#166: Back in the late 1800s, California leaders got together to rewrite the state's constitution. It was proposed that all government documents should only be written in English and that official business only be spoken in English. That proposal was soon adopted, effectively banning Spanish for official use, despite promises made after the end of Mexican-American war to create space for the language. It's a decision that continued to affect California classrooms decades later. But one higher ed...
Oct 16, 2023•18 min•Ep. 166
This is How To LA – the podcast that helps you navigate this city. I’m Brian De Los Santos. To close out this week, we bring you the third episode from Imperfect Paradise: Nury & The Secret Tapes – an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the biggest political scandal in recent Los Angeles history. In this episode, Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijido presses former L.A. City Council President Nury Martinez to account for the racist, demeaning comments she made on the secret recording tha...
Oct 13, 2023•54 min
#165: Pumpkin spiced lattes. Yoga pants. Uggs. Cozy blankets. Hot spiked cider... Today, How To LA is getting real basic, real fast by celebrating a true basic girl's favorite season: fall AKA the spooky season. Follow along as host Brian De Los Santos and producer Megan Botel channel their inner fall basic girls and map out a festive, thematic, spooky SZN LA day that we should ALL try out. Our Best Basic Girl Fall Suggestions: 1. Starbuck's pumpkin spiced latte 2. Superba pumpkin milk latte 3. ...
Oct 12, 2023•17 min•Ep. 165
#164: Today, we're joined again by friend of the pod Antonia Cereijido, host of the LAist Studios podcast Imperfect Paradise, to talk about Part 3 of their latest series: “Nury & the Secret Tapes.” It’s an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the L.A. City Council tape scandal that rocked Los Angeles, and became national news, a year ago. On the secretly recorded tapes, then-L.A. City Council President Nury Martinez, council members Gil Cedillo, Kevin De León and labor leader Ron Herrera tal...
Oct 11, 2023•26 min•Ep. 164
#34: We're revisiting one of our favorite neighborhoods – deemed the best place to trick or treat in LA – in honor of Spooky Season. This episode first aired on November 15, 2022. In our latest trip through one of LA's neighborhoods, we hook up with HTLA listener and reader Andrea Martinez Gonzalez to take a tour of Angelino Heights, one of the oldest areas in the city. It's got some of the coolest and most diverse architecture around from Victorians to Craftsmans but, like so many places in LA,...
Oct 10, 2023•11 min•Ep. 34
#163: You know the saying...the rent is too damn high! No place is that truer than in L.A. In recent years there's been different measures happening in cities across the county to try and manage extreme rent hikes. It's a battle that goes back decades in the city of L.A., beginning with the onset of U.S. involvement in World War II. LAist's LA Explained Reporter Caitlin Hernández gets into the history with HTLA host Brian De Los Santos, and talks about where things stand today in L.A. Guest: Cai...
Oct 09, 2023•15 min•Ep. 163
This is How To LA – the podcast that helps you navigate this city. I’m Brian De Los Santos. We’re back with the 2nd episode from Imperfect Paradise: Nury & The Secret Tapes – an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the biggest political scandal in recent Los Angeles history. To better understand the scandal and the painful issues of race and politics it raised, in this episode, Imperfect Paradise’s host Antonia Cereijido explores: How former council President Nury Martinez’s background influe...
Oct 06, 2023•47 min
#162: Bowling, bento & burgers, oh my! That's right, it's time for another Cheap Fast Eats, and you know what that means... LAist food editor Gab Chabran is taking Brian on a culinary tour of delicious (and wallet-friendly) meals and snacks. This time they're in Gardena, and they're hitting up everything from Hawaiian diner-slash-bowling alleys to walk-through burger windows. Restaurants visited: Gardena Bowl, Tokyo Central (Gindaco USA and Tenkatori USA) and Pitburger...
Oct 05, 2023•17 min•Ep. 162
#161: I know it doesn’t really feel like it yet, but the colder months are coming. And sorry to say but that means more people getting sick – with colds, the flu, and COVID – in LA. That comes with spending more time indoors, and doing the whole holiday travel thing. Already there’s been a bump in reported COVID cases, especially as people return to the office in person. To get a sense of what to expect this fall, and find out all we need to know about the new COVID vaccine , we spoke to LAist s...
Oct 04, 2023•13 min•Ep. 161
#160: As we've told you, L.A. is the the epicenter of fast fashion in the US, but there's a lot of people here working to make the industry more sustainable. We'll talk about what sustainable fashion is, who is doing it and what is means for the garment district downtown. Today, How To LA host Brian De Los Santos and producer Megan Botel head downtown to chat with Mary Price, founder of the sustainable fashion brand Ocean + Main, at her design studio. After working for larger fashion companies f...
