The Brief

How many ways can you cook an onion? Sure, you can chop and saute it… but how about roasting its skin until it turns black and then pulverizing it until it turns into a powder to be used as a seasoning?

That kind of thinking has led Lauren and Phil Pretty, the brother-and-sister owners of Heritage in Long Beach, to earn a Michelin Green Star for sustainable practices two years in a row, one of just 291 restaurants across the globe.

In the U.S., we throw away more than 30% of the food we buy, which translates into roughly 92 billion pounds of waste, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Much of that ends up in landfills, producing significant amounts of greenhouse gases and exacerbating the climate emergency.

A good chunk of that waste comes from restaurants. This is why the efforts of a new crop of chefs and cooks, like the Pretty siblings, remain so essential to the future of fine dining.

The zero-waste philosophy 

Heritage is small restaurant housed in a craftsman-style home on 7th Street, one of Long Beach’s busiest thoroughfares. It has a quaint yet upscale feel, with a sleek modernist kitchen and dining area, feeling like you are in someone's dining room.

The exterior of Heritage Restaurant in Long Beach on Sept. 4, 2024.

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The Prettys, who grew up in Long Beach, base their kitchen on zero-waste principles. This means everything — from food to packaging — should be used, and nothing should be thrown away.

According to Phil Pretty, who’s been cooking professionally for 20 years, it’s all about creativity.

From left, siblings Lauren, 33, and Phillip, 44, Pretty, in their restaurant Heritage in Long Beach on Sept. 4, 2024.

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“We're taking one ingredient and manipulating it four to five different ways rather than having five different ingredients,” he said.

It’s allowed him and his team to evolve in their abilities as cooks. “We can now rely on less is more," he said. "There are generally only three things on the plate. But within those three things, there's a lot of depth in how we work and how it gets to the plate.”

What does zero waste look like on the plate? 

Using a tasting menu model, which runs $150 a person, gives the duo a certain level of control.

Pretty uses the example of a recent shipment of a pork set, which typically contains an array of cuts of meat. Part of that set goes towards their pork shoulder dish, which is roasted whole to ensure they don’t waste excess meat.

This is followed by pork belly that’s cured and smoked.

Cucamelon vines grow throughout the Heritage Farm in Long Beach . The cucumelon is used in their Kanpachi Crudo dish.

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The Souvide Beet with fermented plum, beet tops, beet jus, is one of the restaurant's most zero-waste dishes.

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Then, a batch of onions is chopped to make jam with the pork belly. A second batch of onions is cut in half and cooked using the sous vide method (immersion cooking), causing them to curve into themselves. Those act as casings, which are then stuffed with the jam.

The remainder of the onion pieces, the middle parts of the vegetable, are then cooked down with cream and blended to create a soubise, a classic French sauce used as a base for the rest of the dish.

That kind of inventive thinking plays into Heritage's bottom line. The average cost percentage for a fine-dining restaurant is usually around 35% of its overhead. However, food costs at Heritage “hover around 28-30%, well below the average,” Phil Pretty said.

Betting the farm

Heritage's sustainable footprint goes far beyond the restaurant. The Prettys also founded Heritage Farm, a small plot of land up the street from the restaurant. The land is used primarily for growing herbs in large quantities for the kitchen, along with a few spaces for seasonal crops such as 1,500-year-old cave beans, an heirloom bean native to the southwest of the U.S., and tomatoes, passion fruit, and figs.

“We just planted a third fig tree, so we now have fig leaf ice cream on the menu. We'll use all the leaves first, then the figs will come into season, and then we'll start using the figs as well,” Lauren Pretty said.

Executive Chef Philip Pretty preps a fig leaf ice cream.

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The Grilled Lamb Rack with leek, artichoke, foraged mushrooms and lamb sauce.

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For the siblings, working toward sustainability also means supporting the local economy.

“I like to keep the money in the city as much as possible, and I like to keep the money in the family as much as possible,” Phil Pretty said. “Our goal was always to cut out the middleman in any way, shape, or form.” They’ve hired a full-time driver (Lauren’s husband Thomas) who visits the local farmers’ markets and does local runs to cheesemonger Oh La Vache, along with another local dairy purveyor.

