Greater LA

Heavy rains bring destruction to SoCal, and thousands of residents in Santa Barbara County remain stranded. President Biden declared a state of emergency. Where is the water coming from? Will it help alleviate the ongoing drought? New York publications often condescend to Los Angeles. The New York Times recently published a piece about NYC turning into LA, with all the usual clichés.

An e-bike lending library hopes to get people out of their cars in the San Fernando Valley. But it’s an uphill battle. The wholesale price of gas is way down in most of the U.S. and Europe. So why are prices in CA spiking, and what can you do to weather this increase? Last November’s elections brought slim conservative majorities to the Orange and Capistrano school boards. In recent weeks, there h...

Massive solar projects will help California reach renewable energy goals, but not without costs to fragile desert ecosystems. After years of advocacy from the community and professors, East LA College is introducing a new major in 2023: Central American Studies. Pasadena Playhouse’s 2023 season celebrates the late Stephen Sondheim, and its first show is “Into the Woods.” 

Street medicine providers aim to meet — and treat — unhoused people where they are. And new state regulations are making it a lot easier for them to do that. Last year, the LA City Council passed an ordinance requiring most new buildings to be fully electric. Without gas, how people cook could fundamentally change. 

Repairing the Whittier Narrows Dam was reclassified in 2016 from “high urgency” to “very high urgency” by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. If the dam fails, the damage could be catastrophic. With major infrastructure projects underway and a wave of new female mayors in Orange County’s biggest cities, will 2023 bring big changes or more of the same? Varissa Brum — known as Miso Hungry on TikTok —...

Three KCRW listeners share stories about their family relationships and special moments that happened on Christmas. For the first time in decades, the OC Board of Supervisors will soon be turning Democratic. But before the board changes hands in January, members pulled the plug on a deal with a renewable energy authority.

Traci Park joins the LA City Council at a time of turmoil and division. The moderate Democrat defeated a more progressive challenger, despite the council shifting left. During Hanukkah, Jews celebrate the miracle of oil, and cooking with oil is a tradition for Jewish Angelenos from around the world. Kwanzaa was created in 1966 to honor African American culture and heritage. Now, more than five dec...

After the pandemic led to financial troubles, Downey’s float returns this year to the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade. It’s thanks to a community effort and beauty pageant fundraiser. People with properties worth over $5 million are trying to get around Measure ULA, while some advocates for ULA want to amend it for other reasons. Big Bear Mountain Resort has purchased property it plans to deve...

P-22, the mountain lion who lived alone around Griffith Park, was euthanized over the weekend. As people are mourning, what will happen with his remains and legacy? The U.S. economy shrank during the pandemic, but some industries thrived, including private air travel. Residents near Van Nuys Airport say it’s harming their health.

The La Brea Tar Pits hold the largest collection of Ice Age fossils in the world. Now its grounds, museum, and research facilities are being reimagined. The Long Beach Ballet gets ready to perform ‘The Nutcracker’ for its 40th anniversary. It all started with David Wilcox, the artistic director.

Less is more on TikTok, where LA’s small brands gain customers by showcasing their personality on modest marketing budgets this holiday shopping season. Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks have made movies together in front of the camera. This year, they teamed up behind-the-scenes to make ‘A Man Called Otto,’ a film about grief, loss, and community. The leader of Parliament Funkadelic is out with a new art...

Protestors interrupted the first meeting of the new LA City Council today, continuing a chaotic string of days for the city’s government. It’s part of a trend that worries local officials and even one former mayor of Los Angeles. LA is a crowded and competitive restaurant market, so standing out from the noise is no small feat. With 2022 almost over, it’s time to look back at some of the best food...

Street takeovers have become a dangerous nuisance in California over the past few years. The owners of the Irwindale Speedway are trying to persuade the lawbreaking racers to get their thrills legally at the racetrack. As a result of a couple of attacks on pets, the beloved cougar known as P-22 has been captured by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the National Park Service. The O...

Students across the University of California system took final exams after weeks without instruction and feedback. How has the strike impacted them? Nikki Chase hosts the podcast “Adult Chicken.” It’s about escaping an abusive relationship and raising special needs kids as a single mom. 

Coach Gabriel Giangualano and junior Max Abrahamson are leading the St. John Bosco High School esports team. Ralph Lawler was the LA Clippers’ announcer for 40 years. Now he’s calling shots from the sidelines in a new memoir.

Dire staffing shortages have led to frequent lockdowns and violence inside LA’s juvenile halls. Officers, advocates, and inmates are desperate for relief. The American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) was founded in Torrance in 1964. Its success earned the South Bay community the nickname “Soccer City.” 

LAHSA’s “reimagined” winter shelter program provides both beds and motel vouchers to unhoused Angelenos looking to stay warm. But fewer beds are being offered than ever, while many vouchers go unused.  Photographer Lev Rukhin moved to LA in 2010 and started shooting its street scenes from an old Volvo station wagon as a way to engage and spend time with his daughter. Twelve years later, he’s still...

A Los Angeles journalist with brain trauma turned to specialists who recommended ketamine treatment. It’s known as the party drug “special K,” but it gives her relief. A pajarete is a party and Mexican drink made of chocolate, coffee, high-proof alcohol, and raw milk from goats and cows. The beverage is said to induce a mild high and kick-start the day.

The perfume industry is moving away from its commercial French roots to something a little more LA: more diverse, accessible, and artistic. Lindsey Horvath is the youngest woman ever elected to LA County’s Board of Supervisors, replacing Sheila Kuehl. She’ll be the only renter and millennial among her colleagues there. Two art shows in LA might look like your dining area after Thanksgiving. One fe...

Decades ago, a legendary local soccer team called Hollywood United brought together expats from Europe, including rock musicians, movie actors, and even Milli Vanilli. Rex Richardson will be Long Beach’s first Black mayor. He wants to make the city a model for addressing housing, homelessness, and public safety.

About 10% of the water shuttled through the LA Aqueduct gets lost to evaporation. To stop it, LA DWP wants to cover some of those miles of water with solar panels. Desalination of ocean water, long-considered too energy-inefficient and environmentally destructive, is increasingly finding its way into California’s water future. But is it a wave that’s going to fizzle out? The City of Laguna Beach i...

The holidays are a time to be thankful for friends, family, and good health. Three Angelenos share their most unforgettable tales. Tony Tetro has forged pieces by Dalí, Caravaggio, and Picasso — and sold them to dealers who didn’t care about authenticity. In their KCRW Radio Race story “Heaven by the Highway,” Angel Carreras and Nisha Venkat tell the story of a hidden hideaway.

California is spending billions revamping traditional public schools as community schools, which offer families more support. Questions about whether they improve academic results and enrollment remain. The LA Auto show runs through Sunday, and these days, it’s all about electric vehicles. But have engineers worked out all the kinks in the technology? David Levinson’s organization Big Sunday has d...

Supporting the hometown team in Major League Soccer is a no-brainer, but deciding which country to root for on the international stage can be trickier. Angelenos weigh in on the World Cup in Qatar. Activists say OC Animal Care, a shelter in Orange County, is euthanizing too many pets there and not making it easy for the public to adopt cats and dogs.

LA City Councilmember-elect Hugo Soto-Martinez credits his South LA-based upbringing, union organizing, and time studying criminology at UC Irvine for giving him a different perspective on housing and policing. Susan Straight wrote a love letter to SoCal with “Mecca,” her newest book. She tells a vivid tale of her many characters’ interwoven lives as the Santa Anas blow.