The Brief

The vast swath of land over the hill known as the San Fernando Valley has its own vibe, and we're diving in.

At this point, LAist has explored over 60 restaurants in and around L.A. in our never-ending journey to discover the best meals to be had across Los Angeles for around $10. But somehow, this is our first proper outing to the Valley itself.

The West Valley neighborhoods of Canoga Park and Winnetka felt like a great place to start, with everything from classic eateries to immigrant-owned establishments.

Here are five of our favorite dishes — including bites from Latin America, L.A.-style chili dogs, Halal chicken and lamb platters, Korean barbecue burritos — that make for a perfect summation of the valley's rich tapestry of cultures and cuisines.

Cupid's Hot Dogs

A chili dog with cheese, and the Chicago Dog.

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This hot dog stand brims with the kind of retro charm we can never get enough of, with a menu to match. Cupid's Hot Dogs has delighted locals for nearly 80 years. It’s been owned and operated by the Walsh family for generations, expanding to several locations. Now it's run by sisters Morgan and Kelly, who took over from their father, Rick, who took it over from his parents, Richard and Bernice Walsh, who started the business.

Start with a Cupid Dog ($5.75), featuring an all-beef hot dog with a natural casing that provides a good snap when bitten into — the mark of a quality dog. It's then topped with their signature chili, made with finely ground beef swimming in a velvety sauce, no beans. It provides an exquisite topping for the dog lying underneath a thin drizzle of yellow mustard and finely diced white onions. I suggest adding grated cheese for that hint of sharpness to the flavor profile.

Given each dog is only a little over $5, you might have room in the budget for a second. It’s a tight menu with only about five options to choose from. So go for the Chicago Dog ($6.75), with yellow mustard, diced white onions, the requisite Chicago-style neon-green relish, two half moons of sliced tomatoes tucked into the bun along a pickle spear, pickled sport peppers for just a touch of briney heat and a dusting of celery salt.

Cupid's take on this Midwestern favorite is accurate, minus the poppy seed bun. However, the fresh-tasting toppings are so transformative you'll barely miss it. Wash down your two hot dogs with a shot of a fountain drink of your choice (.99 cents) and revel in the glory of one of the San Fernando Valley's most iconic bites.

A Cupid Dog — that's a dog with chili — being prepared at Cupid's Hot Dogs.

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Aye Papa Que Rico

1/2 Chicken Combo and Cubano sandwich at Aye Papa Que Rico.

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A place that's almost as fun to visit as it is to say. At Aye Papa Que Rico in Canoga Park, you'll find various dishes best described as pan-Latino. Let us explain: The owners are Cuban, but they noticed most of their customers came from other parts of Latin America, including Mexico, El Salvador, and Colombia. So, they expanded their menu offerings to accommodate everyone's tastes. There's also a full-service panaderia and a juice bar serving up licuados (Mexican-style fruit smoothies).

The first item that caught my eye is the Cubano ($14.99). I’m a lifelong sandwich fan, and the Cubano is one of the all-time greats. The foot-long affair arrives at your table, sliced on the bias, revealing the roasted pork, mortadella, melted Swiss cheese, mayo, mustard and sliced pickles inside. It's all pressed together on Cuban bread, which rides the line between a French baguette and an Italian-style sub roll with the textured outside and soft inside making for an excellent bite.

It also comes with a side of green salsa. Yes, you read that correctly. Aye Papa embraces a sense of Latinidad, down to the condiments. A proper splash of the good green stuff brings a rush of spice-tinged acidity that will make you wonder why more people aren’t doing this to their Cubano.

For the same price as the Cubano, you can also opt for their 1/2 Chicken Combo ($14.99), which is citrus-marinated and then flamed grilled that will make you think of backyard barbecues with friends and family while an oldies soundtrack plays in the background. The meal includes your choice of sides: black or pinto beans, rice, plantains, tortillas and salsa, enough to feed two people or take leftovers home.

Make sure to take advantage of the Latin American sodas available. We opted for Ironbeer (not really beer), a Cuban soft drink with a similar taste to Dr. Pepper but more fruit-forward. You'll undoubtedly say to yourself, "Que rico!" at the end of your meal as you lick your fingers afterward.

The exterior at Aye Papa Que Rico, where Latin foods all come together.

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Chilenazo

Spinach and cheese empanadas at Chilenazo, served alongside a green salad and dipping sauces.

