Buddy Guy performs during the 2023 Savanah Music Festival at Trustees' Garden Main Stage in Savannah, Georgia.
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R. Diamond
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In this edition:
Buddy Guy still sings the blues, Angel City Chorale plays in the Marina, Chez Jay celebrates 66 years and more of the best things to do this weekend.
Highlights:
Buddy Guy, the original bluesman, continues to define the genre. Catch the 89 years young maestro at the Cerritos Center playing his new album released on his birthday, Ain’t Done With the Blues.
Chez Jay is celebrating 66 years in Santa Monica. The bar that inspired Three’s Company’s Regal Beagle has been a celebrity hangout and dive bar since its early days. Designated as a Santa Monica Historic Landmark, Chez Jay is hosting a big, retro-themed party for its community of neighbors, longtime regulars and visitors alike.
What’s this? Quentin Tarantino’s own movie theater, the New Beverly Cinema, is hosting a midnight screening of Reservoir Dogs? Doesn’t get more L.A. than that.
(I’ll admit I still have the Jesus Christ Superstar soundtrack stuck in my head.)
It’s hot, hot, hot out, so don’t forget to reapply sunscreen like I did last Saturday (oops!) and take advantage, whether that’s a beach day, a dip in your neighborhood pool or sitting in the A/C and binge-watching Too Much on Netflix (I liked it). Of course, that’s all in between any of the excellent choices around town, from taking in the Lumineers at the Forum to scoring a new backpack at the Backpacks2School giveaway in Rancho Cienega Park.
More to explore from LAist: where you can get a sneak peek at LACMA’s newest acquisitions and grab your tickets for Saturday’s Go Fact Yourself taping with Stephen Tobolowsky and Aparna Nancherla.
Events
Saturday, August 9, 5 to 6:30 p.m. 'Architecture Uncorked!' Edition 4 Barnsdall Art Park 4800 Hollywood Blvd., Los Feliz COST: FREE to $25; MORE INFO
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Friends of Residential Treasures
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There’s nothing like some hot architecture talk to go with a bold merlot. Join the Friends of Residential Treasures, or FORT, crew for a sneak preview of a new Rebel Architects series episode,and join architects Frederick Fisher and Thom Mayne and artist Chuck Arnoldi for a chat with art and design journalist Frances Anderton at Barnsdall Art Park. Of course, there will be wine!
Friday, August 8, 7 p.m. Tell Me What You Like Book Launch w/ Author Katie Simon The Pleasure Chest 7733 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Talking about sex and intimacy is hard. Talking about sex and intimacy after sexual assault is harder. Join sexuality journalist and SA survivor Katie Simon and Comprehensive Sex Educator and Trauma Expert Jimanekia Eborn for a discussion about Simon's new book, Tell Me What You Like: An Honest Discussion of Sex and Intimacy After Sexual Assault.
This important conversation will address all the things you wanted to know but were afraid to ask — and if it doesn’t, you can ask them yourself at the no-holds-barred Q&A.
Saturday, August 9, 7 p.m. Angel City Chorale with the Marina del Rey Symphony Burton Chace Park 13650 Mindanao Way, Marina del Rey COST: FREE; MORE INFO
I went out to the Marina last Saturday for the Ozomatli show at Burton Chace Park, and I can’t recommend the wine, picnic and cute dog vibes highly enough. This weekend, theAngel City Chorale takes to the bandshell with the Marina del Rey Symphony, performing Christopher Tin's classical crossover song cycle, Calling All Dawns. Come early to grab a spot and visit the sea lions. Bring a jacket, tooo; it gets chilly out there when the sun goes down!
Saturday, August 9, 1 p.m. The Female Gaze: Women Photo Gallerists in Los Angeles Nazraeli Press @ The REEF LA 1933 S. Broadway, Downtown L.A. COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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PAC L.A.
