UFC returns to Crypto.com Arena for the first time in eight years, and it does so with a card packed with big names and fighters looking to make the most of their opportunity to compete on the biggest stage in mixed martial arts.
Saturday’s main event will feature the flyweight title rematch between Joshua Van (17-2) and Alexandre Pantoja (30-6), a matchup that has been highly anticipated ever since their first bout ended prematurely. In December 2025, the two fighters faced off for the first time, but the bout ended after just 26 seconds when the Brazilian landed awkwardly after being sent to the canvas and suffered a serious arm injury, prompting the referee to stop the fight via technical knockout and crown Van the champion.
That victory made the Myanmar native a champion questioned by some, but Van legitimized his reign by prevailing in a grueling battle against Tatsuro Taira last May, stopping his challenger in the final round. For his part, Pantoja has not fought since that bout against Van, in which he suffered a dislocated arm.
In the co-main event, lightweight fighters Arman Tsarukyan (23-3) and Mauricio Ruffy (14-2) will face off in a bout that promises to define the division’s standings. Tsarukyan, from Georgia, has five straight wins, over Dan Hooker, Charles Oliveira, Beneil Dariush, Joaquim Silva, and Damir Ismagulov. Ruffy, from Brazil, has two consecutive victories in his most recent bouts, though he has won nine of his last 10 fights.
The card also features exciting preliminary bouts, including a matchup between Marlon Vera (23-12), who has been training in Southern California for years, and Canadian Charles Jourdain (18-1-1).
The main event at Crypto.com Arena starts at 6 p.m. PDT and will be broadcast on Paramount+. The preliminary bouts begin at 2:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on UFC Fight Pass and Paramount+.
The lineup includes a last-minute change. Brian Ortega was scheduled to fight on home turf, but due to an injury, his lightweight bout against Renato Moicano was removed from the card. As a result, Moicano will now face No. 11-ranked contender Tom Nolan in the main event of UFC Fight Night, which will take place on Oct. 31 at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas.
The last time UFC held an event at Crypto.com Arena was on Aug. 4, 2018, when T.J. Dillashaw defeated Cody Garbrandt by first-round knockout to win the bantamweight title at UFC 227.
Here is the full fight card:
Main card (Paramount +, 6 p.m.):
Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja, por el título de peso mosca
Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy
Patricio Pitbull vs. Dooho Choi
Alonzo Menifield vs. Iwo Baraniewski
Gable Steveson vs. Sean Sharaf
Preliminary Card (Paramount+ and UFC Fight Pass, 2:30 p.m.):
Alexandre Pantoja and Joshua Van hope their fight Saturday at Crypto.com Arena will last longer than 26 seconds.
It has been nine months since their first bout, which ended in less than a minute because of a Pantoja injury and made Van the UFC flyweight champion. Pantoja aims to reclaim the belt he lost at UFC 331, with the main event beginning at 6 p.m. and streaming on Paramount+.
Pantoja dislocated his elbow when he fell while trying to defend against one of Van’s moves on Dec. 6 at UFC 323 in Las Vegas. The fight ended immediately.
Van celebrated winning the 125-pound title, but both fighters walked away from that night feeling everyone deserved more than the premature result.
Alexandre Pantoja holds his arm after losing his flyweight title fight on Dec. 6 in Las Vegas.
(Ian Maule / Getty Images)
Pantoja, of Brazil, has not competed since that night. He has spent most of the past nine months recovering from the injury, while Van successfully defended his title once against Tatsuro Taira in May, winning by stoppage in the final round.
“It’s been [nine] long months,” Pantoja said. “I’ve been working hard. And at a certain point, I think that after two years as champion, five title fights — almost six title fights — at a certain point it’s good to take some time off, enjoy my family, enjoy myself. But at the same time, I’m really hungry to win again.”
Pantoja said he returned to the gym two days after that first fight. Although the injury kept him out of the octagon, he didn’t want to stay away from training for too long because he said that would have made it harder to get back to fighting at the championship level.
During his time out of the octagon, he observed how the division changed.
“I see a lot of good fights. We’re seeing the top 10 change almost completely,” Pantoja said Wednesday. “I see incredible fights in the flyweight division. And I think this Saturday, with my fight against Joshua Van in the main event here in Los Angeles, is very special.”
Van, meanwhile, enters the rematch coming off a five-round championship bout.
“I’ve been working on my ground game, and you’ll see it,” said Van, who holds dual American and Myanmar citizenship. “I tried it in the fight against Taira, but I didn’t quite pull it off. But this time, you’ll see a different level from Joshua Van.”
The champion’s confidence remains undiminished, as he sees the rematch as an opportunity to put any debate surrounding that first fight in 2025 to rest and prove his place in the division.
“When I beat him, I’ll be one of the greats in this division, and then the next challenger will come and try to take the belt from me,” Van said.
Pantoja said Van has changed since December, highlighting the fight against Taira and noting the champion has refined aspects of his fighting style.
Joshua Van celebrates after defeating Alexandre Pantoja in a flyweight title bout during UFC 323 on Dec. 6 in Las Vegas.
(Ian Maule / Getty Images)
“I think Van definitely evolved a lot after our fight,” Pantoja said. “He had the fight against Tatsuro Taira; I think he evolved and corrected some mistakes he made in that fight. So I think it’s going to be completely different.”
Pantoja doesn’t consider himself the same fighter who will face Van.
“The drive is always the same,” Pantoja said. “I’ve had the same drive since I was a kid — I’ve always wanted to fight the best fighters in the world. The drive is the same; it’s just that I think I’m much more mature now.”
Pantoja said Van is a top-tier fighter, but he believes the injury prevented both of them from showing everything they were capable of.
“He’s an incredible fighter,” said Pantoja, 36. “When you watch Joshua Van fight, his expression never changes — he always tries to stay in control. And that proves just how good you are.”
Although Pantoja officially lost that night, the injury changed the course of the fight before it could truly get underway.
“I injured my arm. I know that, as an athlete, I lost that fight, and now I have the opportunity to fight world champion Joshua Van — and that’s what I want. I want him at his best because I’m at my best too,” Pantoja said.
Tensions have escalated since their first encounter.
At a news conference in August in Los Angeles, the fighters got into an exchange that forced UFC president Dana White to intervene. Pantoja stood up from his seat after Van interrupted him, but the situation did not escalate into a physical confrontation.
“As far as I’m concerned, I’m his dad,” Van said. “He was being respectful before the fight, and I don’t know what he’s doing in interviews and stuff like that to make me look like the bad guy.”
Pantoja offered a different explanation.
“He does a very good job,” Pantoja said. “He needed a lesson. When I stood up, I tried to teach him a lesson. I’m from the ‘90s. Back then, if you didn’t respect your mother or father, you’d get a slap.”
Despite the disagreement, both have shown respect for their opponent’s skills. Van described Pantoja as a “very, very dangerous” fighter.
“He’s going to be motivated, he’s going to be hungrier, and I think this will be the best Pantoja we’ll see,” Van said. “So I’m very well prepared for this fight.”
Pantoja, for his part, knows he’s facing a champion who’s already had the chance to prove he can go the distance for five rounds. The Brazilian also viewed Van’s fight against Taira as a source of insight for his preparation.
“An incredible fight, very good,” Pantoja said of his 24-year-old opponent. “I think it’s a good fight for all the fans. It showed me something, but I know Joshua Van is very young and can fix a lot of things from that fight.”
For the Brazilian, the goal this weekend is clear.
