Greater LA

With the writers’ strike in week 10, SAG-AFTRA actors are walking off the job at Friday 12 a.m. What does this mean for workers, studios, and media consumers? Three art shows to check out this summer: “ Wishing Well ” supports research for a rare genetic disorder; “ Variations on a Theme ” shows different rules artists employ in their craft; “ 20 ” celebrates the 20th anniversary of David Kordansk...

Upscale camping, or “glamping,” took off during the pandemic. Now anyone with a property and beautiful tent can add to their profits during the camping season. Cris Hazzard, aka “The Hiking Guy,” recommends some great camping spots around LA for the adventurous among us. Who ventures to the great outdoors? It’s not always as diverse as the natural flora, which is exactly what Outdoor Asian is tryi...

The new short film “Merman” follows nurse André Chambers as he explains navigating racism and homophobia from an early age, and finding a place for himself in the world. Camarillo’s Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology houses more than 1 million preserved bird eggs — one of the largest collections in the world. The 1994 “Crime Bill” stripped people in prison of eligibility to access federal Pe...

A local comedian developed a game show that taps into our anxiety about AI while trying to answer one question: Can computers make us laugh? The Santa Monica Police Department is now using drones to appear as “first responders” at crime scenes. Some privacy rights activists are concerned. A judge recently blocked the city of Fullerton from enforcing a ban on people parking their recreational vehic...

A developer using a California law known as the “builder’s remedy” plans to construct as many as 1,000 apartments in Beverly Hills. City officials are not happy. Miki Dora was a legendary Malibu surfer in the 1950s-70s — and a con man who led the FBI on a global manhunt. The latest season of the “Lost Hills” podcast tells his story.  Cancer for College is an organization that says it’s given more...

Renewable energy is sparse at night, and EV batteries stop holding a full charge long before they’re worthless. One company is solving both 1problems at once. Silent film actress Alla Nazimova threw the biggest parties in 1920s Hollywood. Romy Nordlinger brings her back to life in the new “Garden of Alla.” Welcome to dog hell, or as human Americans call it, Independence Day. If fireworks caused yo...

Thousands of SoCal hotel workers are on strike to demand better pay and benefits. More than 60 hotels and Unite Here Local 11 haven’t reached a new contract. This July 4, LA Chief Heat Officer Marta Segura advises Angelenos to find shade, wear light-colored clothing, take cold showers, and – sorry – avoid alcohol. The Huntington Beach City Council recently moved ahead with a plan to restrict books...

LA’s last lesbian bar closed in 2017. Now, two new bars for queer women have opened in East Hollywood and Silver Lake, and they’ve been packed. At two Pride events in LA, KCRW asked queer-identifying people what’s on their minds as several states have been trying to enact anti-trans and anti-drag legislation. Author Susan Straight’s latest project, 1,001 Novels: A Library of America, was her attem...

Voice actors work on cartoons, commercials, video games, and more. Now that artificial intelligence makes cloning voices easier, jobs are in trouble, even as other jobs may be created. Musician Jessy Lanza has turned a move from Canada to LA into a love letter to the city, with a little help from her artistic director partner, Winston Chase. In the third clay biennial at Craft Contemporary, Califo...

Unionized hotel workers in Los Angeles and Orange Counties are demanding raises, saying they can no longer afford to live in the cities where they work. At a summit today and Wednesday in LA, political leaders, activists, and philanthropists are discussing the challenges and needs facing immigrants. The original El Cholo, the Mexican restaurant in Mid-City, turns 100 this year. The dishes served b...

A movement to bring tenant protections Southeast LA started with conversations about a very different topic: family planning. James Kim’s new fiction podcast “You Feeling This?” focuses on love and connections in LA. The stories are about real Angelenos who live in Montebello, Long Beach, and more. Many motels along Beach Blvd. are now known for prostitution and drug dealing. Anaheim, Buena Park,...

A year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed the right to an abortion, Sue Dunlap, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood LA, talks about the changes she’s seen and the threats to come. California providers are navigating a thorny and shifting legal landscape as they care for out-of-state patients

A housing development approved in 2005 is just beginning construction, and local residents want to delay it until the 20-year approval expires. Bernie Taupin’s new show at Choice Contemporary gallery highlights lyrics from songs he wrote for Elton John. 

