Greater LA

Workers at the Buena Park Medieval Times want to unionize. They’re part of a growing labor movement sweeping smaller workplaces and unexpected industries. Burbank Congressman Adam Schiff talks about the January 6 hearings, the November midterm elections, and what the Inflation Reduction Act means for Californians. 

Governor Gavin Newsom has rolled out an ambitious, multi-billion dollar plan to fight the historic drought facing the American West. What needs to happen? Las Vegas is a diverse place to eat. Try an unconventional French steakhouse, plant-based fine dining, a modern spin on traditional Chinese noodles, and more.

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. Museums, a library, botanical gardens, and maybe even a veterans’ cemetery are part of a redevelopment plan for the Great Park. It all might face challenges from former Irvine Mayor...

Guelaguetza means offering or gift in Zapotec, an indigenous language of Mexico. It’s also the name of the biggest celebration for Oaxacans in LA, which is set for August 14. LAUSD begins its new term on August 15. Superintendent Carvalho talks about pandemic-induced building upgrades, more digital and tutorial resources, and teachers’ union contract negotiations. 

The slow return of performing arts is threatening the existence of some small theaters in the North Hollywood Arts District. As part of The Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival, Angelenos can watch “Macbeth” every Wednesday to Sunday at 7 p.m. through September 4. KCRW learns what goes into each performance. Micro forests can be as small as 10 by 10 feet, but they go a long way in enhancing bio...

Fingerboards, the palm-sized skateboards you steer with your fingers, are tokens of 1990s nostalgia that’s gaining interest among a new generation of riders. LA’s recently expanded “anti-camping” law will have a disproportionate impact on Black Angelenos, who make up nearly 45% of the city’s unhoused residents. The Echo Park Trash Club gathers a few times a month to help keep LA streets clean. The...

Employing what it calls “fractional ownership” for second homes, real estate startup Pacaso has left communities scrambling to regulate its model. East Hollywood used to have a tightly-knit Japanese immigrant community known as Madison/J-Flats. Boarding houses there offered people affordable rent, home-cooked meals, and community. After pressure from San Clemente residents, the City Council turned...

The 5,000-square-foot Hollyhock House in East Hollywood was renovated during COVID, and on August 18, it’ll reopen to the public. It’s the first house that Frank Lloyd Wright designed in LA. Former President Barack Obama added LA-based author Antoine Wilson's “Mouth to Mouth” to his reading list. The suspenseful book has been out since January.

LA is in mourning after iconic Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully died Tuesday at age 94. He called Dodgers games for 67 seasons before retiring in 2016. Mo Ostin died this week at age 95. He ran Warner Brothers Records from the 1960s to the 1990s, then helped create the record label arm of DreamWorks. 

Psychedelics are catching on in a big way. A hidden ayahuasca retreat builds connections and exposes dangerous vulnerabilities. Compton native Keb’ Mo’ says “it’s good to be home.” The blues musician is performing at the Hollywood Bowl on Wednesday. 

The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo is the only nationally recognized Black rodeo in the U.S. Today it reaches more than 130,000 spectators, which makes it more popular than ever. “ If I Go Will They Miss Me ” follows a father and son who live in the Imperial Courts housing project in Watts, which sits directly under the flight path at LAX. A member of the Santa Ana City Council wants green card h...

Scientists are checking LA sewage for coronavirus. As fewer people report test results, health officials say the data helps them see what’s next with the pandemic. “Working Together: The Photographers of the Kamoinge Workshop,” a new exhibit at the Getty, highlights the daily lives of Black people in the 1960s and 1970s. 

Laurie Leshin, JPL’s new director, wants to explore the far reaches of space, find evidence of life on Mars, and make the institution more inclusive. Emily Haag spent 85 days running from Jacksonville, Florida to Santa Monica to help raise funds and awareness for the group Students Run LA.

Hundreds of unhoused Angelenos are seeking shelter in the Mojave Desert, having been pushed out of nearby Lancaster due to aggressive policing. Deaths are rising with few solutions on offer. LA nun Sister Mary Sean Hodges has helped more than 10,000 parolees adjust to life after incarceration. Their recidivism rate has been under 1% since 2002. Little Tokyo Table Tennis, founded a year ago, has br...

Dying is a complicated process. Death doulas want to make it better. That can mean helping with your will, spiritual issues, or just a great going-away party. California might make human composting legal. It’s a process by which recently deceased bodies are transformed into nutrient-rich soil that can be used to grow things. Police officers shot and killed two young men, Manuel Diaz and Joel Aceve...

The redevelopment of the Jordan Downs housing project in Watts will more than double its size and is expected to show what decent public housing could be. Six Starbucks stores across LA are set to shut down by the end of July, and more closures are expected. Some union organizers say it’s an intimidation tactic so employees don’t unionize. Avant Garde composer Julias Eastman is known for his provo...

Satellite imagery can show whether households are complying with watering rules during the drought. One Ventura County science teacher is ready to hold people accountable. The language of the Serrano tribe native to the San Bernardino Mountains almost went extinct. Now historians and a new generation of Indigenous Californians are working to keep it alive.  Hundreds of millions of birds die annual...

Rates of domestic violence have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. The United Nations declared the rise as a “ shadow pandemic .” One young woman’s experience of being unhoused and pregnant in Hollywood is the focus of a new series from the Los Angeles Times.

Faustino Benites has worked at The Huntington Gardens for over 30 years. Now he’s sharing plant tips in Spanish on the organization’s TikTok account to thousands of fans. Hundreds of animators, colorists, background painters, and more walked out of Disney during summer 1941. They demanded fair wages and overtime. A new book chronicles the five-week strike. Anaheim may impose a 2% ticket tax on Dis...

Supporters of a new Santa Ana streetcar say it will bring more people downtown, but business owners say they don’t know if they will last to see the benefit. This week marks the start of the 40th annual Outfest in LA, which includes more than 200 films and comedy programming featuring Margaret Cho and Kathy Griffin.  Go There Wines is trying to help more winemakers access the marketplace. It’s hig...

As the ultra-contagious BA.5 Omicron subvariant sweeps through LA, the county is poised to issue a new universal mask mandate for indoor spaces by the end of July.

Mayoral candidates Karen Bass and Rick Caruso are making big promises on homelessness, but can they deliver? Outgoing Mayor Eric Garcetti says good luck. Starting next year, loitering for the purposes of prostitution will be decriminalized. Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 357 into law on July 1.  As recycling centers shut down statewide, it’s tougher for OC residents to trade in cans and...

Two November ballot initiatives would legalize sports betting in California. It could provide a windfall for the state, but gambling addicts are worried. Seeing her neighbors struggle during COVID inspired Eunisses Hernandez to run for LA City Council. Her progressive messaging helped her oust incumbent Gil Cedillo.  Bars might be able to stay open for longer hours — if a new California bill is si...

There are two ways to survive California’s drought: Conserve water or innovate to create more usable water. Santa Monica and Avalon are trying to do both. Marta Segura will create new early warning systems for heat waves throughout LA’s microclimates, and long-term strategies to reduce heat exposure, particularly for unhoused Angelenos. Sister Simone Campbell will receive the nation’s highest civi...

The world’s only flying deep-space telescope zigzags over the Pacific, taking images from a hole in the side of the plane. The program is set to end this fall. Jerry Stahl delves into despair, depression, and the Holocaust tourism industry in his darkly funny new memoir “Nein, Nein, Nein!”