Los

Despite a handful of popular Día de los Muertos events facing cancellation due to community fears surrounding ICE operations, many annual celebrations throughout Southern California will continue to honor the dearly departed as planned.

Organizers for the Oct. 18 El Sereno Día de los Muertos Festival are working with Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado and her team to ensure the safety of its attendees during a precarious time for immigrant communities. Others, like the Museum of Latin American Art’s Day of the Dead Family Festival on Oct. 26, are placing an added emphasis on resilience.

This year, De Los is hosting a free community celebration to commemorate the holiday on Oct. 25 from 2 to 10 p.m. at the Las Fotos Project. Attendees can enjoy a community altar, a skull decorating workshop, face painting and more.

De Los will also be accepting submissions for our annual digital altar from Oct. 15 to Nov. 2. Community members can submit a photograph or memento to honor the memory of their dearly departed — pets included.

Here is a list of other Día de los Muertos observations and events taking place across Southern California.

Karen Garcia contributed to this reporting.

Hi and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell, and I can picture Vin Scully and Bob Uecker sitting on a cloud, watching this series.

—First, the bad news: In the NLCS, the Dodgers will be facing the team with the best record in baseball, the Milwaukee Brewers. And the Brewers went 6-0 against the Dodgers this season, outscoring them 31-16.

—The good news: None of that means anything in the postseason.

—This is the seventh time a team has swept an opponent in the regular season and met that same team in the postseason. A look:

2015 NLCS: Chicago swept the Mets in the season, 7-0. Mets swept the Cubs in the NLCS, 4-0.

2014 World Series: Kansas City swept San Francisco in the season, 3-0. Giants beat the Royals in the World Series, 4-3.

2009 ALDS: Yankees swept Minnesota in the season, 7-0. Yankees swept the Twins in the ALDS, 3-0.

2007 ALDS: Yankees swept Cleveland in the season, 6-0. Indians beat the Yankees in the ALDS, 3-1.

2006 World Series: Detroit swept St. Louis during the season, 3-0. Cardinals beat the Tigers in the World Series, 4-1.

2003 ALDS: Yankees swept Minnesota during the season, 7-0. Yankees beat the Twins in the ALDS, 3-1.

—Who will be on the NLCS roster? We should find out a few hours before game time today. With it being a seven-game series, I would expect fewer position players and more pitchers, but which relievers make the team?

—The Dodgers will start Blake Snell in Game 1 and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 2 against the Brewers, who have not announced a Game 1 starter, but their ace, Freddy Peralta, will start Game 2.

—The Dodgers need another reliever to step up in this series, as it seems unlikely that Roki Sasaki can pitch three innings every game. Will they keep Justin Wrobleski on the roster? Which right-handers will they add? Ben Casparius?

—The biggest question on offense: Can Shohei Ohtani start hitting again? He went one for 18 in the NLDS, with nine strikeouts.

—The Brewers used a ton of lefties against Ohtani. “There were at-bats that didn’t go the way I thought they would,” Ohtani said after the Game 4 victory. “The opposing pitchers didn’t make many mistakes. They pitched wonderfully, in a way that’s worthy for the postseason. There were a lot of games like that for both teams.”

—Dave Roberts’ take: “Hoping that he can do a little self-reflecting on that series, and how aggressive he was outside of the strike zone, passive in the zone. The at-bat quality needs to get better.”

—Not only Ohtani, but the Dodgers overall are much more successful when they remain patient and work the count. It also allows them to get to the other team’s bullpen quicker. Wearing out the other team’s bullpen will be key the longer the series goes.

—The ALCS features teams that joined the league in 1977: Seattle and Toronto. The Mariners are the only current MLB team to never play in the World Series.

—Once again, the Dodgers’ opponent will have home-field advantage.

—I could go on and on with thoughts and reflections, but it doesn’t mean much. The postseason is all new, and anything can happen. Just hang on and enjoy the ride.

Prediction: Dodgers in 6.

Let’s take a look at how the teams compare and where they ranked among the 30 teams:

Batting

Runs per game
Dodgers, 5.09 (2nd)
Brewers, 4.98 (3rd)
MLB average, 4.45

Batting average
Brewers, .258 (2nd)
Dodgers, .253 (5th)
MLB average, .245

On-base %
Brewers, .332 (2nd)
Dodgers, .327 (5th)
MLB average, .315

Slugging %
Dodgers, .441 (2nd)
MLB average, .404
Brewers, .403 (12th)

Doubles
Brewers, 265 (9th)
MLB average, 258
Dodgers, 257 (13th)

Triples
Dodgers, 21 (T12th)
MLB average, 21
Brewers, 18 (T19th)

Home runs
Dodgers, 244 (2nd)
MLB average, 188
Brewers, 166 (22nd)

Walks
Dodgers, 580 (2nd)
Brewers, 564 (4th)
MLB average, 513

Strikeouts
MLB average, 1,355
Dodgers, 1,353 (16th)
Brewers, 1,266 (26th)

Stolen bases
Brewers, 164 (2nd)
MLB average, 115
Dodgers, 88 (T21st)

Sacrifice bunts
Brewers, 26 (6th)
MLB average, 19
Dodgers, 13 (T20th)

Batting average with two out and runners in scoring position
Dodgers, .271 (1st)
Brewers, .265 (3rd)
MLB average, .233

As you can see, the Dodgers have more power, but the Brewers are more pesky on offense, getting more singles and stealing more bases. They stole two bases in the NLDS, the Dodgers haven’t tried to steal a base in the postseason.

Pitching

ERA
Brewers, 3.58 (2nd)
Dodgers, 3.95 (16th)
MLB average, 4.15

Team ERA after All-Star break
Dodgers, 3.45 (2nd)
Brewers, 3.49 (3rd)
MLB average, 4.28

Rotation ERA
Brewers, 3.56 (3rd)
Dodgers, 3.69 (5th)
MLB average, 4.21

Bullpen ERA
MLB average, 4.08
Brewers, 3.63 (7th)
Dodgers, 4.27 (21st)

FIP (click here for explainer)
Brewers, 3.91 (6th)
Dodgers, 3.93 (7th)
MLB average, 4.16

Walks
Dodgers, 563 (5th)
Brewers, 534 (10th)
MLB average, 513

Strikeouts
Dodgers, 1,505 (1st)
Brewers, 1,432 (5th)
MLB average, 1,355

Saves
Dodgers, 46 (5th)
Brewers, 45 (T6th)
MLB average, 40

Blown saves
Dodgers, 27 (T7th)
MLB average, 24
Brewers, 21 (T21st)

Inherited runners who scored %
Dodgers, 26.1% (3rd)
Brewers, 31.7% (13th)
MLB average, 31.8%

Relief innings
Dodgers, 657.2 (1st)
MLB average, 595
Brewers, 634.2 (4th)

Relief wins
Dodgers, 44 (T1st)
Brewers, 37 (T6th)
MLB average, 33

Relief losses
Dodgers, 33 (T7th)
MLB average, 29
Brewers, 25 (T21st)

The players

When comparing the main players on the teams, keep in mind that players can move around depending on who is starting and managerial whim. For a full look at the Brewers statistically, click here.

DH
Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani. .282/.392/.622, 25 doubles, 55 homers, 102 RBIs
Brewers, Christian Yelich, .264/.343/.452, 21 doubles, 29 homers, 103 RBIs

Catcher
Dodgers, Will Smith, .296/.404/.497, 20 doubles, 17 homers, 61 RBIs
Dodgers, Ben Rortvedt, .224/.309/.327, 2 doubles, 1 homer, 4 RBIs
Brewers, William Contreras, .260/.355/.399, 28 doubles, 17 homers, 76 RBIs
Brewers, Danny Jansen, .254/.346/.433, 3 doubles, 3 homers, 17 RBIs

First base
Dodgers, Freddie Freeman, .295/.367/.502, 39 doubles, 24 homers, 90 RBIs
Brewers, Andrew Vaughn, .308/.375/.493, 14 doubles, 9 homers, 46 RBIs

Rhys Hoskins was the Brewers’ starting first baseman when the season begam, but he was injured and sidelined for a couple of months. When he came back, Vaughn had won the job.

Second base
Dodgers, Miguel Rojas, .262/.318/.397, 18 doubles, 7 homers, 27 RBIs
Dodgers, Tommy Edman, .225/.274/.382, 13 doubles, 13 homers, 49 RBIs
Brewers, Brice Turang, .288/.359/.435, 28 doubles, 18 homers, 81 RBIs

Third base
Dodgers, Max Muncy, .243/.376/.470, 10 doubles, 19 homers, 67 RBIs
Brewers, Caleb Durbin, .256/.334/.387, 25 doubles, 11 homers, 53 RBIs

Shortstop
Dodgers, Mookie Betts, .258/.326/.406, 23 doubles, 20 homers, 82 RBIs
Brewers, Joey Ortiz, .230/.276/.317, 18 doubles, 7 homers, 45 RBIs

Left field
Dodgers, Kiké Hernández, .203/.255/.366, 8 doubles, 10 homers, 35 RBIs
Brewers, Jackson Chourio, .270/.308/.463, 35 doubles, 21 homers, 78 RBIs

Center field
Dodgers, Andy Pages, .272/.313/.461, 27 doubles, 27 homers, 86 RBIs
Brewers, Blake Perkins, .226/.298/.348, 6 doubles, 3 homers, 19 RBIs

Right field
Dodgers, Teoscar Hernández, .247/.284/.454, 29 doubles, 25 homers, 89 RBIs
Brewers, Sal Frelick, .288/.351/.405, 20 doubles, 12 homers, 63 RBIs

Of the Brewers listed, Yelich, Turang and Frelick bat left-handed. Perkins is a switch-hitter.

