The Brief

"Japanese people, we do not eat too much sushi and ramen, actually. We eat so many different things," says chef Yoya Takahashi.

You've probably noticed that Japanese food in the U.S. has a tendency to fall into certain lanes — sushi, ramen and the like. For Takahashi, after years working in Japanese restaurants across L.A., the repetitive nature of doing the same fish, the same sequence, every day, was driving him almost to his wits' end.

That's when his izakaya concept started to take shape. A drinking and dining experience that was personal and, more importantly, a truer vision of the diverse offerings of Japanese cooking back home. No set menu, a more seasonal approach, Japanese food on its own terms. Basically, whatever the hell he wanted.

The result is Homareya, his izakaya in downtown Long Beach.

What to order

The menu moves with the improvisational ease of a Jerry Garcia guitar solo — unhurried, searching, funky and cool, following the thread wherever it leads, and always landing somewhere that feels inevitable.

It spans the raw, the grilled, the fried, the fermented — Japanese and Californian in equal measure, almost autobiographical in its range. It began with saba nigiri — lightly torched, iridescent skin, 15-year-old vinegar rice, a quiet nod to his sushi roots. Then he moves on to a couple of yakitori skewers — simple and satisfying, approachable and adventurous between the same few bites of chicken thigh and liver. The monkfish karaage arrives looking like chicken and tastes like something better — his non-conforming nature in a single bite.

The Japadilla — a Sonoratown tortilla filled with soy-simmered beef, Jidori egg, konnyaku, mozzarella, sansho pepper and ichimi — is the dish that says everything about Takahashi's cooking.

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Gab Chabrán

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LAist

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Then there's the Japadilla — a Sonoratown tortilla charred over binchotan and filled with soy-simmered beef, Jidori egg, konnyaku (a starchy Japanese root vegetable), mozzarella, sansho pepper and ichimi. Unapologetically Long Beach. Completely his own.

Takahashi regularly visits farmers markets in Long Beach and Cerritos — no further — along with tending a small plot at a community garden a few miles north of the restaurant. His wife Yoshiko Nishibe is the Bob Weir to his Garcia, bringing her own creative spirit to an in-house fermentation program — koji, miso, mirin, fermented soy, all from scratch — and not afraid to experiment with unexpected bases like chickpea and mustard miso, the latter showing up in the firefly squid special, a dish that rewards the curious diner who orders off the menu.

Why Long Beach

Moving to Long Beach 15 years ago, Takahashi fell in love with the bar scene — a city long known for its old-school haunts. It was the individual free spirits he identified with that made it feel like home.

Homareya, on Linden Ave. in downtown Long Beach.

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Courtesy Homareya

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At Homareya, the menu includes sake, wine, and Japanese craft beer, all hand-selected. The wine list itself is a partnership with local bottle shop Buvons, where he sometimes pops up. Then there's the shochu — a Japanese spirit distilled from ingredients like barley, sweet potato, or rice, lighter than most Western spirits and endlessly versatile — which is perhaps the most personal part of the program.

Five selections anchored by the Beni Otome, a sesame shochu that Takahashi serves poured directly over hojicha, a roasted green tea, nutty, herbaceous, and exactly right for a Long Beach summer.

His background

Takahashi grew up in Kyoto, before immigrating to the U.S. in 2000 with only a backpack and a dream of becoming an actor. It makes perfect sense once you look at him — his long grey ponytail, tattooed arms, and unmistakable gruff voice would make him a shoo-in for a bit part in an independent film with the likes of Jim Jarmusch or Wes Anderson.

He ended up washing dishes to pay rent until someone suggested he try making sushi instead — eventually landing in Little Tokyo, where he trained at Hamakawa, a now-closed institution, and later in Gardena at Kanpachi. Learning directly from older Japanese mentors, watching and doing, no internet to fall back on.

The open kitchen at Homareya puts every move in full view of the room.

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Courtesy Homareya

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His grandfather was a stage actor back in Kyoto, and one of those mentors once told him the sushi counter works the same way. Same instincts, different medium — you see it in the quiet, calculated way Takahashi moves before setting a plate down in front of you.

For Takahashi, Homareya represents a reclamation of something: his voice, his cooking, his terms. The name says it plainly — Homare, an alternate reading of the chef's own name, paired with ya, the Japanese word for home. At Homareya, that's not a concept. It's a promise.