“At the end of the day, what matters is the victory,” said Pantoja. “However it plays out — whether it’s by decision, split decision, KO or submission — I think the closer we get to the fight, the less those things matter. The closer we get to the fight, the championship doesn’t matter anymore, the money doesn’t matter — all that really matters is the win.”
Van doesn’t expect to let the fight go to the scorecards.
“I don’t think it’ll go five rounds; I’ll finish it within the first three rounds,” he said confidently. “It’ll be by knockout or submission, but I’m leaning more toward a knockout.”
If Pantoja regains the championship, he would become only the third flyweight champion in UFC history to reclaim the belt after losing it, joining Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno.
For the Brazilian, returning to Los Angeles also holds personal significance. He recalled that it was the first city he visited when he arrived in the United States in 2014 and that, back then, he slept in a gym.
Now he’ll return as a title challenger in the main event of UFC 331.
“It’s so nice that people see where I started here and see how far I’ve come,” Pantoja recalled. “For me, the best part is being the same guy I was when I arrived here in 2014; I’m the same guy right now, and I’m very happy and proud of myself.”
Hikers trekking along trails around Los Angeles know that, by late summer, most creeks and rivers have dried up for the season.
However, recent rainfall across Southern California has replenished our waterways just enough to bring back a little of their spring and early summer glamour.
In this week’s edition of The Wild, our weekly outdoors newsletter, I will highlight three L.A. trails where you can still find water flowing, offering a cool relief in a year when L.A. residents are sick of humidity, heat and high electric bills.
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Before heading out, here are a few things to remember:
Familiarize yourself with what poison oak looks like, as it will be prominent on all of these trails. Its leaves this time of year range from glossy green to red, orange and yellow.
Practice seven Leave No Trace principles, including never leaving anything behind such as toilet paper or orange peels.
Rocks and boulders in and along creeks will often be slippery from years of erosion. Take good care when climbing them or using them for leverage as you traverse an area.
Riparian habitats, like creeks flowing through canyons, are home to sensitive creatures including California newts, frogs and toads. Take good care to watch where you’re stepping, ensuring you aren’t crushing one of these little sweeties as you tromp along.
Now that we’ve all agreed to recreate responsibly, let’s talk about those hikes!
The Santa Ynez waterfall is an 18-foot cascade through a canyon carved by water for thousands of years.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
1. Santa Ynez Waterfall Trail
Distance: 2.2 miles out and back Elevation gained: About 200 feet Difficulty: Easy in the beginning with technical aspects near the falls Dogs allowed: No Nearest to: Pacific Palisades Accessible alternative: Inspiration Loop Trail at Will Rogers State Historic Park
The Santa Ynez waterfall trail is a 2.2-mile journey along Santa Ynez Creek in Topanga State Park, shaded by large sycamores, oak trees and the canyon’s walls. You’ll notice a small cave-like structure in the canyon wall shortly upon starting the hike. Unfortunately, other visitors have carved into its sides. Don’t be one of them.
To begin your hike, you will park along Vereda de la Montura. Note that parking isn’t allowed daily between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.
A small cave-like structure in Santa Ynez Canyon in Topanga State Park.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
I thought I was in the wrong place when I first pulled up, given the trailhead sits in the middle of a neighborhood. I walked northwest along the street and found an open gate with stairs leading down. This is where you’ll start the trail.
I was immediately reminded of Sullivan Canyon (which is about 3 miles away, as the crow flies), as the two canyons feature rocky canyon walls and tall old trees. There are a few times when the trail splits off and returns to itself. Just over half a mile in, though, the trail splits in two, with Santa Ynez Canyon Trail to the west (or left) and the waterfall trail, which you will take to the north or northwest-ish.
A lush tree canopy provides shade in Santa Ynez Canyon as hikers head to the waterfall.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
The first mile of this trail is primarily a nice stroll northward along a creek, the ground covered in green and brown leaves. However, just over a mile in, if you want to see the waterfall and small cave next to it, you will need to scramble up a large boulder and then rock hop through the creek. As of last week, there was a rope to aid hikers upward. (On my way down, I unintentionally slid quickly down the rock, feeling every peddle in the tuchus until I landed feet first in the creek — so take your time here.)
The waterfall isn’t roaring at the moment, but I found the trickling sound of water soothing. It’s also a geologically interesting area to look around, as the water has carved out the canyon walls into interesting shapes (and created a small cave near the waterfall).
The walls of Santa Ynez Canyon were carved by water, wind and time over centuries.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
As I was heading back from the falls, I noticed several bees circling an area high in the canyon wall where it appeared they’d built a nest. Pack accordingly if you are allergic to bee stings.
Slow down and look up as you hike through Santa Ynez Canyon, taking the opportunity to observe rock formations, plants and reptiles.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
I only saw three other people along the trail while there on a weekday. I was mostly alone, though, listening to the wrentits and spotted towhees as blue dragonflies darted to and fro.
Cold Creek in the Cold Creek Valley Preserve near Calabasas.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
2. Cold Creek Trail
Distance: 2.2 miles out and back (with option to extend) Elevation gained: About 300 feet Difficulty: Easier end of moderate Dogs allowed: Yes Nearest to: South of Calabasas Accessible alternative: Nicholas Flat ADA Trail
The Cold Creek Valley Preserve, cared for by the TreePeople Land Trust, is a shady riparian habitat near Calabasas with a gently flowing creek that features multiple short cascades. The land was saved from development by several local residents and nonprofits, including Timothy B. Schmit, bass player for the Eagles.
The preserve features multiple public hiking routes, including the Cold Creek Trail.
“Located on an ancient trade route, the [I]ndigenous people of Southern California have used the area for hunting and settlement for generations, leaving a lasting influence visible on the land,” according to TreePeople. “The perennial Cold Creek is the keystone feature of the area, one of the cleanest free-flowing streams in the Santa Monica Mountains.”
The tree canopy along the Cold Creek Trail in the Cold Creek Valley Preserve provides a shady cool environment for hikers.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
To begin your hike, you’ll park in a bumpy dirt lot just off Stunt Road. Be mindful as you near the trailhead, as there will likely be construction crew members in the area. They’re working to install rumble strips and other infrastructure to slow down drivers and hopefully improve traffic safety.
At the start of the trail, you’ll find a portable toilet near the gate. You’ll walk southeast for a short bit before rounding the curve of the trail. You’ll officially be transported into this sylvan sanctuary (although I could admittedly still hear the construction workers communicating on their walkie-talkies).
The trail mostly runs parallel to Cold Creek, which you will hear flowing and have the opportunity to sit near at multiple points along the route, including on a few wooden benches. The trail crosses the creek about four times, but it isn’t overly technical to maneuver.
The Cold Creek Valley Preserve is open from sunrise to sunset.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
About half a mile in, the trail intersects with Lower Stunt High Trail. You can continue northwest along the creek. You will find another option, the Yucca Trail, just under a mile into your hike, a nice .68-mile loop through the preserve.
The park, open from sunrise to sunset, offers a sweet reprieve from the sun and is a great spot to take a deep breath and meditate in the woods.
The Gabrielino Trail is a multi-use trail frequented by hikers, bikers and horseback riders.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
3. The Gabrielino National Recreation Trail (multiple segments)
Distance: 28.8 miles Elevation gained: About 6,000 feet Difficulty: Challenging when done in its entirety Dogs allowed: Yes Nearest to: Arcadia and Pasadena, depending on the trailhead Accessible alternative: Gabrielino Trail starting near North Windsor Avenue near Altadena
The Gabrielino National Recreation Trail is a 28.8-mile journey through the San Gabriel Mountains. Most thru-hikers start the trail at Chantry Flat and take the trail on a squiggly N-shaped journey all the way to its western trailhead near NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory near Pasadena.
