Topline:
Containment of the massive Palisades Fire increased to 63% Tuesday as red flag conditions are expected to return.
Where things stand: The fire continues to spread across the Santa Monica Mountains, growing to more than 23,700 acres, according to CalFire.
This is a developing story and will be updated. For the most up-to-date information about the fire you can check:
Containment of the massive Palisades Fire increased to 63% Tuesday as red flag conditions are expected to return.
The death toll in the fire that devastated whole neighborhoods rose Tuesday to 11 people. Authorities continue to search the ruins with cadaver dogs.
As of Wednesday morning, sheriff's officials said in areas they patrol they are still investigating six missing people reports in the Palisades Fire.
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.
Roughly 5,000 structures are estimated to have been destroyed, about 700 damaged.
The Sheriff's Department said Thursday afternoon that some evacuation zones will be reopened to residents effective noon on Thursday, Jan. 16.
The following zones will be reopened to residents:
"Resident access will be through the intersections of Mulholland Highway/Old Topanga Canyon Road, Civic Center Way/Malibu Canyon Road, and Mulholland Drive/Topanga Canyon Road," according to the LASD update.
On Friday, some areas under evacuation orders were open for residents.
Orders reduced to warnings:
Areas reopened to only residents:
The sheriff's department said evacuees should have proof of residency when they try to re-enter and that only residents are currently allowed back in.
Here's what to know about returning home after a fire evacuation.
We have some respite from fire weather conditions through Saturday.
This week, L.A. Councilmember Traci Park, who represents the area, told LAist 89.3's AirTalk program that officials will be asking "some very hard questions about what happens and what we are going to do to ensure that something like this never happens again."
"Because frankly," she added, "much of what occurred — even though this was an unusual weather event — what's predictable? The Pacific Palisades is in the very high fire severity zone."
Firefighters have been injured, as have a significant number of residents who didn't evacuate in time, according to authorities. That's in addition to at least 11 reported deaths.
After days of 0% containment, that number moved to 6% a week ago. Last Friday, it was at 22%.
We should note that the estimate of more than 5,000 structures damaged or destroyed is still preliminary and could change. The case is the same for the number of deaths — it takes time to identify remains and L.A. County Fire Department noted there have been more than a dozen missing person reports in their jurisdictions in both the Eaton and Palisades fires.
CalFire also cautioned against believing inaccurate social media posts. One claimed that people can come to California to join clean up efforts, but authorities warned this is false.
L.A. County's medical examiner has confirmed 11 deaths in the Palisades Fire. One victim, Charles Mortimer, 84, died at a hospital.
Officials are mapping where homes and businesses have been lost.
Curfews are now in place for fire areas from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. until further notice.
The L.A. County Sheriff's department said they have made at least 22 arrests for people violating those curfews in the Palisades and Eaton fire areas, mostly on suspicion of looting.
Authorities warn that anyone who violates the curfew is subject to arrest for a misdemeanor offense, and may face jail time, fines, or both, officials said.
" All these individuals were not supposed to be there, meaning they had no business being there ," said LA County Sheriff Robert Luna at a press conference Saturday morning. "You go out there and you violate this curfew, you are going to spend time in jail. You're not going to get cited and released."
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass declared a state of emergency Tuesday night. Newsom also proclaimed a state of emergency in Los Angeles and Ventura counties on Tuesday after meeting with fire officials in Pacific Palisades.
President Joe Biden approved a Presidential Major Emergency Declaration on Wednesday to support the response to the wildfires. He said on social media that he’s directed the Department of Defense to provide additional personnel, and ten Navy helicopters with water buckets are on the way.
Driven by strong winds, it turned into a nightmare scenario that many hoped would never come to pass: an unstoppable fire tearing through densely packed coastal neighborhoods positioned between steep mountains and the Pacific Ocean, with few ways in and out.
While the full extent of the damage is not yet known, it's clear that the storied coastal stretch of Pacific Coast Highway between Santa Monica and Malibu will never be the same. Long standing businesses, including the Reel Inn, a seafood restaurant located across the street from Topanga State Beach, have been destroyed.
The fire was reported around 10:20 a.m. on Tuesday and immediately began heading toward the community of Pacific Palisades, driven by 70 mph wind gusts. The fire grew from 10 acres to 200 acres in just minutes.
