Climate Reality Check - LAist

Climate Reality Check

- Just 3 Oscar-nominated films pass new reviewThe Oscar-nominated films "Nyad," left, "Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One" and "Barbie."(Liz Parkinson/Netflix; Christian Black/Paramount Pictures and Skydance; Warner Bros. Pictures)
Topline:
A new test directed at writers, producers and other entertainment industry creatives, aims to measure the presence of climate change on screen by evaluating all 31 feature films nominated for any Academy Award this year.
Who passed? Very few films, although there are parameters on what was included.
Why it matters: "The test is, does climate change exist in the world of your story? And if so, does a character know it?" said Good Energy CEO and founder Anna Jane Joyner, the group behind the reality check.
Though it undoubtedly sends a strong feminist message, no one would describe Barbie as a movie about the impacts of human-caused climate change.
Yet the topic sneaks in.
"You are killing the planet with your glorification of rampant consumerism!" says Sasha, the teenage character played by Ariana Greenblatt, in her rant about the many ways in which Barbie is bad.
It's because of this line that the pinkest and perkiest of summer blockbusters passed the new
Climate Reality Check. It's a new test, directed at writers, producers and other entertainment industry creatives, that aims to measure the presence of climate change on screen by evaluating all 31 feature films nominated for any Academy Award this year. Documentaries and shorts weren't considered.
This simple new test was inspired by the famous
Bechdel Test invented by cartoonist Alison Bechdel in the mid-1980s to measure the presence of women in movies and other forms of fiction. It was created by climate change storytelling consultancy Good Energy in collaboration with the Buck Lab for Climate and Environment at Colby College in Maine.
"The test is, does climate change exist in the world of your story? And if so, does a character know it?" said Good Energy CEO and founder Anna Jane Joyner.
A movie must also meet two additional criteria to be eligible for the Climate Reality Check:
"That it's set on this Earth," Joyner said. "And that it takes place now or in the future."
Many Oscar-nominated features disqualified
The Climate Reality Check's rules actually disqualify many of this year's nominated feature films, including stories set in the past like Killers of the Flower Moon — even though one of that film's major themes is the dangers of fossil fuels.
Matthew Schneider-Mayerson, associate professor of English and environmental studies at Colby College and Good Energy's main collaborator on the Climate Reality Check, admitted the new test has some blind spots, such as excluding films that might not mention climate change directly, but instead point to it through allegory — as is sometimes the case with sci-fi, fantasy and historical films — or by modeling sustainable behaviors.
"It's possible for some films to include positive climate actions, for example, people installing renewable energy in their homes or deciding to go vegetarian," Schneider-Mayerson said. "This test doesn't necessarily catch those actions unless they're sort of more or less explicitly related to climate change."
Schneider-Mayerson said the new test isn't meant to be comprehensive, though his team has been at work on a much larger study, due out in April, applying the Climate Reality Check to 250 of the most popular feature films of the past decade.
"It's not going to be able to catch all of the different nuances of representing an issue as complicated as climate change," Schneider-Mayerson said. "But we're hoping that it's a good start and that it's something that people can apply."
The films that passed
Of the 13 Oscar-nominated movies that were set on Earth in the present or the future, only two besides Barbie passed the Climate Reality Check: the latest Tom Cruise action epic
Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One("It's going to be a ballistic war over a rapidly shrinking ecosystem. It's going to be a war for the last of our dwindling energy, drinkable water, breathable air," warns CIA director Eugene Kittridge, played by Henry Czerny); and the biopic Nyad, about extreme athlete Diane Nyad's attempts to swim from Cuba to Florida in dangerous conditions caused by rising sea temperatures ("So the UMiami folks think that the box jellyfish came up off the shallow reef when we left Cuba. Global warming," says Nyad's coach Bonnie Stoll, played by Jodi Foster.)Three feature films nominated for Oscars in 2024 passed the Climate Reality Check.(Good Energy)
Nyad, Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One and Barbie aced the test because of lines of dialogue. But the Climate Reality Check also considers visual representations of the topic; for example a character can be seen silently reacting to an article in the media with a climate change-related headline.
The fact that only three movies passed the test doesn't seem like many. Yet Good Energy's Joyner noted this amounts to almost a quarter of the 13 films eligible to be tested, and said she is pleased with the Climate Reality Check's baseline results.
"It just gives us another example of how these stories can be very commercially successful," Joyner said, adding she hopes to see 50% of contemporary movies and TV shows acknowledging climate change by 2027.
The full Climate Check Reality report can be downloaded here. This story was produced for air by Isabella Gomez Sarmiento, and edited by Jennifer Vanasco for digital and air.What questions do you have about Southern California?
- Some Hollywood activists pay a price for viewsAlyssa Milano says that celebrity activism is at its best "when we are able to hand over the microphone" to the "incredible heroes" doing activism work day to day. She's pictured above in July 2018 at a protest following President Trump's meetings with Russia's Vladimir Putin. A longtime activist, Milano says it's impossible to avoid "the vitriol," especially when talking about the Middle East.(Andrew Harnik/AP)
Topline:
The Middle East crisis has sharply divided Hollywood. Celebrities who've spoken out have lost jobs and been harassed.
The backstory: There's a long history of celebrities lending their voices to bigger causes.
The risk vs the reward: Artists, a publicist said, are "supposed to show emotion ... That's the whole point of art." He preferred not to be identified.
Alyssa Milano first became an activist more than 30 years ago. But she tells the story of her eureka moment like it was yesterday.
In the late 1980s, when she starred in the sitcom Who's the Boss?, one of her fans was a
teenager named Ryan White who was HIV positive. The two became friends.
"He asked me if I would go on TV and give him a kiss to show that you couldn't get AIDS from casual contact," Milano recalls. She agreed and kissed White on Phil Donahue's national talk show.
"It was the first time I felt that my being an actor, being on TV, had a purpose that was bigger than I was," she says.
Since then she's
championed a number of causes including reproductive rights, gun reform and the #MeToo movement. Over time, she learned the good and bad of having both a high profile and a sense of purpose.
After Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, Milano, a UNICEF National Ambassador, used her social media platform to
share the NGO's messages.
She says the backlash was swift. "I felt like every time I posted from this place of peace, I was either a terrorist sympathizer or I did not fight strong enough for the oppression of the Palestinian people," Milano explains. She says, while social media is a powerful tool for activism, "There's no way to not be exposed to the vitriol" you get in return.
Celebrities are amplifiers
Oscar winning actor and Thelma & Louise star Susan Sarandon describes her lifelong activism as something that's ingrained in her being.
