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of the Los Angeles Public Library is still operating out of its original building, nestled among the homes on West 48th Street.The Vermont Square Branch was built in 1913 on what had been park land that was donated by the City of Los Angeles.
It was funded with agrant, the philanthropy of industrialist Andrew Carnegie, who funded the arts, higher education and public libraries after making his fortune in steel in the late 19th century.For generations, it’s been considered a safe place and gathering spot for people who may otherwise have no place to go. Today,uses the room in the library’s basement for meetings, the grassy area out back is a place to relax, and for some, the building is a refuge from hot- and cold-weather days.of the Los Angeles Public Library still is operating out of its original building, nestled among the homes on West 48th Street. It’s not just a library. For generations, it’s been considered a safe place and gathering spot for people who otherwise may have no place to go. Today,uses the room in the library’s basement for meetings, the grassy area out back is a place to relax, and for some, the building is a refuge from hot- and cold-weather days. Of course, people also go there to read books, for free access to the internet and for children’s programming. But they also go there to find peace and quiet amid the hustle and bustle of inner-city Los Angeles. “It feels safe. It’s pretty big. It’s nice inside and comfortable. There are people to talk to, and I can meet friends,” resident Moses Rogers told The LA Local. The Vermont Square Branch was built in 1913 on what had been park land donated by the city of Los Angeles. It was funded with agrant, the philanthropy of industrialist Andrew Carnegie, who funded the arts, higher education and public libraries after making his fortune in steel in the late 19th century. The library is not the oldest branch in the city system, but it’s the first library building owned by the city. All other city libraries and facilities were housed in rented spaces. It was designed in the architectural style of the Italian Renaissance, and you still can find the original circulation desk, windows that allow in natural light, old furniture and marble fixtures inside the library. Branch manager Martha Sherod has worked at the library for 13 ½ years and calls the Vermont Square Branch a hidden treasure that some in the neighborhood can overlook. She said some people think it’s a government building, but for the people who grew up using the library, it symbolizes being home. “People come here for a purpose, they want to be here. We really like serving them,” Sherod told The LA Local. “Now that I’ve been here so long, I’ve seen kids grow up from being little kids to college students. So, it’s really been a joy for me.” Sherod said the branch holds about 24,000 items and has 4,500 visitors a month on average. The library also offers adult and teen programming, including free legal advice, health screenings, arts and crafts and book club activities. “The library isn’t just for quietly sitting and reading. There’s usually a lot of good activities happening. There are resources that you can use at home by downloading or just coming in here,” Sherod said. The Vermont Square Branch was designated by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission in 1983 after the community rallied to keep the building from being replaced. The exterior of the building remains the same, although the library was retrofitted for earthquake safety in 1990, a process that caused the branch to close to the public for six years. Longtime Vermont Square resident Fletcher Fair told The LA Local she’s been going to the branch since the late 1960s, and the library will always be a cornerstone of the community. “It’s the neighborhood library, and that’s where everyone went and prospered. We hung out, studied and partied,” she said. “There were a lot of events here.”A vial of the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella vaccination for children is displayed during an immunization event at the L.A. Care and Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan Community Resource Center in the Panorama City neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.The first measles case of the year in Los Angeles County has been confirmed by the county public health department.Public health officials said Friday a county resident who recently traveled abroad has been confirmed to have measures. Authorities have not identified locations, other than healthcare settings, where the person could have exposed others.County public health officials said Friday a county resident who recently traveled abroad has been confirmed to have measles. Authorities have not identified any locations, other than healthcare settings, where the person could have exposed others. Affected healthcare facilities are contacting patients and employees about potential exposure. County officials are also in the process of identifying those who may have had contact with the person. Measles spreads easily through the air and can stay on surfaces for many hours. Those infected can spread the virus before showing symptoms, which can take weeks to appear.a fever above 101 degrees, cough, runny nose, red-watery eyes and a rash that typically starts on the face. So far, 588 measles cases of measles have been reported in the U.S. this year, the highest number of cases in a January since the U.S. eliminated measles in 2000. Most of these cases are linked to outbreaks in South Carolina, Arizona and Utah. The L.A. County Department of Public Health is encouraging Angelenos to check their immunization statuses for a Measles, Mumps, Rubella vaccine to determine if they’re protected against the virus. Residents should also notify their health providers for guidance in the case of a potential exposure. If symptoms develop, contact a healthcare provider via phone as soon as possible, L.A. Public Health advises people to not physically go into a health care facility before notifying them of measles symptoms.The leaders of the Los Angeles Unified teachers union now have the power to call for a strike if they can’t reach a deal over pay, benefits and student support with the district.About 94% of United Teachers Los Angeles members who voted cast a ballot in favor of authorizing a strike. The results were announced Saturday. Union members include school psychologists, counselors and nurses.The strike authorization vote does not guarantee teachers will stage a walk out this semester. First the union must exhaust all steps of the collective bargaining process.Among other proposals, the union is asking for raises and changes to the salary schedule so that newer teachers who complete professional development can earn increases more quickly. The district has said it cannot afford what the union