los angeles times

Los Angeles County announced Monday that it had filed a lawsuit against State Farm General after hundreds of victims of last year’s devastating wildfires complained that their claims had been delayed, denied or underpaid.

The lawsuit alleges that State Farm engaged in illegal and deceptive business practices that kept victims of the Palisades and Eaton fires from receiving what they were entitled to under their policies.

County officials said their investigation into the complaints found unreasonable delays in processing claims, as well as “systematic underpayments.”

Officials said they also found that State Farm had illegally suppressed smoke damage claims.

“Survivors are just asking for what’s right,” L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents Altadena, said at a Monday news conference.

Bob Devereux, a State Farm spokesman, said in a statement that the company would respond to the lawsuit through the legal process.

“State Farm General strongly disagrees with Los Angeles County’s characterization of our wildfire claims response,” he said.

Devereux said that State Farm has so far paid more than $6.2 billion on claims related to the two wildfires, including about $1 billion for smoke-related damage. About 78% of the claims have been closed, he said.

“We continue working directly with customers whose claims remain open and evaluating each claim based on the facts of the loss and the coverage provided by the customer’s policy,” he said.

“Our focus remains on helping customers recover,” he said.

Wildfire victims praised county officials for the lawsuit, which was filed in L.A. County Superior Court.

Joy Chen, executive director of Every Fire Survivor’s Network, said at the news conference that, in the months after the fires, it became apparent in talking to victims that those with State Farm policies were not getting the benefits they had paid for.

She said for those families, insurance had become “a barrier to recovery” rather than a safety net.

“Nineteen months after the fires, families are still suffering,” she said.

The county’s investigation included looking at complaints that Chen’s group and others had collected, as well as hundreds of other documents from State Farm policyholders.

County officials said that State Farm “failed to substantially comply” with their requests for documents and information during their investigation.

With more than 2.8 million residential and commercial policies, State Farm is California’s largest private insurer.

The county’s lawsuit includes dozens of complaints of L.A. County fire victims.

“After six decades of paying thousands a year for insurance, we expect them to honor their agreement,” said one family.

Many families say the insurer refused to test their homes for toxins left by smoke.

The lawsuit claims that State Farm “drastically lowballed” estimates of financial losses for destroyed or partially damaged homes.

“They offered us $11,000 to remediate our five-bedroom house,” complained one family. ”That’s only 13% of the actual cost.”

According to the California Department of Insurance, 11,300 State Farm policyholders filed homeowner claims arising from last year’s L.A. County fires.

The lawsuit asks the court to require State Farm to pay full restitution to policyholders, as well as civil penalties for violating state law.

California lawmakers have approved a bill that seeks to throw a lifeline to the state’s struggling journalism organizations.

Assembly Bill 2222, which would create refundable tax credits for California local news organizations based on the number of journalists they employ, joins a litany of bills on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk.

The state Senate passed the bill on Sunday and the Assembly narrowly approved its amendments on Monday to send the bill to the governor’s desk, with some Republican lawmakers pulling their previous “yes” votes.

The approval comes just as the Legislature is set to adjourn its two-year session early this week.

The bill, introduced by Assemblymember Christopher M. Ward (D-San Diego) would work by assigning a “job retention credit” of $20,000 per journalist for up to five positions, and after that $15,000 for every additional journalist. Part-time positions would be awarded half-credits. It also stacks an additional $15,000 credit for each new hire, to incentivize expanding journalist head counts.

“This measure is a safety net for news outlets on the verge of closure,” said former state Sen. Steve Glazer, who is a proponent of the bill and during his Senate term pushed similar legislation.

Proponents may face an uphill battle persuading Newsom to sign the bill, which creates a unique revenue stream to pay for the program. Newsom typically spurns laws that make changes to the state budget after those fiscal discussions conclude in the first half of the calendar year.

AB 2222 represents the latest attempt by California lawmakers to bolster the news business, with governments globally discussing similar efforts. Canada implemented newsroom payroll tax credits in 2019 amounting to about $13,750 per journalist in an eligible newsroom.

AB 2222 would create the largest relief plan in the U.S. to date, with the state tax board estimating it would make more than $40 million available to the state’s newsrooms annually.

The California Taxpayers Assn. and groups representing business interests such as the California Chamber of Commerce opposed the bill because it raises taxes on employers.

The governor’s finance office issued an analysis opposing the bill for failing to outline a cap on tax credits and for seeking to subsidize existing jobs rather than encouraging the creation of more journalism jobs.

The bill is supported by the California News Publishers Assn., of which the Los Angeles Times is a member.

Newsom has until Sept. 30 to sign or veto bills.

After oohing and aahing over “The Odyssey,” it’s time for the hot summer splash to make way for an intriguing fall lineup.

At the movies, Alexander Skarsgård plays a sexy wicker husband. Tom Cruise, a bizarro oil man. Jenna Ortega, a robot friend, and Kendall Roy, ahem, Jeremy Strong, is Mark Zuckerberg. Then we revisit classics of various stripes on the small screen, from a further-future “Blade Runner” to “A Different World” relaunch to “East of Eden” to “Pride and Prejudice.”

For new books, it’s an Emily fest. Emily St. John Mandel’s “Exit Party,” based in Los Angeles, is being called her best work since “Station Eleven.” And Emily Wilson, “The Odyssey” translator who launched 1,000 hot takes, lets us inside her process. As for arts, directors steal the spotlight: the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art opens with 20 inaugural exhibitions and a collection of David Lynch’s L.A. photography fills a local gallery.

Bookmark this page and come back daily this week as we share even more of the best of fall. — Brittany Levine Beckman

SEATTLE — Nneka Ogwumike had 23 points and 12 rebounds, Rae Burrell scored 22 points, and the visiting Sparks beat the Seattle Storm 90-74 on Sunday in their final game before the FIBA World Cup break.

The Sparks scored the first 13 points in an opening 18-2 run and Dearica Hamby’s layup with 5:45 left in the first half capped an 11-0 spurt that gave them a 39-20 lead. Seattle shot 32% (12 of 38) from the field and two of 11 (18%) from behind the arc before going into halftime trailing by 19. The Storm were just as bad from three-point range in the second half, finishing four of 22.

Cameron Brink had 11 points on three-of-15 shooting for the Sparks (15-25).

Flau’jae Johnson scored 11 of her 19 points in the fourth quarter and Dominique Malonga had 17 points, on eight-of-21 shooting, and 15 rebounds for the Storm (8-32). Zia Cooke made six of 17 from the field for 14 points.

Seattle is 1-18 against Western Conference teams this season, its only win coming at the Sparks, 82-64, on July 6.

The Storm’s Jordan Horston fell awkwardly midway through the third quarter, limped to the locker room and did not return.

Awa Fam and Natisha Hiedeman did not play for the Storm.

Up next for the Sparks: at Dallas on Sept. 17.

The Chargers’ backup quarterback competition is over — for now.

Despite DJ Uiagalelei outperforming Trey Lance in Thursday’s preseason finale against the Rams, the incumbent was named QB2 once again, as the Chargers announced their initial 53-man roster Sunday evening.

“My mindset has just been stacking days,” Lance said. “As many days as I can have; good days that I could feel good about. Good reps [or] bad reps, I learn from them all.”

Choosing Lance, who is familiar with the role and offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel’s system from their shared time with the San Francisco 49ers, was one of several interesting roster moves the Chargers made on cut-down day.

Most notably, punter and nine-year veteran JK Scott was released alongside running back Jaret Patterson.

It wouldn’t be surprising if the Chargers brought Scott back this week. However, he had a rough preseason, in which he showed abysmal tackling effort and shanked a punt.

“As competitors, yeah, I don’t like seeing that on tape,” special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken said.

Patterson, meanwhile, couldn’t crack a crowded running back room led by Omarion Hampton. Greg Desrosiers Jr. and Amar Johnson also didn’t make the roster despite promising showings during the preseason.

“I feel like I did everything I needed to do to kind of put all the teams on notice [and] put the front office here on notice,” Desrosiers said after rushing for 118 yards and a touchdown against the Rams.

Other intriguing players, such as wideout Dalevon Campbell, outside linebacker Kyle Kennard and linebacker Junior Colson, a third-round pick in 2024, were waived.

Some “bubble” players, though, did make the cut; cornerback Rodney Shelley is one of them.

The undrafted rookie put a bow on a strong camp by earning five tackles and a pretty pass breakup against the Rams. Plus, the Chargers made room for him by trading cornerback Avery Smith to the Seattle Seahawks for a 2027 sixth-round pick. The Chargers also traded defensive lineman TeRah Ewards to the Carolina Panthers for a 2028 sixth-round draft pick.