During the early hours of evacuations, some residents fleeing the fire were told by officers to abandon their cars and walk to safety.
Many were seen holding bags and pets as they made their way towards the ocean. Abandoned vehicles were then bulldozed to make room for emergency vehicles.
Total destruction in Malibu. These were beachfront homes on Pacific Coast Highway. #palisadesfire pic.twitter.com/DhQnJMmoUW
— Liz Kreutz (@LizKreutzNews) January 8, 2025
Evacuation zones are changing fast, so check out the most up to date, interactive map here.
Authorities on Tuesday announced certain areas would open for repopulation:
LA County Sheriff's Eaton Fire Update for Tuesday, January 21st, 2025: Repopulation and Safety Guidelines
— LA County Sheriffs (@LASDHQ) January 21, 2025
LASD announced evacuation warnings have been lifted for the following evacuation zone communities impacted by the Eaton Fire, effective 12:00 P.M. on Tuesday, January 21st,… pic.twitter.com/ArKB0lIkfh
Officials are pleading with people to avoid the wildfire areas, especially if you don’t live there.
Van Nuys Sherman Oaks Rec Center, 14201 Huston St., Sherman Oaks
Lanark Recreation Center, 21816 Lanark St, Canoga Park
Westwood Recreation Center: 1350 S. Sepulveda Blvd. (accepts small animals)
Pasadena Convention Center: 300 E Green St, Pasadena, CA 91101
El Camino Real Charter High School: 5440 Valley Circle Blvd., Woodland Hills, CA 91367
Pierce College: 6201 Winnetka Ave. Woodland Hills, CA 91371 (accepts large animals)
Los Angeles Equestrian Center: 480 Riverside Dr, Burbank, CA 91506 (accepts large animals)
Agoura Animal Shelter: 29525 Agoura Rd, Agoura Hills, CA 91301 (accepts small animals)
Santa Monica-Malibu USD has been closed since Thursday.
"We watch with all of you in disbelief the devastation and displacement caused by the Palisades fire, which continues to grow and evade containment," Superintendent Antonio Shelton wrote in a statement.
Nearly two dozen school districts are totally closed due to the wildfires — you can find a full list here.
The Los Angeles Unified School District also closed Thursday.
Palisades Charter Elementary School and Marquez Charter Elementary School were destroyed by the fire, an LAUSD spokesperson confirmed Wednesday afternoon.
LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said that Palisades High suffered significant damage due to the fire.
Many roads in the area are closed or restricted, including long stretched of Pacific Coast Highway and Topanga Canyon Road. For the most recent information, check out Sigalert.com or this Los Angeles County Public Works map.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power replaced its boil water notice with a "Do Not Drink Notice" for the Palisades-area 90272 ZIP code and the area north of San Vicente Blvd. That means people in those areas should not drink or cook with tap water until the notice is lifted. Residents are still advised to limit water use to assist with firefighting efforts.
L.A. County Water Works District 29 has also issued a boil water advisory, according to L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath. This includes the Sunset Mesa community from Topanga Beach and Coastline Drive, to Shore Heights Drive, and from Topanga Canyon Road to Carbon Canyon Road in Malibu. You can call (800) 475-4357 for more information.
_
If you have to evacuate
If you have more time:
Things to consider
Navigating fire conditions
How to help yourself and others
Understanding how it got this bad
Topline:
From long-awaited infrastructure upgrades to improve pedestrian safety, to fresh renovations that will beautify existing landmarks — and even a brand-new park — several projects across Boyle Heights and East LA are set to be completed this year.
A park under the 6th Street Bridge: Twelve acres of open and recreational space under the 6th Street Bridge are coming to Boyle Heights and parts of the Arts District by the end of this year.
Repairs to sidewalks: Boyle Heights residents should expect improvements to sidewalks and streets between Evergreen Cemetery and Brittania Street along Cesar Chavez Avenue this year.
Read on... for more about the developments coming this year.
This story was originally published by Boyle Heights Beat on Jan. 8, 2025.
Big changes are expected on the Eastside in 2026.
From long-awaited infrastructure upgrades to improve pedestrian safety, to fresh renovations that will beautify existing landmarks — and even a brand-new park — several projects across Boyle Heights and East LA are set to be completed this year.