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There’s a strip mall everywhere in this part of town. But sometimes, you get lucky, and there are two gems situated right next to each other: Chilenazo is located only a few doors down from Aye Papa Que Rico.

The humble yet cozy space specializes in bakery and cafe items from Chile. When quality empanadas are on offer, we are there. Favorites include the seasoned ground beef, made with minced onions, hard-boiled eggs, black olives, and raisins. There's also a range of vegetarian options that include spinach, as well as a mushroom and cheese version — $4 each. All featured a golden brown crust that gives the impression they were made with the utmost care. If you are there for lunch, opt for one of the specials, which comes with two empanadas with a side of fries ($12) or salad ($13).

There’s also the humita ($8), a South American tamal originating with the indigenous Quechua people. The name refers to the preparation method: Fresh corn is pounded into a paste and then formed into a coarse masa dough seasoned with onion and basil and then wrapped in a corn husk. Another distinguishing aspect is their size. They're enormous, almost double or triple that of a Mexican-style tamal. Once unwrapped, pour some of the signature salsa for a bite that encapsulates sweetness and a slight spice.

Let's top off the meal by grabbing a chilenito ($4). It’s an elegant cookie sandwich dessert that is a close relative of the Argentinian alfajores, only it’s filled with manjar, Chile's version of dulce de leche, and then lightly dipped in meringue. The combination of textures from the cookie wafer, the creamy filling, and the tanginess of the outer layer of the meringue makes a perfect final chorus.

The interior at Chilenazo, where there are many bites to choose from.

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New York Chicken & Gyro

Drip wings at New York Chicken & Gyro.

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We have long been fascinated by New York City's halal street carts. Like the taco stands in L.A., they're primarily immigrant-operated and found on almost every corner.

Much to our delight, popular chains like The Halal Guys, which originated in NYC, have finally spread West. Now, enter New York Chicken & Gyro, which has locations here, West L.A. and Pasadena. There’s a lot tp love about this place, starting with a large graffiti mural that's an equal ode to New York and Los Angeles culture, signifying their peaceful coexistence. Then there's the booming hip-hop score along with the many flatscreen TVs playing seemingly everything from sports to cult films, all of which manage to capture a specific vibe.

There are plenty of options, from gyros made with fluffy pita bread to burgers and fries. But it was the platter section of the menu that we ended up drifting towards. There's seemingly a little bit of everything to choose from, including fried swai and falafel. We decided to go with the mix platter ($11.43). It contains a combination of marinated chicken chunks and ribbons of grilled lamb, mixed with grilled onions and served over a bed of basmati rice alongside a simple house salad topped with their savory sauce that provides a bright, creamy acidity. It's plenty of food, that's for sure, so you can plan on leftovers. Stir it up with your fork for a stellar combination of textures and flavors we couldn't seem to get enough of.

If you want to kick things into overdrive, go for the Drip Wings ($12.47). These half-dozen fried chicken wings are drowned in house-made sauces, including white, barbecue, and hot sauce sprinkled with paprika. Something about the Frankenstein combination of the sauces and the crispy texture of the fried chicken batter seriously appeals to the senses. Just remember to grab a few extra napkins beforehand.

The exterior of the New York Chicken & Gyro.

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Maru Bowl-ritto

The Bulgogi Kimchi Ritto at Maru Bowl-Ritto.

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For our last and final stop, we visited, you guessed it … another restaurant in another strip mall. That's right, but this time, and maybe we’ve just entered the “curiouser and curiouser” portion of our voyage through the wild and wonderful West Valley, the spots seem to be getting smaller. No worries, though, as it only adds to the charm.

Maru Bowl-ritto is a name that piqued my curiosity. The counter-only space offers Korean rice bowls and what they playfully call Korean burritos. But what exactly is a Korean burrito here? Picture a giant sushi roll enveloped in a generous seaweed sheet with an outer layer of white rice. Inside, you'll find a delightful mix of marinated beef bulgogi, fresh Kimchi, fried onion, curly bits of lettuce, cucumber and a fried egg. And if you're up for a kick, you can make it spicy. Trust me, it's a pleasant heat that won't overpower your taste buds but only enhances the flavors. The spicy kimchi, sweet-tasting bulgogi and the added vegetables sing perfectly together, making this an excellent lunch on the go.