The team leading L.A. County’s push to close Men’s Central Jail says a full closure is not feasible in the next five years.

This is yet another delay since the county Board of Supervisors voted in July 2020 to close the jail within one year. A two-year plan was announced in 2021, then a five-year plan in 2024.

The Jail Closure Implementation Team, also known as JCIT, told the Board of Supervisors this week that they’ve outlined a framework that will improve conditions for thousands of people in L.A. County’s justice system, but the steps they’ve identified are still not enough to safely close the jail within the five-year timeline.

Some supervisors expressed frustration in the lack of progress, but restated their commitment to close the jail. They passed a subsequent measure to provide $28 million this year for JCIT’s work.

“Men’s Central Jail is a decrepit, outdated facility inconsistent with human values and basic decency,” Supervisor Janice Hahn told LAist in a statement after the vote. “It puts both those incarcerated there and our sheriff’s deputies at risk.”

Hahn and other county supervisors have emphasized the need for a collaborative and comprehensive effort to shut down the jail without compromising public safety.

Inhumane conditions

Why close the jail?

“The reason it's important to close the jail is that the jail is a hellhole,” Eric Miller told LAist. “It is physically disgusting and is an inhumane place to house anybody.”

Miller is a professor at Loyola Law School and was a member of the Sybil Brand Commission until he stepped down in February.

That commission, tasked with oversight of county jails and lockups, visited the Men’s Central Jail earlier this month and found issues with the quality of drinking water, moldy or burned food, people not receiving toilet paper or other hygiene products and delayed medical care.

A May inspection also found rust and gnats in drinking water and concerns that people’s grievances and medical requests were going unanswered.

“The Sybil Brand reports have been consistent that the jail is infested with vermin and mold,” Miller said, “and it's not limited to one place in the jail.”

Miller said the issues aren't limited to Men’s Central Jail either, and closing the facility won’t fix underlying problems in how people are treated in the L.A. County’s justice system.

There have been 23 deaths in L.A. County custody since the beginning of the year, according to the LASD website. Six of those deaths occurred at Men’s Central Jail.

The Sheriff's Department said it takes findings from inspections seriously and works to address them.

“Despite ongoing challenges, including a rising inmate population and an aging Men's Central Jail, our staff have remained committed to providing constitutional, humane care to those in our custody,” the department wrote in a statement. “We are proud of the progress we've made and confident in our ability to continue delivering meaningful change for our community.”

A path to closure

Wilford Pinkney Jr., the executive director of JCIT, told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that by expanding diversionary programs, pretrial services and other strategies, the daily population at the jail could be reduced by more than 800 people by 2031.

Pinkney said JCIT also estimated that just over one-quarter of the 4,020 people currently incarcerated at Men’s Central Jail might be relocated to other facilities, allowing one floor of the facility to close in the next five years.

Many could not be housed anywhere else due to "specialty housing needs, security level, or a requirement to be housed in a single cell,” he said.

The repeated delays have drawn criticism from justice reform advocates, loved ones of people incarcerated there and public officials.

“ I understand frustration because people don't see action,” Pinkney told LAist before Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting.

During the meeting, he said JCIT has been working to provide tested solutions and show that the county is making progress.

Janet Asante of the JusticeLA Coalition said it's a good sign to finally have more substantive plans on how jail closure will move forward.

“ We've been fighting for [JCIT] to even exist,” Asante told LAist. “They did not get staff until November or December of 2024, and that's four years after the vote to close Men's Central Jail without a replacement.”

She said JusticeLA hopes they see urgent action from the county and stronger leadership from JCIT.

Skepticism has also come from those who think the process may still be moving too quickly.

David Slayton, the executive officer of the L.A. County Superior Court, wrote a letter to Pinkney on June 29 saying the court had “significant concerns.”

He wrote that the plans relied on “increased Court capacity, additional courtroom availability, expanded judicial officer staffing, new physical space, and enhanced operational infrastructure — none of which the Court can currently accommodate" without additional funding from the state.

Other advocates, like Marcel Rodarte from the California Contract Cities Association, cautioned against risking public safety.

“We ask you to keep every option on the table, including replacement capacity, and to make no final decision until adequate capacity, services, and funding are in place," Rodarte said at Tuesday’s meeting.

