How to LA: How to Bike in LA, Residents Protest Fast & Furious, Climate Change Around the World

Good morning, L.A. It’s Monday, August 29. Today in How to LA: Biking in L.A., introducing the How to LA podcast, teachers union boycott LA Unified’s first ‘optional’ day.

I’ve always wanted a bike. My senior year of college, I bought one and loved it so much, I rode it everywhere. But eventually that $80 Target bike didn’t serve me anymore…and definitely NOT in a big city, like Los Angeles. Now, in a completely different stage in my life, I’m ready to do it again — hop on a bike and cruise all around L.A. But I need to know how to even get started, right? Thank goodness we have a guide to help me navigate this. Check it out here. 

This kind of help is exactly what How To LA is all about. We’ve got this newsletter (thank you to subscribers, if you’re not already here’s how to get this in your inbox weekday mornings!) and a podcast set to launch tomorrow (listen to the trailer) that aims to serve YOU, the curious Angeleno, who wants to better CONNECT with our city, DISCOVER the new, NAVIGATE the confusing, and possibly make some CHANGE along the way. ICYMI we introduced the concept last week in this newsletter.

For a little more about the podcast How to LA, here’s my colleague and host Brian De Los Santos…

The News You Need After You Stop Hitting Snooze

*We hope to bring you all the news freely, but occasionally you might hit a paywall. Thank you for understanding!

• ICYMI United Teachers Los Angeles said they will boycott the first ‘optional’ day of classes — part of the plan put forth by L.A. Unified Superintendent Alberto Carvalho to offer extra days of instruction for kids who fell behind during the pandemic. The first ‘optional’ day this semester is Oct. 19. 
• Angelino Heights residents held a rally Friday, protesting the next film in the Fast & Furious franchise, Fast X, arguing the series has encouraged more street racing in the neighborhood. (Los Angeles Times)  
• In an exclusive report, L.A. Taco reports that concrete barriers were set up by L.A. County officials in East L.A. to deter a taco stand from setting up shop (L.A. Taco) 
• You’ve probably heard about the wildlife corridor planned over the 101 and the Santa Monica Mountains. Conservationists want one for the Palos Verdes Peninsula, too. 
• Wait, did you say there’s a VEGAN butcher in L.A.? Meet Maciel Bañales who opened up a plant-based deli, Maciel’s, in Highland Park. My long-time vegetarian colleague Julia Paskin is a fan.
• Not everyone is pleased with the Caltrans program to clean up homeless encampments along the state’s highways, but Gov. Gavin Newsom last week joined a clean up effort in L.A. and praised the work, which includes picking up more than 1,200 tons of trash in the last year. (The Sacramento Bee)
• MoviePass went bankrupt in 2020. Now it’s back. 
• It’s no secret there’s is a political divide when it comes to renewable energy, but there is a lot of disinformation about the use of alternatives to fossil fuels. Here’s how it spreads. 
• NASA’s Artemis I is scheduled to launch today and will circle the moon before heading home on its 42-day mission. The spacecraft will be unmanned but Snoopy will be aboard.

Wait! One More Thing…My Top Three Tea-Sipping Trends

It’s Monday. Time for a quick review of stories trending on social media over the weekend.

THREE — The Biden Administration is offering some student loan relief but here’s a few tips, courtesy of the Washington Post, on other ways you can try to get your student loan forgiven.

TWO — This San Francisco crime reporter @sfchronicle tracked thieves stealing her car and learned what the police can and cannot do to help.

ONE— Climate change is real. In this photo essay from Bloomberg Green (@climate), images of dry lake beds and rivers show how a warming planet is wreaking havoc all over the world.