Jacob Spomer is another undrafted rookie who will remain in Los Angeles.

The offensive lineman impressed during training camp and adds depth after the Chargers assigned offensive lineman Branson Taylor to injury reserve alongside two-way trenches trooper Scott Matlock.

Of course, some waived players could see extended opportunities with the Chargers through the practice squad.

“I can’t really think of anybody that I’m going to tell their football lives are over to,” Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said Thursday. “I can’t think of one guy I’d say that to. I just don’t believe that.

“I’m probably going to put myself in their shoes and hopefully give them some great advice [on] what to do next. It’s going to be said with encouragement and love, because I truly believe in them.”

DETROIT — The Dodgers’ game against the Tigers on Sunday at Comerica Park began in a rain delay.

First pitch was at 11:35 a.m. PDT following a 55-minute delay.

Dodger manager Dave Roberts was anticipating a potential delay a couple hours before the original game time.

“Then it’s supposed to kind of be isolated around 5:30 [2:30 p.m. PDT,]” Roberts said of the storm forecast. “So there is that window 2-5 p.m. [11 a.m.-2 p.m. PDT], that looks promising.”

Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow took the mound opposite Tigers left-hander Framber Valdez.

Don’t ever doubt the toughness of Max Eldridge from Corona Santiago High.

During football season, he’s a 6-foot-3, 220-pound defensive lineman who loves to make quarterbacks feel uncomfortable. He recorded four sacks in the season opener last week against Yucaipa and another on Friday against Temescal Canyon.

As an outfielder-pitcher for the baseball team, he showed off power with his bat and arm. He had eight home runs last season. He’s committed to UC San Diego for baseball.

For him to keep playing football even though baseball will be his sport in college shows that he wants to make his senior year memorable and enjoy his final months playing with his best friends.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

FRIDAY’S RESULTS

Southern Section

Chaminade 25, Harvard-Westlake 7

Eastside 49, PACS 0

Flintridge Sacred Heart 20, Louisville 6

Long Beach Cabrillo 8, Long Beach Jordan 6

Redondo Union 33, Beaumont 25

Sage Hill 31, Newport Beach Pacific Christian 0

Intersectional

Eagle Rock 20, Monrovia 7

Lakewood St. Joseph 21, Atherton Sacred Heart Prep 0

SATURDAY’S RESULTS

City Section

Arleta 18, Los Angeles Marshall 6

Carson13. Narbonne 0

Garfield 26, Arleta 18

Wilmington Banning 49, Los Angeles Marshall 13

Wilmington Banning 32, Garfield 0

Southern Section

Adelanto 25, Lancaster 0

Ayala 27, Newbury Park 18

California Military 45, Entrepreneur 6

Camarillo 20, Ayala 19

Camarillo 25, Newbury Park 14

Capistrano Valley 21, San Juan Hills 14

Chaparral 14, Murrieta Mesa 8

Chino 12, San Dimas 8

Chino 37, Riverside Notre Dame 12

Citrus Valley 19, Xavier Prep 0

Colony 26, Summit 13

Colony 21, Crean Lutheran 13

Crean Lutheran 14, Summit 7

Dos Pueblos 58, Fillmore 0

El Dorado 18, Ontario Christian 6

El Dorado 34, Paramount 0

El Dorado 21, San Dimas 13

El Toro 30, Corona Centennial 14

El Toro 25, Santa Margarita 15

Garden Grove Santiago 18, Ocean View 0

Mission Viejo 20, Portola 6

Mission Viejo 20, San Juan Hills 12

Murrieta Valley 7, Great Oak 6

Nogales 12, Arroyo 0

Ontario Christian 26, Chino 13

Orange 27, Ocean View 2

Oxnard 20, Rosary 6

Pacific 36, Rubidoux 0

Portola 21, Capistrano Valley 20

Redlands 38, Jurupa Hills 6

Riverside Poly 25, Corona 14

Rosary 12, St. Bonaventure 0

Santa Margarita 20, Corona Centennial 12

Santa Ynez 20, St. Bonaventure 0

Torrance 13, Bellflower 6

Upland 19, Ontario Christian 6

Upland 21, Paramount 0

Upland 20, Yucaipa 7

Ventura 19, Santa Ynez 6

Vista Murrieta 19, Temecula valley 6

Yucaipa 7, San Dimas 0

Intersectional

Dos Pueblos 18, Scripps Ranch 6

Franklin 19, Inglewood 7

Newport Harbor 32, Atherton Sacred Heart Prep 0

Oxnard 21, Scripps Ranch 12

Palos Verdes 25, San Pedro 0

Scripps Ranch 34, Fillmore 14

An aspiring Los Angeles-area rapper was arrested on Wednesday and charged in connection with a multimillion-dollar check-cashing scheme, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Ada William Obayuwana of Quartz Hill, who goes by “ColdheartedAC” and “AC,” and two others were charged in a 25-count federal grand jury indictment alleging that they illegally possessed more than 50 stolen U.S. Treasury checks and hundreds of other checks belonging to individuals and businesses worth more than $8.1 million, then cashed or attempted to cash them at lenders throughout Southern California.

Albert Tai Vu, of Westminster, and Cassandra Marie Murrillo, of San Diego, are the other two defendants charged in the case.

According to the indictment, between April 2022 and December 2023, the trio obtained the stolen checks, some containing tax refunds and veterans’ and Social Security Administration benefits, then forged endorsements or modified names and addresses to steal the money.

The trio is accused of opening bank accounts to receive the money. They also used business documents to impersonate the identities of the victims connected to the stolen checks and deposited the money into bank and credit union accounts across Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties, the indictment says.

During this period, Obayuwana allegedly tried to cash at least three Treasury tax refund checks worth $382,109 and was successful in cashing one, withdrawing $229,109, federal authorities allege.

In December 2023, Obayuwana “possessed in his car in Oceanside more than 100 stolen or fraudulent checks, cumulatively worth more than $6.1 million,” states the indictment. Among the checks were 48 stolen Treasury checks worth some $2,555,417 in tax refunds, veterans’ benefits,and Social Security benefits.

Obayuwana was able to cash eight of them worth about $1.7 million, according to federal investigators.

Vu tried to cash at least six Treasury checks totaling $2.15 million and successfully cashed two tax fund refunds worth $772,159, the indictment says. He also allegedly cashed a pair of cashier’s checks, each valued at $250,000, at an Anaheim bank and used money from one to buy a Range Rover and the second to pay Murillo.

Murillo is accused of trying to cash at least two checks worth $60,193, successfully cashing one for $31,405.

Following his arrest, Obayuwana remains in federal custody. He is charged with nine counts of bank fraud and faces three counts of delivering stolen Treasury checks and one count of aggravated identity theft.

Vu, who was arrested Thursday, is charged with five counts of delivering stolen Treasury checks, four counts of money laundering and two counts of aggravated identity theft.

Murillo, who is expected to surrender to federal authorities in Los Angeles on Monday, is charged with an additional count of delivering stolen Treasury checks.

A look at the top performers from high school football games across the Southland this week.

RUSHING

• AJ McBean, Gardena Serra: Rushed for 135 yards in eight carries and scored three touchdowns in win over L.A. Hamilton.

• Noel Washington, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame: Rushed for 158 yards and two touchdowns in win over Bishop Alemany.

• Adrian Petero, Santa Margarita: Rushed for 108 yards and one touchdown in win over Corona Centennial.

• Dallas Miller, Huntington Beach: Rushed for 127 yards and two touchdowns in win over Los Alamitos.

• Jordan Medrano, Bell: Rushed for three touchdowns and had double-digit tackles in upset win over Marquez.

• Matt Fine, Loyola: Rushed for 101 yards in nine carries and scored three touchdowns in win over Long Beach Millikan.

• Maliq Allen, St. John Bosco: Rushed for 130 yards and three touchdowns, caught one TD pass in win over Philadelphia Roman Catholic.

• Daiveaun Neal, Jefferson: Rushed for more than 200 yards for the second consecutive week in win over Van Nuys.

PASSING

• Taylor Lee, Oxnard Pacifica: Passed for 365 yards and five touchdowns in win over San Diego Lincoln.

• Ezra Brown, Orange Lutheran: Completed 18 of 19 passes for 253 yards in win over San Diego Cathedral.

• Julian Medina, Norco: Completed 20 of 22 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns in win over Colony.

• Donovan Shirley, Salesian: Passed for 371 yards and three touchdowns in win over Mesa (Ariz.) Westwood.

• Jaxson Algaze, El Toro: The sophomore passed for 338 yards and five touchdowns in win over Marina.

• Star Thomas, Orange: Passed for 280 yards and three touchdowns in win over Laguna Beach.

