The Brief

Today marks 35 years since the premiere of Beverly Hills, 90210 — the show that turned a ZIP code into pop culture shorthand.

The hit teen drama ran for 10 seasons, following twins Brandon and Brenda Walsh, transplants from the Midwest navigating life among Beverly Hills’ privileged.

A defining teen show of the 1990s, Beverly Hills 90210 tackled tackled serious issues like mental health and teenage pregnancy.

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Courtesy Paramount Home Entertainment

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It also pushed boundaries for network TV, diving into drug use, mental health and teen sexuality — including Brenda’s first time with brooding boyfriend Dylan McKay.

Alongside the breakout cast, Los Angeles played a starring role on the show with nods to gridlock, clubs on the Sunset Strip and the Valley.

Though largely shot on a soundstage, the show also leaned heavily on exterior shots to showcase L.A.

Torrance High School stood in for the show’s West Beverly Hills High. Occidental College doubled as the fictional California University — which the 90210 kids attended after they graduated high school — finally. (Creator Darren Starr stretched the high school years across seasons.)

All the while, an Altadena home appeared as the Walsh family’s house. It’s still standing, untouched by the Eaton Fire.

The Walsh House, from the television series "Beverly Hills 90210" remains standing beside a fire-ravaged home in Altadena.

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Frederic Brown

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AFP

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Much of the cast remains visible in Hollywood. In addition to acting, Gabrielle Carteris, who played school paper editor Andrea Zuckerman, took on the role of SAG-AFTRA president, leading 160,000 performers for more than five years.

Meanwhile, Jennie Garth and Tori Spelling — forever Kelly Taylor and Donna Martin — launched a rewatch podcast called 9021OMG in 2020 that thrills fans with anecdotes from the set.

Tori Spelling and Jennie Garth attend the Beverly Hills 90210 Peach Pit Pop-Up in L.A. in 2019.

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Emma McIntyre

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Getty Images

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But recent years have also brought grief to the fandom.

Shannon Doherty, so memorable as the tempestuous Brenda, died in July 2024 after living with breast cancer for a decade. Luke Perry, who rose to teen idol status as Dylan, died in 2019 after a major stroke.

But for fans craving high-stakes love triangles and cliffhangers, 90210’s DNA lives on in its own 2019 reboot and in spiritual successors like Gossip Girl, The O.C. and Euphoria.

In a tribute move, Riverdale cast Perry as the main character’s steady, blue-collar dad in his last role.

Actress Shannen Doherty attends a Paramount Network Launch Party in 2018 in Los Angeles.

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Earl Gibson III

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Getty Images

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Luke Perry speaks during a 2018 press tour for "Riverdale."

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Frederick M. Brown

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Getty Images

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Now the show that first made Perry famous is getting its own moment.

To celebrate the 35th anniversary of 90210, Paramount Home Entertainment is releasing a remastered version of all 10 seasons on Oct. 20.

Glamorous angst will never have looked this good — or high-def.

Eleven Los Angeles County workers have been charged with felony grand theft for claiming unemployment benefits, despite working full-time during the pandemic, according to L.A. County District Attorney's Office on Friday.

Similar charges were field against 13 other county employees in October.

The D.A.'s office said the 24 individuals allegedly submitted fraudulent unemployment insurance claims totaling more than $740,000 to the California Employment Development Department between 2020 and 2023 — even though each was working full time and earning at least $3,000 a month.

The D.A.'s office says it'll seek restitution from each person, and that county has reimbursed the state for the stolen money.

If convicted, 23 of the defendants face a maximum sentence of three years in state prison. One defendant faces a maximum sentence of seven years in state prison for additional charges.

The Auditor-Controller’s Office estimates that the county has lost more than $3.5 million from unemployment insurance fraud during the pandemic — either committed by county employees or by those faking the identities of county employees.

This story was originally published by Boyle Heights Beat on Friday.

All December, local pop-ups and community arts spaces are hosting holiday markets on the Eastside.

