Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
is an arts and general assignment reporter on LAist's Explore LA team.
Published March 26, 2024 5:00 AM
Professor Vanessa Diaz teaching a class on Puerto Rican culture and Bad Bunny at Loyola Marymount University.
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Brian Feinzimer
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LAist
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Topline:
A Loyola Marymount University class engages students across race and class by mixing pop-mega star Bad Bunny and the politics of Puerto Rico.
Why it matters: Colleges are working hard to engage students academically to help them earn a degree while students are seeking deeper personal connections with their classwork.
What do the students learn: They analyze Bad Bunny’s song lyrics, videos, along with how he blurs the lines between race, gender, and sexuality.
Is the class just about Bad Bunny? No. Students learn about U.S. territorial dominance over Puerto Rico and how hundreds of years of colonial rule affects life on the island and how it’s perceived.
What’s the backstory: This, like ethnic studies classes, engages students by encouraging them to bring their own experiences to the classroom discussions and assignments.
News that Loyola Marymount University offered a class titled “Bad Bunny and Resistance in Puerto Rico” spread quickly.
“LMU posted a Reels on Instagram. My mom sent it to me and she goes, ‘you need to take this class right now!’” said Carolina Acosta, a junior at LMU who took the class last year.
Acosta was born and raised in Puerto Rico and her mother lives in San Juan, the capital. She’s majoring in entrepreneurship with the goal of earning a bachelor’s in business administration.
She was skeptical about taking the class.
Bad Bunny attends the Los Angeles Premiere Of Columbia Pictures' "Bullet Train" at Regency Village Theatre on Aug. 1, 2022 in Los Angeles.
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Jon Kopaloff
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2022 Getty Images
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“I didn't really think it was going to be about the island itself,” she said. “And then I remember my first day talking about it. I was just like, wow, it's [about] a lot more than the artist.” The class taught her aspects of Puerto Rico’s history and culture that she didn’t learn while growing up there.
Talking to students who are taking the class now and who took the class in past semesters opens a window into how this class engages college students and has transformed some students’ views of their college work and what they want to do after college.
That impact is by design.
‘There's so much to cover, and so much to talk about’
(Editor's note: He also knows how to enter a WWE ring.)
But the doors of academia have opened because of the cultural impact of his song lyrics and videos; how he leads his personal life; and how he challenges established ideas of race, gender, sexuality, and U.S. territorial dominance over Puerto Rico.
I want to make my students feel engaged in their learning. I want them to feel connected to the curriculum and I want them… to want to come to class.
— Vanessa Díaz, professor, Loyola Marymount University
“I want to make my students feel engaged in their learning. I want them to feel connected to the curriculum and I want them… to want to come to class,” said professor Vanessa Díaz.
Díaz’s doctorate is in cultural anthropology. Her dissertation is titled "Manufacturing Celebrity and Marketing Fame: An Ethnographic Study of Celebrity Media Production." She worked as a red carpet reporter for People Magazine.
The three-month class begins with the basics about the artist Bad Bunny and his career. Then students learn about Puerto Rico’s history as a colony, modern day natural and political crises, resistance movements, and how reggaeton comes on the scene using innovative as well as toxic elements of Caribbean identity.
Student Ana Garcia speaks during class at Loyola Marymount University.
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Brian Feinzimer
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LAist
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Díaz said she’s seen those topics engage these young adults because of how profoundly some of these issues affect their lives. Number one on that list: how gender and sexuality are represented in popular media.
“My students’ generation are much more likely to identify as queer, or non-binary, or kind of fluid in these different ways,” she said.
For instance, the class watched how Bad Bunny bends images of gender and sexuality in his music video for “Yo Perreo Sola.” It's given students plenty to talk about, including whether the singer should or shouldn’t be considered a queer icon.
“I just remember week two of the course just immediately being like, ‘Oh, my God, this course is kind of going to change my entire perspective,’” said Ashley Buschhorn, a senior majoring in journalism who’s taking the class this semester.
As a queer person I've seen the ways that queer groups in Puerto Rico have been oppressed, and ... discriminated against.
