The Brief

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Westlake has never been an easy neighborhood to summarize.

At its center sits MacArthur Park — a landmark that has come to embody the city’s sharpest contradictions, a place of beauty and crisis, history and neglect, that now anchors one of Los Angeles’s most contentious debates over how to address its unhoused crisis.

The neighborhood’s development arc is long. In the mid-19th century, it drew newcomers chasing California’s promise — the Gold Rush, the weather, the mythology of the West. Over time, the neighborhood evolved through many identities: home to members of the Hollywood and business elite, a more affordable enclave for middle- and working-class Angelenos, and later, a refuge for immigrants fleeing political unrest in Central America during the 1980s.

That layered past now finds expression in an unlikely form: art. 

But what truly sets Westlake apart from the many other artsy L.A. neighborhoods is how friendly it is to up-and-coming artists of all ages and backgrounds. Admittingly, that that ecosystem is fragile: Astralab, a cultural hub serving Southwest Asian and North African diaspora communities, was recently forced out of the neighborhood where it has operated for nearly two years. 

With Astralab’s loss, it becomes even more important to highlight four other institutions anchoring it, each operating on the conviction that creative life should be available to artists of every age and background, not just those who can afford a trendy address. 

Frida Kahlo Theatre — Moisés Rodríguez Ovidio González and Christopher John Magallanes en Ruben Amavizca-Murua’s “Ayotzinapa Situacion Desaparecido.”

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Courtesy Ruben Amavizca-Murua

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Mexican Center for Culture & Cinematic Arts

There is no shortage of Mexican artistry represented throughout the City of Angels, and few places offer a stronger starting point than the Mexican Center for Culture & Cinematic Arts.

Located within the Consulado General de México en Los Ángeles (Mexican Consulate General in Los Angeles), the venue showcases a wide range of work by Mexican and Mexican American artists, as well as creators whose work explores Mexican culture more broadly.

With both a gallery and theater space, the Mexican Center hosts art exhibitions, film screenings, lectures, conferences and cultural programming throughout the year, serving as a bridge between artistic expression and community identity.

Art Division

A painting class at Art Division.

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Courtesy Art Division

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Founded in 2010, Art Division was created by Dan McCleary, who recognized a critical gap in arts education for young adults over the age of 17.

This nonprofit is dedicated to supporting aspiring artists ages 18 to 27 — particularly those from underserved communities — as they continue developing their craft beyond high school.

Art Division’s campus includes a library of more than 10,000 books, studios for multidisciplinary workshops, a printmaking studio — where students learn linoleum and woodblock techniques — and a gallery space that hosts exhibitions throughout the year. 

The organization functions not only as a creative incubator but as a launchpad for emerging artists navigating professional pathways.

Heart of Los Angeles

For younger artists looking to develop their skills, Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) has served children in grades K-12 since 1989 with programming that spans academics, athletics, music and visual arts.

HOLA has partnered with respected institutions such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Eisner Foundation and the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus, offering students access to high-quality musical instruction and mentorship.

For visual artists, the organization provides classes, public artist residencies, exhibitions, field trips and additional creative opportunities that nurture both artistic growth and personal development, including classes, public artist residencies, field trips, exhibitions and more.

Frida Kahlo Theater

At the Frida Kahlo Theatre, Ruben Alejandro and Dina Jauregui in Ruben Amavizca-Murua's “Frida Kahlo.”

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Courtesy Ruben Amavizca-Murua

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The Frida Kahlo Theater is where the Grupo de Teatro SINERGIA hosts its groundbreaking productions in both English and Spanish, all of which shine a spotlight on stories and voices from Latin America.

Beyond its performances, the theater functions as both an incubator for rising talent and an educational platform for young creatives seeking a welcoming environment to explore storytelling and performance.

Programming includes the annual 10-Minute Play Festival (as well as the Theater Youth 10-Minute Play Festival), the Staged Reading Series and on-site workshops that foster artistic development across generations.

Frida Kahlo Theatre — Daniel Mora, Itzel Ocampo and Eden Vera en “Yellow” by Jose Henrickson.

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Courtesy Catherina Cojulun

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This story first appeared on Long Beach Post.

At the peak of efforts to quell a massive warehouse fire in Boyle Heights in June, firefighters sent 12,000 gallons of water per minute at the flames — by water cannons, aerial ladder pipes and helicopter flybys.

The overwhelming rush of water, millions of gallons over the eight days to subdue the fire, filtered through the Lineage cold-storage facility’s solar panels, insulation and freezers before feeding into nearby storm drains, carrying with it an array of toxic metals, chemicals and tainted food that eventually flowed into the Los Angeles River.

