The Huntington has acquired a rare Civil War-era painting by American master Winslow Homer. “The Sutler’s Tent” was made in 1863 when Homer was traveling with the Union Army as an illustrator for Harper’s Weekly. The title refers to a type of transitory store that sold goods to soldiers when they were out in the field, and the canvas shows a soldier eating bread and cheese while another soldier rests beside him.
The acquisition is the Huntington’s first oil painting by Homer. The museum’s other holdings include his watercolor, “Indians Making Canoes (Montagnais Indians)” (1895), and several prints, including “The Life Line” (1887). The pieces show the artist’s journey from commercial illustrator to celebrated painter.
“The Sutler’s Tent” will be unveiled to the public on Dec. 7 in the Huntington’s Virginia Steele Scott Galleries of American Art. It was acquired through a partnership with the Ahmanson Foundation — which seeks to help boost the notable holdings of the museum — and marks the fifth major acquisition made through the program.
The gift is intended to honor the country’s upcoming semiquincentennial, and will anchor an ongoing reinstallation of the galleries as the Huntington seeks to expand the multicultural narrative of American art. It will also be integral to the Huntington’s “This Land Is …” initiative, which works to examine the country’s history through its metaphorical and literal landscapes as it approaches the 250th anniversary of its founding.
“The Sutler’s Tent” will be placed in conversation with works about the Civil War and Reconstruction, including Eastman Johnson’s “Sugaring Off” (1865), Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux’s “Why Born Enslaved? “(1868, cast 1872), and a signed copy of the Emancipation Proclamation.
“The Ahmanson Foundation’s partnership with The Huntington has allowed us to bring works of profound artistic and historical resonance into our collections and into public view,” said Huntington President Karen R. Lawrence, in a statement. “Winslow Homer’s ‘The Sutler’s Tent’ — a meditation on the experience of war — embodies our mission to connect art, history, and literature in ways that deepen understanding of the American story.”
The Huntington Library is known for its vast scholarly trove of Civil War ephemera. Its United States Military Telegraph archive includes ciphered communications between Abraham Lincoln and the Army command, and soldiers’ letters and diaries. It also holds the James E. Taylor Collection of scrapbooks documenting the war through photographs and newspaper clippings, and two of the most significant known Lincoln archives.
The art museum’s director, Christina Nielsen, said in a statement that the acquisition of “The Sutler’s Tent,” “deepens our representation of the Civil War era and expands the dialogue between our art and library collections. As we look toward the 250th anniversary of the United States, the painting invites reflection on a pivotal chapter in our nation’s history — one that continues to shape the American experience.”
I’m arts and culture writer Jessica Gelt, looking forward to taking a deep dive into all that can be learned about our present from our past. Here’s your arts and culture news for the week.
Dispatch: Pulitzer Prize-winning Times art critic Christopher Knight to retire
Times art critic Christopher Knight.
(Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
After 45 years, 36 of them at The Times, art critic Christopher Knight is retiring from daily journalism. His final day at The Times is Nov. 28. In 2020, Knight won the Pulitzer Prize for criticism, and was also honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award for Art Journalism from the Dorothea and Leo Rabkin Foundation.
It’s impossible to overstate the loss Knight’s departure represents for the paper and Los Angeles, or what a tireless, generous, inspiring colleague he is. He possesses a quiet, encyclopedic knowledge of art, and in column after column he connected the dots of culture, history, folklore, civics and psychology in razor-sharp assessments of what a piece of art really means, or how a particular exhibition is poised to change the narrative around a longstanding or misguided idea. In short, he is everything a truly excellent critic should be.
He is also endlessly supportive of arts writers like me who look up to him — will always look up to him.
Thank you, Christopher, for all your words.
On our radar
Janai Brugger as Mimi and Oreste Cosimo as Rodolfo in L.A. Opera’s 2025 production of “La Bohème.”
(Cory Weaver)
La Bohème Giacomo Puccini’s 1896 opera remains one of the most popular works in the Italian canon. Its doomed romanticism among struggling artists in 1830s Paris has a particular appeal to young people and became the inspiration for Jonathan Larson’s musical “Rent.” Lina González-Granados conducts the L.A. Opera orchestra. Brenna Corner directs this revival of the late Herbert Ross’ enduring production. Saturday through Dec. 14. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laopera.org
Roberto González-Monjas conducts the L.A. Phil this weekend at Walt Disney Concert Hall.
(L.A. Phil)
Elgar’s Enigma Roberto González-Monjas conducts the Los Angeles Philharmonic in a program featuring Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s “Themes and Variations, Op. 42,” Edwin Elgar’s “Enigma Variations, Op. 36,” and cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason’s performance of the world premiere of an Edmund Finnis concerto. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com
Robert Therrien, “No title (plaster snowman),” 1982-98, plaster
(Douglas M. Parker Studio)
Robert Therrien: This Is a Story A quintessential artist’s artist, internationally admired Los Angeles sculptor Robert Therrien (1947-2019) made eccentric objects in two and three dimensions that seem strangely familiar when they are wholly abstract, and strangely abstract when they are instantly recognizable as representations of known things — a tall pillar of giant dinner plates, for example, or a simple little snowman. Often the materials are unusual, like zinc over bronze, buffed plaster or tempera on silver, adding to the sense of mysterious specificity. With more than 120 works spanning five decades, this should be the most compelling museum solo show of the season. — Christopher Knight Saturday through April 5, 2026. The Broad, 221 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. thebroad.org
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The week ahead: A curated calendar
FRIDAY Fall of Freedom In a unified act of creative resistance, hundreds of galleries, museums, libraries, comedy clubs, theaters, concert halls and individuals across the nation will host exhibitions, performances and public events, asserting the power of free expression to mount a response to escalating authoritarian threats and censorship in the U.S. Friday and Saturday. There are dozens of local events in Southern California, please check the website for details. falloffreedom.com
¡Cómo el Grinch robó la Navidad! The Old Globe Theatre will present two performances of the world premiere of a new version of the Dr. Seuss classic with your favorite songs in Spanish. And for the 28th year, the Old Globe will also be doing its traditional holiday musical of “Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” Nov. 21-28. 7 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. Saturday. Old Globe Theatre, 1363 Old Globe Way, San Diego. theoldglobe.org
From “The Dying World” by Lauren Tsai.
(Josh White)
The Dying World Lauren Tsai’s solo exhibition, an installation utilizing drawing, painting, sculpture, puppets and projected stop motion imagery, explores the liminal space between worlds: subject and object, fiction and maker. Final two nights. 6-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Hollywood Forever, the Cathedral Mausoleum Courtyard, 6000 Santa Monica Blvd. hollywoodforever.com
Amy Engelhardt in “Impact,” a solo one-act at the Fountain.
(Peter Serocki/peterserockivisuals.com)
Impact Composer/lyricist/performer Amy Engelhardt’s one-act solo show (with musical accompaniment) probes the 1988 terrorist attack on Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. The Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave., Los Angeles. fountaintheatre.com
SATURDAY Animal Instinct Chinese American artist Kristen Liu-Wong’s solo exhibition of vibrant paintings with slightly macabre narratives highlights her varied influences from American folk art, the cartoons she watched as a kid, Japanese erotic art and an appreciation for architecture. Opening reception, 7-11 p.m. Saturday; noon-6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, through Jan. 3, 2026. Corey Helford Gallery, 571 S. Anderson St., Los Angeles. coreyhelfordgallery.com
A Brahmsian Affair The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra presents a program featuring two sextets by Brahms, plus the world premiere of Julia Moss’ “(Please Don’t) Look Away.” 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Zipper Hall, 200 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A.; 4 p.m. Sunday. The Wallis, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills. laco.org
Corita Day Corita Art Center celebrates L.A.’s favorite artist/nun with an afternoon of art activities for all ages, live screen printing by Self Help Graphics, holiday shopping, food, music by KCRW, and a performance by Bob Baker Marionette Theater at 2 p.m. Visitors can also reserve spots from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. to see the exhibitions “Corita Kent: The Sorcery of Images” and “Irregularity: Corita and Immaculate Heart College’s Rule Breaking Designs.” 1-4 p.m. Marciano Art Foundation, 4357 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. marcianoartfoundation.org
Grief Bacon and Other Holiday Treats Melanie Mayron and Sandra Tsing Loh deliver “old and new humor for trying times.” Part of the Odyssey’s “Thresholds of Invention” series. 8 p.m. Saturday. Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd. odysseytheatre.com
Tom Wesselman, “Bedroom Face,” 1977, color aquatint
(Palm Springs Art Museum)
Mapping the Female Body: Tom Wesselmann and Mickalene Thomas An unexpected juxtaposition of two very different painters from the end of one century and the beginning of the next is set to consider dissimilar representations of the contemporary female nude. In the 1960s, the famous “Great American Nude” series by Tom Wesselmann (1931-2004) applied commercial advertising techniques to painterly traditions in Western art familiar since the Renaissance. Fifty years later, Mickalene Thomas applies commercial craft techniques to vibrant paintings of queer Black women — a subject previously absent from Western art history. Questions of gender, sexuality and their depictions are the exhibition’s focus. — Christopher Knight Through April 6, 2026. Palm Springs Art Museum, 101 Museum Drive. psmuseum.org
Venice Winter Fest Chill out SoCal-style with artisan markets, hot cocoa, live music, festive bites and interactive winter-themed activities for all ages. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. 12257 Venice Blvd. thevenicefest.com
SUNDAY Habsburg Harmonies: Haydn, Ligeti, and Brahms Violinist Martin Beaver, flutist Demarre McGill, cellist Clive Greensmith and pianist Fabio Bidini team up for an evening rooted in Austro-Hungarian musical tradition. 4 p.m. Thayer Hall, 200 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. colburnschool.edu
TUESDAY Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern Three adventurers need your help on an epic quest to save the world in this interactive fantasy inspired by the immensely popular role-playing game. Through Jan. 4, 2026. The Montálban, 1615 Vine St., Hollywood. broadwayinhollywood.com
Culture news and the SoCal scene
The Palm Springs Art Museum, founded in 1938, has a small board of 22 trustees.