Starting pitchers

Dodgers
*Blake Snell, 5-4, 2.35 ERA, 61.1 IP, 51 hits, 26 walks, 72 K’s
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 12-8, 2.49 ERA, 173.2 IP, 113 hits, 59 walks, 201 K’s
Shohei Ohtani, 1-1, 2.87 ERA, 47 IP, 40 hits, 9 walks, 62 K’s
Tyler Glasnow, 4-3, 3.19 ERA, 90.1 IP, 56 hits, 43 walks, 106 K’s

Brewers
Freddy Peralta, 17-6, 2.70 ERA, 176.2 IP, 124 hits, 66 walks, 204 K’s
Quinn Priester, 13-3, 3.32 ERA, 157.1 IP, 145 hits, 50 walks, 132 K’s
Jacob Misiorowski, 5-3, 4.36 ERA, 66 IP, 51 hits, 31 walks, 87 K’s
*Jose Quintana, 11-7, 3.96 ERA, 131.2 IP, 120 hits, 50 walks, 89 K’s

The main relievers

Dodgers
*Alex Vesia, 4-2, 3.02 ERA, 5 saves, 59.2 IP, 37 hits, 22 walks, 80 K’s
Emmet Sheehan, 6-3, 2.82 ERA, 73.1 IP, 49 hits, 22 walks, 89 K’s
Blake Treinen, 2-7. 5.40 ERA, 26.2 IP, 30 hits, 19 walks, 36 K’s
Roki Sasaki, 1-1, 4.46 ERA, 36.1 IP, 30 hits, 22 walks, 28 K’s

Brewers
Trevor Megill, 6-3, 2.49 ERA, 30 saves, 47 IP, 36 hits, 17 walks, 60 K’s
*Aaron Ashby, 5-2, 2.16 ERA, 3 saves, 66.2 IP, 54 hits, 24 walks, 76 K’s
Abner Uribe, 3-2, 1.67 ERA, 7 saves, 75.1 IP, 51 hits, 27 walks, 90 K’s
*Jared Koenig, 6-1, 2.86 ERA, 2 saves, 66 IP, 57 hits, 20 walks, 68 K’s
Nick Mears, 5-3, 3.49 ERA, 56.2 IP, 42 hits, 13 walks, 46 K’s

The Brewers used Megill and Ashby as openers in the NLDS against the Cubs, including using Megill, their closer, as the opener in the decisive Game 5. He pitched a perfect inning, then gave way to Misiorowski, who pitched four innings, giving up one run. So the Brewers are not afraid to think outside the box as far as their pitching staff is concerned.

*-left-handed

Poll results

Which team would you rather have the Dodgers face in the NLCS? After 10,236 votes, the results:

Cubs, 89.3%
Brewers, 10.7%

Poll time

What will be the outcome of the NLCS?

Click here to vote in our survey.

Up next

Monday: Dodgers (Blake Snell, 5-4, 2.35 ERA) at Milwaukee, 5 p.m., TBS, truTV, HBO Max, AM 570, KTMZ 1220, ESPN radio

Tuesday: Dodgers (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 12-8, 2.49 ERA) at Milwaukee, 5 p.m., TBS, truTV, HBO Max, AM 570, KTMZ 1220, ESPN radio

Thursday: Milwaukee at Dodgers, 3 p.m., TBS, truTV, HBO Max, AM 570, KTMZ 1220, ESPN radio

Friday: Milwaukee at Dodgers, 5:30 p.m., TBS, truTV, HBO Max, AM 570, KTMZ 1220, ESPN radio

x-Saturday: Milwaukee at Dodgers, 5 p.m., TBS, truTV, HBO Max, AM 570, KTMZ 1220, ESPN radio

x-Monday, Oct. 20: Dodgers at Milwaukee, 2 p.m., TBS, truTV, HBO Max, AM 570, KTMZ 1220, ESPN radio

x-Tuesday, Oct. 21: Dodgers at Milwaukee, 5 p.m., TBS, truTV, HBO Max, AM 570, KTMZ 1220, ESPN radio

x-if necessary

In case you missed it

How Roki Sasaki’s transformation from injured starter to closer saved the Dodgers’ season

Nine concerns the Dodgers should have about facing the Brewers in the NLCS

Can Shohei Ohtani find it at the plate for NLCS? ‘At-bat quality needs to get better’

Shaikin: Are these the real Dodgers? Why a ‘whole other level’ could emerge in the NLCS

Hernández: Roki Sasaki’s playoff dominance shows why he’s the Dodgers’ future staff ace

And finally

Highlights from the 2024 Dodgers-Mets NLCS. Watch and listen here.

Until next time…

Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at [email protected]. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

This week’s City Section top 10 high school football rankings by The Times:

1. BIRMINGHAM (4-3): The Patriots have 51 consecutive victories against City Section opponents, so any computer rankings that don’t have them at the top are ignoring history.

2. CARSON (4-3): The Colts are on collision path to face San Pedro on Oct. 30 to determine the Marine League championship.

3. PALISADES (7-0): Jack Thomas had 460 yards passing and five touchdowns in a 56-54 win over Venice.

4. SAN PEDRO (4-4): Pirates quarterback Seth Solorio has passed the 2,000-yard mark this season.

5. GARFIELD (5-2): The Eastern League championship will be decided Friday night at South Gate.

6. KENNEDY (6-1): In Diego Montes the Golden Cougars trust.

7. EAGLE ROCK (5-2): Northern League title showdown at Franklin on Friday night.

8. KING/DREW (5-1): Sophomore defensive lineman Kenneth Webb is having big season.

9. VENICE (3-4): Joshua Aaron rushed for 170 yards and four touchdowns in loss to Palisades.

10. FRANKLIN (6-1): Senior Albert Cardenas is coming through at quarterback.

As someone who spends entirely too much time reading trail reviews posted on outdoors apps, I often wonder what everyone would agree is a five-star hike.

Because sometimes folks puzzle me when they recount their experiences in the L.A. wild.

An AllTrails user categorized Josephine Peak, one of my favorite hikes, as “by far the worst highly rated trail” they’d experienced, as it was essentially just a “gradually inclining fire access road.” No mention of the stunning views, the beautiful plant life or the short drive to the trailhead that leaves you feeling grateful for how close we all live to this magnificence.

I’ve seen people give a trail a one-star review because of something that happened during their hike, like they got stung by a bee or tripped over a rock. I’ve noticed other folks who angrily write how horrendously maintained a trail is, but I know from hiking it that those users didn’t actually take the correct path.

Once, I saw someone post a Craigslist-style missed connection as a review. (I can’t remember how many stars they gave the trail.)

I find the concept of rating trails a bit bizarre, especially when we zoom out and consider our luck. We live in Southern California, where we can hike every day of the year, often for free. In the winter, you can find snow within a short drive of L.A.

In the summer, you can escape the heat by traveling high into Angeles National Forest where the mountain air is cooler. Or by lounging in a cool river under the shade of native sycamores and oaks in the San Gabriel or Santa Monica Mountains. And of course, there’s Griffith Park, with more than 4,210 acres smack-dab in the middle of L.A. where you can hike at all hours of the day for free.

Here’s what I would like to propose: Outside of serious hazards or maintenance issues, the best trail is the one you’re on. That’s the spirit that went into my adventures for this week’s Wild. I wanted to highlight less popular jaunts through our public lands.

1. Hoyt Mountain via Grizzly Flat

Distance: About 4.6 miles out and back
Elevation gained: About 1,450 feet
Difficulty: Strenuous
Dogs allowed? Yes
Accessible alternative: Mount Wilson Observatory paved route

Hoyt Mountain is a 4,415(ish)-foot peak in the front range of the San Gabriel Mountains in Angeles National Forest. There are multiple routes to reach it. I chose to start at the Grizzly Flat Trailhead because it is an easier and shorter path to Hoyt Mountain than other options, like starting near the Clear Creek fire station.

You’ll start this trail via Hoyt Mountain Road, a wide dirt fire road. As you climb, notice the increasingly beautiful views. You’ll pass loads of buckwheat and other flowering plants, including California fuchsia, and chaparral yucca bursting out of the mountainside.

About two-thirds of a mile in, you’ll come to a split in the trail. Continue north on Hoyt Mountain Road. You’ll observe the trail’s foliage grow thicker about a third of a mile farther in. Take a moment to smell the spicy California bay laurel leaves (my favorite aroma of our local landscape). You’ll also likely see big berry manzanita, thick-leaved yerba santa and sugar bush.

I did notice a lot of animal scat — including bear — on this trail, so keep your eyes peeled for our mammalian neighbors. You will also notice that you can still hear the traffic from Angeles Crest Highway from the trail, but I think the striking panoramic views make up for it.

About 1.8 miles in, you’ll come to a wide, flat area where you might, if more observant than this outdoors journalist, notice three paths. There’s one that leads to a transmission tower, which this reporter may have taken before realizing it was the wrong way. There’s also a wider path, Telephone Trail. If you’re planning to hike to Hoyt Mountain, you’ll want to take the goat trail in between these routes.

This narrow, steep path is a fire break and is not an “official” trail. Its steepness reminded me of the scramble from Brand Park up to Mt. Thom. You will need hiking poles and footwear with good traction to help you find purchase on the steep hillside.

There are multiple false summits before reaching Hoyt Mountain. You do have the option — as controversial as it might be to suggest — to just vibe out on one of them. Go all the way to Hoyt Mountain if the spirit (and your legs) moves you.

