Hacker News with Generative AI: Los Angeles

The man who spent forty-two years at the Beverly Hills Hotel pool (1993) (newyorker.com)
Until just a few weeks ago, no American seemed on better terms with fortune than Irving V. Link, who had spent most of the past half century playing gin rummy by the side of the pool at the Beverly Hills Hotel, in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles, Gin Rummy, Wealth, Lifestyle

273 points by zeveb 8 days ago | 303 comments

The weather and climate influences on the January 2025 fires around Los Angeles (climate.gov)
On January 7, 2025, a handful of wildfires erupted in the Los Angeles metro area and raced through multiple neighborhoods, killing more than two dozen people, razing upwards of 15,000 homes and businesses, and creating unhealthy air quality for millions of people.

Weather, Climate Change, Wildfires, Los Angeles

4 points by nradov 10 days ago | 0 comments

Reservoir was built to save Pacific Palisades. It was empty when the flames came (latimes.com)
After flames leveled nearly 500 homes in Bel-Air and Brentwood in 1961, Los Angeles had a reckoning over firefighting.

Firefighting, California, History, Los Angeles, Natural Disasters

39 points by perihelions 42 days ago | 21 comments

After the Fires (profgalloway.com)
My hometown of Los Angeles is experiencing wildfires that have torched a surface area greater than Boston or San Francisco. Students at UCLA, my alma mater, were warned to prepare for an evacuation order that, thankfully, didn’t come. Friends lost homes, others don’t know if their houses are still standing, or they’re contemplating moving back to what feels like a blast zone. At least 12,000 structures have been destroyed.

Wildfires, Los Angeles, Climate Change, Natural Disasters

4 points by Brajeshwar 47 days ago | 0 comments

Vintage cars survive Los Angeles area fires (usatoday.com)
Some classic and vintage cars survived the destructive Eaton and Palisades Fires even though they were parked directly in front of homes that burned.

Vintage Cars, Fires, Los Angeles

10 points by this_weekend 47 days ago | 2 comments

L.A. Fires: We Can't Let Insurance Companies Exploit the Disaster (rollingstone.com)
Mother Nature exploded in Los Angeles this month with the most damaging wildfires in the city’s, and likely the nation’s, history.

Wildfires, Los Angeles, Insurance, Disaster Relief

19 points by this_weekend 48 days ago | 26 comments

Some homes withstood the LA fires – architects explain why (bloomberg.com)
More than 12,000 structures have been consumed by the wildfires raging across Los Angeles, many of them single-family homes that have stood for decades.

Architecture, Wildfires, Los Angeles, Housing

45 points by JumpCrisscross 52 days ago | 81 comments

LA tree enthusiast shares her love for the city's canopy (theguardian.com)
On a recent Sunday morning, 25 Angelenos gathered under a large rusty leaf fig tree for a walking tree tour in a local Culver City park that was also playing host to an outdoor tai chi class as well as a group of yogis.

Trees, Los Angeles, Community, Nature

3 points by PaulHoule 52 days ago | 0 comments

Asking rents skyrocket as LA fires destroy homes (laist.com)
Rental housing prices in L.A. are spiking as historic fires burn in Southern California, forcing thousands of residents who’ve lost homes to scramble to find a new place to live.

Real Estate, Los Angeles, Fires, Housing Market

15 points by this_weekend 54 days ago | 1 comments

California overhauled its insurance system. Then Los Angeles caught fire (grist.org)

California, Insurance, Wildfires, Los Angeles

11 points by rntn 54 days ago | 1 comments

Inconvenient truths about the fires burning in Los Angeles from two fire experts (latimes.com)
For decades, Jack Cohen and Stephen Pyne have studied the history and behavior of wildfires. The magnitude of destruction this week in Los Angeles and Altadena, they argue, could have been mitigated. Society’s understanding and relationship to fire has to change if the conflagrations like these are to be prevented.

Wildfires, Climate Change, Los Angeles, Environmentalism, Fire Safety

34 points by andsoitis 54 days ago | 63 comments

Joan Didion on Los Angeles Real Estate, and Ignoring the Big One (1989) (newyorker.com)

Los Angeles, Real Estate, Essays, Journalism, California

9 points by marban 54 days ago | 2 comments

As a Climate Scientist, I Knew It Was Time to Leave Los Angeles (nytimes.com)
I am utterly devastated by the Los Angeles wildfires, shaking with rage and grief. The Altadena community near Pasadena, where the Eaton fire has damaged or destroyed at least 5,000 structures, was my home for 14 years.