A growing movement of boundary-pushing art installations and cutting-edge devices seek to induce altered states. No drugs required. With summer officially starting this week, Heal the Bay has released their annual beach card to help people find the cleanest beaches around SoCal. Anaheim voters will decide in a special election whether or not to bump the minimum wage for hotel workers to $25. The u...

As California’s reparations task force wraps up, professor Cheryl Grills reflects on their findings, and activist Kavon Ward looks to the “land back” movement for change. “The Cape Coast Castle Symphony” by composer Joyce Solomon Moorman was written in response to a visit to Ghana, and is now a part of LA Juneteenth celebrations. Angels & Saints PoBoys offers traditional New Orleans cuisine. I...

If you’re scared or sad about our warming planet, the best solution is to solve the climate crisis. But in the meantime, sharing feelings can help you cope. At this weekend’s Garagiste Festival, upstart micro producer winemakers from across California are coming together to share their wares. Artist Faith Ringgold, age 92, has created oil paintings, sculpture, quilts, and more. Her work is on disp...

LA Councilmember Curren Price has been charged with 10 counts of embezzlement, perjury, and conflict of interest. He will step down as council president pro tempore and withdraw from all committee assignments. Former third baseman Ron Cey may have left the Dodgers, but he’s staying active, putting out a new book and a podcast this year.

Finding second-hand clothing in extra-large sizes can be frustrating. LA’s first all plus-size flea market is here to help. The word “queer” insinuated someone’s sexual “deviance” in the 19th century. Now it’s used proudly to refer to the LGBTQ+ community. KCRW traces this evolution. This month, environmental educator Jason Wise is leading a free series of hikes that unpack the hidden queerness in...

Reproductive health workers nationally have been turning to unions for support since the fall of Roe v. Wade. Planned Parenthood in Orange County could be next. Unions across industries are staging more strikes and showing more solidarity, prompting some experts to forecast a “hot labor summer.”

California and LA are seeing major pushes for “social housing,” which is government-supported, not owned by a for-profit entity, and is affordable to people of different income levels. Public housing used to be enormously popular in Los Angeles, but that changed amid a surge in anti-communist sentiment in the 1950s. Underdog Community Project is a mutual aid group of volunteers and trained veterin...

Some disabled veterans are shut out of supportive housing due to VA disability income. It’s a catch-22 that reflects larger challenges in filling subsidized units. Across from LA City Hall, a vacant lot has signs that boast, “Good things are coming!” The signs have been there for a decade. What’s going on? As summer approaches and Angelenos head toward the beach, it turns out that lots of sharks a...

If you put food scraps into a green bin with your yard waste, are you truly helping the planet? For LA residents, the answer is definitely yes.  With over 80% of major event ticket sales in California, Ticketmaster/Live Nation has a stronghold on the industry. State Senator Scott Wilk is leading a bipartisan charge to change that. Some 30,000 unhoused kids may be living in Orange County, says a ne...

As bumble bees decline, local volunteers fan out to find them. Together they’ll create the California Bumble Bee Atlas to help guide conservation decisions. June ushers in Pride month and with it celebrations and remembrances. Brody Levesque of the Los Angeles Blade gives a survey of SoCal happenings. Eater’s Mona Holmes explains where to grab breakfast, lunch, dinner — and maybe even dessert — on...

Sometimes the best way to cope with anxiety over the climate crisis is to focus on something you can control. So why not start with your trash? The beloved video store Vidiots reopens its doors this week with a bigger collection of film rarities, and a new movie theater. Artist Keith Haring is known for painting radiant babies and barking dogs through simple line work. His first-ever LA museum exh...

Small businesses that support the film/TV industry are feeling the economic ripple effects of the ongoing Hollywood writers’ strike. A proposed expansion of the city’s “adaptive reuse” ordinance could make it easier to transform unused commercial and office buildings into residential units. A litter of three female mountain lion kittens was found in the Simi Hills. Can they capture the public’s im...