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Electricity

How has the price changed since before the pandemic?
Electricity prices have jumped 40% since February 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's a bigger jump than the 26% increase in the overall cost of living.

Why have prices gone up?
Demand for electricity has increased in recent years, partly because of all of the new data centers that are popping up to serve the artificial intelligence boom. Some old power plants have been retired, and utilities are scrambling to add new electric generation, while also making the power grid more resilient. Also, the price of natural gas used to generate electricity has increased.

Now that fall is here, Kathy Letourneau no longer has to run her air conditioner around the clock. But the Fort Walton Beach, Fla., resident also relies on electric heat to stay warm in the winter. Letourneau, who is 71, says her power bills run between $200 and $300 a month, all year round.

"When you're living on a fixed income, you feel it," she says. "There have been a few times we couldn't afford it. We've had our lights turned off before."

Residential electric rates in Florida have jumped more than 13% over the last year, according to the Energy Department. Letourneau and her husband are bracing for another increase next year.

"Florida is a lot of retired people on Social Security," Letourneau says. "I mean, it's hard."

Across the country, residential electric rates are climbing twice as fast as the overall rate of inflation. The high price of power became a flash point in this week's elections in both New Jersey and Virginia.

The rising costs are partly driven by the price of natural gas, used to generate electricity. Natural gas prices fluctuate with the weather and with the level of gas exports, which have been climbing.

Electricity demand has also soared

Electric bills are also going up because of increased power demand.

For the first two decades of this century, demand for electricity barely budged. But in the last few years, people and businesses have been plugging in more and more. The Energy Department expects demand to grow 2.2% this year and 2.4% next year.

"There's automobiles that have gone from gasoline-powered to electric vehicles," says Drew Maloney, president of the Edison Electric Institute, which represents power companies around the country. "You're also seeing stoves being replaced from gas to electric. And the AI data center growth."

Utilities are hustling to meet that demand by replacing old power plants that have gone out of service while adding new generating capacity from wind, solar, and natural gas.

"We support developing all energy sources," Maloney says. "We need as many electrons on the grid as possible to help keep the grid reliable and costs low."

Who pays for the electricity needed for AI?

Utilities say building new power supplies along with a more resilient electric grid will cost more than a trillion dollars over the next five years. The question facing regulators is, who's going to pay for that.

In theory, the new data centers springing up to support the artificial intelligence boom should cover their own power costs and at least a bit more, potentially lowering bills for nearby residential customers.

"That doesn't seem that hard to do," says Severin Borenstein, faculty director of the Energy Institute at U.C. Berkeley's Haas School of Business. "But you'd be surprised how many politicians and regulators say, 'Well, this is an economic development opportunity. We should give them a great rate.' And in their enthusiasm, they'll end up charging rates that don't even cover the incremental cost."

If data centers are given a break on prices, residential customers could end up saddled with some of their costs. Across the country, residential customers typically pay higher rates than commercial or industrial power users, according to the Energy Department.

There are ways to reduce the nation's overall power bill, by adjusting when and where electricity is consumed. By far, the most expensive time to use power is when demand is at its peak — typically on the hottest days of summer when air conditioners are working hardest.

"If you could get these data centers to get off the grid, say 50-60 hours a year, they really wouldn't create any cost pressure at all," Borenstein says.

Data centers could do that by temporarily switching to backup power, or re-routing their data traffic to cooler parts of the country. Borenstein suggests regulators could require that. Electric vehicle owners also have considerable flexibility in deciding when to plug in and charge.

While demand for electricity is growing faster now than it was a few years ago, that increase is hardly unprecedented. Borenstein says electric demand grew more than twice as fast in the 1960s. That's when air conditioning was going mainstream, making it comfortable for retirees like Letourneau to live in places like Florida.
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The Getty Center will be closed starting on March 15, 2027, for about a year for major renovations.

The center called the upcoming facelift the most “significant series of modernization initiatives” since it opened in 1997. The scheduled reopening in spring 2028 comes just ahead of the 2028 Olympics and Paralympic Games.

Renovations and improvements include spiffier galleries that bring “art in dialogue with nature,” according to the Getty; upgrades to the tram system that will improve accessibility; improvements to Wi-Fi and cell service

“Our mission has always been to make art accessible to our Los Angeles community and visitors from around the world. In the coming years, guided by our commitment to All for Art, we will enhance the visitor experience across the Getty Center campus through reimagined spaces and new offerings, while prioritizing sustainability,” Katherine E. Fleming, president and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust, said in a statement.