(Lance Gerber / Palm Springs Art Museum)
Speaking of Christopher Knight’s tremendous skills as a critic, did I mention he’s also a phenomenal reporter? In one of his final columns, Knight chronicles the many financial travails of the Palm Springs Art Museum based on internal documents obtained by The Times. “Recent developments have opened a Pandora’s box,” Knight writes of an accounting firm’s annual audit of the museum’s 2024 books. The audit revealed that there is a “reasonable possibility that [the museum’s] internal financial statements are significantly out of whack,” Knight wrote before detailing the fallout leading to a trustees revolt.
Knight also delighted us with a list of “22 essential works of art at the Huntington and the surprising stories behind them.” No one can highlight what should be considered essential viewing at a museum quite like Knight, who takes readers on a virtual tour of the storied San Marino museum and its exquisite holdings, including Sir Joshua Reynolds’ “Portrait of Samuel Johnson (‘Blinking Sam’),” which Knight writes was not favored by its famous subject.
Cher Alvarez, who reprises her role at the Ahmanson, in “Paranormal Activity” at Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
(Kyle Flubacker)
Closer to home, McNulty reserved high praise for the spooky “Paranormal Activity,” now playing at the Ahmanson Theatre. “I caught myself wondering during the first act, ‘Is this the best staged production of the year?’,” McNulty writes of the show, which is based on the horror film franchise of the same name and just completed a run at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Director Felix Barrett, playwright Levi Holloway and Tony Award-winning illusion designer Chris Fisher are “masters of misdirection,” McNulty concludes.
I had a great Zoom call with Shaina Taub about the inspiration behind her musical, “Suffs.” Taub is only the second woman, after Micki Grant, to star in a Broadway musical for which she also wrote the book, music and lyrics. The show is about the women’s suffrage movement leading up to the ratification of the 19th Amendment. It opened earlier this week at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre as part of the show’s inaugural national tour.
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(Daniel Tyree Gaitor-Lomack / Night Gallery, Los Angeles. Photo by Tomasa Calvo.)
Interdisciplinary Los Angeles–based artist Daniel T. Gaitor-Lomack is staging a solo exhibition, “You Can Hate Me Now,” at Night Gallery. This marks the artist’s second solo show at the space. Much of the new work was informed by Gaitor-Lomack’s life in his MacArthur Park neighborhood. A rep for the gallery wrote in an email that Gaitor-Lomack describes the exhibition “as a kind of ceremony, a gathering of ideas and emotions that have been unfolding across his work over the past three years. Guided by intuition and lived experience, he continues to use found and everyday materials to reflect on the innumerable systems of the world around. The exhibition’s title, long held in his mind, frames the presentation as a meditation on anticipation, transformation, and resilience.” The show will be at Night Gallery through Feb. 14.
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, has made what it is calling the first-ever restitution of artwork to the descendants of an enslaved artist. The artist, David Drake, was born around 1800 in Edgefield, S.C. He is known for signing his vessels and inscribing them with poetic verses, including one that read, “I wonder where is all my relations.” Fifteen of Drake’s descendants recently traveled to Boston from various states for a ceremony during which MFA returned one of Drake’s stoneware jars to them, and purchased a second back. An L.A.-based attorney named George Fatheree represents Drake’s family and help shepherd the transaction. “This is a day we hoped and prayed for,” said Pauline Baker, the third great-granddaughter of Drake, in a news release. “To see it realized is almost overwhelming. On behalf of our family, we express our deepest gratitude to the Museum of Fine Arts for its courage and integrity. Most importantly, this ceremony restores not just his work, but his humanity.”
A Gustav Klimt painting, “Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer,” recently sold for $236.4 million, including fees, making it the most expensive modern work to be sold at auction. The 71-by-51-inch painting, created between 1914 and 1916, portrays the 20-year-old daughter of the Viennese art collectors who commissioned the work. The portrait was sold during a Sotheby’s auction in New York and was part of the private collection of cosmetics heir Leonard Lauder, who died in June. According to the Washington Post, a 19-minute bidding battle catapulted the painting “far beyond its $150 million estimate, with two bidders competing over the phone via their auction representatives.”
EUGENE, Ore. — The last time he made it here, to the doorstep of the College Football Playoff, Lincoln Riley could only watch as USC’s hopes slipped away with a single hamstring tweak. Without its Heisman-winning quarterback healthy, USC fell painfully short, left to wonder over frustrating seasons that followed what might have been.
It would take Riley nearly three years — and plenty of ups and downs in between — to return to that same place with USC, only to have the door slammed shut once again, this time in a 42-27 loss to No. 7 Oregon.
With its playoff hopes dashed by a third defeat, barring an unlikely sequence of events, USC (9-3) appears to be heading to a second-tier bowl game, while the Ducks are one of three Big Ten teams likely to host a home playoff matchup. That’s an especially bitter pill to swallow, considering the progress Riley has trumpeted this season, four years into his tenure at USC.
“This is USC — the standard here is incredibly high,” Riley said. “We’ve won a bunch of games this year. The ones we haven’t won, we’re right there.”
It was a familiar refrain from Riley, who has lost all five of his games against top-10 teams as USC’s coach. But the Trojans’ losses this season each left little doubt about how and why they’d fallen short. At Illinois, it was penalties and costly mistakes. At Notre Dame, a bone-headed play call and ill-timed turnovers did them in.
Against Oregon (10-1), it was more of the same lapses in discipline. Except this time, the back-breaking mistakes came largely on special teams. The most glaring of which Riley would look back on as the turning point Saturday.
It was just a few minutes into the second quarter. Tied 14-14, USC had sputtered short of midfield. So the Trojans punted away to Oregon’s Malik Benson.
The punt flew on a line drive to Benson, who found the edge and flew past USC’s last line of defense, 85 yards untouched into the end zone. The return’s impact would only reverberate from there.
“Obviously, it was a huge, huge play in the game,” Riley said. “You definitely don’t want to give them something like that.”
You certainly wouldn’t want to let those missteps snowball either. But that’s precisely what happened as quarterback Jayden Maiava faced heavy pressure on a third down on USC’s ensuing possession and threw a prayer into traffic. Oregon intercepted the pass.
USC’s defense would hold initially, and Oregon sent a field-goal attempt off the goalpost. Had the Trojans taken over from there, what followed could have altered the path of USC’s season — and the college football season writ large.
But in trying to block the field goal, linebacker Desman Stephens leaped over the Ducks’ line and was flagged for a 15-yard penalty. Riley said that Stephens “just kind of panicked a little bit.” Three plays later, Oregon punched in a touchdown to take a lead it would never relinquish.
“We’re playing good enough right now that we’re a sequence like that [away] from beating anybody,” Riley said. “That’s just how it feels.”
USC wide receiver Makai Lemon attempts to hurdle Oregon defensive backs Dillon Thieneman (31) and Jadon Canady, right, during the first half Saturday.
(Lydia Ely / Associated Press)
The series of special teams mistakes ultimately sunk USC, yet it was hardly the only error the Trojans made in that aspect of the game. USC also missed a field goal, kicked a kickoff out of bounds and was called for catch interference.
Other mistakes made matters worse. The Trojans were called for eight penalties for 103 yards, the fourth time this season they’ve been penalized that much.
The Trojans’ defense certainly didn’t help matters, in spite of assurances that it had ironed out its issues over three standout, second-half performances. Against Oregon, though, that progress was tough to spot, as USC gave up 436 yards, just shy of a season-worst mark.
The loss wasn’t for a lack of effort from its passing attack. After a questionable performance on the road in each of USC’s first four trips, quarterback Jayden Maiava hit big throws to keep the Trojans alive. Seven of his 25 completions went for 15 yards or more. He finished with 306 yards and three touchdowns, while freshman Tanook Hines (141) and fellow wideout Ja’Kobi Lane (108) turned in standout performances.
With its rushing attack unable to move the ball, the passing game was all that really worked for USC.
USC quarterback Jayden Maiava looks toward the scoreboard in the second half of a 42-27 loss to Oregon on Saturday.
(Lydia Ely / Associated Press)
King Miller had been stellar in the five weeks since being thrust into the lead role in USC’s backfield. But the Trojan walk-on was totally neutralized by Oregon’s stout defensive front. He rushed for just 30 yards, the longest of his 15 carries going for just five yards. The Trojans managed just 52 yards on the ground total, their fewest since a November 2023 loss to UCLA.
“We didn’t run the ball nearly as well as we have or nearly as well as we expected to,” Riley said.
After USC coaches reiterated all week the importance of starting fast, USC did make an immediate statement. On its first drive, USC marched down the field, and Maiava found Makai Lemon on an eight-yard swing pass that he took into the end zone.
But while USC’s running game struggled, Oregon faced little resistance, racking up 179 rushing yards and three scores.
At the start of the second quarter, Maiava found Lemon again on a swing pass in the backfield, only for Lemon to throw the ball on a double pass. Waiting for the pass was Hines, who leaped for an acrobatic 24-yard touchdown in traffic.
The fireworks didn’t stop there. But the special teams gaffes would change the tenor of the game, as Oregon opened up a 28-14 lead by halftime.
Just before the half, USC drove to the 10-yard line with seconds remaining, only for kicker Ryon Sayeri to clank a 27-yard field goal attempt off the goalpost.
A third-quarter interception from Kennedy Urlacher, one of two USC reserves starting at safety, gave the Trojans some life. But there would be no stalwart second-half stand from USC’s defense, like it managed the last three weeks. Nor could its electric offense climb back in time.
As the final seconds ticked away, there was only the realization that, once again, its hopes of a special season had been dashed right on the doorstep.
La Voix has had a ‘sad day’ coming to terms with the fact that she will not be competing in tonight’s edition of Strictly Come Dancing but has been cheered up by a bouquet of flowers
Strictly’s La Voix admits it’s been a ‘sad day’ as she misses Blackpool week over injury(Image: PA)
La Voix has had a ‘sad day’ coming to terms with the fact that she will not be competing in tonight’s edition of Strictly Come Dancing. The Drag Race star, 45, has had to pull out of the much-anticipated Blackpool heat of the BBC Saturday night favourite after sustaining a foot injury.
The star, whose real name is Christopher Dennis, took to social media on Saturday in the countdown for the live show to take place, to reveal that she had been presented with a bouquet of flowers that had cheered her up amid the tough time.