"It's a personality flaw," she laughs, "I mean, when I was little, I thought that my dolls all came alive at midnight and I rotated their dresses so one doll didn't have all the nice dresses all the time. Anything that's unfair always really hurt me."
Sarandon has been voicing her support for Palestinians for many years, so she says she was "shocked" when she was
dropped by United Talent Agency (UTA) for a speech she gave at a rally calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
She says her words were taken out of context. Nonetheless she issued a
statement on social media apologizing if she offended anyone. UTA declined NPR's request for comment.
Sarandon says, while the "isolation from my tribe" has been "painful," she will continue lending her voice to calls for a ceasefire."I'm in a business that's about imagining," says actor Susan Sarandon. "And if you imagine and then you empathize, how can you not identify with mothers whose children are being blown up and dismembered?" Sarandon, who said she's also a mother and grandmother, joined CODEPINK on Capitol Hill on Feb. 15, 2024 to protest U.S. support for Israel's bombardment of Gaza.(CODEPINK)
Sarandon recently attended a protest calling for a ceasefire on Capitol Hill organized by
CODEPINK. The feminist group alerted the press she was coming. NBC, Al Jazeera and other outlets showed up. CODEPINK co-founder Medea Benjamin says Sarandon's presence was a game changer.
"We've been walking these halls for three months and nobody pays attention to us, especially the Congress people. But having her with us brings out the media and we get the Congress people themselves," she gushes.
Not all of the Congress people. Sarandon met with Representatives Rashida Tlaib and Cori Bush. But Ritchie Torres refused to see her. Sarandon told reporters she suspected that's because he receives money from the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC. On social media, Torres
said Sarandon trafficked in "anti-Semitic victim blaming."
Despite the harsh repercussions that can result, some artists are still using their star power to call for a ceasefire. Fans of Euphoria actor Hunter Schafer learned that she and dozens of anti-war protestors were arrested earlier this week in the lobby of NBC's headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, timed to President Biden's interview on Late Night with Seth Meyers.
Schafer's arrest was covered by numerous media outlets including
Associated Press, USA Today and The Los Angeles Times, amplifying the ceasefire message.
But backlash can be swift
Will and Grace star Debra Messing is one of a number of celebrities who've been outspoken in their support of Israel. Others include actors Michael Rapaport and Amy Schumer.
At the March for Israel
rally in Washington, D.C., last November, Messing told the crowd of some 300,000 people, "We will pray for the success of the IDF in a war Israel did not start and did not want but a war Israel will win."
Messing also traveled to Israel and met with family members of hostages held by Hamas and
posted videos of those visits on social media. She visited a tunnel built by Hamas.
Her trip was coordinated by
Creative Community for Peace(CCFP) an organization working to "promote the arts as a bridge to peace" and "educate about rising antisemitism within the entertainment industry." The trips to Israel are intended to help artists "bear witness to what happened in the kibbutzim to meet people and survivors of the attack," says CCFP's executive director Ari Ingel.
While many people on social media thanked Messing for sharing stories about the hostages and their families, she was also called out for only talking about one side of the conflict and not addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza or the tens of thousands of Palestinians who've been killed by Israeli forces. On a recent trip to Israel, "Will and Grace" star Debra Messing toured sites of Hamas' attack and met with survivors and family members of hostages.(Courtesy Creative Community for Peace)
"Something about standing with a colonial force that is expelling people from their homes and killing thousands of civilians doesn't exactly say 'activist,'"
reads one comment on Messing's Instagram.
Ingel says more than 2,000 artists and industry leaders signed CCFP's open
letter in support of Israel, including Gal Gadot, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jerry Seinfeld, Mayim Bialik, Chris Pine and Michael Douglas.
The letter calls for the "entertainment community to speak out forcefully against Hamas, to support Israel, to refrain from sharing misinformation about the war, and do whatever is in their power to urge the terrorist organization to return the innocent hostages to their families."
Ingel says celebrities who've spoken up in support of Israel have faced "condemnation." He points to a
protest outside a Syracuse theater where Seinfeld performed. Equally troubling, he says, was the "silence" from individuals and organizations after the Hamas attacks. He points to the Writers Guild of America waiting more than two weeks to comment on the atrocity.
"I think a lot of Jews in the entertainment community felt abandoned, not just by their silence, but by their condemnation," says Ingel.
'Taking a stand' vs. 'Nag, Nag, Nag'
At the storied March on Washington in 1963, the late activist and entertainer Harry Belafonte
told the crowd that he believed artists "revealed" society to itself. Sometimes that means revealing things that are hard to hear.
Jane Fonda has done that often throughout her life. In 1973, speaking to KQED about the Vietnam War she asked, "What business have we to try and exterminate a people?" Fonda was insistent, "My father fought against people in the second World War who were trying to exterminate a people. I don't think today we should repudiate everything that our fathers fought against."
Fonda was widely criticized for things she said about U.S. troops in Vietnam. But her antiwar stance resonated with millions of people.
"We often see celebrities getting a lot of backlash for their activism when they speak out about foreign policy," says Sarah King, an assistant professor of History at the University of South Carolina-Aiken who has studied celebrity activism
during the Vietnam War.
The backlash appears to be especially degrading toward women, says King. She notes that Fonda's activism was described more harshly than her fellow actor Donald Sutherland's.
"He is discussed as taking a stand, whereas Jane Fonda is described in much more negative terms," King notes. "Nag, Nag, Nag" read the headline of a 1971 Life magazine
article.
Should artists speak out?
"We live in a time ... where celebrity voices matter more than most," says Rania Batrice who spearheaded the Artists4Ceasfire
letter addressed to President Biden and signed by more than 300 people including Jon Stewart, Jordan Peele, Bella Hadid, Dua Lipa, Jennifer Lopez and Bradley Cooper.
Calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the letter cites the tens of thousands of dead and injured, "numbers that any person of conscience knows are catastrophic," it says. "We believe all life is sacred, no matter faith or ethnicity and we condemn the killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians."
Batrice says many of the artists were discouraged from signing the letter by their agents or publicists, and those who did faced pushback from friends and others in the entertainment industry.
Still, Batrice believes if they have a platform, they should use it to help those who need it.
"I sort of have this expectation that people will step up and utilize their privilege," Batrice says, "I also am incredibly grateful for those artists who stepped up despite having all of these voices in their ears telling them not to do it." In this screengrab from video, Actress Melissa Barrera (green sunglasses) attends a pro-Palestine march hosted by Let Gaza Live on January 21, 2024 in Park City, Utah. The protest took place during the Sundance Film Festival.(Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
Actor Melissa Barrera has vowed to continue her activism. She was fired from the cast of the next Scream movie when she posted pro-Palestinian messages on social media. But instead of retreating, she doubled-down. She issued a
statement that said she condemned "Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia" and that she would, quote, "continue to speak out for those that need it most." She joined a protest calling for a ceasefire at the Sundance Film Festival and expressed no regrets.
