The Brief

It’s rare when the fútbol powers that be regale the masses with serious competitions in the USA —which is why stateside lovers of the beautiful game should rejoice!

For just the second time in its 100+ year history, the Copa América will return to the U.S., with South America’s finest teams competing against each other across 12 American cities.

Messi and Argentina, Vinicius and Brazil, Darwin and Uruguay, etc. will also face the U.S. and Mexico, and other rivals from North and Central America and the Caribbean.

Thankfully, Los Angeles is one of the host cities. Tens of thousands of lucky soccer fans will swarm SoFi Stadium for one or two of the games: Brazil vs Costa Rica on June 24 and Venezuela vs Mexico on June 26.

If you don’t have a ticket, you can still join in the festivity. There will be plenty of places for fans to watch, cry and celebrate all the drama a soccer tournament brings with it.

The following list include a few recommendations for each participating nation*. Wherever you go and whomever you root for, may the fútbol gods be in your favor.

*Unfortunately, we could not find any events or restaurants in L.A. that specialize solely in the cuisines of Canada, Costa Rica, Paraguay or Uruguay. We hope this state of affairs is fixed by 2026 when the FIFA World Cup comes to town!

ARGENTINA

Mercado Buenos Aires

The first thing one notices when entering either of the Mercado Buenos Aires locations are the jerseys framed on the walls and scarves from Argentinian teams hung aloft. The jerseys of many legends of Argentine balompie are lined up in a football version of the Catholic stations of the cross.

The second thing one notices is the large mural depicting both Diego Armando Maradona, the deceased legend sometimes referred to as D10s, and his sporting heir Lionel Messi, global superstar and current captain of La Albiceleste.

While fans won’t be able to watch Messi & Co. live in Los Angeles, they will able to do so beside his mural while imbibing on the best of Argentine cuisine. Dine in and hit up the small grocery store inside to take some pastries, wines and sauces home.

Malbec Argentina

Malbec is the spot if you want to get fancy with it. The skirt steaks are amazing, and there aren’t enough adjectives to convey the mouth-watering wonders of their seafood menu. The Eagle Rock location includes a small market where you can purchase wines and other goodies; the Pasadena location has the TVs to watch Argentina attempt to retain its title as champion. The latter also features live music and tango on occasion.

BOLIVIA

Pao’s Pastries & Cafe

Options for Bolivian food are limited in L.A. Simply put, it’s one of the South American diasporas and gastronomy least represented in these parts. Thankfully, Pao’s Pastries & Cafe has held it down as the only Bolivian food restaurant in the county since 2019. The family-run business serves up numerous staples of Bolivian cuisine. You want silpancho? You GOT silpancho! You want cuñapes? You GOT cuñapes! And so forth.

The place is small, but if you get there in time, you’ll be able to enjoy a meal and the games. We recommend ordering a big batch of salteñas (Bolivian empanadas) for your watch party.

BRAZIL

Café Brasil

Cruise down Washington Blvd. in Culver City and you’ll eventually come upon a pair of brightly colored, tropical vibing buildings. One of those buildings is Cafe Brasil, home to a variety of Brazilian cuisine, all day breakfast, tropical juices, and delicious coffee. It’s like a mini version of Rio de Janeiro!

The building next door is a Brazilian-themed motel. We’ll let you explore that one on your own.

H&H Brazilian Steakhouse 

Do you love meat, barbecue, Brazil and restaurants with hundred dollar steaks? Have we got the spot for you! Celebrate a win by Brazil by bringing your group of friends to H&H for the churrasco experience! It may not have the futbol samba vibe you’ll want during a game, but you’ll eat real good!

Locations and hours:

CHILE

Rincón Chileno

This unassuming spot on Melrose near LACC has been a hidden gem for decades. Once inside Rincón Chileno, you’ll be warped into a cafe in Santiago and treated to your choice of Chilean delicacies. A single widescreen TV in the main room won’t distract from the taste of your tilapia or milanesa. Don’t forget to grab some empanadas, baked with fresh dough in-house, and wine to go from the attached delicatessen next door.