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Three women who’ve helped define the photography scene in L.A. over the past 30 years — Tarrah von Lintel (Von Lintel Gallery), Theresa Luisotti (Gallery Luisotti) and Rose Shoshana (ROSEGALLERY) — join arts writer Jori Finkel for a conversation about the challenges and opportunities in the field. The talk, organized by the Photographic Arts Council Los Angeles, with the support of Eastman Museum L.A., will address the gallery’s place in the broader visual arts ecosystem and the role these spaces play in the development of an artist’s career.
Sunday, August 10, 7 p.m. Buddy Guy Basks in the Blues Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts 18000 Park Plaza Dr., Cerritos COST: FROM $79.20; MORE INFO
Buddy Guy performs at Whitney Hall in Louisville, Kentucky in 2024.
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Stephen J. Cohen
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I think Buddy Guyprobably has a whole new generation of fans after his cameo at the end of Ryan Coogler’s blockbuster hit, Sinners. But the original bluesman has been here all along and continues to define the genre. Catch the 89 years young maestro at the Cerritos Center playing his new album — yes, new — released on his birthday, Ain’t Done With the Blues.
Sunday, August 10, 7 p.m. Rack To The Future: A Burlesque Parody Crown City Theatre (inside Crown City Dance) 140 S. Rosemead Blvd., Pasadena COST: $20; MORE INFO
Broadway vet Bruce Vilanch (Hairspray) joins Celebration Theatre for a musical sing-along and Sunday Funday fundraiser in WeHo. Proceeds support the world premiere of Matthew Scott Montgomery's upcoming LGBTQ+ comedy, Foursome, being produced with IAMA Theatre Company this winter.
Outdoor Pick
Sunday, August 10, 8 to 10:30 a.m. Beginner Birding Ballona Discovery Park 113110 Bluff Creek Dr., Playa Vista COST: FREE REGISTRATION REQUIRED; MORE INFO
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Friends of Ballona Wetlands
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During the pandemic, I read Jenny Odell’s amazing book, How to Do Nothing. While I have not become a birder myself, I appreciate the attention needed to listen closely and learn about our feathered friends. Take your first step to being a birder at Ballona Discovery Park’s free Beginner Birding class.
Viewing Pick
Friday, August 8, 11:59 p.m. Reservoir Dogs New Beverly Cinema 7165 Beverly Blvd., Beverly Hills COST: $11; MORE INFO
What’s this? Quentin Tarantino’s own movie theater is hosting a midnight screening of one of his best? Doesn’t get more L.A. than that.
Dine & Drink Deals
Sunday, August 10, 1 to 4 p.m. Half-price wine tastings for teachers Vintage Wine + Eats pop-up 12023 Ventura Blvd., Studio City COST: $20, $10 FOR TEACHERS; MORE INFO
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Kelsey Knight
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No one needs wine more than teachers. The folks at Fuil Vineyards really get that and are hooking up educators before the school year even starts, with a wine tasting pop-up dedicated to teachers, who get free half price tastings all afternoon.
Saturday, August 9, 3 p.m. to 12 a.m. Chez Jay’s 66th Anniversary Chez Jay 1657 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica COST: FREE to $66; MORE INFO
Chez Jay is celebrating 66 years in Santa Monica. The bar that inspired Three’s Company’s Regal Beagle has been a celebrity hangout and dive bar since its early days. Designated as a Santa Monica Historic Landmark, Chez Jay is hosting a big, retro-themed party for its community of neighbors, longtime regulars and visitors alike. Grab a strong drink and hang out at the wood-paneled bar or on the big outside patio.
David Wagner
covers housing in Southern California, where a massive post-fire rebuilding effort is underway.
Published April 1, 2026 4:44 PM
Fencing lines a sidewalk next to a home under construction.
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Erin Stone
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LAist
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Topline:
As Los Angeles homeowners grapple with the expense of rebuilding after last year’s devastating fires, an L.A. City Council member is putting forward an idea that could lower some costs.
Who’s behind it: Councilmember Traci Park, who represents the Pacific Palisades, has introduced a motion to explore waiving part of the city’s portion of the local sales tax for fire victims who purchase rebuilding materials in the city.