Maru Bowl-Ritto

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The math club at Bella Vista Elementary School is not a quiet affair — not with more than a dozen 10- and 11-year-olds stacking sets of mahjong.

But before the games can begin, it's time for math lessons.

"Remind me, math is the study of what?" fourth grade teacher Andy Luong asks the class.

Buena Vista elementary school teacher Andy Luong goes over different elements of mahjong with the afterschool math club.

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Some of the 16 students that make up the mahjong math club at Bella Vista Elementary, with club co-founder Rachel Hwang.

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"Pattern, patterns," the kids say.

Luong clicks through several slides, each featuring a mahjong tile the students call "seven sticks."

 "When you first learned this tile, what did you use to memorize this?" Luong, co-founder of the Mahjong Math Club, asks.

"They look like sticks," a boy says.

Luong locks in on a slide for a few seconds, just a flash. It features six tiles, divided into two rows. He asks the class how many tiles they see.

 "Three on the top and three on the bottom," a girl says. " So when I saw the pattern, I was like, 'Oh, it's six.'"

Luong nods. " Recognizing those patterns are a lot faster than counting 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6," he says.

The game that never goes out of style

The tile game of mahjong is believed to have started in China in the 19th century, after decades if not centuries of evolution. It spread globally, adopting regional specificities, including in the U.S. after it landed in the late 1910s from Shanghai by way of an American businessman. A few decades later, a group of Jewish American women established the National Mah Jongg League in New York.

The game never stopped being a staple of Chinese and many Asian cultures — anywhere in the world.

Intergenerational Mahjong is a monthly series held in Monterey Park, one of many new mahjong social clubs in L.A.

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In recent years, fueled in part by the COVID-19 shutdown, an interest in the game has sparked among young Asian Americans. They form or attend social clubs in L.A. dedicated to the pastime, creating their own bond with the game.

Luong is one of them. When he was growing up in Illinois, the game came with certain connotations.

" Mahjong has such a bad rap in the Asian American community," Luong said, who moved to the San Gabriel Valley about a decade ago. "Part of a big reason why my parents don't play is because they associate it with gambling."

The 30-year-old finally gave the game a spin in 2024, learning it from third grade teacher and math club co-founder Rachel Hwang. She cut her teeth by watching her family play. Naturally, she threw Luong in the deep end.

" I was like, 'Here, we're just gonna play,'" Hwang said. " I just put the tiles on."

"I was so overwhelmed. It's like, 'What do you mean I had to get a set? A set of how much?' I'm like, 'I don't know what I'm doing,'" he said.

Still, Luong fell head over heels, quickly becoming a regular at the mahjong social clubs (in fact, it was at one of those events where I first met him) and a student of the game.

In learning it, Luong figured out how to teach it.

Principal Jennifer Martinez of Bella Vista Elementary in Monterey Park

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"He was the one [that] as a learner didn't grow up playing this game," Hwang said. "He was the one that found the tutorials, watched the tutorials, and he really, from a learner's perspective, figured out what a kid needed to learn and how they needed to learn in order to play the game."

Last year, Luong submitted a proposal to start a math club focused on mahjong at the school.

" It was pretty much slam dunk. It explores other avenues of the cultural experience that we want our students to learn," said Jennifer Martinez,  principal of Bella Vista Elementary School.  "It was something that we wanted to get off the ground right away and support."

Since September, the club has been meeting on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. It was so popular Luong and Hwang brought in help to run the club.

“ I don't feel like they're really doing math,” said Ruolin Chen, a kindergarten teacher who was recruited. "It's like they're learning from playing or playing from learning.”

Let the games begin

Fifth graders Emily Le and Brianna Azpeitia at the mahjong math club.

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Fifth grader Liam Torres.

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Back in the classroom, Luong clicks to a last slide to remind the club how to maximize "points" with certain "hands." This semester, the club is playing Hong Kong style mahjong — three point minimum win.

Finally, it's game time. The group of mainly fourth and fifth graders take their seats at the tables: mixing the tiles, stacking them into starting formation, casting the die, so on and so forth.

Then, they build their hand, meticulously rearranging the 13 tiles according to their suits — or in math club parlance, patterns.

The clank of tiles and sounds of "pong" and "gong" soon fill the air.

