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The Brief

The most important stories for you to know today
  • Team to debut blue away jerseys
    A light-skinned man wearing a blue baseball jersey with "Los Angeles" in script and a red number 17 across the front looks off camera. He is holding a black baseball bat in his left hand.
    Shohei Ohtani wearing the Dodgers new blue road jerseys, which the team debuted Friday, April 3 against the Washington Nationals.

    Topline:

    The Dodgers debuted a brand new blue road jersey for its game against the Washington Nationals. The new blues will now be part of the team's regular season jersey rotation for away games.

    Why it matters: The team says it's a first for the Dodgers, who have traditionally only worn their gray jerseys for away games. The Dodgers now have three road options — two gray jerseys, one that says "Los Angeles" across the front and another that says "Dodgers," along with the new blues.

    The backstory: You've probably seen the Dodgers wearing similar blue jerseys during spring training, but up until now they've not been an everyday option for regular season games. It won't be the first time the team wears a blue jersey during the regular season, though. In 2021, the Dodgers debuted blue "City Connect" jerseys, seen below, for that season.

    A man with medium dark skin tone stands with his arms crossed in a baseball dugout. It is Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and he is wearing a blue jersey with "Los Dodgers" printed in script font across the front of his jersey and baseball cap.
    Dodgers manager Dave Roberts wearing the team's 2021 City Connect uniform.
    (
    Thearon W. Henderson
    /
    Getty Images North America
    )

  • Singing gets competitive
    A woman in her 20s in a yellow shirt and vest sings into a microphone against a backdrop that reads "The Good Nite."
    Jordan Delgado picked Lady Gaga's 'You and I' as her debut song with the L.A. Karaoke league.

    Topline:

    The LA Karaoke league turns singing into a team sport, where costumes, props and creativity matter more than hitting the right notes. For performers craving a creative outlet when auditions are harder to come by, the league offers a community to cheer them on.

    The backstory: The L.A. league is part of United Karaoke, a national network of chapters that share a competition format, voting app and pledge to always keep the vibe friendly.

    What's next: Teams compete for a spot in the finals. The public is welcome to watch and vote for their favorite performances.

    For many of us, karaoke is a chance to sing our favorite shower song in public.

    But at a North Hollywood bar every Wednesday night, it’s a team sport. And competitors in the L.A. Karaoke league are more serious about putting on an over-the-top production than hitting all the right notes.

    At a social in late September, league manager Michelle Goff kicked off a new season of weekly themed showdowns, from dance-floor favorites to internet memes to songs inspired by birds.

    A woman in a white t-shirt and peach shorts sings into a microphone on a stage.
    Brittany Gates, the CEO of United Karaoke, who was visiting from D.C., did her rendition of 'Let's Hear It For The Boy' by Deniece Williams.
    (
    Josie Huang
    /
    LAist
    )

    "You are going to see numbers that people came up with in their crazy dreams maybe three years ago, and it's going to be amazing,” Goff told performers at the social. “And then they’re never going to be done again.”

    A white woman wearing oversized blue-framed glasses points at the air as a laptop sits on a high table in the foreground, reading "Mic Check" on the screen.
    Michelle Goff unveils the different themed weeks, from dance-floor favorites to internet memes to songs inspired by birds.
    (
    Josie Huang
    /
    LAist
    )

    Performances range from solos to group numbers, and the crowd votes for its favorites. Props and costumes are highly encouraged.

    Here, dark wizards from Harry Potter duet to Taylor Swift. A singer tosses flowers to the crowd while belting Seal's “Kiss From a Rose.” Once, Goff danced around as an erupting Mount Vesuvius as her teammates sang Bastille's "Pompeii."

    Like intramural sports but with microphones, teams compete over six weeks, followed by two weeks of playoffs, then the finals.

    It all happens at the Good Nite bar, on a darkened stretch of Burbank Boulevard. Inside, there’s an inviting purple glow and warm conversation that can be hard to come by in a city as big as L.A.