2. Castaic Rock Trail

Distance: 1.3 miles out and back
Elevation gained: About 200 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Dogs allowed? Yes
Accessible alternative: San Francisquito Creek Trail

The Castaic Rock Trail is a 1.3-mile out-and-back hike near Castaic Lake. It leads to a massive boulder — by some measurements, over 200 feet tall — that is known by many names, including Castaic Rock, Raven’s Roost and Rabbit Rock.

You’ll park on the shoulder of Lake Hughes Road and ascend a short, steep dirt path that quickly flattens out to become a pleasant jaunt through California buckwheat, sagebrush and other native plants. Look around, and you’ll notice panoramic views of Magic Mountain in the southeast and Cobblestone Mountain and Whitaker Peak in the northwest.

The trail meanders to the east side of the rock, where there’s historically been a bench located under the shade of hollyleaf cherry trees. Keep your eyes peeled for snakes and coyotes, as they’re common sights in the area.

3. Briar Summit Open Space Preserve

Distance: About a mile out and back
Elevation gained: About 250 feet
Difficulty: On the easier end of moderate
Dogs allowed? Yes
Accessible alternative: Lake Hollywood Trail

The Briar Summit Open Space Preserve is a 52-acre park north of Laurel Canyon that’s full of native plants, including laurel sumac. The preserve offers striking panoramic views of L.A. County that you’ll likely have to yourself (especially if you go on a weekday).

The hike is simple. You will park in the neighborhood near the entrance, taking care to read signage and be respectful of residents. Past the gate, you’ll take a short, steep paved path up until you reach a locked gate. You will quickly be rewarded with views of downtown L.A. to the southeast, the Griffith Park Observatory to the east and multiple mountain ranges in essentially every direction.

Briar Summit was saved from development just over 20 years ago thanks to private donations and public money. “Development of even a few of the property’s five legal lots could have spelled the end [for] all medium- and big-sized mammal species in the range between the Cahuenga Pass and Laurel Canyon,” according to a 2004 news release.

There is a spectacular lookout point just a third of a mile in where you can sit on a boulder and observe the city around you. From here, you’ll notice a dirt path leading south. You can take it for a short distance, but it will quickly lead you down a dusty, unstable hill. I wouldn’t recommend taking it downhill unless you’re ready for an intense off-trail workout. There are several unofficial “goat trails” or spurs leading in various directions throughout the preserve. You should follow these with caution, as they’re not regularly maintained.

Regardless of where you go, I hope you have a five-star time out there — whatever that means to you!

3 things to do

1. Celebrate Indigenous People’s Day around L.A.
Several Indigenous People’s Day celebrations are scheduled throughout mid-October in L.A. County. The 5th Tuxuunga Indigenous Peoples Day is scheduled from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday at 12400 Big Tujunga Canyon Road in Tujunga. The event will include live music, dancing, storytelling and hands-on workshops. Vasquez Rocks Natural Area, the ancestral village of Mapipinga, will host a fireside gathering and celebration from 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday. Visitors can listen to live music and storytelling around the campfire. The San Dimas Canyon Nature Center will co-host two events with the San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians Gabrieleno/Tongva: a tribal history and native seed planting event from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday and a tribal history and necklace-making workshop from 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 17. The Stoneview Nature Center will co-host its celebration with the Gabrieleño Band of Mission Indians — Kizh Nation from noon to 3 p.m. Oct. 18, an event that will include a nature walk and drum circle. Learn more at the Instagram pages linked above.

2. Sow seeds in Ascot Hills in L.A.
The Ascot Hills Park Green Team will host its monthly restoration event from 8 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Volunteers should meet at the park’s nursery on the west end of the gravel parking area. The work will include collecting and sowing California buckwheat and other native plant seeds. Learn more at the group’s Instagram page.

3. Nurture oak trees in Topanga
The Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains needs volunteers from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday to help restore native oak woodlands at Trippet Ranch. Volunteers will water trees, yank weeds and apply mulch as well as potentially plant new acorns as needed. Learn more and register at eventbrite.com.

The must-read

Wild horses grazing in the Mono Lake area are the source of a heated debate among environmentalists, Indigenous leaders and animal rights activists, and the government over how to best manage the herds so they don’t decimate the land. “This year, the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management approved a plan to round up and remove hundreds of wild horses roaming beyond the roughly 200,000 acres designated for them along the California and Nevada border,” Times staff writer Lila Seidman wrote. “No date has been set, but it could be as soon as this fall.” Environmentalists argue the move is necessary to save the otherworldly landscape at Mono Lake, but local tribes and nonprofits point out the government’s method of rounding up horses — hiring contractors with helicopters to drive them into stables — is dangerous, and even deadly, to the horses. “They’re going to run them down with helicopters and genocide them, just like they ran down us,” Rana Saulque, vice chairwoman for the Utu Utu Gwaitu Paiute tribe, said through tears.

This is yet another debate occurring around California about the best use and management plan of our public lands.

Happy adventuring,

P.S.

Want to help scientists understand our local wildlife? You can do just that by participating in the L.A. Nature Quest, which runs through the month of October. First, download iNaturalist, a citizen scientist app, on your smartphone. Next, simply go outside and start observing what plants and animals are in your neighborhood. Take good care to notice indicator and invasive species. After you’re finished snapping photos, upload your finds to the L.A. Nature Quest 2025 project on iNaturalist. Thanks for doing your part to protect our native species.

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.

Los Angeles firefighters were hampered by a lack of resources for red flag weather conditions in their initial response to the Palisades fire, an internal after-action review report found.

The long-awaited 70-page report, produced by the Los Angeles Fire Department, was released late Wednesday afternoon on the heels of an announcement by federal prosecutors that they had arrested and charged a man with intentionally setting a fire on Jan. 1 that later reignited and became the Palisades fire.

Federal investigators determined that the Jan. 7 fire was a so-called holdover from the Jan. 1 fire, continuing to smolder and burn underground after firefighters thought they had extinguished it. The investigators said that heavy winds six days later caused the underground fire to surface and spread above ground in what became one of the costliest and most destructive disasters in city history.

In its after-action report, the Fire Department listed almost 100 challenges that firefighters faced during the Palisades fire, including an inability to secure the origin of the fire, an ineffective process for recalling firefighters who were off-duty to come back into work, and fire chiefs with little to no experience handling such a major incident. During the initial attack, the report said, most firefighters worked for more than 36 hours without rest.

The report cited a delay in communicating evacuation orders, which resulted in spontaneous evacuations without structured traffic control, causing people to block routes to the fire, the report said. The initial staging area, which was in the path of the evacuation route and the fire, was consumed by flames within 30 minutes, the report said.

The Palisades fire, which started at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 7, was one of the costliest and most destructive disasters in city history, leveling thousands of homes and killing 12 people.

A Times investigation found that LAFD officials did not pre-deploy any engines to the Palisades ahead of the fire, despite warnings about extreme weather. In preparing for the winds, the department staffed up only five of more than 40 engines available to supplement the regular firefighting force.

Those engines could have been pre-positioned in the Palisades and elsewhere, as had been done in the past during similar weather.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Federal investigators have determined that the wildfire that leveled much of Pacific Palisades on Jan. 7 was a so-called “holdover” from a smaller fire that was set intentionally on New Year’s Day, about a week earlier.

After Los Angeles firefighters suppressed the Jan. 1 fire known as the Lachman fire, it continued to smolder and burn underground, “unbeknownst to anyone,” according to federal officials. They said heavy winds six days later caused the underground fire to surface and spread above ground in what became one of the costliest and most destructive disasters in city history.

The revelations — unveiled in a criminal complaint and attached affidavit Wednesday charging the alleged arsonist, Jonathan Rinderknecht — raise questions about what the Los Angeles Fire Department could have done to prevent the conflagration in the days leading up to the expected windstorm on Jan. 7 and the extraordinary fire risk that would come with it.

“This affidavit puts the responsibility on the fire department,” said Ed Nordskog, former head of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s arson unit. “There needs to be a commission examining why this rekindled fire was allowed to reignite.”

He added: “The arsonist set the first fire, but the Fire Department proactively has a duty to do certain things.”

A Times investigation found that LAFD officials did not pre-deploy any engines to the Palisades ahead of the Jan. 7 fire, despite warnings about extreme weather. In preparing for the winds, the department staffed up only five of more than 40 engines available to supplement the regular firefighting force.

Those engines could have been pre-positioned in the Palisades and elsewhere, as had been done in the past during similar weather.

Kenny Cooper, special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives who was involved in the investigation into the Palisades fire’s origin, said the blame for the fire’s re-ignition lies solely with the person who started it.

“That fire burned deep within the ground, in roots and in structure, and remained active for several days,” Cooper said. “No matter how good they are, they can’t see that, right?”

But, he said, wildland firefighters commonly patrol for days or weeks to prevent re-ignitions.

When he worked at a state forestry agency, he said, “we would have a lightning strike, and it would hit a tree, and it would burn for days, sometimes weeks, and then ignite into a forest fire. We would go suppress that, and then every day, for weeks on end, we would patrol those areas to make sure they didn’t reignite,” he said. “If we saw evidence of smoke or heat, then we would provide resources to that. So that, I know that’s a common practice, and it’s just, it’s a very difficult fire burning underground.”

The affidavit provides a window into the firefighting timeline on Jan. 1, when just after midnight, the Lachman fire was ignited near a small clearing near the Temescal Ridge Trail.

12:13 a.m.: An image taken from a UCSD camera, approximately two-tenths of a mile away, shows a bright spot in the upper left — the Lachman fire.

12:20 a.m.: Rinderknecht drives down Palisades Drive, passing fire engines heading up Palisades Drive, responding to the fire.

