Celebrate the release of a new documentary focusing on the indie label and collective the Elephant 6 Recording Co. Its roster included the Olivia Tremor Control, pictured above.
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Jason Thrasher
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Courtesy of Elephant 6 movie
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This weekend (EDIT)
Celebrate Nisei Week in Little Tokyo. Tour the former haunts of a “dirty old man.” Shop for props and ephemera at the Geffen.
Our picks:
The 81st Nisei Week Japanese Festival, Various locations in Little Tokyo, downtown L.A.- Celebrate Japanese and Japanese American heritage traditions during the Nisei Week Japanese Festival with family-friendly events, interactive activities, and live music and performance.
Backyard Tag Sale, Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood-The Geffen holds its biggest sale of the year, where guests can purchase 10 years of “stuff” from plays produced at the theater.
Haunts of A Dirty Old Man: Charles Bukowski Bus Tour, Grand Central Market (Meeting place), 317 S. Broadway, downtown L.A.- This Esotouric bus tour takes you on a journey of Bukowski’s passions and vices: writing, sex and Los Angeles.
Celebrate Nisei Week in Little Tokyo. Tour the former haunts of a “dirty old man.” Shop for props and ephemera at the Geffen. Ride in the Tour de Carson or in CAAM’s community ride.
Friday, Aug. 11; 6:30 p.m.
The Elephant 6 Recording Co. L.A. Premiere Event Barnsdall Gallery Theatre 4800 Hollywood Blvd., East Hollywood Attend the L.A. premiere event for an upcoming documentary on The Elephant 6 Recording Company & collective, which included bands like Neutral Milk Hotel, the Olivia Tremor Control, the Apples In Stereo, Elf Power and of Montreal. Directed by C.B. Stockfleth, produced by Lance Bangs, and executive produced by Rob Hatch-Miller. The evening also features live musical performances and surprise guests. COST: $30.90; MORE INFO
The USC Pacific Asia Museum opens the exhibition 'Imprinting in Time: Chinese Printmaking at the Beginning of a New Era.'
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Su Xinping, 'Fish Feast,' 1998
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Courtesy of USC Asia Pacific Museum
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Friday, Aug. 11 - Sunday, Nov. 12
Imprinting in Time: Chinese Printmaking at the Beginning of a New Era USC Pacific Asia Museum 46 N. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena This exhibition surveys printmaking by Chinese artists from the 1980s to the present. Curated by Danielle Shang, the exhibition features 60 works from the museum’s permanent collection, organized into three sections: Modern Woodcut Movement, the Post Mao Era and Crisis and Hope Since the 1990s. COST: $7 - $10 for adult admission; MORE INFO
Friday, Aug. 11; 10 p.m.
Dancing Therapy: Perfect Kiss Songbird Cafe 900 North Broadway #1050, Chinatown Get ready to get sweaty and dance to new wave, post-punk, Italo disco, synth pop and “arpeggiated electronic exploits.” RSVP for free entry before 11 p.m. COST: FREE - $10; MORE INFO
Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building Escape Room Westfield Century City Mall 10250 Santa Monica Blvd., Space 2945, Century City To celebrate the upcoming third season of its show Only Murders in the Building (starring Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez), Hulu transports guests to a mystery experience that allows them to relive some of their favorite moments from the show, interact with props and solve mysteries. Waitlist available. COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO
Friday, Aug. 11; 7 - 10 p.m.
Nick Waterhouse Levitt Pavilion 2230 W. 6th St., MacArthur Park We’re fans of Waterhouse’s neo-soul and R&B stylings. Catch him at this free outdoor concert, courtesy of Levitt LA and KCRW. COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Nisei Week celebrations begin in Little Tokyo this weekend, featuring traditional Japanese dancers, taiko drummers, community groups, and the newly crowned Nisei Week Queen and Court.
