Topline:
The death toll continues to rise in the devastating fires.
What we know — and don't know: The coroner has confirmed 25 deaths as of Monday evening.
Keep reading... for more details about the coroner's next steps and what officials have said about the likelihood more fire victims will be found.
At least 27 people have now been confirmed dead in the Eaton and Palisades fires, according to adjusted numbers released Tuesday night by the L.A. County Medical Examiner.
The Eaton Fire, with 17 dead, is now the fifth most deadly fire in state history. Another 10 have died in the Palisades Fire, up from eight reported Tuesday, which also puts that fire on the list of 20 deadliest in California.
Where things stand: Officials continue to warn that we don't yet have any clarity on the total toll.
Still missing: As of Thursday morning, sheriff's officials said in areas they patrol they are still investigating 24 missing person reports in the Eaton Fire and seven in the Palisades Fire. L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna said 12 people that were reported missing have been found alive.
LAPD officials said they've investigated 38 reports of missing people in the Palisades Fire, and 30 have been found safe. Authorities said they believe that of the eight still missing, three are "most likely" among the dead who have not yet been positively identified and five remain missing.
Where the searches stand: Sheriff's officials also said that they've covered about 78% of the Eaton Fire burn area — searching more than 5,500 properties. [We will update with LAPD's Palisades numbers when we have them.]
Names released so far:
Family members have identified two other victims in the Eaton Fire as a father and son, Anthony Mitchell, Sr. and Justin Mitchell, who were both disabled. Those names have not officially been released by the medical examiner.
L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna has cautioned that the death toll remains preliminary. He says many of the burned out areas look like bomb sites, and his deputies are still searching.
Those structure to structure searches began Saturday and continue. Deputies are using cadaver dogs as they assess damage and look for additional victims. Luna said because conditions on the ground remain so dangerous, the searches will only take place during daylight hours.
Why some IDs may be a painstaking process: "The identification make take several weeks as the Department of Medical Examiner is not able to respond to all death locations due to the fire conditions and safety concerns," according to an earlier statement from the medical examiner's office. "Please also keep in mind, traditional means of identification such as fingerprinting and visual identification may not be available and will add more time for naming these decedents."
What's next: Despite those limitations, the medical examiner's office nonetheless noted the sense of urgency surrounding these cases: "The Department of Medical Examiner understands how important it is to identify those lost in the wildfires and is working diligently, while following safety protocols, to provide the information to the next of kin as soon as reasonably possible."
The sheriff is asking people to reach out and file a missing persons report. "I encourage you, if you believe somebody's missing ... talk to the deputies," Luna said. "We will assist you in any which way that we can." The main number is (213) 229-1700. Also: L.A. County's emergency website also directs people to reach out to the Red Cross' reunification team for help.
How common are fatalities in wildfires?: For most of the last century, deaths in California wildfires were very rare. That began to change in the last couple of decades as the cadence and ferocity of fires picked up speed. Before the most recent fires, 11 of the 20 deadliest fires in the state had taken place since 2003.
_
If you have to leave now:
If you have more time:
Things to consider:
Navigating fire conditions
How to help yourself and others
Understanding how it got this bad
What to expect: Some morning clouds followed by a sunny afternoon. Temperatures to reach the mid 80s for some areas, and up into the triple digits in some parts of Coachella Valley.
Read on ... for where it's going to be the warmest today.
As promised, warm temperatures are on tap for Southern California today.
Areas closer to the coast will wake up with partly cloudy skies, but otherwise we're in for mostly sunny conditions all day.
At L.A and Orange county beaches temperatures will stick around the upper 60s, and up to the low 70s for the inland coast.
For L.A. County valleys, temperatures will range from 79 to 87 degrees. Meanwhile, the Inland Empire will see highs of up to 89 degrees.
And in Coachella Valley, temperatures there will warm up to the mid 90s — up to 101 degrees in some areas.
In this edition:
Clockshop’s annual Kite Festival, UCLA hosts work about the fires, a kids' book fair at the Japanese American National Museum and more of the best things to do this weekend.
Highlights:
Happy Mother’s Day, and happy opening of the D Line extension to all who celebrate!