Some galleries are currently closed as the center makes upgrades to its air conditioning system.

Empanadas have firmly earned their place in Los Angeles’ vibrant food community as a beloved savory — and in some cases, sweet — quick bite.

From traditional Argentine recipes to Venezuelan and Colombian flavors, these handheld pastries have won over food lovers across the city.

Here are five standout empanada spots we highly recommend checking out, each offering their own unique take on the South American staple.

Nonna’s Empanadas

Tomato, beef and veggie empanadas from Nonna’s Empanadas.

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Courtesy Nonna's Empanadas

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With more than 30 flavors to choose from, Nonna’s Empanadas offers something for every palate — from savory fillings like beef, chicken, and spinach to sweet ones like Nutella and apple. What I love about them the most is that they’re perfectly stuffed and oven-baked, just like the empanadas I ate as a child in Buenos Aires.

“I grew up with empanadas being a staple,” said Eduardo Ekmekgian, owner of Nonna’s Empanadas and son of its founder. “People like my family have one day a week where they have empanadas.”

The late Mario Ekmekgian, a lifelong entrepreneur, teamed up in 2010 with his business partner and longtime friend from Argentina, Graciella Boltiansky, to open Nonna’s first location at West 3rd Street and Holt Avenue in West Hollywood. Before that, Ekmekgian had been selling empanadas at farmers’ markets across Los Angeles.

“There were definitely growing pains in the beginning,” Ekmekgian said. “We only had about nine empanada flavors, and we were experimenting with tablecloths, ceramic plates, premium desserts, even choripans, Argentinian pizza and milanesas. We were just trying things to see what worked. But our foundation was always the empanadas, and as we added more flavors, we kept fine-tuning the brand and the business model.”

Ekmekgian and his family are of Armenian ancestry and lived in Argentina before moving to the U.S. in 1987. The name for Nonna’s was inspired by Ekmegian’s grandmother, but also the idea that “everybody has a nonna” that cooks for them or in his case made him empanadas.

“We started with classics like beef, which has hard-boiled egg and olive, chicken, spinach, and corn,” he said. “From there, we experimented a lot — Korean-inspired empanadas, Philly cheesesteak, and Latin flavors like carnitas. Empanadas are very versatile, you can take flavors from anywhere and put them in a dough pocket. That’s the fun of it.”

Ekmekgian said their savory empanadas remain the most popular, but they’re still experimenting with sweet varieties and planning to introduce new flavors.

“Beef has always been number one,” he said. “We’re working on new sweet flavors, like strawberry cheesecake and pineapple cream. Sweet ones don’t usually outsell the savory, because people eat multiples of the savory flavors, then maybe add a few sweets.”

Looking ahead, Ekmekgian said he’s often asked about franchising, but he wants to take his time before making that decision.

“There’s a process to growing the brand,” he said. “I want to fine-tune the model so every location is consistent and the quality and experience stay the same. My hope is that everyone tries empanadas for the first time and thinks, ‘Wow, I want this every week with my family or friends.’”

Rincon Chileno

Rincón Chileno's spinach empanadas (left) and beef empanadas, also known as empanada de pino.

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Marina Peña

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The classic Chilean empanada de pino (or de carne) is thick, hearty and generously filled. Unlike many other South American empanadas, which tend to be smaller, the Chilean empanada is large and immediately stands out. Juicy and substantial, it can easily serve as a complete meal all on its own.

Ricardo Flores, owner of Rincon Chileno on Melrose since 1973, immigrated to Los Angeles from Santiago, Chile, in 1972 and opened the restaurant with the goal of introducing L.A. to the empanada as much as to tacos or pupusas.

“I think the empanada competes with the best taco or the best pupusa, so I would love for it to become just as popular, for everyone to know of this food that comes from all over South America,” he said.

The restaurant is known for their empanadas de pino, which are filled with beef, onion, salt and pepper, oregano, a touch of cumin and garlic. The dough is made from flour, milk, eggs, butter and a mix of seasonings.

Flores credits the empanadas’ juiciness to the fat in the meat and the generous amount of onions in the filling. Adding even more richness is the pebre, a traditional Chilean sauce poured over the filling. Flores shared that their version includes jalapeños, cilantro, green bell peppers, salt, garlic, olive oil and onions.

