason, we all can give, no matter the amount. That too is an act of protest and a call to action for the just society that eludes us still. Pamela Wright, Los Angeles