The details: The plan calls for returning the 1% of the local 9.75% sales tax that goes into the city’s general fund. The waiver could apply to lumber, appliances and other rebuilding goods purchased within the city.
Read on … to learn whether economists think the proposed tax relief could make a difference.
As Los Angeles homeowners grapple with the expense of rebuilding after last year’s devastating fires, an L.A. City Councilmember is putting forward an idea that could lower some costs.
Councilmember Traci Park, who represents the Pacific Palisades, has introduced a motion to explore waiving part of the city’s portion of the local sales tax for fire victims who purchase rebuilding materials in the city.
The 1% of the local 9.75% sales tax that goes into the city’s general fund would be given back to consumers under the proposal. The waiver could apply to lumber, appliances and other rebuilding goods purchased within the city.
The motion, introduced Friday by Park and seconded by Councilmember John Lee, says: “The City should do everything within its power to alleviate the financial burden for these residents and businesses in order to facilitate their return and stabilize the Pacific Palisades community.”
Would it make much of a difference?
Economists told LAist the proposal could help many homeowners mitigate the high cost of rebuilding, but likely wouldn’t tip the scales for under-insured, under-resourced property owners.
“It wouldn't hurt if it's very well designed and easy to use,” said Alexander Meeks, a director at the Santa Monica-based Milken Institute. “But I'm not sure if it's really going to tackle the scale of the financial challenge that survivors are facing.”
Meeks noted that the tax waiver wouldn’t lower up-front costs such as environmental testing, architectural design and permitting. And it may not help homeowners sourcing raw materials from outside the city.
Zhiyun Li, a UCLA Anderson School of Management economist, said the waiver could help some homeowners justify the additional cost of rebuilding more fire-safe structures.
“Homeowners must typically pay out of pocket to upgrade to IBHS+ standards, which are more stringent,” Li said. “The tax waiver could encourage upgrading to IBHS+ standards or investing more in mitigation, thereby reducing future risk and improving the likelihood of maintaining insurance coverage.”
What’s next for the proposal?
The proposed tax relief would not be available to properties that have been sold since the fires started in January 2025.
The motion has been sent to the City Council’s budget and fire recovery committees. If approved by the full council, it would require the city administrative officer, the Office of Finance and the city attorney to report back to the council within 60 days on options for crafting a tax relief plan.
The motion calls for the report to consider factors such as how to minimize the burden of administering the tax relief, what documentation homeowners would have to submit and what it would cost the city to oversee the program.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said in a joint statement on Wednesday that the House will take up a measure passed by the Senate last week to fund most of DHS except Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol through the end of September. Republicans would then attempt to fund ICE and Border Patrol for three years using a party-line budget reconciliation bill that would not require support from Democrats.
About the deal: The agreement comes nearly a week after House Republicans dismissed an identical plan, refusing to take up the Senate-passed measure and instead passing a 60-day short term funding bill for all of DHS that had little chance of overcoming Democratic opposition in the Senate. Democrats welcomed the agreement as in line with their pledge not to give ICE any more money without reforms after immigration enforcement agents killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. But the deal does not include any of the policy demands Democrats are pressing for, such as a ban on masks for immigration enforcement officers and requiring warrants issued by a judge, not just the agency, to enter homes.
What's next: Congress is on a two-week recess, but the Senate and House could move to fund all of DHS except ICE and CBP as early as Thursday using a procedure known as unanimous consent that allows the chambers to circumvent formal voting as long as no member objects. Even during a recess when most members are not in Washington, this could be unpredictable, especially in the House, where many hard-line conservatives oppose a deal that does not fully fund DHS. If a member does object, that could require waiting for another vote when all members are back from recess.
Senate and House Republican leadership have resurrected a stalled plan to fund the Department of Homeland Security after a record 47-day funding lapse.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said in a joint statement on Wednesday that the House will take up a measure passed by the Senate last week to fund most of DHS except Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol through the end of September.
