After 80,000 votes from almost 12,000 people, our LA2050 Grants Challenge Voting Pop-Ups have come to a close!

To recap the last few weeks, we have experienced and engaged in iconic communities around Los Angeles county. It was a home-run at the Dodger’s Stadium, and we transcended realms at the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA). We sang our hearts out at Mariachi Plaza, and we danced in the sunshine at Leimert Park. To end it all, we felt the ocean breeze at the Santa Monica Pier, and enjoyed all the fruits and vegetables – and arepas and spanakopita – the Hollywood Farmers’ Market had to offer.

Here’s our recap of the first five pop-ups. And keep reading below for recaps of our final seven, and check out this post to find out how to participate in the LA2050 2023 Grants Challenge and register for our upcoming office hours on Tuesday, June 13, and Wednesday, June 21st.

April 28th and May 3rd - Dodger Stadium

We celebrated not two but four wins on April 28th and May 3rd, by being able to invite baseball fans to our LA2050 booth each time we attended a game thanks to LA2050 Grants Challenge funding partner, the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation. Fans were able to vote on how to actively change Los Angeles into a better place for all, either at our voting booth, or via the QR codes printed on LADF raffle tickets sold throughout the club’s six-game homestand. On our first night there – see the video, embedded above – actor, writer, producer, and Dodgers fan Andrea Savage was on hand to help out.

April 29th - Mariachi Plaza

Ever had free conchas for helping make LA a better place? More than 100 Boyle Heights residents and visitors can say they have! On a Saturday at Mariachi Plaza, amongst the sound of trumpets piercing the warm air, community members stood at our #LA2050GrantsChallenge pop-up booths to let us know which issues matter to them. As a small thank you, we shared nearly 100 pieces of pan dulce, plus our LA2050 X tote bags, with voters from in and around the 90033! One of our Youth Ambassadors, Aaron Diaz, also stopped by to re-up on voting materials! Some community mariachi band members even sang for us after they voted.

April 30th - Leimert Park

The community choir, in their first gig ever, sang, so angelically, "Let the sunshine in, on you." And guess what? The sun must have been as moved as the rest of the crowd. The midday marine layer melted away and the April 30th edition of the monthly Leimert Park Art Walk — always a hot spot — warmed right up.

The LA2050 team was on hand, posted up in front of the storefront of our partner for the day, KAOS Network, asking neighborhood residents and visitors alike to let us know what issues matter most. CD-10 Los Angeles City Councilwoman Heather Hutt stopped by, kids painted masks and learned about robotics, a dance class was taught, a drum circle was created, and vendors sold foods and wares.

May 5th - Santa Monica Pier

To kick off the last 2023 LA2050 Grants Challenge Pop-Up Tour weekend, we took to the end of Route 66 and spent a sunny Friday at the iconic Santa Monica Pier. Joined by our friends from Heal The Bay Aquarium, scores of people hit the polls to "Vote For a Tote!"

After petting sea stars in the Heal The Bay touch tank, voters engaged with the issues at our three voting booths. A big thank you to the Heal The Bay team and volunteers, as well as all of YOU who Joined The Movement #ForABetterLA.

May 6th - MOLAA

People come to MOLAA to look at meaningful and often beautiful works of art. On this recent day, those museum-goers also had the opportunity to see an additional vibrant and interactive form of art: our custom, colorful trio of LA2050 Grants Challenge voting booths. (Built for us by our friends at ArtCenter College of Design.)

We were even joined by a special guest: Montserrat Pineda, the Community Engagement Deputy from the Office of Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson. In addition to voting, younger visitors enjoyed coloring-in drawings of our various pop-up locations. We also handed out LA2050 X tote bags and temporary tattoos.

May 7th - Hollywood Farmers’ Market

What better place to engage with Angelenos that care about their community, and end our 2023 Pop-Up LA Tour, than at the Hollywood Farmers’ Market? Early risers grabbed pastries, families shopped for groceries, and hundreds of votes were cast here on the penultimate day of the 2023 LA2050 Grants Challenge.

To show our appreciation, we passed out market bucks and our LA2050 X tote bags. As many shoppers are already primed to care about where their food comes from, or supporting local businesses, it is no surprise that our team had many wonderful conversations about how we can improve Los Angeles, together. Thank you the Sustainable Economic Enterprises - Los Angeles for partnering with us and providing us with the perfect place to set up our voting booths at the corner of Ivar and Selma.