Pattern recognition, strategy, situational awareness, probability, learning when to pivot or to fold — those are some of the learnings the math club intends.

"Andy is so structured," Hwang said of Luong's design of the club. " The first two weeks, they didn't even play a game. It was like, 'Let's look at the tiles. How many tiles do you see? Pick out and group them into sets.'"

Fifth grader Uma Alvarado.

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Fifth grader Benjamin Garcia.

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Fifth grader Uma Alvarado shows me her hand. She's going all "pong" — trying to assemble four sets of three identical tiles. It'd be worth three points if she wins.

Alvarado says what brings her to the club is the opportunity to hang out with her schoolmates. But trying something new is pretty cool too.

"I get to mix the tiles and find new ways to play a game I have never been introduced to before," she adds.

At another table, fourth grader Bonnie Kuang says the game keeps her on her toes.

Fourth grader Bonnie Kuang (left) and fifth grader Ian Maldonado.

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Fourth grader Sofia Mandic explains how the club has taught her pattern recognition.

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"I think it's fun to use different strategies, and maybe I need to change strategy mid-game," Kuang said. "And I like it when I win."

Sofia Mandic, her same grade classmate and opponent across the table, says the pace of the game makes quick tile recognition key.

"You need to think fast. You need to think to yourself if you need it or not," Mandic says, because oftentimes, there are just seconds to make a decision.

Bringing mahjong into the classroom

Pattern recognition, strategy, situational awareness, probability, learning when to pivot or to fold — those are some of the learnings the math club intends.

"Andy is so structured," Hwang said of Luong's design of the club. " The first two weeks, they didn't even play a game. It was like, 'Let's look at the tiles. How many tiles do you see? Pick out and group them into sets.'"

It's all part of a teaching method known as "counting collections" that focuses on hands-on, student-centered learning experiences to build informal math knowledge. It's one aspect of a body of research called Cognitively Guided Instruction, which all math teachers at Bella Vista are trained in. Luong is applying it to guide his approach.

A slide used in the mahjong math club to teach kids how to calculate points.

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A slide used in the mahjong math club teaching kids how to increase points with certain combinations.

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" We need to have them see there's four different types of tiles. There's [Chinese] characters, there's sticks, circles, and there's honorary tiles," Luong said. "They're not going to know unless they actually see it and they use their hands."

Even then, it's a lot to process. It could be downright overwhelming when a kid has to juggle all the elements all at once during game play.

"The very first time that we actually started playing, some of them didn't finish a game. It took an entire period," Luong said.

It took about a month into the club before the mechanics of the game — things like drawing a tile, discarding the ones they don't want — became routine; and another two months for the kids to play faster and without supervision.

Teachers Rachel Hwang, Ruolin Chen and Andy Luong. They run the Mahjong Math Club at Bella Vista Elementary in Monterey Park.

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"A lot of the students who don't know Mandarin, or have any Chinese background, are starting to recognize the characters. I'm really proud to say that," Luong said.

Ultimately, the teachers want the kids to take away from the game a lesson about life.

"What we really want the kids to do is not to have such a fixed mindset," Luong said.

" We want them to, A) be flexible, B) change up your game plan," Hwang said. "It's OK. Life is going to throw curve balls at you."

Updated April 26, 2026 at 11:13 AM ET

President Trump and the first lady are uninjured after a shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday in Washington, D.C. A suspect is in custody, according to a statement from the U.S. Secret Service.

In remarks from the White House after the incident, the president said a Secret Service agent is "doing great" after being shot in a bulletproof vest. The Secret Service said the incident took place at a security screening area inside the Washington Hilton hotel near the entrance to the main ballroom where the event was taking place. There are no reports of further injuries.

The suspect has been identified as Cole Allen, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Trump shared surveillance footage online which appears to show law enforcement reacting to an assailant sprinting through an area of the hotel. He also posted pictures of a man, shirtless, with his eyes closed lying face down on a carpet.

Cole is being charged with using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon, with more charges likely, according to Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia.

At a law enforcement press conference, Jeffery Carroll of DC's Metropolitan Police said that the suspect "was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives." Law enforcement said they believe the suspect was a guest at the hotel.

He was evaluated at a local hospital after the incident and was not hit by gunfire, according to law enforcement.

Getty Images photographer Andrew Harnik takes photos as a security official points his weapon after an incident at the annual White House Correspondents' Association Dinner.