If this were an oil spill, sewage leak or a chemical tank explosion, a standardized system would kick in to notify downstream cities and residents that a dangerous flow is heading their way.

But in this case, that didn’t happen, as experts say a gap in environmental rules made it so the hazardous firefighting runoff skirted the threshold for such a response.

Water is dropped by helicopter at a warehouse fire in the Boyle Heights section of Los Angeles on Wednesday, June 17, 2026.

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Jae C. Hong

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AP Photo

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According to records reviewed by the Long Beach Post, the city didn’t receive outside warning that its waterways might be unsafe until June 25, eight days after the fire began, when a county public works employee sent a brief email saying fish had begun dying in the nearby wetlands, and that it might be tied to the fire.

“We wanted to alert the City, as your beaches are located at the receiving end of the L.A. River, and wanted to share this information to keep you informed of the situation to ensure that public health and safety are protected,” the email stated.

Even then, that warning never made it to the public. Two months later, Long Beach residents have never been told exactly what chemicals and metals may have been sent downstream and what, if any, harm could have come from swimming, wading and boating in the public waterways that connect to the river. Emergency declarations made by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom days earlier addressed only the toxins sent into the air.

When it comes to firefighting runoff, “there are no mandated protocols” for warning downstream neighbors of the risk, according to Elizabeth Vazquez, a spokesperson for the L.A. County Public Works department that manages the L.A. River.

Long Beach’s only public notice came as a city health advisory after routine testing on June 23 discovered high bacteria levels in the ocean. Officials posted warning notices about the bacteria, total coliform, fecal coliform and enterococcus on five segments of beach from Fifth Place to the west side of the Belmont Pier.

Bacteria levels were so high that they reached the peak of what could be registered, said Emmanuel Carrera Ruedas, a community scientist and member of East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice, an ecological watchdog group. “We don’t really even know the full extent of the bacteria in the water, but what we do know is that it’s at least thirty times higher than normal levels,” he added.

Emmanuel Carrera Ruedas wears a mask and gloves as he prepares to collect water samples from the LA River on Wednesday, July 1.

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Steve Saldivar

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The LA Local

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A health department spokesperson said last week that no beaches or waterways were closed, even though bacteria levels were high enough to make someone sick. This is standard practice, the department says, as closures are typically reserved for when there is known or suspected sewage or chemical discharge.

The extremely poor water quality was odd for this time of year, according to Heal the Bay, which tracks water quality and indicated it’s normally much better in July. Despite the anomaly, the city’s notices did not mention any potential connection to the fire or any other pollutants it may have sent into the ocean, as the link to the fire has not been confirmed. The city health department tests only for bacteria; it does not routinely test for chemicals, heavy metals or viruses.

Researchers at UCLA and Columbia University, as well as the city of LA’s Bureau of Sanitation, are still testing to determine what hazardous chemicals were in the water and to what extent the runoff carried toxins to the coast. Teams say they screened for 14 metals like cadmium and lead, along with metalloids like arsenic and selenium.

Frustrated by the weak outside warning and the city health department’s limited response, Long Beach City Council members argue there should have been better notice to the thousands of people fishing, boating and swimming in the lower estuaries.

“When water quality is in doubt, families avoid the water, people stop fishing, visitors stay away and local businesses suffer,” according to a July 21 letter from the City Council. “Even perceived risks can limit shoreline use. Protecting our water quality is a regional equity issue, as downstream pollution threatens access to one of the most accessible coastal resources for Southeast Los Angeles communities.”

The Long Beach City Council is now demanding that regional, state and county agencies rethink how they warn each other in the event that dangerous runoff is heading their way.

Councilmember Kristina Duggan, who has championed the idea alongside council members Tunua Thrash-Ntuk and Cindy Allen, argued the problem isn’t some individual or department failing to give notice, but a regulatory blind spot that needs systemic change.

Typically, when a major sewage spill or crude oil slips into the river or sea, a strict, standardized chain of alerts sound off, starting through the California Office of Emergency Services that can trigger beach closures and rapid water testing.

But there is no automatic mechanism that forces agencies to respond the same way for firefighting runoff once it leaves the scene. In fact, it is conditionally exempt from federal and state storm sewer rules.

Instead, departments rely on an informal patchwork of inter-agency courtesy calls; there is no single standardized system dictating who calls whom, how fast or under what threshold.

Without a system in place, scores of dead fish were found in the Dominguez Gap Wetlands before any agency publicly acknowledged the runoff might endanger the water, right before one of the city’s busiest beach weekends of the year.