Here’s a look at some of the projects you can expect to see in 2026.
Twelve acres of open and recreational space under the 6th Street Bridge are coming to Boyle Heights and parts of the Arts District by the end of this year.
The Sixth Street PARC (Park, Arts, River & Connectivity) will feature an arts plaza, complete with a performance amphitheater, garden and terrace seating. Other amenities include a café, dog park, fitness equipment and sports courts.
Community members have raised concerns about whether copper wire theft will impact the safety of the park but a representative of the Bureau of Engineering said security cameras and fortifications will be installed to protect park infrastructure.
The representative said substantial completion is anticipated to be in late 2026, with an opening date shortly after.
Self Help Graphics & Art, an Eastside printmaking and art institution more than 50 years old, is set to complete its nearly $15 million renovation this summer, with a public reopening planned for the fall. Since 2011, the art organization has been housed in a former seafood packing plant on 1st Street in Boyle Heights, after leaving its longtime East LA location.
The 12,000-square-foot building is being transformed into a cultural center that meets museum standards, featuring seismic retrofitting, an expanded printmaking studio, upgraded gallery lighting and a larger multipurpose room for community gatherings.
While renovations continue, exhibitions featuring printmaking, mixed media and photography are on view at satellite locations in Los Angeles County.
After years of restoration, plans to transform the historic Breed Street Shul into a vibrant community and cultural hub are nearing reality. Built in 1923, the structure held its last service in 1998 and has long represented a cultural and religious anchor for the Jewish community on the Eastside.
For years, the shul sat in disrepair. The renovation of the shul’s smaller building was completed in 2011, allowing for limited events and tours until the pandemic. Work on the property’s main building began in 2024 and is more than halfway completed.
Planned upgrades include improved accessibility with ramps and an elevator. According to Steve Sass, president of the Breed Street Shul Project, the space will host film screenings, meetings and exhibitions, with reopening expected by the end of 2026.
Boyle Heights residents should expect improvements to sidewalks and streets between Evergreen Cemetery and Brittania Street along Cesar Chavez Avenue this year. The project is part of the Great Streets Initiative launched by former LA Mayor Eric Garcetti.
According to a project update published by the Bureau of Engineering and LADOT in October 2025, the repairs and restoration of walkways along Cesar Chavez Avenue will increase safety, mobility and visibility for pedestrians, bicyclists, particularly at high-volume intersection crossings. Pedestrian lighting and upgraded traffic signals will enhance safety along the corridor.
If you’ve ever driven to and from East LA on surface streets, you might’ve noticed decorative monuments welcoming drivers to the community on streets like City Terrace Drive or Beverly Boulevard. Those signs have gotten major facelifts since restoration work began in July of 2025.
According to the LA County Department of Public Works, all four monuments that mark the boundaries of unincorporated East LA are slated for completion by March 2026.
The project’s scope includes adding colorful tile mosaics, energy-efficient lighting, as well as landscaping and decking around some of the signs.
The office of LA County District 1 Supervisor Hilda Solis wrote in an email to Boyle Heights Beat that the $2.6 million investment from her office “will preserve cultural identity while creating more engaging public spaces.”
The long-awaited renovation of the Benjamin Franklin Branch Library broke ground in November, launching a project delayed for years by funding and scheduling setbacks.
The $5.5 million renovation is now on track, with city officials projecting completion in early 2027, though Bureau of Engineering documents show construction could finish in late December of 2026.
Interior upgrades include new carpets, self-lighting bookshelves, study rooms, furniture and self-checkout counters, along with ADA-compliant restrooms and energy-efficient LED lighting. The exterior will see parking resurfacing, bike and EV charging stations, new landscaping and a demonstration garden.
People who take transit in Los Angeles largely depended on catching rides from friends, family or ride-share companies to evacuate from the January 2025 wildfires, according to a forthcoming study led by researchers at UCLA.
The findings: White and higher-income survey respondents were most likely to evacuate using a personal vehicle. Black and Asian transit rider evacuees, as well as those who don’t own personal vehicles, were more likely to require more than an hour to reach safety, according to the study.
Takeaways: Madeline Brozen, a UCLA transportation researcher who led the study, said one of the main takeaways from the research is to encourage advanced planning. The study is slated to be published in late January.