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A chaotic scene

Gunshots were heard by gathered reporters shortly after 8:30 p.m. ET. Several guests were seen fleeing the ballroom where hundreds of journalists, politicians and attendees were gathered — including Trump, Vice President Vance and other members of the administration.

Video from inside the room showed security quickly clear the guests on the main stage — including the president and first lady. Someone can be heard shouting "stay down."

President Trump took to social media shortly after being rushed out to praise the Secret Service.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is taken out of the ballroom by security agents during a shooting incident at the annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner.

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"Quite an evening in D.C. Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job. They acted quickly and bravely. The shooter has been apprehended," Trump wrote.

The president said in a later post that all cabinet members are safe.

"I said earlier tonight that journalism is a public service, because when there is an emergency, we run to the crisis, not away from it. And on a night when we are thinking about the freedoms in the First Amendment, we must also think about how fragile they are," Weijia Jiang, the president of the correspondents' association, said. "I saw all of you reporting, and that's what we do. Thank God everybody's safe and and thank you for coming together tonight. We will do this again."

First lady Melania Trump and President Trump were sitting next to each other just before they were rushed out of the ballroom at the Washington Hilton.

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Several members of Congress were seen leaving the event by foot, including Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla.

"I said earlier tonight that journalism is a public service, because when there is an emergency, we run to the crisis, not away from it. And on a night when we are thinking about the freedoms in the First Amendment, we must also think about how fragile they are," Weijia Jiang, the president of the correspondents' association, said. "I saw all of you reporting, and that's what we do. Thank God everybody's safe and and thank you for coming together tonight. We will do this again."

Attacks on Trump and the press

Both the president and members of the press have been targeted for violence in recent years.

During his 2024 reelection effort, Trump was injured in a shooting at a July rally in Pennsylvania when a bullet whizzed past his head, grazing his ear. Two attendees were wounded, and rally-goer and former fire chief Corey Comperatore was killed.

A Secret Service sniper shot and killed the perpetrator.

In September 2024, a Secret Service agent saw a man holding a semi-automatic rifle hidden in the tree line at Trump International in West Palm Beach. The suspect fled in his car and was arrested a short time later.

White House Correspondents Association President and CBS Senior White House Correspondent Weijia Jiang pauses while coming back to the stage to speak after a shooting incident at the annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner.

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He was later sentenced to life in prison.

During the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol building, more than a dozen journalists were attacked in targeted assaults by rioters, according to a tally by the Freedom of the Press foundation. "Murder the media" was etched into a doorway during the attack.

In 2018, a man mailed pipe bombs to people and organizations he perceived to be critics of Donald Trump, including CNN offices in New York and Atlanta. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

The Washington Hilton, which played host to Saturday's dinner, is also the site of past political violence — in 1981, President Reagan was shot and seriously wounded outside of the hotel.

Three others were also injured in the attack, including Reagan's press secretary James Brady, who sustained brain damage and was permanently disabled in the attack. He became a gun control activist, successfully lobbying alongside his wife Sarah Brady for a background check system for firearm sales.

The White House Press Briefing Room, where Trump made brief remarks after the incident, was later renamed in his honor.

Deepa Shivaram and Ryan Lucas contributed to this report.

Copyright 2026 NPR

Before they ever picked up a paintbrush, youth artists behind a new mural in MacArthur Park started by listening.

“We interviewed people in MacArthur Park about their experiences living in the community,” said Tania Castro, a recent high school graduate and one of 20 young artists who worked on the project. “Some stories were a little bit sad because they said they lost their jobs and they need more opportunities.”

Those conversations shaped “Roots of Our Labor,” a new mural unveiled this week by LA Commons across the street from MacArthur Park. The project, led by artists Luis Mateo and Shakir Manners, draws from stories collected in a yearlong process from more than 75 residents in and around MacArthur Park.

Castro says those stories were about more than struggle.

“They also said they loved the community. In the park, you can see a lot of vendors selling things like fruit and ice cream,” she said. “And the kids love it.”

Youth artists and members of LA Commons pose for a photo in front of the "Roots of our labor" mural during its unveiling event on Thursday, April 23, in MacArthur Park.

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The mural shows a tree bearing avocados and oranges, with a trunk made of intertwined hands and a farmer harvesting the fruit. On one side, a tamale vendor is depicted selling food, and on the other, an ice cream vendor pushes a cart as children gather around him. In the background, scenes from MacArthur Park play out. 