Republicans would then attempt to fund ICE and Border Patrol for three years using a party-line budget reconciliation bill that would not require support from Democrats.
"In following this two-track approach, the Republican Congress will fully reopen the Department, make sure all federal workers are paid, and specifically fund immigration enforcement and border security for the next three years so that those law-enforcement activities can continue uninhibited," Thune and Johnson wrote.
The agreement comes nearly a week after House Republicans dismissed an identical plan, refusing to take up the Senate-passed measure and instead passing a 60-day short term funding bill for all of DHS that had little chance of overcoming Democratic opposition in the Senate.
Johnson called the agreement a "joke" and President Donald Trump declined to publicly endorse the deal. Trump had previously resisted any package that did not include his push to overhaul federal elections known as the Save America Act.
"I think any deal they make, I'm pretty much not happy with it," Trump told reporters last week.
Democrats welcomed the agreement as in line with their pledge not to give ICE any more money without reforms after immigration enforcement agents killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. But the deal does not include any of the policy demands Democrats are pressing for, such as a ban on masks for immigration enforcement officers and requiring warrants issued by a judge, not just the agency, to enter homes.
"For days, Republican divisions derailed a bipartisan agreement, making American families pay the price for their dysfunction," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., wrote in a statement Wednesday. "Throughout this fight, Senate Democrats never wavered."
Trump seemed to bless the revived plan earlier Wednesday, writing on social media that he wants a party-line bill to fund immigration enforcement on his desk by June 1.
"We are going to work as fast, and as focused, as possible to replenish funding for our Border and ICE Agents, and the Radical Left Democrats won't be able to stop us," Trump wrote.
Despite the shutdown, ICE has been minimally impacted because Republican lawmakers approved $75 billion for ICE through another party-line budget reconciliation bill last year.
Congress is on a two-week recess, but the Senate and House could move to fund all of DHS except ICE and CBP as early as Thursday using a procedure known as unanimous consent that allows the chambers to circumvent formal voting as long as no member objects.
Even during a recess when most members are not in Washington, this could be unpredictable, especially in the House, where many hard-line conservatives oppose a deal that does not fully fund DHS.
"Let's make this simple: caving to Democrats and not paying CBP and ICE is agreeing to defund Law Enforcement and leaving our borders wide open again," Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., a member of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, wrote on X. "If that's the vote, I'm a NO."
If a member does object, that could require waiting for another vote when all members are back from recess.
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Logan Cattaneo, 6, poses for a photo with the Dodgers mascot during Dodgers Dreamteam PlayerFest at Dodgers Stadium in 2024.
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Michael Blackshire
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Topline:
The Dodgers Foundation says it's expanding Dodgers Dreamteam, its program for underserved youth. The foundation says the program will be able to serve 17,000 kids this year, 2,000 more than last year.
Why it matters: Now in its 13th season, the program connects underserved youth with opportunities to play baseball and softball and provides participants with free uniforms and access to baseball equipment. It also offers training for coaches in positive youth development practices, as well as wraparound services for participant families like college workshops, career panels, literacy resources and scholarship opportunities.
How to sign up: For more information and to sign up, click here.
An aerial view of snow-capped trees after a winter snowstorm near Soda Springs on Feb. 20, 2026.
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Stephen Lam, San Francisco Chronicle
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via Getty Images
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Topline:
California clocked its second-worst snowpack on record Wednesday, a potentially troubling signal ahead for fire season. It’s an alarming end to a winter that saw abnormally dry conditions briefly wiped from California’s drought map in January, for the first time in a quarter-century.
What happened? Though precipitation to date has been near average, much of it fell as rain rather than snow. Then March’s record-breaking heat melted most of the snow that remains. The state’s major reservoirs are nevertheless brimming above historic averages and are flirting with capacity, and a smattering of snow, rain and thunderstorms are dousing last month’s heat wave.