“Without timely information, our public health professionals cannot make decisions about risks to our residents and our recreational water risks,” Duggan said.

It’s an oversight that’s had consequences before.

In 2021, water used to douse a warehouse fire in Carson sent packaged hand sanitizer into the Dominguez Channel, killing marine life, mystifying residents with a smell of rotten eggs and prompting a proposed $17 million state penalty against property owners. During the 2025 Palisades fires, rain sent toxic ash runoff — containing pesticides, asbestos, plastics and lead from burned cars, electronics, batteries and building materials — into local waters.

In some instances, such as during a January 2025 power plant fire in Moss Landing and another instance at the Port of Los Angeles in September 2024, firefighters thought it environmentally safer to let fires scorch through deposits of lithium-ion batteries rather than douse them and send hazardous runoff into storm drains.

Environmental advocates say these incidents fit a recurring pattern along the concretized Los Angeles River, which lacks natural floodplains and wetlands to filter urban runoff.

Firefighters continue to work on a warehouse fire in Boyle Heights on Sunday, June 21, 2026.

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Steve Saldivar

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The LA Local

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“What is clear is that our infrastructure and our drainage systems do not consider the LA River to be part of our ecology,” Ruedas said. “There’s no filtration, no efforts to contain any of the metals or any of the bacteria that’s happening at our drainage. It’s a straight shot from wherever the fire is straight into the city of Long Beach. And we saw that very clearly.”

Some groups, including East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice, have resorted to self-testing the water out of a growing skepticism for official oversight.

Ruedas said their testing last month along the L.A. River near Long Beach has come back, and they hope to present it to the public in the next week or so. Unable to give too much information, Ruedas said they did notice in their data collection there were heavy spikes in the presence of metals along the river from June 20 to 22.

Ruedas says the region desperately needs to fix how it responds and how it communicates to the public when and where hazardous materials are present.

That requires not just fixing a broken warning system but looking years into the future, he said: “How do we want our drainage systems to look? How do we want to limit not just isolated fire events, but just the entire way we think about water in the city of LA and the county of LA.”

Long Beach is now discussing updated notification protocols with Orange County and Los Angeles County.

“When any event that significantly impacts our water quality and puts the public at risk, it should trigger notification, protocol monitoring and coordination,” Councilmember Duggan said.

The L.A. Regional Water Quality Control Board is set to take up the topic next month, in a presentation that will review sampling taken along the river and an update on the facility cleanup. Those interested in watching the meeting or reviewing its agenda can click here.

As fans of Big Bear’s famous bald eagles emotionally recover from Jackie’s death, many are now wondering what’s next for the nest and her long-time mate Shadow.

Will he stay in the same spot with a new eagle mate and continue the livestream legacy? Will he build a new nest in a tree without cameras?

Jenny Voisard, spokesperson for Friends of Big Bear Valley, the nonprofit that launched the popular eagle livestream, said they want to see Shadow thrive and “live his best life,” no matter where that may be.

“It could be that he chooses to go some place else and move on,” Voisard told LAist. “In which case, we would imagine someone else would take over the nest, but we don't know for sure. All we can do is watch.”

Next steps for Shadow

Shadow may start to look for a mate once his hormones kick in, usually around December or January. In years past, Jackie and Shadow would return to the nest and start delivering sticks at the end of fall into early winter. Jackie’s hormones typically kicked in sooner than Shadow’s, Voisard said.

Shadow has been seen with another, younger eagle lately called KD1. KD1 is believed to be a more than 4-year-old female bald eagle from the Prado Basin, according to Jenna Carpenter, a wildlife biologist with the Orange County Water District.

KD1 was banded in 2022, along with its sibling from their parental pair known as Ricky and Lucy, Carpenter said. (Jackie’s parents were also named Ricky and Lucy, but district officials said it's not the same eagles.) KD1 wears two identifying bands on its legs. One is lavender-colored and easier to see from a distance, like on the livestream cameras.

KD1 can be identified by the bands on its legs, including a lavender-colored one that makes the eagle easier to spot on the livestream cameras.

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Friends of Big Bear Valley

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YouTube

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“It's possible that KD1 stays in Big Bear, but it's also possible that KD1 moves on,” Carpenter said in a video. “In the first five years of a bald eagle's life, they're pretty nomadic. They fly around looking for good habitat, good places to find food, not necessarily looking for a territory quite yet.”

That may change once KD1 gets closer to 5 years old, which she added is the breeding age for eagles and when females can start laying eggs.

Carpenter said it’s a “gift” to come across KD1 in the wild, but she also cautioned that people need to recognize that the eagles are wild animals.