In a neighborhood where ongoing immigration raids have fueled fear and instability, and where MacArthur Park is often defined by visible homelessness and crime, organizers said the mural is intended to highlight the diverse communities who live there and to frame the park as a shared space of connection, culture and daily life.

“I enjoyed making it because it really teaches us about the importance of community and being more inclusive and kind to each other,” said high school artist Leslie Gonzalez. “Most of the people we talked to told us about their backgrounds and they weren’t that pleasant but they still pushed through and got together for each other.”

Painted in March at the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN), the mural is installed on the southeastern side of the UCLA James Lawson Jr. Worker Justice Center.

“Immigrants are critical to the community, especially here in MacArthur Park,” said Beth Peterson, community arts program director at LA Commons. “And I think the mural does a beautiful job of really sharing that story. It really shows how the hands of immigrants have really hung together to form this very beautiful community that we live in today.” 

Detail of "Roots of Our Labor" mural at UCLA James Lawson Jr. Worker Justice Center. The mural celebrates workers in the Westlake community.

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For the lead artists, working alongside youth was central to how the art took shape.

“This artwork honors both the neighborhood and the people who shape it,” Mateo said. “Working with youth was essential to the process, allowing the mural to emerge from shared reflection rather than a single perspective.”

The new mural builds on LA Commons’ ongoing work in the area, following another mural unveiled last September at MacArthur Park Elementary School. “Roots of Our Labor” is the organization’s second mural supported by Stop the Hate, a statewide initiative led by the Asian American and Pacific Islander community aimed at addressing hate incidents and promoting cross-cultural understanding.

LA Commons, a nonprofit arts organization that creates community-based public art projects through partnerships and a mix of public and private funding, has been in the MacArthur Park area for more than 20 years. Its first public art project in the neighborhood was in 2003. “Roots of Our Labor” is its 22nd public art project in MacArthur Park.

Detail of "Roots of Our Labor" mural at UCLA James Lawson Jr. Worker Justice Center. The mural celebrates workers in the Westlake community.

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Manners, the artist, described the mural as a reflection of what he sees as the underlying spirit of MacArthur Park.

It represents “the unseen hands that sustain communities, emphasizing that true progress is built collectively through persistence, sacrifice and shared purpose,” he said.

For Gonzalez, the mural is personal as well as something tied closely to her community.

“I feel like a light has shone on me and I’m proud of it because I’ve never done anything this big before,” she said. 

The post New mural celebrates labor, multicultural community around MacArthur Park appeared first on LA Local.

The phone lines at the East L.A. Sheriff’s Station are back up after more than two months of outages caused by copper wire theft.  

The update comes just one week after Boyle Heights Beat reported on the issue, and residents raised concerns at a Maravilla Community Advisory Committee (MCAC) meeting on April 7 about difficulty reaching the station by phone for non-emergencies.

According to the East L.A. Sheriff’s Station, service was restored on Thursday, April 23. By Friday, all dispatchers were back working in the station after temporarily operating out of an off-site communications trailer connected via satellite. 

“This was made possible due to the concerted efforts of the East Los Angeles Sheriff Station Captains Hinchman and Kusayanagi, AT&T, and our Communications & Fleet Management Bureau,” the station said in a statement to the Beat. 

The station also thanked Assemblymember Jessica Caloza’s office and community stakeholders who contacted AT&T to express urgency.

Sheriff’s officials previously said they had called Caloza’s office to help speed up repairs by communicating with AT&T.

What went wrong

According to Sgt. Michael Mileski, the outage was caused by an incident on Feb. 13, where several thousand dollars’ worth of copper wiring was stolen from an electrical vault near the station. Fiber optic cables were damaged in the process, which affected a significant portion of the Eastern Avenue corridor in Boyle Heights and East L.A., disrupting phone lines for 100,000 residents for five days, Mileski said. 

AT&T said in a statement that copper cable outages generally take five times longer to repair on average than fiber outages. 

Copper wire theft has plagued the Eastside in recent years, leaving communities in the dark and disabling public facilities.  

LA Documenter Alex Medina 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

The story Phone lines restored at East LA Sheriff’s Station after 2-month outage due to copper wire theft appeared first on LA Local.