That night, the LAFD, with help from the Los Angeles County Fire Department, used water drops from aircraft and hose lines, as well as handlines dug by L.A. County crews, to attack the fire, according to the complaint. Firefighters continued suppression efforts during the day on Jan. 1, wetting down areas within the fire perimeter. When the suppression efforts were over, the affidavit said, the fire crews left fire hoses on site, in case they needed to be redeployed.

Jan. 2: LAFD personnel returned to the scene to collect the fire hoses. According to the affidavit, it appeared to them that the fire was fully extinguished.

But investigators determined that during the Lachman fire, a firebrand became seated within the dense vegetation, continuing to smolder and burn within the roots underground. Strong winds brought the embers to the surface, to grow into a deadly conflagration.

Max Bretos is a soccer broadcaster who has witnessed all the big arrivals in MLS, from David Beckham to Lionel Messi, and believes Son’s immediate acclimatisation makes his arrival unique.

“He landed on a Tuesday. On Wednesday he had the introductory press conference, and his visa process went through quickly, so by Friday he was on his way to Chicago to play his first game,” says Bretos.

“Then he played in the game, off the bench, and you could see it there. His second game was in New England, where they play on [artificial] turf. Generally, when the big stars arrive, they don’t want to put them on turf right away, for obvious reasons, but he started, played 90 minutes and assisted a goal.

“He’s played every game, and he’s played almost every minute of every game. This is unheard of. He was on the field immediately, and you can see the reaction of his team-mates – they loved him. It’s like he’d already been there for months.”

Big signings in MLS can often become the defining aspect of the franchise they join as everything becomes all about one player, but this has not been the case in LA.

“If a player like Cristiano Ronaldo arrived in MLS, he would move the needle in many ways, but if he arrived it kind of becomes his club,” adds Bretos.

“Much like in Miami with Messi – which is fine. But I think LAFC maintains its identity as Son Heung-min just blends into it, which I think is what he wanted. It’s a perfect marriage.”

A good example of this teamwork is the form of forward Denis Bouanga.

Since Son’s arrival, Gabon international Bouanga has scored 11 goals in nine games. This run has made him the first player with three consecutive 20-goal seasons in MLS, and put him level with Messi at the top of the 2025 Golden Boot race.

Between them, Son and Bouanga have scored LAFC’s past 18 goals, and with the end-of-season MLS Cup play-offs just around the corner, there are now shouts that LAFC could win it.

OAKLAND — The world of Frank Wishom was collapsing fast in 2003 when he started talking to the FBI.

The high-tech company he had nurtured for a decade was failing. The woman in his life for 20 years had dumped him. And his diabetes was flaring so severely he expected to lose his legs.

Then, after undergoing vein surgery in fall 2003, the 62-year-old businessman had a heart attack and died.

Whatever he said to the FBI remains a mystery, because officials refuse to talk about the federal investigation that now threatens California’s new state Senate leader.

But Wishom’s friends, relatives and associates — some of whom have been contacted by FBI agents — are convinced that his allegations about public corruption here figure in the probe.

The grand jury investigation is swirling around Sen. Don Perata (D-Oakland) and Wishom’s ex-girlfriend, prominent Oakland lobbyist Lily Hu, who once worked as a Perata aide.

In November, subpoenas were issued seeking information about payments and communications involving Perata and more than a dozen people and companies associated with him, including his two grown children, his former business partner and Hu.

On Dec. 15, federal agents executed search warrants on the homes of Perata and his son, a political consultant who has worked on the senator’s campaigns.

Perata has denied any wrongdoing and said that he was prepared to cooperate with investigators.

Hu’s attorney, Doron Weinberg, said the investigation was triggered by baseless allegations raised by Wishom as a result of his breakup with Hu.

“Frank apparently was far off the deep end, acting irrationally and doing unreasonable things,” Weinberg said. “In his mental state, he would have accused her of anything.”

It was in the mid-1980s that Wishom began his relationship with Hu, a personable and hard-driving native of Taiwan. She and Wishom soon grew so close that some friends thought they were married.

For years, Hu had shared her upscale home with Wishom, a telecommunications contractor who wore $400 shoes, drove a big BMW, sailed a yacht and told people he once played football at nearby UC Berkeley.

The couple had been a fixture in this city’s political and social life and threw lavish holiday parties with catered food.

Wishom was known by many as “Big Frank,” a charismatic 6-foot-4 man who advocated causes for urban youths and helped fellow African Americans with their careers. But relatives and friends also saw a grandiose personality with a self-destructive business style, an explosive temper and a tendency to shade facts, or worse.

“He lived a complete farce,” said Deirdre Wishom, his oldest daughter and a schoolteacher living in Stockton. “My father was a notorious liar.”

Divorced twice, Wishom met Hu, a college dropout in her late 20s, at a birthday party. They fell in love and soon were working together at a firm Wishom was managing, friends say.

Within a few years, Wishom had established himself as a highly visible member of Oakland’s business and professional community.

After stints at several companies, Wishom launched a consulting business, F2 Technologies, with a partner whose name also was Frank. They later split.

Hu was working in telecommunications marketing, was president of Oakland Chinatown’s Chamber of Commerce and was running for City Council.

She lost the election, but after serving as a part-time field representative in Perata’s Assembly district office in 1997, she started a lobbying firm.

Hu and Wishom were political allies and friends of Perata, a Democrat who ascended from county supervisor to state assemblyman and senator. When Wishom became active in the prestigious service group 100 Black Men, it was no surprise that Perata was sitting at F2’s table during an event. Wishom was a forceful speaker and a natural salesman who landed several contracts with government agencies in the Bay Area.

He also benefited from Hu’s high visibility as one of the city’s busiest lobbyists, according to friends. In 1998, he won a $4.7-million contract to upgrade Oakland’s computers to avert Y2K meltdowns.

But like other tech companies, F2 began a downhill slide, and word got out that Wishom was better at landing contracts than executing them, said his longtime friend Herman Blackmon. “But he was such a good guy and knew so many people that he was able to deflect criticism.”

Wishom was hit by numerous federal and state tax liens.

The year 2003 erased most of the good things in Wishom’s life, and the stresses began to mount.

In March, Hu broke up with him, and he moved out of the house. In July, his mother died, and F2 Technologies filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection.

About that time, Wishom sounded out political newsletter publisher Sanji Handa, a friend. Wishom indicated he had bank records and other documentation that would be devastating to Perata and his allies, Handa recalled. “He said he was going to the FBI.”

In September 2003, Hu obtained a temporary restraining order, alleging that Wishom was constantly calling and following her and threatening her male friends.

Wishom’s own psychiatrist even warned Hu about his emotional state.

In his written denial of the harassment charge, Wishom alleged that he was the one being threatened. He said he received an anonymous call from a man who said, “Keep your mouth shut, or you will find yourself floating in the bay.”

Wishom also wrote that the FBI “is investigating Ms. Hu’s conduct in regard to her lobbying activities, and her activities with politicians.”

In a Sept. 22, 2003, letter to Wishom’s attorney, Hu’s attorney accused Wishom of bullying Hu through threats to “expose” false information about her. “She has no reason to believe that the FBI is investigating her, and she is not taking or giving any ‘kickbacks,’ ” the attorney wrote.

One source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Wishom specifically alleged in their conversations that kickbacks from government contracts were being laundered through payments for consulting work by Wishom and others.

Attorney Colin Cooper confirmed that he represented Wishom for about a month just before his death.

“I know he was being queried by the FBI, and he wanted me to help him,” Cooper said. “We never had a meeting with the FBI because he passed away.”

At one point, Wishom arranged a meeting with Perata in Sacramento to discuss his contracting business, but nothing apparently came of it. A Perata spokesman declined to comment.

During the breakup with Hu and the demise of his business, Wishom was depressed, friends and relatives agree. His diabetes worsened, and he told people that he feared that his legs would have to be amputated. While hospitalized after vein surgery, on Oct. 2, 2003, Wishom died of a heart attack.

More than 200 people, including Perata and Hu, attended Wishom’s memorial service. A newspaper account repeated one of Wishom’s tallest tales — that he had played football at UC Berkeley. A spokeswoman said the university had no record of him attending, and his oldest daughter said flatly, “He did not set foot on a campus.”

Wishom did not change his will, leaving everything to Hu. But there was nothing except debts — and the allegations of a dead man.

“What it feels like to me,” said Wishom’s first wife, Marie Henry of Palo Alto, “is the man is haunting her from his grave.”