— Ashley Buschhorn, student, Loyola Marymount University
That perspective, she said, has been shaped by being a “white American from Texas” who grew up with people of Latin American descent but who didn’t know how colonialism shaped those cultures.
“As a queer person I've seen the ways that queer groups in Puerto Rico have been oppressed, and ... discriminated against,” Buschhorn said.
The class lectures and readings on gender and sexuality led Buschhorn to think about if she in any way is contributing to violence against women and queer people in Puerto Rico and how she could help stop that violence.
Students Ana Garcia and Ashley Buschorn pose for a portrait at Loyola Marymount University.
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Brian Feinzimer
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LAist
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And subsequent discussions about Bad Bunny as a political activist and crafty manipulator of authentic and manufactured personas has helped Buschhorn think about the work she wants to do after graduation: documentary filmmaking.
“I think that's something that this class kind of directly combats is that you can't look at something just [through] one perspective. In this class there's probably five different perspectives that you have to look at something through,” she said.
Higher education’s student engagement problem
Colleges and universities in the U.S. are facing many challenges, among them how to engage growing proportions of students who are from non-white backgrounds with classes that combine academic rigor and speak to students’ various lived experiences. Increased student engagement is good for the student and good for the college.
Ana Garcia is a senior majoring in marketing. She knew a lot about reggaeton but very little about Puerto Rico before taking this class. In the class she learned there was solidarity across social classes in Puerto Rico when a major hurricane hit the island the same year as the 2017 Mexico City earthquake, which she lived through.
Teaching el Conejo Malo: Centering the Cultural Significance of Bad Bunny
Loyola Marymount University professor Vanessa Díaz and Wellesley College professor Petra Rivera-Rideau developed The Bad Bunny Syllabus to "explore the cultural significance of Bad Bunny as a way to draw folks in to the complex, dynamic historical, and contemporary realities of Puerto Rico."
The syllabus covers reggaetón resources, colonialism in Puerto Rico, Hurricane Maria, race and gender politics, and more.
“I took it from a very personal experience that I saw this first hand, and just like seeing what it was for Puerto Ricans to go and do the same thing and a very different point of their history,” she said.
Garcia and most of the rest of the class enjoyed an epic class opportunity that connected theory to practice. Professor Díaz was able to secure funding to pay for the students to attend the Bad Bunny concert on March 14 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
The assignment was to create a video-reflection based on the lessons in the class.
Parallels to ethnic studies classes in high schools
“People want to know about what's happening in the world and they want to know about why artists, musicians, etc. feel so much need to put that into their art,” said Emily Penner, a UC Irvine professor who studies K-12 student engagement.
The class syllabus for Díaz’s Bad Bunny class, Penner said, shed light on parallels with the high school ethnic studies classes she looks at in her research. Some of those hallmarks include curriculum as counter narrative (the challenging of dominant views), intersectionality (the overlap between topics such as race and gender), and students as intellectuals, which can be the most transformative part of the student experience.
“Anything that students can bring to the table to demonstrate their prior knowledge and their expertise, I think always is useful for orienting students toward what they're about to do for the rest of the semester,” Penner said.
Professor Vanessa Diaz teaching a class on Puerto Rican culture and Bad Bunny at Loyola Marymount University.
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Brian Feinzimer
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LAist
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That prior knowledge doesn’t have to be an exact match with the class topic, in this case Puerto Rico and the pop music icon. Effective teaching will engage students of different races and socioeconomic status. For some students who have taken the Bad Bunny class, what they bring to the table is sometimes challenged and transformed in ways the students didn’t expect.
'I've never had a class teach me about my history'
Political science major Mateo-Luis Planas brought a strong sense of identity to the first day of the Bad Bunny class last year, citing his appreciation for dancing salsa, bachata, and merengue.
“I was born and raised in Connecticut but my entire family's from the island of Puerto Rico,” he said. Many of his relatives still live on the island. He pointed to his grandmother’s pride in the Puerto Rican flag.
“I just thought my grandmother was really happy to be Puerto Rican. But turns out there was a point in history when it was actually illegal and punishable to even have those flags out in your house,” he said.