However, it isn’t necessary to take the entire Gabrielino Trail to enjoy its beauty. The trail has several entry points, offering short day trips, including the following, which run parallel to at least one local creek or river:
Regardless of where you go, I hope you enjoy our last weekend of summer. That’s right: Summer ends Tuesday! Hopefully that means it soon feels like autumn in L.A.
3 things to do
Volunteers walk down the beach at a Heal the Bay coastal cleanup event in 2024 with Water for L.A.
(Heal the Bay)
1. Clean up public lands around L.A. Heal the Bay will host L.A. County’s annual coastal cleanup day from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday in more than 60 sites. Participants should consider wearing closed-toe shoes and sun protection. Cleanup supplies will be available at sites but will run out at popular sites. Volunteers can pick a beach, river, park or trail near them by visiting support.healthebay.org.
2. Portray a bird of prey in San Dimas The San Dimas Canyon Nature Center will host a guided sketch experience from 6 to 7 p.m. Friday at 1628 Sycamore Canyon Road in San Dimas. Participants will learn how to draw a red-tailed hawk. Learn more at the center’s Instagram page.
3. Learn dangers from rangers in Newbury Park Hikers can bring their four-legged besties to Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday for a B.A.R.K. Rangers event where rangers will educate dog owners on how to safely and responsibly enjoy public lands. Rangers will also conduct a special swearing-in ceremony, complete with a Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area B.A.R.K. Ranger badge, for pups who complete certain challenges. Learn more at eventbrite.com.
The must-read
A juvenile great white shark in Hermosa Beach in April, seen via drone.
(CSULB Shark Lab)
Yes, El Niño morphed our city’s usually pleasant Mediterranean climate into the largest hot yoga class in L.A. But did you know it has also resulted in our ocean water being warm enough to attract animals not usually seen along our coastline? Those fishing off the Malibu Pier were surprised in mid-August by a hammerhead shark swimming nearby. A giant whale shark was recently documented by a fish spotter between Malibu and one of the Channel Islands, a species that prefers warmer waters (and is the largest known fish on the planet). And in line with our predicted “sharky summer,” a juvenile great white shark was spotted a bit close to a swimmer off the coast of Santa Barbara. The best news is: Nothing bad has happened to any humans or animals during these visits, underscoring how well we can co-exist with these beings, despite our fears of them.
Happy adventuring,
P.S.
More and more wildlife lovers are heading into public lands for “recreational herping,” the practice of looking for amphibians and reptiles. Conservation photographer Mario Ramos recently raised concerns via his Instagram page about how the increase is leading some folks to unintentionally harm the animals they seek to observe. “A harsh truth about field herping is that our interactions with wild herps are often stressful and potentially detrimental to the animals, no matter how you frame it,” Ramos wrote. Ramos then outlined how to ethically look for animals that slither and slide in the wild. Always respect the locals, folks!
For more insider tips on Southern California’s beaches, trails and parks, check out past editions of The Wild. And to view this newsletter in your browser, click here.
“American Idol” is packing up its stars after 25 years in Hollywood.
In the latest blow to Los Angeles film production, ABC’s long-running program will move its upcoming season to the Atlanta area, according to Fremantle, which produces the show with 19 Entertainment, owned by Sony Pictures Television.
Fremantle declined to comment further.
The move comes as Los Angeles’ production levels have tumbled, prompting concern from film workers, union leaders and elected officials who are scrambling to address the crisis. California, despite boosting its tax incentive program, has been struggling to compete against other states that offer more lucrative credits.
TV production activity in the L.A. region was down 27% in the second quarter compared with the same period a year ago, largely because of fewer reality TV shoots, according to the nonprofit FilmLA.
Earlier this year, another broadcast TV stalwart, Fox’s “The Masked Singer,” made plans to vacate its space on the Fox lot on West Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles and head to New Jersey, also in search of more lucrative tax credits. Another ABC hit, “Shark Tank,” also is relocating to Atlanta from its longtime home base on Sony’s Culver City lot.
“American Idol” has been a local economic engine since launching on Fox in 2002. For years, the show ranked as the No. 1 show on TV and employed hundreds of workers each season as aspiring singers hoped for their big break.
The most recent season originated from Red Studios in Hollywood.
Georgia offers generous tax incentives, including up to a 30% tax credit for reality television productions that spend at least $500,000 in the state. Unlike California, Georgia’s tax program allows compensation for actors and other so-called above-the-line workers to be included.
Like California, Georgia has been grappling with lower production levels. For more than a decade, its soundstages attracted colossal movie productions, but the region was dealt a blow when the Walt Disney Co. recently shifted production of its Marvel superhero films to facilities near London.
On Tuesday, a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers, the Motion Picture Assn., industry unions, Hollywood special ambassador Jon Voight and filmmaker Steven Paul made a pitch for a federal film and television tax credit to keep jobs in Hollywood and in the U.S. broadly.
Rep. Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) plans to introduce a bill into Congress as early as this month in collaboration with Rep. Brian Jack (R-Ga.), who represents a district southwest of Atlanta. The MPA released a study estimating a federal tax credit could add 143,000 film and TV jobs.
This year, in particular, has seen big swings as the California Film and TV Tax Credit Program expanded eligibility to include competition shows.
Large-scale competition shows are eligible under the state’s incentive program if they have a minimum budget of $1 million per episode. The credit, however, does not include traditional reality shows, game shows, talk shows or docu-follow television programs.
Changes in California’s formula resulted in a jump to 676 shoot days in the second quarter, compared with 463 shoot days during the first three months of the year. Nonetheless, this year’s April-June quarter still reflected an almost 40% decline when compared with the same time last year.
FilmLA said that over the last five years, reality productions have plummeted nearly 63%.
ABC in late July announced “American Idol” was returning, marking its 10th season on the Walt Disney Co. network. Producers are auditioning potential contestants this week during stops in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
ABC declined to comment on the move.
Ryan Seacrest has long hosted the show, which last season featured Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan and Carrie Underwood, a previous “American Idol” champion, as the celebrity judges.
Deadline first reported the planned move to Georgia.
Game shows are also leaving L.A.
A growing number of programs long based around Hollywood and New York have headed across the ocean to Ireland and Britain to take advantage of tax credits that bring down the cost of production as broadcast network executives contend with shrinking audiences and lower profit margins.
Fox currently has several prime-time game shows produced overseas, including “The Floor,” “Celebrity Name That Tune” and “Beat Shazam.
Staff writer Stephen Battaglio contributed to this report.
Paramount Skydance Chief Executive David Ellison faces a pivotal decision: Should he uproot his Hollywood studio — the birthplace of such film classics as “Sunset Boulevard,” “The Godfather” and “Beverly Hills Cop”?
Paramount floated shifting its home base to Tennessee or Texas in July, hoping to deter California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta from waging a legal battle to block Paramount’s $111-billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Bonta rejected the tactic, calling it “blackmail.” His antitrust lawsuit, filed in collaboration with 11 other Democratic state attorneys general, has since stalled the largest Hollywood merger in decades and put Ellison in a jam.
