This week, check out Cat Video Fest, Grammy Week, a Bridgerton ice cream social, Katherine Ryan at the Wilshire Ebell and more.
Highlights:
The L.A. Central Library is turning 100 this year, with a number of events celebrating 100 years of learning. The kickoff includes the unveiling of a time capsule that was placed in the building’s cornerstone during its original construction in 1926.
Part Dear Abby, part Joan Rivers, Katherine Ryan is touring with her new special, Battleaxe.
Storied L.A. cocktail bar The Varnish closed in 2024, but you can step back behind the bar with one of its legendary mixologists, Sari Asher. This class will teach you the secrets behind three classics and provide a chance to relive the Varnish magic.
From the Upper Valley in the Foothills at Marta in Los Feliz centers on wood. The exhibit is sponsored by Angel City Lumber, a “unique lumber mill that specializes in sourcing downed trees from around L.A. County for use in community projects,” and each artist chose a section of wood that was cleared from Altadena. The invitation called upon artists to “examine the regenerative potential of a single, fundamental material” and includes works from furniture to sculpture and more.
While the rest of the country battles a real season with snow and freezing temps, we are deep into awards season, with Oscar noms already out and the Grammys coming up next weekend.
Since it’s Grammy Week, I’ll let our Licorice Pizza expert Lyndsey Parker give the lowdown for all the best music events:
Pull all the strings you can to get into the VIP parties and events around town, but there’s plenty of great tunes even for those without red carpet status. On Monday, everyone’s favorite indie-rock comic Fred Armisen is back at Largo, while Texas rockers Nothing More will take over the Belasco on Tuesday. On Wednesday, singer-songwriters Madison Cunningham and Mike Viola play the Bellwether, folk buzz band Lavender Diamond is at 2220 Arts + Archives and bluegrass star Molly Tuttle is at the Grammy Museum. On Thursday, Cannons play the Fonda, Lindsey Troy of Deap Vally is at Bardot for “It’s A School Night,” Inara George is at Zebulon, Grace Bowers plays the Troubadour, Robert Glasper plays the Blue Note and perhaps most exciting of all, Lizzie McGuire herself, Hilary Duff, makes her comeback at the Wiltern.
Thursday, January 29, 11 a.m. Mark Taper Auditorium L.A. Central Library 650 W. 5th Street, Downtown L.A. COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Downtown L.A.'s Central Library.
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The L.A. Central Library is a gem in our fair city — it hosts incredible author events and artists residencies; has a dedicated teen area and a museum; and is an architectural icon. There’s an entire prize-winning book about the 1986 fire that ripped through it (one of my favorite books ever, highly recommend). And the library is turning 100 this year, with a number of events celebrating 100 years of learning. The kickoff includes the unveiling of a time capsule that was placed in the building’s cornerstone during its original construction in 1926.
Bridgerton Ice Cream Social
Thursday, January 29, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams 1954 Hillhurst Ave., Los Feliz COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Dearest Reader, Cool down from the steamy launch of Bridgerton season 4 with a cool Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams social. The afternoon includes a performance from Vitamin String Quartet (who do those cool orchestral covers of pop songs in the show) and free scoops of the new Queen Charlotte Sponge Cake flavor.
Remember the Varnish: Cocktail intensive
Monday, January 26, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. TalkTales Entertainment 555 N. Spring Street, Suite 106, Downtown L.A. COST: $85; MORE INFO
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Storied L.A. cocktail bar The Varnish closed in 2024 (and if you, like me, frequented it in its mid-aughts heyday, it might be time for your first colonoscopy), but you can step back behind the bar with one of its legendary mixologists, Sari Grossman, who created balanced concoctions there for eight years. This class will teach you the secrets behind three classics and provide a chance to relive the Varnish magic.