Why it matters: Experts now warn that California’s case of the missing snowpack could herald an early fire season in the mountains. State data reports that California’s snowpack is closing out the season at an alarming 18% of average statewide, and an even more abysmal 6% of average in the northern mountains that feed California’s major reservoirs. “I think everyone's anticipating that it will be a long, busy fire season,” said Lenya Quinn-Davidson, director of the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources Fire Network.
California clocked its second-worst snowpack on record Wednesday, a potentially troubling signal ahead for fire season.
It’s an alarming end to a winter that saw abnormally dry conditions briefly wiped from California’s drought map in January, for the first time in a quarter-century.
Though precipitation to date has been near average, much of it fell as rain rather than snow. Then March’s record-breaking heat melted most of the snow that remains. The state’s major reservoirs are nevertheless brimming above historic averages and are flirting with capacity, and a smattering of snow, rain and thunderstorms are dousing last month’s heat wave.
But experts now warn that California’s case of the missing snowpack could herald an early fire season in the mountains.
On Wednesday, state engineers conducting the symbolic April 1 snowpack measurement at Phillips Station south of Lake Tahoe found no measurable snow in patches of white dotting the grassy field.
“I want to welcome you call to probably one of the quickest snow surveys we’ve had — maybe one where people could actually use an umbrella,” joked Karla Nemeth, director of the California Department of Water Resources. “We’re getting a lot of questions about are we heading into a hydrologic drought? The answer is, I don’t know.”
Only the extreme drought year of 2015 beat this year’s snowpack for the worst on record, measuring in at just 5% of average on April 1st, when the snow historically is at its deepest.
“I think everyone's anticipating that it will be a long, busy fire season,” said Lenya Quinn-Davidson, director of the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources Fire Network.
“Without a snowpack, and with an early spring, it just means that there’s much more time for something like that to happen.”
‘It’s pretty bizarre up here’
In the city of South Lake Tahoe, which survived the massive Caldor Fire in the fall of 2021 without losing any structures, fire chief Jim Drennan said his department is already ramping up prevention efforts.
“It's pretty bizarre up here right now. It really seems like June conditions more than March,” Drennan said. “People are already turning the sprinklers on for their lawns.”
Without more precipitation, an early spring may complicate prescribed burning efforts. But Drennan said fire agencies in the Tahoe basin can start mechanically clearing fuels from forest areas earlier than usual.
“That means we can get more work done,” he said.
It also means homeowners need to start hardening their homes now, said Martin Goldberg, battalion chief and fuels management officer for the Lake Valley Fire Protection District, which protects unincorporated communities in the Lake Tahoe Basin’s south shore.
Goldberg urges residents to scour their yards for burnable materials, create defensible space and reach out to local fire departments with questions. The risks are widespread — from firewood, wooden fences, gas cans, plants, pine needles — even lawn furniture stacked against a house.
“In years past, I wouldn't even think of raking and clearing until May,” Goldberg said. “But my yard's completely cleared of snowpack, and it has been for a couple weeks now.”
‘A haystack fire’
Battalion chief David Acuña, a spokesperson for Cal Fire, said fire season is shaped by more than just one year’s snowpack.
Climate change has been remaking California’s fire seasons into fire years. And California’s recent average to abundant water years have fueled what Acuña called “bumper crops of vegetation and brush.”
“Most of California is like a haystack. And if you’ve ever seen a haystack fire, they burn very intensely because there's layers of fuel,” Acuña said.
Like Quinn-Davidson, Acuña wasn’t ready to make specific predictions about fires to come.
But John Abatzoglou, a professor of climatology at UC Merced, said the temperatures and snowpack conditions this year offer a glimpse of California in the latter decades of this century, as fossil fuel use continues to drive global temperatures higher.
How this year’s fires will play out will depend on when, where and how wind, heat, fuel and ignitions combine. But it foreshadows the consequences of a warmer California for water and fire under climate change.
“This,” Abatzoglou said, “is yet another stress test for the future in the state.”
