The Brief

Emma Scott’s Altadena house survived the Eaton Fire, but almost every family she knows lost a home or faced so much fire damage they had to relocate for the time being.

“I mean, it feels like a ghost town,” Scott said. “Honestly, it's hard. It's really eerie.”

One bright spot has been Altadena’s main library on the historic Christmas Tree Lane, which Scott returned to for the first time Friday. The building reopened this month, the largest public space in the fire perimeter where Altadenans can meet and resume their old patterns at a time of intense upheaval.

To lure more patrons back, a grand reopening event will be held next Saturday featuring actor and Reading Rainbow host LeVar Burton.

A steady trickle of patrons came through the library Friday morning. Scott pushed a stroller with her infant daughter — born the week after the fire — as she helped her two older kids search for YA titles.

“Thank God for the library,” Scott said. “We don't have our normal places, routines, parks, so we're grateful.”

One of the library's most popular offerings are computers for browsing.

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As part of unincorporated L.A. County, Altadena doesn’t have a city hall or a town square, so the main library acts as an important hub.

The light-filled, mid-century modern building has always had something for everyone: storytime, chess nights, club meetings, puppet shows.

It’s where thousands gather every year for the Christmas Tree Lane lighting celebration, then follow the high school marching band down the boulevard of glowing deodar cedars.

After the fires, the role of the main library has evolved to meet residents’ most pressing needs, hosting architects and staffers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Small Business Administration.

Nikki Winslow, director of the Altadena library district, welcomed back patrons to the main branch on March 4.

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The library has also been fund-raising to buy personal hotspot devices for people who lost their homes so they can have consistent access to the Internet. A distribution event was scheduled for Saturday.

“We've been pretty busy since we opened,” said Nikki Winslow, director of the Altadena Library District. “There's days I come in and I can barely get a parking spot already.”

Getting ready to reopen

Not only did the library survive in a burn zone that saw more than 9,400 structures destroyed, including the senior center next door, it saw relatively little damage.

“Luckily for us, when the smoke hit our HVAC vents, they closed,” Winslow said. “We didn’t circulate any of the fire air in the library. Our air filters were clean.”

A wall in Altadena's main library features award-winning photography, including the Davies Memorial Building at Farnsworth Park which was destroyed in the fire and Eliot Arts Magnet, which was heavily damaged.

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Crews came to clear ash and soot from the roof, while others did a deep clean of the interior that included washing the carpets. Rented air scrubbers and fans circulated the air inside.

The area has lacked potable water, so the library re-opened March 4 with portable hand-washing stations outside the bathrooms — the only visible change to the library since the fires. But as of Friday, it was safe again to use the water, said Winslow.

The fiber optic cables system providing internet service to the library was damaged in the fire and will not be restored for another couple weeks, Winslow said. But high-speed internet is still available at the the library which is running on two different hotspot systems, with a third one to be installed next week.

Dozens of patrons passed through the re-opened Altadena Library Friday morning.

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While many regulars are no longer living in the area, Winslow said there was urgency to reopen the library as quickly as possible. It is the only library open in town as a smaller branch, the Bob Lucas Memorial Library, remains under renovation.

“With so many structures damaged, there's only so many buildings, especially public-facing buildings, that are available for people to like, come up, meet and connect to resources,” she said.

Among those in town affected by the fires were the library district’s own staff. Out of 31 employees, 10 had to evacuate and two of them lost homes.

How safe is it? 

For many residents, questions remain about contaminants in the air and soil around the burn zone.

The library performed air quality and surface testing inside the library and “we feel very confident that the inside of the library is very safe,” Winslow said.

Altadena resident Dani Pedersen and her 3-year-old son Ace visited the library Friday for a taste of normalcy."

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She said the library has not paid for soil testing because of the high cost. Out of precaution, programs for now will not be held in the grassy area of the library.

Next Saturday’s reopening celebration with LeVar Burton will be held in the library’s parking lot, able to accommodate hundreds.

There’s no need to register for the morning event, which will also feature food giveaways, crafts and games. At 11 a.m. Burton will read from his children’s book “The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm.”

“We wanted to have a really big carnival feel,” Winslow said. “People can come inside the library and check that out as well. The more the merrier.”

Coming back home 

On Friday, two to three dozen patrons were visiting the library at any given time. Some used the library’s computers. Other sat in pairs at tables in the atrium speaking quietly.

Yvette Casillas, a youth and family librarian, says those coming back are a mix of residents still living in the area and others who have been displaced.

Family and youth librarian Yvette Casillas has seen a mix of patrons returning -- from those still living in the area to those who have been displaced and living afar.

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“We've had people coming from Topanga and Ontario, South Pas, Arcadia,” Casillas said. “People have shared that they've lost both their homes and the school, so it's been really rewarding to be able to have a hub or a space for community here at the library.”

Dani Pedersen was back at the library for the first time Friday, chasing after her 3-year-old, Ace. Their family had evacuated for a little over a month. Asked why she had returned to the library, Pedersen started out saying she wanted her son to enjoy himself. Then she cut that thought short.