Oct 03, 2023•23 min•Ep. 160
#159: The Writers Guild of America strike came to an end last week. This week, members will vote to ratify the contract. That appears to be on course as — at first review — the deal seems to be a good one, with provisions on streaming residuals and limits on the use of AI. For a better understanding on where things go from here, How to LA brings back two writers we spoke to when the picketing began back in May. Guests: WGA captain and writer Caroline Renard; TV writer Rafael Agustin. Here are so...
Oct 02, 2023•18 min•Ep. 159
This is How To LA , the podcast that helps you navigate this city. I’m Brian De Los Santos. I want to share with you another podcast from LAist Studios that I think you’ll really want to listen to: Imperfect Paradise: Nury & The Secret Tapes. For the next few weeks, we’ll be dropping episodes every Friday. Nury & The Secret Tapes is an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the biggest political scandal in recent Los Angeles history – one year later. The secret recording of then-LA City Cou...
Sep 29, 2023•42 min
#158: Destination Crenshaw. It's the multimillion L.A. City project spearheaded by the non-profit of the same name. It aims to revitalize the historic Black community with new parks, more trees and millions of dollars infused into the area's arts and culture. But like with change in any neighborhood, there's the inevitable question of what else it will bring. Will it become overcrowded? Will it become to expensive to rent an apartment? Will its be residents ultimately be displaced? To understand...
Sep 28, 2023•17 min•Ep. 158
#157: It’s been almost one year since a secret recording of four powerful Latino leaders in Los Angeles leaked to the public, setting off one of the biggest political scandals in L.A. history. Then-City Council President Nury Martinez, Councilmembers Gil Cedillo and Kevin De León, and labor leader Ron Herrera were caught on tape making racist, demeaning comments about Indigenous people, Black Angelenos (including a city councilmember's child), and Black political power. And it was all in the con...
Sep 27, 2023•16 min•Ep. 157
#156: The Los Angeles Public Library is 150! LAPL has 72 branches throughout LA, and is one of the largest library systems in the country. In honor or this special anniversary, How To LA producer Megan Botel is exploring Central Library in downtown LA. It's an architectural GEM of 538 thousand square feet and 89 miles of shelving. Learn about the history of Los Angeles Public Library, going back to its beginnings in 1872, as well as some of the most brilliant features of the Central Library buil...
Sep 26, 2023•23 min•Ep. 156
#155: Student loan payments resume next month. Host Brian De Los Santos talks to NPR's Cory Turner about what people need to know right now. Then, LAist reporter Julia Barajas tells us how we got to this point, where we have so much student loan debt in the US, and the role California plays in that. You can find Cory's 12 key things borrowers need to know here: https://www.npr.org/2023/08/31/1196875027/student-loan-repayment-forgiveness And here's Julia's deep dive explainer into loan history: h...
Sep 25, 2023•22 min•Ep. 155
#128: Want to finish your week strong with some delicious conchas? Well, we've got you covered. Today we're revisiting one of our favorite food segments: the search for LA's best concha. And keep your eye out for a special holiday concha episode in the coming weeks! Everyone loves a fresh concha – that warm, doughy center with the crunchy cookie shell on the top could send any Angeleno's heart a'flutter. Today, Brian's taking LAist food editor Gab Chabran on a concha crawl. We're exploring the h...
Sep 22, 2023•22 min•Ep. 128
#154: We're returning to the LA River today, this time on foot, not by kayak. Host Brian De Los Santos and HTLA producer Victoria Alejandro headed on over to Frogtown to hang out by the river and hear from two members of the Fifty-One Miles team. That's a project led by landscape architecture graduate students at USC who set out to walk all fifty one miles of the river over 6 days in early August. We'll hear how that was both a fun way to discover all the surprises the river holds, and how hangi...
Sep 21, 2023•15 min•Ep. 154
#153: The City Hall leaked tape incident last year, combined with several corruption scandals involving councilmembers in the past few years, have led to this moment: There’s now more momentum than ever behind some major reforms. There are three main proposals that would significantly impact how the city is governed. They have to deal with redistricting, revamping the ethics commission and expanding the city council. BTW, did you know that the number of city council seats (15) hasn't changed in ...
Sep 20, 2023•15 min•Ep. 153
#152: This month, How To LA is putting the spotlight on LA landmarks that are turning 100 this year – all to celebrate our FIRST birthday. Next up: The Hollywood Sign. Host Brian De Los Santos and producer Megan Botel take a hike up to the top of Mount Lee to the sign to speak with Jeff Zarrinnam of the Hollywood Sign Trust. Learn about the evolution of the iconic landmark since the original "Hollywoodland" sign was put up in 1923, and what it means as a cultural and industry icon for greater Lo...