Alongside a picture of the gift, the TV star wrote on Instagram: “Thank you so much Darlings @blossom_and_ivy. This really is a gorgeous surprise on an otherwise sad day of not dancing in Blackpool.”
While La Voix was set to perform in Strictly’s highly anticipated Blackpool special, Strictly announced earlier this week that she was unable to compete after injuring herself. A show spokesperson said in a statement: “Due to injury, La Voix has been advised by doctors to rest and, as a result, will not dance in this weekend’s Blackpool specials.
During an appearance on It Takes Two on Wednesday evening, Christopher opened up about the issue that has been troubling her since earlier in the competition. “This has been ongoing since the foxtrot. I felt a little niggle in my foot hence comments about me being flat-footed. I was thinking this will be fine, but it got gradually worse…” the star told viewers.
La Voix added: “Until on Saturday we had to change shoes, I couldn’t wear heels. I had to wear those awful flat shoes.” Attempts to rehearse on Monday proved the injury was too severe to push through.”
She continued: “We tried on Monday, and it was really clear I was struggling in pain, so we decided to be professional and call this, hoping with some rest I can be back.”
Under strictly rules, the pair will automatically advance to next week’s round, buying La Voix time to recover. When asked whether she expected to return after the Blackpool special, she replied: “I hope so. Some people have said online that it’s just because I wanted to get out of doing the samba. I was desperate to get to Blackpool and do the samba. The production that was planned is going to be incredible.”
Despite the setback, the performer emphasised her love for the show, describing Strictly as a “happy place” and adding: “I am really hoping it continues.”
In a BBC statement released earlier this week, La Voix said: “My heart truly breaks knowing I won’t be dancing in such an iconic venue. I am devastated not to be joining the rest of the cast on that famous dancefloor, but my focus now is on recovery. I’ll be cheering on all the amazing couples this weekend.”
She also addressed her followers directly on Instagram, writing: “As many of you know, I injured my foot last week. With the help of an incredible team — and a whole lot of sparkles and determination — I was able to keep going and perform.”
However, she acknowledged that she now has no choice but to prioritise healing, saying she needed to “listen to her body” after “it became clear that the injury wasn’t improving”.
Two out of three think the county is headed in the wrong direction. Four out of five feel its leaders are closely connected to “big money interests, lobbyists, and developers,” and the same fraction felt county supervisors were effective “only some of the time” — or not at all.
How to turn things around? Seven out of ten agreed the county government needed “major reform.”
Those are the top-line findings from a new survey on local governance published this week by the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University.
The survey, paid for by the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation, took the pulse of just over 1,000 registered voters and found most were feeling quite glum about the local state of affairs.
“Voters and residents are in a state of distrust and think that the government is not working,” said Fernando Guerra, the center’s director.
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But the survey was meant to show more than just a dejected electorate, Guerra said. He argued it made another point: Now is not the time for opponents to try and undo Measure G, a controversial measure that overhauled the county’s form of government.
“There are some people that are trying to relitigate Measure G, and I’m talking at the level of political elite,” said Guerra, who supported the overhaul. “What these numbers are suggesting, and what I’m suggesting, is if it were to be put up for an election again, it would pass again.”
It’s been almost exactly a year since voters approved Measure G, bringing something akin to a wrecking ball to the county’s governance structure and promising to replace it with something unprecedented in California: namely, nine supervisors instead of five and an elected county executive rather than an appointed one.
The measure was always controversial, with criticism lobbed at the position of chief executive, who opponents said would now hold far too much power over a $45-billion budget and the well-being of the county’s 10 million residents.
The measure barely passed, with a little more than half of voters agreeing to give it a shot. But the ultimate bureaucratic flub is giving some opponents of the overhaul new ammo to bring it back to voters.
Due to an error with how the county handles charter updates, voters inadvertently gave a 2028 expiration date to a different ballot measure that allocates funding for anti-incarceration efforts — known as Measure J — when they approved Measure G. (The head-scratching error is a wonky one — readers curious as to how it came about can find out here.)
Months after the error came to light, the county has still not said how it plans to fix the mistake. There are a few options, including putting either of the measures back on the ballot.
The survey of voters was not an election poll, and respondents were not given opposing arguments. Most voters did not seem to know much about the impending county government overhaul and the survey did not ask about the bureaucratic screw-up, which could be seized upon in a campaign. About half didn’t remember how they voted.
It’s not clear who exactly is pushing so hard for G’s demise currently. While the overhaul had its vocal opponents — including two supervisors — the effort would be extremely expensive and some may not relish the idea of a campaign that may come with an acute sense of déjà vu.
Some on the government reform task force who opposed Measure G said they didn’t think it was in the cards — though those who opposed the measure said they didn’t think it was such a bad idea.
“I have not heard that,” said John Fasana, a task force member who first noticed the error and voted against both Measure G and J. “I think that’s what they should do: if they’re going to do one, I would say it should be G.”
Instead, the county appears to be leaning toward a ballot measure involving Measure J for 2026.
On Nov. 3, Dawyn Harrison, the county’s top lawyer, laid out the possible options for the board to “reverse the error and honor the will of the voters.” That memo included language for various ways to enshrine Measure J through a ballot measure and make sure it doesn’t go poof in a few years.
Brian Kaneda, who is part of the coalition that got Measure J passed, said the group believes the county has multiple options to fix the blunder. But putting Measure J back on the ballot, they warn, should be the last thing the county considers.
“If evidence surfaces that a new ballot measure is legally required, we’re ready,” said Kaneda. “But we believe the county should rectify this internally, honoring the will of 2.1 million voters.”
State of play
— RUFF WEEK: One of the opponents of L.A. City Controller Kenneth Mejia accused the controller of misusing city resources by using images of his corgis and other graphics for both his office and his campaign. A campaign spokesperson suggested the opponent was “jealous of our cute corgi graphics.”
— BIN BONANZA: Los Angeles has left dozens of green bins on city blocks, so residents can dump their food waste and comply with a state composting law. Some residents say it’s overkill.
— ‘SMEAR’ STANCE: Newly appointed Fire Chief Jaime Moore says the media is trying to “smear” firefighters. The accusations appear to be in reference to a Times report that a battalion chief ordered firefighters to leave the burn area of the Jan. 1 Lachman fire, which would reignite into the deadly Palisades fire.
— FIRE FUND: The city’s firefighter union plans to propose a ballot measure that would increase the sales tax for Angelenos by half a cent in perpetuity, raising hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue annually for the department to build dozens of new stations, add rigs and increase the size of the department by more than 1,000 by 2050. “This is the most important thing for the LAFD really ever,” said Doug Coates, the acting president of UFLAC.
— FRAUD PROBE: Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman said his office will investigate claims that plaintiffs made up stories of sexual abuse in order to sue L.A. County. The announcement follows Times investigations that found nine people who said they were paid by recruiters to join the litigation.
— RESERVOIR QUESTIONS: State officials determined that even if the Santa Ynez Reservoir had been full during the Palisades fire, the water system still would have been overwhelmed and quickly lost pressure. Officials concluded the water supply in Southern California was “robust” at the time of the fire and that the water system isn’t designed to handle such large, intense wildfires.
QUICK HITS
Where is Inside Safe? The mayor’s signature program to address homelessness went to Beverly Boulevard and Mountain View Avenue in Historic Filipinotown, an area represented by Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez. Outreach teams also returned to previous Inside Safe locations in Echo Park, Van Nuys, Mar Vista, Little Armenia, Sun Valley, Woodland Hills and the Figueroa Corridor, according to Bass’ team.
On the docket next week: The county supes will consider deferring permit fees for some homeowners who are rebuilding single-family homes in areas of Malibu after the Palisades Fire.
Stay in touch
That’s it for this week! Send your questions, comments and gossip to [email protected]. Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Saturday morning.
That performance, one of five games Mayfield started to finish that historic Super Bowl-hangover season for the Rams, jump-started Mayfield’s then-stalled career.
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Gary Klein previews Sunday’s game between the Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers at SoFi Stadium.
In 2023, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed him to a one-year contract, and he led them to the divisional round of the NFC playoffs. In 2024, he signed a three-year contract that includes $55 million in guarantees and could be worth as much as $100 million, according to Overthecap.com.
And on Sunday, he returns to SoFi Stadium to face a Rams team that is 8-2 and looks very much like a Super Bowl contender.
“There is no way for me to sugarcoat it. … It was pivotal in my career and in my journey,” Mayfield, speaking about his time with the Rams, told Tampa Bay reporters this week, adding, “It helped me find the fun in football again. … It was instrumental in my career, something I am forever grateful for, and it will be fun to go back and see some familiar faces.”
During his short stint with the Rams, Mayfield brought “a spark” and displayed “pretty impressive mental stamina” to process and put into action so much information, Rams coach Sean McVay said.
“It’s one thing to absorb it, it’s a totally different thing to be able to bring it to life when the enemy has a say,” McVay said. “It was impressive. I think when you watch what he’s done and who he is, I think it’s probably more on par for what we expect of Baker than the outlier when you look at the totality of everything he’s done.”
Mayfield, 30, has passed for 17 touchdowns, with three interceptions this season for the Buccaneers (6-4), who lead the NFC South.
The game matches Mayfield, the top pick in the 2018 draft, against Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, the top pick in 2009.
“His ability to come in and play pretty darn well on a shortened timeline was really awesome,” Stafford said, adding, “He’s been through a lot and came out on the other side playing about as good as ball as anybody.”
The Rams are coming off a 21-19 victory over the Seattle Seahawks, a victory that extended their winning streak to five games and gave them sole possession of first place in the NFC West.
Stafford has passed for a league-leading 27 touchdowns, with only two interceptions. Davante Adams has a league-best 10 touchdown catches.
The Rams will be without three veteran starters — tight end Tyler Higbee, right tackle Rob Havenstein and safety Quentin Lake — who were placed on injured reserve this week.
Before he took the reins at USC, Lincoln Riley had a reputation as something of a road warrior. It wasn’t until his third season at Oklahoma that Riley’s team had lost a true road game with him as head coach. During five years with the Sooners, he won 17 of 21 on the road.
