All Things Considered (Local)

“We live next to the ocean, but we also live on the edge of the desert. And without water, the dust will rise up and cover us as though we never existed.” – Chinatown
Gold made California boom. But water kept it going. That’s especially true for Los Angeles, whose never-ending quest for water is a deep part of its history. Much of LA’s water comes from the …

A few years ago, the Children’s Nature Institute moved its headquarters from a rustic outpost in Franklin Canyon to the very urban Pico-Union neighborhood with the mission of raising awareness of the nature that exists in the urban world. They also started taking kids and their families on urban nature hikes —  in their own neighborhoods. The Institute also takes nearly 20,000 kids, ages three to eight, into nature and has “Wondermobiles” …

You might think of the Mojave Desert as empty and inhospitable. But homesteaders and miners began living in this dry, vast space east of Los Angeles in the early 20th Century.
And it’s always called to outsiders and artists like Noah Purifoy, an Angeleno who lived in Joshua Tree and created 10 acres of desert sculptures from junk.
Independent producer Brian Calvert went to the Mojave to visit with …

Beaches in Southern California can be full of surprises – you might encounter anything from drum circles to snake charmers and creatures on stilts.
These days if you travel south from Santa Monica towards LAX, you are in for a special treat: German artist Michael Sistig created an outdoor art installation. It includes shipping containers, a polar bear and a modern day siren luring passers-by.
Kerstin Zilm …

2013 marks the centennial anniversary of the Los Angeles Aqueduct’s construction. The water wars that drained the Owens Valley, enabling the existence of one of the world’s great megalopolises to the south, are today the stuff of literary and cinematic legend.
But one group’s story has been left out of the tellings. Before the arrival of white settlers in that region of California in the mid …

Law enforcement officials say the ex-LAPD officer Christopher Dorner – who waged a personal war with authorities over the course of two weeks – died of a single gunshot wound to the head in a burning mountain cabin on Tuesday. San Bernardino County sheriff’s officials told reporters today that it appears the wound was self-inflicted. Dorner is accused of killing a couple in Irvine earlier …

When you think of live music, you might think of a concert or a nightclub. But one of the hottest markets for live-performance equipment is about as far away from a nightclub as you can get: Church. Independent Producer Susan Valot found out when she stopped by the National Association of Music Merchants trade show, or NAMM Show. The annual music product convention was held in Anaheim …

Every December 31st, huge crowds of people all around the world gather to welcome the New Year. They huddle together in barren public squares, exhausted and freezing, in the belief that if enough people do something unpleasant at the same time that makes it worthwhile.
I’ve never been tempted to join them. Why would I, when a neighborhood near my own home has a public year-end …

Traffic jams, sketchy underpasses, and towering grey walls. Southern California freeways aren’t exactly known for their physical charm.
But earlier this month, a new kind of freeway overpass was inaugurated over the 210 in Arcadia. Designed by British artist Andrew Leicester, it is all slinky curves and basket weave patterns.
Could this mean a new era for freeway design?
Produced by independent producer Carolina Miranda. Originally aired on …

Independent producer Jody Becker talks to three environmental non-profits in Southern California: the Surfrider Foundation, Heal the Bay, and the NRDC competition for end of year donations, while working towards a common good.
This piece originally aired on KCRW during All Things Considered.