Heading into year two
LA got burned. By the fires, yes. But also by a self-induced fiscal catastrophe
Heading into year two
LA got burned. By the fires, yes. But also by a self-induced fiscal catastrophe
Latest
The transit-first (no, really) games
In the end, LA28 put the events where the public transportation will already be
Bump, set, spike
Santa Monica mounted a sustained, publicly transparent campaign to challenge what LA28 was offering. And, in the end, that's probably what sent the organizing committee packing for other shores
Torched turns 1: A week of talks and toasts April 21-25
In a time of great uncertainty, Torched will always be about people coming together for LA
Significant headwinds
On Friday we saw the first serious challenge of LA28's venue plan, which had gone largely uncontested by LA city leaders. And we saw an LA city councilmember openly accuse LA28 of making backroom deals to create that venue plan
"We're here every Saturday"
Since February, protesters have been gathering weekly along the Americana's idealized main street as part of the worldwide #TeslaTaketown rallies
LA28 wants to become a civic organization now
Just one question: why didn't LA28 think of itself as a civic organization before?
The road ahead
The city's first capital improvement plan will be focused exclusively on projects related to the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It's already being referred to as the "Games CIP"
Buses
Everybody calm down
LA is a big city where many things happen in our multimodal, multitudinous region every single day
The waiting is the hardest part
LA officials keep saying the new bus shelter program is "for the Olympics." What we're installing isn't good enough for a Thursday afternoon
Olympic lanes
Before everyone spins Kathy Hochul's cowardice into a death knell for LA's congestion pricing dreams, it's important to know that there are lots of different ways to do road pricing
What we need is a surge of bus investments
A majority of Metro's nearly 1 million daily passengers are bus riders, who are often left waiting in more ways than one
Trains
Trump derail train
It was always clear that Trump's democracy-dismantling project would be coming for the state's high-speed rail, something he openly denigrated throughout his last presidency
"If it hasn't broken ground by now, it's not happening"
It's time for paint, posts, and political will
How do we get there from here
What happened to 28 by 28 is what's happening to a lot of LA's Olympic-related goals at the moment: a flashy announcement got a lot of attention yet had no strategy to actually make it happen
Shade
Torched Talks with Edith de Guzman and Greg Pierce
Gather your questions about fire and water and join us on Tuesday, January 28 at noon on Zoom
The waiting is the hardest part
LA officials keep saying the new bus shelter program is "for the Olympics." What we're installing isn't good enough for a Thursday afternoon
Fair weather
Learning how the LA County Fair took heat seriously is a warning for other megaevents planned during Southern California's increasingly dangerous summers
"Don't be a palm, be an oak"
Of course LA should plant actual trees before the Olympics, but which trees should we actually plant?
Car-free games
The transit-first (no, really) games
In the end, LA28 put the events where the public transportation will already be
Feed the meter
The fact that LA could even aspire to host a "car-free" games owes a great debt to Donald Shoup repeating, for decades, that just because you're going somewhere in this city, you're not automatically guaranteed a free parking spot when you get there
Service disruptions
"The immediate-term outcome is that the discretionary grants from the federal government are going to be oriented away from urban areas, communities of color, and pedestrian, bike and transit projects"
Meeting our megaevent moment
A report from last month's UCLA Lake Arrowhead Symposium, intended to both illuminate existing challenges and light a path forward for progress, reveals deep frustrations and grave concerns about LA's megaevent planning
Accessibility
Meeting our megaevent moment
A report from last month's UCLA Lake Arrowhead Symposium, intended to both illuminate existing challenges and light a path forward for progress, reveals deep frustrations and grave concerns about LA's megaevent planning
LA is making a plan
Executive Directive 9, signed today by LA Mayor Karen Bass, will force LA's infrastructure spending to align with a set of citywide priorities around climate, safety, and accessibility
Making concrete plans
Talking to UCLA's Juan Matute about this year's Lake Arrowhead Symposium and how LA can leverage megaevents to create lasting public benefits
"Kids are going to be disappointed that they can’t follow their dreams"
As LA officials gathered in Paris for the Olympics, a federal class-action lawsuit was filed against the city on behalf of four plaintiffs with mobility disabilities, including one 10-year-old child, who say they are "denied full and equal access to its parks and park facilities"
Supergraphics
When you can't find the words
When the news renders you speechless, you can always find a response that Corita already ripped from the headlines
An invasion of butterflies
"Somehow I saw in my head the sky and the ground sprinkled like confetti — sprinkled with all magical stuff that shimmered and that expressed joy"
Trump's games
Can LA still host the Olympics?