A look at the top 25 high school football teams in the Southland:

Rk. School (record) result; Next game; last week ranking

1. ST. JOHN BOSCO (6-0) def. JSerra, 70-21; vs. Orange Lutheran at Orange Coast Coll., Friday; 1

2. SIERRA CANYON (6-0) def. Gardena Serra, 30-0; vs. Chaminade, Friday; 2

3. CORONA CENTENNIAL (4-1) def. Eastvale Roosevelt, 62-20; vs. Vista Murrieta, Friday; 3

4. MATER DEI (5-1) def. Orange Lutheran, 25-10; vs. Santa Margarita at Santa Ana Stadium, Friday; 4

5. MISSION VIEJO (6-1) def. Long Beach Poly, 56-7; vs. San Clemente, Oct. 17; 5

6. SANTA MARGARITA (4-2) def. Servite, 17-7; vs. Mater Dei at Santa Ana Stadium, Friday; 6

7. LOS ALAMITOS (7-0) did not play; vs. Edison at SoFi Stadium, Oct. 16; 7

8. ORANGE LUTHERAN (3-3) lost to Mater Dei, 25-10; vs. St. John Bosco at Orange Coast Coll., Friday; 8

9. CORONA DEL MAR (6-0) def. San Juan Hills, 33-10; vs. Newport Harbor, Saturday; 17

10. SERVITE (4-2) lost to Santa Margarita, 17-7; vs. JSerra at Cerritos College, Friday; 10

11. BEAUMONT (5-1) def. Redlands, 58-0; at Cajon, Friday; 13

12. OXNARD PACIFICA (6-0) def. Oaks Christian, 17-13; vs. St. Bonaventure, Friday; 18

13. MURRIETA VALLEY (5-1) def. Norco, 55-45; vs. Chaparral, Friday; 19

14. VISTA MURRIETA (5-1) lost to Chaparral, 28-20; at Corona Centennial, Friday; 9

15. DAMIEN (5-1) lost to Rancho Cucamonga, 24-22; at Etiwanda, Friday; 11

16. SAN JUAN HILLS (4-2) lost to Corona del Mar, 33-10; vs. Yorba Linda, Friday; 12

17. JSERRA (3-3) lost to St. John Bosco, 70-21; vs. Servite at Cerritos College, Friday; 14

18. GARDENA SERRA (3-3) lost to Sierra Canyon, 33-0; vs. Loyola at SoFi Stadium, Thursday; 15

19. DOWNEY (5-1) def. Mayfair, 33-14; vs. La Mirada, Friday; 16

20. YORBA LINDA (5-1) def. Villa Park; 28-7; at San Juan Hills, Friday; 20

21. LEUZINGER (5-1) def. Inglewood, 43-32; vs. Palos Verdes at SoFi Stadium, Friday ; 21

22. EDISON (5-2) def. Summit, 21-10; vs. Los Alamitos at SoFi Stadium, Oct. 16; 22

23. PALOS VERDES (4-2) def. Culver City, 48-7; vs. Leuzinger at SoFi Stadium, Friday; 23

24. CREAN LUTHERAN (6-0) def. 40-14); at El Dorado, Friday; 24

25. SHERMAN OAKS NOTRE DAME (4-2) def. Loyola, 35-10; at Bishop Amat, Friday; 25

Standing under four palm trees in the quad area of Calabasas High, Los Alamitos football players have their eyes trained on coach Ray Fenton’s face for more than five uninterrupted minutes.

Looking to see if anyone loses focus when a mother walks by and starts yelling at her daughter, the answer is incredibly no. The players keep listening and keep their eyes directed on Fenton.

It’s tough enough to make teenagers listen for 30 seconds to adults these days, but to see an entire football team not letting anyone or anything disturb their focus while their coach is speaking provides a hint why Los Alamitos is 7-0 and the surprise high school football team in Southern California this season.

“Everyone has their eye on coach,” offensive lineman Braiden McKenna said. “It’s all the little things that keep you disciplined. Wearing your mouthpiece, keeping your eyes on him.”

It’s not true that Los Alamitos doesn’t have any stars. They might not have been mentioned much in preseason hype lists, but players have performed at a high level so far.

Tight end Beckham Hofland, 6 foot 5 and 230 pounds, is a load to cover and also serves as a kicker. Running backs Kamden Tillis and Lenny Ibarra are versatile and reliable. Quarterback Colin Creason, who sat out last season while transferring from Long Beach Poly, keeps improving. The offensive line, led by the veteran McKenna, who plays center, is very good. Ibarra leads the defense with 66 tackles.

“It’s so much easier to want to win with someone you care about and they care about you,” McKenna said of the team chemistry.

Los Alamitos has had more talented teams in recent years aided by transfer students. This one is mostly home grown, and Fenton couldn’t be happier.

“They’re friends,” Fenton said. “They’ve grown up together. You play harder with guys you’re friends with. You don’t want to let them down. They’re Los Al kids. They take pride in the community.”

They won in Hawaii 34-31 on tying and game-winning field goals by Ibarra, who practiced kicking the ball between two palm trees at a park. They knocked off Gardena Serra 42-21. They beat a good Granite Hills team 49-42. Seven straight wins came over seven weeks, so now they are on a two-week break to prepare for the daunting task of facing three good Alpha League opponents — Edison at SoFi Stadium on Oct. 16, at San Clemente on Oct. 24 and a finale against Mission Viejo on Oct. 30 at Artesia.

They are serious contenders for a Southern Section Division 1 playoff berth even though some people still can’t figure out how they keep winning.

The answer is simple: they’re hungry. Never underestimate a team where one teammate after another supports each other no matter the challenges, no matter the obstacles, no matter the skepticism of others.

“This is throwback,” Fenton said. “It’s old school. Play for your local school, play for your community, play for your friends. The kids you played Pop Warner with are the kids you’re playing high school football with. It’s the way it was supposed to be.”

Oct. 3 (UPI) — A large fire broke out at a Chevron refinery in El Segundo, Calif., Thursday night, causing road closures and shelter-in-place orders.

The fire began at 9:30 p.m. PDT and was contained by morning, and there were no injuries, officials said.

The refinery has its own fire department, which used remote control water lines to keep the fire from spreading to other parts of the industrial site.

A shelter-in-place order was issued for nearby Manhattan Beach. Residents were told to close doors and windows and keep pets inside.

“We have zero reported injuries, and all workers and contractors are accounted for,” said El Segundo Mayor Chris Pimentel. “We rehearse these things in conjunction with Chevron all the time. We do a full sweep of disaster preparedness drills. Everything from spills in the ocean to fires at the refinery.”

The fire is believed to have originated from an isolation unit at the refinery, said Holly Mitchell, Los Angeles County Supervisor.

The normally surf-themed bar at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa has transformed into Pete’s Spookeasy for the month of October with Halloween-themed decor, food and drinks. Order mains such as Pasta from the Black Lagoon, with squid ink spaghetti, sautéed shrimp, lobster cream sauce, roasted tomato, asparagus and micro parsley, plus starters including “Bugs” in Stinky Cheese with whipped goat cheese, dates, marzipan “grubs,” figs, hot honey, micro thyme and crackers. Seasonal cocktails include Hex on the Beach, with rum, pineapple juice, orange juice, coconut and nutmeg, and BooBerry Margarita, with tequila, fresh blackberries, lemon and lime juice, agave and a black salt rim.

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Thai is a pillar cuisine of Los Angeles. The largest Thai population outside of Thailand calls Los Angeles home. The community designation in East Hollywood is the only officially recognized Thai Town in the United States. As with Koreatown and Historic Filipinotown, the neighborhood took root when our country, via the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, welcomed waves of migration from across Asia.

As with all of the world’s great culinary traditions, “Thai cuisine” really means micro-regional cooking styles. In L.A., we can taste the breadths. We can seek out the mulchy, herbaceous pleasures of sai ua from Thailand’s northernmost extremes, bordering Laos, noting how the textures of the sausage vary by the hands who make them. Rice is crisped in salads, pounded into noodles, powdered into a seasoning, stir-fried in infinite variations or served plain, sticky or not, as a catchall for prismatic flavors.

Curries, silken with coconut milk, will change with the color of the chiles in their pastes. Appearances deceive. I did not believe how profoundly capsicums can set a body aflame until I plowed through several bites of kua kling phat tha lung, the hottest dish at Jitlada, during my initiation lunch in 2008. I am long past that milestone, but I’d do it over again that one time.

No matter the headline, I’m wary of the word “best.” These are 15 favorites, often emphasizing the specificity of a Thai chef’s home region. Use it as a blueprint. Wander the outdoor food court of the Wat Thai temple in Sun Valley on an early Sunday afternoon. Find a friend and walk the blocks of Thai Town, scanning menus to see what appeals. There will soon be another restaurant vying for boat noodle supremacy. Maybe someone will soon show up making chor muang, the ornate royal flower dumplings, that I’ve had a hard time finding. Being a pillar cuisine is knowing that room for possibility always remains.

Though on first glance this pairing seems an unlikely double bill, the fine folks at the New Beverly know what they’re doing, and this will make for an evening of subliminal messages and energizing subversion. Directed by John Carpenter (who also wrote the screenplay under a pseudonym), 1988’s “They Live” comes on like an alien invasion B-movie about a drifter (wrestler-turned-actor Roddy Piper) who becomes part of the resistance, but reveals itself to be an angry rebuke of Reagan-era greed. 2001’s “Josie and the Pussycats,” written and directed by Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont, is an uproarious satire of pop culture consumerism as a small-time rock band (Rachael Leigh Cook, Tara Reid and Rosario Dawson) come to realize the true aims of the record company that shoots them to stardom. (Parker Posey and Alan Cumming are camp delights as nefarious executives.) Though both movies are very much of their respective moments, they sadly still have a lot to say about our current one.

“They Live” is playing with “Josie and the Pussycats” on Oct. 10, 11 and 12 at the New Beverly. Tickets here.

From Jack Harris: This year, October started a day early for the Dodgers.

Thanks to their underwhelming regular season, their march toward postseason history began before the month even started.

This season’s team, coaches and players acknowledged repeatedly in recent weeks, had played their way into this spot: Having to begin the playoffs on the last day of September, in a daunting best-of-three wild-card series against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday; facing the slimmest of margins in their pursuit of back-to-back World Series championships, having won the National League West but failed to secure a top-two playoff spot.

That meant, unlike the last three years, the Dodgers did not have a bye to the division series.

It meant, this fall, they had to hit the ground running.

“The pitfalls are just [avoiding] kind of easing your way into a series,” manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday afternoon.

But, he added declaratively, “I don’t see that as a problem.”

In a 10-5 Game 1 defeat of the Reds at Dodger Stadium, it indeed was not.

