#299: VCRs are buzzing again in the city...that's right! Watching a movie on VHS is back! But in 2024, with streaming and Blu-Ray, why watch something on tape? HTLA producer Victoria Alejandro spoke with VHS vendors, collectors, and other tape aficionados around the city (including filmmaker Vera Drew of "The People's Joker") to understand the subculture, the community, and let YOU know why tapes are back, baby! Guests: Filmmaker Vera Drew, head of Altered Innocence Frank Jaffe, Michelle Halac a...
Jul 18, 2024•18 min•Ep. 299
We are back with another installment of LA on the Margins — USC student produced profiles of people in our community who are working through the many challenges life in the city can throw at you. In this final episode, we meet a reggae artist who is trying to make it in this beautiful, complicated city... and supporting his art by driving for Uber. Through reporter Yundie Li, we learn about his struggle with balancing the "city of the gig worker" with the "city of creativity." Take a listen....
Jul 17, 2024•20 min
We're back with another installment of LA On The Margins, a collection of stories produced by students at USC. This time, reporter Sophie Sullivan takes us to the largest jail in LA County — a jail considered by many to be uninhabitable, and which, in 2021, was ordered closed by L.A. County Supervisors due to "inhumane conditions." But the jail still stands today. In this episode, we hear from families whose loved ones died while in custody of the jail and who now seek answers as to why. A warni...
Jul 16, 2024•26 min
#298: Did you know that we are in the middle of kitten season? It's a super busy time for shelter workers, cat rescues, and the many Angelenos who volunteer their time to help save cats. Today we are talking about those folks and what’s being done in L.A. and OC to try to improve the lives of free-roaming cats in Southern California. According to L.A.'s Department of Animal Services, there’s about 960,000 of them in the city of L.A. alone. Read more at LAist: ‘Kitten season’ sounds cute, but it’...
Jul 15, 2024•14 min•Ep. 298
#297: Looking to escape the heat this summer? Well, look no further than LA's biggest swimming pool. We've got the team here with Brian in LAist's Studio B to share our favorite coastal recommendations, whether you're looking for a place to have quiet picnic or you're learning to tandem surf with your dog. All summer we'll have more recommendations for more ways to spend your weekend, so keep an ear out!
Jul 12, 2024•19 min•Ep. 297
#296: Flavors From Afar is a caterer and soon to be restaurant in East Hollywood. As part of the nonprofit TIYAA Foundation, Flavors From Afar also hosts a culinary training program for folks from all over the globe who are new to this city. Consisting of migrants and refugees resettling in L.A. and looking for work, it's an 8 week training program designed to teach aspiring chefs everything from knife skills to applying for licenses. Associate editor Aaricka Washington checked out a class and i...
Jul 10, 2024•12 min•Ep. 296
#141: Ok - no more Cheap Fast Eats... But we've still got a great holiday treat for y'all. Maybe something to do this weekend to beat the heat? Today, we're revisiting the time Brian and Evan went down the LA River in a kayak. Original episode description below: Whitewater kayaking might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you picture the L.A. River. Too much concrete, right? Not enough water? Well, think again. Kayaking the L.A. River officially became legal in 2011 when the EPA decl...
Jul 08, 2024•18 min•Ep. 141
LA was rocked on March 4 when Dave Fink, a golf influencer, posted a viral video on Instagram detailing how brokers - largely using a Korean messenger app- were snatching up prime time tees at Los Angeles’ public golf courses and reselling them. Here’s how an unlikely crew of golf enthusiasts’ fight to keep golf in L.A. accessible and affordable is paying off. Host Antonia Cereijido reports. Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHO...
Jul 07, 2024•43 min
Passing the Mantle is a new podcast from LAist Studios about family, curiosity and the things that change — and stay the same — across generations. It's co-hosted by Larry Mantle, host of LAist 89.3’s AirTalk , the longest-running daily talk show in Southern California, and his son Desmond Mantle. Even though Desmond is in law school pursuing a different career, he shares his dad’s fascination with the world and drive to understand why things are the way they are. Diving into topics like gender ...
Jul 06, 2024•2 min
BONUS: The Tournament of Cheeseburgers is over! And we have your winner. Read alll about it here: https://laist.com/news/food/drumroll-please-we-announce-the-winner-of-the-laist-tournament-of-cheeseburgers This pop up joint along with some of the runner ups will be at Smorgasburg at The Row in DTLA this Sunday! Make sure to check out the free event and enjoy some excellent food. RSVP here: https://laist.com/events/tournament-of-cheeseburgers-at-smorgasburg-la To honor this delicious moment we ar...