COLOMBIA

El Paisa

El Paisa in Long Beach (not to be confused with the various eateries throughout L.A. county of the same/similar name that serve Mexican cuisine) feels like a nonstop party no matter the time of day. Don’t be surprised if you walk in during the middle of someone’s amazing karaoke number. If you’re truly lucky, the karaoke will also include a band playing the song live instead of the karaoke machine. Take that energy and multiply by infinity when Colombia plays during the tournament!

La Fonda Antioqueña

La Fonda may not have live music or karaoke serenades, but it still offers great food and a wonderful atmosphere. You may even find yourself rooting on Colombia next to a celebrity, Colombian or otherwise, as many have been known to stop by (as evidenced by all the photographs on one wall).

ECUADOR

La Casita de Cancún Olé

L.A. was once home to a few amazing Ecuadorian food restaurants. Unfortunately, many of them have closed down in recent years. Thankfully, one of the best still stands strong: Cancún Olé. The owners shut down their brick & mortar location (minus the occasional holiday event) and moved everything into their home, hence the new name of La Casita de Cancún Olé.

During the 2022 World Cup, the owners set up a few TVs inside the living room and others outside in the front patio along with a DJ, a sound system, a karaoke machine and LOTS of food that seemed to float endlessly out of the kitchen. We expect this same setup this summer and also expect to cheer, laugh, sing and dance together with Ecuador’s diaspora, just like we did two years ago.

JAMAICA

Wah Gwaan Jamaican Kitchen and Bar

The motto that the fine folks at Wah Gwaan live by is “Good food. Good vibes.” If they weren’t so humble, they would probably switch it up to “Great food. Great vibes” because that would be more accurate. The jerk chicken is well-known as some of the best you can get off the island, and someone out there has surely written an epic poem as an ode to their curry shrimp.

The staff at Wah Gwaan recently celebrated their two-year anniversary with an outdoor party in the parking lot complete with music, good food and good vibes. There’ll be plenty of food and positive vibes here each time Jamaica plays during the tournament. They also do catering if you want to host the food and vibes at your watch party.

MÉXICO

There are literally too many events and restaurants for the Mexican national team to list here. You can go out and cheer/jeer with total strangers at dozens of locations or keep it chill at home with the kids and grandparents. Our take? Read on!

El Pescador 

The Ortiz family opened its first El Pescador location in 1983 in Bell Gardens. 40 years later, they’ve expanded to 15 locations in four counties. The Carson location is one of the latest to open up and features a large lounge and bar area in the front (aka Cantina #11) that’s great for watching live games.

There are multiple screens on every wall, a firme sound system, a DJ area and, if time schedules coincide, a live mariachi for serenatas.

Don Chente Bar & Grill

This restaurant is nestled on one side of Plaza La Alameda where Huntington Park meets Walnut Park meets Florence-Graham. There’s a huge statue of Chente outside for all your influencer needs, and this particular location also sells pulque once in a blue agave moon.

There are other locations spread throughout L.A. if you’re not up for the drive…but you also won’t have bronze Chente by your side!

Estrella Jalisco will also host watch parties for specific games in the plaza with a stage, music and a massive screen. They have not announced which games yet as of this publication.

PANAMA

Caribbean Soul Kitchen LA

The pride of Panama is on Wilshire Blvd. between Detroit and Cloverdale: Caribbean Soul Kitchen LA. You can’t miss it: it’s the brightest spot on the block! Here you’ll find husband-and-wife duo Chef RJ and Mercedes serving up dishes from Panama plus some Jamaican delicacies tossed in for good measure (chef is Panamanian with a Jamaican grandfather).

They’re still working out the logistics for two of the three games scheduled so far, as they fall on days they are typically closed. Call ahead to see if they’ll open for the games or if they’ll be catering a watch party somewhere.

Si-Mon

Upscale, swanky and laidback! Head down to Venice for the post-game vibes (no TVs here) at this newly opened spot S¡!-Mon and celebrate/mourn with the amazing seafood options and a delicious cocktail. Definitely make a reservation though!