Shohei Ohtani led off with a home run. Blake Snell was superb in a seven-inning, two-run start. And in a rollocking two-batter sequence in the bottom of the third inning, the Dodgers broke the score wide open, with Teoscar Hernández hitting a three-run bomb moments before Tommy Edman went back-to-back with a solo shot.

Continue reading here

Plaschke: Dodgers flatten overmatched Reds in unwanted first round. But about that bullpen…

‘It’s awesome.’ Blake Snell gives the Dodgers just what they paid for

A ‘really grateful’ catcher Ben Rortvedt is thrust into Dodgers’ postseason plans

Will Smith makes the roster but not Michael Conforto for Dodgers’ wild-card series

Dodgers Dugout: How the Dodgers and Reds match up

Dodgers box score

MLB POSTSEASON SCHEDULE, RESULTS

National League

Cincinnati at Dodgers
Dodgers 10, Cincinnati 5 (box score)
Wednesday, 6 p.m., ESPN
*Thursday, 6 p.m., ESPN

San Diego at Chicago
Chicago 3, San Diego 1 (box score)
Wednesday, noon, ABC
*Thursday, noon, ABC

American League

Detroit at Cleveland
Detroit 2, Cleveland 1 (box score)
Wednesday, 10 a.m., ESPN
*Thursday, 10 a.m., ESPN

Boston at New York
Boston 3, New York 1 (box score)
Wednesday, 3 p.m., ESPN
*Thursday, 3 p.m., ESPN

*-if necessary

ANGELS

Ron Washington will not return for a third season as the Angels manager, the team announced Tuesday.

Washington missed roughly half of the current season after undergoing quadruple bypass heart surgery. Interim manager Ray Montgomery also won’t be the Angels’ next manager, according to the Athletic.

The 73-year-old Washington was the oldest manager in the majors during his two seasons with the Angels, who hired him in November 2023. The Angels had the worst season in franchise history in 2024, going 63-99 after the free-agency departure of two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani.

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LAKERS

From Broderick Turner: LeBron James did not participate in the Lakers’ first day of training camp Tuesday because of “nerve irritation in the glute.”

James’ teammates Marcus Smart, Gabe Vincent and Adou Thiero were “under either return to play protocols or modified protocols” during the team’s first sessions.

James is entering his NBA-record 23rd season and the goal is to ramp him up to be ready for the regular-season opener Oct. 21 against the Golden State Warriors at Crypto.com Arena.

“Yeah, I think it’s probably a little bit longer of a ramp-up leading into opening night for him just obviously in Year 23, it’s uncharted territory here,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “So, I felt, and in talking with performance and in talking with Mike (Mancias, James’ personal trainer) and LeBron, like probably did too much last year in camp, which was great for me as a first-year head coach to get buy-in from him.

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From Ben Bolch: After a disappointing start to the season in which UCLA’s offense ranked among the worst in the nation, the Bruins and offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri mutually parted ways Tuesday evening, a university official told The Times.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the move has not been publicly announced.

Sunseri becomes the second coordinator to depart in the wake of coach DeShaun Foster’s dismissal, after defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe left earlier this month in another mutual parting of ways.

Tight ends coach Jerry Neuheisel will be the offensive playcaller when the Bruins (0-4 overall, 0-1 Big Ten) face No. 7 Penn State (3-1, 0-1) on Saturday at the Rose Bowl. Plans are underway to finalize additional staff and it is anticipated that former UCLA offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone will assume analyst responsibilities, pending completion of the appropriate university processes.

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ANGEL CITY

From Kevin Baxter: The soccer world is about to become a colder, darker and meaner place.

On Tuesday, Angel City’s Ali Riley will announce she is retiring at the end of this season. And when she leaves, all the joy, fun and beauty she brought to the field will leave with her.

Set aside, for a moment, her accomplishments, which are considerable: She played in five World Cups, made five Olympic teams, played in four of the biggest leagues in the world and captained Angel City in the club’s first game.

What she’ll be remembered for the person she is.

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THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

1945 — World heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis is discharged from U.S. army after being awarded the Legion of Merit.

1967 — Richard Petty continues phenomenal NASCAR winning streak by taking the Wilkes 400 at North Wilkesboro Speedway; unprecedented 10th consecutive victory.

1975 — In the “Thrilla in Manila,” Muhammad Ali beats Joe Frazier in 14 rounds to retain his world heavyweight title.

1977 — 75,646 fans come to the Meadowlands to see soccer great Pele play his farewell game. Pele plays the first half with the New York Cosmos and the second half with his former team, Santos of Brazil.

1988 — Flamboyant American sprinter Florence Griffith-Joyner wins her third gold medal of the Seoul Olympics anchoring the victorious US 4 x 100m relay team.

1988 — Steffi Graf beats Gabriela Sabatini 6-3, 6-3 to win the women’s singles tennis gold medal at the Seoul Olympics; clinches first and only Golden Slam in history (Grand Slam & Olympics).

1993 — In his first World Boxing Council heavyweight title defense Lennox Lewis beats fellow Londoner Frank Bruno by TKO in 7 at the National Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.

1997 — Kevin Garnett agrees to terms with the Minnesota Timberwolves on the richest long-term contract in professional sports history, a six-year deal worth more than $125 million.

1999 — In a blockbuster NBA trade, the Houston Rockets move All Star forward Scottie Pippen to Portland Trail Blazers for Kelvin Cato, Stacey Augmon, Walt Williams, Carlos Rogers, Ed Gray and Brian Shaw.

2000 — NBA stars Ray Allen and Vince Carter each score 13 points as the U.S. beats France 85-75 to win the men’s basketball gold medal at the Sydney Olympics.

2000 — United States wins the most medals (97), and the most gold medals (40) in Summer Olympics held in Sydney, Australia.

2006 — Tiger Woods matches his longest PGA Tour winning streak of six at the American Express Championship. Woods finishes with a 4-under 67 for an eight-shot victory. It’s also his eighth victory of the year, making him the first player in PGA Tour history to win at least eight times in three seasons.

2011 — Tyler Wilson throws for a school-record 510 yards and Jarius Wright catches 13 passes for a school-record 281 yards as Arkansas turns an 18-point halftime deficit into a 42-38 victory over Texas A&M.

2017 — Frankie Dettori wins an unprecedented fifth Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe as Enable caps a memorable season. Enable, the 10-11 favorite, leads for most of Europe’s richest horse race to claim her fifth consecutive victory after wins in the Epsom Oaks, the Irish Oaks, the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the Yorkshire Oaks. The filly wins by 2 1/2 lengths over Cloth Of Stars.

2017 — Houston’s Deshaun Watson becomes the first rookie to throw four touchdowns and run for another one, since Fran Tarkenton in 1961 and tied an NFL record for most TDs by a rookie quarterback in Houston’s 57-14 victory.

2017 — Todd Gurley scores the go-ahead touchdown on a 53-yard catch-and-run, and Greg Zuerlein kicks a career-high seven field goals to lead the Rams to a 35-30 win over Dallas.

THIS DAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

1903 — The Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Boston Red Sox 7-3 in the first World Series game. Jimmy Sebring hit the first series home run. Deacon Phillippe was the winning pitcher and Cy Young the loser.

1932 — Babe Ruth, as legend has it, called his home run against Chicago’s Charlie Root in the fifth inning of Game 3 of the World Series, won by the New York Yankees 7-5 at Wrigley Field. Ruth and Lou Gehrig each hit two homers for the Yankees.

1946 — For the first time in major league history, a playoff series to determine a league’s championship was played between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Cardinals won the first game 4-2, with Howie Pollet holding the Dodgers to two hits — a homer and RBI single by Howie Schultz.

1950 — The Philadelphia Phillies clinched the NL pennant with a 4-1 10-inning victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers on the season’s last day. Dick Sisler’s three-run homer off Don Newcombe in the top of the 10th inning came after outfielder Richie Ashburn saved the game in the ninth.

1961 — Roger Maris hit his 61st home run against Tracy Stallard of the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. The homer eclipsed Babe Ruth’s 34-year-old single-season home run record. The Yankees won 1-0.

1967 — The Boston Red Sox won the American League pennant with a 5-3 win over the Twins on the final day of the season. Boston’s Carl Yastrzemski went 4-for-4 and finished with 44 home runs, 121 RBIs and a .326 average to win the Triple Crown.

1973 — The New York Mets beat the Chicago Cubs 6-1 to win the National League East. It was the first game of a scheduled make-up doubleheader at Wrigley Field, a day after the regular season ended. The Mets, 11 1/2 games behind and in last place on Aug. 5, won their 82nd game, the lowest number of victories to win a title.

1978 — The Cleveland Indians beat the New York Yankees 9-2 on the last day of the season to force a one-game playoff between the Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox won their eighth straight game with a 5-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.

1988 — Tony Gwynn went 2-for-3 to raise his league-leading batting average to .313 but hurt his hand in a 6-3 victory over the Houston Astros. Gwynn is the first NL batting champion to win the title with an average below .320. The previous low was Larry Doyle’s .320 in 1915.

2000 — Detroit’s Shane Halter became the fourth major leaguer to play all nine positions in a game. He capped his adventure by scoring the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Tigers over Minnesota 12-11.

2004 — Ichiro Suzuki set the major league record for hits in a season. He broke George Sisler’s 84-year-old mark with two early singles, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Texas Rangers 8-3. Sisler set the hits record of 257 in 1920 with the St. Louis Browns over a 154-game schedule. Suzuki broke it in the Mariners’ 160th game.

2007 — Matt Holliday and the Colorado Rockies scored on Jamey Carroll’s shallow fly, capping a three-run rally in the 13th inning against Trevor Hoffman. He led the Rockies past the San Diego Padres 9-8 in a tiebreaker for the NL wild card.