"Honestly I feel like I finally am becoming who I'm supposed to be in life and the last few months have been awakening of that," she told the Associated Press.
Artists, a publicist told me, are "supposed to show emotion ... That's the whole point of art." He preferred not to be identified. What questions do you have about Southern California?
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- Why is the popular genre is so rarely honored?Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter in "Silence of the Lambs."(AJ Picks/Alamy Stock Photo)
Topline:
Only a handful of horror movies have ever been nominated for an Oscar — in any category — and an even smaller number have actually won. And that's raised questions about why that is.
The backstory: In 1992, Silence of the Lambs swept five Oscars that night, including best picture. It's the only horror movie to win that award.
The question: Is the Oscars scared of horror?
At the 1992 Oscars, host Billy Crystal arrived on stage dressed as Hannibal Lecter.
Trading the straitjacket for a tuxedo, Crystal donned Lecter's iconic mask and walked into the audience to where Anthony Hopkins sat.
It was a sign of the cultural impact that Silence of the Lambs had that year, and it went on to sweep five Oscars that night, including best picture.
It's the only horror movie to win that award (more on that later). In fact, only a handful of horror movies have ever been nominated for an Oscar — in any category — and an even smaller number have actually won. And that's raised questions about why that is.
Is the Oscars scared of horror?
Looking beyond the jump scares
Horror tends to be an outlier during awards season.
"Horror in particular has had this reputation as sort of second rate: second rate skill levels, cheap scares, lots of gratuitous blood," says Tananarive Due, an author who teaches Black horror and afrofuturism at UCLA.
"It's only in more recent years, especially on the literary front and somewhat in cinema, we're seeing a change in attitude toward horror that people are realizing, oh, maybe there's more to this than jump scares."
Film critic and writer Richard Newby agrees that there is more below the surface.
"Horror has consistently reflected where we are as a society. It's perhaps the most common way that we can kind of talk about what we're culturally afraid of," he says, adding that many horror movies have addressed pressing issues of their time.
Movies like 1974's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre — in which a group of friends stumble upon a family of cannibals and are chased by a guy wielding a chainsaw — which came out just before the end of the Vietnam War.
"It's very much a reflection on Vietnam and this idea of trespassing where you don't belong," says Newby.
Night Of The Living Dead in 1968 popularized the modern portrayal of zombies, and its Black protagonist, played by the late Duane Jones, broke barriers at a time when racial tensions in the U.S. were fraught post Jim Crow.
"[It's] thematically so important about the invasion of the other, if you're a racist," says Due. "Or having a Black lead, the empowerment that Black people have been fighting for in the 1960s."
Fast forward to Talk To Me, released in 2023, from the Australian twin filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou. It is a tale of ghostly possession that soon turns into a study of trauma and grief.
Talk To Me is not up for any Oscars this year, despite positive critical acclaim and grossing more than $92 million at the box office worldwide.
The 'horror tax'
There have been some horror movies to pick up Oscars, like What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, The Exorcist and Get Out. But there have also been attempts to put those kinds of movies into categories outside the horror genre.
"I think there is a horror tax to be paid in almost all forums where art is being discussed," says Adam Lowenstein, a film and media studies professor at the University of Pittsburgh.
"In order for horror to be recognized artistically, there's often an argument that has to be trotted out that goes something along the lines of, 'Well, it's not just a horror film, it's something else.'"
"It's a way of erasing horror as a genre marker and saying this is actually something else. It's something more elevated, it's something worth your attention as a potential award nominee."
Silence of the Lambs has been labeled as a psychological thriller, for example, and Lowenstein recalls the vigorous public discussion and marketing campaign to emphasize this label.
There's also been discourse from critics over the years that push back on the idea that Silence of The Lambs was the only horror film to win a best picture Oscar.
Op-eds about
The Shape of Water and Parasite– which won best picture in 2018 and 2020, respectively – argue that these movies fit in the horror genre. Lowenstein agrees that both these films are horror films within their own right, even if they don't appear that way explicitly.
Then there's the acting in horror.
Toni Collette's performance in 2018's Hereditary and Lupita Nyong'o in 2019's Us were both lauded by fans and some critics, but went unrewarded by the major awards.
But Lowenstein argues that other actors can see their value.
"Hereditary is a great example of the kind of horror film that gets the attention of actors as great and recognized as Toni Collette," he says. "There's a recognition at that level, among actors looking for challenges, that horror matters." Lupita Nyong'o hugs her children, played by Evan Alex and Shahadi Wright Joseph, in the 2019 film, <em>Us,</em> written and directed by Jordan Peele.(Lifestyle Pictures/Alamy Stock Photo)
Due agrees, and says she was unhappy that Nyong'o, who played two characters in Us, didn't get nominated.
"Really, she should have had two nominations — she played both roles and put her foot in both roles," Due says.
In an interview with
BuzzFeed, Nyong'o said she wasn't aware of the bias against horror films from The Academy.
"At the end of the day, I think the value of award shows is to show innovation in cinema," Nyong'o said. "So having a discrimination against a genre feels so silly really."
A box office success
For Chad Villella — a producer and one of the co-founders of Radio Silence that made films like Ready or Not and the recent Scream entries — the awards aren't the goal.
"It's about the process and what we're exploring," Villella says. "It's always going to be about, like, what is that lesson that we learned that we can find deep in ourselves and hopefully reflect out to a wider audience."
As someone who used to be terrified of horror movies when he was younger, Villella says horror movies place audiences in the position of the protagonist more than other genres. For him, it's that human connection between the audience and a horror movie that matters more than an award.
And the connection is real, with horror movies proving to be box office gold over the years.
The Exorcist (1973) made over $441 million worldwide; The Blair Witch Project (1999) grossed about $248 million; A Quiet Place (2018) made $340 million; and Five Nights At Freddy's (2023) made more than $291 million – just to name a few.
Others have launched franchises, as fans keep coming back for more. There are now 10 Saw movies; 13 in the Halloween series; Scream has six films and a TV spin-off; and Child's Play has eight movies with an ongoing TV series.
What's interesting, says Lowenstein, is that long ago movies in general were considered an art form not worth taking seriously.
"A big idea behind the Academy Awards ... was as a form of legitimacy for an art form that was usually not considered art or legitimate at the time," he says, adding that people can still see remnants in that legitimation process in the films deemed Oscar worthy.