Creating a local supply chain means the restaurant isn’t dependent on larger suppliers, who often use huge semi-trucks to deliver their products. That’s the norm for many restaurants in the U.S. and leaves a significant carbon footprint, from exhaust fumes to a constant supply of single-use packaging.

Making cents

However, the zero-waste kitchen is only one aspect of how Heritage earned its Green Star. Shortly after opening, the city of Long Beach asked if Heritage was interested in participating in the Green Business Network program, which involves steps to help Heritage become Green Business Certified. The certification process is granted after following a series of recommendations from an outside consultant.

The interior of Heritage Restaurant feels as if you are in someone's dinning room.

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According to Lauren Pretty, passion fruit grows at the Heritage Farm in Long Beach without pesticides.

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Lauren Pretty said she started with an office at the restaurant, properly sorting the trash using two trash cans, one for recycling and one for landfill, and has become even more skilled since then.

From an operations perspective, she said, she looks at everything from on-site paper products to printer paper, toilet paper, and paper towels. The same goes for cleaning products used, such as soaps and cleaning products, using hydrogen peroxide instead of bleach.

“You have to use chemicals to clean the restaurant. We're just making sure that we're making good choices when it comes to products like that,” she explained.

Ultimately, “it’s about taking the time to make small changes that don't cost anything to make your business more environmentally friendly,” she said.

The FBI seized about 15 drones near SoFi Stadium and L.A. Memorial Coliseum on Friday and Saturday for violating temporary flight restrictions, Amir Ehsaei, special agent in charge of counterterrorism and crisis response at the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office, told LAist. Multiple operators were cited.

Stadiums hosting World Cup games and official fan festival venues are designated as "No Drone Zones" by the Federal Aviation Administration on match days.

“We have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to drones violating the temporary flight restrictions," Ehsaei said.

One of the drones seized near SoFi Stadium on Friday.

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One of the drones seized Friday at SoFi Stadium.

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He said drone detection teams are deployed at all SoFi games. "We will be out at other places depending on the nature — the size, the scope — [and] different intelligence that we'll get based on  threat assessments."

Drones are prohibited at SoFi within a three-nautical-mile radius and up to 3,000 feet above ground level. They are also banned at the Coliseum for the official fan festival within a one-nautical-mile radius and up to 1,000 feet above ground level.

Violators could face fines of up to $100,000 and federal criminal charges.

Residents in East LA are weighing the promise of a new Metro E Line extension with concerns over construction disruptions, small-business impacts and whether more outreach is needed about the project.

The 4.7-mile extension of the Metro E Line would connect East Los Angeles to Montebello with four new stations. The project would relocate the existing Atlantic and Pomona station underground and include a mix of underground, aerial and street-level track transit.

The $7.9 billion project is expected to open for service between 2035 and 2037, according to Metro.

Construction will begin in 2029 and last approximately eight to 10 years, pending full funding approval. It’s part of a wider plan to connect the E Line to the city of Whittier, though officials say the work will be built in two phases due to funding constraints.

While officials say the project is intended to reduce traffic congestion and ease pressure on local roads, residents at a recent community meeting focused more on the immediate impact and communication.

Concerns over construction and local impact

“Thirty days for comment on a complex issue like this is ridiculous. … We need better outreach,” said East LA resident Clara Solis about a 30-day public comment period ending June 26.

Solis and others also raised concerns about how construction could affect traffic and disrupt local commerce, pointing to past transit projects.

“How is this going to impact the businesses? When the Gold Line went through, a lot of our businesses really suffered economically. We want to see a presentation on that. You should have a presentation just on how it’s going to impact the businesses,” Solis added.

A map shows the Eastside Transit Corridor Phase 2 project will extend the E Line nearly nine miles east from East Los Angeles to the City of Whittier. ()

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Calls for broader outreach

East LA resident Kristie Hernandez said community outreach for the project should also extend to people who do not necessarily live within the immediate 200-foot project radius.