2018 — Lorenzo Cain hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the eighth inning, Christian Yelich had three more hits, sending the Milwaukee Brewers to their first NL Central title since 2011 by downing the Chicago Cubs 3-1 in a tiebreaker game. Yelich won the NL batting title with a .326 average. He fell one home run and one RBI short of what would’ve been the NL’s first Triple Crown since Joe Medwick in 1937.

2022 — The Dodgers become only the third team in the history of the National League (and seventh in the majors) to win 110 games in a season with a 6-4 win over the Rockies. Only the 1906 Cubs and 1909 Pirates have preceded them in the senior circuit.

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 [email protected]. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Spooky season has arrived, which means the holidays — and the end of the year — are right on its tail. But before you start brainstorming New Year‘s resolutions, there’s still time to embrace autumn.

We’re in the midst of Hispanic Heritage Month, an ideal opportunity to explore the various Latino cultures that inform and influence our region. Start with the Mexican and Salvadoran restaurants that restaurant critic Bill Addison highlighted in his guide to the 101 Best Restaurants in California, including a modern Mexican restaurant in Oakland and a marisqueria in Historic South-Central that was recently named on the inaugural list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants in North America.

The L.A. Times Food Bowl is also returning this month on Oct. 10 and 11, featuring two nights of endless bites and sips from more than 25 local restaurants, including a night market curated by Farmhouse Kitchen Thai Cuisine.

And if you’re looking for even more culinary inspiration this fall, consider visiting a vegan dim sum spot in Echo Park, a new pizzeria from one of the city’s favorite bakeries or an eccentric cafe in downtown L.A. Long-standing restaurants also need your support, including a Southern standby on Crenshaw Boulevard and a Santa Monica restaurant that announced it’s permanent closing at the end of the year.

Don’t look now, but the leading Republican candidate in the Oct. 7 gubernatorial recall election may once have been an illegal alien.

I don’t find that too surprising, much less distressing, but it will surely drive some vociferous nativists in California’s body politic to even greater distraction. Here they spend all their time and energy warning about a Mexican takeover of the Golden State, and California’s first governor who was once an illegal alien may turn out to be from Austria.

I refer, of course, to Arnold Schwarzenegger. The bodybuilder turned movie actor remains, according to the polls, the best hope that California’s GOP has of taking the governorship if state voters decide to oust Gov. Gray Davis next month. Schwarzenegger has managed to maintain that lead despite being jostled by a crowded field of would-be replacements for Davis that includes Sacramento veterans Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, a Democrat, and state Sen. Tom McClintock (R-Thousand Oaks).

Schwarzenegger has done it with a well-funded campaign that is tightly controlled and carefully scripted to avoid tough questions on complex issues like immigration. But lately his campaign staff has taken to evading questions not just about immigration in general but specifically about the former immigration status of their own candidate.

Those discomfiting questions were triggered by a series of articles in the San Jose Mercury News. An investigation by the newspaper found that Schwarzenegger, who immigrated to the United States in 1968, may have violated U.S. immigration laws on at least two occasions.

The first time was shortly after he entered the United States on a visa that allows athletes to train and compete here and receive expenses. But, according to his own biography, he also received a weekly salary as a consultant to a bodybuilding-industry entrepreneur. The second time may have been in the 1970s when Schwarzenegger had a temporary work visa but also started a bricklaying business. Several immigration attorneys and experts interviewed by the Mercury News said that in both instances Schwarzenegger may have been in technical violation of U.S. law, making him — horror of horrors — an illegal immigrant.

The Schwarzenegger campaign has refused requests from the Mercury News and other news media for copies of the candidate’s immigration files. “I have clean immigration papers,” the actor said in response to one query. “I have done everything legally.”

Maybe. Maybe not. But if Schwarzenegger’s immigration status does wind up being a bit murkier than first advertised, he is just one of millions of recent immigrants to this country who have faced similar problems thanks to the vagaries of U.S. immigration laws and the notorious incompetence of the federal bureaucrats who enforce them.

Indeed, the technical nature of the violations Schwarzenegger may have committed is probably why the Mercury News’ stories have not caused a bigger stir. After all, it’s not as if the newspaper found out the actor had crossed the border hidden in the trunk of a Volkswagen.

Of course, if Schwarzenegger had gotten into this country by sneaking across the U.S.-Mexico border, his oft-stated claim that he understands the plight of the many poor immigrants living and working in this state illegally might ring truer than it does. It could also win him a few more votes from those immigrants from Mexico and Central America who are new U.S. citizens. And it might even convince Latinos that Schwarzenegger really is different from those Republicans who see California’s immigration problem not as too many immigrants but as too many Latino immigrants.

That is the image problem Republicans have had in California since 1994, when former California Gov. Pete Wilson — now one of Schwarzenegger’s top campaign advisors — cynically used Proposition 187 to win a tough reelection campaign.

Wilson’s victory proved pyrrhic, of course. First, the courts tossed aside 187, which would have barred illegal immigrants from getting public services. Then the anti-Mexican tone of the campaign on behalf of the initiative angered thousands of new Latino voters.

That’s why Wilson and other GOP leaders in the nation’s biggest state are now looking to a political neophyte — and possible onetime illegal immigrant — for deliverance from their status as an endangered political species in California.

A look at the top 25 high school football teams in the Southland:

Rk. School (record) result; Next game; last week ranking

A look at how the top 25 high school football teams in the Southland fared this week:

1. ST. JOHN BOSCO (5-0) did not play; at JSerra, Friday; 1

2. SIERRA CANYON (5-0) did not play; vs. Gardena Serra, Friday; 2

3. CORONA CENTENNIAL (4-1) did not play; vs. Eastvale Roosevelt, Thursday; 3

4. MATER DEI (4-1) did not play; vs. Orange Lutheran at Orange Coast College, Friday; 4

5. MISSION VIEJO (5-1) def. Chaparral, 36-21; vs. Long Beach Poly, Friday; 5

6. SANTA MARGARITA (3-2) lost to Bishop Gorman, 14-0;, at Servite, Friday; 6

7. LOS ALAMITOS (7-0) def. Calabasas, 48-21; vs. Edison at SoFi Stadium, Oct. 16; 7

8. ORANGE LUTHERAN (3-2) did not play; vs. Mater Dei at Orange Coast College, Friday; 8

9. VISTA MURRIETA (5-0) def. Oceanside El Camino, 38-12; at Chaparral, Friday; 9

10. SERVITE (4-1) def. St. Paul, 49-18; vs. Santa Margarita at Santa Ana Stadium, Friday; 10

11. DAMIEN (5-0) did not play; vs. Rancho Cucamonga, Friday; 11

12. SAN JUAN HILLS (4-1) did not play; at Corona del Mar, Friday; 13

13. BEAUMONT (4-1) did not play; vs. Redlands, Friday; 14

14. JSERRA (3-2) did not play; vs. St. John Bosco, Friday; 15

15. GARDENA SERRA (3-2) did not play; at Sierra Canyon, Friday; 16

16. DOWNEY (4-1) did not play; at Mayfair, Friday; 17

17. CORONA DEL MAR (5-0) def. Trabuco Hills, 35-13; vs. San Juan Hills, Friday; 18

18. OXNARD PACIFICA (5-0) def. L.A. Hamilton, 42-14; vs. Oaks Christian, Friday; 19

19. MURRIETA VALLEY (4-1) def. San Clemente, 26-14; at Norco, Friday; 20

20. YORBA LINDA (4-1) did not play; at Villa Park; Friday; 21

21. LEUZINGER (4-1) def. Hawthorne, 59-6; at Inglewood, Friday; 22

22. EDISON (4-2) lost to La Serna, 23-21; vs. Summit, Thursday; 12

23. PALOS VERDES (3-2) did not play; vs. Culver City, Friday; 23

24. CREAN LUTHERAN (5-0) did not play; at Foothill, Saturday; 24

25. SHERMAN OAKS NOTRE DAME (3-2) def. Culver City 57-14, vs. Loyola, Friday; 25

Three women opposed to President Trump’s intense immigration raids in Los Angeles were indicted Friday on charges of illegally “doxing” a U.S. Customs and Immigration agent, authorities said.

Ashleigh Brown, Cynthia Raygoza and Sandra Carmona Samane face charges of disclosing the personal information of a federal agent and conspiracy, according to an indictment unsealed late Friday.

Brown, who is from Colorado and goes by the nickname “AK,” has been described as one of the founders of “ice_out_ofla” an Instagram page with more than 28,000 followers that plays a role in organizing demonstrations against immigration enforcement, according to the social media page and an email reviewed by The Times.

According to the indictment, the three women followed an ICE agent from the federal building on 300 North Los Angeles Street in downtown L.A. to the agent’s residence in Baldwin Park.

They live-streamed the entire event, according to the indictment. Once they arrived at the agent’s home, prosecutors allege the women got out and shouted “la migra lives here,” and “ICE lives on your street and you should know,” according to the indictment.

“Our brave federal agents put their lives on the line every day to keep our nation safe,” Acting U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli said in a statement. “The conduct of these defendants are deeply offensive to law enforcement officers and their families. If you threaten, dox, or harm in any manner one of our agents or employees, you will face prosecution and prison time.”

An attorney for Samane, 25, of Los Angeles, said she intends to plead not guilty at an arraignment next month and declined further comment.

The Federal Public Defender’s Office, which is representing Brown, 38, of Aurora, Colo., did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Court records did not list an attorney for Raygoza, 37, of Riverside.

Footage published to the ice_out_ofla Instagram page seemed to capture Brown’s arrest earlier this week. The video shows a man in green fatigues and body armor saying he has a warrant for her arrest, while reaching through what appears to be the shattered driver’s side window of her car. Brown asks what the warrant is for while the man can be seen holding a collapsible baton. Then the video cuts out.

