The Brief

Summer is heating up. Need a way to quench your thirst?

Luckily, L.A. is at the center of a drinks revolution: Everywhere you look, someone is putting a fresh new spin on sips, from new school takes on coffee-based drinks to others that take cues from Indigenous roots. It's a perfect time for those looking to expand their horizons — without alcohol.

So grab your favorite reusable straw and join us!

Boba drinks (and more) at Hey Hey

At Hey Hey, Chris Kwok’s pan-Asian boba and coffee shop, the drinks are as gorgeous as their flavors, with a menu that reflects multiple influences. Starting with Hong Kong, where Kwok’s family is from, there’s the Union ($6.50), a mix of black tea and cold brew coffee. It’s inspired by a classic Hong Kong-style drink called Yuen Yeung and is added to salted black sesame cream and boba.

Then there's a Taiwanese influence, with drink toppings such as boba and other flavored jellies like lychee, and milk and fruit teas, where fresh fruit is mixed in. And Vietnam also gets a nod. Hey Hey was recommended by How To LA host Brian De Los Santos, and his favorite drink is the Cafe Seda ($6), inspired by the traditional Vietnamese iced coffee drink made with sweetened condensed milk.

At Hey Hey in Echo Park, cool off with an L.I.T., their version of the Arnold Palmer made with rose lemonade

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The Strike is a Nutella coffee frappe (ice blended) with boba, topped with chocolate drizzle, almonds, and house creme. It's so sweet and creamy that it might inspire you to break into song and dance.

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On the bolder side, we tried the Hey Hey ($7), made with black milk tea added to their house cream, warm boba, and… get ready for it… flan. The flan serves as the drink's base, which provides a layer of sweet texture, not to mention depth, making it a standout.

Looking for even more sweetness? Try the Strike ($7). Kwok modeled the drink after Starbucks’ Frappuccino. His version amps the sugar to the nth degree with a combination of a hazelnut cocoa spread (similar to Nutella) mixed with espresso.

After one sip of the thick, sweet drink, I felt I was reliving my version of that scene from The Simpsons where Bart and Milhouse overdose on sugar, prompting them to “Go crazy Broadway style.” While no musical numbers were performed on my day at Hey Hey, I was taken by the sheer creative effort of Strike and the rest of the drinks consumed that day.

Hey Hey in Cantonese means "double happiness," which is exactly what you'll experience at the cafe founded by Chris Kwok on Sunset Boulevard in Echo Park. The cafe specializes in cool and inventive beverages, not to mention exquisite vibes.

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Tepache and pulque at Mirate 

Tepache is a fermented beverage popular in Mexico. It is made with the rind of pineapple and piloncillo, an unrefined sugar cane. It's also become popular in the United States, where cans are sold in places like 7-11 and in restaurants such as Mirate.

Tepache’s origins go back to the pre-Columbian-era, during the time of the Aztecs. Its name comes from a word in Nahuatl (Mexico’s Aztec language), meaning “drink made from corn,” as that's what it was originally made from.

The beverage director at Mirate is Max Reis, whom I liken to the mad scientist of L.A.’s beverage world. (I covered Mirate earlier this year when I wrote about the release of their canned cocktail, Tu Compa, their take on the Paloma cocktail.)

The tepache ($6) at Mirate is a zero-waste product made from pineapple rinds fermented with piloncillo and toasted spices, including canela (Mexican cinnamon), star anise, and clove.

Enjoy a glass of pulque at Mirate this summer and toast to the gods.

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Mirate's house-made tepache, crafted from pineapple rinds, piloncillo, and an array of toasted spices

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The tepache-making process at Mirate differs from the way the beverage is typically made in Mexico. But, Ries and his team still aim to honor its traditions. The tepache does carry a trace amount of alcohol. However, it’s very low, around 0.5–2% percentage-wise, similar to another beverage Ries serves at Mirate, pulque ($8).

Pulque is made from the fermented agave plant (also known as a maguey in Mexico), similar to tequila and mezcal, whose roots also extend back to the Mesoamerican period. It's known for its cloudy milk-like color, and is a viscous liquid with a slight amount of foam on top, coming from the sap of the agave plant. Its taste contains notes of yeast and a sour flavoring. At Mirate, Reis started serving his pulque via a nitro draft, similar to cold brew coffee or some stout beers such as Guinness. Reis removes the oxygen via the nitro tap, which slows the shelf life, and accentuates the creaminess, removing some of the viscosity.

Mírate dining room creates the feeling of being inside and outside at the same time

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While customers can enjoy tepache and pulque alone, Reis mainly uses them as a base for various cocktails. He also recommends them to diners pre- and post-meal to cleanse the palette and for probiotic qualities to promote gut health and assist with digestion.

The tepache at Mirate offers a rich mouthfeel and almost briny flavoring, even with the toasted spice notes that bring a bright, fresh taste. The pulque has a smoother, lighter consistency with the slightest bit of acidity.

Kava drinks at Kavahana

Heading to the shores of Santa Monica, you’ll discover an oasis that’s a little different from most bars and coffee shops: Kavahana, Los Angeles's first kava nectar bar.

I only recently heard of kava, a beverage made from the kava plant's roots. (This is different from the Spanish sparkling wine known as cava.) The non-alcoholic beverage from the kava plant is only grown in the Pacific Islands, specifically from the volcanic island of Vanuatu. It is cold-pressed and then dried to make a powder, which is later mixed with water and turned into a beverage.

Kava nectar can be bitter in its original form, leaving a tingly taste on your tongue. But it’s known for its kavalactones, advertised to bring about euphoria and relaxation.