Officials respond

Supervisors remain committed to closing the jail.

Supervisor Holly Mitchell told LAist in a statement that it’s “not just about closing a building—it is about transforming a system and is integral to the County's broader public safety strategy.”

She said the new report from JCIT was a “sobering reminder” of the work left to do.

Supervisor Lindsey Horvath pressed JCIT and other county offices Tuesday to give a more concrete action plan and timeline.

Supervisor Kathryn Barger also pushed for urgent action from the board and JCIT toward closing the jail during the meeting, but said she also believes the county needs to build a replacement facility that could more safely and affordably house people currently at Men’s Central Jail.

Sheriff Robert Luna told supervisors that he supports plans to close Men’s Central Jail, but that he sees a need for a new facility.

“ The population that I serve and care for has completely changed,” Luna said. “We have to pay attention to the data and make sure that we move forward collectively together to make sure that we're caring for the people in our custody.”

The board has so far rejected options for a replacement jail since plans for the Consolidated Correctional Treatment Facility were canceled in 2019.

The Los Angeles Police Department recently suspended its contract with Flock Safety, a surveillance company whose use of AI-powered automated license plate readers has raised questions about civil liberties and data sharing in communities nationwide.

That doesn't mean LAPD’s relationship with Flock is over.

The department said it let its previous agreement with Flock lapsed due to questions over who owns and who can access the data gathered in the city. Currently, LAPD officials are negotiating a new deal, which, they say, will include more safeguards.

How you can have a say

For Angelenos who want to weigh in on the move, the LAPD’s Office of the Inspector General will hold a public meeting on July 30.

Chad Marlow, senior policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, said he believes community input is crucial when it comes to this technology. He said that input should determine how — or even if— localities decide to implement license plate readers.

Police departments, he said, can get “very tunnel-visioned on law enforcement motives, and they don't think about community impact . . . If you want to come up with the right motives, so you come up with the right solutions, you need to start with listening to people in the community.”

What law enforcement says about Flock technology

Law enforcement agencies say the tech helps them with criminal investigations and makes it easier to locate stolen vehicles.

One local example: Costa Mesa voted this week 6-1 to keep its Flock contract. Officials cited success in three missing person cases, 20 stolen car recoveries, as well as helping solve 10 sexual assaults, according to Voice of OC coverage of the meeting.

That said, even in cities where elected officials have touted successes, more and more questions are being asked about who has access to the data gathered locally.

Data privacy concerns

In Greater L.A., cities like South Pasadena and South Gate have moved to cut ties with Flock over privacy concerns. So has the Oxnard Police Department.

L.A. residents have expressed concerns about the misuse and abuse of data. Public outcry sharpened after reports that some local law enforcement agencies illegally shared license plate reader data with federal immigration agents.

The ACLU’s Marlow, who specializes in privacy, surveillance and technology issues, said some cities using the Flock technology scan plates against existing hot lists and then immediately delete the data.

“If that is your goal, identifying cars of interest to law enforcement, then you have no need to store the data for any more than a couple of minutes,” he said. “And you certainly don't have a need to share it broadly.”

He said it shouldn't be used for tracking “what doctors' offices you go to, what political meetings you go to, what religious institutions you go to.”

How to weigh-in on the LAPD’s Flock negotiations

When: The public listening session will take place on Thursday, July 30, at 4:00 p.m. on Zoom at this link.

How to get up to speed: The Office of the Inspector General also shared a report on the LAPD’s automatic license plate reader system.

Kevin Tidmarsh contributed to this reporting.

A Montessori school in Santa Monica founded in 1960 closed its doors last Friday. Now, a new AI-powered school plans to move in and open this fall.

Parents with children at Santa Monica Montessori School, which served kids from preschool through elementary, said they learned about the abrupt closure of the school with a little over a week’s notice.

“We were surprised, like everyone else — it was a pretty established place … a lot of great community, teachers, students,” said Michael Ho, a parent of a 4-year-old that attended the school for about two years. He had planned to keep his 4-year-old there for the following school year and had put in a deposit.

Parents said they received a letter dated July 5 in which the school’s director, Pamela Crisman wrote that "the decision was not made lightly."