“An empanada de pino with pebre and red wine is the perfect combination for lunch,” Flores said. “A single empanada will satisfy you.”

Sabor Colombiano

Chicken empanadas from Sabor Colombiano in Westlake.

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Marina Peña

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What happens when you take traditional fried Colombian empanadas and add a touch of L.A.’s Mexican influence? If you ask Dario Garcia, owner of the Colombian restaurant Sabor Colombiano, the result might just be the ideal empanada.

“The perfect Colombian combination is a chicken empanada with chili, rice on the side, and an iced coffee,” Garcia said. “And thanks to the Mexican-American influence here, our chili is spicier than you might expect.”

Garcia explained that their famous empanadas de carne are made with cornmeal dough and a filling of shredded beef and potatoes. They’re fried for four to five minutes, resulting in a crunchy texture similar to the empanadas you’d find in Cali, in the Valle del Cauca region of western Colombia.

“In el Valle del Cauca, restaurants offer a range of chili sauces, varying in heat, and we do the same,” Garcia said. “An empanada isn’t an empanada without chili.”

Another popular addition is the salsa rosada, a pink sauce from Bogotá made with mayonnaise and ketchup.

Garcia adds that part of what makes Colombian empanadas special is the way local people eat them — a tradition he encourages others to try.

“A Colombian takes a bite from the bottom tip of the empanada, then adds chili as they go,” Garcia said. “In Colombia, we say true love isn’t shown with a kiss or marriage, but by giving your loved one the bottom tip of your empanada.”

Fuegos

Fuegos’s ham and cheese, vegan beef and mushroom and spinach empanadas.

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Courtesy Fuegos LA

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At Fuegos, empanadas take center stage. The menu features eight oven-baked varieties, including ham and cheese, chicken, hand-cut beef, cheese and onion, caprese, vegan beef, spinach and mushroom and humita corn. The beef empanada, with its rich filling of onions, red bell peppers, and spices, delivers a smoky warmth that recalls the flavors of Buenos Aires.

“What differentiates us from other Argentinian restaurants in L.A. is our attention to detail, the quality of our ingredients, and our service,” said Federico Laboreau, the co-owner of Fuegos. “The ingredients are simple, but we make sure they’re high quality.”

Whether you enjoy them fresh at the restaurant, take them to go, or bake one of their frozen 12-packs at home, their empanadas won’t disappoint.

After more than a decade as a production designer in Hollywood, Federico Laboreau and his partner Maximilian Pizzi took a bold turn in April 2024 and opened their own Argentinian restaurant in South L.A. The shift came after work dried up for them following the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild strikes.

“After the strikes, we took a trip to Japan for my birthday, expecting Hollywood to be back in full swing by the time we returned and that we’d be busy with work," Laboreau said. "When that didn’t happen, we asked ourselves, ‘What do we do to get our economy going again?’ So we started making empanadas. We started making them at home, and from there, all our Argentine friends started buying from us.”

Whether you enjoy them fresh at the restaurant, take them to go, or bake one of their frozen 12-packs at home, their empanadas won’t disappoint.

Pao’s Pastries & Cafe

The salteñas at Pao’s Pastries & Cafe, the Bolivian café in Van Nuys.

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Marina Peña

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LAist

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The first thing to know about the empanadas at Pao's Pastries & Cafe — one of the only Bolivian places that shows up in the L.A. area on Google Maps — is that while they may look like empanadas you’ve had in other countries, in Bolivia they aren’t actually called empanadas at all — they’re salteñas. Salteñas are a uniquely Bolivian baked pastry with a rich interior that almost resembles a portable stew when you bite into it.

The name “salteña” comes from the city of Salta in Argentina and is tied to Juana Manuela Gorriti, an Argentinian writer who was Bolivia’s first lady between 1848 and 1855. She helped popularize the dish in her adopted country, and over time the name shifted from meaning “the woman from Salta” to referring to the pastry itself.

Salteñas are known for their distinctive repulgue, the finely crimped seam that runs across the top of the pastry like a little crown, sealing in all the juicy goodness. They’re typically bigger than Argentinian empanadas, smaller than Chilean empanadas but just as generously stuffed — and with Pao’s you’ll definitely feel full after just one.

At Pao’s, which opened in 2015, the salteñas are filled with a savory blend of tender meat (often chicken or beef) and vegetables. They carry a juicy broth inside the filling, giving them a soupy texture in the center.

