Los Angeles, Ca
UCLA purchases vacant mall in West L.A. with plans to create massive research campus
A vacant mall in West Los Angeles will have a new life in academia after it was acquired by UCLA.
The renowned university has purchased the Westside Pavilion on Pico Boulevard with plans to transform the massive property into a state-of-the-art research campus.
The 700,000-square-foot property is located about two miles from the school’s Westwood campus and was purchased for $700 million, most of which was made possible through a $500 million investment from the state.
The Westside Pavilion will be reimagined into the UCLA Research Park, which will house the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy at UCLA and the UCLA Center for Quantum Science and Engineering as well as “programs across the disciplines.”
UCLA Chancellor Gene Block described the acquisition as “transformative” for the university, the city and the entire world, thanking the California Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom for making the purchase possible.
“We will remake the empty former mall into a state-of-the-art hub of research and innovation that will bring scholars from different higher education institutions, corporate partners, government agencies and startups together to explore new areas of inquiry and achieve breakthroughs that will serve our global society,” Block said in a news release.
Newsom said this is the latest instance of California being the world’s leader of technological innovation.
“Leveraging the next waves of technology and science — quantum computing and the immense potential of immunology — the UCLA Research Park will cement California’s global economic, scientific and technological dominance into the 22nd century and beyond,” Newsom said.
The effort to acquire the property has been ongoing for several years, spearheaded by Dr. John Mazziotta, CEO of UCLA Health. Mazziotta said his vision for UCLA Research Park is to be the “immunology equivalent of Silicon Valley.”
Google previously leased the property, the school said, and was instrumental in helping the transfer go smoothly.
In addition to being the new hub for immunology study, the UCLA Research Park will also house the UCLA Center for Quantum Science and Engineering, which conducts research in the “emerging field of quantum science,” including quantum computing and communication.
The Westside Pavilion opened in 1985 and sits on the 10800 block of West Pico Boulevard. It features an enclosed pedestrian bridge over Westwood Boulevard, “broad metal and glass façade,” 17-foot ceilings and panoramic windows. As part of the purchase, the university is also acquiring the attached multiplex theater, which may be converted into lecture halls or performance spaces.
The property has seen significant redevelopment in recent years with updated infrastructure improvements, seismic retrofitting, renovated building facades and reimagined courtyards, terraces and patio spaces. Hudson Pacific Properties and Macerich, the previous property owners, worked with Google on converting part of the property into flexible office space.
UCLA has been rapidly growing its footprint throughout the city in the few years to address crowding and increase enrollment and expand its cultural reach.
In September 2022, the school created the UCLA South Bay campus after it acquired the former Marymount California University campus in Rancho Palos Verdes and its residential property in San Pedro.
In June 2023, UCLA purchased the historic Trust Building in downtown Los Angeles which was branded UCLA Downtown and will host satellite classes and house administrative offices.
The university also purchased the vacant Crest Theater in Westwood, which it extensively renovated and reopened last fall as the Nimoy.
The expansions are also part of the University of California System’s ambitious goals to produce 200,000 more undergraduate and graduate degrees by 2030.
“We recognize the former Westside Pavilion’s place in L.A.’s history and are grateful for the chance to turn the empty former mall into the future home of discoveries that will change the world,” Block said.
The future of voice to text is here.
I’ve been testing a variety of tools that make taking notes, transcribing audio, and even voice typing faster and easier than ever.
If you have a smartphone, you’re already halfway there!
Google’s Pixel Recorder app is free and built into their smartphone. It’s excellent for transcribing meetings, lectures, and conversations – all in real time.
Apple’s Voice Memos App recently added transcriptions if you’re upgraded to iOS 18.
Samsung’s Voice recorder app now offers transcripts too – as long as you’re on their latest One UI 7 software. (Check Settings > About Phone > Software Information)
Got an older phone? Try Otter.AI. It works great for transcriptions across devices and you get 300 minutes a month free.
Don’t want to tie up your phone?
I’ve been testing AI-powered digital audio recorders from a startup named Plaud.
The Plaud Note is thin, records for hours, and can even clip to the back of your phone to record calls. Just make sure you know your local laws before using that feature.
The Plaud Pin can be clipped to your shirt or worn on your wrist for hands-free recording.
Both devices sync audio to a companion app that auto transcribes and summarizes.
You get five hours of transcription a month included, with options to pay for more.
Pricing for each gadget starts around $160 dollars.
Want to transcribe audio files on your computer?
My favorite Mac app is MacWhisper. You can even get it completely free – although paid versions are avaialble with more features and options.
On Windows, check out Vibe Transcribe, also free.
And for a web-based option, Whisper Web gets the job done.
Finally, if you want to type less and talk more… there’s an excellent AI voice-to-text app called Wispr Flow. It was previously Mac only but just became avaialble for Windows, too.
One you install it, you pick a hotkey. Then, instead of typing just press and hold down that key and dictate what you want to write.
Since it uses the power of AI, you can even stumble or ramble and it will clean up your words and get the punctionation right.
It’s a gamechanger for responding to emails fast! You get 2,000 words free each week with options to pay for more.
Enjoy your newfound time!
An alleged attack on a state prison officer by a 43-year-old inmate transferred from Los Angeles County is being investigated as attempted homicide, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials announced Tuesday.
The March 18 incident at Salinas Valley State Prison in Soledad reportedly unfolded just before 9 a.m. on what authorities describe as a “dayroom floor.”
The inmate, Anthony G. Ramirez, is believed to have pulled an improvised weapon from his waistband before attempting to attack custody staff member, according to a CDCR news release.
“Staff immediately responded, disarming Ramirez and placing him in handcuffs without incident,” the release detailed.
The 43-year-old, who was transferred to SVSP in 2008 after being sentenced to life with the possibility of parole for second-degree murder, with enhancements for the use of a firearm and causing great bodily injury or death, was placed in restrictive housing pending the investigation and possible felony prosecution by the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office.
Both Ramirez and the custody staff member were examined by medical personnel who noted no serious injuries.
Officials said that the California Correctional Peace Officers Association was notified of the incident and prison staff were offered peer support services and employee assistance programs.
Salinas Valley State Prison, opened in 1996, houses more than 2,400 minimum, medium, maximum and high-security inmates. The facility also offers vocational programs and academic classes and employs some 1,800 people.
A toxic algal bloom leaving an increasing number of marine mammals stranded along Southern California beaches shows no signs of subsiding and “will only get worse,” officials said Monday.
“This week, we saw more stranded dolphins (both alive and deceased) than we saw during the major domoic acid (DA) bloom in 2023,” Marine Mammal Care Center (MMCC) Los Angeles posted on Facebook.
Recent tests showed DA-producing algae levels have increased, and officials believe that trend will continue in the coming weeks. “We anticipate that it will only get worse,” the post read.
MMCC asked the public not to approach sick dolphins or sea lions on the beach because they can become aggressive upon awakening from a seizure.
“This is a safety issue for people and their pets as much as it is for the marine mammals,” officials said.
Beachgoers were also urged not to push stranded dolphins back into the water, saying it can reduce their chances of survival.
More information about domoic-acid poisoning can be found at https://marinemammalcare.org/domoic-acid/.
The volume of sick marine mammals has also had a financial impact on the MMCC.
“Our team is working heroically to respond to every call and to rescue every animal they can. Please share this post and give now at marinemammalcare.org/donate to give these marine mammals a second chance at life!” the MMCC stated.
Anyone who encounters a sick or stranded marine mammal can alert the nearest lifeguard and call 1-800-39-WHALE to make a report.
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