From the Upper Valley in the Foothills
Through January 31 (open Wednesday to Saturday, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.) Marta 3021 Rowena Ave., Los Feliz COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Ryan Belli
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The concept for this group show in Los Feliz centers on an element that came into singular focus following last year’s devastating Palisades and Eaton fires: wood. The exhibit is sponsored by Angel City Lumber, a “unique lumber mill that specializes in sourcing downed trees from around L.A. County for use in community projects,” and each artist chose a section of wood that was cleared from Altadena. The invitation called upon artists to “examine the regenerative potential of a single, fundamental material” and includes works from furniture to sculpture and more.
Katherine Ryan: Battleaxe
Thursday, January 29, 7 p.m. Wilshire Ebell Theatre 4401 W. 8th Street, Mid-Wilshire COST: FROM $30; MORE INFO
Full disclosure, if there’s one podcast I keep up with, it’s Katherine Ryan’s Telling Everybody Everything. Part Dear Abby, part Joan Rivers, Ryan is relatable even when she’s not. Always a little too honest, she spills about raising a family, the ups and downs of a comedy career and all the guilty pleasure celeb news you’re afraid to admit you read. The Canadian comic has been living in the UK since she was in her 20s and has a unique take on England that’s more Real Housewives than Bill Bryson. She’s touring with her new special, Battleaxe.
Transgresoras: Artists Giana De Dier and Marilyn Boror Bor with Elena Shtromberg Tuesday, January 27, 1 p.m. California Museum of Photography, UC Riverside 3824 Main Street, Riverside COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Latina women artists used the postal service starting in the 1960s to circulate their artworks and avoid censorship. Now, that work is being shown to the public in a new exhibit at UC Riverside’s California Museum of Photography. On Tuesday, there’s a free online talk with artists Giana De Dier and Marilyn Boror Bor, both featured in the exhibition, moderated by the exhibition’s co-curator Elena Shtromberg. The discussion will explore “both artists’ interventions in narratives around public space in Panama and Guatemala within the context of their broader artistic practice.” You can stream the talk for free; it will take place in Spanish with live audio translation. The show is on at the museum until February 15.
NHM Movie Night: Cat Video Fest Thursday, January 29, 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Natural History Museum’s NHM Commons Theater 900 Exposition Blvd., Expo Park COST: $20; MORE INFO
Regular readers of this column know I can’t pass up a good cat event, and this one at the Natural History Museum might be the, um, lion of them all. The CatVideo Fest features 75 minutes of curated cat videos, plus the entire evening is cat-centric, with an opportunity to walk through the lauded Fierce Cats exhibit, check out local cat-friendly vendors and meet with museum educators.
Elly Yu
reports on early childhood. From housing to health, she covers issues facing the youngest Angelenos and their families.
Published January 26, 2026 5:00 AM
At least 280 childcare facilities were destroyed or damaged in the Palisades and Eaton fires.
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Topline:
Governor Gavin Newsom is proposing $11. 5 million in next year’s budget to help rebuild child care centers affected by the fires last January.
The backstory: At least 40 childcare facilities were destroyed in the Palisades and Eaton fires, and more than 200 were damaged. Providers have struggled to reopen, even a year later, especially those who ran their businesses out of their homes that then burned down. They have called on the state for assistance. Some providers did receive payments from the state for 30 days after the L.A. fires, after which point the governor’s office directed them to an unemployment phone line.
“We fought hard to win this funding and will continue to advocate for policies and funding that ensure the state is better prepared to support providers and families in the immediate aftermath of future disasters,” said Claudia Alvarado, a child care provider with the union Child Care Providers United.
What’s next: Lawmakers have until June 15 to agree on and pass the state’s budget.
Demonstrators gather in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday night over the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minnesota.
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Topline:
Demonstrations are planned by several different local groups in SoCal today over the fatal shooting of a man by federal agents in Minnesota on Saturday morning
Read on to learn more.
Several local groups in SoCal have planned demonstrations today over the fatal shooting of a man by federal agents in Minnesota on Saturday morning.
Starts at 3 p.m. outside of the Federal Building, at 300 North Los Angeles Street
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A Kaiser Permanente employee works on a computer at Kaiser Permanente Medical Office in Manhattan Beach, California.