“They don't follow the same social norms as we as humans do,” she said “So it's a good idea to put on the science-colored glasses and remember that wildlife is wildlife.”

Voisard said if Shadow does find a new mate, whether it's KD1 or another eagle, “we will love whoever that is and we will cheer her on.”

Will Jackie be honored in some way?

Travis Scott, CEO of Visit Big Bear, told LAist that several community groups and organizations — including Friends of Big Bear Valley — are working together on a celebration to honor Jackie.

They’ve come up with multiple early ideas, including an event centered around wildlife, conservation and education with opportunities that recognize the “extraordinary connection Jackie created between Big Bear and people around the world,” Scott said.

“The goal is to create something that feels meaningful, appropriate, and true to Jackie’s legacy — not simply a memorial, but a celebration of the wonder, awareness, conservation, and environmental stewardship she inspired,” he said in an email.

The partners will be meeting Monday to narrow down more detailed plans, according to Scott. 

Tommy John, who won 288 games during a 26-year big league career and became the first pitcher to successfully return following groundbreaking elbow surgery that later was named after him, has died. He was 83.

He died at his home in Bradenton, Florida, on Saturday night, agent Mike Maguire said Sunday. He had been in hospice care.

On Aug. 8, the New York Yankees released a social media post in which John wrote that he wanted to say goodbye to everyone, including friends and fans who followed him throughout his career, saying, “I will never forget you.”

John was a four-time All-Star with a record of 288-231 and a 3.34 ERA during a career that stretched from 1963 to 1989. He pitched for Cleveland, the Chicago White Sox, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Yankees, the California Angels and the Oakland Athletics.

The left-hander was 31 years old when he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow in 1974, a death knell for pitchers’ careers to that point.

John allowed Dr. Frank Jobe, the Dodgers’ team physician, to replace the ligament with a tendon from his right forearm. Jobe gave the surgery 100-to-1 odds of being successful.

John was a great pitcher, but his elbow surgery made him a baseball legend

The procedure had been done on others before, although it was usually performed on wrists and hands. John was the first pitcher to have it done on his elbow.

More than 2,600 big leaguers and thousands more amateurs have since had UCL reconstructions, better known as Tommy John surgery. It’s been a godsend for many of baseball’s greatest stars, including two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani, three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander and even Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper.

“If you put it in dollars and cents, I think there’s no question that Tommy John is the most valuable reconstructive procedure there is,” Dodgers team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache told The Associated Press in 2024.

Born Thomas Edward John Jr. on May 22, 1943, in Terre Haute, Indiana, he was a top baseball and basketball player at the city’s Gerstmeyer High. He graduated in 1961 as valedictorian but did not give the commencement speech because of a stutter. Despite being recruited by the University of Kentucky to play basketball, John chose baseball and signed with Cleveland.

“The day I left for my first job as a pitcher, my father looked at me & said, ‘Good luck, Tommy. Just remember one thing: whether you make it big in the big leagues or you don’t, you’ll always just be Tommy John from Terre Haute, Indiana.’ I’ve never forgotten those words,” John wrote in his Aug. 8 post.

John recorded 2,245 strikeouts but never led either league in wins or strikeouts. John had the second-most wins of any pitcher since 1900 not to be elected to the Hall of Fame. From 1995 through 2009, John was on the Hall of Fame ballot, but he never received more than 31.7% of the votes, falling well short of the 75% required for election.

John won more games after his eponymous surgery

Known for his longevity, John was the opening day starter for both the 1966 Chicago White Sox and the 1989 New York Yankees. He won 124 games before his UCL repair and 164 after. His final appearance came days after his 46th birthday.

He made his major league debut on Sept. 6, 1963, pitching one inning in relief for Cleveland.

He was traded to the White Sox in 1965 and worked his way into the starting rotation. The following year, he tied for the American League lead with five shutouts and in 1967, his six shutouts led the AL.

In 1971, he was traded to the Dodgers.

In 1974, John had a 13-3 record and led the National League in victories going into the All-Star break. He was pitching against the Montreal Expos when he permanently damaged the UCL in his left arm. After a month, the injury had not improved.

During the four-hour surgery on Sept. 25, 1974, Jobe made holes in the humerus and ulna bones of John’s left arm and used anchors to insert the tendon in a figure-eight pattern.

At first, John’s left hand was shriveled and he lacked feeling in several of his fingers because of damage to the ulnar nerve. Jobe performed a second procedure to reroute the nerve that was necessary to John’s full recovery.