    “You know, the city, exciting as it is, still has so many strangers,” said Carlos Mulia.

    A newcomer to the league, the chef-turned-actor already feels like he belongs.

    Want to join the L.A. Karaoke league?

    Where: The Good Nite, 10721 Burbank Blvd., North Hollywood.

    When: Wednesday nights during the season.

    How: Check the chapter’s website or @WeSingLA on Instagram for season announcements. Fall season registration is closed. The next season will start in late January or early February.

    Cost: Registration costs $65 to $80, depending on when you sign up and whether you use a discount code.

    Can I go watch: Yes! League nights are open to the public, with no cover charge, and anyone can vote for their favorite performances.

    “Sometimes you can go to a karaoke bar and everyone’s talking and no one’s paying attention to you — that can be a downer,” he said. “But here, everyone’s contributing, everyone’s cheering for each other.”

    For Mulia, the league also offers a creative outlet during Hollywood’s production slowdown, when he says opportunities to perform are scarce.

    An Asian middle-aged man with shoulder-length hair smiles for the camera.
    Actor Carlos Mulia said competitive karaoke gives him a creative outlet and a place to find community in a big city.
    (
    Josie Huang
    /
    LAist
    )

    “There’s not that many auditions," he said. "They’re far and few between, and it can really affect your psyche. So this allows you to just let it all out.”

    The L.A. league started in Santa Monica in 2014 before moving among venues around the region and finding its current home at the Good Nite in 2021.

    It’s part of United Karaoke, a loose national network with chapters in Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Chicago. The local leagues share a competition format, voting app and a pledge to keep the vibe welcoming.

    In the league, friendships spark right away. Mulia hit it off with another actor, Jordan Delgado, who teaches children art at a studio.

    They quickly figured out they’re both half-Filipino and grew up with karaoke, a fixture of Filipino social life.

    “It is in our blood to do karaoke,” Delgado said. “So yeah, I’m honoring my ancestors in a way by being here tonight.”

    Several patrons in a bar stand looking at the stage off camera, two of them holding phones.
    Anybody is welcome on karaoke competition nights and invited to vote for their favorite performances.
    (
    Josie Huang
    /
    LAist
    )

    Delgado loves to perform but says the karaoke league promises more than that.

    “It’s something to look forward to in the downtime of the part-time jobs,” Delgado said. “A reason to regularly meet up with people, where we could just be silly, without any judgment.”

    For her league debut, Delgado is going with a tried and true crowd-pleaser.

    “My go-to song that my friends and family have heard me sing a billion times is ‘You and I’ by Lady Gaga," Delgado said. "It really gets the crowd going.”

    When it’s her turn, Delgado bounds onto the tiny stage up front with a big confident smile that matches a powerful voice.

    “We got a whole lot of money, but still pay rent,” Delgado sings, striding across the tiny stage to whoops and cheers.

    Several weeks after her league debut, Delgado would go on to win best performer during Graveyard Week, when the league revives songs so overdone they’re normally off-limits.

    Her winning number? “Shallow,” with Delgado singing both the Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper parts.

    And she brought the theatrical flair. Dressed as Gaga on one side of her body and Cooper on the other, she was her own duet partner.

  • Sponsored message
  • Check out some of the best moments
    Roosevelt blocks Garfield’s attempt to move down field during the 91st East LA Classic at Weingart Stadium on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026.
    The fans in the stands. The players on the gridiron. The Friday night lights.

    Topline:

    The Garfield Bulldogs defeated the Roosevelt Rough Riders 28-24 at the 91st East LA Classic.

    Why it matters: The event drew crowds in red and gold, blue and white, all there to cheer on their team and claim Eastside bragging rights.

    Check out ... some of the night’s best moments. The fans in the stands. The players on the gridiron. The Friday night lights.

    The fans in the stands. The players on the gridiron. The Friday night lights.