Read on … to hear what researchers learned from transit rider evacuees.
People who take transit in Los Angeles largely depended on catching rides from friends, family or ride-share companies to evacuate from the January 2025 wildfires, according to a forthcoming study led by researchers at UCLA.
Some evacuees, left without any other option, escaped danger on foot.
“I called 911, and the 911 operator said that they were stretched so thin that nobody could help me get out,” one participant said, according to a draft version of the study shared with LAist. “The paramedics were [nearby], and I asked them, could I just have a ride down the hill? And they said, no, they're just stretched too thin.”
“So I started walking,” the participant continued.
Madeline Brozen, a UCLA transportation researcher who led the study, said one of the main takeaways from the research is the importance of advanced planning.
“I think it just points to the need to really have a plan and try to communicate it before something happens in order for everyone to feel safe,” Brozen said.
Researchers presented their findings at a workshop over the summer with representatives from regional transit agencies, including L.A. city’s Department of Transportation and L.A. Metro. The study is slated to be published in late January.
In early February 2025, Brozen and her colleagues sent a survey to people in L.A. County through the Transit app, which helps users plan public transportation travel. Researchers received responses from more than 160 people who evacuated from the fires and interviewed 35 of them.
A larger group of more than 620 transit riders were asked about how and if their transportation habits changed in response to air quality problems after the fires.
“Despite the severe risks present and the convergence of wildfire, toxic air pollution, and urban transit disruption, research on how transit-reliant populations perceive, respond to, and adapt in such emergencies remains virtually nonexistent,” the authors wrote in the draft. “This study addresses this critical gap.”
People who evacuated by car told researchers they had issues with congestion and experienced “general confusion about where to go or what routes to take,” according to the study draft.
“There was lots of traffic, there was heavy smoke, so it was kind of difficult to see,” one participant said.
White and higher-income respondents were most likely to evacuate using a personal vehicle.
More than half of Black and Asian transit rider evacuees, and nearly half of Latino respondents, needed more than an hour of travel to reach safety. That’s compared to 38% of white respondents who evacuated.
Just over a fifth of the more than 160 evacuees who responded to the survey used transit, including trains and buses, to escape the fires. Black respondents were the most likely group to use transit.
“Black people tend to ride transit at higher rates than their population, so it’s not terribly surprising that that was a group that most heavily relied on transit for their evacuation,” Brozen said.
While the data hasn’t yet been disaggregated by location or fire, Brozen said she would “confidently speculate” that people seeking safety from the Sunset Fire in Hollywood used transit at higher rates than those in the Palisades or Altadena.
If you have a tip, you can reach me on Signal. My username is kharjai.61.
Based on the study’s findings, researchers recommended transit agencies in the state “encourage riders to make emergency evacuation plans … before emergencies occur.”
The study will be available at this link later in January. In the meantime, you can take a look at a summary of the researchers’ data in this UCLA policy brief.
Topline:
Gov. Gavin Newsom will deliver his final State of the State address on Thursday, capping seven years in which he oversaw an aggressive expansion of health care and early childhood education access in California, pushed the state’s progressive climate policies and — in a break from his predecessors — made reducing homelessness and increasing housing supply top state priorities.
What to expect from the address: In his speech, Newsom is expected to unveil his budget priorities for the year ahead. The address comes as Newsom continues to burnish his national reputation ahead of a possible presidential run in 2028, and as the state faces ongoing fiscal threats from both rising state costs and the Trump administration. Jason Elliott, a longtime adviser to Newsom who left the administration last year but remains close to the governor, said this year will probably be more about finishing what Newsom started than rolling out new initiatives.
Newsom's achievements: Among the governor’s biggest achievements, said longtime early childhood education advocate Scott Moore, was the creation of a new school grade for all 4-year-olds, transitional kindergarten, as well as the expansion of child care and preschool slots for low-income families. Health care advocates also give Newsom high marks for his aggressive expansion of coverage, including to immigrant communities. But they remain disappointed that last year — facing budget constraints and political pressure — Newsom and lawmakers moved to freeze new enrollments of undocumented adults in Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program.
Gov. Gavin Newsom will deliver his final State of the State address on Thursday, capping seven years in which he oversaw an aggressive expansion of health care and early childhood education access in California, pushed the state’s progressive climate policies and — in a break from his predecessors — made reducing homelessness and increasing housing supply top state priorities.