"These serious dramas that tend to be based on real people and real historical situations really tend to the idea that the films that deserve the most recognition are the most serious films," he says. "And genre does not do well in that framework. Genre of any kind, really." Ghostface in "Scream."(Brownie Harris/Paramount Pictures)
As for the question of whether horror as a genre should even care about the Oscars, Phil Nobile Jr. — editor in chief of FANGORIA magazine — argues no.
"Horror should be rattling you. Horror should be upsetting you. Horror should be pissing off the Oscars," Nobile says. "I think for horror to be truly effective, it can't really be part of the institution. It has to be a little bit outside of the institution."
So as the movie world gathers for the 96th Academy Awards on March 10, no, there aren't any horror films on the nominee list. But that isn't affecting the genre, with a number of horror films coming out in 2024 or currently in production.
It's a sign that, awards or not, you won't have to look far for your next scare. What questions do you have about Southern California?
- Big Bear bald eagles expecting eagletsA still from the Eagle Cam in Big Bear Valley. Jackie and Shadow are expecting their eggs to hatch any day now.(Friends Of Big Bear Valley/YouTube)
Topline:
Thousands of people are watching in anticipation of three bald eaglets emerging from their eggs in Big Bear now that they've reached the roughly 35-day incubation mark.
The waiting game: While Jackie and Shadow have been diligent about keeping their eggs warm, there’s still a chance their eggs may not fully hatch.
In the past, Sandy Steers with the Friends of Big Bear Valley, said the couple has sensed that “something wasn’t quite right” and abandoned their eggs.
What's next: Stay tuned to the livestream as the eaglets hopefully emerge from their shells soon.
Thousands of people are watching in anticipation of three bald eaglets emerging from their eggs in Big Bear now that they've reached the roughly 35-day incubation mark.
Jackie and Shadow, Big Bear’s beloved bald eagles, have been taking turns keeping the eggs warm for about a month. That means the public might soon see the first of three potential eaglets once they develop a pip, or the first crack in an eggshell that signals a chick is ready to come into the world.
How do the first cracks appear?
After the chick has grown in size, it begins to run out of oxygen within the shell. It then uses its egg tooth, a temporary structure on its beak used specifically to break through the shell’s inner membrane. It can take up to three days for the chick to fully emerge from its shell.
It's a strenuous process for the little eaglet and it’ll need a day to rest, during which time his egg tooth will dry and fall off.
The waiting game
While Jackie and Shadow have been diligent about keeping their eggs warm, leaving them exposed for no more than two minutes to switch nesting duties, there’s still a chance their eggs may not fully hatch. Sandy Steers with the Friends of Big Bear Valley said that in the past the couple has sensed that “something wasn’t quite right” and abandoned their eggs.
Like thousands of others, we’re watching the livestream and hoping for a better outcome this year. What questions do you have about Southern California?
- Listen: Robotics team in South L.A, moreListen • 6:44Listen • 6:44Spending Mounts In Support of LA City Council Incumbent, More Solar Lighting Coming To LA & Local Students Compete With Self-Made Robot — The A.M. EditionYour morning update from the LAist newsroom.
Today's headlines:
Independent groups spend big money to re-elect an LA city council member under an ethics cloud.
A new pilot program makes way for more solar powered streetlights in LA.
Young students form a robotics team and enter "Jeffrey" into competition.
Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts to get The LA Report delivered to you twice on weekdays, with special editions on Saturday and Sunday.
- Expect highs in the low 60s as blizzard hits northForecasters say the San Bernardino mountains will see up to a foot of snow above 7,500 feet and high winds. Here's a satellite look at where things stood on Mt. Baldy on Feb. 17.(European Space Agency)
- Today’s weather: Gloomy, evening rain
- Beaches: 60s
- Mountains: upper 30s in higher elevations, 40s-50s lower elevations
- Deserts: 58-74
- Inland: low 60s
- Warnings and advisories: Winter storm warning, High winds, High Surf,
Keep reading... for the weekend storm forecast and details on the massive snow storm predicted to our north.
Pat yourself on the back because we made it to Friday. This weekend will bring light to moderate showers and mountain snow so keep reading before you solidify any plans. Quick Facts
-
- Today’s weather: Gloomy, evening rain
- Beaches: 60s
- Mountains: upper 30s in higher elevations, 40s-50s lower elevations
- Deserts: 58-74
- Inland: low 60s
- Warnings and advisories: Winter storm warning, High winds, High Surf,
It will be overcast with scattered showers across the southland. Patchy drizzle is expected this morning for mostly around the coasts and mountains. But the chances of rain for the inland areas increase after 4 p.m. which means watch out for slick roadways during your evening commute.
Over on the coast temperatures will drop to the low 60s — the highest temperature will reach 63 degrees in Long Beach. Inland areas and the valleys will also see highs in the low 60s except for Rancho Cucamonga which see a high of 59 degrees.
Tonight's lows will drop to the 50s, down to the 30s for the mountains.
The winter storm has arrived — here's what you need to know
Light to moderate rain is expected through Sunday but forecasters say there's a chance of heavier showers Saturday night into Sunday morning as the colder air loft brings instability to the area.
Here's an update on the predicted rainfall totals for the southland. As of now models show the storm is expected to drop between half an inch to an inch of rain between now and Sunday. Mountains and foothills will see up to three inches of rain.(Courtesy NWS)
While the winter snow storm will mainly impact the Sierra Nevada and local mountains, down in the southland other impacts include high surf and high winds.
The National Weather Service says there's high wave activity at our local beaches this weekend. A high surf advisory is out for beaches in Los Angeles and Ventura counties including the Malibu Coast from 4 p.m. today through Monday 3 a.m.
Here's a look at the high winds forecast showing that will mainly impact the deserts and mountains from the San Diego NWS office.(Courtesy NWS)
Thinking about a mountain trip? Think again.
What's going on north of us
It's billed as the
biggest snowstorm of the year in the Sierra Nevadas, which is good news for the state's snowpack but dangerous for travel.
How much snow? The National Weather Service is predicting more than 12 feet could bury the Sierra in this storm.(Courtesy NWS)
This day in history
On this day in 2015, pilots spotted several waterspouts near LAX.
Things to do
Get your gore on at this indoor excursion:
- 'There Will Be Blood' Symposium: If spooky season is feeling a little too far away, get your dose of blood and gore this Friday at USC and on Saturday at the Getty Center when the two institutions host events around the history of blood in the medieval period. The collaborative symposium looks at the “cultural, religious, and symbolic significance of blood.” It complements the Blood: Medieval/Modern immersive installation Illuminations by artist Jordan Eagles, which incorporates blood “donated from members of the LGBTQI+ community who are on PrEP, and individuals who are HIV+ and undetectable.”
