Greater LA

A group of 14 unhoused veterans in Los Angeles have filed a civil rights lawsuit against the VA, alleging the federal agency is depriving them of housing. LA is home to many cultures and traditions that share a common thread: bread. The Natural History Museum celebrates them in the multimedia exhibit “Kneaded: LA Bread Stories.” “My Caldera” is artist Cauleen Smith’s search for meaning in volcanoe...

Two years after they fought for the right to live in vacant, state-owned houses in El Sereno, a group of activists are facing eviction. They hope to stay in the houses for good. Democratic State Senator Sydney Kamlager has been elected to replace LA mayoral hopeful Karen Bass in Congress. Can she find her way in a divided Washington?

The birth rate is the lowest it’s been in U.S. history. Meanwhile, climate change is a growing reason why Gen Zers and millennials are not having kids. SNAP, hosted by Deirdre O’Donoghue, premiered on KCRW in 1982 and ran through 1991. It was a weekly three-hour love letter to alternative music and independent culture both locally and around the world. For the first time in 50 years, Democrats hav...

Restaurant and coffee shop owners are aware they are often seen as gentrifiers. Some are taking steps to avoid behaviors that can accelerate displacement. California’s Three Strikes Law is still in effect. But since 2012, “non-serious” and “non-violent” felonies have stopped counting as third strikes, and thousands of people have been released. The Los Angeles Gay Freedom Band has been making musi...

It could take weeks to get official results of the midterms. KCRW looks at where candidates stand in key California House races, and the battles for LA’s next mayor and sheriff. At Soapbox Sessions Open Mic in Tarzana, performers practice their original stand-up comedy, music, spoken word poetry, and more.

Voting early, in person, by mail, or a dropbox are overseen by registrars. These officials are facing lies and conspiracies about voter fraud, plus safety threats. How are officials increasing transparency?

Experts say the best way to teach kids about the climate crisis without scaring them is to talk about it more, discourage doomscrolling, and find hope to share. KCRW looks at the mayoral race in Anaheim, Measure K in Costa Mesa, and school board elections in Placentia-Yorba Linda. What’s at stake as voters cast ballots on Tuesday? Strippers at North Hollywood’s topless bar, Star Garden, have been...

Proposition 31 aims to ban the sale of almost all flavored tobacco in cigarettes, vapes, and enhancers in California. Visoth Tarak Ouk grew up in Long Beach’s Cambodia Town and joined a gang. He later found his way off the streets and into the kitchen. Rad Na Silom is a family-run food stand deep in Thai Town serving traditional Thai food to big crowds nightly.

The Hollywood Forever cemetery held its annual Dia de los Muertos celebration on Saturday. The event features altars that must be built in 24 hours. Losing your wallet can lead to someone stealing your identity and opening bank accounts in your name. That could mean racking up bad credit and fighting fraudulent claims and creditors for years. Los Angeles Football Club has qualified for the playoff...

Measures ULA and LH both aim to increase LA’s stock of affordable housing in different ways: with new tax funds and a new license to build. The proliferation of politically slanted “news” outlets across the country is leading to a disinformation problem for many Americans. Social media is adding fuel to the fire.

Every year, Angelenos transform their homes into spine-chilling Halloween displays. SoCal Haunt List catalogs hundreds you can visit for free — if you dare. KCRW brings you three spooky, real-life stories from around SoCal, as told by listeners Catherine Lydon, Brad Hodson and Tommy Bui.

Give a Beat is a nonprofit that trains incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people to be DJs and engineers in the music industry. Co-founder Lauren Segal talks about their programs. Four of the 15 LA City Council districts seats are up for grabs during the midterm elections: District 5 (parts of Santa Monica mountains), 11 (Pacific Palisades), 13 (Hollywood), and 15 (San Pedro).

Mayoral candidates Rick Caruso and Karen Bass defend their plans of quickly moving tens of thousands of unhoused people indoors if elected. To cover new shelter beds and rental vouchers, they plan to turn to the feds. More than 80 people gathered in Griffith Park earlier this year for Satrang Family Day, a celebration of community and safe space for South Asian and queer families. A new exhibit of...