John’s arm was in a cast for four months. He had recovered the full range of motion in his left arm by spring training of 1975, and spent that season resting, healing and rebuilding strength in his arm. John worked with fellow Dodgers pitcher Mike Marshall, who had a doctorate in kinesiology, on learning a different grip.

That September he made five appearances during an offseason instructional league, working his way up to seven innings by his final game.

John resumed pitching for the Dodgers in 1976 as the fourth starter in their rotation. He allowed three runs in five innings and took the loss in his first start against Atlanta, the first time any pitcher had started a game following UCL reconstructive surgery.

John donated the original cast from his surgery to the Smithsonian Institution in June 2022. His teammates on the 1974 Dodgers signed it, as well as Jobe and the team’s Hall of Fame announcer Vin Scully.

The procedure has become so widely known that in 2019, Merriam-Webster added the term to its dictionary.

John made 31 starts for the Dodgers in 1976, posting a 10-10 record, a 3.09 ERA, 91 strikeouts, 61 walks and 207 hits allowed in 207 innings.

In 1977, he won 20 games for the first time in his career, finishing with a 20-7 record. He finished second behind Philadelphia’s Steve Carlton in voting for the NL Cy Young Award.

John and his family had mixed feelings about the legacy of his operation

Over 50 years later, Tommy John surgery is as much a part of baseball as peanuts and hot dogs. Advanced training methods are helping pitchers of all ages throw harder than ever. They take comfort knowing a torn UCL won’t necessarily end their careers.

“I am sick my name is attached to a surgery happening in kids more than pros,” John tweeted in July 2018.

John’s oldest son, Tommy III, became a chiropractor who wrote a book suggesting ways to prevent young athletes from having to undergo major sports-related surgery similar to what his father endured.

After his pitching career ended, John worked as a broadcaster for the Minnesota Twins and Yankees in the 1990s. He managed the Bridgeport (Connecticut) Bluefish from 2007-09.

John was hospitalized in December 2020 due to COVID-19 and later had Guillain-Barré syndrome, in which a person’s immune system attacks their nerves. John told the New York Post in May 2022 that he was paralyzed in his lower extremities for several months.

John and his wife Sally Simmons had four children: Tamara, Tommy III, Travis and Taylor, who died of a prescription drug overdose at 28 in 2010. The couple divorced in 2013.

Besides his children, he is survived by his second wife, Cheryl, and son-in-law Patrick Mannelly, a retired NFL long snapper who played 16 years for the Chicago Bears.

School is around the corner for nearly every campus in Long Beach. That means it’s time to dust off those backpacks and take stock of what school supplies are needed. For anyone in need of a cost-free way to restock children for school, here’s a list of giveaway events coming up soon.

Tuesday, Aug. 18 at 953 North Park Circle Dr.

This Tuesday from 5 to 7 p.m., Willmore City Community Association will hand out 200 free backpacks, pairs of shoes, books and insulated water bottles at The Bembridge House at Drake Park.

The event will also have free children’s haircuts, ice cream from Handel’s Ice Cream and sweet treats by The Pin-Up Kitchen.

Event organizers encourage all family members to come out to get connected with resources, learn about community services and enjoy live music along with activities for all ages.

Saturday, Aug. 22 at 2217 E. Sixth St.

Free backpacks, free school supplies and free snacks will be available at Long Beach Forward’s office on Saturday, Aug. 22 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

There will also be free children’s haircuts and hair styling available, plus gift cards given out as raffle prizes.

The backpacks are for children ages 4-13 (TK-7th grade). You can find more information about the event here.

Saturday, Aug. 22 at 1321 East Anaheim St.

Tito Rodriguez, better known as Hood Santa, will host a backpack and school-supply giveaway on Saturday, Aug. 22 at MacArthur Park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

There will also be free toys and Bombas socks, along with free children’s haircuts and makeup services.

Ortiz is aiming to give out 3,000 backpacks at the event. As of Thursday afternoon, he had raised $2,750 toward his $25,000 goal. You can donate to the campaign here.

He’s also accepting volunteers for the event. You can sign up to volunteer here.

Saturday, Aug. 22 at 1022 E. Market St.

The fifth annual Black Student Achievement Initiative Symposium will feature a backpack giveaway, complimentary lunch and information breakout sessions on Saturday, Aug. 22 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Lindbergh Middle School in North Long Beach.

Incoming Long Beach Unified School District Superintendent David Zaid is scheduled to attend as a guest speaker.

A shuttle service will be available from Jordan High School (6500 Atlantic Ave.) between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Registration will take place from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., but anyone planning to attend is encouraged to register ahead of time here.

Lunch will only be provided for attendees who register in advance.