Down but not out in ‘Hollywoodski’ with writer Lou Mathews
Lou Mathews is unequivocal in his devotion to Los Angeles and its environs. “I love it — and I don’t understand people who don’t,” says…
L.A. wildfire coverage shows why local TV news matters in a crisis
As the devastating wildfires began to sweep across Los Angeles on Jan. 7, frightened residents were not turning to Netflix.Local TV news broadcasts were the…
Incarcerated firefighters offer aid battling L.A. blazes, find career
Editor’s note: Essential California will be off tomorrow for MLK day. We’ll be back in your inboxes Tuesday morning. Good morning, and welcome to the…
L.A. fires: Will Trump immigration crackdown slow rebuilding?
The breeze was tinged with smoke from the fires that burned through Pacific Palisades as dozens of workers finished up the brick facade of a…
‘SNL’ host Dave Chappelle weighs in on L.A. fires, Palestine and Trump
At one time, comedian Dave Chappelle’s appearances as host on “Saturday Night Live” were events to be celebrated, most memorably when he hosted the first…
Should L.A. City Council still inform the public by bulletin board?
Good morning, and welcome to L.A. on the Record — our City Hall newsletter. It’s Tony Barboza, with assistance from David Zahniser, Dakota Smith and…
L.A. fire chief generated controversy — and loyalty — while city burned
It was just after noon on Friday, four days into the deadly conflagration in the Palisades, when Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley suddenly seemed…
L.A. officials stop use of disappearing Google Chats, citing Palisades fire
For years, Los Angeles city employees could communicate through Google Chat messages that were automatically deleted after 24 hours. Even after the practice, which was…
‘Rebel Without a Cause’ at 70, plus the best movies in L.A.
Hello! I’m Mark Olsen. Welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only Good Movies.Due to the ongoing Los Angeles…
L.A. County D.A. hires special prosecutor for police misconduct
The L.A. County Board of Supervisors approved the hiring of a new special prosecutor to look into police misconduct cases this week, less than a…
When will L.A. hiking spot Eaton Canyon recover? Sooner than you think
On Tuesday, I walked along the path parallel to Eaton Creek, trying to comprehend the gray-scale scene around me. Charred limbs of manzanita and other…
Those rebuilding after L.A. fires likely to face higher lumber prices
Devastating, often tragic as the Los Angeles wildfires have been, rebuilding could bring nightmares all its own, including murky insurance rules, material shortages and potentially…
Could the L.A. fires change how California responds to deportations?
Hello and happy Thursday, though the fires rage on. There are four days until the inauguration, but already the Trump effect is in effect. Last…
The L.A. Times is starting a climate change podcast
The world has changed since I started writing Boiling Point five years ago. There are more solar farms, fewer coal plants and more movies about…
Here are the notable Hollywood film locations destroyed in the L.A. fires
With its intricate, carved-wood paneling and diamond-shaped glass panes, location scout Lori Balton thought the smoking room of the historic Andrew McNally House was just…
Amid L.A. fires, Oscars ‘must go forward’ and will, CEO says
Decimated by fire season, it seems impossible that the Los Angeles area could even begin to think about awards season.As fires that have killed at…
L.A.’s ‘free shops’ where fire victims can pick up new clothes
Los Angeles-based furniture designers Kalon Studios have transformed their Atwater Village showroom into a free store for those affected by the fires. Founded in 2007…
Getty, LACMA, MOCA launch emergency fund for artists hit by fires
Some of L.A.’s biggest arts institutions including the J. Paul Getty Trust, LACMA, MOCA and the Hammer Museum are among those backing an emergency reserve…
How Altadena became the L.A. dream for Gen X and millennial artists, writers, musicians
A decade ago, if you were a writer, artist or musician who had finally saved enough of a nest egg to consider buying a home,…
Oscar nominations delayed again by L.A. wildfires
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has once again delayed the announcement of nominees for the 97th Academy Awards due to the ongoing…