- With rain incoming this weekend it's the perfect excuse to stay indoors and catch up on shows or start new ones. Read my colleague's guide on what to watch this weekend.
- It's Food Friday and what better way to kick off the weekend than with happy hour specials? Check out our guide of happy hour along the Metro A line.
Take a sneak peak out our full
list of things to do this weekend. What questions do you have about Southern California?
- Pilot program aims to deter copper wire crimesL.A. City officials, including Miguel Sangalang, the director of the Bureau of Street Lighting, and Mayor Karen Bass at an event launching solar pilot on Thursday.(Makenna Sievertson/LAist)
Topline:
Los Angeles is flipping the switch from wired to solar streetlights under a new pilot program.
Why it matters: The city’s transition will swap out copper wiring in favor of the battery-enabled, all-in-one systems that go beyond savings on the power bill.
The backstory: Traditional streetlights have been a popular target for copper thieves and vandals — costing the city of L.A. more than $20 million in repairs last year alone.
What's next: They’re hoping to have a little more than 900 new solar streetlights installed across L.A. by next July. City officials say they’re still trying to figure out which areas to prioritize.
Los Angeles is flipping the switch from wired to solar streetlights under a new pilot program. The city’s transition will swap out copper wiring in favor of the battery-enabled, all-in-one systems that go beyond savings on the power bill.
That's because traditional streetlights have been a popular target for copper thieves and vandals — costing the city of L.A.
more than $20 million in repairs in the past year alone.
The pilot is kicking off with 104 solar streetlights across Van Nuys, but could expand to another 800 units in different neighborhoods. They’re part of the city’s efforts to get lights on quicker, and keep them on longer, Mayor Karen Bass said at a news conference Thursday.
How it can curb copper crimes
Thieves stealing copper wherever they can find it has been a growing concern in the city — with some thefts knocking out streetlights and endangering road safety. Because the solar lights do not have copper wire, they're a disappointing target for a thief. Bass said that's important because thefts have become so widespread.
There is a tradeoff. Miguel Sangalang, the director of the
Bureau of Street Lighting, told LAist that the solar system is about 10 times more expensive than the ones the city uses now — between $3,000 to $5,000 each.
“However, the savings really comes from when we deploy people,” Sangalang said. “In the case of theft and vandalism, one streetlight only really takes us two deployments, so if we have to go back there twice, it already paid for themselves.”
Why start in Van Nuys?
The pilot started in Van Nuys because it's been one the areas hardest hit by copper wire crimes, he added.
Sangalang said that while someone can still dig into and damage the infrastructure of the lights, they’ll find out quickly there’s no copper wire to steal. The new lights were also engineered so they have little to no street value if stolen, and the Bureau of Street Lighting has added in some extra security measures as protection.
Kathy Schreiner, president of the
Van Nuys Neighborhood Council, told LAist she gets regular complaints about streetlights at their monthly meetings, and it’s “miraculous” the new systems are starting in their neighborhood.
“It's a very important thing for our community, and we're really happy,” she said.
L.A. City Councilmember Imelda Padilla, who represents the area, said street lighting is integral to a neighborhood’s sense of community and safety.
“And through this program, we will be able to better illuminate public spaces, enhancing visibility during darker hours, delivering tangible improvements in quality of life issues,” Padilla said.
About the new solar streetlights
One of the new lights sits at the intersection of Sylvan Street and Cedros Avenue, right next to the Children's Community School.
Backers of the project say solar lights are brighter, and more resilient. They don’t rely solely on the power grid, so even if an earthquake takes out the city’s electrical system, the streetlights can sustain themselves.
And some of the parts were made right here in Los Angeles. Pieces of metal used in the lights are painted, poured, and assembled in the city by Grid Shift Solar Lighting, according to Ryan Lamb from the company's sales team. Ryan Lamb shows off some of the parts used in the solar light systems, made in Los Angeles by Grid Shift Solar Lighting.(Makenna Sievertson/LAist)
The solar panel charges the battery in the light, the battery feeds into the LED, and the system is clamped onto the existing arm on the pole.
“Then you just turn it on, and basically it's self powered from there on out,” Lamb said.
What's next
The program is still considered a pilot because the city wants to prove that it works long term, Sangalang said.
“We'll be taking the next year to collect data, making sure that it operates in the parameters that we expect it to operate,” he said. A new solar street light that's been installed just outside the Children's Community School in Van Nuys.(Makenna Sievertson/LAist)
For example, they’ll be checking to make sure the solar lights can last at least two or three nights, even after a few days of cloudy skies or rain.
The city is already looking at expanding into other neighborhoods. They’re hoping to have a little more than 900 new solar streetlights installed across L.A. by next July. Sangalang said they’re still trying to figure out which areas would be best.
Some factors under consideration:
- There can’t be too many buildings or other obstructions since they rely on the sun.
- They’re also looking at ways to reduce drive time for street lighting crews.
- And yes, high-theft areas will get special consideration.
Sangalang says opportunities to "reduce repeat customers of copper wire theft,” will be prioritized. “Those are all factors for us to take into account,” he said. What questions do you have about Southern California?
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- Backers of incumbent under scrutiny spend $1M+Councilmember John Lee, shown at the Sept. 27 L.A. City Council meeting, is facing allegations of ethics violations(iStock)
Topline:
Independent expenditure committees have spent more than $1 million to help District 12 incumbent John Lee defeat his only challenger. Lee, who denies any wrongdoing, is facing allegations he violated city ethics rules by accepting illegal gifts from developers.
Where the money is coming from: Contributors include the labor unions that represent L.A. police officers, firefighters and utility workers, as well as the L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
Why it matters: Independent expenditure committees have long been controversial. They are prohibited from coordinating their campaigns with the candidate but often exert as much or more influence over a race, given the committees can raise money in unlimited amounts.
The backstory: The allegations against Lee by the Ethics Commission stem from his time as chief of staff to former Councilmember Mitch Englander, who spent
14 months in prison on obstruction of justice charges.
Some of City Hall’s biggest players are spending major money to try to ensure the reelection of Los Angeles City Councilmember John Lee, even as he faces allegations he violated city ethics rules by accepting illegal gifts from developers.
The largest contributors include the labor unions that represent L.A. police officers, firefighters and Department of Water and Power workers, as well as both the L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
Independent expenditure committees have spent more than $1 million to help Lee defeat his only challenger, former Ethics Commission President
Serena Oberstein, in the race to represent District 12, which covers much of the northwestern San Fernando Valley, including Northridge, Chatsworth, and Reseda.
Because there are only two candidates in the race, whoever draws the most votes on the March 5 ballot wins the seat.