The IOC doesn't care if LA holds its games or not. And perhaps more troublingly, the city of LA will happily brush aside its own emergencies in order to stage a megaevent
Service disruptions
"The immediate-term outcome is that the discretionary grants from the federal government are going to be oriented away from urban areas, communities of color, and pedestrian, bike and transit projects"
They were always Trump's games
In case anyone forgot this fact, LA28 representatives repeatedly reminded everyone about their close working relationship with the president-elect
Venue plans
The transit-first (no, really) games
In the end, LA28 put the events where the public transportation will already be
Bump, set, spike
Santa Monica mounted a sustained, publicly transparent campaign to challenge what LA28 was offering. And, in the end, that's probably what sent the organizing committee packing for other shores
Significant headwinds
On Friday we saw the first serious challenge of LA28's venue plan, which had gone largely uncontested by LA city leaders. And we saw an LA city councilmember openly accuse LA28 of making backroom deals to create that venue plan
Paul's boutique
With less than 3.5 years until the opening ceremonies, the termed-out council president emeritus is taking on a new megaevent department, a new role, and a whole lot of city baggage
Torched favorites
Not the end, the beginning
After speaking with so many people this year who are working so hard to make this place actually work, I'm seeing another way to tell LA's megaevent story
Conventional wisdom
"This was originally supposed to be a 'no-build' Olympics, and that's what the commitment was to the public"
Hot links
Where are LA's World Cup plans?
I'm forever ranting about how little we know about LA’s Olympics plans. But we know literally nothing about LA’s World Cup plans. It's next year!
Safe spaces
In the midst of a climate disaster, schools must become beacons of resiliency in every community
Expo Park is so not ready for its close up
The headlines that trumpet a "$350 million makeover" for Expo Park ahead of 2028 are flat-out misleading
Culture clubs
Here's a chance to have a broader conversation about the role gathering places play — and can play long after the games — across the entire region
Events
Torched turns 1: A week of talks and toasts April 21-25
In a time of great uncertainty, Torched will always be about people coming together for LA
Tour ATSAC on November 26
Join 🔥🔥 subscribers to see one of the most famous legacy improvements of the 1984 Summer Olympics
LA JEOOOOOPARDY + Torched meet and greet on August 12
Come for a meet and greet at Zebulon and stay to watch me defend my LA Jeopardy crown for the 4th time 👑
Torched Talks
Torched Talks with megaevent researcher Cerianne Robertson
Bring all your questions about how megaevents impact regular people and join us Monday, March 17 at noon on Zoom
Torched Talks with climate journalist Susie Cagle
Bring your questions about rebuilding and recovery and join us on Wednesday, February 19 at 1 p.m. on Zoom
Torched Talks with Edith de Guzman and Greg Pierce
Gather your questions about fire and water and join us on Tuesday, January 28 at noon on Zoom
Torched Talks with Olympic scholar Gustavo Lopes dos Santos
Bring your questions about how megaevents impact host cities and join us Monday, December 9 at 2 p.m. on Zoom
Answers to your burning questions
Can LA still host the Olympics?
The IOC doesn't care if LA holds its games or not. And perhaps more troublingly, the city of LA will happily brush aside its own emergencies in order to stage a megaevent
How Boston brought the Olympics to LA
"If your city has politicians telling you that the only way they're going to fix your transit system is by throwing a party for people from around the world, you go get yourself a better politician"
Here's what LA's "car-free" games could look like
Now which LA officials will step up to pledge their commitment?
Why did LA28 hire an Army general as CEO?
Three days after Reynold Hoover started as LA28 CEO, the 2028 Summer Olympics were officially designated a National Special Security Event — the furthest in advance that this designation has ever been made