But four years into his tenure as the Trojans’ coach, Riley’s once-sterling road reputation feels like a relic of a past life. Until USC won at Nebraska earlier this month, Riley hadn’t beaten a team on the road that finished better than .500 since November 2022, when his Trojans toppled UCLA at the Rose Bowl. Otherwise, outside of L.A., USC’s only road victory against a quality team under Riley came against Oregon State … in his fourth game leading the Trojans.
Never have the stakes been so high for Riley than they are this week, as No. 15 USC heads to No. 8 Oregon with its College Football Playoff hopes hinging on a huge road victory. Still, it’s hard to ignore how starkly different Riley’s Trojans have looked when challenged away from home.
USC has been the best offense in college football when inside the Coliseum. But in four road games, USC is averaging 18 fewer points and two fewer yards per attempt on offense. Its red zone touchdown rate plummets 25%, while its third-down conversion rate drops 16% on the road. Simply put, by any measure, Riley’s offense has been much worse away from home this season.
USC quarterback Jayden Maiava throws a pass during a win over Iowa on Nov. 15 at the Coliseum.
(Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)
That disparity starts at quarterback. At home, Jayden Maiava has been one of the best quarterbacks in all of college football this season. The junior has completed 74% of his passes at home and averaged 10.7 yards per attempt at the Coliseum, both of which rank top 10 in the nation. He’s accounted for 18 total touchdowns to just two turnovers at home, while his quarterback rating puts him in the rarefied air of Heisman contenders such as Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Ohio State’s Julian Sayin.
That version of Maiava, however, has yet to take his show on the road. In five true road games as the Trojans’ starting quarterback, Maiava has completed fewer than 57% of his passes. His average yards per attempt tumbles nearly three yards. He’s committed more turnovers and been sacked more often.
USC can’t afford for that to be the case Saturday, if it hopes to hold onto its Playoff hopes. But while recent history might be against his Trojans, Riley reminded this week that he’s not new to contending like this late in November.
“This is what I’m used to, man,” RIley said. “It’s good to be right there again, no question.
”… This is the time of year that I enjoy most.”
Here’s what to watch as USC clashes with Oregon on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. PST (CBS, Paramount+):
Nov. 21 (UPI) — The Christian Association of Nigeria said 215 Catholic school students in Central Nigeria were kidnapped on Friday by a group of armed men.
The attackers also kidnapped a dozen teachers from the religious school in the north-central Niger State, CNN reported.
Many students managed to escape, and their parents began picking them up before the school closed, Niger State CAN Chapter leader Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna told media.
CAN officials are working with the government and its security agencies to safely return the abducted children and teachers, a CAN spokesman said.
According to police, the pupils were taken when armed “bandits” stormed the St. Mary’s School in Papiri and forced students out of their hostel sleeping space.
Boarding schools already were closed by state authorities in a large part of the country due to concern over rising security threats following a renewed string of attacks by militant groups.
The incident occurred after more than 20 Muslim schoolgirls were kidnapped Monday from a different boarding school in the neighboring Kebbi state.
But officials said St. Mary’s, in Nigeria’s largest state of Niger, defied the order to close despite intelligence warnings by the Nigerian government.
“Regrettably, St. Mary’s School proceeded to reopen and resume academic activities,” they told the BBC in a statement.
“Without notifying or seeking clearance from the state government, thereby exposing pupils and the staff to avoidable risk,” Nigerian officials stated.
The mass kidnappings came on top of U.S. President Donald Trump‘s threat to issue strikes against Islamic extremists in Nigeria, such as ISWAP and Boko Haram, which are currently engaged in ongoing armed conflicts for control of sovereign territory with various militarized groups, described as “bandits,” across the West African country.
On Wednesday, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said he was “fully apprised” of the “recent uptick in violent extremism in pockets across the country.”
“And I have directed our security agencies to respond with urgency, clarity, and decisive action. Our forces need the full cooperation of every community. Sharing information can save lives and protect our children,” Tinubu posted on social media.
Tinubu said that Nigeria was canceling plans to participate in the looming G20 and AU-EU summits in South Africa and Angola, respectively.
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
Welcome to Bunker Talk. This is a weekend open discussion post for the best commenting crew on the net, in which we can chat about all the stuff that went on this week that we didn’t cover. We can also talk about the stuff we did or whatever else grabs your interest. In other words, it’s an off-topic thread.
The caption to this week’s top shot reads:
Needs no caption.
Also, a reminder:
Prime Directives!
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If you have political differences, hash it out respectfully, stick to the facts, and no childish name-calling or personal attacks of any kind. If you can’t handle yourself in that manner, then please, discuss virtually anything else.
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Do not be a sucker and feed trolls! That’s as much on you as on them. Use the mute button if you don’t like what you see.
So unless you have something of quality to say, know how to treat people with respect, understand that everyone isn’t going to subscribe to your exact same worldview, and have come to terms with the reality that there is no perfect solution when it comes to moderation of a community like this, it’s probably best to just move on.
Finally, as always, report offenders, please. This doesn’t mean reporting people who don’t share your political views, but we really need your help in this regard.
YORBA LINDA — Eulogizing his old boss here last week, even Henry A. Kissinger couldn’t help note the irony: Richard Nixon himself–the man who kept a list of “enemies” in the media–probably would have been overwhelmed by all the good press he’d been getting after his death.
The tributes for Nixon were unending, the tones reverent. Imagery of King Lear and Sophocles, of an indomitable warrior and an anguished soul, of reconciliation and forgiveness–all were dominant themes in the media for days.
But now, particularly in the days since Nixon’s burial, the tone of public debate seems to have shifted again, as many critics who had maintained a respectful silence have begun to demand a harsher assessment of a man who never gave up reinventing himself. For them, the plaudits had grown too loud, too quickly.
“Now we’re seeing the backlash the other way,” said Daniel Schorr, a commentator for National Public Radio, who earned a spot on Nixon’s “enemies list” in the early 1970s.
The protests of “enough already” have come from a variety of forums–from radio call-in shows to letters to the editor and television and newspaper commentaries.
Stanley Kutler, a University of Wisconsin historian who wrote a book on Watergate and has waged a years-long legal battle for access to more of Nixon’s records, says he is confident that the critical eye of history will largely erase the current wave of pro-Nixon nostalgia.
“I expected this kind of outpouring. Nixon spent 20 years working for it,” Kutler said. “But in the final analysis, whatever space he gets in the history books will begin with this sentence: ‘Richard Nixon, the first U. S. President to resign because of scandal . . . ‘ “
Said Tom Wicker, a New York Times columnist who wrote a widely cited biography of Nixon: “This outpouring of eulogies and great long lines (at the Yorba Linda viewing) show there was always a lot of support for Mr. Nixon among people who regretted he had to resign. . . . Out of a certain respect for the dead, (critics) haven’t had much to say lately. And only now are they coming around to say, ‘Wait a second, let’s look at reality.’ ”
Perhaps the most personal plea for more balance in the public’s ongoing farewells to Nixon has come from Jack Sirica, the son of the late federal judge who became famous because of Watergate.
A reporter for Newsday in Long Island, N.Y., Sirica said that colleagues had been urging him since Nixon’s death to write a column on his father and Nixon. He resisted for several days, he said, fearing his assessment would sound too harsh.
But Sirica said he changed his mind last week when he passed a school on his way to work and saw children playing around a flag at half-staff.
*
He had already read a story saying many children thought Nixon was a pretty good guy, and it was then, seeing that flag, that he decided to write a column. The piece recounted his father’s disillusionment in listening to the infamous Watergate tapes, and it ran the day after Nixon’s funeral under a headline that read: “My Dad Decided Nixon Was a Crook.”
“What concerned me more than anything was that the enormity of the crime seemed to have been getting lost,” Sirica, 41, said in an interview. “Watergate had become, if not a minor footnote, then at least something that could be quickly dispensed with in the historical record.”
But for many among the conservative supporters that Nixon liked to refer to as the Silent Majority, the adulation will continue unabated for the onetime hero of the GOP. They see this as a time of long-overdue recognition for a man who has been unfairly vilified because of a single event in an otherwise distinguished career of public service.
Even after a state funeral attended by dignitaries from around the world Wednesday, mourners continued to turn out by the thousands throughout the week to pay their respects to the freshly sodded grave at the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace in Yorba Linda.
Brian Hayes, 32, took two days off work as a substitute teacher to pay homage to Nixon, and he waited patiently in line for the library to reopen to the public Thursday.
“My interest in politics came about because of him. I consider him the greatest statesman we ever had,” the Long Beach man said. “Despite Watergate, there’s an outpouring of affection for the man, and I think he richly deserves it.”
Cheri Pepka, 24, of Rancho Santa Margarita, cooed softly to her four small children about Nixon’s accomplishments as they waited to sign a guest book at the library, and she told them about a scrapbook she had started to commemorate his life and death.
“One day you’ll understand all of this. You’ll understand what he meant to our country,” she promised the children.
Democrats and Republicans alike stressed similar themes in the days following Nixon’s death on April 22, pointing to the establishment of diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, an arms control agreement with the former Soviet Union, an end to U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, and other achievements in foreign affairs.
Indeed, praise came from what once would have seemed unlikely corners.
President Clinton–who came of political age in the 1960s while protesting Nixon’s policies in Vietnam–called for a national “day of mourning” and delivered an eloquent eulogy on Nixon’s legacy. And former Sen. George McGovern, who also attended the funeral, spoke in an interview after the service about “reconciling” with the man who helped derail McGovern’s own failed bid for the Presidency in 1972 through a campaign of “dirty tricks.”
“About Nixon, Leaders Stress Triumphs, Not Downfall,” trumpeted the New York Times on its April 24 front page, a refrain carried by other newspapers around the country.
The favorable media coverage that Kissinger noted at last week’s funeral reflects a combination of dynamics–some that are particular to Nixon himself, others that are inevitable in any attempt to gauge public opinion, media and political observers say.
*
In part, the positive reaction reflects the enormous efforts that Nixon made to rehabilitate his image, writing 10 books after his resignation and making frequent appearances on the world stage. As Schorr of NPR said: “He spent 20 years running for ex-President.”
In part, it reflects the overwhelming pomp and circumstance of the first state funeral for a President in more than two decades. And in part, it reflects the feeling that there is something unseemly about criticizing someone who has just died–no matter his scandals.