Sep 19, 2023•21 min•Ep. 152
#151: Okay - the past couple days of clouds were a nice break from the hot weather. But love it or hate it... that L.A. heat is always just right around the corner. Controlling urban heat is a major issue: it touches everything from health, to the environment, to your wallet. And running the AC all day can cost a pretty penny, assuming you're not one of the 20% of Angelenos who live without AC. This is where cool roofs come in. It's L.A.'s new-fangled solution that got its start a couple thousan...
Sep 18, 2023•15 min•Ep. 151
#150: Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown on Friday, which means friends and friends will gather together for Shabbat. It turns out that all around LA, every Friday, you can find a Shabbat dinner to attend – and you do not have to be Jewish. The non-profit OneTable that organizes these events says it's all about building community and practicing the long lost "art of gathering." HTLA producer Megan Botel chats with folks from OneTable and attended a recent OneTable Shabbat dinner. Guests: Dani Kohan...
Sep 15, 2023•23 min•Ep. 150
#149: As a Los Angeles-based film location scout/manager who’s been in the business for nearly 30 years, Rick Schuler has found lots of streets and buildings in downtown L.A. that can look like lots of other places. Places like Chicago, San Francisco, New York, Italy and Colombia. And different time periods too — like 1960s-era L.A. (for the 2019 film "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood") and L.A. in the “near future” (for the 2013 film "Her"). Schuler’s other film credits include "Seven" (1995), "Mr...
Sep 14, 2023•22 min•Ep. 149
#148: The Writers' and Actors' strikes continue to drag on with no deal in sight. It's starting to take its toll on these artists as its been months since many of them have made any income. Reports of evictions and other hardships are starting to hit the headlines. But some help could be available for those who need a little extra financial help. Guest: Keith McNutt. Executive Director, Western Region, Entertainment Community Fund (formerly known as the Actors Fund), which is helping creatives g...
Sep 13, 2023•16 min•Ep. 148
#147: The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is one of several L.A. landmarks hitting the century mark this year, and we thought it’d be fun to take a look back on them as we celebrate our one-year anniversary of How To LA this September. We explored The Biltmore Hotel downtown (if you haven’t listened to that episode already) and we’ll be featuring the story behind the Hollywood sign pretty soon. When it comes to the L.A. Coliseum (the "memorial" in the full name refers to the fact that the stadium ...
Sep 12, 2023•23 min•Ep. 147
#77: Brian's out today, so we're revisiting that time Evan took Meg on his bike route to work... and explored what it looks like to live Car-Free in Los Angeles. Please note, the Gold Line, as reference in this podcast, has been renamed the A Line. Lots of Angelinos live without a car – and hundreds of thousands of people here don't use a car in their daily commute. But... it is definitely NOT the norm. HTLA Producer Evan Jacoby recently joined the car-less when he switched to a bike last fall. ...
Sep 11, 2023•18 min•Ep. 77
#146: Nothing screams L.A. Summer like a summer cookout. For our ongoing event series, Culinary Connections, we invited some of our favorite chefs from Cheap Fast Eats to talk about how cookout culture shapes L.A.'s food scene... and of course, their favorite things to cook. If all this talk of free food, music, and awesome chefs makes you sorry you missed the event... Well, we missed you too! Make sure you catch the next one by heading over to LAist.com/events Interviewers: Gab Chabran, LAist F...
Sep 08, 2023•55 min•Ep. 146
#145: Now that you've recovered from Taylormania and the Beyhive hitting LA and SoFi Stadium, football season is HERE. The Rams AND the Chargers now share a stadium in Inglewood and the regular season games kick off September 10. We get the lowdown on everything you need to know to get ready for the season of pro football in LA even if you don't count yourself as a big fan. Guest: Sports Illustrated writer Gilberto Manzano.
Sep 07, 2023•14 min•Ep. 145
#144: Just a heads up there is some explicit language used towards the end of this episode. Please be advised. There have been MANY government scandals that have been exposed in our city. Just in the last year: Former LA Councilmember Mark Ridley Thomas was just sentenced to 42 months in prison plus 30-thousand in fines for corruption. Councilmember Curren Price was charged with multiple counts of embezzlement, perjury and conflict of interest earlier this summer. And last fall leaked racist tap...
Sep 06, 2023•13 min•Ep. 144
#143: Today we’re exploring one of L.A.’s most historic landmarks: the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. It celebrates its 100th birthday in October, and since How to LA just turned one (!) we thought it'd be fitting to feature some of the most iconic spots in Los Angeles that are hitting the century mark (Others to come: the LA Memorial Coliseum and the Hollywood sign). The Biltmore opened to the public in 1923 and it has such an interesting history, including becoming the place to be in ...
Sep 05, 2023•22 min•Ep. 143
