🌱Castaic Fire Update +Eminent Domain Takes Hillside Villa Apartments?

Happy National Blueberry Popsicle Day, L.A.! If the news had a melting point, what would it be? Today, we’re talking about a fire, eminent domain, and street takeovers, for starters.

• 🚒 The Castaic fire is 12% contained
• 🧑‍⚖️ The City considers eminent domain to seize the Hillside Villa Apartments in Chinatown
• 🚘 The City Council wants to deal with street takeovers

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☀️ First, today's weather:

Hot with plenty of sunshine. High: 95 Low: 73.

🌡️ FYI: To locate a cooling center in Los Angeles, call 3-1-1, reach out to the Los Angeles Public Library Public Information Office at (213) 228-7555, or find your nearest location and its hours on the current list of county facilities.

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• Sinclair at 1060 S Ditman Ave., $4.69
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🗳️ November Election Poll!
Beginning October 6, and continuing through October 10, every registered voter is mailed a ‘Vote By Mail’ ballot. How are you planning to vote this November? Please let us know! So far, 26.9% plan to vote in person on election day, 69.2% will be voting by mail, and 3.8% plan to vote early in person.

📰 Here are the top five stories in Los Angeles today:

1) Castaic Fire Update: As of Thursday, the “5,208-acre Route 5 brush fire” in Castaic was 12% contained. Eight firefighters were injured and 200 homes evacuated. This fire started at noon on Wednesday “alongside the Golden State (5) Freeway in Castaic near Lake Hughes Road.” “Evacuation orders remained in effect Thursday north of Northlake Hills Elementary School, south of Templin Highway, including the Paradise Ranch Mobile Estates, east of the Golden State Freeway and west of Castaic Lagoon.” A smoke advisory was in effect because of smoke plumes. Regarding the freeway, “as of Thursday at 10 a.m., one northbound lane was open, and two lanes are open on the southbound side.” Another brush fire near 500 North Park Row Drive in Elysian Park was contained. (Patch, NBC, 2, LAFD)

2) The City Council is ready to exercise eminent domain action against the owner of the Hillside Villa Apartments in Chinatown. It is “home to intergenerational Latinx, Asian, African American, working class and predominantly immigrant families, many of whom have lived there for decades before the building's affordability covenant expired in late 2018.” We learned on Wednesday that the landlord is looking to raise rents by “more than 200 percent.” Tenant activists addressed the City Council. Now, the city is willing to buy the building from its owner, but they are “expected to reject the offer, triggering the process of eminent domain.” The landlord says that politicians involved in the situation could "fast-track tenants to Section 8," in which case “he would be happy to keep long-time tenants.” (KCET)

3) The L.A. City Council is also getting involved in dealing with street racing. Five council members, Monica Rodriguez, Kevin de Leon, John Lee, Bob Blumenfield and Mike Bonin, filed a motion on Wednesday asking “for a multi-year work plan and funding strategy” addressing the problem. They cited the 6th Street Bridge and takeovers in Council Districts 7 and 14. (ABC)

4) The LA River Farmers Market welcomes shoppers every Thursday at the LA State Historic Park. “Providing EBT incentives, the market hopes to address the rising cost of food prices, while providing healthy choices for the community.” (Spectrum News 1)

5) Mark your calendars! The 38th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day is coming on September 17 at 9 a.m. Locations are Venice Beach at Rose Avenue and Cabrillo Beach at 3720 Stephen M. White Drive. (Caltrans District 7)

📆 Today in Los Angeles:

• Online Yoga & Meditation With Master John from the Memorial Branch Library (10 a.m.)
• The Power Of Women In Country Music at the GRAMMY Museum (11 a.m.)
• Open Mic at The Hollywood Comedy (2 p.m.)
• Brian McKnight performs at The Novo (8 p.m.)
• Hernán Cattáneo at the Sound Nightclub (10 p.m.)

📓 From my notebook:

• Did you know that Los Angeles has the highest number of yoga practitioners per capita outside of India? 🧘‍♀️ While there are traditional studios practicing the craft, there's also fun variations, making for a truly unique experience. (Discover Los Angeles via Instagram)
• The LA County Incident Response Page is activated and posting emergency information about the Route Fire burning in Castaic. (County of Los Angeles via Instagram)
• Are you a city employee who has benefitted recently from the services provided by a General Services Department division? Give an MVP shout out in the comments! (City of Los Angeles - Jobs via Instagram)
• As temperatures hit triple digits all across LA County, beat the heat this weekend by visiting the Swim Beaches before they close until next summer! Labor Day will be the final day of operations until 2023, so bring the family down! (County of Los Angeles Department of Parks & Recreation via Facebook)
• A SW Jefferson Park neighbor has a question about wires and ice makers and hopes someone can point them in the right direction. (Nextdoor)

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Events:

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You're officially in the loop for today. See you all tomorrow morning for another update!

— Sylvia Cochran

About me: Sylvia Cochran works out of sunny Southern California and has been freelance writing full-time since 2005. She loves dogs, cats, books, plays Best Fiends (don't judge), embraces social justice, and tries to live out Micah 6:8.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Los Angeles Daily? Contact me at losangeles@patch.com