In his speech, Newsom is expected to unveil his budget priorities for the year ahead. The address comes as Newsom continues to burnish his national reputation ahead of a possible presidential run in 2028, and as the state faces ongoing fiscal threats from both rising state costs and the Trump administration.
Jason Elliott, a longtime adviser to Newsom who left the administration last year but remains close to the governor, said this year will probably be more about finishing what Newsom started than rolling out new initiatives.
“Gov. Newsom, in order to feel satisfied with the job he did as governor, will want to see universal transitional kindergarten extended to every single eligible kid in California. He will want to see child care slots expanded to the level that he promised and promoted. He will want to see homeless encampment grants and Proposition 1 bond funding for homeless mental health housing be administered quickly,” he said.
“There’s a lot that he talked about over the last eight years that is not quite done that needs to get finished,” Elliott said, “and I would expect that his focus would be very much on completing those multi-year commitments that he made.”
While there are critics aplenty, as Newsom begins his final year in the governor’s office, he has managed to maintain relatively cozy relationships with business and labor leaders as well as other powerful interest groups in Sacramento.
Advocates for education and child care, affordable housing, health care, and the business community all cited major policy accomplishments that they are hoping to protect in the face of growing costs and shrinking revenues.
Among the governor’s biggest achievements, said longtime early childhood education advocate Scott Moore, was the creation of a new school grade for all 4-year-olds, transitional kindergarten, as well as the expansion of child care and preschool slots for low-income families.
“Unquestionably, he is the early childhood champion governor,” said Moore, who advised both Newsom and former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on state councils and is now CEO of Kidango, a nonprofit preschool organization that serves low-income families in the Bay Area.
The toddler room at Kidango Early Care & Education in San José on Dec. 11, 2024. (Juliana Yamada/KQED)Moore has worked in the field for a quarter-century and said the progress made just in the past few years has been staggering.
“Back then, we had about 50,000 or so children that got public-funded pre-K in the state of California. And now we have over 500,000. That’s a big difference. And most of that growth happened under Governor Newsom,” he said.
Health care advocates also give Newsom high marks for his aggressive expansion of coverage, including to immigrant communities. But they remain disappointed that last year — facing budget constraints and political pressure — Newsom and lawmakers moved to freeze new enrollments of undocumented adults in Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program.
Kiran Savage-Sangwan, executive director of the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, which works to ensure all Californians have access to quality, affordable health care, said Newsom has made universal coverage a priority since day one.
“The first executive order that he signed immediately after being sworn in was to establish the Office of the Surgeon General … That really showed that he understood the connection between the conditions that poor communities are facing and health outcomes,” she said. “He has continued to tackle what we consider the twin issues of the rising and unsustainable cost of health care, and getting to universal health coverage for all Californians.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a successful 2024 mental health ballot initiative at Alvarado Hospital in San Diego on March 19, 2023. (Adriana Heldiz/The San Diego Union-Tribune via AP Pool)Savage-Sangwan also gave Newsom high marks for establishing an Office of HealthCare Affordability in 2022. But as he heads into his final year, she hopes he will reconsider limiting Medi-Cal for undocumented adults — especially as consumers confront President Donald Trump’s deep cuts to both Medicaid and Affordable Care Act subsidies.
“We’re hoping that this is gonna be a moment for the state of California to distinguish ourselves from what is happening at the national and federal levels,” she said. “We think that California has an opportunity to stand in contrast to that rather than bow down and continue that trajectory of taking health care from people.”
She urged Newsom to consider new revenue sources, something that the business community is staunchly opposed to and that Newsom has been generally unwilling to consider.
In fact, CalChamber CEO Jennifer Barrera said taxes are one area where Newsom and the business community have been in lockstep. This year, he has made clear his opposition to a proposed ballot measure being pushed by labor unions that would levy a one-time tax on billionaires.
“He has really drawn the line in the sand on tax policy. He has been the one who has been defending against tax increases for the past several years,” Barrera said.
Barrera also gave Newsom high marks for generally embracing fiscal restraint, for helping broker a huge deal between labor and business in 2024 related to labor protections and litigation, and for generally understanding the importance of the business community to the state’s economic health.