The salteñas take about three to four days to make, compared to maybe a couple of hours for Argentinian empanadas. The meat and vegetables are cooked and then refrigerated before adding them to the dough so the pastry holds its shape and structure. The filling typically includes meat, potato, peas, and carrots — all seasoned to balance savory richness with a hint of sweetness.

Beyond salteñas, Pao’s also serves other Bolivian favorites like silpancho, (a breaded and fried beef steak) hearty soups, cheese empanadas, and sweet treats like alfajores (sandwich cookies)— making it one of the few spots in Los Angeles where you can savor the range of Bolivian cuisine without hopping on a flight.

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

For single Angelenos, dating in L.A. can feel a little like going to a Dodgers game by yourself. Despite being surrounded by people in every direction, somehow, you’re still completely alone.

Enter Drafted, a three-year-old singles event series built around a simple truth: plenty of Angelenos who love sports are also looking for love. Drafted brings them together for a low-stakes, enjoyable experience where you can have a few drinks among fellow singles, take in a Dodgers game and potentially meet your soulmate — all in the span of a few hours.

While each Drafted event looks slightly different — including yacht and Halloween parties, as well as events around LAFC and Galaxy games — they all involve the same basic principles: single men and women (as close to a 50/50 ratio as possible) buy tickets to share space while enjoying a sporting event, with icebreaker games and drinks flowing. 

For Dodgers home games, Drafted events include three connected parts: a pregame party at a bar, the Dodgers game itself, and Drafted After Dark, a postgame party at a bar or club open to anyone, regardless of attendance at earlier events. 

The name Drafted is a play on professional sports drafts, in which teams select newcomers for their rosters, and its tongue-in-cheek marketing features sports-inspired copy. Its website urges Angelenos that “it’s time to get drafted,” and encourages them to “stop being a free agent” by getting off the apps “and into the singles section.” For those tired of striking out online, it offers a fun way to potentially meet the love of their life.

Part one: Meet-cute

Singles from a Drafted Dodgers event, pose for a selfie at Dodger Stadium.

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Nick Ducassi

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Any fan of baseball movies is familiar with the sport’s ability to generate life metaphors, and they can easily be adapted to the pursuit of romance: You can’t meet somebody if you don’t step up to the plate; you gotta see a lot of bad pitches to know which to swing at; and sometimes you’re going to strike out no matter how hard you swing. To paraphrase A League of Their Own, while there’s no crying in baseball, there is sometimes crying in dating.

Drafted’s creation in 2024 was personal for founder Jillian Pfeiffer, an avid Dodgers fan who had spent more than a decade unsuccessfully searching for a partner via dating apps. Pfeiffer told The LA Local that apps make dating, “feel very superficial, very shallow” because hopefuls are “judging based off of a few pictures and a few key facts.” 

Then she had an epiphany while attending a game: she was surrounded by thousands of men, but she had no way of knowing which ones were actually single. What if she could fix that?

Pfeiffer leveraged her experience as a business consultant and created Drafted in April 2024.

“[Drafted clients] are looking for real relationships,” Pfeiffer explained. “This isn’t just casual dating.”

Pfeiffer herself is living proof that it works. She met her fiancé, Alex Martinez at one of the first Drafted events. 

“One night changed everything for me,” Martinez told The LA Local. He is Pfeiffer’s right-hand man in more ways than one. In addition to being her fiancé, he helps with the events, playing affable host, introducing nervous singles to one another and keeping the good times moving. 

Pfeiffer rattled off other Drafted successes with ease: “We have a couple who had a baby. They’re the sweetest family. We have another engaged couple, and several couples who have moved in together, live together and are planning a future together.” 

Pfeiffer said they have a waitlist of more than 200 women for every stadium game. She also joked that since she started Drafted two baseball seasons ago, the Dodgers have won the World Series twice.

To get an inside look at a Drafted event, The LA Local went to Opening Day weekend at Dodger Stadium, for a matchup between the Dodgers and the Diamondbacks — and a bit of matchmaking for 100 L.A. singles. 

Part two: The prospects

Fans in the unofficial singles section during a Drafted Dodgers event at Dodger Stadium.

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Nick Ducassi

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The event began with a three-hour pregame party at Audio Graph Beer Co. in downtown Los Angeles.

