To The Ports!

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LASA explored the San Pedro Port Complex via Zoom, a little expert help, and rapid research by the students. Given the breadth of issues at the core of the relationship between LA and the port(s), we launched a student research challenge. In Zoom breakout rooms, five groups tackled the history of Terminal Island, environmentalism, automation and labor, global trade in …

A LASA Investigation on Justice

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We gathered for September LASA with heavy and unsettled hearts after the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and a small earthquake. Many of us have been engaged this past summer in conversations and activism towards racial justice and the role of policing in Los Angeles. For Saturday, we invited Eileen Decker, the President of the LA Police Commission, and …

Welcome to the New Class!

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LASA 2020-2021 kicked off the summer Zoom sessions with spirit, curiosity, and gratitude for the chance to explore LA together. Using break out rooms, we met each other and mapped routes amongst homes and schools. This largest class of LASA reaches across the county and the maps revealed their creativity and that IKEA Burbank is a point of common knowledge …

Another One in the Books

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In May, we gathered again via Zoom to conclude our time together and think about the future. We welcomed three college counselors from Harvard Westlake – Nia Kilgore, Jennifer Cardillo, and Jamie Chan – to discuss steps and questions the students could consider this summer and fall as they move into the college application process. We are so grateful for …

Plastics…

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LASA gathered online in April to check in with each other and to learn about the global economic and environmental issues around plastics and recycling. We considered how LA fits into this larger system – and how previous LASA days, like our trip to the Port, are a part of the puzzle.  As we checked in with each other about …

Health Check

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LASA gathered in February to consider Health and Human Rights in Los Angeles. We visited Dr. Cynthia Willard, Medical Director of Program for Torture Victims and consultant for the USC-Keck Human Rights Clinic.  Dr. Willard’s critical and life-changing work broadened our understandings of the relationship between healthcare and law. Daniel P. shared, “This most recent LASA trip was my favorite …

On The Move!

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Happy 2020, LASA! We gathered in LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes to kick off the year together and consider transportation in LA. Thank you to LA Plaza for hosting us. For some, it was their first time at LA Plaza. Daniel P. shared of his visit, “there are rich historical sites that display Hispanic presence in the early days …

Law Enforcement in Los Angeles

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LASA considered law and justice this month. We visited LAPD Rampart and welcomed Isaac Bryan, Director of Public Policy of UCLA’s Million Dollar Hoods Project. Instead of reflecting on the day after we gather, this month LASA reviewed Million Dollar Hoods’ website and mapping room and framed questions for LAPD and Isaac that they shared in advance our of Saturday …

Tech LA

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LASA traveled to Glenair in Glendale to consider manufacturing, technology, and labor in LA. Thanks so much to Ron Logan and Rob Tillman for hosting us, sharing their journeys to the jobs they hold, and giving us lunch.  Daniel P. shared, “Visiting Glenair was a wonderful experience. I was very amazed by the different devices Glenair created and how important …

To The Ports!

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LASA arrived at the Port of Los Angeles to consider land use, commerce, labor, environmental impact, and the fascinating shape of the city of LA. The scale of the operations of the port, as noted by Will, is difficult to fathom absent the experience of visiting. Lucy framed the port as a “trading hub of the country” while Daniel M. …