How To LA

#294: We're back with another installment of our How To Not Be Lonely In LA series.  Today, we're talking about volunteering your time to a cause, and how doing so can make you feel a lot less alone.  Call it selfish, but doing some community service is a really great way to create connections, broaden your perspective of life, and ultimately give you a greater sense of belonging.  Producer Megan...

Part 4:  Host Antonia Cereijido speaks with negotiations expert Victoria Medvec about how to make the best possible deal. Medvec also helps  identify ways the Colorado River water rights representatives could still change tactics and reach an agreement before time runs out. Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise Li...

#293: Social Calendar is back! This time with comedian and tv writer Chris Estrada. He's the co-creator and star of Hulu's This Fool, and today he's sharing his favorite memories of serial killers in parks and giving some recs on how to best spend your weekend in LA. Join HTLA host Brian De Los Santos and guest co-host Antonia Cerejido for some LA history, documentary recommendations, and some ide...

We are back with another installment of LA on the Margins — USC student produced profiles of people in our community who are working through the many challenges life in the city can throw you. Today: Hunger.  About 30% of households in LA County are food insecure. Reporter Nova Blanco Rio explores this shocking statistic through intimate snapshots of his time volunteering with food distribution or...

#292: Juneteenth marks the day federal troops showed up in Galveston, Texas in 1865 – two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed –  to tell enslaved Black people that slavery was over.  The first Juneteenth celebration was held in Texas the following year, and then the celebrations spread. Here in L.A., the Leonard family is credited with bringing the tradition from the Lo...

Over the next few weeks, HTLA is bringing you a series of stories produced by journalism students at USC: L.A. On The Margins. The series profiles Angelenos who have struggled with things like mental health, food insecurity and homelessness. In this first episode, reporter Liv Kelleher follows the journey of a young performer as he tries to “make it” in Hollywood — with a nearby Panera Bread as hi...

#291: Back in 2014, leaked audio of L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling making racist comments caused a firestorm. There were calls for him to step down, for Clippers players to boycott their own games, and for the league to do something. Fairly quickly, the NBA did. But the story didn’t end there. In 2019, a podcast series from ESPN’s 30 for 30 called The Sterling Affairs explored how the whole s...

Part 3: JB Hamby and the other lead negotiators on the Colorado River have to come up with a long term solution to manage the river in the face of climate change. Will they reach a deal before it’s too late?    LAist correspondent Emily Guerin examines how JB's position on water has dramatically evolved since he first won office a few years ago. She brings us back to the current water negotiations...

#290: Today we're doing one of our favorite thing on HTLA: exploting – and eating – LA's rich food scene.  Every heard of Black tacos? Or as some people refer to them: Black people tacos?  Well, they're a thing, especially in LA, and they are delicious. Think traditional soul food spices and braised meats with all the Mexican fixins' that Angelenos love.  We love our tacos here in LA, and today we...

#289: "The deadly weed with its roots in hell" is here on Hollywood Boulevard! A new production of the musical "Reefer Madness," based on the cult classic 1936 black and white film, has opened in Los Angeles at the Whitley Theater. In this episode, HTLA producer Victoria Alejandro talks with host Brian De Los Santos about some Hollywood history, and brings us a chat with actress and producer Krist...

#288: Today, we're meeting up again with one of our favorite L.A. history lovers, Etan Rosenbloom (of Etan Does LA ), to check out a special Los Angeles landmark. Hollyhock House , designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright and completed in 1921, is located within Barnsdall Art Park in East Hollywood. It's the only UNESCO World Heritage site in the city of L.A. Guests: Etan Rosenbloom; Abbey Chamber...

Part 2: JB Hamby is the dealmaker from California, and at 28 years old, he’s the youngest and least experienced among the representatives from the seven states involved with the Colorado River water negotiations. LAist correspondent Emily Guerin explores the beginnings of Hamby’s understanding of water growing up in the Imperial Valley, a desert farming area in California.   Grow your business–no...

#98: Today we're celebrating pride by revisiting our deep into the history of Queer LA. Our LA Explained reporter, Caitlin Hernández, took us back in time to explain how West Hollywood became recognized as a mecca for LA's gay community. It was part of their research for the LAist series, Queer LA, where Caitlin's highlighting the joy, culture, and history of queerness in this city. You can find m...

