Good morning. It’s Saturday, and this is your one-minute, weekly roundup of L.A. Material’s best work.
1. This might be L.A.’s most bizarre government body.
In 2014, a byzantine legal battle over a law that required porn actors to wear condoms created the City Health Commission. But that’s hardly the best of it: The 15-member volunteer panel has no budget, no staff, and practically no power. It is almost entirely ignored by the City Council. So why is it still around?
2. USC is eyeing NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
The storied facility in La Cañada Flintridge has been operated by Caltech for its entire history. So when NASA announced in May that it plans to open a competitive bidding process for the lab, it set off a secretive scramble among potential suitors. Much of the closed-door dealings have remained opaque. But we exclusively revealed one interested party: USC.
3. Have you been struggling to understand the FBI probe into Mark Walter?
If so, it’s understandable. The billionaire Dodgers owner has been the subject of relentless media coverage since the FBI started investigating him for a complicated series of financial maneuvers. He made headlines again this week when he sold the Lakers to Bob Iger and Josh Kushner. We have a plain-English explainer on what it all means.
MORE MATERIAL
WE LAUNCHED our long-awaited podcast, L.A. World, this week. You can listen wherever you get your podcasts — or watch on YouTube.
AN APPELLATE court unanimously upheld Mark Ridley-Thomas’ conviction, reigniting the warring interpretations of the longtime politician’s legacy.
THE PALISADES Village will reopen today. Parking is free!
LINKS YOU CLICKED MOST
AN ENCINO mansion in an otherwise quiet neighborhood has hosted thundering weekend ragers for months on end. The L.A. Times has a sharp look at the home that has become the target of neighborhood ire.
CAYUCOS IS California’s coolest, most underrated beach getaway, declared The San Francisco Standard.
THIS 1910 storybook English cottage was originally built as a tea house for Pasadena’s Busch Gardens — and it could be yours for $1.6 million.
JOIN US AT the Helms Design District today from 1 to 6 p.m. to celebrate Ferragosto! L.A. Material subscribers will receive a scoop of Dolcenero gelato on the house (and maybe some exclusive merch).
