Westside Current

1 week ago | westsidecurrent.com | Jamie Paige

A firefighter signals for water while a house is engulfed in flames during the 2018 Woolsey Fire. The blaze overwhelmed first responders and revealed deep flaws in Los Angeles County’s emergency preparedness​. When the Woolsey Fire ignited on November 8, 2018, it quickly became an “epic” wildfire that overwhelmed the region’s emergency response institutions​. In its first critical hours, the fight was hampered by communication breakdowns and a scarcity of air support, equipment and firefighters​.

1 week ago | westsidecurrent.com | Jon Regardie

A $1 Billion Deficit Will Bring Serious Pain. The Past Holds Lessons About What’s to Come  On April 21, Mayor Karen Bass will present her budget for the coming fiscal year. If you want a sense of what the financial situation in Los Angeles is going to be like, then consider a nine-second clip from Rocky III, in which a reporter interviews Clubber Lang (played by Mr. T) ahead of his bout with the Italian Stallion. Reporter: What’s your prediction for the fight then? Clubber: Prediction?

1 week ago | westsidecurrent.com | Jamie Paige

VENICE — It’s official: Venice Beach is going Olympic. In a major shift announced Tuesday, LA28 organizers confirmed that the iconic beachfront neighborhood will serve as the new home of the Triathlon during the 2028 Summer Olympics — relocating the event from Long Beach. The confirmation comes as part of LA28’s most expansive venue update yet, approved last week by the International Olympic Committee Executive Board.

1 week ago | westsidecurrent.com | Jamie Paige

PACIFIC PALISADES — JJ Redick didn’t grow up in Pacific Palisades. He didn’t raise his children here. But on Thursday morning, as the new head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers — and a newly minted Palisadian — he stood before a crowd at the remains of the Palisades Recreation Center to unveil an ambitious plan to rebuild it. In that moment, one thing was clear: he is now one of them.

2 weeks ago | westsidecurrent.com | Jamie Paige

As state-funded homeless housing sites expand across Los Angeles, a review of 911 calls, internal records, and community accounts reveals rising violence, untreated mental health crises, and a system struggling to deliver on its promises. LOS ANGELES — The elevator doors at 5050 West Pico Boulevard open onto a  hallway scrawled with graffiti. Down the corridor, someone shouts incoherently. A man stumbles past, barefoot and muttering.