Oysterpalooza goes down this weekend in Huntington Beach.
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Tommy Pierucki
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World Surf League
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In this edition:
Check out Oysterpalooza, Daisy Chain Fields, a rock project at ICA and more of the best things to do this weekend and beyond.
Highlights:
If you’re lucky enough to score a ticket (it’s currently waitlist-only), this new celebration of women in rock is being hailed as the second coming of the Lilith Fair and hopefully the start of something big. Hosted by Olivia Rodrigo, it features an amazing bill that includes Chappell Roan, Die Spitz, Doechii, Garbage, Katseye, Mitski, Karen O, Sarah McLachlan, Bikini Kill and even Stevie Nicks. It’s all going down at Great Park Live in Irvine.
The South Korean tradition of building wishing rock towers called 돌탑, or DOL-TOP, is believed to protect the community. ICA LA artists-in-residence Saewon Oh and C. Ryu of Hwa Records are collaborating with ICA’s 2026 Agency of Assets Youth Fellows and the lands of Tongva/Los Angeles on a new installation, and they need your help. Donate a rock at the reception desk to be part of the new installation opening this fall.
Oysters aren’t just for eating! Orange County's inaugural oyster festival kicks off with a beach cleanup at 9 a.m. and continues through the day with art activities using recycled oyster shells, talks on sustainability, indigenous storytelling with the Gabrielino-Shoshone Nation, and of course, oyster (and ale!) tastings.
Maestro Gustavo Dudamel’s farewell shows at the Hollywood Bowl after his 17-year run as conductor of the LA Phil were truly a special moment in this city, from the visible lovefest between him and Foo Fighters lead singer Dave Grohl on Saturday to the moving fundraiser for Venezuela with YOLA and stars from Chris Martin to Beck to Carlos Vives on Sunday. A fitting send-off for someone who changed the shape of music in Los Angeles. The Dude will be missed! If you didn’t catch the Concert for Venezuela, you can stream it on YouTube.
Saturday, Aug. 29 Great Park Live 8000 Great Park Drive, Irvine COST: FROM $255; MORE INFO
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Courtesy Daisy Chain Fields
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If you’re lucky enough to score a ticket (it’s currently waitlist-only), this new celebration of women in rock is being hailed as the second coming of the Lilith Fair and hopefully the start of something big. Hosted by Olivia Rodrigo, it features an amazing bill that includes Chappell Roan, Die Spitz, Doechii, Garbage, Katseye, Mitski, Karen O, Sarah McLachlan, Bikini Kill and even Stevie Nicks. It’s all going down at Great Park Live in Irvine.
Mahjong Social
Monday, Aug. 31, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. 15225 Palisades Village Lane, Pacific Palisades COST: FREE; MORE INFO
A mahjong social is coming to Palisades Village.
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Fiona Ng
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LAist
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Celebrate the reopening of Palisades Village by meeting new friends for a game of American mahjong at the weekly mahjong social. There’s no formal instruction, so just sign up and show up alone or with a group of up to four players.
Donate a rock to ICA
Through Friday, Sept. 18 Institute of Contemporary Art LA 1717 E. 7th Street, Arts District COST: FREE (well, a rock, I guess); MORE INFO
The South Korean tradition of building wishing rock towers called 돌탑, or DOL-TOP, is believed to protect the community. ICA LA artists-in-residence Saewon Oh and C. Ryu of Hwa Records are collaborating with ICA’s 2026 Agency of Assets Youth Fellows and the lands of Tongva/Los Angeles on a new installation, and they need your help. Donate a rock at the reception desk to be part of the new installation opening this fall.
10th Annual Festival Chapín Los Angeles
Saturday and Sunday, August 29 and 30 Lafayette Park 625 S. La Fayette Park Place,Westlake COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Courtesy Festival Chapin
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The 10th edition of the annual Festival Chapín celebrates Puerto Barrios, Izabal, Guatemala’s gateway to the Caribbean and the Atlantic. A replica of the iconic “Tierra de Dios” arch, created by artist David Olivares, will welcome visitors at Lafayette Park to the free two-day event, which spans seven blocks and showcases the best of the Garifuna people and Guatemala through music, food and arts and crafts.
East Hollywood Block Party
Saturday, Aug. 29, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Heliotrope Drive, East Hollywood COST: FREE; MORE INFO
East Hollywood is quickly becoming a major art hub, so head to Heliotrope Drive for an afternoon of art and food, with events at Track 16 Gallery, Art Bug, Wilding Cran, Ondo Coffee, Cateye Spectacles, GoGo Juice Bar and Red Vintage Co. There’s art, music, raffles, shopping and more.
The Novelizers Live: 35th anniversary of Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Thursday, August 27, 7 p.m. Dynasty Typewriter 2511 Wilshire Blvd., Koreatown COST: $22.99; MORE INFO
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Courtesy The Novelizers
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This isn’t a screening; it’s more of a comedic reinterpretation-slash-mockumentary look at the classic Arnold Schwarzenegger blockbuster, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, honoring the film’s 35th anniversary (is that really possible? 35?!). Comedians like Andy Daly, Paul Scheer and Colton Dunn will perform alongside co-host of the Novelizers podcast, Stephen Levinson.
UNO SOCIAL CLUB
Thursday, August 27, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. No Vacancy 1727 N. Hudson Ave., Hollywood COST: FREE; MORE INFO
An UNO Social Club is coming to L.A.
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MARTIN BERTRAND/Hans Lucas
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AFP via Getty Images
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First Mattel tackled movies with Barbie and He-Man; now they're branching into live events, hosting UNO socials all over the country. The L.A. event at No Vacancy is free to RSVP — just bring your lungs and get ready for a heated game of UNO.
Hungry Ghost Festival
Saturday, Aug. 29, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Alpine Recreation Center 817 Yale Street, Chinatown COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Courtesy Hungry Ghost Festival
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Honor the Hungry Ghosts of the ancestors at the annual Hungry Ghost Festival in Chinatown. Don your costume and dance alongside the East Wind Lion Dance Troupe, enjoy food from local vendors, performances, art activities for kids and much more; the annual event is free for all.
Oysterpalooza
Saturday, Aug. 29, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunset Beach Community Center and Greenbelt 16861 12th Street, Huntington Beach COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Tommy Pierucki
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World Surf League
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Oysters aren’t just for eating! Orange County's inaugural oyster festival kicks off with a beach cleanup at 9 a.m. and continues through the day with art activities using recycled oyster shells, talks on sustainability, indigenous storytelling with the Gabrielino-Shoshone Nation, and of course, oyster (and ale!) tastings.
Kevin Tidmarsh
covers the most exciting musical happenings around SoCal for LAist.
Published October 19, 2026 5:07 PM
L.A. band Phi-Psonics as they performed during a 2024 residency at Healing Force of the Universe.
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Courtesy David Haskell/Healing Force of the Universe
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Topline:
Pasadena record store and venue Healing Force of the Universe, a destination for local musicians and music fans, is fundraising to move to a bigger space.
About the space: Healing Force sells records, of course, but these days it’s more of a nighttime performance space. Owner Austin Manuel said he wants people to feel comfortable striking up conversations with each other after a show.
The performances: The shows Healing Force puts on are all kinds of genres, but they share a common thread. They’re often meant to promote peace and relaxation, as well as deep, careful listening on the hi-fi sound system.
What's next: Its current location is set to close this month, but Manuel and his team are already raising funds to cover a move to another space: G-Son Studios in Atwater Village. The repurposed ballroom was the home base for the Beastie Boys when they recorded their classic albums Check Your Head and Ill Communication.
See the Pasadena space before it closes: The venue is still open at 1200 E. Walnut Street and is holding events through this Halloween weekend. You can see their calendar of events on their website.
For the last three years, the record store and music venue Healing Force of the Universe has been operating on a sleepy street corner not far from Pasadena City College. Nearby businesses include a shoe repair store, a nail salon and several auto shops.
“We're kind of in a dead corner,” owner Austin Manuel said. “No offense if anybody lives here, but not a very foot-trafficked area, kind of a hard place to have a store.”
In spite of the location, Manuel said Healing Force has become a home away from home for musicians and music fans. One of them is Bobby Bradford, a jazz trumpet legend who lost his house and personal archive in the Eaton Fire. He performs regularly at the venue. (Healing Force has also partnered with LAist on fire recovery events.)
Its current location is set to close this month, but Manuel and his team are already raising funds to cover a move to another space: G-Son Studios in Atwater Village. The repurposed ballroom was the Beastie Boys' home base when they recorded their classic albums Check Your Head and Ill Communication. Run-DMC and Biz Markie stopped by at one point, and Beck also laid down tracks for his album Odelay there.
Inside Healing Force's space in Pasadena.
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Kevin Tidmarsh/LAist
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The vibe
Healing Force sells records, of course, but these days it’s more of a nighttime performance space. Manuel said he wants people to feel comfortable striking up conversations after a show.
“I grew up in the church in the South, and I was like, ‘How do I design this so that it feels like a Southern church lady could come in here and feel welcome?’" Manuel said. “ I didn't want it to be too cool. I wanted it to feel kind of suburban in a way.”
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Kevin Tidmarsh/LAist
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Kevin Tidmarsh/LAist
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Kevin Tidmarsh/LAist
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Though the name might call to mind a cult slogan — and Manuel said they lean into that aesthetic on purpose — it’s actually a reference to the 1970 album Music Is the Healing Force of the Universe by saxophonist Albert Ayler.
At the venue, “people can kind of get … into a meditative zone,” Manuel said. “After the [January 2025] fires, it felt so good to come back together in this room and feel the healing of community.”
Healing Force's stage setup.
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Kevin Tidmarsh/LAist
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The performances
The shows Healing Force puts on share a common thread: They’re meant to promote peace and relaxation, as well as deep, careful listening on the hi-fi sound system. But they’re an eclectic mix of genres. On one night, you might see L.A. spiritual jazz band Phi-Psonics, who turned a residency at the venue into a live album, Expanding to One.
On another night, you might catch a spaced-out electronic set, an up-and-coming singer-songwriter or a group of session musicians who’ve played with the likes of Paul Simon, Elton John and Lucinda Williams.
About the fundraiser
With the new space on Glendale Boulevard, Manuel said, Healing Force would triple its capacity for concerts, get a bar space and be closer to other venues in Northeast L.A.
“If 1,000 people gave $25, we would get there,” Manuel said – though he also said most people have been giving more.
You can read more about the fundraiser and donate at Healing Force’s GoFundMe.
See the Pasadena space before it closes
The venue is still open at 1200 E. Walnut Street and is holding events through this Halloween weekend. You can see their events calendar on their website.
Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
is an arts and general assignment reporter on LAist's Explore LA team.
Published October 19, 2026 4:34 PM
A "For Sale" sign is seen on a house in Monterey Park, California, on September 17, 2025.
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FREDERIC J. BROWN
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AFP
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Topline:
Racist language still lurks in housing documents. You can get rid of it as part of a 2021 law which mandates its removal in California. Here’s how to do it across Southern California.
Why it matters: Ignoring the racist language in property documents, some say, reinforces the legacy of segregation, while taking steps to remove restrictive covenant language is a way individuals and organizations can repudiate policies that sought to discriminate.
Why now: California counties are reporting mixed progress meeting the demands of a 2021 law to excise the language from property records.
The backstory: Language in housing documents that restricts the sale of a property to a person of the white race is called a “restrictive covenant,” and in California the practice began in the 19th century.
What's next: Counties are asking for the public’s help by identifying the language in their housing documents and filling out a form to get rid of it.
Read on… to read the text from a restrictive covenant from 1924.
The racist DNA of Jim Crow discrimination may be embedded in your housing documents.
The language in housing documents that restricts sale or use of a property only to a person of the white race is called a “restrictive covenant,” and in California the practice goes back to the 19th century and continued into the mid-20th century. While housing discrimination persists, the practice was found unconstitutional in 1948.
California counties are reporting mixed progress in meeting the demands of a 2021 law to excise the language from property records.
According to Sylvia Manzo, deputy recorder in the Orange County Clerk-Recorder’s office, the county finished the job in March of this year, removing racist language from more than 27,000 property documents with the help of computer software.
This 1924 property document from Bakersfield includes racist language limiting use of the property in question to people of "the white or Caucasian race."
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Screenshot from CSU Bakersfield
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L.A. County is far from done. It says that with the help of an outside company hired in 2024, 50 million pages will be examined yearly, which would take about 10 years to finish the job.
Public agencies could use the public’s help.
Language examples
Here’s a 1924 example from a property in Bakersfield. The text reads, “That the lands herein conveyed shall never, at any time, be sold to or rented to or occupied by any person not of the white or Caucasian race.”
Or this language from a 1936 document relating to a Costa Mesa property: “That said premises shall not be sold, conveyed, rented, or leased to, or occupied by any person of African, Mexican, or Asiatic descent.”
How to get it taken out
The Restrictive Covenant Modification Form is at the heart of the effort to remove the racist language from housing documents. Each county has its own process. Some charge a fee; others don’t. Some require a notary certification for the signature; others don’t.
L.A. County:
Registrar-Recorder officials recommend these steps:
Highlight or underline the unlawful provision on the recorded document
Submit the form and the recorded document by email: RCM@rrcc.lacounty.gov or in person at the Norwalk headquarters at 12400 Imperial Highway in Norwalk
Ignoring the racist language in property documents, some say, reinforces the legacy of segregation, while taking steps to remove restrictive covenant language is a way individuals and organizations can repudiate policies that sought to discriminate.
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Matt Dangelantonio
directs production of LAist's daily newscasts, shaping the radio stories that connect you to SoCal.
Published October 19, 2026 4:20 PM
People take pictures at the entrance to the Santa Monica Pier on June 12, 2022, in Santa Monica, California. The sign will start coming down on Tuesday, October 20, to be sent off to Las Vegas for restoration as part of the City of Santa Monica's Pier Restoration Project.
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George Rose
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Getty Images North America
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Topline:
Workers will begin removing the iconic Santa Monica Pier sign today for restoration.
Why now: It's part of the city's Pier Bridge Replacement Project, which will replace the bridge that connects the pier to Ocean Avenue.
The backstory: The sign has been on the Santa Monica Pier since 1941 and is listed on the California Register of Historical Resources. It will be sent to a company called YESCO, which is based in Las Vegas and, according to the city of Santa Monica, is nationally recognized for its work creating, maintaining and restoring neon signage.
What's next: The city says workers will set up equipment and start taking down the neon today. The top crown portion of the sign will come down Wednesday, and then the main sign itself on Thursday.
How to watch: If you want to watch, the city has set up two viewing areas — one at the southern edge of Palisades Park across from The Lobster restaurant and another at the corner of Ocean and Colorado avenues. The work will happen between 5 a.m. and 3 p.m. You can view a map here.
Angelenos cast their ballot at the Arroyo Seco Regional Library in Los Angeles, California on Nov. 5, 2024.
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Zaydee Sanchez
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LAist
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Topline:
Large support from Latino voters helped President Donald Trump win the 2024 election. But according to recent numbers from the Associated Press, about 6 in 10 Hispanic voters disapprove of Trump’s handling of the presidency and more than 7 in 10 disapprove of his performance on the economy.
The economy: Latino support for Trump in 2024 was largely driven by economic concerns. That's still the case now, according to Mike Madrid, Republican political consultant and author of The Latino Century: How America's Largest Minority is Transforming Democracy. He joined AirTalk, LAist 89.3's daily news show, to discuss what's driving voting behavior this time around.
“ One hundred percent of Latinos are affected by the economic crisis that's afflicting everybody right now, especially working-class people, of which Latinos make up the largest share,” he said.
Party dealignment: The Latino shift away from Trump and the Republican Party does not mean a shift towards Democrats. “Latinos really do not have confidence in either party, and it's manifesting in wider and wider swings in how they're voting,” Madrid said. “They're rejecting the parties in power, they're rejecting establishment politics, and we're witnessing the rise of an emergent Latino populism."
Immigration enforcement isn't a top priority: Madrid pointed out that even with increased ICE raids, immigration only comes in as the fifth most concerning issue for Latino voters, and a third of those Latino voters are in favor of deportations.
Listen to the full conversation:
Listen
10:54
Latino voters helped put Trump back in the White House. What’s their next move?