    Those were just some of the scenes inside Weingart Stadium, where the Garfield Bulldogs defeated the Roosevelt Rough Riders 28-24 at the 91st East LA Classic.

    The event drew crowds in red and gold, blue and white, all there to cheer on their team and claim Eastside bragging rights.

    Here are some of the night’s best moments.

    Roosevelt High School's varsity team entrance through a banner after halftime at the 91st East LA Classic.
    The fans in the stands. The players on the gridiron. The Friday night lights.
    (
    Violet Rodriguez-Aceves
    /
    Boyle Heights Beat
    )
    Garfield varsity football players celebrate with the trophy after their win at the 91st East LA Classic at Weingart Stadium
    The fans in the stands. The players on the gridiron. The Friday night lights.
    (
    Andrew Lopez
    /
    Boyle Heights Beat
    )
    Roosevelt High School students hold up signs in support of players at the 91st East LA Classic
    The fans in the stands. The players on the gridiron. The Friday night lights.
    (
    Andrew Lopez
    /
    Boyle Heights Beat
    )
    A young Garfield High School fan holds up a Garfield and Mexican flag.
    The fans in the stands. The players on the gridiron. The Friday night lights.
    (
    Fernando Rodriguez
    /
    Boyle Heights Beat
    )
    Student mariachis from both Garfield and Roosevelt High Schools walk outside Weingart Stadium before the 91st East LA Classic.
    The fans in the stands. The players on the gridiron. The Friday night lights.
    (
    Fernando Rodriguez
    /
    Boyle Heights Beat
    )
    Varsity Roosevelt High School football players stretch ahead of the big game at the East LA Classic on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. (Andrew Lopez / For Boyle Heights Beat)
    The fans in the stands. The players on the gridiron. The Friday night lights.
    (
    Andrew Lopez
    /
    Boyle Heights Beat
    )
    Garfield's varsity flag football team celebrates their win at the 91st East LA Classic on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026.
    The fans in the stands. The players on the gridiron. The Friday night lights.
    (
    Fernando Rodriguez
    /
    Boyle Heights Beat
    )
    The Garfield High School drill and cheer teams perform
    The fans in the stands. The players on the gridiron. The Friday night lights.
    (
    Andrew Lopez
    /
    Boyle Heights Beat
    )

    Roosevelt High School drill team members at the East LA Classic. (Fernando Rodriguez / For Boyle Heights Beat)
    (
    Fernando Rodriguez
    /
    Boyle Heights Beat
    )

    Roosevelt High School band preforms at the East LA Classic. (Violet Rodriguez-Aceves / For Boyle Heights Beat)
    The fans in the stands. The players on the gridiron. The Friday night lights.
    (
    Violet Rodriguez-Aceves
    /
    Boyle Heights Beat
    )
    Roosevelt players stand to watch the game during the second quarter at the 91st East LA Classic.
    The fans in the stands. The players on the gridiron. The Friday night lights.
    (
    Violet Rodriguez-Aceves
    /
    Boyle Heights Beat
    )
    The Garfield Bulldogs stand on the sidelines during the 91st East LA Classic
    The fans in the stands. The players on the gridiron. The Friday night lights.
    (
    Andrew Lopez
    /
    Boyle Heights Beat
    )

    The post The best moments from the 91st East LA Classic appeared first on LA Local.

  • Felony charges against Alvarez dismissed
    A man stands in front of a tree in a residential neighborhood.
    Michael Angel Alvarez, 41, spoke with LAist on Sept. 16, 2026, about the federal body armor case against him being dismissed.

    Topline:

    The L.A. County District Attorney’s office dropped its felony body armor charges against Michael Angel Alvarez earlier this week. Alvarez was sentenced to time served on a lesser charge — a probation violation. He served more than 100 days in jail earlier this year while awaiting trial.