Puerto Rican history is American history.
I've never had a class teach me about my history, which is something that the average American has never had to say.
— Mateo-Luis Planas, student, Loyola Marymount University
“I've never had a class teach me about my history, which is something that the average American has never had to say,” he said.
What engaged him the most is the overlap between centuries-old racial policies in Puerto Rico and how race was and was not talked about within his own family. The Bad Bunny class is leading him to rethink whether law school is the best move for him after college.
“I have the rest of my life to study law,” Planas said, but people in Puerto Rico now need to achieve rights to their land and need a functional government that’s responsive to people’s needs.
Planas now feels he wants to go to the island to help people achieve those goals.
David Wagner
covers housing in Southern California, a place where the lack of affordable housing contributes to homelessness.
Published June 1, 2026 9:00 AM
The L.A. Metro's Wilshire/La Brea stop on the D Line is one of the stations listed on the SB 79 map.
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Kayla Bartkowski
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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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Topline:
Starting July 1, a new state law will push cities to increase housing development in neighborhoods located near major transit stops. When the law was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last year, cities began taking their best guess at where exactly those sites would be.
What’s new: Now, the list is out. On Monday, the Southern California Association of Governments published its official map showing where new housing density will be allowed under Senate Bill 79.
Why it matters: The law’s impact on L.A. neighborhoods near transit lines — including those zoned only for single-family homes — has been heavily debated, especially in the race for Los Angeles mayor. The tallest buildings allowed under SB 79 will be nine stories, as long as they are located within 200 feet of a Metro B or D-line stop. More common will be the “Tier 2” zones around light rail and dedicated bus lane stops, which will allow buildings up to eight stories tall within 200 feet of the stop.
Read on… to learn why Orange County is excluded for now, but will be added to the map soon.
Starting July 1, a new state law will push cities to increase housing development in neighborhoods located near major transit stops.
When the law was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last year, Southern California cities began taking their best guess at where exactly those sites would be.
Now, the list is out. On Monday, the Southern California Association of Governments, known as SCAG, published its official map showing where new housing density will be allowed under Senate Bill 79.
Elizabeth Carbajal, SCAG’s deputy director of land use, said local officials sought many clarifications from state leaders in order to be sure that the map would accurately reflect the Legislature’s intent.
“There were a lot of questions after the statute was signed,” Carbajal said. “The clarifications helped further define bus service, as well as pedestrian access points.”
SB 79 has become a political lightning rod
The law’s impact on neighborhoods near transit lines — including those zoned only for single-family homes — has been heavily debated, especially in the race for Los Angeles mayor.
Mayor Karen Bass asked Newsom to veto SB 79, and she continues to oppose adding apartments within the nearly three-quarters of city land reserved for single-family homes.
City councilmember Nithya Raman, who is challenging Bass in the upcoming election, declined to oppose SB 79 and has said some single-family neighborhoods will need to accept more density.
Spencer Pratt, the former reality TV star running for mayor, made waves on social media when he falsely claimed last year that SB 79 would bring high-rises to the Pacific Palisades, where his home burned down. The official SCAG map confirms that SB 79 will have no impact on the neighborhood.
In response to SB 79, housing opponents in some areas have started focusing their efforts on killing plans for expanded public transit. Responding to public pressure, Burbank officials have stalled construction plans for local portions of a rapid bus line from North Hollywood to Pasadena. L.A. Metro is now suing Burbank over that move.
Where will new housing go? And how much will be allowed?
The rules of SB 79 are complex.
The tallest buildings allowed under SB 79 will be nine stories, as long as they are located within 200 feet of a Metro B or D-line stop. These stations qualify as “Tier 1” stops under SB 79, which puts the tallest buildings near heavy rail lines, which in L.A. only applies to the B and D-line subways.
More common will be the “Tier 2” zones around light rail and dedicated bus lane stops, which will allow buildings up to eight stories tall within 200 feet of those stops.
Height limits step down in areas further out from the station. In “Tier 2” zones, buildings up to six stories tall will be allowed within a quarter-mile of the stop, and buildings up to five stories will be allowed within a half-mile.
Neighborhoods near two Metrolink commuter rail stations, in Burbank and Glendale, will also qualify as “Tier 2” zones.
Change won’t necessarily come overnight
New housing won’t necessarily be coming to those zones immediately. Under SB 79, cities have the ability to put off full implementation until 2030 by making their own choices about where to allow more housing.
“Cities can develop alternative plans and delay implementation,” said Philip Law, a SCAG deputy planning director. “The map is not intended to reflect those situations.”
The city of L.A. has taken the delay approach, with the City Council recently voting to allow buildings up to four stories tall around 55 targeted transit stops. This would let the city put off full implementation of SB 79.
The new SCAG map shows no impact in Orange County. The region does not yet qualify as an “urban transit county” under the state law. However, the impending completion of the OC Streetcar through Santa Ana and Garden Grove, expected later this year, will make Orange County eligible for SB 79.
Once the OC Streetcar opens, SCAG plans to update their map to include Orange County, Carbajal said.
Check out Marilyn Monroe: Hollywood Icon at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures to celebrate the movie star's 100th birthday.
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Emily Shur
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Academy Museum Foundation
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In this edition:
Pride Night at Angel Stadium, Marilyn Monroe at 100, Stop Making Sense and more of the best things to do this week.
Highlights:
Celebrate the biggest Hollywood star of all time, Marilyn Monroe, on what would be her 100th birthday: June 1. The special exhibit Marilyn Monroe: Hollywood Icon just opened at the Academy Museum and includes memorabilia, film clips and costumes that explore Monroe’s impact on the studio system, her iconic style and much more.
The Righteous Gemstones actress Edi Patterson brings her bold improv to the Largo for her new show, Playgirl — a full-length play completely improvised right on the spot. Yes, she’s playing all the characters.
Kick off Pride Month with Pride Night at Angel Stadiumas the Angels take on the Colorado Rockies. You’ll score an Angels Pride jersey and can enjoy the pregame Pride Village.
What, you think I’d let you miss an opportunity to see Stop Making Sense on the big screen? And lose all my indie cool cred? Never. Talking Heads’ classic 1984 music film (directed by the late, great Jonathan Demme) will be shown at Vidiots in 4K digital to celebrate 40 years of everyone’s favorite film nerd superstore.
Tuesday is Election Day, so get ready to drop off your ballot or head to your polling place — but not before consulting the LAist Voter Game Plan if you still have some research to do about the most competitive races in your area, whether that’s city council, mayor or even the state-wide governor’s primary.
And happy Pride! We’ll be featuring tons of LGBTQ+ events this month, so stay tuned.
Licorice Pizza’s Lyndsey Parker has your music picks for the week, including: Monday, Las Vegas rockers the Cab will be at the Fonda Theatre, and Scottish indie-pop darlings Camera Obscura will play their first of two shows at Pacific Electric.
Tuesday, new-wave legend Joe Jackson will be looking sharp at the Orpheum Theatre, British-Sudanese R&B artist Elmiene will play the Wiltern and Australian buzz band Vacations will begin their three-night run at the Troubadour.
On Wednesday, alt-country harpist Mikaela Davis is at Sid The Cat Auditorium, and the Grammy Museum hosts a “Reelin’ in the Early Years of Steely Dan” panel featuring Licorice Pizza’s Jeff “Skunk” Baxter.
Thursday’s a big night for new-wave fans with the triple-bill of the Human League, Soft Cell and Alison Moyet at the Hollywood Bowl, while Vince Staples is at the El Rey. Plus, at 4 p.m. Licorice Pizza is hosting a Q&A with legendary rock photographer Henry Diltz at the record store.
Wednesday, June 3, 6:30 p.m. Angel Stadium 2000 E. Gene Autry Way, Anaheim COST: FROM $35; MORE INFO
Catch the Angels as they take on the Rockies for Pride Night.
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Julio Aguilar
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Getty Images
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Kick off Pride Month with Pride Night at Angel Stadium, as the Angels take on the Colorado Rockies. You’ll score an Angels Pride jersey and can enjoy the pregame Pride Village.