By the time the DJ was blasting reggaeton and hip-hop and the icebreaker games were underway, the room had the unique energy of a place where everyone wants something — and nobody quite wants to admit it.

Everyone’s headshot is mounted on a board for participants to check out their prospects. There is bass thumping from speakers and there’s a scavenger hunt energy underway. 

Several attendees walked around wielding Drafted bingo cards, which nudged singles to start conversations with prompts and dares, such as finding someone wearing a specific Dodgers jersey or offering fries to a stranger.

As Drafted founder Pfeiffer explained, the games exist “just to force people to make conversation with one another so it doesn’t feel like a sixth-grade dance where men are on one side and women on the other.”

Between the $30 pre-party, the $100-plus Dodgers ticket, parking and other drinks and meals, attendees spent around $200 for the whole experience.

Many at the March event told The LA Local it was the first singles event they had ever attended, and all expressed similar dismay with the state of dating in 2026. 

For 26-year-old Javier Muñoz, one of the younger attendees who had been single for over two years, the appeal was simple: He would “love to be cuffed up.” 

A couple of hours into the pregame festivities, he believed he’d made the right call. “So far, I give it a 10 out of 10,” he said. “The host, everyone’s been pretty nice, pretty cool. It’s outdoors, they got food, got drinks, got games. Overall, I recommend it.”

Katie, 35, another Drafted first-timer, decided to come out because “the apps are boring and kind of outdated. I miss meeting people at bars.” 

“It’s rough in these streets,” she joked. 

Katie must have been especially motivated considering she’s a lifelong Phillies fan — not that she’d let someone’s love of the Dodgers get in the way of a genuine connection. “I mean, I love a little conflict,” she explained. “We can duke it out (in) the playoffs.”

Itzel, 30, said she was seeking “a genuine connection” above all. She added that the vibe of the night really stood out to her. “The community here, the people are just, like, so inviting.”

She described online dating as “a big negative” and said most people on the apps seemed to be there “to kill time.”

Raquel, who describes herself as “30-ish” and looking for a long-term commitment — including a husband — blamed the apps for creating too many options and too little seriousness. 

“Nobody really wants to commit,” she said.

Katie, Itzel and Raquel declined to give a full name for privacy reasons. 

Raquel said she’s tried to meet men through hobbies like walking clubs, running clubs and ceramics classes but hadn’t had much luck. What was she hoping to find at the Drafted event? “Shared values, honesty, loyalty and humor — the old-fashioned stuff.”

Once everyone’s courage was suitably liquefied, the group of 100-plus headed to Dodger Stadium. 

Part Three: Game time

Singles from a Drafted Dodgers event, pose for a selfie at Dodger Stadium.

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Nick Ducassi

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The LA Local

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The singles gathered in the Pavilion section in the outfield — what Drafted calls “The Singles Section” — several rows of bleachers that make it easy to swap seats and sidle up to someone you’ve got your eye on. 

As the game wore on and the drinks kept flowing, most attendees seemed to give into the laid-back atmosphere. After all, even the shyest in the group would be hard-pressed to have a bad time watching back-to-back world champions under the night sky.

While none of the people we chatted with appeared to be making specific progress with any fellow prospects, flirtatious vibes and light conversation filled the singles section. Luckily for the romantic hopefuls, the night still had plenty of hours left to come.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Dodgers were down 2-1 when catcher Will Smith — who hit a decisive 11th-inning home run in the 2025 World Series — stepped to the plate. 

Over 400 feet away in the outfield section, more than 100 single Angelenos in their 30s and 40s watched with bated breath. Smith rewarded their hope by rocketing a two-run home run to center field, delivering a Dodgers win and a metaphor as clear as the Echo Park night sky: As long as they stepped up to the plate, they were never out of the game.

It was just the shot of confidence the Drafted hopefuls needed as they prepared for the event’s final chapter, Drafted After Dark, set to go down at Los Globos dance club in Echo Park. As they shuffled to the exits, the excitement was palpable. In life, as in baseball, who doesn’t love extra innings? 

At the after-hours party, we did spot some people making connections, by which we mean, of course, making out. We won’t name names — mostly because it was hard to see in the dim lights of the Los Globos dance floor — out of respect for people’s privacy. 

But let’s just say that at Drafted After Dark, anything can happen — including meeting the love of your life in real life, no swiping required.

Singles from a Drafted Dodgers event, dance at an after party in Echo Park.

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Nick Ducassi

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The LA Local

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