• Lequand Jackson, Baldwin Park: Passed for 263 yards and five touchdowns, ran for 115 yards win over Rowland.

• Jeremy Mellalieu, Chaminade: Completed 10 of 12 passes for 216 yards and four touchdowns in win over Valencia.

• Hudson Shaddow, El Dorado: Passed for 191 yards and four touchdowns in win over Fullerton.

• Ford Green, Westlake: Completed 14 of 18 passes for 257 yards and four touchdowns in win over Agoura.

• Chase Curren, Crespi: Passed for 291 yards and four touchdowns in win over Golden Valley.

RECEIVING

• Bryce Thacker, El Toro: Caught 11 passes for 11 passes for 130 yards and four touchdown vs. Marina.

• Gary Ferguson, Oak Park: Had four touchdowns, including a 99-yard reception and pick six, in win over Fillmore.

• Quentin Hale, Corona Centennial: Caught seven passes for 108 yards and one touchdown in loss to Santa Margarita.

• Nate Davis, Trabuco Hills: Caught eight passes for 140 yards in comeback win over Bellflower.

• Blake Rogers, La Habra: Made five catches for 147 yards and three touchdowns in win over Northview.

• KJ Woodbury, Orange: Had seven receptions for 169 yards and one touchdown in win over Laguna Beach.

• Brady Stringham, Laguna Beach: Caught 13 passes for 121 yards and three touchdowns in loss to Orange.

DEFENSE

• Jalen Flowers, Palos Verdes: Made two interceptions in win over Orlando (Fla.) Bishop Moore.

• Dylin Bruce, Huntington Beach: Returned an interception 76 yards for touchdown vs. Los Alamitos.

• Kingston Jimmerson, Santa Margarita: The sophomore had two sacks in loss to Corona Centennial.

• Roshaun Brown, Jefferson: The sophomore returned an interception 95 yards for a touchdown in win over Van Nuys.

• Kadin Saalih, Hart: Had three sacks in win over Newbury Park.

SPECIAL TEAMS

• Sean Byrnes, Villa Park: Blocked two punts in win over Western.

• Jake Martin, Santa Margarita: Came up with blocked PAT in one-point win over Corona Centennial.

• Charlie Szaras, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame: Made field goals from 28 and 32 yards and was nine for nine on touchbacks vs. Alemany.

• Dylan Fullmer, Harvard-Westlake: Returned kickoff 87 yards for touchdown, had a 55-yard kickoff return and TD run in win over Palisades.

Good morning, and welcome to L.A. on the Record — our City Hall newsletter. It’s David Zahniser, with an assist from Sandra McDonald and Noah Goldberg, giving you the latest on city and county government.

Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman is waiting to hear whether she has secured a prize coveted by many of the city’s left-of-center candidates: an endorsement from the Democratic Socialists of America.

Earlier this year, the DSA’s Los Angeles chapter took up the idea for the June 2 primary, only to decide against it. They made that decision after hours of debate, all under the watchful eyes of local reporters. The group later recommended Raman in its June 2 voter guide, but that didn’t give her access to the DSA’s vaunted get-out-the-vote apparatus, which goes only to endorsed candidates.

This time around, endorsement discussions for the Nov. 3 runoff were held behind closed doors, followed by an online vote now under way. But the debate has been playing out publicly on a somewhat obscure platform: Geese magazine, which bills itself as “a daily review of American Communism.”

Contributors to that online publication — which declares on its website “We answer to no one” — have been going back and forth for weeks over whether the DSA should endorse Raman, a DSA member herself, in her campaign to unseat Mayor Karen Bass.

Things got rolling on Aug. 11, when Geese posted a 4,400-word essay supporting a DSA endorsement of Raman, arguing that such a move could “open the floodgates for socialism in Los Angeles.”

The four writers, DSA-LA members themselves, conceded that Raman is “no Zohran” — a reference to New York City’s charismatic DSA mayor, Zohran Mamdami. They acknowledged that she’s had a sometimes turbulent relationship with the group, which endorsed her council campaigns in 2020 and 2024 but also censured her at one point, in part because she accepted an endorsement from a pro-Israel group.

Still, the essayists praised her work on homelessness and tenant protections. And they commended her for seeking greater cooperation with the organization in recent months, hiring DSA-LA members to lead her campaign.

“What this signals is that with a DSA-LA endorsement, we may anticipate more constructive collaboration with the Nithya campaign going forward,” the group wrote.

Not so fast, argued another group of Geese contributors. On Monday, those five writers — also DSA-LA members — panned the idea of an endorsement, saying Raman hasn’t earned it.

These writers assailed Raman for voting to confirm former Sheriff Jim McDonnell as Los Angeles police chief and for seeking a rewrite of Measure ULA, the so-called mansion tax, which she views as an impediment to housing production. The authors also portrayed her as woefully out of touch with the DSA on Israel’s war in Gaza.

“If we endorse Raman, a candidate who lacks the inspirational leadership and collaborative political relationship that forms the foundation of a strong DSA endorsement, we risk spending the next four years managing the consequences; explaining, defending, and organizing around the shortcomings of a mayor who was never meaningfully accountable to our democratic socialist movement in the first place,” the group wrote.

Two days later, third Geese essay showed up, arguing that Raman is “the nerd that can dig our city out of this crisis.” That piece sought to rebut some of the criticism contained in the previous essay, while conceding that Raman can be “overly fixated on details, slightly thin-skinned, obtuse, and argumentative.”

“But let’s not forget that Nithya also has a long list of positive attributes as well: she is an exceptional administrator — reducing homelessness in her district by 49% through careful service provision,” the group wrote, anointing her as “Our Pothole Populist.”

A fourth piece, also pro-Raman, posted Friday. Meanwhile, Bass has not emerged unscathed during the back-and-forth.

Geese’s contributors criticized Bass for refusing to let City Controller Kenneth Mejia audit her Inside Safe homelessness program, saying she showed a “disregard for democratic processes.” They assailed her over her handling of the Palisades fire, the Lineage fire, police spending and other issues.

The pro-Raman rebuttal piece had some of the harshest language, accusing Bass, who made many trips to Cuba earlier in her life, of being “puppeted by business interests, landlords, the more reactionary segment of labor, and a smattering of liberal NGOs.”

Bass has not sought the DSA’s backing, either in the primary or the runoff. But she does have endorsements from the council’s other three DSA members.

Raman needs to win 60% of the vote to secure the endorsement. More than 6,000 chapter members have received emails with online ballots.

Monday is the last day to vote.

Tracking Traci Park

City Councilmember Traci Park represents a Westside district that runs along the coast. But that didn’t stop her from heading to Sherman Oaks for the raucous Aug. 19 mayoral debate.

Her appearance in the audience immediately sparked questions. Was she trying to make a decision on whether to weigh in on the mayor’s race?

After all, Park is the only council member who has not publicly picked a horse. Thirteen of the council’s 15 members have come out for Bass. (Raman also endorsed Bass at one point, but then jumped into the race at the last minute.)

Park has made clear she is no political ally of Raman, diverging on such issues as the city’s anti-encampment law. Still, an endorsement of Bass could pose risks.

Park represents the Pacific Palisades, where residents have sharply criticized Bass over her handling of the Palisades fire, which destroyed thousands of homes and left 12 people dead.

On Friday, Park declined to say whether she plans to endorse, saying she simply wanted to “hear what both candidates have to say.”

“It was a mayoral debate. I’m a City Council member, taxpayer, and resident,” she said in a statement. “The progress we’ve made on the Westside is at stake.”

Back to school for Mazariegos

It’s supposed to be a little like traffic school — but instead of learning to drive more safely, you learn to run a by-the-book political campaign.

Community organizer Estuardo Mazariegos, who is running to replace City Councilmember Curren Price in a South Los Angeles district, is now enrolled. He agreed to take a seven module, roughly three-hour class on the state’s campaign finance laws to resolve a complaint filed with the Fair Political Practices Commission, said Jesse Alson-Milkman, a strategist for the campaign.

That complaint accused Mazariegos of failing to pay for community space during at least six “postcarding party” events held by his council campaign at Mercado La Paloma. The complaint was filed by Josh Rothstein, a member of the Mid City West Neighborhood Council, who says he submitted the paperwork in his own capacity.

Mazariegos is on leave as co-director of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, which hosts its corporate office at Mercado La Paloma. That facility charges for certain types of meeting space, yet Mazariegos’ spending report initially showed no payments or in-kind donations for such costs, Rothstein said.

Alson-Milkman said five of the postcarding events were held at the market’s public dining area, so no payment or in-kind donation was needed.

The campaign did have a sixth event where it rented a room for two and a half hours, Alson-Milkman said. But the invoice for $137.50 was lost, he said, delaying payment for months.

