Dwight Yoakam will take his Bakersfield sound to Pacific Amphitheatre.
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Matt Winkelmeyer
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Getty Images for the Recording Academy
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In this edition:
Sign up for a Graffiti Towers walking tour, eat out with Dine LA Restaurant Week deals and check out some Route 66-themed films at the Norton Simon.
Highlights:
When graffiti artists took over the abandoned luxury building project Oceanwide Plaza in 2024, the subversive move became an instant skyline icon for anyone driving east on the 10. The group Rent Brigade has started offering tours of the site, looking at the design of nearby L.A. Live, and the “history of speculation, displacement, and resistance in DTLA.” A debrief over drinks follows. This week is sold out, but check back as they are adding more dates.
Dine LA Restaurant Week is here again, so make your reservations now, because hot tables go fast. Ranging from $35 to $65, deals include tasting menus and specials at some of the most popular new spots and old favorites.
The Norton Simon is celebrating historic Route 66 with a themed film series. Saturday’s pick: The 1940 classic The Grapes of Wrath. Based on the John Steinbeck novel, the Oscar-winning John Ford film stars Henry Fonda as Tom Joad, who heads west from the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression.
I have family in town this week, and since they’ve been to L.A. many times over the years, I was trying to think of some new places for us to check out this trip.
Our first stop was sister dreamer, Lauren Halsey’s “architectural ode to tha surge n splurge of south central los angeles” — and I can’t recommend it enough. The perfect detour on your way to or from picking up or dropping off someone at LAX (truly SoCal’s highest form of saying you love someone), the installation creates an oasis in the heart of South Central. Halsey’s portrait of the neighborhood is a feat of carving work that is part Getty, part street mural and part ancient Egypt, honoring both her neighborhood and artistic ancestors. Head to the corner of Western Avenue and 76th Street to check it out; the site is hosting regular events like jazz jams, yoga sessions and more. Plus, Halsey will join Erykah Badu at the Bowl for a show this September.
Sunday, Aug, 16, 5 p.m. 1101 Flower St., Downtown L.A. COST: SOLD OUT BUT MORE DATES TBD; MORE INFO
The so-called Graffiti Towers in 2024.
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Mario Tama
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Getty Images
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When graffiti artists took over the abandoned luxury building project Oceanwide Plaza in 2024, the subversive move became an instant skyline icon for anyone driving east on the 10. The group Rent Brigade has started offering tours of the site, looking at the design of nearby L.A. Live, and the “history of speculation, displacement, and resistance in DTLA.” A debrief over drinks follows. This week is sold out, but check back as they are adding more dates.
CHIMAC-FEST 2026
Friday, Aug. 14 through Sunday, Aug. 16 Great Park Live 8000 Great Park Blvd., Irvine COST: FROM $17; MORE INFO
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Courtesy Great Park Live
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You had me at fried chicken and beer. CHIMAC-FEST takes the popular Korean pairing and raises it to the next level, while showcasing a wide range of Korean food, culture, live entertainment and more at Great Park Live in Irvine.
SkyFest Big Bear
Friday, August 14 through Sunday, Aug. 16, 12 p.m. to 11 p.m. Various locations in Big Bear COST: FROM $15; MORE INFO
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Courtesy Big Bear
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Allow me a little leeway to share something beyond our usual L.A. and Orange County limits this week and encourage you to take a ride to Big Bear. The mountain town hosts SkyFest, a three-day celebration of science and discovery, featuring NASA and Caltech astrophysicists and DarkSky experts. You’ll learn about black holes, NASA’s next space telescope and the search for life in the universe. The festival features shows at the immersive AstroDome, rides to stargaze from the mountain summit, guided night hikes, a mountaintop forest sound bath and special events for kids.
Dine LA Restaurant Week
Friday, Aug. 14 through Friday, Aug. 28 COST: VARIES; MORE INFO
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Courtesy Redbird
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Dine LA Restaurant Week is here again, so make your reservations now, because hot tables go fast. Ranging from $35 to $65, deals include tasting menus and specials at some of the most popular new spots and old favorites. A few that caught food editor Gab Chabrán’s eye:
Saturday, Aug. 15, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Last Bookstore 453 S. Spring St., Ground Floor, Downtown L.A. COST: $5; MORE INFO
The Last Bookstore in DTLA is just one of the many places to purchase and get lost a book that can be found throughout the city.