Marilyn Monroe: Hollywood Icon
Ongoing Academy Museum 6067 Wilshire Blvd., Miracle Mile COST: INCLUDED WITH GENERAL ADMISSION, $25; MORE INFO
Marilyn Monroe: Hollywood Icon is at the Academy Museum.
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Emily Shur
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Academy Museum Foundation
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She may have sung happy birthday to Mr. President, but it’s Marilyn’s turn now. Celebrate the biggest Hollywood star of all time, Marilyn Monroe, on what would be her 100th birthday: June 1. The special exhibit Marilyn Monroe: Hollywood Icon just opened at the Academy Museum, and it includes memorabilia, film clips and costumes that explore Monroe’s impact on the studio system, her iconic style and much more. From her costumes in Some Like It Hot to the pink dress by William Travilla in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes to letters and personal materials, the exhibit takes a complete look at Norma Jeane’s legacy.
Stop Making Sense
Monday June 1, 7:30 p.m. Vidiots 4884 N. Eagle Rock Blvd., Eagle Rock COST: WALK-UP TICKETS AVAILABLE; MORE INFO
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A24
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FilmGrab
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What, you think I’d let you miss an opportunity to see Stop Making Sense on the big screen? And lose all my indie cool cred? Never. Talking Heads’ classic 1984 music film (directed by the late, great Jonathan Demme) will be shown at Vidiots in 4K digital to celebrate 40 years of everyone’s favorite film nerd superstore.
The Drop: Dogstar
Tuesday, June 2, 7:30 p.m. Grammy Museum 800 W Olympic Blvd., Downtown L.A. COST: SOLD OUT BUT WAITLIST AVAILABLE; MORE INFO
Keanu Reeves will perform with his band, Dogstar, this week.
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Francesco Prandoni
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Getty Images
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Keanu Reeves’s other career — as the rockstar lead singer of Dogstar — has taken shape and developed a loyal fanbase over the years. Join the band for an evening of stories, music and conversation on the Grammy Museum rooftop as they release their latest album, All in Now.
Edi Patterson: Playgirl
Wednesday, June 3, 8 p.m. Largo at the Coronet 366 N. La Cienega Blvd.,Melrose COST: $50; MORE INFO
Edi Patterson will be improvising an entire play.
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Marcus Ingram
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Getty Images
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The Righteous Gemstones actress Edi Patterson brings her bold improv to the Largo for her new show, Playgirl. No, she’s not improvising a pinup; rather, she’s doing something so much bolder — performing a full-length play completely improvised right on the spot. Yes, she’s playing all the characters.
Wet Hot Amusical Summer
Thursday, June 4, and various dates through June, 7:30 p.m. Three Clubs 1123 Vine Street, Hollywood COST: $33; MORE INFO
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Cherry Poppins
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Eventbrite
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A cult film if there ever was one, the 2001 David Wain film Wet Hot American Summer (starring Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler and many, many more) is ripe for a send-up stage treatment — and the folks at Cherry Poppins have delivered with Wet Hot Amusical Summer. The spoof of a spoof is sure to be an over-the-top send-up of what’s already a comedy legend; the show continues through the Hollywood Fringe Festival.
The Big Run
Wednesday, June 3, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Johnny Carson Park 400 S. Bob Hope Drive, Burbank COST: $22.50; MORE INFO
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Miguel A. Amutio
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Unsplash
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Celebrate Global Running Day with friends in Burbank as The Big Run takes over Johnny Carson Park. Hosted by Fleet Feet Burbank in partnership with the Burbank Parks and Recreation Department, run the .4 mile loop as many times as you can in 30 minutes to compete!
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Jill Replogle
covers public corruption, debates over our voting system, culture war battles — and more.
Published June 1, 2026 5:00 AM
The state wants Huntington Beach to make room for more homes, and the city has balked at being told how to do that.
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Allen J. Schaben
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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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Huntington Beach will consider a citywide plan for more housing at its Tuesday meeting after a years-long battle against the state that resulted in a court order.
