Good morning. It's Wednesday, Dec. 27. Here's what you need to know to start your day.
One hell of a question for L.A.
In April 1993, the cover of Time Magazine offered a bleak portrait of Los Angeles: Freeways clogged with cars, violence everywhere and fires burning — all under a well-lighted Hollywood sign.
The cover posed a question: "Is the City of Angels going to Hell?" Inside, reporters paint a picture of a divided city still reeling and rebuilding after the Rodney King beating and subsequent 1992 uprising in response to the acquittal of the LAPD officers who'd beaten him.
"Much of what seemed modern and alluring about Los Angeles now seems terribly shortsighted and ugly," the article says. "The ethnic patchwork appears to be a map of bunkered enclaves. Its center cannot hold because the city doesn't have one."
If it was already hell in the early '90s, a lot of people must not have read Time. Census data show that the city's population grew nearly 12% between 1990 and 2020. Countywide, the population grew about 13% in that time frame. It's worth noting that there are fewer Angelenos now than there were at the start of 2020 — and fewer Californians (and there are a number of reasons for that).
But depending on which news channel you watch and which politicians you hear, L.A. (and the rest of California) has been packed up in that proverbial hellbound handbasket for years. Poverty, crime, political corruption, police brutality — it's still what we expect to see in our news headlines and political discourse.
And there's never a shortage of hellish incidents, stark realities and tragedies that test Angelenos' faith in their city. And there's certainly plenty of traffic, so Time was right on the money there.
But 30 years later, L.A. Times reporter Daniel Miller was curious about the question posed on that cover. Are we in hell?
To answer that question, he turned to 17 "prominent Angelenos," asking them to share their perspectives.
Among those who weighed in were former police and political leaders, chefs, a music journalist, homeless and civil rights advocates, an author, an academic and a Hollywood director.
"There was consensus that this is a fraught time for Los Angeles — nearly every participant mentioned the scourge of homelessness when contemplating the issues affecting the city," Daniel noted in his story. "That's in stark contrast to the 1993 Time story: Homelessness wasn't mentioned. Even once."
Here are some of their insights that stood out to me. Be sure to read Daniel's full story to explore more of what they shared.
Wendy C. Ortiz, author and essayist:
"All cities encompass both heaven and hell. …There are going to be more interesting characters in hell than in heaven. And Los Angeles is the hell I've chosen."
Bernard Parks, former LAPD chief and city council member:
"In terms of local politics, local government and the City Council, we may not be in hell but we are close enough to it to where you can feel the heat and smell the smoke. … There is little that gives you the sense that there are a large number of people in positions of authority looking to go in a different direction."
Andy Bales, homeless advocate and chief executive of Union Rescue Mission:
"Homelessness is hell. There is no suffering like hoping the sun comes up so that you don't shiver anymore, or hoping that you can find a restroom before you get a urinary tract infection. We have really let people down, and we can do so much better."
Brenda Stevenson, UCLA professor:
"When we look at the Black population in Los Angeles 30 years later, we still see a very large and disproportionate number of people incarcerated. The largest proportion of unhoused people are Black. … I am always hopeful for improvement in L.A. — and I do think it is in a better place than it was in 1993."
Father Greg Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries:
"Anybody who suggests we haven't made progress isn't paying attention. Because there is no comparison. … My hope is that we now have a broader sense of trauma, mental health, poverty and despair — all the things that impact behavior. … [Gang violence] is the language of people who are stuck in despair."
Maria S. Salinas, president and chief executive of the L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce:
"Thirty years ago, I was working at Rebuild L.A., the organization that came together after the 1992 uprising to help aid the city's restoration. … That moment in time just showed the determination of Angelenos to engage diverse voices to come together to address challenges. I remember thinking, the residents of Los Angeles are resilient and care deeply about their city and they will not let this city fail."
John Carpenter, film director, writer and composer:
"We live on the edge. It makes us feel special about ourselves. It's ridiculous because at any moment we could topple over — topple over into doom. That's L.A. for you — there's nothing like it."
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