“Honestly?” she said. “I wanted to come back just to be with our community and just to feel that normalcy and go back to some place that we've known prior to the fires, you know? And that's what I feel like we've gotten today.”

Library district’s future 

More change is afoot. The main library is scheduled to undergo a major renovation later this year that will last 15 to 18 months, and involve some layout changes and earthquake retrofitting and fireproofing.

By then, renovation of the Bob Lucas branch on Lincoln Avenue should be completed.

When that smaller library re-opens, scheduled for May, it will be able to absorb some foot traffic. There also are plans to reopen a satellite branch at Loma Alta Park, also in May.

The main library is expected to undergo a major renovation at the end of the year.

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Winslow said the park’s “social hall” could be furnished shelves of books, a computer lab, and other equipment found at the main library including a 3-D printer.

This location could be set up in the park for the duration of the main library’s renovation – and possible longer.

“I don't know if down the road we’ll continue to have a satellite site there or not, but I do think it will be important to the recovery efforts of the community,” Winslow said.

About the Altadena libraries celebration

When: Saturday, March 22, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
What to expect: Readings, arts & crafts, games, music and more. At 11 a.m. LeVar Burton will read from his book The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm.
Where: 600 E. Mariposa Street, Altadena

A new art exhibition is breathing life into the mid-century, Googie architecture of Johnie’s Coffee Shop at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue.

Artist Gary Baseman is known for his iconic cat illustrations and whimsical characters that have shown up in the New York Times, Disney animation and plenty of toys.

His L.A. food institution roots go deep: he grew up in the Fairfax district and his mom worked in the bakery at the legendary Canter’s Deli for 35 years.

“Off the Menu: Dining and Drawing in LA” features work drawn directly on menus from 40 different local staples, including Musso and Frank’s and Genghis Cohen, and of course, Canter's.

Gary Baseman's drawing on a Canter's Deli menu.

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“There’s a sense of community and comfort by being in these places,” Baseman told LAist. “This show is all about my love and celebration of L.A. dining culture.”

Baseman said the idea for the exhibition can be traced back to his time traveling around the world. At many of his dining stops around the globe, he would... borrow... menus and begin sketching scenes in his cartoon-like style.

“Let’s just say I wouldn’t give them back to the waiter and I would actually start drawing on the menu itself... It was a way of giving them immortality through the body of work,” Baseman said.

Baseman said he loved the idea of opening Johnie’s up again for people to see. He called the location the perfect place for a show like this, which takes visitors on what he calls a “dream reality” tour of L.A.’s food institutions through sketches and drawings.

Designed by the firm Armet and Davis, Johnie’s Coffee Shop occupied the building from 1966 to 2000, when it closed down, according to the Los Angeles Conservancy. Johnie’s has also been used for filming locations and shows up in The Big Lebowski, Reservoir Dogs and more.

Johnie’s hasn’t been completely dormant over the past decade though. Under the guidance of the Community Solidarity Project, a mutual aid nonprofit with a longstanding footprint in Mid-Wilshire, the building served as a campaign center for Bernie Sanders, a mutual aid distribution hub, a filming location with student filmmakers and more.

Gary Baseman's menu drawing of Musso and Frank's.

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Now it’ll house Baseman’s first solo show in L.A. since 2013’s “The Door is Always Open” at the Skirball Center. The launch of “Off the Menu” was purposefully timed to coincide with the opening of the first phase of the Metro D Line extension, which includes a Wilshire/Fairfax stop.

“Off the Menu” kicks off at Johnie’s on Friday, May 8, with a Metro D Line celebration from 3 to 6 p.m.

A public opening reception will take place: 6 to 9 p.m., Saturday, May 9

Then, the exhibition will be open noon to 7 p.m., Wednesday to Sunday, until June 14.

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Boyle Heights is turning the World Cup into a neighborhood celebration with a free block party next month aimed at supporting local businesses and bringing residents together along the 1st Street corridor.

The celebration will take place from 5 to 10 p.m. June 18  to mark the Mexico vs. South Korea match. 

“There’s a lot of focus on tourism and trying to make LA suitable for people to visit us, but at the end of the day, it’s our business members, our community members, who are here day to day, and they deserve to have a safe space to watch the game,” said Miriam Rodriguez, president of the Boyle Heights Chamber of Commerce.

What to expect

The block party is expected to close 1st Street between Vicente Fernandez and State streets. A large LED screen will be set up near Eastside Luv. Metro, along with Angel City Football Club, will activate the Mariachi Plaza station as a “welcoming platform” with screens showing highlights of the match, Rodriguez said. 

Many of the businesses along the corridor will be participating, including Espacio 1839, Street Tacos and Grill, Tenampal, Casa Fina, Birrieria Don Boni, SuperNova Thrift and Distrito Catorce. 

Some may offer food and merchandise outdoors or host DJs similar to past CicLAvia events in Boyle Heights.

A music lineup is in the works and other details are still being finalized, Rodriguez said.

Las Fotos Project, JD Sports, Neighborhood Music Schools, and the Angel City Football Club supporter group, known as PodeRosas, are among the participating organizations.