Whether you’re trying to find one-of-a-kind pieces, handmade jewelry, or simply looking to support small businesses during the holidays, we’ve got just the guide for you.

Holiday Mercadito — Tonalli Studio

Inside Tonalli Studio

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Alma Lucia

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Boyle Heights Beat

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Tonalli Studio opens the holiday season with Holiday Mercadito, where you can shop goods from local artists, creatives and printmakers. Enjoy an afternoon of shopping while you check out the opening reception of the studio’s newest exhibition, La Morenita. The showcase will feature over 20 artists, including the works of Chicana altarista Ofelia Esparza, the studio’s co-founder.

Holiday Market Sale — Plaza De La Raza

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Plaza de la Raza

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Plaza de La Raza’s Holiday Market Sale returns this year with its annual host, Los Angeles-based Chicano artist Frank Romero. Taking place in the Boathouse Gallery, the two-day sale will feature a “stop and shop” with artists and other vendors, where attendees can buy unique gifts this holiday season. Admission and parking are free on-site.

Holiday Artist Mercado — LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes

Visitors exploring the mercado at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes.

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Courtesy LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes

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Local vendors, live screenprinting, holiday-themed workshops and even a Bad Bunny look-alike contest are what you’ll find at this year’s Holiday Artist Mercado. Explore booths featuring jewelry and clothing, and enjoy coffee from Acurrúcame Cafe, while listening to live DJs. Winners of the Bad Bunny look-alike contest will take home a $150 grand prize. Only the first 15 people who arrive in their Bad Bunny attire will be able to participate. A live screenprinting session with artist Mario Hernandez will allow guests to take home limited-edition shirts of Patrick Martinez’s neon art, “Tierra Y Libertad.” Guests also can visit the gift-wrapping station to experiment with a variety of different papers, ribbons and stamps to decorate gifts this holiday season. The event is free. You can let them know you’re attending by registering here.

Goddess & Queer Jingle Mingle — The East LA Goddess and Queer Mercado

A vendor at the 2024 Goddess and Queer Jingle Mingle event in East L.A.

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Monthly East L.A. pop-ups Goddess Mercado and Queer Mercado are combining Latina and queer vendors for this special holiday collaboration event. The holiday fiesta encourages attendees to shop with intention and explore the unique arts and gifts for sale. Beyond shopping for the holidays, guests can check out the East LA Farmers Market, full of goods and community resources to explore. The event will feature live entertainment, a fashion show, an art walk, food and creative workshops. From clothing, apothecary, cosmetics, books and even handmade goods, the Goddess and Queer Jingle Mingle can be your next stop this gifting season.

Brigade Artisan Marketplace Solstice Holiday Sale — Brigade Artisan Marketplace

The 14th annual Solstice Holiday Sale returns to the Pico Aliso Recreation Center this year. This free family event will feature handmade gifts, fine art, self-care products and vintage upcycled fashion. The first 20 shoppers who purchase from a vendor will be entered into a raffle to win gifts and prizes. There also will be a raffle fundraiser with proceeds for IMPACTO Youth Programming. Grab some food and desserts while you catch live entertainment, including guest DJs and Danza Mexica performances. A solstice community altar will be on display for guests to leave an offering.

Mercado Del Pueblo Winter Marketplace

Eastside Cafe and Mercado Del Pueblo return this year to host the 24th annual Mercado Del Pueblo Holiday Market. This two-day event is open to all ages and will have a variety of activities to enjoy, from live DJ entertainment to food and drinks and raffles. Attendees also can shop around to support local artisan vendors and makers all weekend long.

Barrio Flea: Holiday Makers Market — Ray and Roy’s Market

The inaugural Barrio Flea Holiday Makers Market will take place at the new Ray and Roy’s Market, which opened earlier this year. Featuring over 20 vendors, makers and curators, you can find a selection of original handmade gifts, vintage clothing, art, jewelry and prints for sale, among many other goods. The event will have holiday Mexican wine specials and food pop-ups for folks looking to grab a bite to eat. Enjoy the sounds of DJs Linda Nuves and Ojos de Hojas while shopping locally. The Holiday Market is free and open to all ages.