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Jonathan Hoffman
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LAist
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There’s never a bad time to make a pilgrimage to The Last Bookstore, but this weekend you can see much more than books as the whole Spring Arts Tower is getting in on the action. There will be a pop-up market featuring hundreds of vendors across all 12 floors of the historic downtown building.
Route 66 Film Series: The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
Saturday, August 15, 4:30 p.m. Norton Simon Museum 411 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena COST: FREE WITH MUSEUM ADMISSION; MORE INFO
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Courtesy 20th Century Fox
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The Norton Simon is celebrating historic Route 66 with a themed film series. Saturday’s pick: The 1940 classic The Grapes of Wrath. Based on the John Steinbeck novel, the Oscar-winning John Ford film stars Henry Fonda as Tom Joad, who heads west from the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression.
Fool in the Pool
Monday, Aug 17, 8 p.m. El Cóndor 3701 Sunset Blvd., Silver Lake COST: GA $25, VIP $40; MORE INFO
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Kay DeMuco
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Eventbrite
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Fool in the Pool is an immersive karaoke play at El Cóndor. There's a live band, the audience sings as part of the narrative, and VIP ticket-holders perform on stage with the band. The story follows a washed-up child star turned karaoke host across one unraveling night — it opens as comedy and turns darker. No two performances are the same, and the night ends with open karaoke for everyone.
Soul Jazz Sessions
Thursdays, 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. State Social House 8782 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Soul Jazz Sessions is a new weekly live-music event on Thursdays. While the Sunset Strip may be better known for loud rock acts, check out this new — and decidedly more chill — jazz jam session at State Social House on Sunset Boulevard. There’s no cover (rare for a jazz set in this town!).
Netflix's BEEF wellness-themed giveaways
Through Friday, Aug. 14 Various locations COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Courtesy Netflix
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We’re deep into FYC season, and that means only one thing for us normies: free stuff. Netflix’s series BEEF is taking the show’s calm-down lesson to the masses by offering free wellness treats and experiences. From a limited-edition “Yogi” smoothie at SunLife Organics to a sound bath in partnership with the Den at the London in West Hollywood, get in line early for your free dose of chill.
Elizabeth Mitchell performances
Garden Concerts for Kids: Elizabeth Mitchell Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 15 and 16, 4 p.m. The Getty Center 1200 Getty Center Drive, Brentwood COST: FREE with reservation; MORE INFO
Ida at Lodge Room Monday, August 17, 8 p.m. Lodge Room 104 N. Ave. 56, 2nd floor, Highland Park COST: $32.50; MORE INFO
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Courtesy Lodge Room
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This week brings three opportunities to catch Elizabeth Mitchell’s varied talent. Bring the kids to the Getty this Saturday and Sunday afternoon for family concerts celebrating the 20th anniversary of her Smithsonian Folkways children’s music album, You Are My Little Bird. Joined by her husband Daniel Littleton and daughter Storey, Mitchell will put on performances that are true family gatherings, covering traditional songs and favorites ranging from Woody Guthrie to Bob Marley.
On Monday, you can see Elizabeth and Daniel perform at the Lodge Room with Ida, the thoughtful and spare indie group they formed in 1991. Fun fact: While at Brown University, Elizabeth Mitchell played in a duo with Lisa Loeb, and she and Daniel later sang backup vocals on her hit “Stay (I Missed You).” — Roy Lenn
Josie Huang
is a reporter and Weekend Edition host who spotlights the people and places at the heart of our region.
Published October 23, 2026 6:05 PM
Jack Parsons used an area of the Arroyo Secco known as Devil's Gate as his rocket laboratory.
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Public domain
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Topline:
Paranormal investigator David Kalbeitzer at an event Saturday night explores Pasadena's past, one where rocket science meets ritual magic and ghost stories echo through its grandest buildings.
