Greater LA

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 exhibit that looks like his music sounds. ‘The Rhythm of Vision’ is on view now at Jeffrey Deitch gallery.

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 LA has to offer. Niky's Sports is the largest family-run chain of soccer stores in Los Angeles. They started selling a mix of sporting goods, but eventually narrowed their offerings to cater to soccer players.

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 Orange County Board of Supervisors passed a bipartisan declaration stating that systemic racism and inequality are driving a public health crisis in their communities.

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 going. A new park celebrates the decades-long anniversary of Mendez, et al. v. Westminster School District, et. al, a court case in the mid-1940s that challenged school segregation.

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 features ceramic fruits and vegetables in varying states of freshness, and the other has topsy-turvy flower arrangements.