Could L.A.’s Empty Office Buildings Be Turned Into Housing? The Answer Is Complicated
With more Californians working from home during the pandemic - and with some companies planning to make that remote work permanent - a lot of Los Angeles office buildings are sitting vacant at the same time the city is in the midst of a severe housing crisis. Could the former be the solution to the latter? Enter adaptive reuse, the practice of repurposing existing buildings for new uses. The Metropolitan Building in downtown L.A. is one example: it originally contained medical offices and shops; now it’s home to loft apartments. However, not every office building is so easily adapted. The shape and design of the original space are all key factors that affect the viability of an adaptive reuse project. Today on AirTalk, Larry discusses the visions and challenges of adaptive reuse in Los Angeles with KPCC & LAist business and economy reporter David Wagner, founder of the adaptive reuse architecture firm Omgivning, Karin Liljegren, and CEO of the Downtown Women’s Center Amy Turk.
You can read David’s reporting on L.A.’s empty office space here. You can read his report on the conversion of the Cecil Hotel into apartments here.
Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore On Vaccine Mandates, Recent Reports of Crime, And More
Today on AirTalk, LAPD Chief Michel Moore joins Larry Mantle for his monthly interview to discuss the latest in law enforcement, including:
- Deadline looms for LAPD employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19
- Reports of smash-and-grab robberies and increasing homicides
- Latest on LAPD’s budget for 2022
- Los Angeles Times: How the theft of 44 firearms from an L.A. gun store exploded into an LAPD scandal
- Fighting extremism in law enforcement’s ranks, following Torrance Police Department scandal
Criminal Justice Correspondent Frank Stoltze Recaps AirTalk’s Interview With LAPD Chief Michel Moore
Last hour we heard from Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore. KPCC & LAist criminal justice correspondent Frank Stoltze was listening in, and now he joins Larry to discuss what the chief had to say.
COVID-19 AMA: U.S. Surpasses 50 Million Confirmed Cases, Omicron Spreads Faster Than Any Other Variant, And More
In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with Kristen R. Choi, professor of nursing and public health at UCLA.
Topics today include:
- C.D.C warns Omicron is spreading rapidly in the U.S. and could bring a punishing wave as soon as January
- Colleges are going back to drawing board again to fight COVID-19
- Omicron is spreading faster than any other coronavirus variant
- Why do we get side effects from vaccines?
- More than 50 million total coronavirus cases have been found in the U.S.
The Term “Latinx” And Why Latinos Have Mixed Feelings About It
Across the United States, many terms have been used to describe those of Latin-American descent, with the most popular identifier for decades being “Hispanic.” One of the newer terms in circulation now, “Latinx,” has been used in some progressive circles as a way to ditch the gendered language in Latin American culture.
The term has also been adopted by some high-profile politicians like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Julian Castro, but a recent poll of Latino voters found that only 2% of them identified as “Latinx,” and 40% said the term bothered or offended them.
Today on AirTalk, Larry breaks down the discourse with UC Berkeley associate professor of Sociology G. Cristina Mora and University of California, Irvine associate professor of Chicano/Latino studies Héctor Tobar to better understand why the Latino diaspora struggles to reach a consensus term for their race.