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How the spending compares
“It's an awful lot of money in a city council race,” said Bob Stern, former general counsel of the state Fair Political Practices Commission and one-time head of the Center for Governmental Studies in Los Angeles.
One other race this election cycle has seen more than a million dollars in independent spending and that is
District 4, where outside groups are trying to oust progressive incumbent Councilmember Nithya Raman.
The amount of money raised to support Lee far outpaces that of his opponent, who has styled herself as more progressive than Lee, a former Republican who is now a declined-to-state voter. The race is non-partisan.
Oberstein said the allegations against Lee were a big reason she is challenging him for the District 12 seat.
“I knew that this community needed to be a place where we had elected officials acting with integrity,” she told LAist. “We have someone who is acting on behalf of special interests, who is fighting to maintain the status quo of a government that’s broken.”
Lee declined to be interviewed for this story.
He is one of two current members of the City Council who have been accused of wrongdoing, but he is not facing criminal charges. The allegations, which Lee has denied, are from the city’s Ethics Commission.
Councilmember Curren Price is the other, but unlike Lee, Price is charged in Superior Court. He pleaded not guilty last month to charges including grand theft and embezzlement, all felonies.
Three former council members have been sentenced to prison for corruption in the last five years.
Where is the money coming from?
The single biggest spender on Lee’s behalf is a political action committee funded largely by the union that represents L.A. police officers, the L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which contributed more than $500,000, according to campaign finance reports. The union that represents city firefighters has spent nearly $200,000 on behalf of Lee.
None returned requests for comment
The political action committee of the L.A. County Business Federation has spent $58,000. It is a group of more than 200 business organizations representing 450,000 employers.
“He’s been a great partner of the business community,” said the group’s political consultant Rob Korinke. “His office has been a leader in providing grants to businesses that struggled during the (COVID-19) pandemic.”
Lee has “always been somebody we can work with,” Korinke added.
He said he had no comment on the allegations that Lee violated city ethics rules.
The political action committee of the Central City Association, a small business organization, is another backer of Lee. Its president, Nella McOsker, said Lee “has been a longstanding champion of the business community” but declined to comment on the ethics allegations against him.
One of the biggest individual donors is housing developer and philanthropist Gregory Perlman, who has contributed $30,000.
“My donation has zero to do with any business interests,” Perlman said. “It's totally because I believe he’s got the biggest heart of any council person that I’ve come across.”
Perlman said Lee has worked closely with his nonprofit charity, The Change Reaction, which provides direct grants to small businesses and families in need. Councilmember John Lee, shown at the Sept. 27 L.A. City Council meeting, is facing ethics charges(LA City Clerk/Screenshot from YouTube)
Lee himself has raised about $393,000 for his campaign. Oberstein has raised about $131,000. Candidates have contribution limits of $900 per donor during the primary campaign.
There are no independent expenditures on behalf of Oberstein.
Independent expenditure committees have long been controversial. They are legally prohibited from coordinating their campaigns with the candidate but often exert as much or more influence over a race, given the committees can raise money in unlimited amounts.
Stern said the funders usually want something from the candidate — such as favorable legislation, lucrative labor contracts, or approval for developments.
“They have a corrupting impact on the process,” said Stern. “It's almost legalized bribery.”
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled independent expenditure committees are legal.
What are the ethics allegations about?
The allegations against Lee by the Ethics Commission stem from his time as chief of staff to former Councilmember Mitch Englander, who spent
14 months in prison on obstruction of justice charges.
At the center of the allegations is a
2017 Las Vegas trip taken by Lee and Englander. The commission alleges Lee accepted free food, hotel rooms and poker chips from a businessperson and a developer with business before the city.
The businessperson and developer are not identified by the Ethics Commission. In one case, Lee allegedly accepted poker chips valued at $1,000 and bottle service with a group of people at a restaurant valued at more than $5,600 per person, according to the Ethics Commission.
Lee has denied the allegations, saying the commission “drastically inflated” the amount of food and beverages he consumed.
“Commission investigators are not interested in the facts. They have preconceived notions about where their investigation should go and have ignored any exculpatory evidence they obtained,” said Lee said in a statement issued in October when the allegations were made.
The Ethics Commission is expected to determine later this year whether the alleged violations occurred and, if so, what penalty should apply. The maximum penalty is “the greater of $5,000 per violation or three times the amount of money that was improperly received or reported,” according to
the commission’s website.
Oberstein, who is endorsed by the L.A. Times, is the former executive director of Jewish World Watch. She has vowed to work harder than Lee to develop affordable housing in the district.
“It's not just that we need more affordable housing that houses the homeless — we need affordable housing at every level,” she said. “We need it for the working class.”
Oberstein also said she’d use an anti-camping law known as 41.18 less than Lee, who has used it more than any other member of the City Council to remove homeless encampments around schools and daycare centers.
“It's not a starting point for me. I’ll have a people first approach,” she said.
She presents herself as a more ethical alternative to Lee. “I will take my oath incredibly seriously. I would never go to Las Vegas with a lobbyist and developer” as Lee is accused of doing, she said.
What are voters saying?
Voters who spoke to LAist appeared to have varying levels of awareness about the allegations against Lee.
“I think he should have resigned a long time ago,” said Katherine Tattersfield, an organizer with the West Valley People’s Alliance who said she’s followed the case against Lee. “People deserve integrity and honest leadership.”
She decried the amount of independent expenditures on behalf of Lee..
“I think it's disgusting,” she said, adding that she would be voting for for Oberstein.
Other voters said they were unclear about the details of the alleged ethics violations and expressed more concern about crime and homelessness.
Janet Nineberg is a 73-year-old retired nurse who lives in Northridge. She supports Lee.
“I feel like he is really the only one speaking up for homeowners,” said Nineberg, who added that there was a homeless encampment behind her house until recently when it was cleaned up.
“I like to walk in the neighborhood, and I just felt unsafe walking near them,” she said.
Hermine Zanki, 41, is an undecided voter from Northridge who said she, too, sees homelessness as the No. 1 issue in this year’s election.
“It just gets depressing to see so many people in this area who are living in makeshift homes, Zanki said.
She said she hadn’t done a lot of research on the ethics allegations. She wondered aloud whether it “is it just him or did he just happen to be the only one who got caught.” What questions or concerns do you have about civics and democracy in Southern California?Frank Stoltze explores who has power and how they use it at a time when our democratic systems have been under threat.