The backstory: Kalbeitzer began digging into Pasadena’s unusual history after buying a Victorian home north of Old Town that he says is haunted by a benevolent spirit.
Wild stories: Kalbeitzer found the lore to include rocket pioneer Jack Parsons' ritual magic and muckraker Upton Sinclair's experiments in telepathy.
The event: The talk at Mesmer Mesmer in Old Town is currently full, but there's a wait list and Kalbeitzer plans to give more talks at the shop.
Beyond the Rose Bowl and historic bungalows, Pasadena has stranger tales to tell. David Kalbeitzer has been seeking out those stories where rocket science meets the occult and ghosts haunt the city’s grandest buildings.
For Kalbeitzer, a Disney executive who investigates the paranormal in his free time, his fascination with the city’s mysterious side started when he bought a Victorian north of Old Town.
He sensed a spirit at the open house a dozen years ago and took it as a reason to move his family to Pasadena. Then he started learning the city’s history.
David Kalbeitzer, a paranormal investigator from Pasadena, is giving a talk about the city's strange history Saturday night in Old Town.
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Courtesy of David Kalbeitzer
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“I realized, ‘Oh, this place called us just as much as we were looking for it,’” he said.
On Saturday night, he’s sharing the lore he’s collected at Mesmer Mesmer an Old Town shop and event space. While the event is full, there’s a waitlist, and more talks featuring Kalbeitzer are in the works.
A city of ghost stories
Ask Kalbeitzer about haunted Pasadena, and the list stretches from alleyways to the Colorado Street Bridge to Castle Green, the turreted former hotel overlooking Central Park.
“The Pasadena Playhouse theater is, you know, very haunted,” he added.
He says theatergoers have reported hearing disembodied voices.
Theatergoers over the years have described hearing voices and seeing apparitions at the Pasadena Playhouse.
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Jeff Lorch
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Courtesy of Pasadena Playhouse
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“And you look, and there’s no one there, or apparitions that have been seen sort of standing in the corner, and then you walk up, and they kind of disappear like shadowy figures,” he said.
As for the spirit that helped draw him to his current Pasadena home?
Kalbeitzer says she’s still around — and his psychic friend Michael Kouri shared her name: Dolores.
“It’s actually haunted by a very kind ghost that looks out for the house, protects my family and has been able to activate our alarm,” he said.
Having a Dolores in the house might send some people running, but Kalbeitzer said he grew up in a haunted house in Idaho Falls, Idaho.
And when his family moved to Charleston, South Carolina, a teenage Kalbeitzer started seeking out places known for paranormal activity.
Rocket science, ritual magic and mind-reading
Having lived in different neighborhoods in L.A., Kalbeitzer says there’s something uniquely otherworldly about Pasadena — and it goes beyond ghost stories.
He said the city has an energy that draws people exploring the unknown, perhaps most famously Jack Parsons.
The rocket pioneer who helped launch the Jet Propulsion Laboratory also practiced ritual magic at his Pasadena home with the likes of L. Ron Hubbard before he founded Scientology.
“Many people call it the occult," Kalbeitzer said. "I don’t know that I fully subscribe to that, but there is spiritualism and occult mixed in there."
Then there was Upton Sinclair, the muckraking author of The Jungle, whose interests while living in Pasadena extended to telepathy and séances.
Upton Sinclair, pictured with his wife Mary Craig Sinclair in 1935, several years after he published a book examining her reported telepathy.
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Los Angeles Times via Wikimedia Commons
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In 1930, Sinclair published Mental Radio, a book about experiments in mind-reading. Albert Einstein provided a preface. Yes, that Einstein, who would spend the following winter at Caltech expanding on the theories of relativity and cosmology.
“It’s the craziest mixture of things that were happening at that time and all of it at the same time,” Kalbeitzer said.
A presence in the shop
The event couldn’t have found a more appropriate venue.
Since opening five months ago in Old Town, Mesmer Mesmer has embraced the dark and mysterious, offering tarot and crystal readings and hosting events on subjects such as hip-hop’s relationship with ghosts.
Tyke O'Brien opened her shop Mesmer Mesmer earlier this year to create a third space and offer books and esoterica alongside clothing.
