California is investing millions to change the way kids eat at school. Learn how one SoCal program is turning kids on to fresh produce, one watermelon at a time. The Where Has All The (affordable) Housing Gone? exhibit at the Beyond Baroque Gallery in Venice features photography, poetry and a giant map to examine the policies that led to the removal of nearly 1,500 rent-controlled units in the beachside neighborhood. Despite Gov. Gavin Newsom’s veto of the “Cannabis Cafe Bill,” West Hollywood lounge PleasureMed is reimagining the way users can experience cannabis, dining, and sex positivity.

Rent-stabilized tenants in LA could see an increase in February as high as 7%. Landlords say it’s necessary to keep up with expenses. The Museum of Latin American Art hosts its annual Día De Los Muertos festival on Oct. 29. This year’s theme, Hecho con Amor, celebrates the diversity of Latin American cuisine. The nonprofit ActiveSGV’s ArroyoFest will shut down six miles of the 110 freeway from Lincoln Heights to South Pasadena for cyclists and pedestrians on October 29.

NewGround promotes relations and dialogue between Jews and Muslims in Los Angeles. The group calls itself “a convener.” running trainings and classes promoting interfaith engagement. LA is in the height of spooky (and spider) season, so the Nature Nexus Institute is holding a “Spooky Critter Crawl” to highlight some of the city’s creepiest residents. An LA start-up is tackling a problem that developed in tandem with the invention of polyester: how to divert clothes from the landfill when you’re done wearing them.

The Actors’ Gang’s new show, “Methusalem,” is directed by Brent Hinkley. He and fellow co-founder Tim Robbins discuss the show and the group’s legacy. Measure J requires LA County to allocate funds to incarceration alternatives and community/youth programs, instead of police. Some community groups say they still haven’t seen the money.

Each week on KCRW’s The Anti-Dread Climate Podcast, hosts Caleigh Wells and Candice Dickens-Russel answer a listener’s environmental question and give advice on how they can help the planet. As SoCal looks to fall and winter, scientist predictions say El Niño weather patterns will bring heavy rains, but climate change is making it tricky to predict. In 1973, Knott’s Berry Farm became the first theme park to transform itself completely for the Halloween season. Since then, many other parks, in SoCal and beyond, have followed its lead.  

Spine-tingling thrills, oddities, and costumes. A handful of small businesses in Burbank are keeping things scary beyond Halloween. The three co-directors of the 1980 parody film “Airplane!” recount their careers’ humble origins and the movie’s “endearing” comedy legacy. LA-based engineering and design nonprofit Miyamoto Relief is hosting “The Night of 1000 Drawings,” which raises money for reconstruction in Kyiv.

LAUSD student absences soared during the pandemic. Slowly, in large part due to school attendance counselors’ tireless work, kids are returning to class. Tom Morello, a political activist and Rage Against the Machine guitarist, is partnering with a nonprofit to launch music programs at schools across the country. Alex Da Corte’s solo exhibition, The Daemon, transforms the Matthew Marks Gallery into a 1960s house with a conversation pit and a splash of surrealism.

The Aetna Street Collective came together three years ago to advocate for a tight-knit unhoused community facing harassment and street sweeps. Scribble, a Highland Park-based nonprofit, launched on Oct. 3 to provide affordable therapy, music shows, game nights, tai chi classes, and more. Neighborhoods historically cut off from government-backed home loans continue to suffer the consequences. That includes smaller and less diverse bird populations. 

Three women in LA share their reasons to forgo parenting: more freedom, more travel, and more time to focus on their careers and passions.

What’s up with the Dodgers? Despite winning 100 games during the regular season, again, the Dodgers’ were eliminated in the first round, again. 

Along Beach Boulevard, from Rosecrans to Orangethorpe, is Buena Park’s Koreatown, a name that’s only been official for a few weeks.

Unhoused Angelenos in temporary shelters will get priority for many city-funded affordable housing units — under policy shift enacted by Mayor Karen Bass. UCLA Professor Justin Torres’ new novel, Blackouts, is a “socratic dialogue” between an unnamed narrator and a dying man. It’s also a finalist for the National Book Award. Big Bear’s Oktoberfest has been running for 53 years, attracting locals and people from all across SoCal for revelry, beer, and the chicken dance.