The FPPC concluded the violation can be remedied without an enforcement action or financial penalty by having Mazariegos take a Political Reform Education Program, or PREP class, Alson-Milkman said.

The class was created by the FPPC to help candidates who commit minor violations to avoid getting “a mark on their record” — or a financial penalty.

State of play

— CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS: We’ve told you in recent weeks about issues surrounding the Homeless Count: the failure to count a 600-bed homeless shelter in 2024 and 2025, which may have skewed this year’s numbers, and the wildly diverging numbers in Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson’s South L.A. district. On Wednesday, the council instructed the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority to report back on some of the discrepancies.

— VENDORS VEXED: Bass has ordered the LAPD to stop issuing criminal citations to street vendors and remove any that were erroneously issued. The mayor’s office took that step after learning that citations were being incorrectly handed to vendors in MacArthur Park, a situation reported by LA Public Press. The street vending issue has been a flashpoint in the mayor’s race in recent weeks.

— UNDER THE MICROSCOPE: With the mayor’s race heating up, Raman’s record on homelessness has come under fresh scrutiny, particularly her time overseeing the council’s housing and homelessness committee. Raman has touted her work in identifying less expensive strategies for tackling the crisis. Critics say her tenure as chair hasn’t adequately met the moment.

— AUDITING THE GAMES: Mejia, the city controller, called on LA28, the committee organizing the 2028 Summer Olympic Games, to turn over reports on its finances. Mejia said the private committee has fully complied with only two out of nine requirements of its contract with the city. The controller issued his statement on the same day that several lawmakers called on Trump to provide much-needed transportation funding for the event.

— NO IFS, AND OR PHENIBUTS: The City Council instructed the city attorney to regulate phenibut, a drug that’s available at gas stations and being abused as a nervous system depressant. The regulations would include warning labels, a prohibition on sales to people under 21 and a ban on sales near schools and daycare centers.

— WHISTLE BLOWER SPEAKS: The police officer who recorded his colleagues making racist remarks told The Times that the LAPD “ruined my life.” Council members had been planning to formally condemn Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman over his filing of 16 felony counts against Officer Daniel Flores. But they shelved that plan on Tuesday after those charges were reduced to misdemeanors.

— PROGRAMMING NOTE: Our newsletter will be going dark for the Labor Day holiday weekend. We’ll see you again on Sept. 12.

QUICK HITS

• Where is Inside Safe? The mayor’s signature homelessness program went to the Westside, focusing on an area around Venice Boulevard and Glendon Avenue, which is represented by Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky.
• On the docket next week: As we mentioned previously, the DSA will wrap up its endorsement vote in the mayor’s race.

Stay in touch

That’s it for this week! Send your questions, comments and gossip to LAontheRecord@latimes.com. Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Saturday morning.

For the last month, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Lakers have filled the headlines and airwaves, but not for the reasons either would like.

The Lakers were sold by Mark Walter in mid-August, just over a year after he bought the team.

The sale came about two weeks after the Wall Street Journal reported in late July that the U.S. attorney’s office and securities regulators were investigating Walter’s business and insurance empire regarding $16 billion to $21 billion in possibly fraudulent loans.

In June of last year, 66-year-old Walter and one of his holding companies, TWG Global, purchased a controlling interest in the Lakers for $10 billion, only to sell the franchise to Joshua Kushner and Bob Iger for $12.5 billion this month.

Bloomberg reported that Walter’s sale of the Lakers was done to eliminate some of the billions in outstanding loans that has drawn the ire of federal regulators.

Since then, questions have swirled about whether Walter will put other assets on the market in his fundraising bid, including the Dodgers, which he purchased as chief executive of Chicago investment firm Guggenheim Partners for $2.15 billion in 2012. Sources close to Walter say he’s not likely to sell.

To better understand this tangled story, we spoke with Times sports reporter Steve Henson about why he thinks Walter won’t put the Dodgers up for sale.

What are federal investigators examining

Business reporter Laurence Darmiento wrote Aug. 5 that the heart of the federal investigation swirls around related-party transactions.

These dealings are “between entities with business or personal ties, including loans, sales and other transactions that can have legitimate reasons but pose potential conflicts of interest and typically require extra scrutiny,” Darmiento wrote.

More than $1 billion in financing to buy the Dodgers in 2012 came from insurance companies managed by Guggenheim Partners. The purchase was later vetted by state insurance regulators.

More on the related-party transactions

Investigators are checking whether billions of dollars’ worth of similar loans made by Walter’s companies were properly disclosed and that insurance companies were not over-leveraged.

Approximately $21 billion in loans not disclosed to state insurance regulators were made by two Delaware insurers Walter owns, according to ratings agency Fitch. The loans reportedly were made to companies with ties to Walter or his TWG Global holdings company.

The issue with these loans is they raise suspicions, according to Bruce Dubinsky, a forensic accountant who spoke with Darmiento. Dubinsky worked on the Enron and Madoff cases.

Dubinsky said that from an audit standpoint, these types of transactions “are always more suspect to fraud” and manipulation since repayments can be delayed indefinitely.

The insurance industry’s tight regulations for money collected from premiums exists so that money is available for future claims. Regulators believe related-party transaction are a threat to that guarantee.

TWG Global has rejected any allegations of wrongdoing.

Why is Walter fighting to keep the Dodgers

Henson teamed with Times colleagues to write about Walter’s chances of hanging on to the Dodgers amid this federal probe and whether new owners Bob Iger and Josh Kushner overpaid for the Lakers.

Henson reported that Walter owns a broad series of sports interests: English soccer Premier League team Chelsea, the Los Angeles Sparks WNBA team, the Cadillac Formula 1 racing team; a premier women’s tennis competition, the Billie Jean King Cup, and the entire Professional Women’s Hockey League.

He already sold the Lakers and Henson noted that there have been reports he’s putting his shares of Chelsea on the market.

So, why keep the Dodgers?

“No MLB team has ever been run as boldly as this team,” Henson said. “And the revenue from the Dodgers is relentless, from ticket sales, to international merchandise and including friendly [player] salary deferments that help keep money in-house.”

Since Walter and Co.’s takeover, the Dodgers have won three of the last six World Series and 12 division titles after he and partners rescued the franchise from bankruptcy.

Walter noted that a sale of the Lakers, a franchise he’d barely owned for more than a year, was easier than one he’s already helmed for nearly 15 years.

“His identity is totally wrapped up with the Dodgers and this success saga,” Henson said. “It’s dear to his heart and having them to sell them would just tear him up.”

Amid all of this speculation, the boys in blue are attempting to become the first National League team (and third overall) to win three consecutive World Series titles this year.

The week’s biggest stories

(Carolyn Cole/Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)

Trump administration policies and pushback

Artist and concert news

A final tribute

Television, advertising entertainment news

More news

Editor’s pick

More picks

Things to do

(Melody Xu/Los Angeles Times)

Today’s recipe

The San Juan Islands off Washington state has a much-loved clam chowder served at La Conner Brewing Co. in the tiny picturesque town of La Conner, Wash. The dish is spicy enough and not so thick with cream or flour and is a standout in the clam chowder world, according to Times reader Mary Ann Mollenkamp.

Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Jack Dolan, investigative reporter
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, fast break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew J. Campa, weekend writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com. Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com.

The words “Anaheim Angels” are now enshrined in California law.

Whether the baseball team that calls Angel Stadium home reverts to its hometown name remains to be seen. On Thursday, however, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law the “Home Run for Anaheim Act,” a step that elected officials in Orange County consider a significant step in that direction.

The new law, introduced by Assemblyman Avelino Valencia (D-Anaheim), cleared the state legislature without a single vote against it.

The law does not mandate the Angels — playing under a Los Angeles name in Anaheim’s city-owned stadium — revert to the Anaheim Angels name.

For now, in fact, the law does absolutely nothing. On Friday, the Los Angeles Angels play at Angel Stadium.

Instead, the law provides the city with an incentive to dangle before the team. If the Angels — whether under current owner Arte Moreno or a future owner — wish to develop the 150-acre Angel Stadium property, state law would prioritize affordable housing within the site.

In an era where team owners covet the profits from development around stadiums and arenas — including places for fans to eat, drink and shop 365 days a year, not just on game days — the city of Anaheim could seek an exemption from the affordable housing law. That wouldn’t rule out housing on the site, but it would give a team more flexibility to build whatever project might be considered most profitable.

If the city obtains the exemption, the new law says, “then any materials, including, but not limited to, a lease, deed of sale, and promotional or marketing materials, shall refer to that team as the Anaheim Angels.”

Moreno has twice reached deals with the city to develop the land, only to see the city walk away both times. In the last deal, he rejected the city’s request to rename the team the Anaheim Angels.

