Week six: Lower laundry costs, Kaplan flooded, former Sepi’s building knocked down
(Left: Courtesy of Melissa Foster
Right: Marilyn Chavez-Martinez/Daily Bruin senior staff)
By Alexa Greco
Feb. 15, 2020 7:36 p.m.
This Week in the News serves as The Quad’s space for reflection on current events at and around UCLA. Every week, Daily Bruin staffers will analyze some of the most significant stories to keep readers up to speed.
As we begin to round out this season of midterms, week six brings with it a plethora of news. Among news of construction and burst pipes, students will be pleasantly surprised to find out about lower laundry prices on the Hill and an award-winnning husky.
Westwood-Downtown LA subway megaproject receives over $1B in funding
The last section of LA’s subway line extension that will connect Downtown Los Angeles to Westwood received $1.3 billion in federal funding from the United States Department of Transportation on Tuesday.
The project is expected to be completed by 2027 and will bring considerable construction to Westwood Village in the following months. It involves three sections, with the last section providing transport from Century City to Westwood. The Purple Line extension will give travelers the option to go from Westwood to Downtown LA in 25 minutes.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein lobbied for the grant, which was supported by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. Garcetti said that the grant will quicken the construction.
Metro chief executive officer Phillip Washington said he appreciates the cooperation between local and federal government that made the project possible.
USAC negotiates lower laundry costs on the Hill through 2040
The price of laundry on the Hill will be reduced by $1 starting next month after efforts from the Undergraduate Students Association Council.
Costs will be lowered from $2.75 per load to $1.75 for the next 20 years after UCLA Housing agreed to cover the costs with surplus funds. They also agreed to improve laundry machines with an updated system to track laundry.
USAC President Robert Watson said his office directors, Joshua Feldman and Jonathan Tsou, were in charge of spearheading the reduction in price with Housing officials.
Kaplan Hall flooded, causing potential class relocations and cancellations
Kaplan Hall flooded the evening of Feb. 9, leading to class cancellations and relocations.
The flooding was due to a separated pipe connector which caused a water line to break, said Nurit Katz, executive officer of UCLA Facilities Management.
Some classes continued to be affected Monday despite efforts, said university registrar Frank Wada in an emailed statement. It is unclear if the building will require further repairs.
Former sports bar Sepi’s is demolished, to be replaced with medical offices
The former location of Sepi’s, a Westwood sports bar, was demolished recently and construction of a four-story medical office building began.
The bar closed in April 2019 because of liquor license problems and unsuccessful efforts to relocate. The project is at the same intersection where UCLA is building new dorms, and one student said it may be beneficial to have office space so close to the dorms.
The construction should not be disruptive to local residents, said Andrew Thomas, executive director of the Westwood Village Improvement Association. Michael Skiles, president of the North Westwood Neighborhood Council and chair of the NWWNC Land Use Committee, said a downside of the new project was the loss of Sepi’s.
Life can be ruff: UCLA’s award-winning therapy dog is pawsitively prepped to help
On Dec. 13, Izzy the husky won the top prize of “Pet of the Year” for her work as a therapy dog at UCLA Health’s People-Animal Connection.
She was chosen as “Underdog” and “Pet of the Year” out of around 800 submissions for “Good Morning America’s” Pet of the Year Awards.
Izzy was born with hip dysplasia, which makes it difficult for her to walk and run, but she still serves as a therapy dog.
Izzy’s handler Melissa Foster said that Izzy brings happiness to patients with her mild temperament and kind nature.
Aside from working with UCLA Health’s People-Animal Connection and winning competitions, Izzy also enjoys beach walks, chasing a tennis ball, and eating carrots and cucumbers.