Holiday Mercadito — Self Help Graphics & Art

Self Help Graphics & Art Marketplace.

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Eric Jaipal

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Self Help Graphics & Art

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This year, the Lincoln Heights Senior Center will transform into a Holiday Mercadito hosted by Self-Help Graphics and Art. Attendees can shop a variety of art, high-quality goods, crafts and decor from L.A.-based artists and artisans. Explore the booths, art and vendors — you might just find something for everyone on your list here.

By Our People For Our People: Community Night Market — InnerCity Struggle

InnerCity Struggle is hosting a community night market, By Our People For Our People. The organization encourages people to bring their loved ones and shop small this holiday season. Enjoy free food, giveaways and activities for all ages, including a DIY holiday gift-making activation. The evening also will feature local artists and vendors and a free community closet.

As the one year anniversary of the Palisades fire approaches, a group of volunteers and Scouts with Scouting America are headed back to a beloved camp for the first time since it was lost in the blaze.

An historic site

The 110-acre site nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains known as Camp Josepho has welcomed thousands of Scouts since the 1940s. But a change in the direction of the wind during the Palisades Fire meant it would never look the same again. Pretty much everything was lost in the blaze, save for a concrete pool house.

“It’s a bit of a gut check, it almost doesn’t feel real, 85 years of camp... was just decimated that fast and that suddenly,” Nathan Erlandson, chief operating officer of Scouting America’s Western Los Angeles County Council, told LAist.

An undated photo of Camp Josepho

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Courtesy Dr. John S. Dahlem

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Listed as a Los Angeles Historical Cultural Monument, the land was gifted to the organization by the Josepho family. Ganna Josepho was a silent film star. Her husband, Anatol Josepho is credited with inventing the photo booth, which was coined the ‘Photomaton.’

Anatol Josepho

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Courtesy Dr. John S. Dahlem

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For decades, Scouts young and old have made the pilgrimage back to the place.

“Some of the older generation, a lot of them are no longer with us, they absolutely loved their experiences down there. It was just such a beautiful location,” said Lee Harrison, Scout executive for Western Los Angeles County Council. He’s been involved with his local council since he was 15, nearly four decades ago.

Harrison remembered Camp Josepho before the fire, when it was complete with the towering Malibu Lodge, which was built with redwood by aircraft manufacturer Donald Douglas and resembled a hangar.

Harrison used to love throwing his sleeping bag down in front of the lodge’s towering stone fireplace.

“It is irreplaceable and had a tremendous amount of history in it. And that’s the saddest part is that you would walk into that cavernous space, you could look at all the names that were written on the walls... And all of that’s gone,” he said.

Many famous and notable people visited Camp Josepho over the years, at least one of them uninvited.

Camp Josepho post Palisades Fire

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Aaron Kupferman

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There was the time Adam Sandler buzzed onto the historic grounds.

“He drove his gold cart down into the camp one day, and the site manager who was there had no idea who he was and chased him out of the camp. And he [Sandler] said ‘I’ll never come back here again,’” Harrison recalled.

This weekend, Scouts and members of the community will start to bring the place back to life, weeding out non-native plants and invasive species that have sprung to life around the ruins.

What's left of a pool at Camp Josepho

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Aaron Kupferman

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Harrison said the hope is to build the camp back with a lighter footprint, blending it more with the surrounding nature.

“People were -- and are -- very passionate about this place. And I think primarily because we’re able to bring lots of kids who don’t necessarily get access to the outdoors... in a very easy and quick way,” he said.

Harris and Erlandson said they are looking for support from the community as they breathe new life into the camp. You can visit their website to learn how you can help.