“We are proud to call Angel Stadium of Anaheim our home,” Angels spokeswoman Marie Garvey said, “and any other comment about the future would be premature.”

Moreno, 80, has shown no public interest in a third negotiation with the city. The Angels’ current stadium lease extends through 2032, and the team has options to extend the lease through 2038.

By year’s end, the city has said it anticipates the release of a long-awaited property assessment, which is expected to show Angel Stadium needs hundreds of millions of dollars in upgrades to remain viable for the long-term. The city and team may not agree on who should pay for them, and real estate development around the stadium could be part of the solution for funding a new or renovated stadium.

The city could use the exemption as leverage in discussions with Moreno or a new owner, although leverage could work both ways.

When Anaheim sued the Angels over the 2005 name change, city-commissioned experts testified in court that the Anaheim name was worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the city over the life of the lease. That could compel an owner to ask the city to contribute to the cost of building a new stadium in exchange for the return of the Anaheim name.

An almost vacant large urban site — an aging stadium surrounded by 130 acres of parking lots, sitting between three freeways and a train station — is rare in Southern California and surely would attract development interest among potential bidders for the Angels.

But any new owner would have one more bit of leverage: Once the Angel Stadium lease expires, the owner would be free to move out of Anaheim.

Yayoi Kusama, the Japanese artist known for her hypnotic, repetitive polka dot artworks, died earlier this week at the age of 97. Hers was the third in a string of deaths this week that left me feeling quite melancholy. First Dolly Parton, then Tim Curry and finally, Kusama.

The silver lining in the death of an artist, whether they be musician, actor, writer or visual artist, is that they leave a trail of comfort for fans through their work. I can (and did) sit in my breakfast nook weeping to the sound of Parton’s voice in songs including 1971’s “Coat of Many Colors.” When it comes to mourning Kusama, I am planning a trip to the Broad museum in downtown L.A., which houses two of her famous Infinity Mirror Rooms.

“Longing for Eternity” (2017) is on view on the third floor and can be accessed with a free general admission ticket. “Infinity Mirrored Room —The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away” (2013), however, requires a separate free reservation. A rep for the museum said reservations are currently available through September with many time slots already completely full. The museum is also accommodating as many walk-ups as capacity allows — and these walk-ups have increased in the wake of Kusama’s death.

In an email to The Times, Broad founding President and Director Joanne Heyler wrote that Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms, “have been among the most beloved works at The Broad since we opened in 2015.”

Heyler noted that the Broad’s 2017 exhibition, “Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors,” “was an incredible moment in the museum’s early history. It was a beautiful show, and unprecedented operationally: the only time our ticketing system broke down due to demand, minutes after release. Her work is both wildly popular and conceptually rigorous; her journey as an artist is complex, full of resilience and a refusal to be limited. Visitors have found deep connection inside the Infinity Mirror Rooms at The Broad — smiles, tears, even marriage proposals. We’re grateful to be one of the places where people can go to spend time with her work and remember her, and we’ll keep working to ensure her art is experienced as she intended: by everyone, infinitely.”

This is welcome news, and the devoted interest makes sense. In many ways, these physically small but emotionally vast rooms encapsulate the essence of Kusama’s practice throughout her life. Built in a distinctively analog way, the rooms create the illusion of endless space through the use of light, mirrors and splashes of color. Kusama incorporated hand-sewn cloth, and later, multimedia video projections, but at their core the rooms remained largely technology-free.

The irony being that a decade ago they emerged as social media sensations, and were ubiquitous in selfies across the internet as they traveled from blockbuster show to blockbuster show.

It’s a pity because all the people who stepped into those rooms with their cellphone cameras at the ready missed a profound opportunity to inhabit a floating dreamscape of true peace and quiet — the kind we rarely grasp in our digital-notification suffocated world.

I can still remember the first time I had the opportunity to experience one of Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms. It was dark and glittering with tiny pinpricks of colored light. I felt as if I were suspended in a deep, black pool of energy that extended beyond me in all directions. I could hear my blood rushing in my ears and briefly wondered if this could be what it felt like in the womb.

I got dizzy and recovered, and then — for what felt like a long time but was only a matter of seconds — I was free.

I’m Arts editor Jessica Gelt taking moments of solace where I can get them. This is your arts and culture news for the week.

The week ahead: A curated calendar

FRIDAY

Babatunde Akinboboye
The baritone fuses classical opera with hip-hop on “Toreador,” “Funiculi, Funicula,” “O Sole Mio” and more.
8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. sierramadreplayhouse.org

Director Richard Linklater at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Richard Linklater
A three-movie American Cinematheque tribute featuring Q&As with the Texas filmmaker. In a recent interview, Times film writer Mark Olsen asked Linklater what it’s like to reflect on his work: “What resonates with me in my mind is the experience of making the movie more than the movie itself — all the people you worked with and the cast and all those good feelings.”
“Boyhood,” 7:30 p.m. Friday; “Waking Life,” 4 p.m. Saturday. Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica; “Dazed & Confused,” 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Directors Village, 961 Broxton Ave. Westwood. americancinematheque.com

Pericles
Boston Court, in partnership with Play On Shakespeare, presents the West Coast premiere of Ellen McLaughlin’s modern verse translation of Shakespeare’s rarely performed adventure tale. Directed by Margaret Shigeko Starbuck.
Through Sept. 27. Boston Court Pasadena, 70 N. Mentor Ave. bostoncourtpasadena.org

Romeo & Juliet
A site-specific, immersive, queer adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy.
7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Sassafras Saloon, 1233 Vine St. eventbrite.com

SATURDAY

Place Is the Space
A four-hour immersive performance experience created by artist Edgar Arceneaux and co-creator Frank Lawson employs live jazz improvisation, theatrical storytelling and multimedia design inspired by Sun Ra’s philosophy and his film “Space Is the Place.” Presented by CAP UCLA, the event includes an audience procession to the Hammer Museum in conjunction with the current exhibition, “Space Is the Place,” for a final performance.
1 p.m. UCLA Nimoy Theater, 1262 Westwood Blvd. cap.ucla.edu

Joshua Smith Untitled (Yellow Heart), 2026 Acrylic on canvas 14 ¾ x 14 ½ in.

(839 Gallery)

Joshua Smith: Hearts and Triangles
The artist’s first Los Angeles solo show includes brightly colored monochrome paintings on shaped canvases.
Opening reception, 5-8 p.m. Saturday; exhibition continues through Oct. 17. 839, 839 N. Cherokee Ave. 839gallery.com

Winter’s Bench
The world premiere of Mike Kenny’s play about a woman who returns to a park where she thinks a tree once spoke to her. Starring Anne Gee Byrd and Shih-wei Wu. Directed by Debbie Devine. All performances will feature Spanish supertitles.
Previews, 8 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday; 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Sept. 4; 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2 p.m.; Sundays, 8 p.m.; Sept. 7 and 14; through Oct. 25. 24th Street Theatre, 1117 W. 24th St. 24thstreet.org

SUNDAY

Element Band
Led by Ara Dabandjian, the ensemble features 12 musicians and vocalists, including Soseh Aramouni Keshishyan and Natalie Avunjian, in a celebration of Armenian heritage, creativity and live music.
7:30 p.m. The Ford, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East. theford.com

TUESDAY

Dvořák & Bruch
Conductor Anja Bihlmaier and violinist Bomsori join the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
8 p.m. Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N Highland Ave. hollywoodbowl.com

THURSDAY

Amadeus in Concert
The Los Angeles Philharmonic, led by conductor Norman Huynh, conductor, and the Pacific Chorale perform live to Milos Forman’s 1984 Oscar-winning best picture starring Tom Hulce and F. Murray Abraham.
8 p.m. Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N Highland Ave. hollywoodbowl.com

The Arsonists
Max Frisch’s 1953 absurdist satire, translated by Alastair Beaton and directed by Luke Harlan.
8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays; 5 p.m. Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sunday; through Sept. 20. Skylight Theatre, 1816 1/2 N. Vermont Ave. skylighttheatre.org

Under the Oaks
A weekly salon series featuring performance and music: “Currents: Composers in Concert” (Sept. 3); “Beer! A New Musical-in-Development” (Sept. 10); “Cabaret Theatricum Sings Marvin Gaye” (Sept. 17); and “The Voice of Dr. King” (Sept. 24.
7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Sept. 24. Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd. Topanga. theatricum.com

Arts everywhere

Sarah Bareilles in the documentary “Sarah Bareilles: Good Grief.”