“We need to understand that folks who don’t necessarily live within that close proximity also frequent that area when they drive,” said Hernandez.

Hernandez advocated for a 90-day public comment window and also called for presentations on underground infrastructure, especially in the wake of the East LA pipeline that was punctured during construction work in late May.

“We do not want that to happen again,” she said.

A promise for greater mobility

Lucia Martinez spoke favorably about the extension plans, considering that she relies on buses to get around East LA to do her shopping. She said she looks forward to using the Metro to travel to the Citadel as well as to the hospital in Pasadena.

“As an older woman who became aware of this project, I think it is amazing because I am someone who does not drive,” she said.

LA Documenter Rafael Cazzorla contributed reporting for this story. LA Documenters trains and pays LA residents to take notes at local government meetings around Los Angeles. You can find meeting notes and audio at losangeles.documenters.org

For the first time in nearly three decades, the Food and Drug Administration approved a new chemical UV filter for use in sunscreens sold in the U.S. And that has many dermatologists cheering.

"This is a very big deal," says Dr. Heather Rogers, a dermatologist in Seattle and a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology.

The new ingredient is called bemotrizinol, and it has several advantages over the chemical sunscreen ingredients previously available in the U.S., Rogers says.

"It hits like really every box for us that we have been waiting for as dermatologists and consumers," Rogers says.

Here's what you need to know about this new ingredient and how it could lead to better sunscreens sold stateside.

1. It blocks both UVA and UVB rays

Rogers says in general, you want to use sunscreens that are broad spectrum, meaning they protect against both UVA rays — the longer wavelengths that cause premature aging and wrinkles — and UVB rays, which lead to sunburns. Both types of UV rays can cause skin cancer.

She says the sunscreens currently sold in the U.S. do an excellent job of protecting against UVB rays, but the chemical UV filters available in sunscreens in the U.S. until now aren't as good at blocking out UVA rays.

In general, chemical sunscreens sold in the U.S. rely on an ingredient called avobenzone to block out UVA rays, says Kelly Dobos, a cosmetic chemist who teaches at the University of Cincinnati.

But avobenzone by itself isn't photo stable, meaning its protection can start to break down rapidly when exposed to sunlight. And as avobenzone breaks down, it can release molecules that lead to skin irritation, says Alexa Friedman, a senior scientist with the nonprofit Environmental Working Group, or EWG.

By contrast, bemotrizinol offers protection against both UVA and UVB rays all on its own, and it is photo stable, so it breaks down more slowly, offering better protection, Rogers says.

"So if you go a little longer than two hours to reapply your sunscreen, there will be more protection left," Rogers says. However, she says you should still reapply sunscreen every two hours.

2. It's long been used in other countries 

Bemotrizinol has been widely used in European and Asian sunscreens for decades. But it has taken 20 years for the FDA to approve its use in this country.

That's because in the U.S., sunscreens are regulated as over-the-counter drugs rather than cosmetics, as they're classified in Europe. That means ingredients need to undergo rigorous testing for safety and efficacy before they can be approved for use in the U.S.

"It's really expensive and time consuming," Dobos says. The European company DSM-Firmenich spent at least $18 million over more than two decades in its push to gain FDA approval for bemotrizinol.

3. It has a well-documented safety profile

However, all that testing means bemotrizinol has more safety data to back it up than any other chemical sunscreen ingredient currently approved in the U.S., says Friedman of EWG.

"This ingredient is exciting because we have that data to support its safety," Friedman says.

Friedman says animal testing showed bemotrizinol doesn't lead to concerns like reproductive harm, while clinical testing on humans found that it does not irritate the skin, even after repeated application over time, "which is hopefully how people are using sunscreens."

And because bemotrizinol's molecules are larger, it's not readily absorbed by the skin and into the bloodstream, she says.

That's important, because studies have shown that some of the other chemical sunscreen UV filters sold in the U.S. can be absorbed in the bloodstream, prompting calls for more safety data and leading to a backlash against sunscreen on social media fueled by misinformation. Rogers says that trend is concerning because skin cancer is the most common form of cancer.