This past week, I had the pleasure of meeting a group of artists in Venice who are creating installations that are open 24/7 right on the boardwalk, and doing free pop-up opera and other performances at night all summer long. Being a Venice local, it’s been so fun to see these projects come in along an otherwise pretty quiet stretch of Ocean Front Walk — take a stroll there this summer and you never know what or who you might see.
Licorice Pizza has your weekend music picks. On Friday, Muna begins their two-night run at Shrine Expo Hall, and Wu Lyf plays the first of two nights at the Lodge Room. Plus, Snow Tha Product is at The Novo, Fishbone plays the Teragram, and Netflix Is a Joke has two music-focused events: Beautifully Broken Comedy with Jelly Roll at the Greek, and A Visit From ‘Portlandia’ with Fred & Carrie at the Ford. The dream of the '90s is alive! Saturday, the Netflix fun continues with two nights of Flight of the Conchords at the Greek; on Sunday, Rodrigo y Gabriela are at the YouTube Theater and Norah Jones is at Pacific Electric.
Elsewhere on LAist, you can learn about a local benchmaker who includes the L.A. logo in his work, meet the brand-new eaglets Sandy and Luna and keep track of the more than 100 free World Cup watch parties coming up.
Saturday, May 9, 1 p.m.
Tongva Park
1615 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica
COST: FROM $86.90; MORE INFO
Last weekend, I strolled down to the free jazz shows on Third Street Promenade and was happy to see so many folks out for the music. This week, the fest continues with its marquee events, including Kamasi Washington (the festival’s organizer), jazz legend Stanley Washington (with Stewart Copeland of The Police) and many more greats taking the stage at Santa Monica’s Tongva Park.
Through Sunday, May 17
910 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Check out dozens of artworks from established, mid-career, and emerging artists — and maybe even snap one up — at the annual Venice Art Walk, benefiting the Venice Family Clinic. This year’s Signature Artist is L.A. artist Alison Saar; the gallery and the online auction are free to peruse and open to the public all week long.
Saturday and Sunday, May 9 and 10
Cooper Design Space
860 S. Los Angeles St., Downtown L.A.
COST: FROM $11.54; MORE INFO
Bring mom to pick out her own perfect gift at this spring’s Unique Markets at the Cooper Design Space penthouse. The Unique Market has a knack for finding brands that go on to become L.A. cool-kid household names, like Hedley & Bennett, P.F. Candle Co., CoolHaus, Poke'To and more. There are also free drinks, a free DIY charm-making station and a photo booth with free Polaroid prints.
Saturday, May 9, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Japanese American National Museum
100 N. Central Ave., Little Tokyo
COST: $10 ADULTS, KIDS FREE; MORE INFO
The second annual Nikkei Children’s Book Festival brings children’s book authors and illustrators to the Japanese American National Museum for a fun day celebrating the love of reading. In the morning, there’s a special reading of Ken Mochizuki’s Baseball Saved Us (9:30 a.m.), plus a session with Maggie Tokuda Hall, the author of Love in the Library and a national leader of Authors Against Book Bans. An afternoon session (1 p.m.) features Korey Watari, the author of Kimi the Ballerina, and Mike Wu, a Pixar artist and the illustrator of Kimi the Ballerina. Many more authors and illustrators will be on hand, plus there will be arts and crafts, signings, a pop-up book store and more.
Friday, May 8, 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Herb Alpert School of Music
Lani Hall Theater
445 Charles E. Young Drive East, Westwood
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
I don’t think there’s a better place you could spend Friday afternoon and evening than at UCLA, exploring a new collection of interactive exhibits and music created by artists impacted by last year’s Palisades and Eaton fires. From a custom Fender Stratocaster crafted for San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity from trees that were damaged around the Eaton Fire to listening and viewing stations for works from local artists, including the L.A. Field Recording Club, there are all kinds of ways to explore how the community has responded and processed grief and resilience over the past year. A panel conversation features Chris Douridas (KCRW), Jessica Schwartz (UCLA Musicology), Liz Koslov (UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability) and Kim Yu (Altadena Town Council, Caltech), followed by a closing concert with works from UCLA students and faculty, including the Herbie Hancock Institute Band and the Los Angeles premiere of Will Rand’s Firebirth with violinist Grace Alexander.