- L.A. Superior Court: There are more than
- How a jar of chili crisp is breaking barriersJing Gao's Fly By Jing chili crisp hot sauce has taken American tastebuds by storm.(Illustration by Samanta Helou Hernandez/Photo courtesy of Fly By Jing)
Topline:
Jing Gao started her successful chili crisp, Fly by Jing, in Los Angeles, gaining national appeal through a growing product line and a series of successful partnerships. The secret behind its success? Its quality
What's chili crisp?: If you've never had it, prepare to have your mind blown. The popular Asian condiment revolves around the Sichuan pepper, and every chef and maker does it differently. The crunchy, umami-rich sauce has taken the world by storm for its many uses, with
Fly By Jing being one of the standout brands known for its exceptional ingredients.
The backstory: Gao was a chef and restaurateur in China before coming to Los Angeles with a mission to start her own company, motivated by what she describes as "a desire to share flavors and make them more accessible to Western consumers." Today, Jing has done just that as the only AAPI female condiment founder in Los Angeles.
What can you put Gao's chili crisp on? It's more like what can't you put it on? There are no rules, from noodles and vegetables to pizza and even ice cream.
You may not know Jing Gao by name, but there's a good chance you've come across a jar of her chili crisp
Fly By Jing, featuring its hypercharged label resembling a contemporary art piece. It could have caught your eye while perusing the aisles at a local big box store, an occasional boutique shop, or on a friend's kitchen counter.
And if it's not on your counter or in your pantry, it should be.
Certain legacy brands such as
Lao Gan Ma have dominated the chili crisp marketplace internationally since the '80s, and in recent years homegrown players such as Momofuku Chili Crisp by David Chang and Boon by Max Boonthanakit have cropped up with their own deliciously sludgy takes on chili crisp.
But, in terms of value and taste, Fly By Jing's chili crisp has continued to impress yours truly so much that I always make sure I have a jar on hand.
After buying chili crisps regularly for the better part of a decade, I've become increasingly dependent on them in my arsenal of kitchen ingredients, using them for everything from frying eggs to pasta sauces. While I'm a big fan of the spicy taste and crunchy flavors, the quality of the sauce is that it never dries out, making it a real winner.
For the uninitiated, chili crisp is an essential Asian hot sauce. But it's in its own category compared to a bottle of Tapatio or Tabasco. The ingredients comprise dried chilies, aromatics, and fermented black beans submerged in chili oil, resulting in a spicy, umami-rich flavor with a textured, crunch-laden bite.
The central spice ingredient is the Sichuan pepper, known for its unique flavor profile that features a tingling, almost numbing effect on the taste buds. It can be found in various dishes, including mapo tofu, dan dan noodles, and toothpick cumin lamb.
One of the most exciting aspects about each chili crisp recipe is that every chef and sauce maker likes to put their spin on it.
Within the last decade, chili crisp has become ubiquitous across the modern American palate. Fly by Jing, (
$14), is a standout in the marketplace for more than just its quality and taste: Gao is the only AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) female condiment founder in Los Angeles.
After Gao and I began following each other on Instagram, I witnessed the rapid growth of her Fly By Jing company, ascending from a small start-up to a leader in the condiment industry.
So when an opportunity to speak to Gao came up, I jumped at the chance to learn more about the journey behind her spectacular chili crisp.
Where it all began
Born in Chengdu, China, Gao spent her formative years moving throughout Europe and Canada. Her foray into food began as a chef and restaurateur in China, having previously worked in the tech industry in China and other parts of Asia. Upon switching to pursue her passion for food, she began hosting a series of underground supper clubs in Shanghai, where she came up with the name Fly By Jing.
In 2018, Gao left the chef life and moved to Los Angeles, where she rented an Airbnb, armed with a mission to start her own condiment company, motivated by what she describes as "a desire to share flavors and make them more accessible to western consumers." Fly By Jing's chili crisp is good on just about everything, any place you'd like a little more spice. There are no rules.(Courtesy of Fly By Jing)
Driven by a mission
Yes, there are places in L.A. like Bistro Na and Majordomo where Asian food is considered haute cuisine. But those are the exceptions in Gao's experience: She says she believes that in the past, to many mainstream American tastebuds, Chinese food and its corresponding cuisines were seen as cheap and plentiful.
"There was this accepted belief that Chinese food is dirty, cheap, unhealthy, and not worth paying for,” she told me, adding, “And so, of course, anyone who manufactures in China would never export anything of quality because people are told that no one's willing to pay more than a dollar or two for Chinese food."
It's part of the assumption that food from foreign countries, especially non-European companies, should be inexpensive. Similar attitudes stem back to the 19th century when Chinese immigrants first arrived in the Americas during the Gold Rush and were seen as inferior to their white counterparts. It's a similar fate to Mexican food, and the perception in some corners that a taco shouldn't cost more than $5.
So, when starting her condiment company, quality was essential to Gao, who wanted to subvert any Westernized assumptions surrounding Chinese food.
An example that Gao uses during our conversation illustrates this fact, detailing how she sourced the condiment's tribute pepper, a single-origin pepper only grown in one place in the world, located about four hours away by car from Chengdu. Gao detailed for me how she spent years studying and building relationships with the farmers who grow the pepper on a single plot of land, and how it's only harvested once a year.
How she changed the narrative
To Gao, chili crisp was the perfect vehicle for broadening people's sense of taste due to its popularity in China and because, as she puts it, "it's good on everything."
Running a successful Kickstarter campaign allowed Gao to establish the financial footing needed to get the company off the ground. After gaining a viral appeal, selling her chili crisp online eventually led to larger retailers like Costco and Target reaching out to stock her jars.
Traditional usages of chili crisp tend to be found in dishes such as noodles, soup, or vegetables. But as the condiment's popularity has recently grown here in the United States, it's not uncommon to see it used on pasta, pizza, salads, ice cream — and even donuts. Fly By Jing CEO and founder Jing Gao wants to challenge the notion of how Americans think about Chinese food.(Courtesy of Fly By Jing)
As her chili crisp empire has grown, so have the business opportunities.
Most recently, she collaborated on a pineapple passion fruit Sichuan chili crisp donut for
Holy Grail Donuts, the Hawaiian taro donut company with a cult-like following, with outposts in Santa Monica and Larchmont Village. The made-to-order donut is fried in coconut oil, then covered in a tropical fruit glaze, and finishes off with a smack of heat from the chili crisp.
Gao has also landed similar partnerships with Panda Express, for
a limited spicy Wagyu beef dumplings and Shake Shack, which featured a burger and chicken sandwich drizzled with some of Gao's signature sauces, along with a successful collaboration with a tinned fish company of the moment, Fishwife, for a smoked salmon with chili crisp that seemed to be on everyone's table last year. Gao's also published a cookbook, "The Book of Sichuan Chili Crisp: Spicy Recipes and Stories from Fly By Jing's Kitchen," in 2023.
