Let the city know.
The Barcelona Barrios Excursion is fast-approaching, and the best way to stay tuned in is with a membership through patreon.com/jimbotimes, which helps support expenses for the journey. Also note that this Thursday, April 6th, we join forces with Michelle Rivera, of UCLA’s Masters in Urban Planning program (MURP). Michelle and I will be discussing not only her Masters program, but also her own upcoming trip to Paris, France this fall. Join us for the chat via IG Live!
For Los Cuentos,
J.T.
In our 86th episode, we connect with Bryant Odega (@BryantOdegaLA), a born and raised resident of the Harbor Gateway neighborhood of L.A.’s south side who is now running for council district 15, which includes the neighborhoods of San Pedro, Harbor City, Harbor Gateway, Wilmington, and Watts. Bryant and I discuss his upbringing as the child of a single-parent household, his study of the labor movement at UCLA, and his transformative experience as a part of the Sunrise Movement. Bryant also discusses disparities in quality of life rates for the areas of Watts and Wilmington and particular, including food apartheid in the former, and more than 2,700 oil and gas wells in the latter. Finally, Bryant shouts out legacy organizations such as the Watts Initiative, which continue to uplift the neighborhood despite ongoing disinvestment by the city of Los Angeles.
J.T.
In our 85th episode, we connect on a call with Jimmy Biblarz (@jimmybiblarz), a queer life-long resident and sociologist from the Pico-Robertson area, or “Synagogue Row,” who is also running to represent Council District 5 this year. We discuss Jimmy’s struggle with being evicted from his home in his adolescent years, as well as ways that L.A. city government can better engage communities here, including by enfranchising “non-citizen” or “undocumented” residents, or permitting these groups to vote in local elections. We also discuss the Purple Line’s extension to UCLA, and why this should not mean adding more police to Metro to ensure student and commuter safety. Jimmy also notes the inspection of oil drills in Council District 5, repealing counterproductive ordinances for unhoused residents, and more.
J.T.