Through Sunday, May 10
Printed Matter
ArtCenter College of Design, South Campus
960 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena
COST: $8, FREE ON SUNDAY; MORE INFO
So much more than just a collection of art books, the annual L.A. Art Book Fair is organized by Printed Matter and features a whole weekend of DJs, live music and exhibitions. This year’s projects include an archival show of newspapers by Chicano in Print; a curated selection of Ed Ruscha's expansive Sunset Strip project by The Getty Research Institute; artifacts of pre-Y2K Asian girlhood from the '90s band Emily’s Sassy Lime (E.S.L.), organized by Ooga Booga; and a site-specific billboard project by Werkplaats Typografie that evolves over the course of the fair.
Through Sunday, May 17
Odyssey Theatre
2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West L.A.
COST: $38, MORE INFO
If you saw Hannah Gadsby’s stand-up special Nanette, perhaps you also will never be able to read Picasso’s name without whispering Pablo Pic-asshole to yourself. It’s no secret that Picasso, like many brilliant artists, had a dark side, and this new play, coming to the Odyssey straight from London, explores just that. British actor Peter Tate and Olivier Award-winning director Guy Masterson bring their production here for just two weeks.
Saturday, May 9, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
L.A. State Historic Park
1245 N. Spring St., Downtown L.A.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Let’s go fly a kite! Clockshop’s free annual Kite Festival takes over the L.A. State Historic Park, giving you a chance to enter your homemade kite into a competition, check out artist-commissioned kites and an inflatable sculpture, and, of course, participate in a free kite-making workshop.
Topline:
The fundraiser led by environmental organizations to buy land in Big Bear Valley to prevent construction of a planned housing project not far from the famous bald eagle nest for Jackie and Shadow is about halfway over but has so far raised roughly a quarter of its $10 million goal.
The backstory: Friends of Big Bear Valley and the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust are trying to raise the money by the end of July to purchase more than 62 acres of land pegged for Moon Camp.
Why it matters: Some people say the project, slated to include 50 lots for custom homes and a marina with 55 boat slips, would harm rare plants and wildlife in the area. That includes the famous bald eagles, Jackie and Shadow, and their young eaglets Sandy and Luna, who nest less than a mile away.
Why now: The “Save Moon Camp” fundraiser, which officials have said is the most ambitious effort in Friends of Big Bear Valley history, has raised more than $2.5 million as of Wednesday.
What's next: If the groups don’t raise $10 million by July 31, Friends of Big Bear Valley has a backup plan.
Go deeper: Environmental groups launch $10M fundraiser to buy land near Big Bear’s famous bald eagle nest
The fundraiser led by environmental organizations to buy land in Big Bear Valley to prevent construction of a planned housing project not far from Jackie and Shadow's famous bald eagle nest is about halfway over but has so far raised roughly a quarter of its $10 million goal.
Friends of Big Bear Valley and the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust are trying to raise the money by the end of July to purchase more than 62 acres of land pegged for Moon Camp.
Some people say the project, slated to include 50 lots for custom homes and a marina with 55 boat slips, would harm rare plants and wildlife in the area. That includes the resident bald eagles, Jackie and Shadow, and their young eaglets Sandy and Luna, who nest less than a mile away.
The organizations instead want the land to be placed under a permanent conservatorship.
The “Save Moon Camp” fundraiser, which officials have said is the most ambitious effort in Friends of Big Bear Valley history, has raised more than $2.5 million as of Wednesday.
Jenny Voisard, the nonprofit’s media manager, told LAist that the money has mostly come through small donations from thousands of loyal fans around the world.
She said Friends of Big Bear Valley is “deeply grateful” for the love and support the community has shown since the fundraiser launched in February. She described the donations as an “investment in conservation and humanity.”
“What happens with California's biodiversity is important to every one of us on this planet, and you are all helping to take care of that,” Voisard said. “Biodiversity is responsible for the air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink and the medicine we take. And you're all heroes.”
Voisard said she’s been struck and brought to tears by how personal the fundraiser has become to people.
Some fans have been donating monthly, every payday or with their morning latte money. Others have been writing letters to news outlets, institutions, government officials and “anybody that will listen,” she said.
