Building a Los Angeles Mount Rushmore is no easy task, but I identify the four names that have most impacted the GLOBE from right here in L.A. From art to science, from sports to culture, the list of who DID NOT make the Mount Rushmore is almost as impressive as the names that did. . .and choosing FOUR names was nearly impossible - so let me know what you think of L.A.'s Mount Rushmore.

DTLA was hollowed out and vacant for much of the 20th Century. . .but the arrival of Staples Center heralded a renaissance. Restaurants, bars, lofts, studios, apartments, even hotels were filling the area with vivaciousness & energy that hadn't been felt in 70 years. But then came COVID, and the wave of crime & homelessness, which still hasn't abated. Today, more than 33% of businesses and residences are vacant and legacy restaurants are closing weekly. So what happened? This is the Demise of Downtown L.A.

I sit down with long-time L.A. Times writer & columnist Dylan Hernandez to discuss his recent column castigating the Dodgers for staying silent during the ICE Raids. We get into his origin story as a Japanese-Salvadoran growing up in South Pasadena and attending UCLA, as well as his view of the current media landscape, and why print (and the L.A. Times) are suffering.

Keyshawn Johnson is the pride of Dorsey High and USC, and was the #1 overall pick in the NFL draft. A true L.A. Legend, we sit down with him to discuss his origin story, and how he overcame a troubled adolescence to end up one of the best NFL receivers of all-time. Football is his profession, but L.A. is his passion, and we get into what Keyshawn loves about the greatest city on the globe. Watch Keyshawn’s LA Legends series on his podcast YouTube page here and listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

Books the reason L.A. in a Minute and In a Minute with Evan Lovett exist. They’ve inspired everything I’ve done and continue to provide framework around my understanding of L.A. These are my Favorite Books about L.A., as well as my Summer 2025 reading list.

Join Mona Holmes of Eater LA, Jenn Harris of the L.A. Times, Jordan Okun of Air Jordan: A Food Podcast and Eddie Sanchez of Hungry Creative Co. as we talk about why it's so important to support the L.A. restaurant industry, our favorite restaurants, and the evolving landscape of food media.

Please follow all of our guests on Instagram:

Mona Holmes @monaeats

Jenn Harris @jenn_harris_

Jordan Okun @jordankun

Eddie Sanchez @hungryinla

I delve into the stories of three of my favorite L.A. American Dream Stories: Porto's Bakery, Fatburger, and Vallarta. Inspirational, iconic, and impactful - these are three fascinating origin stories that helped define L.A. culinary culture.

I get DMs all the time about things people love or hate about L.A. and one of the things people 'hate' the most are the transplants. Another thing people 'hate' are the natives. So who is right? Why do natives hate transplants and transplants hate natives? I dive into this dichotomy which is actually L.A.'s Civil War.

David Cavazos, better known as Big Sleeps, is an artist whose work is displayed at museums from the Natural History Museum to the Getty. But his journey started during a turbulent youth in Pico-Union, where he honed his craft and created a style known as Indigenous L.A. Lettering. After surviving a harrowing adolescence, he found inspiration through tattooing & muraling, which catapulted him to adulation and respect from Japan to Venezuela to back home in L.A. This is the origin story of Big Sleeps.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Brigadier General William Hannan is leading Task Force Phoenix in the crucial first step of rebuilding L.A. after the fires: removing 4.5 MILLION tons of ash and debris. This is a part of a coordinated effort involving Los Angeles County, CalOES, FEMA, and we talk with Brig. General Hannan about the intricacies of how this humongous, important project is coming together.