The 43-year-old tech scion — a film aficionado who has spent two decades building his career in Hollywood — has told associates he doesn’t want to leave L.A. But he has signaled that he’s prepared to sell the historic studio lots and move Paramount’s and Warner Bros.’ operations from California if the merger isn’t finalized by next month, according to people familiar with the situation who were not authorized to comment.
“It would be devastating,” Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur, who represents a district that includes the Melrose Avenue movie lot and neighborhoods near Warner Bros. in Burbank, said of a Paramount move. “We need to do everything we can to protect these important jobs in California’s iconic industry.”
Paramount declined to comment.
Ellison is frustrated after securing approvals from more than 65 regulators worldwide for the mammoth merger that would bring HBO, CNN, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV and TBS under the same roof.
“California is the fourth-largest economy in the world and the best place to do business,” a spokesman from Bonta’s office said. “Strong antitrust enforcement is essential so everyone can benefit from a vibrant economy.”
A federal judge in Oakland temporarily blocked the deal, prompting Paramount to agree not to finalize the acquisition until after a trial or June 1, whichever comes first. Settlement talks collapsed in late August after Bonta accused Paramount of leaking and misrepresenting their discussions.
Paramount has plenty at stake. U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín set the trial for March, but the company urgently needs the valuable Warner assets to better compete against tech behemoths. And beginning Oct. 1, Paramount must increase its payout to Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders by $7 million a day, so-called ticking fees that will heap more debt onto the highly leveraged transaction.
Paramount asked the judge to require California and other plaintiff states, including Nevada, Oregon and New York, along with the Writers Guild of America (which also sued) to post a $1.88-billion bond that could compensate Paramount for ticking fee costs. A hearing is set for Sept. 24.
For weeks, Paramount’s most potent weapon has been its in-the-works plan to leave L.A.
Lobbying has been intense, prompting a parade of politicians led by Gov. Gavin Newsom, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and gubernatorial nominee Xavier Becerra to urge the two sides to settle the lawsuit.
“It’s a game of chicken,” Kevin Klowden, an economist and managing director at the Melcene Advisory firm, said in an interview. “But I’m not dismissing the threat because it is very real.”
Relocating from Los Angeles would allow Ellison’s cash-hungry media company to qualify for lucrative tax incentives offered by another state. Ellison’s short list includes Tennessee, Texas and Georgia. But leaving its longtime home would be costly for Paramount too, given how much of the talent and deal-making remains concentrated around L.A.
Tennessee’s Department of Economic and Community Development declined to discuss its negotiations with Paramount, but in a statement a spokesperson said the state “remains committed to working with companies across a wide range of industries that are exploring opportunities to invest and grow in Tennessee.”
Early this month, a pro-merger group was set to hold a news conference outside Paramount, but it moved its gathering to a warehouse a few blocks away after anti-merger activists planned a counterprotest.
The pro-merger organization, Neighbors for Strong Communities, was incorporated in Washington, D.C., in June and has lobbed text messages to Californians urging them to press Bonta to drop the case.
Speakers were concerned with just one issue: What would happen should Paramount pull out?
“What are we going to do with all these people who have invested their lives and many generations into building something here?” asked Keyla Wood, who moved from Mexico to L.A. about a decade ago after getting her start in Spanish-language soap operas.
“It’s been one thing after the other: The pandemic, the strikes and then it was the fires,” said Wood, who has worked as a stand-in for Eva Longoria and Salma Hayek. “So many people never work again.”
David Ellison is deciding whether to leave Hollywood.
(Bloomberg via Getty Images)
L.A.’s very identity is at stake, added Daniela Kelly, an actor and dancer who arrived from Brazil two decades ago.
“Everyone in the world sees Los Angeles and Hollywood as the platform for their dreams,” Kelly said. “Imagine if a huge studio with 100 years of history here just leaves? What will we be?”
Businesses like Kelly’s small Kreashen Studios USA, which provides video and podcasting space in Marina del Rey, depends on the region’s entertainment economy.
“It’s difficult financially right now to keep open,” she said. “So I’m pro having Paramount stay because this is the center, the heart of Hollywood.”
But deal opponents and some experts say the merger would actually worsen L.A.’s already bleak production picture.
Paramount has promised to cut $6 billion in expenses — a figure that doesn’t factor in the cost of ticking fees, which would add $650 million each quarter to the $81 billion that Paramount had anticipated paying Warner shareholders.
“We’ve seen from previous mergers that jobs have been lost,” L.A. City Councilmember Adrin Nazarian said at a City Hall event recently.
“When you look at the economic impact, it’s pretty staggering,” Kelly LoBianco, the department director, said in a recent interview. “An estimated $4 billion in economic output lost, and another $550 million lost in tax revenue at the local, state and federal level.”
The merger also could erase $79 million in tax revenue to Los Angeles County even if Paramount stays in L.A., she said.
But state and county tax revenue would plummet further should Paramount dispatch hundreds of its workers to Tennessee or some other state, Klowden said.
“If Ellison moves all the management out and all of the productions out, you’re talking about potentially tens of thousands of jobs,” Klowden said. “That, bluntly, isn’t just devastating to L.A. That becomes devastating to everybody.”
A report commissioned by Paramount from Los Angeles Economic Development Corp. predicted even steeper losses of at least 28,000 jobs should the studio move its entire operation out of state, according to a draft report given to Politico.
Under a less dire scenario, Paramount could shift its corporate headquarters to another state to qualify for incentives but still maintain large staffs in the creative hubs of Los Angeles and New York, where the company has its legal headquarters.
When the Ellison family acquired Paramount from the Sumner Redstone family last year, Ellison shifted operations to L.A., where he and other key executives work on the Melrose Avenue lot.
The threat to pull up stakes has created a disconnect after Ellison has spent more than a year touting how his family’s growing collection of media properties would strengthen traditional Hollywood.
The relocation campaign echoes a tactic used by software giant Oracle Corp., co-founded by Ellison’s billionaire father, Larry Ellison. For three decades, Oracle thrived in Redwood City, Calif., but in 2020, the company moved its headquarters to Austin, Texas, joining other California tech firms leaving in protest of the state’s high taxes.
The elder Ellison announced in 2024 that Oracle would be moving again, this time to Nashville, although that relocation hasn’t been finalized.
Paramount would risk leaving behind a skilled talent pool filled with experienced production workers and entertainment executives, Klowden said.
Fleeing L.A. could prompt “a talent bleed-out,” Klowden said. “Creative types are like: ‘Would I feel comfortable moving there?’ And, ‘What if I move there and something goes wrong? There would be nowhere else for me to go.’”
He pointed to Nissan’s 2006 U.S. headquarters move to the Nashville area from Gardena in L.A.’s South Bay, which dramatically reset the automaker’s workforce as fewer than half of its Southern California employees made the trek to Tennessee.
On Friday, a magistrate judge told both sides to identify dates in late October to meet for court-ordered settlement talks.
Each has motivations to settle — including avoiding a years-long court fight. Bonta has said Paramount must be willing to part with assets to alleviate market concentration, which could lead to a sale of Warner’s New Line Cinema, which has rights to “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Conjuring” franchises, and potentially cable channels such as CNN, Food Network or Cartoon Network.
Paramount, as part of a settlement, could abandon plans to leave L.A.
“All of the parties need to understand what this [issue] means to workers and small businesses,” Zbur, the local Assembly member, said. “I’m hopeful for a settlement that assures that Paramount and Warner Bros. will maintain their operations and remain a significant economic and employment force in Los Angeles.”
