Paris's school streets are effectively sculpting out instant parks in the locations where they'll provide immense public health benefits to the city's most vulnerable populations
Over the last two years, we've watched gutless leaders go groveling to the White House with gilded gifts to appease our authoritarian overlord. And now Karen Bass is part of that club
There's a giant clock just inside the front entrance of Union Station that's ticking down the seconds until the World Cup starts. Today it reads 39 days, which is significant, as 39 days is also the length of the tournament itself. As I went to bear witness, it dawned on me that this is it, folks: this is as ready as we're ever going to get. As you venture around the city for the next month, keep in mind that this is what the people who are in charge thought LA should be like as the global spotlight was turned onto our city. No wonder we're still fighting with LA28 over that service agreement for the summer of 2028!
As signs draped all over the building inform passengers, Union Station was one of the nine official FIFA-sponsored fan zones announced back in January at a splashy pep rally emceed by Mario Lopez. (Downtown Burbank was added later, which I believe Torched was first to report, bringing the total to 10.) With a FIFA ticketing process for the actual matches that's even more fraught than LA28, these fan zones are meant to be "inclusive, accessible opportunities" for regular Angelenos, "bringing live match viewing and immersive fan experiences closer to where you live, work, and gather." As tickets to these fan zones go on sale May 4, I'm wondering how FIFA's promise to the people will deliver. Union Station's fan zone will be free and open to the public. But fans seemed to think all LA's official World Cup fan zones would be free. They're not.
LA's official FIFA fan festival — basically the main fan zone — is happening at the Coliseum June 11 to 14, with tickets that went on sale last month for $10. (Kids 12 and under are free). Not all the fan zones have ticket prices up yet. But the Farmers Market (June 18 to 21) is offering $5/day passes or a $16 four-day pass with a special presale that ends tonight at midnight. The West Harbor fan zone in San Pedro (July 14 t0 19) is also promoting $5/day tickets. (Kids 5 and under are free — seems like we could have made this consistent across fan experiences?) Downtown Burbank's fan zone (July 18 and 19) starts at $28 just to get in the door — with no access to the live concert after the match. To see that in person, it's $10 more. Although there is an adjacent "international street fair" that will be free.
Tick… tick… tick… This was taken yesterday, by the way, now there are 39 days to go
That doesn't mean there won't be plenty to do for free. In addition to running $1.75 Hollywood Bowl-style shuttles to SoFi for every match — and they just added even more locations — Metro is also working on its own World Cup activations at 15 stations, "turning everyday transit stops into vibrant, welcoming spaces that connect riders to matches and fan zones," similar to the activations happening at the three new D line stations, opening Friday. (CAN'T BELIEVE I JUST TYPED THAT!) Some of these stations will become a destination in themselves, and some will simply be the nearest station to connect to other events. The descriptions, which are very much worth reading, also give clues to other festivals and watch parties happening near you. For example: the city of LA is hosting 100 free watch parties at city parks but hasn't shared the schedule or locations yet, but Koreatown organizers announced three block parties timed with South Korea matches on June 11, 18 and 24 in Liberty Park. This is where cities are getting creative; Santa Monica and now Culver City will both have entertainment zones in place for World Cup viewing parties this summer. It's a shame LA couldn't get this together for somewhere like Hollywood Boulevard.
None of these challenges are unique to LA; World Cup host committees all over the U.S. are dramatically scaling back their original fan zone plans due to a lack of federal security funding or sponsor money that didn't materialize. (Wait, you mean to tell me all those imaginary air taxi dollars aren't subsidizing our fan zones?) And, of course, there will be plenty of no-cost brand activations like we saw during the All-Star Game. Just adjacent to Union Station, Casa México, the hospitality house for Mexico's team, will be taking over La Plaza with programming that's free and open to the public for the entirety of the tournament. But the best place to watch the World Cup might just be the same place you'll watch the Lakers this week — at your neighborhood bar. 🔥
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Who are we?
Taking to the streets to kick ICE out of LA
SoFi workers joined LA's May Day rally after rallying outside the offices of LA's World Cup host committee, calling on FIFA to keep ICE out of the stadium. LAist's Libby Rainey reports on another SoFi labor issue: union representatives are worried that FIFA is bringing in non-union contractors to work the luxury suites through On Location, FIFA's hospitality partner. (On Location is also LA28's hospitality partner.) Don't miss this video by The LA Local's Isaiah Murtaugh of workers tossing hundreds of inflatable soccer balls down the Bunker Hill Steps.