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Toyo Miyatake
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Courtesy of Nisei Week
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Saturday, Aug. 12 - Sunday, Aug. 30
The 81st Nisei Week Japanese Festival Various locations in Little Tokyo, downtown L.A. Celebrate Japanese and Japanese American heritage traditions during the Nisei Week Japanese Festival with a series of family-friendly events, interactive activities, and live music and performance. On Saturday at 7 p.m., the 2023 Nisei Week Queen and Court are officially presented in a program at the Aratani Theatre. On Sunday, from 4 to 7 p.m., view the Grand Parade with dancers, musicians, floats and surprises on 1st and 2nd Street, between Central Avenue and San Pedro Street. COST: Varies; MORE INFO
Backyard Tag Sale Geffen Playhouse 10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood The Geffen holds its biggest sale of the year, where guests can purchase 10 years of “stuff” from plays produced at the theater. From high-end bespoke furniture (e.g., the chaise lounge Idina Menzel lamented her character’s life for eight shows a week) to vintage items, props, posters and ephemera, the sale helps the Geffen make space for more theater. COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Upcoming Go Fact Yourself LIVE event.
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LAist Design
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Go Fact Yourself
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Saturday, Aug. 12; 7 p.m.
Go Fact Yourself LIVE with Alex Borstein and Ego Nwodim Crawford Family Forum 474 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena LAist hosts another live-in-person recording of Go Fact Yourself — “the podcast where we quiz the smartest celebrities we know, and find out why they love what they love.” Hear (and see) the show before the rest of the world as hosts J. Keith van Straaten and Helen Hong welcome guests Alex Borstein and Ego Nwodim and super-secret experts to try to stump them in their self-proclaimed areas of expertise. COST: FREE - $15; MORE INFO
Haunts of A Dirty Old Man: Charles Bukowski Bus Tour Grand Central Market (Meeting place) 317 S. Broadway, downtown L.A. This Esotouric bus tour takes you on a journey of Bukowski’s passions and vices: writing, sex and Los Angeles. Stops include the "Postal Annex Terminal where he gathered the material for Post Office, the De Longpre apartment where he tried marriage and fatherhood," and his favorite East Hollywood liquor store, The Pink Elephant. The four-hour tour (including both bus riding and walking) is hosted by Richard Schave. COST: $85; MORE INFO
Saturday, Aug. 12; 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Tour de Carson Various locations in Carson As part of the city of Carson’s 55th Anniversary Celebration, the city sponsors two Tour de Carson bicycle riding events: The Family Adventure Ride is a beginner-level 9-mile ride, and the Explorer Ride is a 20-mile intermediate-level ride. Both rides will have rest areas along the way and include a ride inside the Velodrome (at the Dignity Health Sports Park). Both events start and finish at Cal State University Dominguez Hills (Parking lot 3). Stay for the community festival with local vendors. Registration is requested. COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO
Sunday, Aug. 13; 2 p.m.
Ghostbusters The Theatre at Ace Hotel 929 S. Broadway, downtown L.A. Beat the heat and catch a matinee in the restored 1920s movie palace. The Ace screens the ’80s hits on Sundays. This week, it’s the OG Ghostbusters, followed by Karate Kid (Aug. 20), Dirty Dancing (Aug. 27) and Who Framed Roger Rabbit (Sept. 10). Before the show, swing by LOAM for brunch and get 20% off your meal along with themed cocktails and specials for the movie by showing your movie ticket. Plus, all diners at LOAM get free popcorn for the matinee. COST: $25; MORE INFO
Prime Video's karaoke party bus rolls around WeHo on Sunday for the release of its movie, 'Red White & Royal Blue.'
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Courtesy of Prime Video
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Sunday, Aug. 13; 10:30 a.m.
Double Decker Karaoke Bus Various locations in West Hollywood To promote its upcoming film Red, White & Royal Blue, Prime Video rolls out a show-stopping double-decker karaoke bus that will take to the streets of Los Angeles on Sunday. Unleash your inner rock star or serenade your secret crush. The bus tour kicks off at Milk Bar, where the bakery hands out slices of Birthday Cake with a Red, White & Royal Blue theme, then moves to Rocco’s and Hamburger Mary’s for more karaoke, giveaways and fun. COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Join in the CAAM Exposition Park Community Ride this weekend. At 3 miles, it's perfect for riders of all abilities.