Times staff writer Cerys Davies contributed to this report.
Major corporations and law firms recently packed one of downtown’s most exclusive restaurants, paying $3,000 a table to attend a charity fund-raiser. The dinner honoree was Fran Savitch, a top aide to Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley.
The impressive turnout was no surprise to those who know Savitch. “I’ve sat with Fran at a lot of the major dinners for the mayor,” said Christopher Stewart, executive director of the Central City Assn., a downtown business group. “And as many people who go over to greet the mayor, go over to Fran.”
A longtime Democratic Party activist who has worked for Bradley since 1973, she has been a major political contact for Bradley, both in Los Angeles and nationally. From throwing a reception in her Bunker Hill condo for West Virginia’s then-Democratic Gov. John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV, now a U.S. senator, to co-hosting a reception for Joan Mondale last summer, Savitch often plays the political hostess for the mayor’s office.
Savitch also acts as a trouble-shooter for the mayor. She represented Bradley during crucial negotiating sessions with Oxford Properties to work out plans for the half-billion dollar Citicorp Plaza, now under construction downtown.
Her specialty is behind-the-scenes lobbying. That became blatantly evident three years ago when several council members and aides revealed that Savitch had lobbied them on behalf of the mayor to vote for a less strict version of rent control. (Bradley denied his aides did any such lobbying, but several council members and aides flatly contradicted him.)
Savitch also monitors several city departments for the mayor. She has been known to refer to them as “my” departments.
She offers her influential friends access to the mayor, and she offers the mayor access to their money.
“There are some terrific people I see socially who can make substantial contributions, and they, of course, expect access and I think they should have it,” Savitch said. “That’s part of what their money buys them, is at the very least to have their phone calls returned. You have to keep that in balance though, everyone has to have his phone calls returned. Maybe theirs get returned first. . . .”
One of those who knows what that kind of access can mean is William Norris, who belonged to the committee that supported Bradley’s first mayor’s race in 1969.
A former Police Commission president and now a U.S. appellate court judge, Norris had worked with Savitch on Democratic campaigns before he was a judge. So several years ago when his wife, an art consultant, suggested the city should have a museum of contemporary art, he called Savitch.
“I knew I had to have instant credibility,” Norris said. “I knew if I could sell it to Fran, it would ease the way with the mayor. She set up the original meeting with the mayor. . . . We couldn’t have pulled it off without her.”
Got the Wheels Turning
The meeting set up by Savitch got the wheels turning, and the $22-million Museum of Contemporary Art is due to open in 1986 as part of the $1.2-billion California Plaza.
Although grateful for the Bradley administration support for the museum, his judicial obligations prevent him from helping Bradley politically, Norris said. “They don’t have me, but they have my wife,” he added, chuckling. Merry Norris was one of many new city commissioners recommended by Savitch and appointed by Bradley last year.
Her appointment was part of a controversial move by Bradley to increase his influence by naming city commissioners more closely allied with his political views. The mayor asked all 175 commissioners to resign and ended up replacing about 70%.
Savitch, known as the key Bradley adviser on appointments, got much of the credit and much of the blame.
Howard Nishimura, a former Community Redevelopment Agency commissioner, was one of many appointees who complained that Savitch did not warn him that he and others were about to be fired. “She’s always happy to see you as long as she wants something,” he said. “But, I saw her the day before it (the commission shake-up) happened, and I wondered why she seemed to be avoiding me. Her eyes met mine, and she looked away. I was on the board six years and not one word from her!”
‘Committed to Women’
Barbara Schlei, a police commissioner who has been friends with Savitch for several years, credited Savitch for the increased percentage of women among the new appointees. “She uses her position to advance other women,” Schlei said. “Fran has always been deeply committed to women and their political activities.”
In public, Savitch is usually guarded and given to occasional self-deprecation, which she attributes to a lack of confidence at an early age.
“My father thought girls were a waste of time,” said Savitch, the older of two children. “Nothing I did was ever really good enough.”
Savitch’s only ambition as a girl was “what else, to get married and have children,” which she did. She has been married for 34 years to Superior Court Judge Leon Savitch, who is the uncle of the late newscaster Jessica Savitch. Savitch and her husband have two daughters, ages 32 and 26.
Father Was a Judge
Fran Savitch’s father was the late Superior Court Judge Alfred Gitelson, who made the landmark 1970 ruling that ordered desegregation of Los Angeles schools. Labeled the “busing judge,” he was voted out of office that same year.
Her own upper-middle-class West Los Angeles background was sheltered, she said. “Servants in the house were black, and that was the only association I ever had with members of the minority community.”
While living in Baldwin Hills during the early 1960s, she met Herschel Rosenthal, who is now a Democrat from Los Angeles in the state Senate. He introduced her to Bradley, who was retiring from the Los Angeles Police Department to go into law practice.
When Bradley decided to run for the City Council in 1963, she volunteered to work in his campaign. “Tom Bradley,” said Savitch, who almost always calls the mayor by his full name, “was someone that white people could support as well as black people, and that’s what it would take to get someone elected.” Savitch also worked for Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, a black attorney first elected to the Legislature and then Congress.
Savitch made one try for elected office, a 1975 City Council race she was expected to win but lost to Zev Yaroslavsky. She said she has no further aspirations to elected office. “I think Fran is doing extremely well,” Yaroslavsky said. “Perhaps even better than she had hoped to do as a councilwoman.”
Growing up in Amoy, China, Amery Chen always understood tea as a daily ritual to unwind and recharge. When she landed in L.A. for medical school, the daily tea drinking routine stayed with her and kept her alert during long nights of studying.
Now a full-time urgent care doctor who works 50-hour weeks, Chen is sharing her tradition with Angelenos at Torotea, her bustling Diamond Bar tea house that‘s expanding to its fifth location this month.
Chen takes pride in Torotea’s selection of teas imported from around the world, which are brewed in small batches and optionally paired with unique house-made toppings like a popular jelly made from barley tea.
“We’ve been able to attract people from different ages, ethnicities and genders,” Chen said. “It’s meaningful beyond words for me to be able to create something so borderless.”
In Redondo Beach, Racer Tea Bar owner Chad Webber educates customers every day on the therapeutic properties of teas he sources from around the world. Before the pandemic, Webber was living out of a 1975 Dodge van when he began experimenting with swapping his morning coffee for a London fog rendition sweetened with lavender, honey and oat milk.
It stuck — he branded his Earl Grey tea latte “The Rocker” and began driving around the country selling tea out of his van, until business boomed enough to ditch the wheels and open his brick-and-mortar in late 2021. The storefront’s heavy rock ‘n’ roll aesthetic brings an undeniably unique energy to L.A.’s tea scene.
“The locals of South Bay have responded incredibly well to it,” Webber said. “We’re busting out of the norm. This isn’t your grandma’s tea shop.”
If you’re looking to explore beyond L.A.’s bountiful coffee and matcha shops, here are eight L.A. spots dedicated to milk teas and tea lattes that span a wide array of styles and cultures, from a modern Indian restaurant serving ginger and cardamom chai lattes in Culver City to a lively Argentine mate shop in Northridge.
This spot, just a short stroll from the Long Beach Museum of Art Downtown, doesn’t bother trying to graft cafe culture onto the cat-visiting experience, choosing instead to double-down on a whimsical cat motif that includes kitty murals and paw prints splashed across interior and exterior walls. (If you need a caffeine fix, there is a Starbucks a few blocks away.) The central element inside the space is a wooden tree-like structure where you’ll find many of the 50-plus cats provided by rescue partner Long Beach Felines lounging or climbing, while others roam about, pouncing on toys, wiggling through fabric tunnels or prancing on a cat exercise wheel the size of a truck tire.