Where she's headed next
Like the many uses of her chili crisp, Gao subverts categorization as she expands her brand beyond chili crisp. In addition to a line of saucy condiments, Fly By Jing also offers vinaigrettes, chili oils, dry spice mixes, and a hot pot starter kit.
Most recently, she's expanded to an actual market and cafe space.
Partnering with lifestyle influencer Stephanie Liu Hjelmeseth, the cafe space, located in the neighborhood of Larchmont Village,
Suá Superette, boasts an all-day menu that showcases a variety of organic grab-and-go items, all inspired by Sichuan-style fare and flavors, reimagined.In addition to the various menu items at Suá Superette, there's a also a variety of Fly By Jing products you can stock up on.(Courtesy of Fly By Jing)
Inside the space, among the minimalist decor, diners can dig into a variety of dishes that include a vegan mapo tofu made with wild mushrooms, spicy chili-and-cumin grass-fed beef wraps, and cold soba noodles tossed in a sunbutter sesame dressing, to name a few.
The fluidity of cultures comes naturally to Gao, having spent most of her life abroad before calling Los Angeles her home. Throughout her experiences, Jing wanted to offer a product that would appeal to like-minded consumers looking to spice up their lives, a spoonful of chili crisp at a time.
With Suá, a throughline is coming into sharper focus. Gao describes the common thread: "A similar philosophy that's rooted in tradition, but made for the way we eat today, it's modern." Do you have a question about food in LA — or something you want to tell us about?Gab Chabrán reports and edits stories about food and its place in LA's diverse cultures and communities. Curious about a specific regional cuisine or have a recommendation for a hole-in-the-wall you love? Are you looking for the best place to take your kid for lunch? We’d love to hear from you. Drop us a line.
- A new culinary event arrives in Santa MonicaLA Wine And Food Festival is at Santa Monica pier from Friday to Sunday.(Courtesy LA Wine and Food Festival)
Topline:
This weekend, the Los Angeles Wine and Food Festival splashes down at Santa Monica Pier, celebrating local chefs from established to rising stars, with a spotlight on women.
What’s cooking? Expect zesty tacos, exquisite mariscos, juicy burgers, and delectable French dishes, from a range of chefs including Justin Pichetrungsi from Anajak Thai and Alvin Cailan, the man behind Eggslut and Amboy Quality Meats and Delicious Burgers.
Badass women represent! Bridgetown Roti’s Rashida Holmes, Elvira Garcia of Evil Cooks, Uyên Lê from Bé ù, and Mercedes Squires from Caribbean Soul Kitchen will all be there showcasing their talents as part of the Regarding Her programming, a nonprofit committed to showcasing women leaders in the food scene.
We may be becoming increasingly screen-obsessed, but there’s also a growing impulse to get out and surround yourself with people. Think music festivals. Taylor Swift parking lot tailgating parties. Costco.
Others are also noticing that itch and creating events to scratch it. Like this weekend’s
L.A. Wine and Food Festival, at Santa Monica Pier from Friday, March 1 to Sunday, March 3, where you can gather with fellow humans and consume excellent food and drink. (Friday and Saturday, 7.30 p.m - 10.30 p.m; Sunday, 12.30 p.m. - 3 p.m.)
While there are other celebratory food festivals (L.A. Times Food Bowl, EEEEEATSCON, and Tacos Madness), this one is in conjunction with Frieze Los Angeles, which brings artists and those who love them to Santa Monica airport this weekend. So, expect creative types mixed into the mass of hungry people at the pier waiting to get a bite of the truffle and comté gougere from
Camphor.
Chefs from dozens of L.A.’s leading eateries, plus under-the-radar newcomers, will be offering their wares over the three days (
check for which days different chefs will be appearing) so there may be time to slow down and munch at peace while staring at the ocean horizon. (Unless you want to gorge yourself senseless, in which case, go ahead, no judgment).
A special section also focuses on women restaurateurs in L.A. in partnership with Regarding Her, a national nonprofit committed to showcasing women entrepreneurs and leaders in the food scene. (We’re particularly looking forward to seeing Uyên Lê from
Bé ù and Mercedes Squires of Caribbean Soul Kitchen).
With all that top-notch culinary talent, tickets are fairly pricey; a day pass costs $225, or $325 for VIP, with a weekend pass for
$450 and VIP passes for $700.
Some notable chefs include:
Alvin Cailan, owner of Amboy Quality Meats & Delicious Burgers in Chinatown, who also founded the popular breakfast restaurant Eggslut, which he started as a food truck before transforming it into an international chain. Cailan co-hosts the YouTube series The Burger Show with burger scholar George Motz, and you can see his burger research on full display at Amboy. Cailan will be serving a kare-kare roast beef sandwich on Friday. Alex and Elvira Garcia, co-owners of Evil Cooks, are known for their black metal-inspired roving pop-up with some of the most inventive tacos currently coming out of Los Angeles. Despite their hard image, the food from Evil Cooks has lots of heart (even their McSatan, a bacon smash burger taco). On Friday and Saturday Evil Cooks will be serving their poseidon taco, octopus slathered with a black pastor adobo, cooked on a mesquite-fueled trompo, and their bruja taco made with flan. Rashida Holmes started her pop-up Bridgetown Roti in 2020 when much of the restaurant industry was shutting down. She decided to apply her years of culinary experience to her Caribbean heritage. With the help of her wife, Shanika, Holmes began selling her patties and stuffed rotis outside her home in Boyle Heights before earning a spot at Smorgasburg, L.A. Last summer, Bridgetown Roti announced they'd put a hold on their operations to focus on opening up their brick-and-mortar location in East Hollywood. So attendees on Friday and Saturday are in for a real treat, especially if you’ve missed Holmes's food as much as we have. On Friday, Holmes will serve her oxtail and pepper patties. Justin Pichetrungsi took over his family restaurant, Anajak Thai, in 2019. Located on a stretch of Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks, his Thai Taco Tuesdays have become a source of L.A. legend, with long lines that stretch for blocks and outdoor tables in a back alley. The whole thing feels like a party, and rightly so, given that Pichetrungsi and his team have tapped into a new vein of Los Angeles's fierce love of tacos. On Sunday, Pichetrungsi will serve Peruvian scallops.Do you have a question about food in LA — or something you want to tell us about?Gab Chabrán reports and edits stories about food and its place in LA's diverse cultures and communities. Curious about a specific regional cuisine or have a recommendation for a hole-in-the-wall you love? Are you looking for the best place to take your kid for lunch? We’d love to hear from you. Drop us a line.

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