Gene Maddaus

Credit: Echo Park Historical Society

Best Stair Walk

Gene Maddaus
The Big Parade is a full weekend of urban hiking, covering 35 miles and 80 public stairways in two days. Dan Koeppel, an author and pedestrian advocate, organized the first event in 2009, and it's been held annually since. Generally, a couple hundred people join in for some portion of......
Credit: Gene Maddaus

Best Stained Glass Classes

Gene Maddaus
Founded in 1977, Stained Glass Supplies used to be one of many such shops around Los Angeles. But as stained glass has fallen out of vogue, most of the other ones have closed. Still, there's a dedicated group of crafters who want to learn how to make beautiful windows and......
Credit: Prayitno / via Flickr

Santa Monica Puts Minimum Wage Hike on Hold

Gene Maddaus
After hours of public testimony and debate that went past midnight on Tuesday, the Santa Monica City Council decided to hold off on creating a citywide minimum wage until at least December. The council appeared in broad agreement that the city should adopt a wage floor of $15 an hour......
Mayor Eric Garcetti charges his phone at a solar-powered "smart" bench

Who Wants to Charge Your Phone at a Solar-Powered Bench?

Gene Maddaus
L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti ventured to South L.A. on Monday to unveil the city's first ever "smart" bench. The bench, called a "Soofa," comes with two USB ports, which are powered by a solar panel. This version of the bench isn't that "smart." It does not store, collect or dispense......
Credit: Don McCullough / via Flickr

Drone Operator Charged With Interfering With LAPD Helicopter

Gene Maddaus
The L.A. City Attorney's Office today filed charges against a man accused of using a drone to interfere with a police chase. Martin Sheldon, 57, faces two misdemeanor counts of obstructing a police officer. Sheldon is accused of piloting his drone toward an LAPD helicopter in the midst of a......
The L.A. River; Credit: Photo by Hillel Aron

Storm Sends Raw Sewage Into L.A. River

Gene Maddaus
L.A. woke up this morning to a downpour. As urban runoff gets flushed into the sea, it's a good idea to avoid the beach for a few days. The situation is particularly grim in Long Beach, where several hundred thousand gallons of raw sewage flowed into the L.A. River and......
Credit: via L.A. 2024

Paris vs. Los Angeles: Which Olympics Video Is Better?

Gene Maddaus
L.A.'s bid for the 2024 Olympics is just getting up and running. In this day and age, that means launching a social media campaign complete with a hashtag (#LA2024) and a promotional video. Today, L.A. 2024 unveiled its video showcasing "a new L.A.," which is the theme of the bid......
L.A. subway station; Credit: Frederick Dennstedt / via Flickr

No, the MTA Is Not Speeding Up the Westside Subway for the Olympics

Gene Maddaus
When L.A. officials announced last week that they would be bidding for the 2024 Olympic Games, they emphasized two things. First, no taxpayer money would be needed. Second, L.A. is best positioned to win the Games because it already has the infrastructure in place to host the games. So it's......