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Wayne Bishop
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on Unsplash
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Outdoor Pick
CAAM Exposition Park Community Ride On Saturday, Aug. 12, from 10 a.m. to noon, meet up for an easy 3-mile bike ride around Exposition Park and a trip to the California African American Museum. Don’t have a bike? Then pick up a bike and helmet at CAAM provided by partners Metro Bike Share. Admire the architecture and gardens while riding bike lanes and with the bike signals on Figueroa Street. The ride is “no-drop,” meaning that the ride will be at a comfortable and inclusive pace for all participants. Ages 16+. Free with RSVP.
Viewing Pick
Pluto TV Free Movie Week at Vidiots The free streaming television service Pluto TV hosts a free movie weekend (Aug. 12 - 13) at Vidiots in Eagle Rock as part of its ongoing support of independent theaters. Watch six different films for free, plus get complimentary Pluto TV swag and popcorn. Films screening are: Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, Attack the Block, A View to a Kill, Freaky Friday, La Dolce Vita and First Blood. To book tickets, visit vidiotsfoundation.org/film-series/plutotvfreemovieweekend. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Lunetta holds a tasting dinner that puts paella at the front and center of the meal.
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Courtesy of Lunetta
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Dine and Drink Deals
Here are a few dine and drink options to indulge in this week.
Lunetta in Santa Monica holds a Taste of Lunetta Paella Dinner through Saturday, Aug. 12. The experience starts with an amuse-bouche for two, Pan con tomate y jamon, zucchini blossoms, sweet corn agnolotti, a choice of Lunetta’s classic paella or grilled lavender rack of lamb and orange flan for dessert. The experience is offered at $78 per person. Reservations recommended.
Join in a pancake and bacon breakfast on The Green at the Americana at Brand on Saturday, Aug.12 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to benefit the Glendale Police and Fire Departments. First responders will serve the breakfast, and there will be family friendly activities including face painting, balloon artists and live entertainment from country music singer/songwriter Sophia Dion. Tickets: $20 per person; free for those ages 3 and younger.
Port City Tavern in Long Beach returns its Summer Fest on Saturday, Aug. 12 from 3 to 10 p.m. In addition to craft cocktails and a biergarten, the food lineup includes smash burgers by Proudly Serving, tacos from Tacos La Revancha Kitchen & Beer and munchies from Ever’s Fantastic Cafe. Free admission, but must be 21+ to attend.
Smorgasburg opens a pop-up bar at ROW DTLA this week aptly named Smorgasbar. Open on Thursdays and Fridays from 4 to 10 p.m. at the old Alameda Supper Club Space, the pop-up features a DJ and food vendors. This Thursday features food from Evil Cooks and Cali Dumpling and Mano Po on Friday.
Nick Westbrook’s biscuit pop-up Pa’s Biscuitisserie continues its August residency at Coucou in Venice. Taking place on Sundays and Mondays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Westbrook tips his hat to his grandfather’s biscuit recipe by offering them four ways: fried chicken biscuit sandwich; bacon, egg & cheese biscuit sandwich; spicy lamb sausage & gravy biscuit and the jam & honey butter biscuit.
By Jessica Perez and Laura Anaya-Morga | The LA Local
Published November 7, 2026 10:59 AM
Federal immigration agents detained at least two people late Friday outside Adventist White Memorial Hospital in Boyle Heights, where protesters had gathered after reports of immigration enforcement activity, according to rapid response groups. Protesters remained at the hospital into the early hours of Saturday, where immigration agents maintained a large presence.
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Video screenshot courtesy of Boyle Heights Immigrant Rights Network
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Topline:
Federal immigration agents detained at least two people late last night outside Adventist White Memorial Hospital in Boyle Heights.