An exhibit at the Central Library in downtown collects memorabilia of LA social groups — from scuba divers to microscope lovers — for a glimpse into the many ways Angelenos make community. LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva faces a different political landscape than he did four years ago — and a strong opponent in former Long Beach PD Chief Robert Luna.

School board elections affect LA Unified’s half-million students, and powerful players spend big bucks on their chosen candidates. Who are they? What began as a protest of Mahsa Amini’s death has grown to over a month of political outcry within Iran and around the world. Iranians in LA are especially vocal. About two weeks are left to vote in the midterm elections. Democrats from LA are getting in...

Olvera Street is an LA tourist attraction that’s been around for 92 years. When it turns 100, will any of its legacy businesses still be here? After meeting Cesar Chavez in the 1970s, Father Luis Olivares adopted a more radical ministry, and made his La Placita church the heart of the sanctuary movement in SoCal. The Tellez family’s Aztec dance group, In Tlanextli Tlacopan, has been performing at...

New LA City Council President Paul Krekorian says he supports having more members on the council and creating an independent redistricting commission. Identity politics is almost inevitable in LA, says writer Jay Caspian Kang, but it’s important to appeal to people beyond race and consider all backgrounds, including socioeconomic. Black Eyed Peas member will.i.am grew up in Boyle Heights, and this...

A congressional race unfolding in Riverside County between longtime GOP incumbent Ken Calvert and political newcomer Will Rollins, a Democrat, has experts saying the path to the U.S. House majority could run through California’s 41st District. Kid Congo Powers has played with The Cramps, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and co-founded The Gun Club. He discusses his new book “Some New Kind of Kick.” Th...

A sports betting proposition on the November ballot is raising questions about the long-term consequences for card rooms and the cities where they operate. Kroger announced last week that it’s in talks to buy Albertsons, which would bring a lot of SoCal supermarket chains under one umbrella, in a $24 billion deal. What would that mean for local shoppers? The OC sheriff’s department used jailhouse...

Former City Council President Nury Martinez attacked LA’s large Oaxacan community in a leaked recording. Oaxacan Angelenos share their reactions and how they want local government to make amends. LA County Registrar-Recorder Dean Logan explains where you can submit your completed ballot — and how to track it — for the November 8 election. Rebecca Morris’ vibrant work is displayed in a 21-year retr...

In recently leaked audio, three LA City Council members made racist remarks when discussing how to gerrymander District 4, which is represented by Nithya Raman. What’s her way forward? Eunisses Hernandez will soon fill the LA City Council seat occupied by Gil Cedillo. She talks about her responsibility as a Latina woman in local politics. ​​The California Fish and Game Commission once again delaye...

Kourtney Turner co-hosts the “Holding Kourt” podcast with her husband, the Dodgers’ third baseman Justin Turner. She talks about her love for baseball and her nonprofit work. In “Common Ground: Multifamily Housing in Los Angeles,” Frances Anderton tracks a history of housing centered on shared space.

After racist audio involving LA City Council members was leaked, Angelenos must make their feelings clear about whether the involved parties should keep their seats, says former member Jan Perry. The opening of LA’s first new light-rail line in 10 years raises hopes for new investment – and fears of gentrification – in historically underserved South LA.

The Pebble Plains ecosystem, found only in the San Bernardino Mountains, survived six ice ages and human development. Now it’s facing its biggest threat. Girls’ flag football is now an official high school sport in SoCal, thanks to a vote by the California Interscholastic Federation’s southern section. It’s the fastest-growing version of the sport globally, says Paula Hart Rodas from CIF. This Sun...

The City of Santa Monica is making its outdoor dining program permanent and charging restaurants thousands in upfront costs and monthly fees. 2nd Chance Soul Food Fish Fry, a casual restaurant in Ladera Heights, offers job opportunities to formerly incarcerated men and women who live in transitional housing. Venice restaurant James’ Beach shut down last month. But it wasn’t a pandemic casualty. In...