The backstory: State law requires California cities and counties to plan for enough housing to meet the expected demand over an eight-year time period, including for low-income housing. They don’t have to actually build the housing, they just have to make sure their local zoning can accommodate it. Huntington Beach was told to make room for some 13,000 new homes. The city fought the allocation all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court — but lost.
The current status: A San Diego court recently told Huntington Beach it needed to come into compliance, or pay $50,000 for each month it fails to do so.
What’s next? The city council is scheduled to vote on the housing plan at its June 2 meeting.
Huntington Beach will consider a citywide plan for more housing at its June 2 (Tuesday) meeting after a yearslong battle against the state that resulted in a court order.
The backstory
State law requires California cities and counties to plan for enough housing to meet the expected demand over an eight-year period, including for low-income housing. They don’t have to actually build the housing, they just have to make sure their local zoning can accommodate it.
Huntington Beach was told to make room for some 13,000 new homes. The city fought the allocation all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court, which declined to review the case last year.
Mayor Casey McKeon estimates the city would actually have to plan for close to 40,000 new units to meet the state mandate, since most new developments include only a small percentage of affordable homes.
Where things stand now
A San Diego court recently told Huntington Beach it must come into compliance, or pay $50,000 for each month it fails to do so. The city responded by posting a revised housing plan on its website and asking residents for comment.
Wider pushback
The Orange County Grand Jury dropped a new report last week that is highly critical of the state’s methods of forcing cities to plan for housing at all income levels. The report said the state’s efforts have led to “growing tension between state directives and local realities” and had “led to minimal housing being built.”
What’s next?
The City Council is scheduled to vote on the housing plan at its Tuesday meeting. The state could still order the city to make revisions to its current plan. "We await their adopted plan next week," Alicia Murillo, a spokesperson for the California Department of Housing and Community Development, said in an email to LAist.
How to attend Huntington Beach City Council meetings
Huntington Beach holds City Council meetings on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 2000 Main St.
You can also watch City Council meetings remotely on HBTV via Channel 3 or online, or via the city’s website. (You can also find videos of previous council meetings there.)
The public comment period happens toward the beginning of meetings.
The city generally posts agendas for City Council meetings on the previous Friday. You can find the agenda on the city’s calendar or sign up there to have agendas sent to your inbox.
A bald eagle couple has been spotted in Los Angeles County this past week.
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Courtesy L.A. County Dept. of Parks and Recreation
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Topline:
A pair of nesting bald eagles was spotted in Los Angeles County this past week, according to a social media post from the Department of Parks and Recreation.
Why it matters: Nesting bald eagles are a fairly rare sight in Southern California, since they typically nest along the California-Oregon border.
The backstory: The Department of Parks and Recreation did not disclose the location of the birds, and reminded L.A. residents in their post that bald eagles are a federally protected species and disturbing their nests could “disrupt breeding and impact their success.”
What's next: It takes about 35 days for bald eagle eggs to incubate. If the new visitors lay eggs, Los Angeles could have our very own eaglets as early as next month.
A pair of nesting bald eagles was spotted in Los Angeles County this past week, according to a social media post from the Department of Parks and Recreation. (You can check out the full post and video on Instagram.)
The Department of Parks and Recreation did not disclose the exact location of the birds.
Nesting bald eagles are a fairly rare sight in Southern California, since they're more commonly found close to the California-Oregon border.
A look at where bald eagles typically nest.
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Courtesy California Department of Fish and Wildlife
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Of course, there are notable exceptions, including Southern California's most famous bald eagles: Big Bear's Jackie and Shadow, whose yearly attempts at parenthood have become big national news on occasion.
Park officials are reminding everyone that bald eagles are a federally protected species and disturbing their nests could “disrupt breeding and impact their success.”
The history
Bald eagles were once close to extinction in the lower 48 U.S. states. By the early 1970s, there were fewer than 30 pairs in California, all in the northern part of the state. The species has rebounded since being protected under federal and state laws.
What's next
It takes about 35 days for bald eagle eggs to incubate. If the L.A.'s new eagle residents lay eggs, Los Angeles could have our very own eaglets as early as next month.
