Local Briefs

LA County Expands Testing Sites

The L.A. County Department of Health Services announced that it is moving to deliver an "urgent expansion" of the county's free testing services. This as long lines have formed at most testing sites, during a major expansion in the number of people testing positive for Covid.

As part of the expansion, the county brought back the Holiday Home Test Collection Program, which offers residents free at-home nasal swab tests if they have COVID-19 symptoms or if they've been exposed to the virus.

Other changes include extending hours of operation at testing sites across L.A. County, opening the sites on additional days and adding more mobile testing units in hard-hit areas.

Bridge Becomes Homeless Construction Site

Residents of the 5200 block of Centinela Avenue, where a bridge crosses the Ballona Creek, report that round the clock construction has been going on underneath the bridge. This according to KCAL 9 News, which covered the story in response calls from residents.

"Kristine Lazar reports from Del Rey where a group of residents who live along Ballona Creek say something has to be done about a growing homeless encampment. In order to compel city and county officials to take action, they started taking hours and hours of video of the area."

The homeless people who have taken up living under the bridge have tapped into the street lights for power, said one local resident. "They use circular saws round the clock, building housing underneath the bridge. Sometimes a woman screams, as if she is being raped. Sometimes there are mysterious explosions, and smoke and the smell of burnt rubber rises from the bridge," he said.

Such jerry rigged homeless construction happens in other places as well. But this particular location is both urban, and not in any particular incorporated city's jurisdiction.

Schwarzenegger Donates Tiny Homes

Movie star and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has donate 25 tiny homes for homeless vets. The tiny homes are located at the Veterans Administration in West Los Angeles. The donation is valued at $250,000.

"For the first time in a long time, these vets are now off the streets," Schwarzenegger told reporters.

Separately, ten years after filing, Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger have finalized their divorce. The pair will likely split their $400 million fortune evenly, says TMZ. The Schwarzenegger family still celebrates the holidays together, TMZ says.

MTA Offers Free Rides

In an effort to discourage drunk driving, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority offers riders free bus and train rides on all MTA lines New Years Eve.

No fare is required to ride busses or trains from 9 PM December 31, 20201 until 2 am January 1, 2022.