Why now: Protesters had gathered there after reports of immigration enforcement activity, according to rapid response groups, and remained at the hospital into early hours today.
What we know: It appears the incident began after people witnessed someone being detained and taken into the hospital, according to Raquel Roman, executive director of Proyecto Pastoral and member of the Boyle Heights Immigrant Rights Network. The spurred a crowd of protesters to rally against ICE agents.
Keep reading ... for the latest.
Federal immigration agents detained at least two people late Friday outside Adventist White Memorial Hospital in Boyle Heights, where protesters had gathered after reports of immigration enforcement activity, according to rapid response groups. Protesters remained at the hospital into the early hours of Saturday, where immigration agents maintained a large presence.
It appears the incident began after people witnessed someone being detained and taken into the hospital, according to Raquel Roman, executive director of Proyecto Pastoral and member of the Boyle Heights Immigrant Rights Network. That spurred a crowd of protesters to rally against ICE agents, who then detained two protesters who are U.S. citizens, Roman said.
Video posted on social media appears to show one person being detained outside the hospital. In the video, at least three officers in tactical vests are seen detaining someone at the intersection of Boyle and Pennsylvania Avenues around 11:30 p.m.
A group of about six more officers in tactical vests and masks can be seen walking around the area as another, whose vest says “Police ICE,” yells at the person recording to “back up” and “do not impede with the arrest.”
“You’re arresting U.S. citizens,” the person recording says. “18 USC 111, they’re interfering,” the officer replies, referring to Title 18, Section 111 of the U.S. Code: Assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees.
In the video, a bystander who says the person being arrested is his brother can be seen speaking to the officer.
“Your brother assaulted a federal agent. He’s being arrested for assaulting a federal agent; he’s coming with us,” the officer tells them.
Boyle Heights Beat reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for more information about the incident but has not yet received a response.
LAPD response
The Los Angeles Police Department was first called to the scene at 11:59 p.m. to respond to a “large group causing a disturbance,” according to LAPD Officer Norma Eisenman. LAPD responded again at 2:24 a.m. as crowds continued to gather outside of the hospital.
“Officers responded to maintain public safety and keep the peace. At no point did LAPD officers assist federal immigration authorities with enforcement activities or detain any individuals in connection with immigration enforcement,” Eisenman said.
Video posted on social media by Izzy Ramirez shows a line of agents blocking the emergency loading dock around 2:30 a.m. as a crowd continues to shout at the agents and make noise.
“It was horrible for the local community. The ICE presence was a lot more than I’ve seen it visibly before,” said Roman.
What the hospital said
Japhet De Oliveira, corporate communications executive at Adventist Health, shared the following statement:
“Federal agents brought a person in their custody to our emergency department, and we cared for that patient with dignity and privacy, as we do for every patient. When agents formed a line across our ambulance entrance, which we did not request nor authorize, we diverted ambulances to nearby hospitals for about two hours to ensure every patient received timely care. White Memorial does not participate in immigration enforcement. We know last night frightened our neighbors. No matter what happens outside our doors, everyone who comes inside is our patient, and our focus will only be on that patient, and it will not change.”
Doctors at Adventist White Memorial last year reported that ICE agents were violating the privacy rights of detained patients and prohibiting contact with patients’ family members. While the hospital released guidelines to protect patients and support staff, doctors and advocates have said they fall short.
LAist watchdog reporting
In October 2025, LAist's Jill Replogle reported that doctors at White Memorial hospital in Boyle Heights told her that hospital administrator directives allow federal immigration agents to interfere in medical decisions and block doctors from properly treating detainees who need emergency care.
Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, who represents Boyle Heights, said she was “deeply troubled” by the reports overnight and demanded answers from hospital leadership. She said:
“I am calling on Adventist Health White Memorial to publicly disclose its agreements with ICE and end any voluntary medical-services contract with the agency. Every patient, including anyone in federal custody, must continue to receive appropriate, uninterrupted medical care. Hospital leadership must take immediate, concrete steps to protect patient privacy, support healthcare workers who advocate for their patients, and ensure that medical decisions remain with patients and their care teams.”