PERU

El Agachadito

El Agachadito is a classic and timeless success story. The family-owned and operated business began in the family garage where the owners, the in-laws and the kids all helped cook and serve Peruvian dishes. The family eventually opened a stand in Van Nuys until graduating to a physical location in Panorama City...which opened just last month! Celebrate with the family by catching a game with a fistful of anticuchos.

Casa Chaskis

Casa Chaskis is where you go if you want to relive your trip to Cusco...or just say that you did without anyone knowing that you didn’t! You’ll have the added benefit of not suffering from altitude sickness (IYKYK). The space boasts a large patio, lots of beautiful art related to Peru and the Andes and loads of Peruvian gastronomy staples from the appetizers to the main dishes (white meat, dark meat AND seafood) to desserts. And if you’re still on the fence about it, I have two words for you: maracuya cheesecake!

UNITED STATES

This is the host nation’s second time playing the Copa América tournament. The Stars & Bars reached the semifinal in 2016, falling to Messi and Argentina, and will no doubt be looking to take it all this time as the new generation of U.S. players continues to leave its imprint on its way to hosting the next World Cup.

Here are a few options:

33 Taps DTLA 

33 Taps in downtown L.A. is the official home of the American Outlaws, a fan group dedicated to supporting the US national team. Wear your favorite U.S. jersey (bonus points for the ‘94 kit!) and join in the chants if you “believe that we will win!” There are also locations in Silver Lake and Culver City if you want to chant “YOU-ESS-AYE” in a different zip code. Plus they have plenty of non-alcoholic options for the designated driver in your group.

Tom’s Watch Bar, LA Live (and other locations)

The home of “All The Sports. All The Time.” And they’re not kidding! Tom’s promises to host every single match during the Copa América, which they’ll do alongside every other sport in season thanks to eleventy billion screens providing wall-to-wall coverage. Get lost in Christian Pulisic’s eyes and Ricardo Pepi’s ears in surround 4k HD!

VENEZUELA

Chamo Venezuelan Cuisine

If heaven were nothing but arepas and empanadas, it would probably look like Chamo. This spot off Colorado has grown since its opening in 2017 and currently features more than a dozen arepas and a half-dozen empanadas. There are also rotating seasonal specials and Venezuelan chicha (different from its Peruvian and Colombian cousins).

Cariaco Venezuelan Food

It’s a shame that Cariaco is to-go because there’s lots of great food here that deserves to be savored on the spot. That doesn’t knock it down any pegs on our scale though. The arepas are large enough to feed your watch party with one order (slight exaggeration!). Order early and order ahead along with some goods from the market inside.

California clocked its second-worst snowpack on record Wednesday, a potentially troubling signal ahead for fire season.

It’s an alarming end to a winter that saw abnormally dry conditions briefly wiped from California’s drought map in January, for the first time in a quarter-century.

Though precipitation to date has been near average, much of it fell as rain rather than snow. Then March’s record-breaking heat melted most of the snow that remains. The state’s major reservoirs are nevertheless brimming above historic averages and are flirting with capacity, and a smattering of snow, rain and thunderstorms are dousing last month’s heat wave.

But experts now warn that California’s case of the missing snowpack could herald an early fire season in the mountains.

On Wednesday, state engineers conducting the symbolic April 1 snowpack measurement at Phillips Station south of Lake Tahoe found no measurable snow in patches of white dotting the grassy field.

“I want to welcome you call to probably one of the quickest snow surveys we’ve had — maybe one where people could actually use an umbrella,” joked Karla Nemeth, director of the California Department of Water Resources. “We’re getting a lot of questions about are we heading into a hydrologic drought? The answer is, I don’t know.”

State data reports that California’s snowpack is closing out the season at an alarming 18% of average statewide, and an even more abysmal 6% of average in the northern mountains that feed California’s major reservoirs.

Only the extreme drought year of 2015 beat this year’s snowpack for the worst on record, measuring in at just 5% of average on April 1st, when the snow historically is at its deepest.

“I think everyone's anticipating that it will be a long, busy fire season,” said Lenya Quinn-Davidson, director of the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources Fire Network.