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Tyke O'Brien
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At that event, a medium told owner Tyke O’Brien she could sense a presence in the shop, which formerly housed a bridal store.
“She goes, ‘Do you ever feel it?’ And I’m like, ‘I am such a bummer,” O’Brien recounted. “I wish I could say yes."
The same can be said for this writer who’s lived and worked in and around Pasadena for years without so much as a brush with the otherworldly.
Kalbeitzer, on the other hand, reports supernatural encounters all around town.
“Everyone has the ability to have those experiences," he said. "But I do think how you see yourself in the world has a lot more to do with it, and whether you want to have those experiences."
Dark & Strange in Pasadena
When: Saturday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. Where:Mesmer Mesmer, 65 E. Holly St, Pasadena
The event is currently full but there's a wait list and Kalbeitzer plans to give more talks at the shop.
Los Angeles officials expect construction of a fence around MacArthur Park will start in November and continue through fall 2027.
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L.A. Department of Recreation and Parks
)
Topline:
Los Angeles officials expect construction of a fence around MacArthur Park will start in November and continue through fall 2027. At a community meeting Thursday night at MacArthur Park Elementary School, officials said fence installation is now expected to continue through fall 2027, overshooting the previously announced spring 2027 completion date.
Why now: Thursday’s meeting highlighted the divide over the city’s plan to fence off MacArthur Park, with tensions rising during public comment. The Los Angeles Police Department says the fence will make drug enforcement easier, while some in the community who volunteer around the park questioned whether it will improve safety enough to justify the cost. The city has allocated $2.3 million for the project, but officials have not said whether that will cover the full cost.
What's next: Officials also outlined other planned improvements, including restoring access through the tunnels connecting the park’s north and south sides, making accessibility upgrades and providing free Wi-Fi for parkgoers. Residents who want to provide input on the fence’s decorative elements can email admin@themorcosgroup.com or call (310) 479-4727 for more information.
Los Angeles officials expect construction of a fence around MacArthur Park will start in November and continue through fall 2027.
At a community meeting Thursday night at MacArthur Park Elementary School, officials said fence installation is now expected to continue through fall 2027, overshooting the previously announced spring 2027 completion date.
Thursday’s meeting highlighted the divide over the city’s plan to fence off MacArthur Park, with tensions rising during public comment. The Los Angeles Police Department says the fence will make drug enforcement easier, while some in the community who volunteer around the park questioned whether it will improve safety enough to justify the cost.
The city has allocated $2.3 million for the project, but officials have not said whether that will cover the full cost.
Installation of the green metal fence around the park’s perimeter is expected to begin in November and take about a year. A second phase, adding decorative elements to the fence, is planned for fall and winter 2027. Officials said the schedule could change because of weather or other unforeseen circumstances.
Capt. Ben Fernandes with the LAPD’s Rampart Division said the fence would create a barrier along Alvarado Street and other areas where officers have seen people using narcotics. That would allow police to focus more of their enforcement efforts inside the park, he said.
“So if people are going deeper into the park to use, that’ll make it easier for us to go in and do enforcement on them and arrest them for that use,” Fernandes said.
MacArthur Park will close every night once an 8-foot-tall fence goes up around the green space, with Los Angeles police officers sweeping the park for encampments and people sleeping there before the gates shut. The Board of Recreation and Park Commissioners approved the plan Thursday.
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LA Recreation and Parks
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“I’ve been an officer for 29 years, and I’ve always known I can go buy drugs there, and I did as a narcotics officer. So what I’m saying is, we are trying to make it not convenient,” he added.
Fernandes also said the city plans to enhance the park’s existing camera network. LAPD officers and Los Angeles Park Rangers will be able to monitor the cameras from their respective stations, he said. City officials are still evaluating whether additional cameras will be needed to address blind spots in the park after construction is complete.
Ariana Walker, who visits MacArthur Park every Saturday with a group of friends who pool their own resources to distribute food and hygiene kits, questioned whether the city had shown that the fence would improve safety and how much it would cost to maintain.