We're now in the zone where the next two years of LA open streets are being timed to one of our upcoming megaevents. CicLAvia has announced its next two events, both happening during the World Cup: June 28 from Leimert Park to Expo Park and July 19 from East Hollywood to West Hollywood. (There's also a Pasadena one happening later in the year that will still be soccer themed for some reason.) After that? Well, things get a bit dicey. Which is why CicLAvia is advocating to make sure the dedicated open streets funding in the 2026-2027 city budget preserved to add up to five more CicLAvia Sundays all over the region. In a new LADOT report you can see the city-managed open streets events planned all the way to 2028. Some are very short. And some are on streets that will already be closed around LA28 venues. Why should we pay for those? 🦋
Speaking of those LA28 security perimeters, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell told a council budget committee this week he doesn't have enough officers for 2028. As I've written before, this argument is tough to take at face value as large events always rely on "mutual aid" from other law enforcement agencies, just like when LAPD officers went to Paris in 2024. (And like how the feds sent ICE to Milan!) Also, as multiple councilmembers noted, we all thought federal agencies were in charge inside the security perimeters, which would free up LAPD officers to patrol the rest of the city. Hmm, if only we had a service agreement in place that showed who was responsible for what!
This pastiche of city department logos made my eyes bleed
Sure, we should have figured out LA's "civic brand" before millions more people get here,but it's never too late for council to draw attention to yet another way the city does not have its act together. This week, council passed a new motion from Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky proposing to manage the city's various visual assets by establishing guidelines around the official logos, signage, and websites which might also, hypothetically, be used to license merchandise and raise revenue for the city. What could realistically be accomplished by 2028, when the world's attention focuses on LA? Probably nothing. But, come on, well-designed City of LA Department of Cannabis Regulation shirts would sell out faster than Ride the D. 🦋
LA28 is now hosting community engagement webinars as part of an "ongoing commitment to keeping local organizations, leaders, and residents informed." The first session was held yesterday although there was apparently confusion about the link and LA28 showed up 15 minutes late. Torched readers will be familiar with much of what was covered in the presentation (linked below) but here's something new: community groups can now apply for what are being called Celebrate Two Eight events, the locally hosted, LA28-supported activations which may include "live broadcasts, curated cultural programming, interactive sport activities, and diverse culinary offerings" during the summer of 2028. They also must be free and open to the public, unlike FIFA's fan zones. Here's how to sign up for the next webinar on June 5.
Please keep sending me your questions about LA28 tickets! And I'll do my best to answer them. Did you know there were group ticket options? "Companies, schools, sports teams, clubs and community organizations" can submit an interest form for a minimum of 50 tickets for Olympic events and 20 tickets for Paralympic events.
🚶♀️ I cannot stop laughing at all these viral videos of New Yorkers warning fans not to walk to MetLife Stadium for the World Cup final. Hey, at least here in LA we can walk to our not-really-transit-accessible stadium!
🎁 Mayor Karen Bass talks to the Grounded podcast about giving Trump a 1984 Olympic torch: "I was there laser-focused. He certainly raised the Olympics a lot" 🦋
On Thursday I attended the opening of Metro's newest affordable housing project, a partnership with Little Tokyo Service Center built atop the Vermont/Santa Monica B line station. The building is fantastic: 186 units, wraparound services, and a local market moving in on the ground floor. But while I was there, I sure did get a nice zoomed-in look at one of the city's abandoned public toilets, which sits, fenced off, on the edge of the Metro plaza. Funnily enough, restoring funding for this toilet in particular was discussed during budget hearings the same day; bless Councilmember Bob Blumenfield who literally says: "Let's talk toilets for a moment." YES. In the meantime, Metro's been staging more portable Throne toilet trailers at many of its stations, and also has a handy restroom map for its system. But it also made me think — as I calculated the costs to build the toilet and run utilities and plumbing to the edge of the property — why wasn't a public bathroom simply included as part of this Metro-adjacent building? Or the three new D line stations opening Friday?
This edition of Hot Links was created on April 29, 2026 and was regularly updated throughout the week with the latest news. Become a paid subscriber to get early access to the latest headlines all week long
FIFA's promoting a sustainability agenda, "but some of its sponsorship agreements tell a different story — including a premiere deal with the largest oil and gas company in the world, Saudi Aramco," Hayley Smith writes at the LA Times. YOU DON'T SAY
Play the Game: "Across Mexico, World Cup 2026 projects are putting communities and ecosystems under pressure"
"We have to look back to look forward"
I had a lively chat about LA's megaevent era with (from right) Rachel Reyes, Chris Torres, Michelle Barton, and Rick Cole during the frank.radio event celebrating Torched's 2nd anniversary extravaganza. You can listen to the whole conversation, now published at frank.news, which I feel like was one of the best discussions I've been a part of recently about where we are right now — and what we can do together, as a city, as a region, and as Angelenos who care about each other. You can also find out what aspect of LA's megaevent era is making Rick Cole want to cry. (Longtime Torched readers can probably guess.) Check out more photos from Torched's birthday week.
🙏🏼 Thanks to all my Torched tipsters. Email: Simply reply to this one. Text: 323 207 5607 — save it in your phone as Torched Tips. Or Signal: awalkerinla.99
Over the last two years, we've watched gutless leaders go groveling to the White House with gilded gifts to appease our authoritarian overlord. And now Karen Bass is part of that club
The goal is to improve the downtown experience by 2028 by "linking key locations with safer, cleaner, and greener streets, parks, public spaces, and transit hubs"
Alissa Walker