But there have been areas of sharp disagreement, Barrera noted, including around labor protections, environmental laws and oil and gas regulation.
“There’s always going to be those tough calls on some of these labor bills,” she said. “In the environment space, there was some legislation that we certainly would have preferred not be signed and are dealing with now.”
She cited laws limiting oil and gas operations and others requiring large companies to disclose climate emissions as among those challenges. One of the climate disclosure laws is on hold after a lawsuit by business groups.
Newsom also gets mixed reviews in one of his signature policy areas: housing and homelessness. Republican leaders in the state Legislature note that Newsom failed to deliver on his 2018 campaign promise to build 3.5 million new homes, and say it’s part of a larger pattern.
“Gov. Newsom has made big promises and launched endless new initiatives,” Assembly Republican Leader Heath Flora said in a prebuttal to Newsom’s speech. “But no matter what he says [today] Californians are paying more and getting less, because his policies keep driving up the cost of everyday life.”
California state Assemblymember Heath Flora in Sacramento on May 15, 2017 (Bert Johnson/KQED)But others say Newsom and the Democratic-led Legislature made big strides in increasing housing production and tackling homelessness through policies that will continue to pay dividends after he leaves office. Newsom also used the bully pulpit to bring the issue front and center, said Ray Pearl, executive director of the California Housing Consortium, which advocates for affordable housing.
Pearl noted that Newsom’s 2020 State of the State speech was entirely about housing and homelessness.
“With former governors, when they’d have a State of the State, we would look for anywhere where housing was mentioned,” he said. “I think more than anyone, he helped change the trajectory of the housing issue and made it a mainstream issue.”
Pearl said Newsom pushed unprecedented state investments in affordable housing by significantly increasing tax credits and other resources. He’s hopeful this year that the governor will support a proposed $10 billion affordable housing bond being considered by lawmakers.
As Newsom enters his final year and looks to a potential 2028 presidential run, those close to him know that the state’s shortcomings — and what Newsom did or didn’t do to address them — will be under a microscope.
Elliott, Newsom’s former adviser, said he believes the governor laid the groundwork over his two terms to fundamentally change the state’s trajectory, particularly around housing and homelessness.
“When you’ve got a problem that’s 40-plus years in the making, you don’t see overnight results. That’s frustrating to me. I know it’s frustrating for the governor. I know it’s frustrating to the average Californian,” he said. “What I’m saying is we’ve spent the last seven or eight years in this state putting the pieces in place to materially address all those problems.”
In this edition:
Take the Polar Bear Plunge in Santa Monica, head to a comedy show, watch a movie on a rooftop and more of the best things to do this weekend.
Highlights:
If you’re looking for fire anniversary events (many of which continue through the weekend), check out our roundup here.
We’re continuing with our staff L.A. resolutions, and Associate Editor Anthony Schneck has on his list some old and new adventures for 2026. First, it’s to have a martini at Musso and Frank (despite the touristy rep!), then it’s a trip to a Grand Ole Echo night at The Echo for some country music vibes. Later in the year, he’s excited to watch World Cup matches at the boisterous fan villages.
Senior K-12 education reporter Mariana Dale is trying not to take our beautiful landscape for granted this year; she hopes to spot an octopus at the tidepools after lucking out seeing a bat star and a colorful nudibranch during the last king tide at White Point tidepools in San Pedro. She also plans a valiant return to Eaton Canyon once the damaged trails begin to reopen.
Our friends at Licorice Pizza have tons of new music on their 2026 to-do list; this weekend, Mike Garson wraps up this three-night Bowie tribute residency at the Sun Rose with a rotating cast of all-stars, including Billy Corgan, Chad Smith, Jake Wesley Rogers, Judith Hill, Luke Spiller and Licorice Pizza’s own all-star Carmine Rojas. Friday and Saturday, Galantis play the Hollywood Palladium, and on Saturday there’s another big benefit show at the Shrine, Artists For Aid, to raise funds for those affected by the ongoing crises in Sudan and Palestine. Also on Saturday, you could also check out Unwritten Law at the Teragram Ballroom, or American Idol winner Lee DeWyze at the Hotel Café.
Elsewhere on LAist, you can keep up with anniversary events marking one year since the Eaton and Palisades fires, meet five new species discovered in 2025 and catch up on the new laws that will affect California schools in 2026.