Friends of Big Bear Valley’s eagle livestream has become a popular fixture in classrooms, and a few elementary schools have organized their own fundraisers to support “Save Moon Camp.”
A third grade class at Wildwood Elementary in Yucaipa, for example, pooled together $373 for the fundraiser, Voisard said. Another elementary school in Connecticut sent a little more than $970.
“This is our next generation of environmental caretakers and stewards, and so that's why this is so important,” she said. “We need to raise the money, and it's not about the amounts. It's that they believe in what we're doing and that it's worth saving.”
Larger gifts have also been rolling in.
There have been a few $50,000 donations, an anonymous donation of $77,000 and a $20,000 gift sent along with a handwritten letter. Voisard said Friends of Big Bear Valley is actively reaching out to philanthropists and tribal councils to garner their support as well.
You can learn more about the fundraiser and track its progress at SaveMoonCamp.org.
If the groups don’t raise $10 million by July 31, Friends of Big Bear Valley has a backup plan.
Voisard said there’s a financing option that would allow the groups to purchase the land — but with quarterly payments and a high interest rate. She acknowledged that would be “difficult” and require longer-term fundraising, but it’s an option.
The eventual goal is to have the acres be protected under the U.S. Forest Service, but some people have expressed concerns about the state of the agency under President Donald Trump.
The Trump administration has recently taken steps toward a sweeping agency overhaul, including moving the headquarters out of Washington, D.C., and closing research facilities in 31 states, including California. The Forest Service lost more than 5,800 employees last year, or about 16% of its workforce, amid Trump’s push to cut federal spending, according to the New York Times.
But the land transfer process would take years, and Voisard said a different administration would be in charge by then.
“This land will also have special protected status, so that we don't go through all of this for nothing,” she said.
The San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust is no stranger to the preservation process. It has helped conserve more than 15,000 acres of land in the San Bernardino National Forest since it was founded in 1995, according to the organization.
T.J. Fraser moved to Big Bear Valley’s community of Fawnskin about eight years ago to escape city life in Los Angeles. He said he's “100% opposed” to the Moon Camp project for a "myriad of reasons."
The most important factor is protecting the bald eagles and the joy they bring to people, but he said he’s also concerned about development changing the quiet, close-knit community.
“I think part of living here … is that you learn very, very quickly that we adapt to the surroundings,” he said. “We don't expect the forest to adapt to us.”
Fraser said residents’ respect extends to the squirrels, bears and coyotes in Fawnskin, which he described as “our neighbors.” He added that the eagle livestream, which features a picturesque view from the trees towering over Big Bear Lake, may be some viewers' only connection to nature.
“I think that if they were able to look into that screen and extrapolate out into those trees, in the water, and understand that people live there, and the way that we live there is very similar to the way the eagles live in the nest,” he said. “We're all in it together. … No matter where you live, you are a product of nature and the environment.”
Fraser said he sees the fundraiser as helping Jackie and Shadow stay in the area for years but also as a message: There are some things more important than money.
Topline:
The new Apple TV series, based on the acclaimed novel of the same name by Rufi Thorpe — and starring Elle Fanning and Michelle Pfeiffer — puts a spotlight on the Orange County city of Fullerton, where it's set and was filmed.
What the author says: Thorpe is from Orange County and in an interview with LAist last year said that setting Margo’s Got Money Troubles in Fullerton was her “little authorly gift” to the character of Margo, who has a baby at the age of 19 and turns to OnlyFans to make ends meet: “Yes, it was going to be terrifying and hard and she wasn’t going to know if she was going to get through it, but she was going to do it in Fullerton, dammit.”
The real locations: Some of the locations featured in the show include Fullerton College, beloved local restaurants like Rutabegorz and Angelo's and Vinci's (now closed sadly), and the pedestrian bridge that leads to the Fullerton train station and reads "Welcome to Downtown Fullerton."
Why it matters: Amid increasing concerns about film and TV production leaving Los Angeles, Margo's Got Money Troubles' writer/producer David E. Kelley has doubled down on keeping production work local.
Margo's Got Money Troubles was also a recipient of a state film and TV tax credit. A recent report from FilmLA has sparked hope that California's expansion of its film and TV tax incentive program last year may be starting to have positive effects.
