by John Hawkins,
President and CEO, The Club
The news hit the local media big time in early January – the City had built a new app that gives an early warning for earthquakes, the first such app in the country. I’m sure you heard about it.
But what was behind it? Who built it? What did the team overcome to make it happen? How will this beta app be developed in the future? Where do you turn to get the details? Well, you go here! I learned a lot by interviewing Jeanne Holm, Marissa Aho and Maryam Abbassi. Our goal here at Alive! – as it has always been – is to tell the story of City employees doing great things who rarely get the recognition. These three professionals and the rest of the team made this app happen.
I want to thank ITA General Manager Ted Ross and Andrea Garcia from the Mayor’s Office for helping us put this story together, and highlight those behind-the-scenes professionals building this ground-breaking app. Keeping up with ITA is no easy task, believe me; we could run every week for a year with all of ITA’s innovations. We have other ITA stories in mind, so we’ll do our best to keep you up to date.
Moving on … are you staying dry? Is your street clear and safe? It just keeps raining here at Club headquarters downtown – we’re breaking records – and that really puts the City departments to the test. So, since it’s on my mind while I await another washout weekend, I want to say thanks to everybody at Street Services, the DWP, Transportation, the LAPD, the LAFD, the Tree Division, and all the departments and employees tasked with keeping us safe. Your service to the City is awesome when we need it the most.
Speaking of rain, the Club softball league’s championship game from last fall has been washed out twice now! It’s set for March 6, if the fields at El Sereno can handle the weather between when I’m writing this and game day. Special mention goes to our two softball Commissioners – Lady Smith and Amanda Cadena, who coordinate everything with Club Sports Dude Robert Larios. (Follow the Club on social media for schedule updates.)
Speaking of weather, if you’re planning your travel for this summer and beyond, use the Club discounts that Mariana Guevara has arranged. Save money while you’re having fun!
— John