has proposed.The leaders of the Los Angeles Unified teachers union now have the power to call for a strike if they can’t reach a deal over pay, benefits and student support with the district. United Teachers Los Angeles’ has about 37,000 members. Of those that voted, 94% voted in favor of authorizing a strike. The tabulation process lasted late Friday night, and results were announced overnight Saturday.The strike authorization vote does not guarantee teachers will stage a walk out this semester. First the union must exhaust all steps of the collective bargaining process. Stephanie Castro teaches 7th grade English at Luther Burbank Middle School in Highland Park and voted for the strike authorization. “ I will do what needs to be done to fight for these proposals,” Castro said. “I want to make it super clear to Angelenos that teachers don't want to go on strike. We absolutely would rather be in our classrooms with our students… We also know that things cannot continue as they are.”related to declining enrollment and other factors:"We recognize the real financial strain on educators and staff, but must make difficult decisions to preserve classrooms, student services, and long-term stability within finite resources.", where a representative from the union, the district and the California Public Employment Relations Board collectively develop a recommendation to settle the negotiations. As in previous contract talks, the proposals that cost the most money are those that take the longest to hash out. The union is asking for raises and changes to the salary schedule so that newer teachers who complete professional development can earn increases more quickly. UTLA estimated before mediation, that this would amount to an average pay increase of 16% the first year and 3% the following year. The annual ongoing cost to the district would be about $840 million.Castro, the middle school teacher, said she notices a difference when her students have access to the school’s psychiatric social worker and other wraparound services. “It allows them to be fully present in the classroom,” Castro said. “They're not so worried about things that are happening outside of it and can really focus on that essay that they need to write or developing a thesis statement.”If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.Looking for things to do this week? How about spending a couple hours inside Harry Style’s latest music video?It's not everyday you can credit one of the world's biggest pop stars for rekindling your memories of a place. So, thank you, Harry Styles, for reminding us of the mesmerizing, confounding, iconic and the brashly weird wonders of the Bonaventure Hotel in downtown L.A. Last week, the singer returned to pop music after a four-year respite with the surprise release of a new album. Along came the first music video for “Aperture,” a breezy electronic number that unfolds as a non-sequitur romp through a sleek hotel — beginning as an inexplicable chase, then breaks into a long, nifty dance sequence, and crescendos in a hat tip toIn the video, when Styles steps onto the escalator before realizing he is being followed, a distant recognition went off in my head.That hunch grew more certain when he and his pursuer tumbled down a spiral of staircases that's almost Hitchcockian in its composition.And later, when the two somersault through a cocktail lounge with Los Angeles twinkling in the backdrop, the setting could only have been The BonaVista, the revolving restaurant on the 34th floor of the Bonaventure.Styles is the latest among a long list of artists and moviemakers to make use of the location. In 1993's, Clint Eastwood and John Malkovich had their big shoot-out finale there, and managed to squeeze in a little repartee inside one of its famous capsule elevators. More recently, Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s, the behemoth — towering hundreds of feet over Figueroa Street with some 1,400 rooms and the reigning title as Los Angeles's largest hotel — all but demanded the attention. The Bonaventure was built between 1974 and 1976 in the midst of Bunker Hill's redevelopment that started two decades back with land seizures through eminent domain and the evictions of thousands of low-income Angelenos.to the task. For the Hyatt in his hometown of Atlanta, that feature was 22 stories high. For the Bonaventure, the atrium was seven.Portman's idea was to create a city within its walls, and populated his creation with shops, restaurants and other amenities so people simply wouldn’t have to leave. The Bonaventure’s interior has been described as Brutalist in style, a raw concrete maze of dangling lounges, shooting columns, swirling staircases, curved walkways, glass elevators and seemingly dead ends. Its mirrored and cylindrical exterior has been called postmodern and futuristic.A few days ago, I went to the Bonaventure again for old times’ sake. I took this same walk several times a week for six years, when I worked downtown in the mid-aughts. Back then, thisThe Bonaventure was one of our options, with its food court on the fourth floor. Sometimes, I spent my lunch simply walking its various floors, entranced by the vast, hushed space that felt somehow endless and somewhat abandoned. I have always thought it was the perfect setting for a chase scene.Thanks, Harry, for the nudge to go and spend a couple leisurely hours getting lost in a quintessentially Los Angeles riddle.explores the weird and secret bits of SoCal that would excite even the most jaded Angelenos. He also covers mental health.Oliver Mayer is an award-winning playwright and professor of dramatic writing at USC — and he's been named by his students the"most calming professor" at the school.Mayer won a competition at the university set up by the Trojan Health Club and mental health company Calm to find the most tranquil teacher.Oliver Mayer is an award-winning playwright and professor of dramatic writing at USC. But recently he found out his students love him for yet another talent: the"most calming professor."Mayer won a competition at the university set up by the Trojan Health Club and mental health company Calm to find the most tranquil teacher. Students voted him most calming professor and he was awarded the opportunity to record a Sleep Story for Calm app users. The professor said, for him, it means more than ever to be considered a voice of calm, especially in what he calls the “upside down days” we’re living through. And Mayer also enjoyed being a twilight tour guide for his city. “I do love the idea that not only might I be calming someone with a route through Los Angeles, but I’m also hopefully inspiring students and everyone else to explore their cities, Los Angeles and otherwise,” he said.“Our climb ends. Here we are: The perfect place to fall asleep under the stars," he says on the recording.
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