Climate Change, California Wildfires, Climate Science, Los Angeles

15 points by vinni2 55 days ago | 5 comments

Collision with drone knocks Canadian firefighting plane out of L.A. battle (todayinbc.com)
Authorities in Los Angeles say a Quebec water bomber is out of service after colliding with a drone while fighting wildfires Thursday.

Wildfires, Drones, Canada, Aviation, Los Angeles

4 points by cf100clunk 55 days ago | 7 comments

Evacuation alert sent in error to phones of nearly 10M L.A.-area residents (nbcnews.com)
Evacuation orders and an alarm sound were mistakenly sent to cellphones of residents all over Los Angeles County and beyond on Thursday afternoon. But officials say the widespread alert was an error.

Technology, Los Angeles, False Alarms, Public Safety

5 points by perihelions 56 days ago | 0 comments

'Alarming': A Dangerous Diarrhea-Causing Superbug Is Spreading in Los Angeles (gizmodo.com)
A diarrhea-causing superbug is stirring up trouble in Los Angeles. Researchers have tracked down a worrying new strain of Shigella bacteria in the area—one that can resist almost every antibiotic thrown at it.

Health, Disease, Bacteria, Antibiotics, Los Angeles

28 points by pavel_lishin 80 days ago | 5 comments

Waymo's robotaxis are now available to everyone in Los Angeles (theverge.com)
Waymo is ditching its waitlist in Los Angeles, much like it did before in Phoenix and San Francisco, making its fully autonomous vehicles available to anyone who downloads the company’s Waymo One app.

Self-Driving Cars, Transportation, Los Angeles, Technology, Artificial Intelligence

9 points by gmays 110 days ago | 1 comments

Waymo One is now open to all in Los Angeles (waymo.com)
Roll out the red carpet. Starting today, anyone in Los Angeles can take fully autonomous rides 24/7 with Waymo One – rolling through Santa Monica, Hollywood Boulevard, USC, and everything in between.

Self-Driving Cars, Transportation, Los Angeles, Technology, Autonomous Vehicles

213 points by ra7 114 days ago | 371 comments

L.A. man accused of robbery string while wearing GPS ankle monitor (latimes.com)
A 19-year-old Los Angeles man was arrested five times in five months, including for robberies that he is suspected of committing while under court-ordered GPS tracking.

Crime, Law Enforcement, Technology, Los Angeles

9 points by rom16384 115 days ago | 1 comments

Los Angeles Times owner blocks presidential endorsement (cjr.org)
Mariel Garza, the editorials editor of the Los Angeles Times, resigned on Wednesday after the newspaper’s owner blocked the editorial board’s plans to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for president.

News, Politics, Journalism, Los Angeles, Endorsements

13 points by dragonwriter 132 days ago | 1 comments

'Entire ecosystem' of fossils 8.7M years old found under Los Angeles high school (theguardian.com)
Marine fossils dating back to as early as 8.7m years ago have been uncovered beneath a south Los Angeles high school.

Paleontology, Los Angeles, Fossils, Geology

90 points by cpach 148 days ago | 23 comments

L.A. pilot guaranteeing families $1k/month shows 'transformative' results: study (latimes.com)
Some of L.A.’s poorest families received cash assistance of $1,000 a month as part of a 12-month pilot project launched nearly three years ago. There were no strings attached and they could use the money however they saw fit.

Social Programs, Economics, Los Angeles, Poverty

51 points by toomanyrichies 159 days ago | 73 comments

Man dies after being knocked down by woman on scooter (abc7.com)
A man died after he was knocked down by a woman riding a scooter in Koreatown, and his family is hoping the public can help police identify her.

Accidents, Traffic, Crime, Los Angeles

32 points by lxm 165 days ago | 32 comments

Final orange grove in the San Fernando Valley to give way to luxury homes (latimes.com)

Real Estate, Development, Los Angeles, California

6 points by PaulHoule 182 days ago | 1 comments

Los Angeles is in a 4-year sprint to deliver a car-free 2028 Olympics (theconversation.com)

Los Angeles, Olympics, Transportation, Urban Planning

72 points by rntn 193 days ago | 102 comments

Why London is 4-5 hrs ahead and LA is 3 hrs behind Boston though both are as far (reddit.com)

Time Zones, Geography, Boston, London, Los Angeles

13 points by thunderbong 196 days ago | 9 comments

Ransomware attack closed L.A. courts for days. Public deserves a full accounting (latimes.com)