“Without a snowpack, and with an early spring, it just means that there’s much more time for something like that to happen.”

‘It’s pretty bizarre up here’ 

In the city of South Lake Tahoe, which survived the massive Caldor Fire in the fall of 2021 without losing any structures, fire chief Jim Drennan said his department is already ramping up prevention efforts.

“It's pretty bizarre up here right now. It really seems like June conditions more than March,” Drennan said. “People are already turning the sprinklers on for their lawns.”

Without more precipitation, an early spring may complicate prescribed burning efforts. But Drennan said fire agencies in the Tahoe basin can start mechanically clearing fuels from forest areas earlier than usual.

“That means we can get more work done,” he said.

It also means homeowners need to start hardening their homes now, said Martin Goldberg, battalion chief and fuels management officer for the Lake Valley Fire Protection District, which protects unincorporated communities in the Lake Tahoe Basin’s south shore.

Goldberg urges residents to scour their yards for burnable materials, create defensible space and reach out to local fire departments with questions. The risks are widespread — from firewood, wooden fences, gas cans, plants, pine needles — even lawn furniture stacked against a house.

“In years past, I wouldn't even think of raking and clearing until May,” Goldberg said. “But my yard's completely cleared of snowpack, and it has been for a couple weeks now.”

‘A haystack fire’

Battalion chief David Acuña, a spokesperson for Cal Fire, said fire season is shaped by more than just one year’s snowpack.

Climate change has been remaking California’s fire seasons into fire years. And California’s recent average to abundant water years have fueled what Acuña called “bumper crops of vegetation and brush.”

“Most of California is like a haystack. And if you’ve ever seen a haystack fire, they burn very intensely because there's layers of fuel,” Acuña said.

Like Quinn-Davidson, Acuña wasn’t ready to make specific predictions about fires to come.

But John Abatzoglou, a professor of climatology at UC Merced, said the temperatures and snowpack conditions this year offer a glimpse of California in the latter decades of this century, as fossil fuel use continues to drive global temperatures higher.

How this year’s fires will play out will depend on when, where and how wind, heat, fuel and ignitions combine. But it foreshadows the consequences of a warmer California for water and fire under climate change.

“This,” Abatzoglou said, “is yet another stress test for the future in the state.”

This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.

Thousands of immigrants who are lawfully in California are set to lose their food assistance benefits, known as CalFresh, starting this month.

The new restrictions stem from H.R. 1 — also known as the “Big Beautiful Bill” — which Congress passed last year.

The changes remove eligibility for certain noncitizens, including people with refugee status and victims of trafficking. It also applies to immigrants from Iraq and Afghanistan who have special immigrant visas for helping the U.S. government overseas.

 ”These are folks … many of whom have large families that we have a commitment to as a country because we welcomed them and invited them here to find a place of refuge,” said Cambria Tortorelli, president of the International Institute of Los Angeles, a refugee resettlement agency. “They’re authorized to work and they’ve been brought here by the U.S. government.”

The federal spending bill, H.R. 1, made sweeping cuts to social safety net programs, including food assistance and Medicaid. In signing the bill, President Donald Trump said the changes were delivering on his campaign promises of “America first.”

Officials estimate 23,000 people in Los Angeles County will be affected. The state estimates about 72,000 immigrants with lawful presence will be affected across California.

CalFresh is the state’s version of the federally funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Undocumented immigrants have not been eligible to receive CalFresh benefits.

State officials say noncitizens who are currently receiving benefits will continue to get them until it’s time to renew their benefits — adding that people might be able to receive benefits again if their legal status changes to lawful permanent residents.

Who the changes apply to:

• Asylees
• Refugees
• Parolees (unless they are Cuban and Haitian entrants)
• Individuals with deportation or removal withheld
• Conditional entrants
• Victims of trafficking
• Battered noncitizens
• Iraqi or Afghan with special immigrant visas (SIV) who are not lawful permanent residents (LPR)
• Certain Afghan Nationals granted parole between July 31, 2021, and Sept. 30, 2023
• Certain Ukrainian Nationals granted parole between Feb. 24, 2022, and Sep. 30, 2024