(A Group Effort Films / Naked Edge Films)

Sara Bareilles: Good Grief
The Grammy-winning Broadway star and pop singer’s return to the recording studio for the first time in seven years is captured in this intimate documentary directed by Josh Alexander receiving a one-night-only theatrical release. The film looks at Bareilles’ experience of channeling her own pain to create art and the healing journey that accompanied it. Bareilles will perform at the Dolby Theatre, Oct. 12-14.
7 p.m. Wednesday. Laemmle and AMC theaters. sarabmusic.com

Culture news and the SoCal scene

Dolores Huerta photographed at Dolores Huerta “Help Wanted/Leave Now” exhibit at California Museum.

(Beth Baugher / California Museum)

Dolores Huerta has prioritized involving herself in projects relating to labor and women’s rights in the wake of going public with sexual abuse allegations against former labor leader Cesar Chavez. One of those projects can now be seen at the California Museum in Sacramento in an exhibition called “Help Wanted/Leave Now: ‘Operation Wetback’ and the Revolving Door of Mass Deportation,” which, according to a story by contributor Isa Farfan, “examines decades of the federal government’s deportation campaigns against Mexican immigrants even while it recruited millions of these farmworkers and rail workers to fill labor shortages during and after World War II.”

Contributor Leah Ollman reviews a new Eileen Cowin retrospective called “Between Panic and Paradise” at Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Labeling Cowin a “wry disruptor,” Ollman notes that over the artist’s nearly six-decade career, she has toyed with time in a novel way: “By deviating from straightforward chronology, the installation resonates smartly with one of Cowin’s key operating principles — that we don’t experience time as a continuous line moving in one direction, but as episodic, fragmented, interrupted, layered.”

Gustavo Dudamel at the end of the first half his show at the Hollywood Bowl on Aug. 20.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Gustavo Dudamel is really leaving — although it feels as if the city has been mourning the eventuality for years. Times classical music critic Mark Swed was, of course, on hand to bear witness to Dudamel’s final farewell: a four-night Hollywood Bowl extravaganza. “Dudamel addressed the audience, sounding very much like he had 17 years ago at the Bowl, extolling in our being a crowd of many types together for many musics. L.A., he said, made him an Angeleno,” Swed wrote.

Swed also attended a Tuesday night show at the Hollywood Bowl after the Dudamel farewell extravaganza and found it rather empty and a bit “forlorn,” a situation, he writes in a review, that “left Anna Handler, who becomes the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s conductor-in-residence this fall, with the trickiest conducting assignment of the summer anywhere.”

Theater Director Bart DeLorenzo on the set of “Enemy of the People” at the Odyssey Theatre on Friday, Aug. 21, 2026.

(Ariana Drehsler / For The Times)

Times theater critic Charles McNulty recently sat down for a lunchtime conversation with Bart DeLorenzo, “L.A.’s most playfully provocative theater auteur,” about his decision to direct (and adapt) Henrik Ibsen’s “Enemy of the People” at Odyssey Theatre. “If ever there was a moment to revive ‘An Enemy of the People,’ it’s now,” McNulty writes. “The demoralizing spectacle of the U.S. Senate’s inquisition of Dr. Anthony Fauci last month, led by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) in unapologetic witch-hunt mode, was yet another reminder that Ibsen’s drama about a public health crusader being targeted by politicians and business leaders when his medical advice goes counter to their interests hasn’t lost its punch.”

The drama never stops at the beleaguered Kennedy Center as it deals with the continued tumult resulting from President Trump’s takeover early last year. Most recently the Justice Department claimed in a recent court filing that Trump’s “efforts and prestige provide the sole hope for the Center’s financial survival, and structural renewal.” If the center isn’t shut down for the two-year renovation Trump demands, it may need to be demolished, the filing reads.

Visitors line up outside the Japanese American National Museum for a 2022 event recalling World War II incarceration camps.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

After closing in early January, 2024, the Japanese American National Museum has announced it will reopen its newly renovated Pavilion on Jan. 23, 2027. Renovations include a new main entrance and new first-floor galleries for a brand new exhibition titled “In the Future We Call Now: Realities of Racism, Forging Democracy.” The special exhibition galleries on the second floor have also been updated and will feature the inaugural exhibition, “Pictures of Belonging: Miki Hayakawa, Hisako Hibi, and Miné Okubo.”

The Broad has announced its next fall exhibition, “Has the myth been shattered,” opening Nov. 21. The exhibition is set to include recent acquisitions by Guadalupe Rosales, Hank Willis Thomas and Mickalene Thomas. “Gathered together, works in the exhibition create unexpected connections across six decades, prompting an examination of how media has shaped history, memory, and collective experience,” a news release notes.

— Jessica Gelt

And last but not least

A little rare bird is making people happy, and I’ll take the moment of levity.

Dodgers swept by Braves

From Maddie Lee: The Dodgers’ recent offensive woes were punctuated Thursday by a complete-game shutout by Braves left-hander Chris Sale.

“We ran into a buzz saw,” manager Dave Roberts said after the 1-0 loss.

The Dodgers (80-54), who’ve been swept three times this month, are clinging to a one-game lead over the Braves (79-55) for the second-best record in the National League. They are three games behind the Brewers (83-51) for the best record in baseball.

“I wish we’d played better,” Roberts said. “I wish we’d have won the game. I wish we’d won the series. It didn’t happen. But right now, there’s nothing we can do but just go out there and keep trying to get better and win a baseball game [Friday].”

What was expected to be a pitchers’ duel between Dodgers rotation leader Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Sale lived up to the hype.

Continue reading here

Tarik Skubal returns to Detroit to face the Tigers. His focus is on the task at hand

Dodgers box score

MLB standings

Mark Walter should sell the Sparks

From Mirjam Swanson: Mark Walter doesn’t need to sell the Sparks. It said so in a release from his company Wednesday: “TWG is not looking to sell its sports assets at ‘fire sale’ prices to raise capital for its insurance operations.”

He should sell the Sparks anyway.

Not because of the investigations into allegations that insurance companies under Walter’s umbrella failed to properly disclose and conduct transactions between other companies he controls.

But for the sake of the storied WNBA franchise, which hasn’t won a championship in a decade and is about to miss the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season — something that would have been unthinkable six seasons ago.

Sell for the sake of the Sparks, who have long deserved an owner who wants seriously to run the team like Walter’s group runs, well, the Dodgers.

With passion and pride, foresight and smarts.

Continue reading here

Sparks’ Cameron Brink blasts Enes Kanter Freedom, offers support to transgender community

Rams defeat Chargers in preseason game

From Gary Klein: Rams coach Sean McVay does not play starters or players expected to be significant backups or contributors during the preseason, especially in the final game.

Quarterback Stetson Bennett did not play on Thursday night against the Chargers.

That would seem to indicate that Bennett, not rookie Ty Simpson, will open the season as Matthew Stafford’s backup.

Simpson led three first-half scoring drives in a 20-18 victory at SoFi Stadium.

Simpson, the 13th pick in the draft, completed 18 of 23 passes for 119 yards, including a second-quarter touchdown.

It was Simpson’s second no-turnover performance. In the preseason opener against the Kansas City Chiefs, Simpson played all but the first two series and completed 21 of 25 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns.

Continue reading here

Rams-Chargers summary

Chargers preseason takeaways: DJ Uiagalelei makes case to be Justin Herbert’s backup

Rams reacquire Tutu Atwell

From Gary Klein: The Rams never found a way to consistently deploy speedy receiver Tutu Atwell. But they apparently can’t quit him.

On Thursday, the Rams traded second-year running back Jarquez Hunter to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for Atwell, the team announced.

Atwell, who will turn 27 in October, was selected by the Rams in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft out of Louisville. He was sidelined much of his rookie season because of a shoulder injury, and was subsequently used sparingly the next three seasons. In 2024, he caught a career-best 42 passes for 562 yards.

Before the 2025 season, the Rams signed Atwell to a one-year, $10-million contract. But with Puka Nacua and Davante Adams getting the majority of targets, Atwell caught only six passes for 192 yards, 88 coming on a winning touchdown pass play against the Indianapolis Colts.

Continue reading here

This day in sports history

1886 — Richard Sears beats R. Livingston Beeckman 4-6, 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 to win his sixth straight U.S. national tennis championship.

1888 — Henry Slocum defeats Howard Taylor 6-4, 6-1, 6-0 to win the eighth U.S. men’s national tennis championship. Slocum, last year’s runner-up, is the first men’s champion other than Richard Sears. Sears, the U.S. champion from 1881-1887, retired last year.

1908 — Fred McLeod wins the U.S. Open golf title with a one-stroke victory over Willie Smith in a playoff.

1922 — The oldest American international team golf match, the Walker Cup, is established with the U.S. beating Britain 8-4.

1949 — The U.S. takes the Davis Cup, topping Australia 4-1.