Read on ... for more about the Fullerton locations featured in the series.
Why is the new Apple TV series Margo’s Got Money Troubles — which stars Elle Fanning, Michelle Pfeiffer, Nick Offerman and Nicole Kidman — set in the Orange County city of Fullerton?
Author Rufi Thorpe, who wrote the book the series is based on and is an executive producer on the show, is from Orange County and has set some of her earlier books in smaller Southern California locales too — in Corona del Mar (where Thorpe grew up) and a fictional Southern California beach city inspired by El Segundo.
In an interview with LAist last year, Thorpe said that setting Margo’s Got Money Troubles in Fullerton was her “little authorly gift” to the character of Margo, who has a baby at the age of 19 and turns to OnlyFans to make ends meet.
Thorpe said she grew up visiting a friend of her mom’s, a classical pianist, in Fullerton, so she had a sense of the city’s low-key vibe: “It’s a very cute city, and [there’s] just so many dentists and tax preparation offices — just so many!”
And it felt like a nice place to put her main character, who she was going to be putting through a lot: “Yes, it was going to be terrifying and hard and she wasn’t going to know if she was going to get through it, but she was going to do it in Fullerton, dammit.”
That the show was also filmed in Fullerton (and Los Angeles too) was thanks in part to writer/producer David E. Kelley’s commitment to keeping production work local, and the fact that the series received a state film and TV tax credit.
It maybe also didn’t hurt that Kelley’s wife, Michelle Pfeiffer, is from Orange County herself, which Pfeiffer told the Television Academy’s emmy magazine was part of the reason why she connected so much with the book, and signed on along with Kelley, Elle Fanning, Nicole Kidman and others to executive produce the series.
And while Fullerton locations have often been used in other movies and TV shows, what’s different about Margo’s Got Money Troubles is that it’s purposefully recognizable as Fullerton, instead of the locations standing in for someplace else.
The scenes that were shot on location at Fullerton College, where Margo is a freshman and has an affair with her English professor, didn’t just add to the show’s sense of place. The community college’s newspaper The Hornet reports that the fees for filming at the college also helped fund a scholarship program.
The popular Fullerton cafe Rutabegorz isn’t specifically named in the book or show, but it’s well known in Orange County (with another location in Orange), and is the setting of a pivotal scene between Margo and her mom Shyanne, played by Pfeiffer.
A little bit of Rutabegorz history (from this author, who went to high school in Fullerton!): Before it became a coffeehouse in the 1970s, and later a full restaurant, for 48 years it was the office and residence of a doctor, who — according to a sign in the restaurant about the building’s history — was the first to administer the antibiotic medication penicillin to a patient in Southern California.
Today, Rutabegorz is known for its quirky decorations, healthy food options (including very big salads) and long-running $1 chip and dip special.
The Fox Theatre in Fullerton dates back to 1925 and is one of the city’s most recognizable buildings, but it hasn’t been an operational theater since 1987, when it closed and fell into disrepair. The Fullerton Historic Theatre Foundation, which is leading the ongoing restoration effort, does hold some special events there, including the 100th birthday celebration for the theater in May of 2025.
Next door to The Fox Theatre is another beloved, but also now closed, Fullerton institution — the Italian restaurant Angelo’s and Vinci’s. The site of many a special occasion meal for locals, with ornate decorations (and a monster-themed wine cellar) the restaurant closed in 2023 after a 52-year-long run.
In the series, Margo is a waitress at Angelo’s and Vinci’s and has her baby shower there. And for anyone who remembers going to the restaurant, it’s nice to see the space alive again in the show.
Other Fullerton locations in the series include the Fullerton Car Wash (across from the British pub The Olde Ship) and the Fullerton Lodge Motel, which locals will recognize as being next to the popular B&B Donuts and across from Costco.
Fullerton is only one stop (and about a 30 minute ride) away from L.A.’s Union Station on Amtrak or Metrolink. Here are some other spots to check out if you’re making a day trip:
New episodes of 'Margo's Got Money Troubles' are available to stream on Apple TV on Wednesdays. The final two episodes air May 13 and 20.