Archaeologist at the University of Bern Gino Caspari touches a cannabis plant in the Altai Mountains, Siberia, Russia, in Sept. 2016
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Gino Caspari, Frozen Corpses Golden Treasures, T.Wallace & G. Caspari
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Associated Press
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Topline:
People may have been getting high off cannabis earlier than previously thought — at least 2,800 years ago, a new study suggests.
The findings: Archaeologists who led a dig at a monumental tomb in Siberia said they turned up evidence of the earliest known use of cannabis for psychoactive purposes. The findings point to cannabis consumption at least 300 years earlier than previously known use in neighboring China. It’s not clear whether the cannabis was consumed through inhalation or ingestion, he said.
The backstory: Ancient drug use has long intrigued scholars. The Greek historian Herodotus wrote about inhabitants of Central Asia smoking cannabis around 440 B.C., and recent archaeologists have found the seeds in tombs across its highlands. The team from Germany, Russia, Sweden and Switzerland said analysis of hair in the royal tomb where cannabis seeds turned up sheds new light on the plant’s role in ancient societies.
People may have been getting high off cannabis earlier than previously thought — at least 2,800 years ago, a new study suggests.
Archaeologists who led a dig at a monumental tomb in Siberia said they turned up evidence of the earliest known use of cannabis for psychoactive purposes.
Ancient drug use has long intrigued scholars. The Greek historian Herodotus wrote about inhabitants of Central Asia smoking cannabis around 440 B.C., and recent archaeologists have found the seeds in tombs across its highlands.
The team from Germany, Russia, Sweden and Switzerland said analysis of hair in the royal tomb where cannabis seeds turned up sheds new light on the plant’s role in ancient societies.
“It’s extremely rare that we have both preserved plant parts and human soft tissue with the active compounds in it in the same context,” said co-author Gino Caspari, an archaeologist at the University of Bern.
“It’s only so often as an archaeologist that you do get to drug test a person that’s been dead for almost 3,000 years,” he said.
It’s not clear whether the cannabis was consumed through inhalation or ingestion, he said.
The dig took place starting in 2017 at a large burial mound at the Tunnug 1 site in the Uyuk Valley of southern Siberia, home to one of the earliest monumental tombs showing material culture of the Scythians — ancient nomads who migrated from Central Asia to southern Russia and Ukraine.
The team, deployed “essentially out in the middle of nowhere,” lived in tents for months and faced a spring-to-autumn season that variously featured swamps, snowstorms, frosts and swarms of mosquitoes. Herds of horses ran freely across the grassy steppe.
Larger artifacts on the site include weapons in the burials, horse gear and animal-style motifs. But the team “struck gold” as it also found tiny black spots that turned out to be cannabis seeds along with preserved human hair, Caspari said.
“It’s only so often as an archaeologist that you do get to drug test a person that’s been dead for almost 3,000 years,” he said.
Radiocarbon dating on some of the more than 1,000 seeds helped establish the time of origin, and “they are not there by accident” but deposited within the tomb, suggesting that the plant material had significance in the community, he said.
Results were published Thursday in the journal Science.
Not all independent experts were convinced.
The hair analysis “is scientifically weak” and there’s not enough evidence to tell whether cannabis was used, wrote Volker Auwaerter, head of the forensic toxicology section at the University Medical Center in Freiburg, Germany, in an email.
“For a central part of the study, the article falls far short of what would have been possible,” Auwaerter said. “This matters because the hair data carry the abstract’s main claims (cannabis consumption and use for its psychoactive properties).”
Today, scholars don’t consider ancient accounts trustworthy without corroborating evidence. Because the cannabis plant has other uses — seeds are pressed for oil and fibers used for cloth — their presence alone doesn’t confirm drug use.
Auwaerter, who was not part of the study, said the data didn’t distinguish consumption from external exposure — in other words, the hair could have picked up traces of weed simply by being buried together with it. He said a lab test involving forensic toxicology expertise would have been advisable and easy to arrange.
But Elisa Guerra Doce of the University of Valladolid in Spain, who has written about use of consciousness-altering substances in European prehistory, said toxicological hair analysis was not new in archaeology and has been used to identify consumption of psychoactive substances. She was not involved in the study.
In an email, she credited the authors for showing, through their methodology, that “cannabis was not merely deposited as a funerary offering but was actually consumed by individuals associated with the burial rite.”
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This image released by HBO shows Noah Wyle in a scene from “The Pitt.”
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HBO
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via Associated Press
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Topline:
A California appeals court has found that “ER” and “The Pitt” have enough similarity that a lawsuit brought by the widow and estate of “ER” creator Michael Crichton alleging “The Pitt” is an unauthorized reboot can move forward.
Why now? A three-judge panel from California’s 2nd District Court of Appeal ruled unanimously on Wednesday that the trial court judge was correct to reject a motion to throw out the case from “The Pitt” production company Warner Bros. Television, which also produced “ER.” But the judges dismissed Noah Wyle — the star of both shows and a producer on “The Pitt” — as a defendant along with two other producers who worked on both series.
The backstory: The lawsuit is a clash between the makers of multiple Emmy-winning TV series that were each among the most important and acclaimed shows of their eras. Crichton, the author of “Jurassic Park” and many other novels that became hit movies and TV shows, wrote the pilot script for “ER,” the NBC show about a Chicago emergency room that redefined the medical drama genre and drew tens of millions of weekly viewers in its run from 1994 to 2009. The lawsuit brought by Sherri Crichton was filed two years ago, before a single episode of “The Pitt” had aired. The HBO Max series that shows a real-time day in the life of a Pittsburgh emergency department has since become perhaps the most lauded series in television, winning two Emmys for best drama for its first two seasons and two best actor Emmys for Wyle.
What's next: Along with more technical legal issues, the judges had to decide whether the shows had at least the minimal similarity that would give the lawsuit enough merit to move forward. Their decision applies only to this early legal challenge and they did not rule on whether the plaintiffs had proved the “The Pitt” is derivative of “ER.”
A California appeals court has found that “ER” and “The Pitt” have enough similarity that a lawsuit brought by the widow and estate of “ER” creator Michael Crichton alleging “The Pitt” is an unauthorized reboot can move forward.
A three-judge panel from California’s 2nd District Court of Appeal ruled unanimously on Wednesday that the trial court judge was correct to reject a motion to throw out the case from “The Pitt” production company Warner Bros. Television, which also produced “ER.” But the judges dismissed Noah Wyle — the star of both shows and a producer on “The Pitt” — as a defendant along with two other producers who worked on both series.
The lawsuit is a clash between the makers of multiple Emmy-winning TV series that were each among the most important and acclaimed shows of their eras.
Crichton, the author of “Jurassic Park” and many other novels that became hit movies and TV shows, wrote the pilot script for “ER,” the NBC show about a Chicago emergency room that redefined the medical drama genre and drew tens of millions of weekly viewers in its run from 1994 to 2009.
The lawsuit brought by Sherri Crichton was filed two years ago, before a single episode of “The Pitt” had aired. The HBO Max series that shows a real-time day in the life of a Pittsburgh emergency department has since become perhaps the most lauded series in television, winning two Emmys for best drama for its first two seasons and two best actor Emmys for Wyle.
Along with more technical legal issues, the judges had to decide whether the shows had at least the minimal similarity that would give the lawsuit enough merit to move forward. Their decision applies only to this early legal challenge and they did not rule on whether the plaintiffs had proved the “The Pitt” is derivative of “ER.”
The court agreed with the plaintiff that “both shows provide commentaries on the healthcare system; they focus specifically on the emergency room and the difficult conditions under which the medical staff operates. Both shows take place, with little exception, in the emergency room, as opposed to other medical shows which track patients as they move out of the emergency room, or indeed never enter it.”
