gray olympics concrete block

L.A. VS BARCELONA THIS SPRING

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This update notes the second day of SEIU Local 99’s work stoppage and strike, as well as the recent L.A. County Motion to rename Grand Park to Gloria Molina Grand Park in honor of the former L.A. City Council and L.A. County Supervisor’s legacy for local government and Latina women in Los Angeles.

Our update also reminds listeners that this Thursday, March 23rd we chat with the Council Member for the 8th district in Los Angeles, Marqueece Harris-Dawson (@mhdcd8). Items for discussion include policies engaging homelessness and housing insecurity in the predominantly Latino and African-American district, the new Destination Crenshaw initiative, L.A.’s relation to the city of Inglewood, and more.

Last but not least, we announce the Barcelona Barrios Excursion. That’s right, J.T. is headed to Spain for the first time ever and invites you to come with; it’s going to be an unforgettable learning experience.

Also, remember to submit your voicemail to the new J.T. Weather Report!

Here are the four easy steps to take when calling into the hotline:

I. Choose an interesting nickname for yourself to keep your anonymity.

II. Tell me which side of The City (or County) you’re calling from.

III. Tell me how you’re liking the weather, or if you’ve seen anything interesting through it like a downed power line, fallen tree, a pack of opossums, etc.

IV. Keep it under a minute! This helps us tune in to more reports rather than less.

***And if you’d like to keep your number anonymous as well, did you know that pressing *67 before you dial a number keeps your number blocked? That’s right!

Submit your voicemail to the J.T. Weather Report at (213) 458-5042.

For more of these updates and then some, follow J.T. the L.A. Storyteller on Apple or Spotify, then rate and review us!

And if you’d like to tune into the show from elsewhere, please see our RSS feed here: https://jimbotimes.com/category/podcast/feed/

J.T.

aerial photography of city

Join me this Spring on the Barcelona Barrios Excursion

J.T.1 Comment

Dear Los Angeles,

I hope this message finds you well! I’m writing to you today with a special announcement. This Spring, I’m visiting Europe for the first time. In particular, I’m going to the city of Barcelona in Spain for a special opportunity and mission there.

Another port city, or metropolis by the sea, Barcelona was founded by the Roman Empire as early as the 1st century AD. More recently, in 1992, Barcelona hosted the Olympics. As you may know, Los Angeles is set to host the Olympics in 2028 (and before then is co-hosting the next World Cup in 2026).

In turn, developers and government offices across L.A. are preparing to usher in waves of tourist dollars and attractions. The question for urbanites such as myself, then, is clear: How do working-class communities engage these events, especially while so many of our families and households are still just starting to move past unique challenges posed by the pandemic? I believe Barcelona presents an excellent “Case Study” for this question, especially since it’s experienced an overwhelming growth of tourism since 2000 (which some would argue was first ushered in by the Olympics being held there eight years prior).

Additionally, my mission will place me with a Non-Governmental Organization in Barcelona working with recently migrated communities there. My goal is to learn from the barrios these communities have created to consider more about how people across the world establish and maintain ties in new lands. 

Enter the Barcelona Barrios Excursion. I’ll be staying in Barcelona for the mission for five weeks, from April 24th – May 30th. In order to help pay for expenses there, I’m organizing a special package for readers and supporters of my work through Patreon.

With a $25 subscription via Patreon from April through June, you’ll receive at least one photo essay and journal entry per week during my five weeks abroad. This way, we can reflect on the historic city and its challenges as a fellow port city together. My goal is to reach 40 patrons through this offer before April 18th, which won’t be easy, but which I’m determined to reach.

This is because at this point in my work as a storyteller, I’ve spent at least five years discussing and dissecting issues of gentrification and city planning both on my own and along a range of colleagues. Based on the last year of work with Making a Neighborhood, the newsletter from East Hollywood with my good friends and neighbors, I’ve seen firsthand that there are lots of people out there who value connection to “grassroots” and independent storytelling about these lands we have ties to.

It’s thus my pleasure to invite you to join me on the Barcelona Barrios Excursion. For any questions about the trip or the subscription process, please feel free to reach out. And thank you in advance for your support! I look forward to reaching Barcelona with Los Angeles just beside me.

¡Hasta pronto!

J.T.