Southern California breaking news and trends

16 Vintage Travel Posters for summer vacation inspiration; LA library collection has a world of options (photos)


Los Angeles Public Library has a collection of beautiful travel posters from the 20s and 30s to help inspire an enviable summer vacation plan.

Prepare to abandon all thoughts of a stale, stay-at-home season  — nearly 90 posters of striking color and exotic locations have been designed to seduce your inner adventurer.

The LA Public Library describes the content and style of their Travel Posters Collection.

Selected travel posters of exotic destinations are from the collection housed in the International Languages Department and Rare Books at Central Library.

The artwork finely demonstrates the sensibilities of 1920s and 1930s Art Deco and early Futurism.

And there's plenty more to explore. The visual collections are just some of the resources LAPL has online for public searching and browsing and reading and learning and doing all the other "-ing" things one does at a physical library.

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Point Mugu State Park to reopen Friday following Springs Fire devastation (photos)

point mugu

Photo by Andrew Spear via Instagram.com/ajspear

Point Mugu State Park will reopen after a number of nearby wildfires including the Springs Fire that burned through the canyons of the western Santa Monica Mountains all the way down to the Pacific Ocean.

Areas of the park have been off-limits since the massive wildfire earlier this month, but will be reopening in time for Memorial Day weekend.

According to the California parks website, some trails will remain closed for repairs, but camping, day-use areas and the backcountry will reopen Friday, according to Parks district Superintendent Craig Sap. 

Point Mugu State Park areas to reopen:

Current Status for Point Mugu SP:

  • Sycamore Campground- Reopening May 24th
  • Back Country area- Reopening May 24th (with some trails closed for additional repairs) 
  • Mugu Beach-Open
  • Chumash Trail Head Parking- Reopening May 24th
  • Thornhill Broome Campground-Open
  • Sycamore Cove Day-Use-Open  
  • La Jolla Group Camp- Reopening May 24th  
  • La Jolla Day-Use- Reopening May 24th

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With contributions by KPCC Wire Services

FAQ: What patients need to know about the UCLA medical centers strike


Health workers at University of California medical centers began a two-day strike on Tuesday with a walkout at 4 a.m. that potentially affects thousands of employees and led to the postponement and rescheduling of some patient surgeries and appointments.

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) union is battling management over staffing and pension issues at facilities in San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, San Francisco and Sacramento.

RELATED: Health workers begin strike against University of California medical centers

The union represents nearly 13,000 hospital pharmacists, nursing assistants, operating room scrubs and other patient care workers. Members of the University Professional and Technical Employees (UPTE) union, representing more than 3,300 health care workers, were expected to hold "sympathy strikes," according to UCLA.

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UPDATE: LA County supervisors vote to research renovating jail to treat mental health, substance abuse

Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images

An immate uses a mirror to look outside his cell at the Los Angeles Men's Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles, 19 May 2004.

UPDATE 12:58 p.m. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to research turning a wing of Men's Central Jail into a mental health and substance abuse treatment facility.

Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who introduced the motion, called the idea to simply tear down the current jail and replace it with a new one "absurd."

"I'm not interested in spending a billion dollars on another jail," Yaroslavsky said. "I am open as a policymaker and as a taxpayer to doing something that costs money if it stands a chance of actually producing results."

Assistant Sheriff Teri McDonald, who's in charge of the county's jails, told the Board she was open to the idea.

"We really are challenged with our physical plant," McDonald said, pointing out that Twin Towers jail currently has 2,700 men with mental health needs who are nonetheless housed in the general population.

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Elephant meat for Fresno, protected reptile handbags and one dead primate at LAX


Officials seized a dead primate; 387 snake, lizard and crocodile skin handbags; and nearly half a pound of elephant meat over the course of a few days earlier this month at Los Angeles International Airport, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

  • May 6 - Reptile handbags seized during baggage inspection of 31-year-old man arriving on a flight from Nigeria.
  • May 9 - Elephant meat seized at the International Mail Facility.
  • May 10 - Primate seized at the International Mail Facility.

Jill Birchell, special agent in charge for Fish and Wildlife in California and Nevada told the Press-Telegram that "several of these were endangered species and under the highest level of protection."

The Asian elephant meat originated in Thailand and was bound for Fresno. It was found tucked inside plant material.

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