Jul 05, 2024•57 min
#284: Happy 4th of July! It's the last day of our holiday Cheap Fast Eats marathon. Whether you're hosting the BBQ for your family and friends - OR you're just kicking it solo - if you're anything like us, the summer is all about FOOD. So kick back and enjoy some fireworks, or protect your dog from the big spooky boom booms, and do it while noshing on some of the best food L.A. has to offer. Original episode description below: Gab. Brian. Food. You know the drill — Cheap Fast Eats is back! This ...
Jul 04, 2024•20 min•Ep. 284
#239: Today we're continuing our holiday marathon of Cheap Fast Eats! Whether you're hosting the BBQ for your family and friends - OR you're just kicking it solo - if you're anything like us, the summer is all about FOOD. So kick back and enjoy some fireworks, or protect your dog from the big spooky boom booms, and do it while noshing on some of the best food L.A. has to offer. Original episode description below: Cheap Fast Eats is back! Did you miss us? It's our monthly segment featuring LAist ...
Jul 03, 2024•22 min•Ep. 239
#193: What better way to celebrate the summer's favorite holiday than a marathon of Cheap Fast Eats! Whether you're hosting the BBQ for your family and friends - OR you're just kicking it solo - if you're anything like us, the summer is all about FOOD. So kick back and enjoy some fireworks, or protect your dog from the big spooky boom booms, and do it while noshing on some of the best food L.A. has to offer. Original description below: It's Cheap Fast Eats time again, and that means LAist food e...
Jul 02, 2024•19 min•Ep. 193
#134: The great thing about Los Angeles is that you can do the urban thing – go to museums, clubs, concerts and eat at good restaurants – and you can get out in nature whenever you want... or need. There are ton a beautiful parks, sunset spots and hiking trails right in the middle of the city. Or if you are feeling more adventurous, you can venture out to farther flung places across the county. Last fall we asked our listeners for their favorite places to get outdoors and we turned it into an ep...
Jul 01, 2024•10 min•Ep. 134
Carol Kwang Park was 12 years old, working as a cashier at her family’s gas station in Compton, California, when the 1992 LA Uprising forever changed her life. Her mom was at the gas station that day and Carol was unsure if she’d even make it home. At the time, she didn’t understand why tensions came to a head in Los Angeles, following the acquittal of the officers who beat Rodney King. She also never understood why her mother insisted on keeping the business going, especially after the Uprising...
Jun 30, 2024•43 min
#295: Don't get us wrong, we LOVE Los Angeles... but sometimes we just gotta get out. You know the feeling? Well, if you're looking for some inspiration for some summer day-trips, about 3 hours or less away from the city, we got you covered. From Santa Cruz Island to Idyllwild, we have some of suggestions for high adventure and a few ideas if you just want to chill and enjoy a new scene. Check out the recs from the team... and from some of you!
Jun 28, 2024•24 min•Ep. 295
Today we have another story from LA On The Margins, the collection of stories produced by students at USC where every episode we profile an Angeleno struggling in some way to make it in this city. This time, a transition home that aims to help those who’ve struggled with their mental health and/or a history of addiction. For years, LA county has funded programs to address cycles of incarceration and homelessness that often affect those suffering from mental illness and substance abuse. People wo...
Jun 27, 2024•18 min
Editor's Note: We mistakenly said in the version of this podcast that the Paris Olympics started at the end of June. It kicks off at the end of July and THAT will start the countdown until the games come to Los Angeles in 2028. During the 2028 games, the L.A. Memorial Coliseum will again host the track and field and Para Athletics events, making it the only stadium in history to host these competitions for three different Olympic Games. To celebrate this milestone, we want to revisit the Coliseu...
Jun 26, 2024•23 min•Ep. 147
Today we're bringing you another installment of LA on the Margins. This is a collection of pieces produced by students at USC, which profile people in our community as they work through the many challenges we face in our city. Along South L.A.’s Figueroa Corridor, activists have been calling for the closure of motels they say are complicit in sex trafficking and drug dealing. A campaign called “Free The Land,” run by the nonprofit Community Coalition, seeks to shut these businesses down and conv...
Jun 25, 2024•16 min
#294: We're back with another installment of our How To Not Be Lonely In LA series. Today, we're talking about volunteering your time to a cause, and how doing so can make you feel a lot less alone. Call it selfish, but doing some community service is a really great way to create connections, broaden your perspective of life, and ultimately give you a greater sense of belonging. Producer Megan Botel is at Growing Hope Gardens in Santa Monica to get her hands dirty in some soil and talk about the...