A boost for local businesses

Rodriguez said the event aims to boost local businesses facing economic strain tied to the recent federal immigration raids.

“Soccer brings unity,” Rodriguez said. “We want to … let our community know that even in hard times we’re still here for our businesses.”

“We can all come together and watch and celebrate our culture,” she said.

1st Street Corridor Block Party

When: Thursday, June 18

Time: 5-10 p.m.

Where: 1st Street between Vicente Fernandez and State streets

Information: boylehtschamber@gmail.com or @boyleheights_chamber on Instagram

More World Cup events 

“Kick it in the Park”: L.A. Mayor Karen Bass on Monday announced a series of recreation and parks facilities hosting more than 100 free FIFA World Cup watch parties across the city, including El Sereno Recreation Center, which will be showing 21 matches. 

Find the full schedule, additional celebrations and key information at kickit.lacity.gov.

Casa Mexico Los Angeles 2026: LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in downtown L.A. will host Casa Mexico Los Angeles 2026, a five-week community-centered celebration of soccer and culture. The event will feature free public programs, including live match viewing parties, music, gastronomy, exhibitions and more.

Find the full schedule, additional celebrations and key information at casamexico.netlify.app.

A normally sleepy school board race in northeast Long Beach has gotten an unexpected injection of partisan politics and campaign spending this year.

For 14 years, incumbent Long Beach Unified Trustee Diana Craighead has easily held onto the District 5 seat. First appointed to the board in 2012 to fill an empty spot, she has often won re-election without facing a challenger. This year, though, it’s a three-way race among Craighead, grassroots organizer Sara Pol-Lim and charter school teacher Maureen Flaherty. Flaherty’s presence in particular, and her association with a national conservative group Moms for Liberty, has raised the stakes and spurred powerful players in Long Beach education to try to influence the outcome.

Flaherty has advocated for vaccine choice rather than mandates, barring trans girls from girls’ sports and curriculum that “educate[s], not indoctrinate[s].” She also wants parents to have more control over the types of books students have access to in school.

She has collected endorsements from a litany of conservative politicians, including gubernatorial candidate Chad Bianco, the current sheriff of Riverside County. Her ties with Moms for Liberty, an organization that has advocated for book censorship and against curriculum on critical race theory and LGBTQ rights, have spurred LBUSD teachers to organize against her.

The Teachers Association of Long Beach, the union that represents thousands of certificated employees in the district, has thrown its weight behind Craighead — some members motivated less by Craighead’s platform than by fear of a win for Flaherty.

Chris Callopy, executive director of TALB, lived and taught in Orange Unified in the 1990s and 2000s when voters elected and later recalled conservative school board candidates, what Callopy called “precursors to the current MAGA and Moms for Liberty movements.”

At a union meeting last month, Callopy warned his membership that a similar school board takeover in Long Beach could threaten their civil rights and protections as teachers — especially for members of the LGBTQ community. “This is crisis mode,” Callopy said, “Pay attention and get involved.”

In response, TALB has endorsed Craighead and so far used about $45,000 in political action committee funding to support her campaign — including through mailers, opposition research, door-knocking and even an attack ad against Flaherty that claims she is “Too MAGA for school board” and “Wrong for our kids.”

Flaherty said TALB is misrepresenting her priorities.

“They’re attacking me without knowing my real positions,” she said, adding, “I’m not one thing. I have multiple beliefs.” She clarified that she wants all students to thrive and feel they belong in school and that she voted for gay rights in the past.

She’s been critical of teachers unions, saying they protect lazy educators. Flaherty said TALB’s campaign against her shows they’re afraid she has a real shot, even with Long Beach’s Democrat-heavy electorate. “They’re obviously worried that I have a chance of winning or they wouldn’t be doing that,” she said.

Craighead and her other challenger, Sara Pol-Lim, espouse more liberal political ideologies.

Craighead has championed a model of governance that aims to boost student performance and close equity gaps — focusing on the performance of Black students in particular. Though outcomes have lagged, Craighead has vowed to “stay the course” in the hopes that more significant improvements are on the horizon. She supports, and voted for, the district’s equity policy and inclusion of the district’s immigrant community.

Pol-Lim, who arrived in California as a Cambodian refugee in 1983, said she jumped into the race relatively late for pragmatic reasons. She decided she couldn’t “afford to just be a bystander anymore” when she learned about the district’s $70 million deficit and declining enrollment. She has advocated for a proactive approach to balancing the district’s budget by seeking alternative funding sources. And she says promoting student and teacher belonging could be keys to boosting both retention and outcomes, she said.

Pol-Lim has raised more than $19,000 for her campaign, primarily small monetary donations from individuals and organizations across the city, she said, as well as a loan to herself and about $3,000 in in-kind donations. Flaherty has raised less than $2,000 in total. And Craighead’s campaign has amassed more than $50,000, mostly in donations and in-kind support from TALB as well as some direct donations. She’s also accumulated endorsements from Long Beach’s largely liberal political establishment, including Mayor Rex Richardson, Rep. Robert Garcia, State Sen. Lena Gonzalez and Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal.