RiverFest happens this Sunday at L.A. State Historic Park.
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Courtesy dubroWORKS PR
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In this edition:
RiverFest, Shakespearean robots, National Oyster Day and more of the best things to do around L.A. and Southern California this weekend and beyond.
Highlights:
Shakespeare in the Park … but make it robots? Welcome the most gentlemanly robot overlords into your theater life this summer as The Actors’ Gang does their (50-minute! You can handle this!) take on the Bard’s Two Gentlemen of Verona inTwo Gentlebots of Verona.
Friends of the LA River host their 5th annual LA RiverFest, full of arts (including an environmental art gallery), entertainment, family-friendly “eco-activities” and more at the L.A. Historic Park. Plus, there will be plenty of treats from local food trucks. You can even sign up to volunteer here.
National Oyster Day may only be one day (it’s today, August 5), but the Evangeline Swamp Room downtown is making it last all month. Every Wednesday in August from 5 to 9 p.m., the New Orleans-themed hot spot will be offering their signature Charbroiled Oysters for $25 per dozen (usually $25 per half-dozen).
At the Hollywood Bowl last week, I had the pleasure of sitting next to Jose Rizo, longtime afternoon host at our local jazz station, KJZZ. Jose is a walking history lesson in the California jazz scene and beyond. The encounter inspired a rewatch of La La Land and reminded me about the excellent jazz clubs — like Sam First by LAX — that we have at our fingertips. Plus, it’s extra fitting because this week kicks off the first-ever L.A. Jazz Festival, which is bringing a slew of mostly free concerts to venues across the area.
If you’re not a jazz person (and like Sebastian says, if you hate jazz, you just don’t have context), check out Licorice Pizza’s picks for some rock ‘n' roll.
Music
Patti LaBelle will be at the Pacific Amphitheatre this week.
Through Saturday, Aug. 15; Summer Party event Thursday, Aug. 6, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sprüth Magers 5900 and 6145 Wilshire Blvd., Miracle Mile COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Spruth Magers
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Sutton Comms
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Catch the expansive group show at Sprüth Magers (and the former Sizzler down the street) before it’s gone. The exhibit includes the gallery’s artists from the past decade who have represented Los Angeles in a variety of forms, from Jenny Holzer’s electronic messages to Barbara Kruger’s room-sized wall installations to L.A.-based artists like Sterling Ruby and Analia Saban. Thursday’s event at the Sizzler space includes 22 video works from the late 1960s to the present, plus there will be hot dogs by Tail O’ the Pup; music by Wormwood Star, Mo0d and Yacht; and a cash bar.
Two Gentlebots of Verona
Through Saturday, Aug. 15 Media Park 9091 Culver Blvd., Culver City COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Courtesy Culver City
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Shakespeare in the Park … but make it robots? Welcome the most gentlemanly robot overlords into your theater life this summer as The Actors’ Gang does their (50-minute! You can handle this!) take on the Bard’s Two Gentlemen of Verona in Two Gentlebots of Verona. The action takes us to fair Culver City, where the bots’ friendship is tested over their love for Silvia Dot Matrix. Order your Coco to the park (or maybe not, the organizers may get mad at me for that one!) and see what happens.
LA RiverFest
Sunday, Aug. 9, 2:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. L.A. State Historic Park 1245 N. Spring St., Downtown L.A. COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Courtesy dubroWORKS
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Friends of the LA River host their 5th annual LA RiverFest, full of arts (including an environmental art gallery), entertainment, family-friendy “eco-activities” and more at the L.A. Historic Park. Plus, there will plenty of treats from local food trucks. You can even sign up to volunteer here.
World Taste of the Anaheim Packing District
Tuesday, August 11, 5 p.m to 9 p.m. 440 S. Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim COST: $33.85; MORE INFO
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Courtesy Anaheim Packing District
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The annual World Taste of the Anaheim Packing District coincides with the big Disney fan fest D23 this year, so they are making all the events D23-themed. Disney fans and fanatics of all ages will enjoy Disney-themed trivia and giveaways, plus you can punch your World Taste passport for all different bites at the wide range of restaurants along the way. LAist readers get 15% off using the direct link here.
Iceage
Thursday and Friday, Aug. 6 and 7 The Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever 5970 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood COST: $37.75; MORE INFO
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Courtesy Pitch Perfect PR
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Danish post-punk outfit Iceage returns to Los Angeles for a two-night residency at the Masonic Lodge in support of their new album, For Love of Grace & the Hereafter — one of the most critically acclaimed releases yet as part of the band's ascent. Their sound is hard to pin down, but there's an instant familiarity to each listen, paired with wry lyrics that feel sharply attuned to the moment — songs like "The Weak," "No Fear," and "Tender Blades" among them channel everything from Beggars Banquet-era Rolling Stones to Bends-era Radiohead, with a heavy dose of sardonic wit throughout, just enough to feel something. – Gab Chabrán
Blueprints of Nature: A Cyanotype Sunprint, Tea Blending & Sound Journey
Sunday, Aug. 9, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. 1451 Carroll Ave., Echo Park COST: $80, sliding scale available; MORE INFO
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Courtesy Granada Events
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I remember making cyanotypes as a kid (I think we knew them better as sun prints back then), and in the past couple of years I’ve seen them making a resurgence both as craft — like this fun workshop in Echo Park — and even in fancy art galleries. Get your inner artist inspired by learning how to make your own cyanotypes alongside a relaxing tea blending and sound experience.
Yoko Only
Saturday, Aug. 8, 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. The Broad 221 S. Grand Ave., Downtown L.A. COST: SOLD OUT; MORE INFO
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The Broad
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Motormouth Media
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Artists from Rufus Wainwright to Sleater-Kinney to Silvan Esso will gather to give Yoko Ono her (long past!) due at this super-group tribute concert curated by Yuka Honda celebrating Ono’s solo show at The Broad. The show is sold out, but keep an eye out for last-minute availability. The exhibit is on through October and is well worth checking out!
National Oyster Day deal
Wednesdays in August Evangeline Swamp Room 701 N. Spring St., Downtown L.A. COST: $25 per dozen; MORE INFO
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Christy Linder
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National Oyster Day may only be one day (it’s today, August 5), but the Evangeline Swamp Room downtown is making it last all month. Every Wednesday in August from 5 to 9 p.m., the New Orleans-themed hot spot will be offering its signature Charbroiled Oysters for $25 per dozen (usually $25 per half-dozen). They’re charbroiled in a beer and butter sauce, topped with white cheese, breadcrumbs, Cajun spices, onion, bacon bits and served with lemon. Wash them down with an Abita beer or a classic New Orleans cocktail for a perfect summer dinner.
A man casts his ballot during early voting in Waukesha, Wis., on March 18.
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Miguel Gutierrez Jr.
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AFP via Getty Images
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Topline:
More than 4 in 10 names flagged as possible noncitizen voters in California by the Trump administration cannot be found on the state’s voter rolls, according to a legal filing Saturday by an immigrant-rights group.
Why it matters: It’s the first outside analysis of a list that the Department of Justice has used to threaten prosecution of election officials. The analysis also found that thousands of U.S. citizens appear to be flagged as ineligible to vote on the government’s list.
Why now: The contention was made in a filing by two data analysts at the University of California, Los Angeles. The breadth of the problems with the list was outlined in Saturday’s filing. It describes an analysis by two members of UCLA’s Voting Rights Project, who filed a lawsuit challenging it with the Los Angeles-based Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, or CHIRLA.
WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 4 in 10 names flagged as possible noncitizen voters in California by the Trump administration cannot be found on the state’s voter rolls, according to a legal filing Saturday by an immigrant-rights group.
It’s the first outside analysis of a list that the Department of Justice has used to threaten prosecution of election officials. The analysis also found that thousands of U.S. citizens appear to be flagged as ineligible to vote on the government’s list.
The contention was made in a filing by two data analysts at the University of California, Los Angeles. They analyzed the 20,930 names that the department demanded that California election officials treat as possible illegal voters by separating their ballots during the vote count on Election Day.
Multiple judges have rejected the demand as unconstitutional and a threat to democracy, and local and state officials have said the list appears riddled with errors.
Court filing outlines problems with government list
The breadth of the problems with the list was outlined in Saturday’s filing. It describes an analysis by two members of UCLA’s Voting Rights Project, who filed a lawsuit challenging it with the Los Angeles-based Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, or CHIRLA.
The research found that 8,880 of the names, representing 42% of the entire list, do not correspond to anyone in California’s current voter file. It also found at least 22 are U.S. citizens, and many more may correspond to those of confirmed citizens.
“The expert analysis further makes clear that the mandated voter list endangers a significant number of eligible California voters,” said the filing, which was cosigned by Xavier Becerra, the Democratic candidate for California governor and an adviser to the UCLA Voting Rights Project. null
The Trump administration had objected to sharing the list, calling it a “fishing expedition” and noting that it included sensitive information. On Saturday, the federal prosecutor who spearheaded the Trump case in California called the analysis “bogus.”
“This is a bogus report by the activist illegal immigrant rights group CHIRLA,” Bill Essayli, who runs the U.S. Attorney’s office in Los Angeles, posted on X.
Also on Saturday, President Donald Trump bemoaned the legal rulings against his effort to force California to separate votes from the individuals his administration labels suspected noncitizens, even though one came from a judge he himself nominated.
In a social media post, Trump claimed his Justice Department found “20,000, but potentially Hundreds of Thousands, and maybe even Millions,” of fraudulent votes, “and the Court has just ruled against it. Why would they reject fixing Election Fraud?”
The Trump administration has also urged Washington state to remove what it says were 400 possible noncitizens on its rolls, though state election officials there say that list is also unreliable and includes one voter who cast ballots in the 1990s.
The Justice Department has warned California election officials they could face criminal liability if they let noncitizens vote and issued subpoenas to election officials there.
Election officials say they have no time to investigate
Election officials have complained that the Trump administration has confronted them with lists of possible illegal voters at the last minute before Election Day, with no time to conduct the painstaking investigation required by law before removing someone from the rolls.
Multiple lawsuits have been filed to stop the administration from continuing to threaten local election officials.
On Friday, a federal judge in California ordered the Justice Department to stop sending demands to state officials, a decision the Trump administration appealed Saturday. Several counties in the state had run quick checks of the Trump list and found numerous errors.
Saturday’s broader analysis was possible because a federal judge on Friday ordered the Trump administration to share the list with the plaintiffs in the case.
CHIRLA and the UCLA project sued the Homeland Security Department in early October to prevent it from using federal immigration data to challenge state voter rolls. The lawsuit cited examples in other states where the federal government’s data has been proven to mistakenly include thousands of citizens.
Case argues that government’s methods pose risk to voting
The case argued that the data-matching methods risk disenfranchising or deterring citizens from voting. On top of that, plaintiffs argued, the lists could disproportionately target naturalized citizens who are legally entitled to vote.
Applying the government’s methodology, the UCLA researchers found that nearly 7,500 naturalized citizens in the state were “highly likely” to be incorrectly flagged as ineligible.
The researchers noted that the administration apparently removed the voter identification number from the names, making it harder for election officials to determine whether the flagged individuals were already on their rolls or were duplicates in the Justice Department list. They described the voter ID number as the most crucial data point.
The Justice Department argues that there is just as much to lose if the ballots aren’t separated.
“Every ballot cast by an ineligible voter cancels out the vote of an American citizen,” Kiersten V. Pels, a spokesperson for the department, wrote in an email. “The Department makes no apology for protecting those votes.”
Josie Huang
is a reporter and Weekend Edition host who spotlights the people and places at the heart of our region.
Published November 1, 2026 5:00 AM
Jordan Delgado picked Lady Gaga's 'You and I' as her debut song with the L.A. Karaoke league.
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Josie Huang
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Topline:
The LA Karaoke league turns singing into a team sport, where costumes, props and creativity matter more than hitting the right notes. For performers craving a creative outlet when auditions are harder to come by, the league offers a community to cheer them on.
The backstory: The L.A. league is part of United Karaoke, a national network of chapters that share a competition format, voting app and pledge to always keep the vibe friendly.
What's next: Teams compete for a spot in the finals. The public is welcome to watch and vote for their favorite performances.
For many of us, karaoke is a chance to sing our favorite shower song in public.
But at a North Hollywood bar every Wednesday night, it’s a team sport. And competitors in the L.A. Karaoke league are more serious about putting on an over-the-top production than hitting all the right notes.
At a social in late September, league manager Michelle Goff kicked off a new season of weekly themed showdowns, from dance-floor favorites to internet memes to songs inspired by birds.
Brittany Gates, the CEO of United Karaoke, who was visiting from D.C., did her rendition of 'Let's Hear It For The Boy' by Deniece Williams.
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"You are going to see numbers that people came up with in their crazy dreams maybe three years ago, and it's going to be amazing,” Goff told performers at the social. “And then they’re never going to be done again.”
Michelle Goff unveils the different themed weeks, from dance-floor favorites to internet memes to songs inspired by birds.
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Josie Huang
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Performances range from solos to group numbers, and the crowd votes for its favorites. Props and costumes are highly encouraged.
Here, dark wizards from Harry Potter duet to Taylor Swift. A singer tosses flowers to the crowd while belting Seal's “Kiss From a Rose.” Once, Goff danced around as an erupting Mount Vesuvius as her teammates sang Bastille's "Pompeii."
Like intramural sports but with microphones, teams compete over six weeks, followed by two weeks of playoffs, then the finals.
It all happens at the Good Nite bar, on a darkened stretch of Burbank Boulevard. Inside, there’s an inviting purple glow and warm conversation that can be hard to come by in a city as big as L.A.
“You know, the city, exciting as it is, still has so many strangers,” said Carlos Mulia.
A newcomer to the league, the chef-turned-actor already feels like he belongs.
Want to join the L.A. Karaoke league?
Where: The Good Nite, 10721 Burbank Blvd., North Hollywood.
When: Wednesday nights during the season.
How: Check the chapter’s website or @WeSingLA on Instagram for season announcements. Fall season registration is closed. The next season will start in late January or early February.
Cost: Registration costs $65 to $80, depending on when you sign up and whether you use a discount code.
Can I go watch: Yes! League nights are open to the public, with no cover charge, and anyone can vote for their favorite performances.
“Sometimes you can go to a karaoke bar and everyone’s talking and no one’s paying attention to you — that can be a downer,” he said. “But here, everyone’s contributing, everyone’s cheering for each other.”
For Mulia, the league also offers a creative outlet during Hollywood’s production slowdown, when he says opportunities to perform are scarce.
Actor Carlos Mulia said competitive karaoke gives him a creative outlet and a place to find community in a big city.
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“There’s not that many auditions," he said. "They’re far and few between, and it can really affect your psyche. So this allows you to just let it all out.”
The L.A. league started in Santa Monica in 2014 before moving among venues around the region and finding its current home at the Good Nite in 2021.
It’s part of United Karaoke, a loose national network with chapters in Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Chicago. The local leagues share a competition format, voting app and a pledge to keep the vibe welcoming.
In the league, friendships spark right away. Mulia hit it off with another actor, Jordan Delgado, who teaches children art at a studio.
They quickly figured out they’re both half-Filipino and grew up with karaoke, a fixture of Filipino social life.
“It is in our blood to do karaoke,” Delgado said. “So yeah, I’m honoring my ancestors in a way by being here tonight.”
Anybody is welcome on karaoke competition nights and invited to vote for their favorite performances.
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Josie Huang
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Delgado loves to perform but says the karaoke league promises more than that.
“It’s something to look forward to in the downtime of the part-time jobs,” Delgado said. “A reason to regularly meet up with people, where we could just be silly, without any judgment.”
For her league debut, Delgado is going with a tried and true crowd-pleaser.
“My go-to song that my friends and family have heard me sing a billion times is ‘You and I’ by Lady Gaga," Delgado said. "It really gets the crowd going.”
When it’s her turn, Delgado bounds onto the tiny stage up front with a big confident smile that matches a powerful voice.
“We got a whole lot of money, but still pay rent,” Delgado sings, striding across the tiny stage to whoops and cheers.
Several weeks after her league debut, Delgado would go on to win best performer during Graveyard Week, when the league revives songs so overdone they’re normally off-limits.
Her winning number? “Shallow,” with Delgado singing both the Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper parts.
And she brought the theatrical flair. Dressed as Gaga on one side of her body and Cooper on the other, she was her own duet partner.
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By Jeremiah Dobruck | Long Beach Post, Dañiel Andres Martinez
Published October 31, 2026 1:34 PM
A sign a Rosies Dog Beach in Long Beach warn visitors of the contaminated water. Photographed at Rosie's Dog Beach on Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022 in Long Beach, CA.
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Myung J. Chun
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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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Topline:
All coastal waters in Long Beach — including beaches, lagoons and bays — remain closed Sunday, after health officials say 29,000 gallons of sewage spilled out of a mainline pipe in Belmont Shore on Friday evening.
What happened: The spill happened around 6:30 p.m. near Livingston Drive and Second Street, according to a statement from the city’s Health Department.
The latest update: City crews tried to catch as much sewage as possible before it reached drainage systems that led to the ocean, but about 14,000 gallons ultimately reached the sea, forcing Long Beach to close its coastal waters.
All coastal waters in Long Beach — including beaches, lagoons and bays — remain closed Sunday after health officials say 29,000 gallons of sewage spilled out of a mainline pipe in Belmont Shore on Friday evening.
Joy Contreras, a public information officer with Long Beach Utilities, told LAist that emergency repairs to the sewer main were completed Saturday night.
"The Utilities Department will investigate the cause of the force main break, as a break of this magnitude is extremely rare," Contreras said Sunday.
Water quality testing, Contreras said, will resume on Monday. The Long Beach Health Department, she said, will determine when swimming areas will reopen once samples meet State water quality standards.
What happened
The spill happened around 6:30 p.m. on Friday near Livingston Drive and Second Street, according to a statement from the city’s health department.
“The spill was associated with a force main break, a pressurized pipe to convey wastewater,” according to the statement. There was no word on what caused the break.
Long Beach Utilities stopped the spill by rerouting sewage to bypass the line.
City crews tried to catch as much of the sewage as possible before it reached drainage systems that led to the ocean, but about 14,000 gallons ultimately reached the sea, forcing Long Beach to close its coastal waters.
History of sewage spills
Long Beach is no stranger to beach closures because of sewage spills, but it most commonly happens when sewage flows down the Los Angeles or San Gabriel rivers from upstream cities. Over one recent five-year span, local beaches were closed for 63 days because of upstream spills.
State law requires the closures any time sewage makes its way to the coast until testing shows the water meets quality standards. These rigorous rules don’t hold true for all types of spills.