1950 — Althea Gibson becomes the first Black player to compete in the U.S. Open. Gibson wins her first round match, defeating Barbara Knapp of Britain 6-2, 6-2 at Forest Hills in New York.

1977 — The Cosmos beat the Seattle Sounders 2-1 at Portland, Ore., to win their second NASL title. Giorgio Chinaglia’s header in the 77th minute is the winning goal.

1989 — Pete Sampras, 18, wins his first U.S. Open singles match in four sets over Agustin Moreno of Mexico.

1990 — Stefan Edberg becomes the first top-seeded player since John Newcombe in 1971 to lose in the first round of the U.S. Open. Edberg loses to Alexander Volkov of the Soviet Union, 6-3, 7-6, 6-2.

1994 — Tiger Woods, 18, becomes the youngest winner in the history of the U.S. Amateur Golf Championship, capturing the last three holes of his 36-hole title match against Trip Kuehne.

1995 — Monica Seles, plays in her first Grand Slam tournament in more than 2 1-2 years and beats Ruxandra Dragomir 6-3, 6-1 in first round of the U.S. Open.

2004 — The U.S. women’s basketball team goes through the Athens Olympics undefeated to win its fifth Olympic gold medal, beating Australia 74-63 in the final.

2004 — Led by San Antonio Spurs shooting guard Manu Ginóbili, Argentina beats Italy 84-69 for the Olympic basketball gold medal in Athens; star-studded U.S. team takes bronze.

2008 — Top-seeded Ana Ivanovic is ousted from the U.S. Open, beaten by 188th-ranked Julie Coin 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in the second round. Never before in the Open era that began in 1968 had the No. 1 woman lost this early in the tournament.

2014 — Acknowledging he “didn’t get it right” with a two-game suspension for Ravens running back Ray Rice, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announces tougher penalties for players accused of domestic violence, including six weeks for a first offense and at least a year for a second.

2022 — Tour Championship, Men’s Golf, East Lake GC: Irishman Rory McIlroy wins $18 million with one stroke win over Scottie Scheffler and Im Sung-jae; becomes first 3-time winner of the FedEx Cup.

Compiled by the Associated Press

This day in baseball history

1918 — Tris Speaker was suspended for the rest of the season because of his assault on umpire Tom Connolly after a dispute at home plate in Philadelphia.

1926 — Emil Levsen of the Cleveland Indians pitched two complete-game victories over the Boston Red Sox, 6-1 and 5-1. He did not strike out a batter in either game. The Indians used the identical lineup in both games.

1951 — The Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the New York Giants 2-0, ending the Giants’ 16-game winning streak. The streak enabled the Giants to cut the Dodgers 13½-game lead to six.

1971 — In the nightcap of a doubleheader, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Rick Wise hit two home runs to help himself to a 7-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants.

1977 — Steve Garvey of the Dodgers hit three doubles and two home runs in five at-bats, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to an 11-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. One of Garvey’s homers was a grand slam.

1977 — In a 6-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles, Nolan Ryan of the Angels struck out 11 batters to pass the 300-strikeout plateau for the fifth time in his career.

1987 — Mike Schmidt passes Ted Williams and Willie McCovey with 522 home runs

1990 — Ryne Sandberg became the first second baseman in history to have consecutive 30-homer seasons, leading the Cubs to a 5-2 victory over the Houston Astros.

1992 — The Milwaukee Brewers set an American League record with 31 hits and 26 singles in a 22-2 rout of the Toronto Blue Jays.

1993 — Pinch-hitter Jeremy Hess’ bases-loaded single with two out in the sixth inning gives Long Beach a 3-2 victory over Panama in the championship game of the Little League World Series.

2003 — Eric Gagne set a major league record with his 44th straight save this season as the Dodgers beat Houston 6-3. Gagne eclipsed Tom Gordon’s 1998 record of 43 in a row to begin a season.

2005 — Michael Memea’s home run in the bottom of the seventh gives West Oahu of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, the Little League World Series title.

2008 — Cristian Guzman of the Nationals became the second player to hit for the cycle since the franchise moved to Washington, driving in three in an 11-2 rout of the Dodgers.

2014 — San Francisco’s Yusmeiro Petit set a major league record when he retired his 46th batter in a row, and the Giants beat Colorado 3-1. Petit got the first eight Colorado hitters, establishing the mark by striking out Charlie Culberson. That broke Mark Buehrle’s record of 45 straight with the Chicago White Sox in 2009. Petit’s streak covered eight games, six of them in relief.

2016 — Ryan Harlost led Endwell, N.Y., to the Little League World Series title, striking out eight and limiting South Korea to five hits in six innings in a 2-1 victory. Endwell gave New York its first championship since 1964.

2021 — Angels pitcher/DH Shohei Otani becomes the first player in team history to reach 20 stolen bases and hit 40 home runs in a season.

2025 — For the third time this season, a player has a four-homer game, with Kyle Schwarber performing the feat and driving in nine runs in a 19-4 Phillies win over Atlanta. Three such games in one season breaks the previous record of two, set in 2002 and tied in 2017. In spite of its frequency this season, the feat has only been performed 21 times in major league history, and the last Phillies player to accomplish it had been Mike Schmidt in 1976.

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

L.A. County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman did something last week few prosecutors ever do — changed his mind in public, swapping out felony charges for misdemeanors in the case of an LAPD officer accused of secretly taping homophobic, racist and misogynistic remarks made by colleagues.

Since then, Hochman has been slammed for playing politics, embarrassing his office and even backing down for no reason other than the pressure was too intense.

Not a stellar look for a politician relatively new to elected office.

After speaking with Hochman about the reversal, I have a more optimistic take on it — drawn from a Talmudic quote that Hochman keeps on his desk, and which his father — a tax lawyer who represented at least one mobster — kept on his desk before him.

It’s Deuteronomy 16:20, “Tzedek, tzedek, tirdof” — Justice, justice you shall pursue.

It’s that double justice that holds weight in this situation, because, as Hochman explains it, his god rarely repeats himself without reason. Hochman said he reads that echo as referring to two parts of delivering justice — the process and the result.

“We try to get the right result. We try to get it in the right way,” Hochman told me.

When things go wrong, like they did in this case, he’ll reevaluate, he said, even if it leaves him with egg on his face.

“If that means that I have to publicly come out at a press conference and say that our initial decision-making, and what went into it, turns out not to have been perfect, and it is not set in stone, and we think there’s a better way of doing something, I’m going to stand up in a press conference and say exactly that,” he said.

A prosecutor who is willing to change his or her mind is critical to delivering real justice, because people get things wrong. Hochman holds incredible power over the thousands of lives entangled in the matters his office handles. Leaving that power of process in the hands of someone who can’t admit they made a mistake (as is the case with more D.A.’s than not) puts justice on a greased slide into a cesspool of hubris.

The distinction between the two forms of justice may seem like splitting hairs, but to anyone who has ever been involved with our justice system — as a victim or defendant, innocent or guilty — being dragged into a prosecution can often feel like an avalanche of misfortune.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think every person charged with a crime is a victim. There are plenty of predators out there, committing violations big and small, that require accountability.

But the process of administering justice is far more subjective and messy than we often admit. Sometimes, even when the prosecutor involved almost certainly knows something other than justice is in the works, there is a momentum of ego and bureaucracy that is hard to reverse.

And it doesn’t take a guilty verdict to derail a life. Simply having charges filed can mean a job loss, losing custody of kids, incarceration for months or years waiting for a trial, financial hardship and stigma.

We like to think of an innocent verdict as a great vindication, but by the time one arrives, if it does, a lifetime of damage may already have been done — that is the unseen power of process.

Just ask Daniel Flores, the LAPD officer whose case we’re talking about. Though he likely will eventually see all criminal charges dismissed, Flores told my colleagues Libor Jany and Richard Winton that this incident has “ruined” his life.

Hochman for weeks has faced intense public anger over his initial decision to charge Flores with 16 felonies. Folks from the lofty heights of the mayor to this lowly columnist objected, pointing out that punishing whistleblowers, even ones who may have technically broken the law as Hochman said Flores likely did (though Flores’ lawyer disputes that), would chill other officers from coming forward.

Hochman at first defended the charges, pointing out that as a sworn officer, Flores had an even higher duty to adhere to the letter and spirit of the law.

But, he said, he was unprepared for how strongly the public would react to the whistleblower part of the case. Though he contends he never meant to send a message silencing those who would expose wrongdoing, he concedes that did happen.

“People interpreted it that we’re trying to discourage all whistleblowers by the way we went about this prosecution,” Hochman said.

He also acknowledges that he is still learning what it means to be in this elected office. Though he has been both a federal prosecutor and a defense attorney, this is by far the most publicly accountable and visible role he has held, and he’s still figuring out that part of the job. It’s easy to be the candidate lobbing criticisms, or even the defense lawyer arguing the facts. It is much harder to be the person answerable to the nearly 10 million people of Los Angeles County when it comes to ensuring they feel both protected and respected by the law.

In his first year in office, more than one civil liberties advocate has taken issue with his approach.

“It is a continuous learning experience. In fact, anyone who takes this job and doesn’t view this as a daily learning experience cannot possibly do the job well,” he said. “If you don’t adapt to what’s out there, you don’t listen to what’s going on … you will fail, and by failure, I mean that you won’t achieve a society where people trust that the district attorney’s office is doing its job and doing it as best as it possibly could,” he said.

He blames the media in part for distracting from his accountability message in favor of the whistleblower-chilling angle in the Flores case — likely including headlines such as the one I wrote, “Protecting the blue wall of silence is not justice in LAPD whistleblower case.”

I’m willing to stand by the process that got me to that opinion, and also to give Hochman credit for being willing to change direction on his process when it was leading our city down the wrong path.

There are plenty of places where I hope Hochman will apply that rigor in the future — issues such as the death penalty, which he has brought back to Los Angeles, or in other difficult cases such as the killing of Keith Porter Jr. by an off-duty ICE agent. Porter’s family recently asked Hochman to convene a grand jury to hear the facts.

But that Hochman thinks about process, and the power that it holds, speaks well for justice in Los Angeles — even, maybe especially, when things go awry.

THURSDAY’S RESULTS

SOUTHERN SECTION

Nonleague

California 17, Sunny Hills 14

Citrus Hill 14, Miller 13

Citrus Valley 42, Los Osos 14

Colton 28, Eisenhower 6

Compton 28, Orange Vista 21

Corona 49, San Gorgonio 0

Desert Mirage 24, San Jacinto Valley Academy 6

El Toro 42, Marina 21

Fontana 64, Jurupa Valley 20

Glendora 41, Walnut 8

Granite Hills 28, Patriot 21

Hesperia 34, Jurupa Hills 0

Hillcrest 34, Vista del Lago 20

Huntington Beach 31, Los Alamitos 15

Indio 28, Indian Springs 7

La Palma Kennedy 14, Woodbridge 10

Liberty 55, Sultana 7

Maranatha 30, Covina 22

Moreno Valley 52, Arroyo Valley 0

Norte Vidta 35, Rancho Christian 0

Palm Springs 35, Grand Terrace 0

Placentia Valencia 22, Santa Ana 13

Redlands East Valley 37, Perris 11

Ridgecrest Burroughs 40, Adelanto 0

San Dimas 44, Chaffey 8

South Torrance 33, Arroyo 10

Temple City 19, La Puente 14

Twentynine Palms 28, Riverside Prep 27

Villa Park 55, Western 20

Western Christian 56, Rim of the World 8

Whittier 41, Gabrielino 6

INTERSECTIONAL

Fallbrook 24, Canyon Springs 7

Fulton 34, St. Jeane de Lestonnac 0

Linfield Christian 46, Mountain Empire 21

Keppel 18, Mendez 7

Palos Verdes 21, Orlando Bishop Moore (Fla.) 18

Sierra Canyon 24, Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna (Fla.) 7

8-MAN

CITY SECTION

Nonleague

East Valley 50, Stella 6

INTERSECTIONAL

California School for the Deaf Riverside 58, Animo Robinson 8

Cuyama Valley 14, Tehillah Christian 12

Valley Oaks CES 42, Downey Calvary Chapel 0

Shelley Fabares’ cause of death has been revealed.

Fabares was known best for her television roles , including Christine Armstrong on the ’90s sitcom “Coach,” Francine Webster on the 1970s sitcom “One Day at a Time” and Mary Stone on “The Donna Reed Show,” as well as her Billboard Hot 100 song “Johnny Angel” and appearances opposite Elvis Presley in “Spinout,” “Clambake” and “Girl Happy.”

The actor died Saturday in Los Angeles surrounded by loved ones after battling pneumonia, her family told The Times on Thursday. In the 1990s, Fabares fell ill, but doctors struggled to pin down what the problem was. After years of health problems, she was diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis. Doctors ultimately discovered severe liver deterioration, and she spent nearly two years on a waiting list for a liver transplant. She received the lifesaving surgery in the fall of 2000.

In 2011, Fabares told PBS Houston that after suffering liver failure and facing death, her outlook on life completely changed. “It really brought home the fragility of life and how fast everything can change and how extraordinarily lucky we are to be alive, and to have this opportunity to be here, and in my case, to get really an entire second chance,” she said during the appearance. “It does make things more precious.”

She said that, after the close call and lengthy recovery, she feared death less.

“To her family and friends, Shelley was a source of love, strength, laughter, and comfort,” Fabares’ husband, “MASH” actor Mike Farrell, said in a statement.

“She was a devoted wife, cherished stepmother, daughter, sister, niece, aunt, family member, and loyal friend whose warmth, generosity, humor, and grace made an enduring difference in the lives of everyone who knew her. She had a remarkable ability to make people feel welcomed, valued, and cared for.

“For millions, Shelley was a beloved actress whose work became part of the fabric of American television and film. … But to those closest to her, her greatest legacy was personal: the love she gave so freely, the friendships she treasured, and the family bonds she held dear.

“We will remember Shelley for her kindness, loyalty, wit, courage, and beautiful spirit. We will miss her deeply — not only as a celebrated performer, but as the loving and extraordinary person she was in our everyday lives.

“We are heartbroken by her loss, yet profoundly grateful for the years we shared with her and for the joy, compassion, and love she brought to so many. We ask that our family’s privacy be respected as we grieve. We take comfort in knowing that Shelley’s work and the memories she created with those who loved her will continue to live on.”

She is survived by her husband and her daughter, Erin.

Leah Remini is joining the cast of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.”

The “King of Queens” star confirmed rumors that she was joining the 16th season of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” with an Instagram post on Wednesday, writing alongside the announcement, “It’s true.”

Remini’s team didn’t comment on whether the Emmy-winning actor would be a full-time cast member on the series. Tracy Tutor, a luxury real estate broker from “Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles,” will also join the all-star cast, which includes Kyle Richards, Erika Girardi, Dorit Kemsley, Bozoma Saint John, Rachel Zoe and Sutton Stracke. Kathy Hilton and actor Jennifer Tilly also will return in a recurring “friend” role.

Amanda Frances of Season 15 will not be returning. She announced the news and a forthcoming memoir via Instagram on Aug. 5, writing, “I am taking the clarity, the lessons, the plot twists, the spiritual warfare, and the occasional deeply unnecessary dinner party drama into all that God has for me next. … And to anyone watching, please know: Your next move does not require anyone’s approval.”

“The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” turned 20 this year and has the distinction of most-watched of the franchise, with “Real Housewives of Atlanta” coming in second after carrying the torch for a decade.

Per Variety, “RHOBH” began filming earlier this summer with much of the cast — sans Remini and Tutor — jet-setting off to Ghana for Saint John’s wedding to Keely Watson last week. Remini will begin filming in Los Angeles this week.

Remini and her former husband, Angelo Pagán, announced back in 2024 that they were divorcing after nearly 30 years together. In a joint statement, the exes said they’d both changed, “as people do.”

“This decision came after a lot of thought and care, and as hard as divorce is, we are approaching this with a positive outlook because we know it’s what’s best for us,” they said in the joint statement.

The pair had publicly shared their relationship in TV specials that aired on VH1’s “Inside Out: Leah Remini” and on Remini’s TLC series, “It’s All Relative,” which aired for two seasons.

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.

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).

To begin, park at the Merry-Go-Round Lot 1 or nearby, keeping in mind that sometimes parking lots in the area close for setup and equipment for Shakespeare in the Park.

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.

If anyone in your party is thirsty, the Joe Klass Water Stop is nearby.

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.

When talking about the Gerhardt brothers, Hudson, a quarterback, and Bailen, a receiver, first-year Village Christian coach Rand Holdren says there’s never a boring moment when the two are together.

“I want to send them off to their room,” he joked about the brothers bickering with each other.

What brothers don’t occasionally raise their voices, and fight over food, gifts and clothes?

In Village Christian’s 34-0 win over Huntington Park last week, Hudson, a senior, completed 11 of 13 passes for 170 yards and two touchdowns. Bailen, a junior, caught four passes for 91 yards and one touchdown. Of course, if Bailen ever drops a pass, big brother might give him a nasty look.

Holdren left Maranatha to take over the Village Christian program.

“The first day of spring practice, we had nine kids,” he said. “I quickly realized why they called me.”

He’s up to 25 players and hoping the Gerhardt brothers will continue to be entertaining in games and in huddles.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.