The opinion also said that both feature “very fast pacing, and reactions to multiple overlapping crises. The fast-paced dialogue is (to a layperson) frequently incomprehensible shorthand and jargon, lending an air of immediacy and accuracy.”
Warner Bros. Television said in a statement that “WBTV continues to maintain that ‘The Pitt’ is an entirely original series and that the claims against it are without merit. Nothing in the Court of Appeal’s decision establishes otherwise, and WBTV looks forward to defending its position as the case proceeds.”
The defendants argued in legal filings that the shows have “generic similarities” that would exist in “any dramatic story” that features “overworked doctors and staff.”
The panel also unanimously dismissed as defendants Wyle, John Wells, who created “The Pitt” and worked on “ER,” and R. Scott Gemmill, a “Pitt” executive producer who also worked on both shows. The judges found there was no evidence the three men knew the provisions of the Crichton contract that the lawsuit alleges they interfered with.
Sherri Crichton’s lawsuit alleges “The Pitt” is a rebranded version of an unauthorized “ER” reboot that she had rejected.
Her husband had secured a coveted “frozen rights” provision in his contract for the series, prohibiting Warner Bros. from proceeding with any sequels, remakes, spinoffs or other productions derived from “ER” without Crichton’s consent, or his estate’s consent after his death from cancer in 2008.
After the production company could not reach an agreement with Sherri Crichton over a proposed “ER” reboot, the TV studio proceeded to develop and produce a series based on the same premise without permission, the lawsuit alleges.
San Fernando Valley native, Micki Boden, loves LAUSD's famed coffee cake. So much so she turned it into her wedding cake.
The backstory: Boden attended elementary school in Studio City and middle school in Sherman Oaks before graduating from a Reseda high school.
The ask: She reached out to the district to see if they'd bake her a cake. Miraculously, they said yes.
Read on ... for the full story.
Micki Boden wanted a wedding cake that checked off a couple of big boxes — personalized and tasty. Instead of a traditional tiered cake, the San Fernando Valley native went with a favorite from her school days.
“My favorite cake of all time is the coffee cake that I ate through my entire K-12 education going to LAUSD public school,” Boden said.
Boden attended elementary school in Studio City and middle school in Sherman Oaks before graduating from a Reseda high school.
Boden and her husband, Matt Stollman, met in 2016 while working on the reality television show Big Brother and eventually started dating.The two got engaged in 2025.
With the groom’s family traveling from the East Coast for their wedding in October, the couple wanted to provide a uniquely L.A. experience.
Micki Boden and Matt Stollman cut into their LAUSD coffee cake wedding cake.
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Micki Boden
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“We wanted something that was gonna be fun, that was gonna be memorable for people,” Boden said.
They held their wedding at the Valley Relics Museum in Van Nuys, surrounded by San Fernando Valley memorabilia, and got a California favorite — an In-N-Out truck — to serve guests.
The search for a cake that fit
But when it came to the wedding cake, the couple struggled to find something suitable. Neither Boden nor Stollman liked frosting, and traditional wedding cakes didn’t excite them.
“We explored the more traditional tiered cake setup, and it just wasn’t meshing well,” Boden said.
The Stollman's wedding cake, decorated by the chef at Mulholland Middle School in Lake Balboa, sits in a pastry box.
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Micki Boden
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How LAUSD made it happen
Thomas Cohen, a public relations representative at the district, and Manish Singh, the director of food services, arranged for a chef at Mulholland Middle School in Lake Balboa to prepare the wedding cake. The chef also shaped part of the cake into a heart just for the couple.
Singh said the district doesn’t take cake orders from the public — but made this exception.
“We were doing it just to make one of our Angelenos, an ex-LAUSD student, make her special day even more special,” Singh said.
For the bride, it was the icing on her big day.
“I think it’s all just part of being an L.A. student,” she said. “The fact that we have these amazing memories from childhood, I think it’s just so meaningful for a lot of people.”