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Etienne Laurent
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Topline:
Some 31,000 nurses and healthcare workers employed by Kaiser Permanente will begin an open-ended strike in California and Hawaii on Monday.
Why it matters: California has the largest share of picketing Kaiser workers, with about 28,000 employees.
Why now: The health system and the union representing Kaiser workers — United Nurses Associations of California & the Union of Health Care Professionals — have been negotiating for a new labor contract for months.
Some 31,000 nurses, pharmacists and healthcare workers employed by Kaiser Permanente will begin an open-ended strike tomorrow in California and Hawaii, with 28,000 of those workers in California alone.
The health system and the union representing Kaiser workers — United Nurses Associations of California & the Union of Health Care Professionals — have been negotiating for a new labor contract for months. Core bargaining issues include wages for nurses, understaffing and retirement benefits.
"Staffing's been a big problem, wages, working conditions ... and that's just to name a few," said Peter Sidhu, Executive Vice President of UNAC/UCHP. "We will have the largest open-ended healthcare strike in U.S. history."
Picketing is slated to begin at 12 local Kaiser medical facilities in the following communities: Anaheim, Baldwin Park, Downey, Fontana, Irvine, Los Angeles, Ontario, Riverside, Harbor City, Panorama City, West Los Angeles and Woodland Hills.
Kaiser said in a statement that their hospitals and medical offices will stay open during the strikes, but some pharmacies will close.
How the community came together to push back plans
Josie Huang
is a reporter and Weekend Edition host who spotlights the people and places at the heart of our region.
Published January 25, 2026 6:12 AM
Hundreds packed into Monterey Park City Hall to call for a moratorium on data centers.
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Topline:
Monterey Park residents have been turning out in force to oppose a proposed data center, pressuring city leaders to go beyond a temporary moratorium on the facilities and consider banning data centers altogether.
Why it matters: Data centers are rapidly spreading across L.A. County, and beyond. The response of residents in Monterey Park shows how people outside of City Hall can influence whether that growth happens.
The project: The developer, HMC StratCap, wants to build a nearly 250,000-square-foot data center in the Saturn business park.
The backstory: The project had been moving through City Hall for about two years before many residents learned about it in recent weeks and months, sparking a grassroots campaign that has quickly built momentum.
What's next: During the 45-day moratorium, city staff will draft an ordinance that would ban data centers outright if approved by the City Council. Meanwhile, the developer says it will plan outreach to residents.
Billions of dollars are pouring into data centers to power streaming services, cloud storage and the biggest energy monster of all, artificial intelligence.
Dozens of data centers already dot the region, from El Segundo to downtown L.A. But in Monterey Park, residents concerned about the environmental and health impacts of data centers are drawing a line.
A developer has proposed building a nearly 250,000-square-foot data center in a local business park. Last Wednesday night, hundreds of people packed City Hall to say they didn’t want it — or for that matter, any such facility.
“No data centers in Monterey Park!” the crowd chanted.
Residents’ immediate goal was to ensure the City Council approved a 45-day moratorium on data center development, an item added to the agenda after weeks of mounting public pressure.
What they got, in a meeting that stretched past midnight, was the council’s commitment to draft an outright ban during the 45-day period for a later vote. “That is more than I ever could have hoped for from this meeting,” resident Steven J. Kung said. “I am shocked and a little bit overjoyed.”
Residents organize
Hours earlier at a rally he helped lead outside City Hall, Kung had been far more cautious.
He expressed little faith in city officials, especially after learning that the project had been moving through the city’s planning process for about two years without his knowledge.
Kung said he only found out about the proposal from the Australian-based developer when his husband showed him a social media post by SGV Progressive Action last month — despite their living about 1,300 feet from the proposed site.
“I was incensed that no one had told me, especially since I lived so close,” he said.
Steven J. Kung is part of the activist and resident-led No Data Center Monterey Park.