"We just need to have sunscreen that people will use, that they'll trust," Rogers says. "And this ingredient is going to allow that to happen. And that is very exciting."

And bemotrizinol is also considered to be non-irritating, Friedman says. That should be welcome news to people who've been put off by chemical sunscreens in the past.

4. It could lead to sunscreens that look better on you

Until now, Rogers says, the only sunscreen ingredient available in the U.S. that offered the aforementioned advantages of bemotrizinol — photo stable, non-irritating, minimally absorbed into the skin and with good broad spectrum protection against both UVA and UVB rays — was zinc oxide.

Both zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are mineral UV filters. Both chemical sunscreens and mineral sunscreens work by absorbing UV rays from the sun. Mineral sunscreens also reflect some UV rays. The bigger difference is that mineral sunscreens sit on the surface of the skin, while chemical sunscreens get absorbed into the skin, Rogers says.

The downside of mineral sunscreens is that they can leave an unattractive white cast on the skin — think of lifeguards with white paste on their noses. "Particularly if you're a person of color, zinc is going to make you look pale, white or ashy, which really makes it hard to use on a regular basis," Rogers says.

Bemotrizinol, on the other hand, is transparent on the skin, and because it protects against both UVA and UVB rays on its own, it doesn't have to be mixed with as many other chemical filters and stabilizers to achieve broad spectrum protection, Dobos adds. She says that should lead to more aesthetically pleasing, less greasy sunscreen formulations in the near future.

"I think it's a real win for public health," Dobos says. "If we can make a sunscreen that consumers like to use and want to use and apply in the proper amounts, I think that's something that's really going to be a win for consumers."

DSM-Firmenich has exclusive rights to market bemotrizinol in the U.S. for 18 months. It will be sold under the brand name Parsol Shield. The company says the first sunscreen products containing the ingredient should start hitting American store shelves around September.

The Justice Department on Friday approved Paramount's proposed $111 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery.

After concluding its antitrust investigation into the pending merger, the department said in a statement that it found that the deal posed no threat to competition or consumers of film, broadcast television or streaming.

The decision clears the way for a merger of two rival Hollywood studio titans: Paramount, the owner of CBS, including CBS News, will swallow the much larger Warner, which includes HBO and CNN.

The DOJ''s Antitrust Division concluded that a union of two studio giants isn't anti-competitive because the streaming market has expanded the competition for conventional Hollywood studios, which includes Netflix, Apple and Amazon, as well as smaller streamers. The Justice Department's view is that, for the same reason, consumers won't lose out because there are plenty of other places to get entertainment.

Several states, including California, have raised antitrust concerns. The European Union is investigating as well.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who has been investigating the deal for antitrust violations, said in a post on social media following the Justice Department's approval: "The merger of Warner Bros and Paramount is not a done deal and remains under investigation by my office."

In a statement following the decision, Paramount described the deal as "pro-competitive," and would result in "a stronger company better positioned to compete against dominant technology platforms in an industry increasingly defined by intense competition for audiences, talent, technology, and investment."

The company said it planned to complete the merger as soon as possible, "delivering its benefits to consumers, creators, and the entertainment industry as a whole."

The consolidation will put media mogul David Ellison — son of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison — at the helm of Warner Bros. studio as well as its cable and streaming properties, including CNN and HBO. The Ellison family took over Paramount and CBS last summer.

In the months leading up to the regulatory approval, critics in Hollywood feared the deal would consolidate an already concentrated media landscape and lead to fewer jobs and less creative content.

In April, thousands of directors, actors, writers and other industry talent — including Kristen Stewart, Pedro Pascal and Javier Bardem — signed an open letter opposing the merger.

The elder Ellison is also a financial backer and adviser to President Trump on artificial intelligence. Critics of recent changes at CBS under the Ellisons' control are concerned that, as they say has happened with CBS News, the acquisition would make CNN more friendly to Trump.

NPR's Carrie Johnson and Mandalit del Barco contributed to this story.
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