“The fence is a $2.3 million fence at the base level,” she said. “And they haven’t given us any indication of how much more it’s going to cost for upkeep, to keep anybody safe. There’s no conclusive evidence that a fence is going to stop crime the way that they’re suggesting.”
The meeting grew tense when John Alle, a local property owner whose family owns the building that houses Langer’s Delicatessen across the street from the park, objected to having his comments read from a written comment card rather than speaking directly to officials. Alle has been a vocal critic of the city’s response to drug activity and public safety concerns around MacArthur Park.
He was allowed to comment during the meeting and said the city needs to take a tougher approach to drug use and sales around the park.
“We see knife attacks at all hours of the day. It’s out of control. And it’s not gotten any better,” he said. “We want to bring it back to where it was 15 or 20 years ago.”
Los Angeles officials expect construction of a fence around MacArthur Park will start in November and continue through fall 2027.
(
Gary Coronado
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The LA Local
)
Alle pointed to public events at the park, including an upcoming Día de los Muertos celebration and a Labor Day weekend picnic hosted by Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman as positive developments for the space. But he added those events do not reflect conditions throughout the park.
Officials also outlined other planned improvements, including restoring access through the tunnels connecting the park’s north and south sides, making accessibility upgrades and providing free Wi-Fi for parkgoers.
Residents who want to provide input on the fence’s decorative elements can email admin@themorcosgroup.com or call (310) 479-4727 for more information.
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Destiny Torres
covers all things SoCal, from breaking news to local government, with a focus on Orange County.
Published October 23, 2026 1:43 PM
Metrolink’s Orange County service between the Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo and Oceanside stations will be temporarily suspended starting Monday, Oct. 26, through Friday, Oct. 30, due to high tide forecasts.
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Photo Courtesy of OC Transportation Authority.
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Topline:
Metrolink’s Orange County service between the Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo and Oceanside stations will be temporarily suspended next week, starting Monday, Oct. 26, through Friday, Oct. 30.
What lines will run? Orange County Line trains will operate only between L.A. Union Station and the Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo Station. According to Metrolink, alternate transportation such as buses will not be available.
Why now? A coastal flood warning is in effect for the entire Orange and San Diego coastline Sunday through Thursday. “Astronomical” high tides could create significant coastal flooding starting Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. Morning high tides could reach nearly 7 feet Saturday morning and are likely to exceed 7.5 or 8 feet by Monday.
Officials said: “The temporary service adjustment is intended to minimize the potential for widespread delays and cancellations if coastal conditions disrupt rail operations,” Metrolink officials wrote in an announcement Thursday. “This shift will also reduce competing rail traffic and shorten potential weather-related delays for other carriers, including Amtrak Pacific Surfliner and freight trains, that operate along the beachfront corridor near San Clemente.”
Background: The service suspension is along the troubled rail corridor from South Orange County to the San Diego County line. Erosion and landslides along the coastal rail have caused disruptions since 2021.
Students at Ensign Intermediate School have been parking their e-bikes in the neighborhood since the district outlawed them on elementary and middle school campuses.
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Jill Replogle
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LAist
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Topline:
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office filed charges Wednesday against six parents and one relative of children involved in illegal e-motorcycle use. O.C. District Attorney Todd Spitzer joined AirTalk, LAist 89.3's daily news show, to talk about the charges and rising e-bike-related incidents.
What he's saying: "We have about a 430% increase in emergency room visits by young people today, underage minors, who are being injured as a result of these e-bikes," Spitzer said, referring to incidents in Southern California.
A growing issue: Spitzer pointed out thatWednesday’s charges are the latest in a growing number of cases involving e-bikes, including one incident that resulted in a 13-year-old rider’s death.
Why charge the parents? Spitzer clarified that parents are not being charged with a crime just for giving their child an e-bike. "We're filing when the adult who's responsible for the actions of that child has additional special knowledge that their kid is a danger to the community and, in most cases, to themselves," he said, such as a history of reckless riding or knowledge of illegal modifications.
Example: In the case of the 13-year-old who died after crashing his e-motorcycle, his father could face up to six years in prison.
Listen to the full conversation:
Listen
9:51
Orange County D.A. announces charges tied to e-bike usage