Up to 25 people can kick it with the kitties at any one time, and the 50-minute sessions can be booked online. Other offerings include: Cats & Mats yoga (offered one Friday evening a month), Crochet With Cats (one Sunday afternoon a month) and cat-accompanied sound baths. (An employee I chatted with said the crochet class, with its preponderance of dangling yarn, is particularly popular with the cats.)
Price: $19.99 for 50-minute sessions, which start at the top of the hour
Hours: Monday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Thursday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. (reservations end 1 hour before closing)
Pro tip: A shorter and less expensive option — $10 for 20 minutes — is available on a walk-in basis only at the top of the hour, depending on capacity.
As a proud Atlantan, I’ve loved lemon pepper wings my entire life. Zesty and crispy-skinned, they were present every Super Bowl Sunday and Labor Day weekend. When my family of four wanted takeout, it was the one item we could all agree on to order.
I learned to like lemon pepper wings as an alternative to buffalo wings, which were way too spicy for me as a child. My taste buds eventually learned to handle the heat, but there’s still something in me that prefers a dry rub lemon pepper wing over anything else.
Lemon pepper wings are widely believed to be the invention of J.R. Crickets, an Atlanta-based wing chain that has now expanded to several locations throughout Georgia since opening in 1982. The classic recipe involves wings covered in a blend of lemon zest, pepper and butter, but the regional restaurant is also known for a flavor that’s not explicitly on the menu — “lemon pepper wet.” Sparking curiosity worldwide after being featured on the Emmy award-winning TV series “Atlanta” in 2017, these wings are first covered in buffalo sauce before sprinkling the lemon pepper seasoning on top.
“Lemon pepper wet” can also refer to wings that are covered in a lemon pepper sauce, in addition to the usual dry rub. American Deli, a fast-food chain that opened in Atlanta in 1989, claims to be the inventor of this flavor.
Today, the preference for lemon pepper wings has spread beyond the South. Atlanta-born rappers Future and Gucci Mane have rapped about the dish in their songs. Memes and TikToks about the famous lemon pepper wet wings from Atlanta’s Magic City, an adult entertainment club, have gone viral on social media and some restaurants are even adding the flavor to cocktails.
When I moved to Los Angeles this summer, I began searching for spots that served wings that reminded me of home. Chef Melissa Cottingham, founder of Melnificent Wingz, went through a similar journey. She’s been selling wings in L.A. since 2021, but has been cooking since her childhood in Memphis, Tenn.
“I couldn’t find any wings that reminded me of that Southern brine, [with] wet, buttery citrus sauce as well as a spice blend,” she said. “So I was like, I’m gonna create it myself.”
She sells many flavors of wings, but says lemon pepper is by far her most popular.
From panko-fried chicken legs in the heart of Koreatown, to wing platters served alongside Cajun-style rice and gravy, restaurants across L.A. have added their own spin to the dish that helped put Atlanta’s food scene on the map.
The LA Clippers have been fined $30m (£22.2m) by the National Basketball Association (NBA) for violating salary rules over the acquisition of star player Kawhi Leonard.
The Clippers will also have to forfeit five first-round draft picks between 2029 and 2033, while owner Steve Ballmer has been suspended from all league and team activities for 12 months for “knowingly seeking to help Mr Leonard obtain off-court income opportunities”.
Two-time NBA champion Leonard has been fined $700,000 (£518,997) by the league.
The team’s president of business operations, Gillian Zucker, has been suspended for one year without pay for providing “misleading statements to investigators”.
The punishments come after the NBA said its month-long investigation “found a pattern of misconduct and multiple significant rules violations by the Clippers organisation, a prior offender of the salary-cap circumvention rules”.
Following the ruling, Leonard, 35, said he “accepts full responsibility” for his actions and “regrets the distraction this situation has caused the fans and my family”.
“I entered into my contract with the Clippers as well as the agreements in question in good faith, fully committed to fulfilling my obligations and with no knowledge of any intent on anyone’s part to circumvent the salary cap,” he wrote on Instagram.
The two-time NBA Finals MVP joined the Clippers in 2019, spending seven years with the franchise before joining the Toronto Raptors.
The NBA said both the “organisation and personnel” of the Clippers will be subject to a compliance and monitoring programme, overseen by the league for five years.
Record-breaking temperatures have impacted our local food supply, so make it a priority to visit your local farmers market to snag the last ripe mangoes and other summer fruit. If you’re looking for recipe ideas, try cooking editor Cody Reiss’ easily customizable chaotic fruit salad, and use the leftovers for a refreshing summer spritz.
September also marks the beginning of spooky season, with local theme park Universal Studios Hollywood launching its annual Halloween Horror Nights with a new slate of haunted houses and food vendors inspired by recent horror blockbusters, TV shows and games. One of the region’s scariest Halloween events kicks off on Sept. 3.
Keep reading for even more dining ideas this month, including the relaunch of a Koreatown pocha with a new menu, a new neighborhood destination in Pacific Palisades and a Friday fish fry in West Adams.
Imagine Def Comedy Jam hosted inside a speakeasy of an iconic music venue — that’s “Right After You Left,” a new summertime event thrown by seasoned comedy bookers Chris Burns, Sarah Mello and Sean Dickerson. Folks driving to the Palladium may have noticed that in addition to the line around the block to see a popular music act, there’s also one at the side door of the Vinyl Room, the new music hall’s lounge that opened its doors in March. That’s where this comedy night takes place.
The glowing bar is decorated like a DJ lives there with shelves of classic records, ghetto blasters, plush couches, upscale food and craft cocktails. It feels like seeing a comedy show in the living room of a friend with taste. Comics who’ve come to the stage include Donnell Rawlings, Iliza Shlesinger, Morgan Jay, Josh Johnson and Kam Patterson. Unlike most club shows that are quick to kick you out, the promoters encourage people to hang out for what feels like an after-party worth sticking around for. Though the show is seasonal and runs until Sept. 22, the promoters plan to come back in December.
I didn’t want to feel disappointed, so I suggested we leave.
My friend Mejin countered that we should give the moon a little more time to show itself.
We’d hiked up to Five Points, where five trails meet in Griffith Park, with the goal of watching the moon rise over the nearby Los Angeles River and Elysian Valley.
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But the smog was thick, and the view was obscured. I already felt beat down by life. Now, the moon was a no-show? But as Mejin and I chatted with passersby about why we were standing around — no one seemed as hyped about the moon as we were — we spotted a flicker of golden light, low in the sky.
In this edition of The Wild, our weekly outdoors newsletter, I will recommend three night hikes around L.A. where you should have great views to watch the moon rise. Each trail offers an opportunity to still get outside despite this oppressive heat wave L.A. is experiencing this week. And this week’s full moon is extra special. On Thursday night, we’ll be able to witness a partial “blood moon” eclipse. Sounds spooky, and it isn’t even Halloween yet!
First, let’s talk through the time of sunset and the moon’s rise so you can plan your hike accordingly:
Thursday: Sunset at 7:25 p.m., moon rise at 7:16 p.m.
Friday: Sunset at 7:24 p.m., moon rise at 7:43 p.m.
Saturday: Sunset at 7:22 p.m., moon rise at 8:09 p.m.