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Kung joined a grassroots group of residents and activists called No Data Center Monterey Park, which has organized teach-ins, canvassing drives and yard sign campaigns in the weeks leading up to the vote.
Developer's promises
The developer, HMC StratCap, has said its proposed data center on 1977 Saturn Street would generate more than $5 million a year in tax revenue and more than 200 jobs during construction. It’s also promised to build a public park.
But residents said that’s not worth the tradeoff of the massive energy demand of data centers, pollution from diesel backup generators and noise from cooling equipment.
The developer counters that the generators will be strictly regulated, a “closed-loop cooling technology” will use water efficiently and noise will be “similar to a typical commercial area,” according to a handout shared with residents at Wednesday’s meeting.
Monterey Park City Hall was packed to capacity as people waited to testify in opposition to a proposed data center.
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The developer has also agreed to an environmental impact report.
Kung and others say an EIR is the least the developer should do. They say they’re also troubled by the decision to locate a data center in a city of roughly 60,000 people, more than half of them immigrants.
“They see a small city full of Asians and Latinos, and they don’t think we’ll fight back,” Kung said. “But they’re wrong.”
“People, not machines”
So many people showed up that the lobby was converted into overflow space.
Among them was Alex Leon, a mathematician who attended with his wife, a phlebotomist, and their two young daughters.
“This has kind of been our dream, living in Monterey Park,” Leon said. “I just don’t want it to turn into an industrial farm for big data.”
Alex Leon came to speak out against the proposed data center with his wife Janette and their two daughters.
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Like dozens of others, Leon wasn’t there just to watch, but wanted council members to listen. When his turn came to give comment, he met the eyes of the council members.
“Monterey Park should be built for people, not machines,” he said. “For families, not server racks. For community life, not industrial infrastructure. This is our home, and it’s worth defending.”
“Open and honest conversations”
A handful of speakers supported the project, including a representative for the developer. Laziza Lambert pivoted at the podium to face the crowd.
“We just really want to be good, long-term partners with the community and hope to have open and honest conversations,” she said, as some in the audience started to jeer.
Residents voiced concerns that once one data center is approved, the floodgates would open, noting that the developer owns another parcel on the same street.
But much of the anger that night was aimed at city leaders. Speaker after speaker said they had been kept in the dark.
Tran and
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Katherine Torres, a real estate agent and president of the Monterey Park Women’s Club, said the organization is apolitical, but she would be sure to tell the members.
“I swear, I’m going to spread the word about the data center because they need to know,” she said as the room erupted in applause.
She looked at the council members with whom she was on a first-name basis.
“I have dinner with you guys,” she said. “I go to your events. Why didn’t I know?”
A surprise shift
By the fifth hour, nearly 80 residents had spoken. Then it was the council’s turn to give comments before their vote on the 45-day moratorium.
Two members said they supported going beyond a temporary pause and considering a permanent ban. Jose Sanchez’s opposition to data centers was already known to those closely following the issue. But Elizabeth Yang’s was not.
Yang told the room that her mother and stepfather live within a mile of the proposed site.
The council meeting was preceded by a rally against data centers.
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“I’m not going to vote for something that’s going to hurt my own family,” she said.
She added she was disappointed the developer had not done more with outreach and information.
“Because of all of you feeding us good information, I’m siding with no data center,” Yang said.
The remaining residents started clapping and rose to their feet.
What’s ahead
The council unanimously approved the 45-day moratorium during which city staff will draft an ordinance that could ban data centers outright — a proposal that will return to the council for a vote.
Outside council chambers, Steven J. Kung praised his fellow residents for speaking out and pushing the council to think bigger.
“I’m so proud of Monterey Park and our residents,” he said. “The more I’m here, the more I fall in love with the people.”
He’d celebrate that night. But then it’d be back to work, making sure the ban stands and Monterey Park keeps data centers out for good.
The developer would not be sitting back either. Lambert, the representative for the developer, said they were moving forward with plans to host a town hall with residents in the next couple of weeks.