“It’s almost an America truism that you speak no ill of the dead,” said KABC radio talk-show host Michael Jackson. “I had one caller (on Nixon) who said: ‘My mother always told me if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. So goodby.’ ”
Yet Jackson said callers to his show resisted the general portrayal of Nixon in the media, openly criticizing the former President by about a 4:1 margin.
“They have been tough and blunt and to the point–that he’s been given a free ride,” Jackson said. “I was quite surprised. There were people who identified themselves as Republicans, and even they criticized him.”
Several scholars and media critics said they believe that Nixon’s treatment in the public eye after his death is an inevitable and, in some respects, appropriate phenomenon.
“When somebody dies, you try and look at the good things he did,” said Stephen Hess, a noted student of the media with the Brookings Institution in Washington.
“We were not there to write Richard Nixon’s place in history, but to bury him. What you saw (in media coverage) was in part good manners and in part tradition,” he said. “I don’t really think that’s the time to be looking for balance.”
But Dick O’Neill, a longtime Democratic activist in Orange County who headed the state party, said he was overwhelmed by the glowing coverage that Nixon received.
“I thought, ‘Jesus, this is really something. They’re burying a field marshal,’ ” he said. “It just blew my mind, considering the guy was almost impeached. To say, ‘It’s over with, let’s forget it,’ I think that’s the best way.
“But the people here in Orange County, they went bananas. . . . The young people especially–I don’t know what happened to them. They amazed me how shook up they were, as if some relative had died,” he mused.
The low point for him, O’Neill said, came when an aide working on a Democratic campaign–”a young, progressive Democrat, “ he stressed–volunteered to drive a car for the Nixon funeral last week to help transport dignitaries. “It was beyond me,” he said.
Kutler, the Wisconsin historian, isn’t worried, though. The Nixon biographer and critic says he figures that in three months, when the 20th anniversary of Nixon’s resignation is recounted around the country, the fickle currents of public opinion will find Nixon’s supporters on the defensive once more.
“Then everyone’s going to remember again, they’re going to remember the humiliation that this country went through, the national disgrace,” he said. “And they’ll get it all straight again.”
*
Times staff writer Lee Romney contributed to this report.
Last month, in the span of a single half, USC’s top two running backs were lost to serious injuries. For Eli Sanders, the knee injury he suffered against Michigan prematurely ended his season. For Waymond Jordan, ankle surgery meant missing most of the Trojans’ critical stretch run.
It made for a particularly cruel one-two punch. Through the first six games, the Trojans duo had been a top-10 rushing attack in the nation, trending toward the best rushing season USC had seen in two decades. Then, in less than an hour’s time, a promising start had been derailed by injury.
“That could almost be a death sentence,” coach Lincoln Riley said Wednesday.
But with just two games left in the season, the Trojans’ rushing attack still is very much alive. And USC still is clinging to College Football Playoff hopes because of it.
“It’s gone remarkably well,” Riley said of USC’s rushing attack since. “I don’t know that anyone could have predicted that to be completely honest.”
No one anticipated the arrival of redshirt freshman walk-on King Miller, who has been a season-saving revelation since being thrust into the role of the Trojans’ lead back. Miller is averaging 113 yards per game since Jordan and Sanders went down, which, extrapolated over the course of a full season, would tie Nebraska’s Emmett Johnson for best in the Big Ten. Miller also is one of just two Power Four running backs with more than 90 carries to average better than seven yards per rush.
His unexpected coronation, coming at the most critical point of USC’s season, is part of why the Trojans could be just two wins away from their first playoff bid. And if they have any hope of continuing that run, Miller will have to lead the rushing attack into its toughest battle yet Saturday at Autzen Stadium, where No. 7 Oregon has held opposing offenses to 90 yards rushing per game.
There was a brief glimmer of hope leading into this week that Jordan, who underwent tightrope surgery on his ankle five weeks ago, might be able to return for USC’s trip to Eugene. Jordan was listed as questionable on the injury report last Saturday and dressed for practice this week, both signs of progress. But Riley acknowledged Tuesday it was unlikely Jordan would be ready for the game, as he’s still getting comfortable cutting on his surgically repaired ankle.
“He’s getting closer,” Riley said. “But for a back, that’s not a great injury.”
There were a number of other injuries too that presumably should have led to USC’s undoing on the ground. In addition to their battered backfield, the Trojans have been without left tackle Elijah Paige for several games because of a knee injury and could be without him again Saturday. Center Kilian O’Connor missed three games because of his own knee issue, and guard Alani Noa was sidelined for most of the Nebraska win.
But the Trojans have yet to take a step back. The offensive line has shuffled positions with surprising success, and Miller has exceeded all expectations, earning a place in USC’s future plans.
“Just trying to learn to be confident in whatever I’m doing,” Miller said this week. “You’ve got to be confident no matter what it is.”
Miller may, however, have met his match this week with Oregon. While USC has remained near the top of the Big Ten, even after losing its top two backs, the Ducks have boasted arguably the best rushing attack in the nation. Only Navy averages more yards per carry than Oregon (6.33) or has more 20-plus-yard carries (28).
Two of Oregon’s trio of backs, senior Noah Whittington and freshman Dierre Hill Jr., are averaging better than eight yards per carry. The other, Mater Dei product Jordon Davison, is averaging seven yards as a freshman and has 12 touchdown runs.
The numbers aren’t exactly encouraging for the Trojans, who have been distressingly vulnerable against the run for long stretches of this season. USC is giving up more than 200 yards on the ground on average over its last four games, none of which came against offenses that rank among the top 25 nationally in rushing.
The best backfield USC faced during that stretch, Notre Dame, rolled over the Trojans for 306 yards. And the Irish are averaging 41 fewer yards per game on the ground than Oregon.
But in each of its three games since that Notre Dame nadir, the Trojans have come out looking like a totally different defense in the second half. None of their last three opponents — Iowa, Northwestern or Nebraska — managed more than a field goal after halftime.
USC won’t have the luxury of waiting that long this week, up against one of the few offenses in college football scoring at a more efficient clip. For the Trojans to keep their playoff hopes alive, it starts with dictating how things go on the ground.
So far that’s gone better than expected.
“We’ve had some big challenges,” Riley said. “We’ve been able to respond. It’ll obviously be important in games like this. Being able to run the football, being able to stop the run is always key, no matter who you’re playing, where you’re playing, what year it is.
“We’ve been clutch there. We’ve been able to do it. Hopefully we can get it done this time.”
RALEIGH, N.C. — Federal agents have now arrested more than 250 people during a North Carolina immigration crackdown centered around Charlotte, the state’s largest city, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday.
The operation that began over the weekend is the latest phase of Republican President Trump’s aggressive mass deportation efforts that have sent the military and immigration agents into Democratic-run cities — from Chicago to Los Angeles.
Immigration officials have blanketed the country since January, pushing detention counts to all-time highs above 60,000. Big cities and small towns across the country are targeted daily amid higher-profile pushes in places such as Portland, Oregon, where more than 560 immigration arrests were made in October. Smaller bursts of enforcement have popped up elsewhere.
The push to carry out arrests in North Carolina expanded to areas around the state capital of Raleigh on Tuesday, spreading fear in at least one immigrant-heavy suburb.
The number of arrests so far during what the government has dubbed “ Operation Charlotte’s Web ” was about double the total announced by DHS officials earlier this week. The department said in a statement that agencies “continue to target some of the most dangerous criminal illegal aliens.”
Their targets include people living in the U.S. without legal permission and those who allegedly have criminal records.
Federal officials have offered few details about those arrested. They’ve also remained quiet about the scope of the enforcement operations across North Carolina and where agents will show up next, keeping communities on edge.
The crackdown in Charlotte has been met with pockets of resistance and protests.
About 100 people gathered outside a Home Depot store in Charlotte on Wednesday, where federal agents have been spotted multiple times since the surge started. Protest organizers briefly went inside the store with orange and white signs that read, “ICE out of Home Depot, Protect our communities.”
Arrests in Charlotte have created a chilling effect in immigrant neighborhoods — school attendance dropped, and small shops and restaurants closed to avoid confrontations between customers and federal agents.
Fear also spread in parts of Cary, a Raleigh suburb where officials say almost 20% of the population was born outside the U.S. At a shopping center home to family-run ethnic restaurants, there was little traffic and an Indian grocery store was mostly empty on Tuesday.
Just days after beginning the crackdown in North Carolina, Border Patrol agents were expected to arrive in New Orleans by the end of the week to start preparing for their next big operation in southeast Louisiana, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press and three people familiar with the operation.
Around 250 federal border agents are set to descend on New Orleans in the coming weeks for a two-month immigration crackdown expected to begin in earnest on Dec. 1.
Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol commander tapped to head the Louisiana sweep, has been on the ground in North Carolina this week, leading the operation there as well. Bovino has become the Trump administration’s leader of the large-scale crackdowns and has drawn criticism over the tactics used to carry out arrests.
DHS has declined to comment on the operation. “For the safety and security of law enforcement, we’re not going to telegraph potential operations,” spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said.
Robertson writes for the Associated Press. AP reporters Elliot Spagat, Erik Verduzco in Charlotte, and John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, contributed to this report.
In the days and weeks after the 2020 election, partisans across the country used lies and deceit to try to defraud the American people and steal the White House.
But it’s only old news if you believe that justice and integrity carry an expiration date, wrongdoing is fine with the passage of enough time and the foundational values of our country and its democracy — starting with fair and honest elections — matter only to the extent they help your political side prevail.
It bears repeating: “What we’re talking about here is an attempt to overturn the outcome of a presidential election,” said Sean Morales-Doyle, who heads the Voting Rights and Elections Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, a law and policy think tank at New York University. “If people can engage in that kind of conduct without consequence or accountability, then we have to worry about it happening again.”
Which is why punishment and deterrence are so important.
Last week, the Nevada Supreme Court unanimously reinstated the criminal case against six Republicans who signed certificates falsely claiming Trump had won the state’s electoral votes. Those charged include Nevada’s GOP chairman, Michael McDonald, and the state’s representative on the Republican National Committee, Jim DeGraffenreid.
The ruling focused on a procedural matter: whether the charges should have been brought in Douglas County, where the fake certificates were signed in the state capital — Carson City — or in Clark County, where they were submitted at a courthouse in Las Vegas. A lower court ruled the charges should have been brought in Douglas County and dismissed the case. The high court reversed the decision, allowing the prosecution on forgery charges to proceed.
As well it should. Let a jury decide.
Of course, the Nevada Six and other phony electors are but small fry. The ringleader and attempted-larcenist-in-chief — Donald “Find Me 11,780 Votes” Trump — escaped liability by winning the 2024 election.
But it was further evidence of his abundant contempt for the rule of law. (Just hours after taking office, Trump pardoned nearly 1,600 defendants — including some who brutalized cops with pepper spray and wooden and metal poles — who were involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.)
Efforts around the country to prosecute even those low-level schemers, cheaters and 2020 election miscreants have produced mixed results.
In Michigan, a judge threw out the criminal case against 15 phony electors, ruling the government failed to present sufficient evidence that they intended to commit fraud.
In New Mexico and Pennsylvania, fake electors avoided prosecution because their certification came with a caveat. It said the documentation was submitted in the event they were recognized as legitimate electors. The issue was moot once Trump lost his fight to overturn the election, though some in Trump’s orbit hoped the phony certifications would help pressure Pence.
Derek Muller, a Notre Dame law professor, looks askance at many of the cases that prosecutors have brought, suggesting the ballot box — rather than a courtroom — may be the better venue to litigate the matter.
“There’s a fine line between what’s distasteful conduct and what’s criminal conduct,” Muller said. “I don’t have easy answers about which kinds of things should or shouldn’t be prosecuted in a particular moment, except to say if it’s something novel” — like these 2020 cases — “having a pretty iron-clad legal theory is pretty essential if you’re going to be prosecuting people for engaging in this sort of political protest activity.”
Other cases grind on.
Three fake electors are scheduled for a preliminary hearing on forgery charges next month in Wisconsin. Fourteen defendants — including Giuliani and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows — face charges in Georgia. In Arizona, the state attorney general must decide this week whether to move forward with a case against 11 people after a judge tossed out an indictment because of how the case was presented to grand jurors.
But there are loads of other week-long stays that are under £200 this winter as well.
If you fancy the Algarve, you can spend seven nights Muthu Clube Praia Da Oura (with Liverpool flights) for £149; at Natura Algarve Club for £159 each (with flights from London Stansted) or in Balai Golf Village for £189pp (from London Luton).
Currently sitting at 19C this week, it remains around this temperature even in December.
Or if you want to fly from Newcastle, spend seven nights at Pebbles Resort in Malta for £149 each, or from Birmingham, seven nights in the Solana Hotel and Spa for £169 each.
Diane Ladd’s cause of death has come to light, weeks after the three-time Oscar-nominated “Rambling Rose” and “Wild at Heart” star died at age 89.
The actor died of “acute on chronic hypoxic respiratory failure,” according to her death certificate obtained by People. The Cleveland Clinic says the condition is a result of insufficient oxygen in a person’s blood and is commonly caused by heart and lung conditions.
The death certificate reportedly notes that Ladd had the latter. Two years before her death, Ladd was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a disease wherein “lung tissue becomes damaged and scarred,” according to the Mayo Clinic. Esophageal dysmotility —disorders that affect the esophagus’ ability to move food and liquid to a person’s stomach — also contributed to Ladd’s death, People reported.
Ladd was cremated on Nov. 10, a week after her death, the death certificate reportedly said.
Laura Dern, Ladd’s daughter with prolific Oscar-nominated actor Bruce Dern, announced her mother’s death Nov. 3: “My amazing hero and my profound gift of a mother, Diane Ladd, passed with me beside her this morning, at her home in Ojai.”
“She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist and empathetic spirit that only dreams could have seemingly created,” Dern, Oscar-winning star of “Marriage Story,” said in her statement. “We were blessed to have her.”
Bruce Dern, the first of Ladd’s three husbands, praised his ex-wife for her work on- and off-screen, including her longtime tenure as a Screen Actors Guild board member.
“She was a great teammate to her fellow actors. She was funny, clever, gracious,” he said. “But most importantly to me, she was a wonderful mother to our incredible wunderkind daughter. And for that I will be forever grateful to her.”
Mississippi native Ladd was an enduring talent whose screen career included more than 200 movie and TV credits from the 1960s to the 2020s, and multiple Emmy and Oscar nominations. Famously, she appeared in director Martin Scorsese and writer Robert Getchell’s 1974 feature “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” originating the role of snarky roadside-diner waitress Florence Jean “Flo” Castleberry.
When Ladd was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in 2023, she was told she might have only six months to live. This inspired Laura Dern to take her mother out for strolls along Santa Monica, sparking intimate conversations that would become fodder for their joint book, “Honey, Baby, Mine,” released in April 2023.
“All the deep listening filled us with love,” Ladd told People amid the book’s release. “And it was very healing.”
After 14 days, two “College GameDays,” two “Monday Night Footballs” and one election night, the protracted contract dispute between YouTube TV and Walt Disney Co. is finally over.
As my colleague Meg James reported last week, the two sides settled Friday after agreeing on a multi-year distribution deal for YouTube to carry Disney-owned programming.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Both sides touted the agreement as a win for consumers. Disney Entertainment Co-Chairs Alan Bergman and Dana Walden and ESPN chief Jimmy Pitaro said in a joint statement that the deal “recognizes the tremendous value of Disney’s programming and provides YouTube TV subscribers with more flexibility and choice.”
For its part, YouTube also noted that the settlement “preserves the value of our service for our subscribers” and “future flexibility in our offers.” The Google-owned platform also apologized to consumers for the “disruption,” saying it appreciated people’s patience during the dispute.
Of course, reaching an agreement is good for customers who had lost access to ESPN, ABC News election coverage and other programming during the two-week blackout.
But this is far from the last impasse that sports fans and other viewers will see — if history is any guide.
In fact, the number of blackouts related to carriage and contract disputes has been increasing over the last decade, particularly as the health of the television business has declined, raising the economic stakes for all sides.
Back in the day, contracts between content providers and distributors would last for five years or more because the industry was more stable and little would change over the course of an agreement.
That’s obviously all different now, with most deals today lasting about two to three years, reflecting rapid changes in a TV business that has been upended by streaming platforms.
In today’s TV landscape — with cable cord-cutters aplenty and many more options to watch your favorite shows and sports teams — negotiations are more fraught.
Traditional pay TV providers like DirecTV and Charter Communications are scrambling to retain their subscribers, while legacy media companies like Disney are trying to support their networks — particularly channels such as ESPN that have invested huge sums for those all-important sports rights that keep viewers engaged.
And in the midst of it all is the growing power of live TV streaming distributors, especially YouTube TV, which has become a much bigger force in the TV business.
The platform’s subscriber base has been quickly growing.
YouTube is approaching 10 million subscribers, making it the third-largest pay-TV distributor, behind Charter Communications and Comcast. Back in February, when it reached a deal with Paramount Global to avert a CBS blackout, that number was reported at 8 million.
Such growth is giving YouTube TV — with the financial backing of tech giant Google — more clout in contract negotiations, making them more willing to push back against fee increases demanded by legacy Hollywood media companies.
Disney sought rates similar to those paid by major distributors, including around $10 a subscriber per month for ESPN, CNBC reported.
“They realize their power,” said Brent Penter, associate analyst at Raymond James. “And they’re trying to use it.”
The Burbank entertainment giant has some of the most popular programming around, meaning it can command the biggest fees from providers. It also owns a competitor to YouTube TV in Hulu + Live TV and its new ESPN Unlimited direct-to-customer streaming service.
But in this dispute, Disney temporarily lost the distribution fees and potentially advertising dollars for any of its programs that a YouTube TV subscriber didn’t watch, making it a costly standoff.
No one wins in a blackout situation. But if you had to pick a winner, analysts say it might be the alternatives to YouTube TV — services like Fubo, Sling TV, DirecTV Stream and Hulu + Live TV.
If you’re a diehard Eagles fan who also happens to be a YouTube TV subscriber, and you refused to miss the game against the Packers last Monday, you might have signed up for temporary passes through one of these services. And if you liked it, well, you might choose to keep that subscription instead.
That also goes back to the complicated web of options consumers must wade through to find their favorite teams and shows.
“There is friction out there,” said Ric Prentiss, managing director at Raymond James. “Blackouts raise it to a head, where people say, ‘Wait, I don’t know how to navigate this,’ and they start looking at other alternatives.”
You’re reading the Wide Shot
Samantha Masunaga delivers the latest news, analysis and insights on everything from streaming wars to production — and what it all means for the future.
TV station owner Sinclair Inc. has an eye toward dominating the TV market. The Baltimore-based company, which is known for its conservative bent, has acquired about 8% of rival broadcaster E.W. Scripps, according to a recent filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Sinclair also said in the filing that it has had “constructive discussions” with Scripps about potentially combining, though no deal has been reached. Scripps, however, has suggested that it is not interested in a merger.
Welcome back to the Lakers newsletter, where I need a recovery ice bath after all that travel.
The Lakers went 3-2 during an uneven trip that ended on a high note with back-to-back wins in New Orleans and Milwaukee. But after getting thrashed by Oklahoma City in Game 3 of the five-game trip, Marcus Smart said the team was starting to show its fatigue on the road. After packing, repacking and already reaching the next level of hotel loyalty status less than a month into the season, I can relate.
But, similiar to my favorite colleague Brad Turner picking up the travel slack, the Lakers also have reinforcements.
All things Lakers, all the time.
LeBron James is back. Now what?
Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic established themselves as one of the league’s most dynamic duos while powering the shorthanded Lakers to a 10-4 record. With LeBron James officially back on the Lakers’ practice court, he could make this three a real party.
“I’m a ball player,” James said Monday after his first full practice with the team this year. “… There’s not one team, not one club in the world that I cannot fit in and play for. I can do everything on the floor. So whatever this team needs me to do, I can do it when I’m back to myself.”
Despite the encouraging start that has the team fourth in the West, the Lakers are not modern basketball’s statistical darling. They play slowly (19th in pace), take the fourth-fewest three-pointers in the league while making the second-worst percentage and have the third-most turnovers per game. James, who still stopped short of saying he is pain-free from right sciatica, is unlikely to be an immediate solution to any of those problems.
But he is still the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
“It’s LeBron,” Reaves said. “Just his presence and his ability is going to lift the team.”
The team joked during the film session that it got a new player Monday. James introduced himself to his teammates. Reaves and Doncic have become the favorite “bromance” of some niche NBA social media circles, and the Lakers’ chemistry was one of the key talking points from its early season success. Players joke on the bench, trash talk each other in Instagram comments and Doncic’s post-practice half-court shooting competition has expanded to include at least three other teammates.
James observed all the good vibes from afar. He sent congratulatory texts after wins and encouraging texts after losses, but returning Monday felt like “a kid going to a new school again.” He knows fitting with the team will have to come organically.
“He has the ability to lift everybody’s day,” Reaves said. “All these guys grew up loving him. So it’s good to get his voice back in the room and obviously the IQ speaks for itself, as well.”
When asked of what he saw from the team while sidelined, James rattled off a long list of observations. He loved the ball movement. He noted Deandre Ayton’s ability to anchor the back line and commended the 7-foot center as “one of the best screen setters” in the league. James shouted out the 25 critical minutes from Maxi Kleber in the win over Milwaukee, the contributions of Jake LaRavia, Rui Hachimura and Marcus Smart and the way younger players such as Nick Smith Jr. and Bronny James chipped in when the team was shorthanded against Portland on the second night of a back-to-back.
And he loved the dominance from Doncic and Reaves.
Doncic is leading the league in scoring with 34.4 points per game. He’s getting blitzed almost every time he crosses midcourt and still orchestrating an offense that is second in field-goal percentage (50.4).
Reaves is having a career year: 28.3 points, 8.2 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals are all career-bests. Of course with James out, Reaves’ usage rate is also at an all-time high.
When asked how he expects coverages to change for him with James back, Reaves shrugged. It’ll at least make his life easier, he said, to have who he calls “the greatest player to ever touch a basketball” back on the court.
“I don’t expect it to be perfect,” coach JJ Redick said. “But I also don’t expect it to be like, ‘Oh, these guys have never seen each other and met each other and don’t know each other’s name.’ They know what each of them bring.”
Last year, the Doncic-James-Reaves trio had an offensive rating of 117.8 points per 100 possessions. This year, the Lakers have a 121.6 offensive rating when Doncic and Reaves are on the floor together, the team’s highest mark for any two-man combination of starters.
Redick expects James’ presence will shake things up. He will command roughly 35 minutes when he is healthy, which will naturally disrupt the rotation and rhythm of his teammates. This will take some trial and error.
“There are some little formula of things you got to add,” Redick said. “If you put too much cinnamon in there, cookie’s not that good.”
Just let the Lakers cook.
The rookie will remember his first
Adou Thiero dunks over Milwaukee’s Andre Jackson Jr.
(Morry Gash / Associated Press)
Adou Thiero fought to get back on the court and make his NBA debut. It was only right that his teammates would fight for him to commemorate the moment.
After the second-round pick scored four points in his first NBA action Saturday, including an emphatic two-handed dunk in the final minute of the win, Jarred Vanderbilt made sure to grab the game ball. He clutched it tightly as referee Pat Fraher tried to take it back. LaRavia and Doncic soon joined for backup, explaining they wanted to keep it for Thiero.
Eventually, it was Giannis Antetokounmpo who took the ball back from a Bucks staffer and handed it to Doncic, who wanted to deliver the meaningful memento to the Lakers’ rookie.
“I think he can be a great player,” Doncic told reporters. “He’s physical. He can jump out of the gym. And, you know, he’s a fighter.”
Redick and the coaching staff were mindful that the situation could have been difficult for Thiero. He didn’t get a preseason or a training camp. The rookie was coming off an injury and playing in the first half while making his NBA debut.
But Thiero made a good first impression.
He scrambled for an offensive rebound that led to a three-pointer from Kleber in the first quarter. He played a quick two-minute stint in the first half then returned in mop-up duty during the fourth quarter, scoring his first points on two made free throws that had the Lakers on their feet celebrating.
Then his two-handed dunk in transition sent the Lakers’ bench into pandemonium.
“Coming down and seeing everybody flexing all over the bench,” Thiero said, “it was just a good feeling for everybody to be happy for me.”
When Thiero returned to the locker room, it felt like a release. He told teammates he had waited seven months for that.
He suffered a hyperextended knee while playing for Arkansas on Feb. 22 and missed eight games. The Razorbacks’ leading scorer and rebounder returned in the NCAA regional semifinal but played just six minutes off the bench as Arkansas lost to Texas Tech. He got surgery after the college season and said at Lakers media day he was still working through some swelling in his knee.
“You could tell how hard he works,” Reaves said. “The time that he’s in the gym. He’s had some unfortunate injuries here and there, but really good kid, wants to do the right things, always on time. Just good character.”
On tap
By reader request, we’ll include a brief lookahead section previewing the upcoming week’s games. This one is easy: The Lakers host Utah on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in their only game this week.
The Jazz (5-8) lost center Walker Kessler to a season-ending shoulder surgery, but are led by forward Lauri Markkanen’s 30.6 points and 6.2 rebounds. The Finnish forward scored 47 points in the Jazz’s double-overtime win over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday in which guard Keyonte George hit the game-winning three with two seconds left. The third-year guard is averaging career-highs in points (22.2) and assists (seven).
Favorite thing I ate this week
The Cuban burrito from Cafe Kacao in Oklahoma City.
(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)
I have beef with Oklahoma City. Out of loyalty to my hometown, I will carry this vendetta until at least the NBA expands back to Seattle. But I allow myself to praise precisely one thing in that city and it’s the Cuban burrito at Cafe Kacao. It’s packed with vaca frita (shredded beef with sauteed onions), plantains, black beans and rice. The sweet and savory drizzle of plantain sauce and garlic sauce is the perfect topping.
WASHINGTON — Alex Ovechkin scored his 903rd career NHL goal and the Washington Capitals beat the Kings 2-1 on Monday night.
Matt Roy also scored for the Capitals, who ended a two-game losing skid to gain some traction in the standings.
Anze Kopitar scored for the Kings, who had won four straight. It was just their second regulation road loss of the season.
The Kings played without defenseman Drew Doughty. He is week to week with a lower-body injury after being injured Saturday against the Ottawa Senators.
Washington opened the scoring early, as Roy got to the front of the net and tipped Aliaksei Protas’ point shot past Darcy Kuemper. It was Roy’s first goal in 25 games, dating back to last season.
In the second period, Ovechkin crashed the crease before burying a behind-the-net feed from Connor McMichael. Ovechkin, who has goals in back-to-back games and three of his last four, passed Gordie Howe for the most regular-season goals scored at a single venue in NHL history with his 442nd at Capital One Arena.
Kopitar pulled the Kings to within one with his third goal of the season with 6:33 left in the second. He tapped in a backdoor feed from Corey Perry on the power play. Washington has given up a power-play goal in three straight games and five of the last six.
Despite a rally, the Kings couldn’t beat Charlie Lindgren, who stopped 30 of 31 shots for his second win of the season after losing his last four starts.
Kuemper stopped 23 of 25 in the defeat.
Up next for the Kings: Close out a six-game road trip against the Sharks on Thursday.
A game-winning trick play from the Baltimore Ravens’ Mark Andrews and a stunning catch by the Los Angeles Chargers’ Keenan Allen top the best plays from week 11 in the NFL.
Remember the brave, talented theater students at Eliot Arts magnet school who lost their school, homes and theater to January’s Eaton fire and went on to perform their spring musical, “Shrek Jr.,” to a sold-out crowd at the Ahmanson Theatre?
Those kids are still displaced from their school, but not from the tenacious community spirit that guided them through the aftermath of that trauma. Their next chapter: a four-day, three-night class trip to New York City to see the sights and attend Broadway shows and workshops.
“After ‘Shrek’ last spring, I sat down with a group of my advanced theater students, and I said, ‘Dream big. What else would you want in your fantasy world?’ Big things have happened for us this semester after the fires,” their drama teacher, Mollie Lief, said in a phone interview. “And they said, ‘We want to go to New York City.’ And I just thought, ‘OK, we’re gonna make this happen.’”
The class has now met its initial $75,000 fundraising goal toward “Broadway Bound: A drama and dance trip to NYC,” which Lief will lead along with dance teacher Billy Rugh, who choreographed “Shrek Jr.” The funds, which will help cover the partial or full cost of taking 61 seventh and eighth graders to the Big Apple from April 7-10, were raised in about 28 days through a school fundraising campaign app called SnapRaise.
Lief credited actor Gillian Jacobs — who Lief calls “our fairy godmother” — with spreading the word to friends in film and TV, which is why the initial goal was met so quickly. Fundraising remains ongoing for the trip, as well as the school’s spring musical, but the class can now rest easy that everyone will be able to go.
“I think everybody was skeptical that we were going to be able to raise that much money and make it happen. But if Eliot’s good at anything, we are good at making big things happen,” said Lief.
Speaking of which: The other really big thing that Lief wants for the kids is a meeting with Broadway superstar and “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda. Miranda sent a personal message of support to the students via video when they performed at the Ahmanson, so he’s aware of them and their extraordinary story.
“They just love him,” Lief said of Miranda. “We had a Lin-Manuel Miranda day for Hispanic Heritage Month, and everybody dressed up as him or a character from one of his shows. They are all obviously obsessed with ‘Hamilton,’ which is a show we’re trying to see when we’re in New York.”
Three Broadway shows are part of the trip’s itinerary, as well as a theater and dance workshop or two. Also on the agenda: plenty of New York pizza, a jaunt through Central Park, a sightseeing cruise and a Big Bus tour.
“They’re super pumped,” Lief said of the kids who are currently rehearsing for their newest show, “The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood.”
On our radar
Grant Gershon will conduct the Los Angeles Master Chorale in David Lang’s “before and after nature” Sunday at Walt Disney Concert Hall.