“Due to family circumstances that now require my full attention, I have made the difficult decision to prioritize those responsibilities after much reflection and consideration,” the letter said. “Beginning in August, a new school will assume occupancy of the facility as they prepare for the upcoming academic year.”

Crisman, who became the school’s director in 2003 according to the school’s website, has not responded to LAist’s repeated requests for comment.

The school is among a growing number of preschools that have closed in recent years in L.A. County and across the state. A report by UC Berkeley researchers found that between 2020 and 2024, at least 167 pre-K centers across L.A. county have closed. That’s as enrollment in universal transitional kindergarten — the new grade for 4-year-olds in public schools — has grown.

“ It's so heartbreaking that, we won't have that community resource to teach kids in such a humanistic way,” said Alex Mulvaney, a parent of two who attended the school, and had planned to send his third child there. He said he understands businesses close, but was upset by the short notice. “You don’t just kick kids, toddlers, out on the street with a week’s notice.”

Jocelyn Ranne  said she’s scrambling now to find a place to send her 3-year-old daughter, and said the Montessori school, which she was paying about $21,000 a school year for, was a special place for her children.

“The teachers there were just so phenomenal. They were so good with the kids, and the Montessori approach — it's just really special. Like, everything's at their eye level, and they just have the freedom to just go into the class and just find something and start working on it.”

What is Alpha School?

Alpha School, an “AI-powered private school" based in Texas plans to open up its second Santa Monica location at the site of the old Montessori school this fall, said MacKenzie Price, the school's co-founder. The private school has about a dozen locations across the country, and is expanding.

She said eight new schools are set to open this fall across California, including in Malibu, Palo Alto, and Piedmont. They already have established programs in San Francisco, Santa Barbara and Orange County.

Alpha’s growth comes as communities are debating the role of AI and technology in schools. Earlier this year, the Los Angeles Unified School District board voted to ban one-to-one devices for children from preschool through 1st grade, and set time limits to screen time for upper grades.

Price said Alpha began looking for a second location in Santa Monica because of the demand they saw for the first location they announced earlier this year, which quickly filled up.

“As a result, we're always interested in making sure that there's more availability for families that are interested in Alpha,” she said.

At the K-8 school in Santa Monica, which lists tuition at $65,000, students learn subjects like math on a computer for 2 hours a day using AI-powered software that customizes curriculum. She said the rest of the time is off a screen.

 ”Most importantly, we're giving kids back their most valuable resource, which is time, to be able to go and develop the life skills in the afternoon and work in workshops together and get outside and do activities and connect not only with each other, but also with their teachers, who we call guides,” Price said.

Price said there’s a lot of overlap that Alpha has with Montessori principles.

“Montessori has always had a really good focus on helping students have sort of a self-driven, proactive engagement with learning and develop life skills, and Alpha does so much of that, but we have made the technology component of our experience really be able to result in phenomenal learning," Price said.

I spent last Saturday night in a time machine to the '90s, reliving my high school days at the Hollywood Bowl, where I realized I knew nearly every note of the Gin Blossoms, Spin Doctors and Blues Traveler lineup. If you also donned Doc Martens and flannel once upon a time (or still do!), you’re in luck with this weekend’s music picks, too.

Lyndsey Parker at Licorice Pizza recommends the Totally Tubular '80s festival at the Hollywood Palladium on Friday if you want to swap the Docs for Day-Glo, or you can catch early aughts favorites the Fray and Dashboard Confessional at the YouTube Theater.

On Saturday, legends Smokey Robinson and Gladys Knight are at the Hollywood Bowl, Walk Off the Earth plays the United Theater, and KCRW Summer Nights features Tijuana Panthers, Mariachi El Bronx and more at Grand Performances, free with RSVP.

Sunday has Summer Sounds with Nikka Costa, free at West Hollywood’s Plummer Park; Teddy Thompson at McCabe’s; or the Pacific Amphitheatre is back to the ‘90s with Sugar Ray, Smash Mouth and Tonic. And of course, the Vans Warped Tour is on, with 3OH!3, All Time Low, Bowling For Soup, Jimmy Eat World, Third Eye Blind and dozens more all weekend long at Long Beach’s Shoreline Waterfront.