It's the ultimate road for the ultimate driving machine, known for its coiling, hairpin turns that have lent a 2.4-mile stretch of Mulholland Highway the sobriquet of "The Snake."

On Tuesday, this famous squiggle etched through the Santa Monica Mountains finally reopened, seven years after it was shut down by the Woolsey Fire.

Here’s the catch: People who live in the area and enthusiasts who frequent the route wish you didn’t know. More about that later. But first, let’s take a short drive down memory lane.

Connecting L.A.

Groundbreaking ceremony for Mulholland Drive in 1923, called Mulholland Highway at the time.

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Keystone Photo Service

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Courtesy Security Pacific National Bank Collection, Los Angeles Public Library

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Aerial view of Mulholland Drive taken in 1924, looking east over the Hollywood Hills from a point just east of Girard.

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Robert E. Spence

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Courtesy Security Pacific National Bank Collection, Los Angeles Public Library

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The Mulholland corridor, all 50-some miles of it, has long lured motorists chasing speed against a scrolling backdrop of the city. In fact, when the thoroughfare carrying the name of the man who brought water to modern Los Angeles first opened in 1924, the prediction was that it'd become "one of the best known scenic roads in the United States."

The project, backed by landowners who wanted to bring development to the Hollywood Hills, was conceived to link the burgeoning city to the mountains and the sea.

The road has inspired art, film — and since its earliest days, movie stars. Before World War II, it was Gary Cooper and John Carradine taking their Duesenbergs there for a spin. In the 1950s, James Dean used its turns and switchbacks as a training course of sorts.

"All I've been doing is driving around Mulholland Drive," said the actor, according to lore, after placing second overall in the Palm Spring Road Races.

A winding Mulholland Drive in Hollywood Hills in 1933.

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Courtesy Security Pacific National Bank Collection, Los Angeles Public Library

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View of the Hollywoodland sign from Mulholland

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Herman J Schultheis

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Herman J Schultheis Collection / Los Angeles Photographers Collection, Los Angeles Public Library

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A decade later, it was Steve McQueen, taking The Snake on his Jaguar or Triumph, before making a pit stop at the Rock Store, the nearby biker hangout.

The bad stretch

As legends of the road grew, so too did the crowd, including thrill-seekers — locally and from all corners of the world — looking to strut their stuff.

For years, a YouTube channel documented these rides and wipeouts, with cameras set up at the unofficial end of The Snake, dubbed Edwards Corner.

Officer G. H. Yeaton gives Norman Norlander directions atop Mulholland Drive at Beverly Glen as children wave placards urging traffic safety in 1937.

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Gordon Dean

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Courtesy Valley Times Collection, Los Angeles Public Library

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Those videos stopped in 2018 after the Woolsey Fire and mudslides a year later caused major damage to The Snake.

Keeping it low key

Now, those 2.4 miles finally have reopened. But instead of fanfare, it’s been met with controversy and a hope that outsiders don’t notice.

That’s because a debate was raging about whether the stretch should be reopened at all to the public.

On the one side, you have homeowners and residents who have long been turned off by the noise and the open exhaust pipes — not to mention the crashes — from a constant stream of motorists.

Skyline view of downtown Los Angeles from Mulholland Drive

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Jeff Thurlow

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COVID-19 Community Archive, Los Angeles Public Library

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On the other, you have the riding clubs and Mulholland regulars wary of the same thing: that overuse will bring the callous riders, complaints and crashes of the before times.

“Sadly, irresponsible riders will have it closed again before you know it,” a poster in a Facebook thread said of The Snake’s reopening.

The question was even addressed by L.A. County Public Works officials in an FAQ issued this year, where they said the roadway did not meet the criteria for a permanent closure and that closing it permanently would cut off a key access point for residents.

LAist reached out to a number of riders for the story, to no avail. Same with our request to the CHP division that oversees The Snake.

So there you have it. The famed route is now open. Just don’t expect any welcoming waves if you venture through.