(Jamie Phan / Los Angeles Master Chorale)
before and after nature The fall’s third and largest major environment-themed work is David Lang’s “before and after nature,” an evening-length score that was commissioned by the Los Angeles Master Chorale and had its premiere in the spring at Stanford University in conjunction with the Doerr School of Sustainability. Here, Lang explores, in his almost Hildegard-like glowing vocal writing, the human relationship with a nature that doesn’t need us, or want us, yet we insist on being the center of everything and making an inevitable mess of it. The instrumental ensemble is Bang on a Can All-Stars (Lang having been a founder of the New York music institution). The performance includes a video component by Tal Rosner, and Grant Gershon conducts. — Mark Swed 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. lamasterchorale.org
A 1989 billboard poster about museum representation by the Guerrilla Girls.
(Getty Research Institute)
How to Be a Guerrilla Girl The Guerrilla Girls famously shield their identity by wearing gorilla masks in public, but this show will unveil “how-to” information on their effective techniques of data research, distribution and culture jamming. Drawing on the witty protest group’s early archives, acquired in 2008 by the Getty Research Institute, their 40th anniversary will be celebrated by an exhibition of materials outlining the collaborative process that goes into their ongoing demands for art world equity for women and artists of color. A selection from their dozens of posters and ads will be displayed. — Christopher Knight Tuesday through April 12, 2026. Getty Center, Research Institute Galleries, 1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles. getty.edu
The Broadway production of the musical “Suffs.”
(Joan Marcus)
Suffs This musical by Shaina Taub, which won Tony Awards for book and original score, turns the history of the 20th century American women’s suffrage movement into a show that rallies the spirit of democracy. The plot follows Alice Paul and a new generation of radical activists who are testing new tactics in the fight to secure women the right to vote. During the Broadway run, Hillary Clinton, one of the show’s high-profile producers, went on the stump for “Suffs,” endorsing its much-needed lesson that progress is possible, if never guaranteed. — Charles McNulty Wednesday through Dec. 7. Hollywood Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. broadwayinhollywood.com
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The week ahead: A curated calendar
FRIDAY
Olga de Amaral, “Gran Muro, Panel 7B,” 1976. Cotton, wool, horsehair, sisal and/or jute, rayon, nylon, raffia. 130 x 175 in.
(Mark Waldhauser / Photo from Lisson Gallery)
Olga de Amaral This solo exhibition of work from the Colombian artist’s six-decade career emphasizes her use of weaving, painting and sculpture, with variable scale, form and materials, including linen, wool, horsehair, Japanese paper, acrylic and precious metals. Opening, 6-8 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Lisson Gallery, 1037 N. Sycamore Ave. Los Angeles. lissongallery.com
60 Miles East: Riverside’s Underground Punk Rock, Hardcore & Ska Scene, from the late 1980s to early 2000s An exhibit of photography devoted to a distinctive music scene that made the most of its outsider existence in exploding exurbia. Riverside Museum of Art, Art Alliance Gallery, 3425 Mission Inn Ave. riversideartmuseum.org
SATURDAY
Yaphet Kotto, Sigourney Weaver and Ian Holm in the 1979 film “Alien.”
(Robert Penn / 20th Century Fox)
Alien Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi classic screens in 35 mm to capture all of its oozing, Xenomorphic chest-bursting glory. Sigourney Weaver, Ian Holm, Yaphet Kotto and Tom Skerritt star. 7:30 p.m. Academy Museum, 6067 Wilshire Blvd. academymuseum.org
Creative Continuities: Family, Pride and Community in Native Art Three contemporary Plains Indian artists, John Pepion (Blackfeet), Brocade Stops Black Eagle (Crow) and Jessa Rae Growing Thunder (Dakota/Nakoda), each curated a section of this exhibition exploring aspects of Native culture through the lens of works created by their ancestors. Saturday-June 2027. Autry Museum of the American West, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park. theautry.org
Jlin A 2023 Pulitzer Prize finalist, the electronic music composer a.k.a. Jerrilynn Patton’s latest album featured collaborations with Philip Glass, Björk and Kronos Quartet. 8 p.m. Saturday. UCLA Nimoy Theater, 1262 Westwood Blvd. cap.ucla.edu
Baratunde Thurston will perform Saturday at Carpenter Center.
(Roy Rochlin / Getty Images for Unfinished Live)
An Evening with Baratunde Thurston The comedian and futurist ponders interrelationships between people, nature and technologies through stories. 8 p.m. Carpenter Center, 6200 E. Atherton St., Long Beach. carpenterarts.org
SUNDAY Radical Histories: Chicano Prints from the Smithsonian American Art Museum Six decades of art featuring 60 works by 40 or so artists and collectives that reflects an era of rebellion and cultural solidarity. Through March 2, 2026. The Huntington, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. huntington.org
Something’s Gotta Give The American Cinematheque’s tribute to Diane Keaton continues with director Nancy Meyers’ 2003 romantic comedy co-starring Jack Nicholson, Amanda Peet and Keanu Reeves. Meyers joins film critic Katie Walsh for a Q&A. 7 p.m. Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica. americancinematheque.com
Takács Quartet The chamber music ensemble performs a program featuring works by Joseph Haydn, Clarice Assad and Claude Debussy. 4 p.m. Broad Stage at Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center, 1310 11th St. broadstage.org
TUESDAY Brahms Strings Members of the L.A. Phil perform contemporary American composer Jessie Montgomery’s “Strum” as well as19th century masterworks by Johannes Brahms. 8 p.m. Tuesday. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com
THURSDAY Lonnie Holley and Moor Mother The two artists collaborate for an evening of free jazz and spoken word rooted in Afrofuturism. 7:30 p.m. The Wallis, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills. thewallis.org
Prieto The L.A. premiere of poet and performance artist Yosimar Reyes dives into his experience growing up queer in East San Jose. 8 p.m. Thursday; 8 p.m. Nov. 21-22; 2 p.m. Nov. 23. The Rosenthal Theater at Inner-City Arts, 720 Kohler St., Los Angeles. brownpapertickets.com
New Original Works (NOW) The third weekend of REDCAT’s annual festival of experimental performance features a program of works by Lu Coy, jeremy de’jon guyton and Luna Izpisua Rodriguez. 8 p.m Thursday-Saturday. REDCAT, 631 W. 2nd St., downtown L.A.redcat.org
Shelley Conducts Carmen and Daphnis and Chloe Artistic and music director designate Alexander Shelley conducts the Pacific Symphony in a program of Bizet and Ravel, as well composer/pianist Gabriel Montero’s “Latin Concerto.” 8 p.m Thursday; 8 p.m. Nov. 21-22. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. pacificsymphony.org
Culture news and the SoCal scene
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art has officially set its opening date for Sept. 22, 2026. The Times got an exclusive peek at a few interiors, including the research library and the entrance lobby. We also took some great photos of the building as it currently looks and made a short video. Take a peek.
Times classical music critic Mark Swed weighs in on opera’s “long and curious fetish for the convent” in his review of Sarah Kirkland Snider’s “sincere and compelling ‘Hildegard.’” L.A. Opera’s collaboration with Beth Morrison Projects is based on “a real-life 12th century abbess and present-day cult figure, St. Hildegard von Bingen.” The show, which premiered at the Wallis last week, “operates as much as a passion play as an opera,” Swed writes.
Swed also took in a show featuring Zubin Mehta, the 89-year-old Los Angeles Philharmonic’s conductor emeritus, as he led the orchestra in Bruckner’s Eighth Symphony. Swed calls Mehta “a living L.A. icon.”
Times theater critic Charles McNulty touched down in New York City to review “The Queen of Versailles,” an adaptation of Lauren Greenfield’s 2012 documentary about a family building a supersized American home. McNulty found the musical unwieldy despite Michael Arden’s superb direction, but he reserved special praise for its star, Kristin Chenoweth, “who is bearing the weight of a McMansion musical on her diminutive frame and making it seem like she’s hoisting nothing heavier than a few overstuffed Hermes, Prada and Chanel shopping bags.”
Sculptures by the entrance of the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena.
(Etienne Laurent / For The Times)
I enjoyed writing about the $15-million renovation of the Norton Simon Museum, which has been unveiled in tandem with the organization’s 50th anniversary. In addition to new signage, improved curb appeal and a more accessible pedestrian entryway, the museum restored the 115,000 Heath tiles that clad the building’s exterior.
Times art critic Christopher Knight has the scoop on trouble at the Palm Springs Art Museum, which is facing a trustee revolt after hiring its new director, Christine Vendredi — the fourth such leader in just seven years. A week after the hire, “the chair of the search committee tasked with filling that position, trustee Patsy Marino, resigned from the museum’s board citing ‘inappropriate interference and attempts to influence the process’ on the part of the museum’s executive committee, individual trustees and other unidentified museum staff and donors,” Knight writes. To date, 22 trustees have exited, and it has been revealed that no other candidates were interviewed for the role.
Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts announced a major departure: Robert van Leer is stepping down as executive director and chief executive of the Wallis to take on the role of the new performing arts program director of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Van Leer has been at the Wallis since April 2023, and was instrumental in inviting a host of prominent performing arts organizations to make the Wallis their home, including Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, L.A. Dance Project, Los Angeles Ballet, BODYTRAFFIC, and Tonality.
“Specter,” a sculptural installation for Desert X by L.A. artist Sterling Ruby, just outside Palm Springs in 2019.
(Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)
Big changes are coming to Desert X as it plans its sixth exhibition in the Coachella Valley, and its 10th worldwide. Over the past decade, the organization has commissioned more than 100 artists to create site-specific work in the desert. For its 10th anniversary exhibition, Desert X has announced new dates and an extended timeline. The next show is scheduled to open on Oct. 30, 2027, and will run through May 7, 2028, to coincide with other important area cultural events including the Palm Springs International Film Festival, Modernism Week, Frieze Los Angeles and the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
Carol Burnett has endowed a new scholarship at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. The annual award will support undergraduate students in the school’s Ray Bolger Musical Theater Program. The inaugural scholarship has been awarded to first-year theater major Alexa Cruz.
— Jessica Gelt
And last but not least
Looking for a decadent holiday gift for an art lover? How about a $295 chocolate bar made by andSons Chocolatiers in collaboration with Ed Ruscha? The 73% Peruvian dark chocolate bar is an edition of 300 and comes in a cloth-bound box, which, according to the Beverly Hills-based chocolate company’s website, features “a reproduction of Ruscha’s 1971 lithograph ‘Made in California’” and “bears the relief of the West Coast’s rugged topography from the Pacific Ocean eastward to the Santa Lucia Mountains.”