Sunday: Sunset at 7:21 p.m., moon rise at 8:37 p.m.
A view of the super blue moon as seen from the Hollywood Hills on August 2023.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
In terms of the partial “blood moon” eclipse, here’s what you need to know, thanks to a story by Times staff writer Fedor Zarkhin:
“The main stage of the eclipse will begin at 7:34 p.m., when the moon will fall under the core, or umbra, of Earth’s shadow. It will gradually turn a reddish, copper color as sunlight bends and filters through the atmosphere to fall on the otherwise-obscured part of the moon.”
“The eclipse will peak at 9:13 p.m. — when 96% of the moon’s surface will fall under the Earth’s shadow.”
“The most visible phase of the eclipse will end at 10:52 p.m.”
“The eclipse will end entirely just after midnight.”
If you’d like to look for your own full moon hike, rather than using the list below, your hiking spot will ideally include:
Clear views to the east. The moon generally rises in the northern hemisphere in the eastern sky (at around 102 degrees on Thursday in L.A., coordinates you can find using your cellphone’s compass).
Open after hours. Several of our local parks are only open from sunrise to sunset (outside of special events). Make sure to check the hours (if there are any) if you’re planning to take a night hike not listed below.
A wide dirt or paved path. None of the hikes below are terribly technical. That’s intentional, as the best night hikes are those along a wide fire road or paved path.
The moon rising in Thousand Oaks over Simi Peak to the east in October 2021 in the phase known as waxing gibbous.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Friends. It’s best to hike in a group at night, in part because your chatter and laughter will alert any animals that you’re nearby.
Hiking poles. Although none of these trails are terribly technical, there’s still an inherent risk that comes with hiking. Consider bringing poles for the trip down, just to give yourself a bit more purchase on the sandy soil.
Extra water. We’re all slowly melting in this heat wave. Pack more water than you’d normally bring because we’re probably all a bit more dehydrated than usual this week!
The moon rises above the snow-capped San Gabriel Mountains and the Los Angeles skyline as rain clouds begin to envelope the sky. The view is from Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area in January 2021.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
As always, please remember to practice the seven Leave No Trace principles out on the trail, which include picking up after yourself (including orange peels) and not playing loud music. This better ensures we leave it better than we found it so everyone, including our local wildlife, can continue to enjoy our public lands.
OK, toss an extra water bottle in your pack and let’s take a look at these hikes!
Hikers sit on the ledge of the Topanga Lookout, a concrete base of a fire lookout that is believed to have been torn down in the 1970s after smog made the lookout tower irrelevant.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
1. Topanga Lookout
Distance: 2.1 miles Elevation gained: About 350 feet Difficulty: Easy end of moderate Dogs allowed: Yes Nearest to:Topanga Accessible alternative: An L.A. County beach with accessible offerings
The 2.1-mile trek out and back to the Topanga Lookout takes hikers along the Topanga Ridge Motorway (called Topanga Tower Motorway on some maps) to an iconic spot in the Santa Monica Mountains where, on a clear day, you can see dozens of miles away.
Along the way, you’ll spot massive rock slabs that look like the forgotten frisbees of Zeus and his pals. And you’ll be treated to a lush habitat of native plants, including prickly phlox, chaparral yucca, black sage, hollyleaf cherry and Coulter’s Matilija poppy.
Hikers light the path to the Topanga Lookout in the Santa Monica Mountains.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
To begin, you’ll park near the trailhead at Stunt and Saddle Peak roads. Be careful if crossing the road, as that large bumblebee you hear nearby is actually a sports car ripping along the road. From the trailhead, you’ll take Topanga Ridge Motorway for just over a mile northeast. You will pass an entry point for the Backbone Trail and a private road.
The trail starts as a wide paved path before transitioning after about a third of a mile to a dirt path of varying widths. Although it’s not overly technical — I chatted with a hiker walking it in slides — the trail has some uneven surfaces, so a headlamp or good flashlight is necessary when hiking it at night.
You will pass at least one spur trail — unofficial, user-generated — including one that’s steep and unstable. I overheard one youthful hiker tell their friends, “Dude, I almost died three times.” Not a ringing endorsement for that route. Plus, it didn’t sound like it offered any better views than you’ll get at the lookout spot.
As you approach the lookout, you’ll notice a steep path up to the concrete base. If you, instead, take the foot path to the right of the lookout, you’ll find stairs that allow you a much easier time getting to the top. You likely won’t find solitude — I interacted with a dozen hikers on a Wednesday night — but you will find incredible views of the Santa Monica Mountains and L.A. County. I was blown away.
A headlamp lights the path ahead as the stars twinkle above near the Topanga Lookout in the Santa Monica Mountains.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
I kept calling this spot the Topanga Overlook in my head, knowing that was wrong. It hadn’t clicked for me that this used to be the site of a fire lookout tower, hence the reason there’s a concrete structure here.
Believed to be built in 1934, the Topanga site was one of three fire lookout towers that the L.A. County Fire Department maintained in the Santa Monica Mountains with the other two located at Castro Peak and Triunfo Peak near the Ventura County line, according to a 1958 Times article. (For more history on fire lookouts in L.A. County, including how to hike to an existing one, you can read this article I wrote about Vetter Mountain.)
An almost full moon rises over the Santa Monica Mountains and nearby cities.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
The Forest Fire Lookout Assn. lists the reason for the Topanga Lookout’s demolition to be “unknown.” However, I think I figured out what happened.
Author Milt McAuley wrote in one of his Santa Monica Mountains hiking guidebooks that the lookout tower was removed in the 1970s but provided no further details. This was around the time that air quality was worsening in L.A. County.
The sunset as seen from the Topanga Lookout trail in the Santa Monica Mountains.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
“The County Fire Department has seen the day coming when the lookout tower would be outmoded,” Deputy Fire Chief George Brunton said in a 1969 Times article. “Too much smog cuts the effectiveness of the lookout operators and as the area becomes populated we no longer feel the need for these fixed fire spotters.”
Brunton told The Times that the county was launching a pilot program (somewhat literally) to use helicopters as fire lookouts. Officials had already closed the Triunfo tower and another at Parker Mountain near Saugus. “If the pilot program proves successful, other towers will be shuttered, according to Brunton,” the story reads.
Today, the Topanga Lookout and the surrounding area is mostly public land. Please respect any “No Trespassing” signs you see, as there remains some private land nearby, and if able, bring a trash bag with you. Unfortunately, not all visitors practice Leave No Trace!
The view from the Seco View Trail in Debs Park.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
2. Seco View and Oak Grove trails to overlooks
Distance: 1.4 to 1.86 miles Elevation gained: 600 feet Difficulty: Moderate Dogs allowed: Yes Nearest to: Northeast L.A. Accessible alternative: L.A. River trail near the Taylor Yard bridge
This short jaunt through Ernest E. Debs Regional Park in the Montecito Hills offers great views at any time of day, with a bonus of great spots to sit at the top.
To begin, park at Hermon Park, or walk from the Highland Park Metro stop, as it is about a 0.7-mile walk to the trailhead from there.
From Hermon Park, head south, crossing Via Marisol from the crosswalk. From the crosswalk, you’ll walk west to the trailhead.
You will take the Seco View Trail southwest-ish for just over a quarter of a mile before turning left (or south) on Oak Grove Trail. You will follow Oak Grove Trail for about a quarter of a mile and then continue on Oak Grove Trail as it jags to the right (or west). You’ll quickly come to a wider dirt path. Turn left (or west).