Sunday, January 11, 11 a.m.
Zorthian Ranch
3990 N. Fair Oaks Ave., Altadena
COST: FREE, $10 SUGGESTED DONATION; MORE INFO
Dena United is hosting this all-day festival at Altadena’s historic Zorthian Ranch to celebrate the community’s diverse culture and commemorate one year since the devastating Eaton Fire. Expect to see a wide range of performances from acts including Bobby Bradford, Dwight Trible, Baba Onochie Chukwurah & the Rhythms of the Village Family Band, the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, Earthseed Band and the Whispering Giants with MCs Medusa and Myka 9.
Saturday, January 10, 10:15 a.m.
Annenberg Community Beach House
415 Pacific Coast Highway, Santa Monica
COST: FREE, $10 for heated pool admission; MORE INFO
Cold plunge, or really cold plunge? Start your year with fellow polar bears at the Annenberg Community Beach House and take a group jump into the Pacific, followed by a 300-yard swim out and back to warm up for those with a little more stamina. Brrr!
Sunday, January 11, 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Wende Museum
10808 Culver Blvd., Culver City
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Two special afternoons of concerts from Piano Spheres at the Wende Museum on Sunday and The Brick on Monday span the masterworks of legendary American composer Morton Feldman. The two days will feature works including Crippled Symmetry, For Bunita Marcus, and Patterns in a Chromatic Field. Special guests like Amy Williams, Conor Hanick and more will perform. On Monday, head to Melrose Hill to art space The Brick (518 N. Western Ave.) from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. for a second set of music.
Saturday, January 10, 8:30 p.m.
Rooftop Cinema Club
888 S. Olive Street, Downtown L.A.
COST: $31; MORE INFO
The rainy weather seems to be taking a break, so take advantage and enjoy some eternal sunshine of your own at Rooftop Cinema Club’s Fireside Films. The modern classic Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), starring Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey, is a meditation on memory — and the setting is cozy, with outside heaters and a roaring fire. Tickets include a hot beverage.
Saturday, January 10, 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Shotgun House
2520 2nd. Street, Santa Monica
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Santa Monica Conservancy hosts this walk along historic Main Street and through the vibrant Ocean Park neighborhood, led by street historian and author of the award-winning blog The Street Seen, Mark Gorman. Miss this week? The SMC leads tours every second Saturday of each month.
Friday, January 9, 6 p.m.
Velaslavasay Panorama
1122 W. 24th Street, West Adams
COST: $18; MORE INFO
There’s no more unique place in L.A. than the Velaslavasay Panorama, and filmmaker Zoe Beloff will be there in person to debut two new films at the space, Josephine the Singer or The Mouse People and Life Forgotten. The first looks at the history of New York’s Lower East Side through its community gardens, told through the text of a Franz Kafka short story; the second centers on a silent movie theater and storefront cinema in early 20th-century New York City.
Sunday, January 11, 7:30 p.m.
Elysian Theater
1944 Riverside Drive, Elysian Valley
COST: FROM $25; MORE INFO
Chaos/riotous laughter/who knows what will happen when these three incredibly funny women get together on stage? Chelsea Peretti (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Natasha Leggero (Chelsea Lately) and Sabrina Jalees (Search Party) take to the Elysian for a night of much-needed antics.
Sunday, January 11, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Ukrainian Cultural Center
4315 Melrose Ave., East Hollywood
COST: FROM $81; MORE INFO
Keep the holiday celebrations going with this Ukrainian Christmas Dinner — the Schedriy Vechir (“generous evening”) Holiday Gala — celebrating the resilience of the Ukrainian people in this challenging time. The fundraising event includes performances from the Kobzar Choir, KOLO Choir of St. Volodymyr’s Church, Blagovist Choir of St. Andrew’s Church, Vova Zi Lvova, Vsudy Svoya, Chervona Kalyna Dance Ensemble and more.
Various dates
1012 Mission Street, South Pasadena
COST: VARIES; MORE INFO
If drinking less is on your January to-do list, you couldn’t pick a better place to start than Burden of Proof in South Pasadena. While other N.A. bars have closed in the past year (The New Bar, Stay), Burden of Proof is thriving, with a variety of events featuring local producers to help keep you on the straight and narrow for dry January and all year long.