    Most serious claims haven’t materialized: Though federal prosecutors made headlines claiming in court documents and on social media that Alvarez was “leading a violent street gang, while claiming to be a gang interventionist for the City,” they have not filed charges related to those claims.

    The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office dropped its felony body armor charges against Michael Angel Alvarez on Wednesday. Alvarez was sentenced to time served on a lesser charge — a probation violation. He had served more than 100 days in jail earlier this year while awaiting trial.

    Why Alvarez’s arrest made headlines: Alvarez was working as a city-contracted peace ambassador in MacArthur Park when he was arrested by federal agents in May. Federal and county prosecutors each brought felony charges against him, claiming he was in possession of body armor as a violent felon.

    Bill Essayli, who leads the U.S. Attorney’s office in L.A., pointed to the case on social media to criticize city officials for allowing taxpayer money to be “shelled out to a convicted gang murderer.”

    About his criminal record: Judges in federal and state court have now dismissed prosecutors’ felony charges against Alvarez, after U.S. District Judge Anne Hwang found on Sept. 9 that Alvarez did not have a violent felony conviction. Alvarez was 15 when he committed a gang-related murder. He was tried and convicted as an adult in 2002. After a change in state law increased the age at which minors could be sentenced as adults to 16, Alvarez’s case was sent back to juvenile court, and he was released in 2024. At that point, he had served more than 20 years.

    Most serious claims haven’t materialized: Though federal prosecutors made headlines claiming in court documents that Alvarez was “leading a violent street gang, while claiming to be a gang interventionist for the City,” they have not filed charges related to those claims.

    About Essayli's role

    A federal judge ruled Tuesday, Oct. 7 that Republican Bill Essayli is not legally serving as the top U.S. prosecutor in Los Angeles.

    The ruling is the latest roadblock to the Trump administration’s effort to extend handpicked acting U.S. attorneys beyond the 120-day limit set by federal law. The strategy was designed to bypass confirmation by the U.S. Senate — something that generally requires a degree of bipartisan support.

    Essayli “is unlawfully serving as a ‘de facto’ United States Attorney,” U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright wrote.

    The order won’t take effect until the court rules on the government’s motion for a stay pending appeal. Essayli said he doesn’t agree with the court’s order. He said the president and Attorney General “have every right to select supervisors within the Justice Department.”

    Read more

    — Associated Press

  • Musical wrestles with politics and justice
    A woman with long dark hair and medium skin tone, wearing a blue long sleeve collared shirt, talks through a black megaphone as two men stand on crates in the background.
    Myrna Velasco (left) performs as Dolores Huerta in “¡Sí Se Puede!” at Boyle Heights City Hall on April 2, 2026.

    Topline:

    An all-ages play about the life of Dolores Huerta and other under-told stories of the farmworker labor movement is back on tour in Los Angeles.

    The backstory:
    Center Theatre Group commissioned ¡Sí Se Puede! from Eliana Pipes in March 2025 and it debuted in L.A. this spring. “There's this perception that farm work was only done by men,” Pipes said. “There were women on the fields, there were women on the picket lines, and there were women in leadership in the United Farm Workers movement.”

    What's next: ¡Sí Se Puede!’s upcoming free shows are:

    Read on… to learn more about the play’s backstory and how the creators navigated the revelations about Cesar Chavez’s alleged sexual abuse of girls and women.

    An all-ages play about the life of Dolores Huerta and other under-told stories of the farmworker labor movement is back on tour in Los Angeles.

    The show's extension had been announced prior to the news that Huerta died Wednesday, Oct. 28., at her Bakersfield home. She was 96 years old.

    “There's this perception that farm work was only done by men,” said playwright Eliana Pipes. “There were women on the fields, there were women on the picket lines, and there were women in leadership in the United Farm Workers movement.”

    Center Theatre Group commissioned ¡Sí Se Puede! from Pipes in March 2025 and it debuted in L.A. this spring.

    The next free, family-friendly shows are: