Good morning. It’s Saturday, and this is your one-minute, weekly roundup of L.A. Material’s best work.
1. The city attorney's latest settlement is raising eyebrows — and burning L.A.'s limited cash.
It all stems from a crash in Boyle Heights that left a 13-year-old with an amputated leg. The boy’s family sued the city and secured a $20 million settlement. But here’s the thing: No city vehicle or employee was involved in the crash. Instead, the lawsuit blamed the design of the intersection itself — meaning the settlement could have implications far beyond Boyle Heights.
2. Have you gotten a street sweeping ticket?
There’s a chance you’re owed a refund. We found that the Department of Transportation has issued roughly $1 million in bogus street sweeping citations over the last five years. Our story includes a map that shows whether your neighborhood was hit with bum tickets, as well as a tool to check whether you’re owed money back.
3. The corpse flower drew massive crowds to the Huntington Gardens this week.
The notoriously stinky, funky-looking flower is famous for blooming only once every four to six years. In part because of its elusiveness, the flower has become a big draw for the gardens and enjoys generous media coverage. But if the flower is really so rare, how the heck are there multiple blooms every year? Well, it turns out the Huntington has more than 40 of them.
CULINARY CUP CHAMPIONSHIP
L.A. Material readers have selected the final 2 restaurants competing for the title of Champion. Voting will close at the end of Saturday 7/18, so vote now! The winner of this round will win L.A. Material's 2026 Culinary Cup.
🏆 Championship | Paraguay vs. Mexico
MORE MATERIAL
CITY CONTROLLER Kenneth Mejia endorsed Councilmember Nithya Raman for mayor, uniting two of City Hall’s biggest pariahs.
WE STAKED OUT the Lineage warehouse in Boyle Heights to figure out where all the burnt trash is going. Related: We broke the news that a longtime Karen Bass advisor is now working for Lineage.
SIX FISHERMEN are accused of trying to sneak illegally caught lobsters off the Santa Monica Pier in a baby stroller. “Butter Call Saul,” L.A. Material’s Hayes Davenport wrote in a delightful dispatch. “Busted crustacean hustlers might face a jury of their piers.”
LINKS YOU CLICKED MOST
WHY DO SO many of today’s Hollywood stars kind of look the same? You can blame plastic surgery trends, social media, and casting directors for the “slop face” phenomenon, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
IF YOU’RE A homebuyer looking for a pop of color, consider this $6.5 million, five-bed manse in Los Feliz, complete with a hand-painted abstract mural, lilac kitchen, and jewel-toned media room.
A FISHERMAN splashed off the Santa Monica Pier after trying to reel in a shark. His rescue was caught on camera.
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