A green park bench at Debs Park.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
In just 300 feet, you’ll come to a paved path where you can turn left or right and reach benches either way. From here, the choice is yours to sit, rest and enjoy the moon rise.
On your way back, you have the option of following a wide-but-steep path down rather than returning on Oak Grove Trail.
The moon rises over Elysian Valley in late July.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
3. Five Points via Fern Canyon Trail
Distance: About 2.4 miles Elevation gained: About 475 feet Difficulty: Moderate Dogs allowed: Yes Nearest to: Atwater Village Accessible alternative: Griffith Park Observatory paved paths
This 2.4-mile journey will take you to Five Points (5-Points on some maps), where five trails meet and offer you the opportunity to extend your adventure (as long as you packed a map).
Exit the parking lot in the southeast corner and head to the Lower Beacon Trail, a wide flat dirt path parallel to the road. You’ll only be on this for about 200 feet.
At Five Points in Griffith Park, where, on a clear day, you can see Santiago Peak, the highest peak in Orange County.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
Soon, you will turn left (or southwest) onto the Fern Canyon Nature Trail.
You stay on this lush shady path for just under one-fifth of a mile, continuing southwest until you reach the Fern Canyon Trail, a wide dirt path.
You will follow Fern Canyon Trail as it takes you first west, then southeast before taking you eastward to Five Points.
From Five Points, you can hang out until you spot the sturgeon moon, the name for this month’s full moon. And if it doesn’t come quickly, consider waiting.
3 things to do
A tribute will honor the life and music of Swamini Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda.
(Adam Corey Thomas / TreePeople)
1. Celebrate Alice Coltrane’s birthday in Beverly Hills TreePeople and Living Earth will host a tribute to Alice Coltrane from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday at TreePeople’s outdoor venue in Beverly Hills. Proceeds from ticket sales will go toward the musicians, money needed to restore the ashram Coltrane established that burned in the 2018 Woolsey fire and to TreePeople, a local nonprofit that has planted more than 3 million trees in our region. Tickets range from $33 to $66 plus a $3.21 processing fee. Purchase at livingearth.la.
2. Bird-watch in a cemetery in Altadena Pasadena Humane will host a wildlife walk from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Friday through Mountain View Cemetery in Altadena. Guests will learn about local birds, squirrels and coyotes, and also the history of the graveyard. Tickets are $7.18. Register at eventbrite.com.
3. Locate lizards in Culver City Herpetologist Earyn McGee will host a lizard art walk from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Stoneview Nature Center (5950 Stoneview Drive) in Culver City. After taking a hike to observe lizards in their natural habitats, McGee will lead the group in an art activity at the nature center. Register at docs.google.com.
The must-read
A male tule elk frolics near the Tomales Point Trail, part of the Point Reyes National Seashore in Inverness.
(Josh Edelson / For The Times)
Point Reyes National Seashore is a stunningly beautiful 110-square-mile expanse about an hour north of San Francisco. It’s at the heart of a debate between environmentalists and ranchers over the best way to manage the landscape. Times staff writer Susanne Rust wrote that after a lawsuit brought by environmentalists over the future of ranching there, in 2025 “a settlement was announced with the National Park Service laying out how the park would function going forward. Natural landscapes and wildlife would take priority over agriculture. Eleven of 13 historic ranching families would leave and be made whole for their losses.” But the remaining two families want to continue the fight. And they’re apparently finding the ear of the high-ranking officials of the Trump administration.
Happy adventuring,
P.S.
I’ve had a handful of moments on the trail when I felt like I was in real danger. The time I accidentally went off trail and ended up on an unstable hillside, dropping my pack in a river below. The time a bear slapped my tent. And because I’m a wimp, the moment when two entangled snakes emerged from the bushes and looked at me — before returning to their tryst. If you hike often enough, you will undoubtedly run into some kind of trouble. I’d love to hear from you. I write Between a Rock, an outdoors survival series that I hope helps educate other outdoors folks about how to respond in the face of emergencies. I’ve interviewed folks who’ve faced down mountain lions and bears, and underprepared strangers. You can submit your story via this form, and I will reach out if I’d like to hear more. I love these interviews because I always learn something too.
For more insider tips on Southern California’s beaches, trails and parks, check out past editions of The Wild. And to view this newsletter in your browser, click here.
Beneath its suburban bustle, there’s a layer of small-town, IYKYK pride in Torrance, a sprawling South Bay city that spans from the 405 Freeway to the Pacific Ocean.
For some who grew up in the area, it swells during a rewatch of the iconic coming-of-age TV series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “90210,” both of which use Torrance High School as a backdrop for their fictional campuses — Sunnydale High and West Beverly High, respectively.
Get to know Los Angeles through the places that bring it to life. From restaurants to shops to outdoor spaces, here’s what to discover now.
For others, it comes up when there’s talk about Del Amo mall, which once reigned as the largest indoor shopping center in the United States before the Mall of America took the title. (The mall was the place to be for teens and tweens, who spent their days after school playing pinball at Aladdin’s Castle arcade, filling blue-striped cellophane bags of assorted candy at Sweet Factory or perusing gag gifts at Aahs.)
And still for a set of longtime residents, it arises when one points to the airport named after Torrance-bred legend Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner turned World War II bomber pilot who endured brutal treatment from the Japanese navy — and became the subject of Laura Hillenbrand’s bestselling biography “Unbroken” and the subsequent movie adaptation directed by Angelina Jolie.
Torrance has long since grown from the utopia that industrialist Jared Sidney Torrance envisioned in 1910. His idea was to build a “workingman’s paradise,” a model industrial town halfway between Los Angeles and the San Pedro Harbor. To design the community, Torrance’s team brought on the Olmsted brothers, whose father designed Central Park in New York City.
It now stretches across 21 square miles, which include the 1.5 miles of coastline shared by Torrance and Redondo Beach, lovingly referred to as RAT Beach (short for “Right after Torrance”). Torrance has a thriving Japanese American community, a presence that endures with the many Japanese shops, markets and restaurants around town and in nearby Gardena. It’s the birthplace of the American Youth Soccer Organization, a nonprofit famously started out of a garage in 1964 with only nine teams. The city even has its own designated nature preserve — Madrona Marsh — that sits right in the middle of a cluster of homes, condominiums and Del Amo.
Yet what many locals appreciate most about Torrance is how it’s held onto its small-town tradition of simply getting together with your neighbors.
Every December, residents in the city’s 6th District get together for a holiday stroll around the neighborhood, putting up rows of lighted arches for families to walk through. In the spring, thousands cheer on battle tanks that rumble down the streets during the annual Armed Forces Day Parade. When the cherry blossom trees in Columbia Park flourish with soft pastel pink petals, the community comes together for the annual Torrance Cherry Blossom Cultural Festival.
It’s the simple comforts that make Torrance worth a visit — and why locals light up whenever anyone talks about the place they call home.
What’s included in this guide
Anyone who’s lived in a major metropolis can tell you that neighborhoods are a tricky thing. They’re eternally malleable and evoke sociological questions around how we place our homes, our neighbors and our communities within a wider tapestry. In the name of neighborly generosity, we may include gems that linger outside of technical parameters. Instead of leaning into stark definitions, we hope to celebrate all of the places that make us love where we live.
Our journalists independently visited every spot recommended in this guide. We do not accept free meals or experiences. What L.A. neighborhood should we check out next? Send ideas to guides@latimes.com.