Elsewhere on LAist, you can check out all the new treats at the Orange County Fair, on through Aug. 16; learn how to fight back against mosquitoes this summer; and relive our 10 favorite moments of the World Cup.

Events

Sounds of L.A. County

Through Saturday, Aug. 29 
Multiple locations
COST: FREE; MORE INFO 

This weekend, Sounds of L.A. County features three great concerts across the area. All summer long, you can catch local and international sounds at parks and unique venues around L.A. This Saturday, George Lane Park hosts Country Nights with Breakin' Boots, DJ Maxey, Gilbert Louie Ray Band; East Rancho Domínguez Park in East Compton features the Utopia One Love Summer Fest: Awdiv Band, KG Superstar, DJ Adé, Jerry Flores, DJ UnieQ and Joy Christos; and San Angelo Park in La Puente has the Gabby Tamez Corazón Norteño Tour, featuring Gabby Tamez, Jessica Ballesteros and Grupo La Virtud.

ReCoding the Codex: Cultural Heritage through Language

Through Oct. 10; Opening reception Saturday, July 25, 6:30 p.m.
ReflectSpace 
Glendale Central Library
222 E. Harvard St., Glendale 
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

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Courtesy ReflectSpace

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At Frieze in 2023, Narsiso Martinez blew me away with his images of agricultural workers on CSA farm boxes. He’s one of the featured artists at the new exhibit, ReCoding the Codex, at ReflectSpace, which opens Saturday. The show features artists from the U.S. and Korea addressing “colonization, Japanese American incarceration, and exploitation of agricultural workers, creating an international dialogue about harnessing the power of text and word in innovative ways.”

Disco Vino

Friday, July 24, 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Little Dom's
2128 Hillhurst Ave., Los Feliz
COST: FROM $25; MORE INFO

The ever-popular Barnsdall Friday night wine events are getting the extra special treatment this week, as WONDERWERK takes over the event with Silver Lake Wine (tickets here) and then hosts an after-party at the delish Los Feliz standby Little Dom’s. From 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., guests will enjoy WONDERWERK pours with the purchase of a $25 glass you can keep, light bites and an all-vinyl DJ set from Chelsea Dean, who will be spinning house, funk and disco records in the Little Dom’s deli.

Los Angeles Indie Book Crawl

Through Sunday, July 26
Various locations 
COST: FREE; MORE INFO 

A map of the LA region and all the Indie Book Crawl locations.

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LA Indie Book Crawl

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You might spend more time driving than reading, but whoever says L.A. isn’t a book town has it all wrong. Visit 13 independent booksellers from Venice to Ventura, and Pasadena to the Palisades, at this first-of-its-kind small-business celebration. Dañiel Andres Martinez spoke to some of the folks organizing it; read up on the event here and head out to find your next read this weekend.

Introductory Welding Workshop

Saturday, July 25, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Lincoln Electric
12979 Sandoval St., Santa Fe Springs
COST: $125; MORE INFO 

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Women Who Weld

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Eventbrite

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Women Who Weld is a Detroit-based nonprofit that teaches women how to weld and find employment in the welding industry. Their one-day L.A. workshop on Saturday is already sold out, but it’s worth getting on the waitlist if your 2026 bucket list includes learning metalwork in a safe, inclusive environment.

Pretzel Fest 

Saturday and Sunday, July 25-26; Saturday, August 1
Old World Biergarten 
7561 Center Ave. #49, Huntington Beach 
COST: FROM $5; MORE INFO

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Courtesy Old World Biergarten

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We may be a few months away from Oktoberfest, but get a head start by celebrating everyone’s favorite twisty treat at Pretzel Fest. With tons of pretzels, plus other food, beer, family-friendly events and free parking, there’s no need to get salty.

The Legacy of Jesse Ed Davis

Saturday, July 25, 6 p.m.
Venice Heritage Museum
1234 Pacific Ave., Venice 
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Jesse Ed Davis was an indigenous rock star and Venice resident who died in 1988; now he’s the focus of a new book, Washita Love Child: The Rise of Indigenous Rock Star Jesse Ed Davis. Learn more about him during a special presentation in partnership with Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Bob Dylan Center by author Dr. Douglas Miller and a Q&A with legendary musicians Jim Keltner, Elliot Easton, Bob Glaub and Mark Shark. Plus, there will be a live musical performance by Scott McCaughey.