Posts on the Instagram page describe Brown as a “political prisoner.”

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s office in Los Angeles did not immediately respond to questions about whether the women specifically shouted out the agent’s address online or what the defendants specifically did to “incite the commission of a crime of violence against a federal agent,” as the indictment alleges.

Federal law enforcement leaders have repeatedly expressed concern about the “doxing” of agents with ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol as residents of Los Angeles, Chicago and other cities continue to protest the Trump administration’s sprawling deportation efforts.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem threatened to prosecute people for publishing agents’ personal information last month in response to fliers in Portland that called for people to collect intel on ICE.

But the indictment returned Friday appeared to be the first prosecution related to such tactics.

Critics of the Trump administration’s operations have expressed outrage over ICE and CBP agents wearing masks and refusing to identify themselves in public while hunting undocumented immigrants throughout Southern California.

Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law a bill that forbids federal law enforcement from wearing masks while operating in California. The supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution dictates that federal law takes precedence over state law, leading some legal experts to question whether state officials can actually enforce the legislation.

My friend Deborah and I had already walked two miles around the Arroyo Seco, and I was beginning to worry we’d missed it.

Somewhere along this path lay a labyrinth. “Whenever I trail run here, it just kind of appears,” I told her, telling myself we couldn’t have missed it. And then, just when I started to lose faith, I noticed a clearing ahead.

“It’s there!” I said.

I was hiking with my dear friend Deborah Netburn, a Times reporter who covers faith, spirituality and joy. (Yes, we both have cool jobs!) We’d come to Lower Arroyo Seco Trail in Pasadena to see whether it could serve as a place for Jewish Angelenos observing Yom Kippur, one of the holiest day of the year in Judaism, to reflect on their past year in a natural space, rather than attending services in a synagogue.

Yom Kippur, which begins Wednesday evening, is the final day in the Ten Days of Awe, which also includes Rosh Hashanah. Yom Kippur is a time for deep reflection and atonement. You take a full accounting of yourself over the past year, looking beyond what you want to see or believe. You unearth any harm you’ve caused before seeking forgiveness, including from those you’ve harmed, from God and from yourself.

“It’s hard work,” said Deborah, who is Jewish. “But having a really honest accounting is a beautiful tradition and a valuable way to spend a day — one day. The religion does not ask you to do that all of the time. On one day a year, though … you unearth it all. You’re cleaning [yourself] out. And then you’re clean, and it feels really good.”

Some Jews can have this experience in their synagogues, but not everyone can, because they aren’t part of a community, they don’t feel comfortable where they are or they find traditional services too much of a financial burden for where they’re at economically.

“You can still have the experience [and] still do that work without being in a synagogue, and for a lot of people, the outdoors is a space that will support that work,” Deborah said.

Two years ago, Deborah wrote about L.A. Jews who don’t go to synagogue for Yom Kippur.

Rabbi Noah Farkas, president and chief executive of the Jewish Federation Los Angeles, told Deborah for that story that he wasn’t surprised that roughly half of the Jewish adults in L.A. choose to spend Yom Kippur outside of synagogue.

They’re “up in the mountains, they are riding bikes on the beach, they are meditating on the waves or meeting with friends to come up with creative rituals on how to let go of what is holding them down,” he said.

Back at the labyrinth, Deborah instructed me to consider what I was carrying that I’d like to leave behind, our practice that day inspired by a Jewish ceremony known as Tashlich (or Tashlikh), typically performed between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, which I will explain more about later.

I immediately knew my answer. As a trans American, the current political rhetoric has made me feel unsafe in my own body, in my community, in this country.

Per Deborah’s instructions, I picked up a rock and started to imagine my fear flowing into it. I started slowly walking the path. I knew my fear wasn’t going to dissipate from just one trip through the labyrinth, but I imagined a hunk of rock falling off a mountain as I walked. I could at least chip away at it.

I started to internally chant, “This body is mine. In it, I’m safe.” I arrived in the middle and tossed my stone into a rock pile where presumably others had done similar.

Our feet crunched over the dirt and gravel as we slowly left the labyrinth. I exited feeling like I really had left a piece of my heartache behind.

Deborah and I hope the three hikes we selected, which are listed below, offer both Jewish and non-Jewish hikers opportunities to partake in practices that are most meaningful to them. And for those observing Yom Kippur, g’mar chatima tovah!

1. Lower Arroyo Seco Trail
Distance: From half a mile to 2.3 miles, depending on your route
Elevation gained: Less than 200 feet
Difficulty: Easy
Dogs allowed? Yes
Accessible alternative: See map for trail notes; the eastern side of this trail is wide and flat with few rocks, while the western side, where the labyrinth is located, is rockier. If you’d like a more accessible labyrinth, consider Descanso Gardens.

2. Ray Miller Backbone Trail
Distance: 5.4 miles out and back
Elevation gained: About 1,000 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Dogs allowed? No
Accessible alternative: Marvin Braude Bike Trail

The Ray Miller Backbone Trail, named after California State Parks’ first official campground host, is a 5.4-mile route through coastal sage scrub, including native plants like laurel sumac, coastal prickly pear and black sage. As lizards dart and butterflies flit across the path, take in the stunning views of the coastline. This is a great time to reflect on the past year.

Afterward, head over to the beach for a Tashlich ceremony, where you can symbolically cast out your sins — using natural elements like leaves, pieces of bark or sand — into the water. (Note: The concept of “sin” in Judaism is different from Christianity and what’s taught in the dominant culture.)

“That’s a really accessible ritual that’s Jewish, but it would work for anybody. The symbolism is universal, of casting out your sins,” Deborah said. “You wouldn’t traditionally do it on Yom Kippur because you’re at services, but it’s a great thing to do on Yom Kippur if you’re out in nature.”

3. The Vital Link Trail
Distance: 3.8 miles out and back
Elevation gained: About 1,700 feet
Difficulty: Strenuous
Dogs allowed? Yes
Accessible alternative: Brace Canyon Park, which doesn’t offer the same level of difficulty but is in a geographically similar region of the county.

The Vital Link Trail in the Verdugo Mountains is one of the hardest hikes in L.A. County. It has limited shade and no on-trail water sources, so if you choose to tackle it, please pack extra water.

That said, this trail offers hikers an incredible physical challenge that doesn’t require a long drive into the mountains to reach.

Deborah and I wanted to offer a challenging trail option because, as she put it, “The experience of being in synagogue on Yom Kippur is a marathon, you are pushing yourself.”

For those who’d like a challenge on Yom Kippur, this trail delivers while offering expansive views of L.A. County. At the top, you’ll find the Willie Mann memorial chair, a lounger built in memory of a motion picture grip and hiker who loved this trail. It is a phenomenal meditation spot.

“At the end of Yom Kippur, you are exhausted, you are done, your head is killing you, you haven’t eaten, you haven’t drank anything,” Deborah said. “I wouldn’t do a hike like that on no food and no water, but I can see how it can give you that same sense of, ‘I’m clean, I just left a lot on the trail,’” even if you didn’t do a ritual like a labyrinth. The hike is the ritual.

Because of its steepness, sandy soil and some erosion, the trail is easier to navigate, especially on your way down, with trekking poles. It is easy to make a wrong turn because others have created off-trail shortcuts that can sometimes lead to dangerous drop-offs. Please download a map on your favorite outdoors app before going.

3 things to do

1. Join a hiking book club in Newhall
The Placerita Canyon Nature Center will host Books & Hikes from 9 to 11 a.m. Sunday at the nature area. The group will discuss “Assembling California” by John McPhee as participants hike along the Canyon Trail. Event details are regularly shared in the book club’s Facebook group. To register, email [email protected].

2. Walk, bike and stretch through Glendale
Walk Bike Glendale will host a community gathering from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday at Verdugo Park (1621 Cañada Blvd.). Children can ride their bikes through a skills course, while adults can take learn-to-ride lessons. There will also be a bike repair station and maintenance class. Other activities include yoga, a trash pickup and 5K run. Learn more at the group’s Instagram page.

3. Yank invasive plants in Marina del Rey
The Ballona Wetlands Land Trust needs volunteers from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday to yank invasive weeds from at Area A (13748 Fiji Way) in Marina del Rey. Participants should bring water and wear close-toed shoes and sun protection. No pets allowed. Learn more at the group’s Instagram page.

The must-read

Times staff writer Hailey Branson-Potts is on a quest to see all of California’s lighthouses. In the process, she’s learned a lot, and we, dear Wilder, are lucky that she’s willing to share that knowledge with us! Hailey penned a guide on visiting 14 of the state’s lighthouses. She outlines the nuts and bolts: how to see them, when they’re closed, how to get a stamp in your U.S. Lighthouse Society Passport. She also infuses every entry with charming local lore of each site. “In 1917, keeper William Austin and his wife moved in,” Hailey writes of the Point Fermin Lighthouse in San Pedro. “They had eight children. My favorite part of the tour is an upstairs bedroom from which two teenage daughters, Thelma and Juanita, slipped out a window, scurried across the roof and sneaked away to go dancing.” I am so eager to add some of these lighthouses to my list of places I’d like to visit in California!

Happy adventuring,

P.S.

Are you free tonight? Have you been thinking about volunteering your time in our mountains? The Arroyos and Foothills Conservancy will host a volunteer town hall from 5 to 7 p.m. at Taco Social (1627 Colorado Blvd.). You can get your questions about volunteering with the organization answered and enjoy free tacos with the new friends you’ll undoubtedly make! You can register here. Thanks for being a good human.

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.