Hannah Wilen and partner Neil Bhatia started Kavahana to create an alternative social space that wasn’t dependent on alcohol or caffeine. Willen herself began drinking kava nectar years ago as a way to help her with anxiety and as an alternative to alcohol.

At Kavahana, the Golden Nectar drink is made with kava nectar, turmeric, fresh lemon, ginger, and sparkling water.

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Kavahana, L.A.'s first Kava nectar bar

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The Kavahana space features low lighting and a subdued island motif with a Gen Z aesthetic. Customers can also head to the adjoining patio space outback to play board games. Regular weekly programming consists of open mics, stand-up comedy, and karaoke.

The beverage menu is meant to demystify and entice anyone interested in trying kava nectar-based drinks for the first time. Wilen and Bhatia advise ordering a double or triple shot with all the drinks at Kavahana, to experience the full effect of the drinks' relaxing properties.

Patrons relax while sipping Kava nectar-based beverages at Kavahana Bar in Santa Monica.

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I tried the Beach Nectar ($13), made with kava nectar and blue spirulina (a dietary supplement from blue-green algae), mixed with house coconut foam and vanilla — think creamy cereal milk that leaves a tingle similar to a Sichuan peppercorn. I followed it with the Golden Lemon Nectar ($13), made with kava nectar, turmeric, fresh lemon juice, and sparkling water. It was effervescent and refreshing.

After a few sips, I felt a sense of calmness fall over me, almost as if I were being wrapped up tightly in my favorite blanket.

The mayor of Arcadia has agreed to plead guilty to a charge she acted as an agent for China, federal prosecutors announced Monday. She has resigned from her position with the city.

Eileen Wang, 58, faces one count of acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The charge carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison.

What we know about the criminal case

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Wang and Yaoning “Mike” Sun of Chino Hills worked at the direction of the Chinese government and with individuals based in the U.S. to promote pro-People’s Republic of China propaganda in the United States. Those actions occurred between 2020 and 2022, prosecutors said.

According to federal prosecutors, Wang and Sun operated a website — known as U.S. News Center — billed as a news source for the local Chinese American community in Los Angeles County. They posted content on the site, described as "pre-written articles," based on directives from Chinese government officials.

Sun, 65, pleaded guilty in October 2025 in federal court to acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government. He is serving a four-year federal prison sentence.

Prosecutors also said Wang communicated with John Chen, whom they described as “a high-level member of the [Chinese government] intelligence apparatus,” in November 2021, and asked him to post an article from her website.

In a group chat, Wang referenced the article and wrote: “This is what the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wants to send,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Chen pleaded guilty in New York to acting as an illegal agent of the People’s Republic of China and conspiracy to bribe a public official. In 2024, he was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison.

What's next

Wang, who was elected to the City Council in November 2022, was expected to make her first appearance in U.S. District Court Monday afternoon.

Citing a plea agreement, prosecutors said she's expected to enter the guilty plea within the next few weeks.

Arcadia's mayor is selected from the elected council members. A post on the city's website announced that Wang had resigned her position as of Monday and that a new mayor would be picked from the remaining council members at the next meeting.

The Supreme Court on Monday gave itself more time to consider a national ban on telemedicine access to the abortion pill mifepristone.

Justice Samuel Alito extended an earlier order he issued by three more days, so rules for prescribing mifepristone online or through the mail remain in effect through Thursday at a minimum.

The case at issue

The tumult over the future of telemedicine access to mifipristone started on May 1 with a ruling from the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. That ruling re-instituted prescribing rules from before the pandemic that required patients to receive mifepristone in person in a doctor's office or clinic.

The Food and Drug Administration determined that the rule was medically unnecessary in 2021. The state of Louisiana sued last fall, arguing that telemedicine access undermines the state's abortion ban.

What is telemedicine abortion?

The telemedicine abortion process starts with a patient connecting with a healthcare provider on the phone or online. If the patient is eligible, that provider can prescribe two medications — mifepristone and another pill called misoprostol. Patients can pick up the medicine at a local pharmacy, or providers can mail the drugs to a patient's home.

That access is a big part of the reason why the number of abortions nationally has actually increased since the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion in 2022. Now, most abortions in the U.S. use this combination of medications, and one quarter happen via telemedicine.

After the 5th Circuit ruling, some providers said they would continue offering telemedicine access to abortion medication using a different protocol that involves higher doses of misoprostol and no mifepristone.

Researchers say that method is just as safe and effective, but tends to cause more pain for patients and more side effects, like nausea and diarrhea. Misoprostol has other medical uses, such as treating gastric ulcers and hemorrhage, and has been on the market longer than mifepristone. It is likely to remain fully accessible, even if mifepristone is restricted.

Since the FDA's prescribing rules for medications apply to the whole country, a change to the rules about how mifepristone can be accessed has national impact. That means it affects states with constitutionally-protected access to abortion, states with criminal bans, like Louisiana, and all states in between.

States' rights

Nearly two dozen Democratic-led states submitted an amicus brief in this case, writing that the appeals court decision put the policy choices of states with bans above the choices of states "that have made the different but equally sovereign determinations to promote access to abortion care."

There are also stakes related to the power of FDA and other expert agencies to set rules. While the Trump administration's FDA did not respond to the Supreme Court's request for briefs, a group of former leaders of the agency, who served under mainly Democratic and some Republican presidents, wrote about this in an amicus brief.

They defended the FDA's process in approving the medication and modifying the rules for prescribing it, and say the appeals court decision "would upend FDA's gold-standard, science-based drug approval system."

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