#287: Join us behind the scenes at Studio B, HTLA's home base here at LAist Studios. Today we're talking about what it takes to make our show possible... Because here's the thing: we love making this show, but we can only do it with your support. To give you a little inspiration, Brian's putting HTLA's producers in the hotseat and asking them to share their favorite moments working on the show. Ho...

#286: It's pride month, and today we're looking at how that's showing up in the classroom. In this episode, host Brian De Los Santos speaks with LAist reporters Caitlin Hernandez and Mariana Dale about what this school year was like for LGBTQ+ teachers in SoCal. In districts big and small, from struggle to joy, Hernandez and Dale heard it all, and they're here to share what they found with us.   ...

#285: Today, we’re bringing you my conversation with NPR’s Emily Kwong, the host of a new LAist Studios podcast called “Inheriting.” It’s about Asian American and Pacific Islander families, and explores how a single event in history can ripple through generations.

This is How To LA , the podcast that helps you navigate this city. I’m Brian De Los Santos. I want to share with you another podcast from LAist Studios that I think you’ll really want to listen to: Imperfect Paradise: The Gen Z Water Dealmaker. For the next few weeks, we’ll be dropping episodes every Sunday.  The Colorado River is in the midst of one of the worst water crises in recorded history....

#284: Gab. Brian. Food. You know the drill — Cheap Fast Eats is back! This time, LAist food editor Gab Chabrán is taking HTLA host Brian De Los Santos to some of the best spots west of Sepulveda Blvd in the 818. A century ago Wheat and Lemon were the undisputed kings of LA's San Fernando Valley, a spill of land that existed almost exclusively to be farmed. But in the 1950's, as a post-war Los Ange...

#283: WeHo Pride is THIS Weekend! The three-day event celebrating everything LGBTQ will feature drag artists, gay pop icons, and lots and lots of glitter. To get a head start on the festivities, HTLA host Brian De Los Santos sits down with OUTLOUD festival founder Jeff Consoletti, and pop artist VINCINT, to talk about Pride at West Hollywood, and about what it means to be a queer icon.

#128: Happy Memorial Day! The team is off - but we still have a treat for you. (Get it? Because conchas are so sweet?) Ok. Jokes aside, we're replaying this episode because it was recently nominated for a James Beard award, and the team is really excited about that.  But here's the thing... We can't make episodes like this without your help. If you value our flavor of journalism, please donate to...

#282: Today we’re putting a spotlight on journalists at Southern California colleges who’ve been covering protests on their campuses. Protesters have been calling for an end to Israeli attacks on Gaza and for their schools to divest from companies tied to Israel and weapons manufacturing.   We heard from students at USC, UC Riverside, CSU Long Beach, and UC Irvine about what this time has been lik...

#281: Revival House says goodbye for now with a look at one of the biggest programming groups in town, the American Cinematheque.    Celebrating their 40th anniversary this year, screening 1500 movies a year in three iconic theaters across Los Angeles, the American Cinematheque has a movie for everybody, every night of the week. In this episode, How To LA producer Victoria Alejandro jumps into the...

#280: We’re back with our series on How NOT To Be Lonely in LA. Today we explore the connection between religion…or lack thereof…and loneliness. For decades, Americans relied on their church, temple or mosque, or other religious institutions, for a sense of built in community. But with more and more people disaffiliating from organized religion in recent decades — particularly since the 90s — we,...

#279: Hey, How to LA listeners! We’re back with another social calendar to talk about the interesting, fun, new happenings in the city. Guests: Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijido and Janice Llamoca , an audio producer and host. You might have heard her work on Latino USA, Vice AND she was the host of the amazing LAist Studios podcast Party Crews: The Untold Story.  Here’s what each person p...

#278: Today we have an update to a story we brought you back in November of last year (#191: 'It's Really Hot Out Here.' What LAUSD Is Doing To Cool Down Schools). LAist Associate Editor Aaricka Washington brings us up to speed on efforts to increase the amount of green space on school campuses in Los Angeles.