Jun 24, 2024•17 min•Ep. 294
Part 4: Host Antonia Cereijido speaks with negotiations expert Victoria Medvec about how to make the best possible deal. Medvec also helps identify ways the Colorado River water rights representatives could still change tactics and reach an agreement before time runs out. Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise Listen to Reimagining Democracy for A Good Life, hosted by longtime equity advocate Angela Glover Blackw...
Jun 23, 2024•24 min
#293: Social Calendar is back! This time with comedian and tv writer Chris Estrada. He's the co-creator and star of Hulu's This Fool, and today he's sharing his favorite memories of serial killers in parks and giving some recs on how to best spend your weekend in LA. Join HTLA host Brian De Los Santos and guest co-host Antonia Cerejido for some LA history, documentary recommendations, and some ideas to spruce up your summer nights.
Jun 21, 2024•22 min•Ep. 293
We are back with another installment of LA on the Margins — USC student produced profiles of people in our community who are working through the many challenges life in the city can throw you. Today: Hunger. About 30% of households in LA County are food insecure. Reporter Nova Blanco Rio explores this shocking statistic through intimate snapshots of his time volunteering with food distribution organization Seeds of Hope. For more information about Seeds Of Hope and how you can help, or be helped...
Jun 20, 2024•15 min
#292: Juneteenth marks the day federal troops showed up in Galveston, Texas in 1865 – two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed – to tell enslaved Black people that slavery was over. The first Juneteenth celebration was held in Texas the following year, and then the celebrations spread. Here in L.A., the Leonard family is credited with bringing the tradition from the Lone Star State to Leimert Park . Ariyana Leonard and AyEsha Leonard McLaughlin are the daughters of Jon...
Jun 19, 2024•9 min•Ep. 292
Over the next few weeks, HTLA is bringing you a series of stories produced by journalism students at USC: L.A. On The Margins. The series profiles Angelenos who have struggled with things like mental health, food insecurity and homelessness. In this first episode, reporter Liv Kelleher follows the journey of a young performer as he tries to “make it” in Hollywood — with a nearby Panera Bread as his office, a Planet Fitness as his shower and his car as his only home base....
Jun 18, 2024•16 min
#291: Back in 2014, leaked audio of L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling making racist comments caused a firestorm. There were calls for him to step down, for Clippers players to boycott their own games, and for the league to do something. Fairly quickly, the NBA did. But the story didn’t end there. In 2019, a podcast series from ESPN’s 30 for 30 called The Sterling Affairs explored how the whole saga went down with interviews with Clippers players, former coach Doc Rivers, and Shelly Sterling, D...
Jun 17, 2024•24 min•Ep. 291
Part 3: JB Hamby and the other lead negotiators on the Colorado River have to come up with a long term solution to manage the river in the face of climate change. Will they reach a deal before it’s too late? LAist correspondent Emily Guerin examines how JB's position on water has dramatically evolved since he first won office a few years ago. She brings us back to the current water negotiations as the conflict between the Upper and Lower Basins becomes very public, and JB struggles to convince I...
Jun 16, 2024•41 min
#290: Today we're doing one of our favorite thing on HTLA: exploting – and eating – LA's rich food scene. Every heard of Black tacos? Or as some people refer to them: Black people tacos? Well, they're a thing, especially in LA, and they are delicious. Think traditional soul food spices and braised meats with all the Mexican fixins' that Angelenos love. We love our tacos here in LA, and today we're exploring the origins and evolutions of the Black taco. And we eat at Sky's Gourmet Tacos. Guests: ...
Jun 14, 2024•21 min•Ep. 290
#289: "The deadly weed with its roots in hell" is here on Hollywood Boulevard! A new production of the musical "Reefer Madness," based on the cult classic 1936 black and white film, has opened in Los Angeles at the Whitley Theater. In this episode, HTLA producer Victoria Alejandro talks with host Brian De Los Santos about some Hollywood history, and brings us a chat with actress and producer Kristen Bell. You can check out HTLA's earlier story on Hollywood history here: https://laist.com/brief/n...
Jun 12, 2024•16 min•Ep. 289
#288: Today, we're meeting up again with one of our favorite L.A. history lovers, Etan Rosenbloom (of Etan Does LA ), to check out a special Los Angeles landmark. Hollyhock House , designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright and completed in 1921, is located within Barnsdall Art Park in East Hollywood. It's the only UNESCO World Heritage site in the city of L.A. Guests: Etan Rosenbloom; Abbey Chamberlain Brach, curator of Hollyhock House...
Jun 10, 2024•21 min•Ep. 288
