While L.A. has a reputation for being an early-to-bed kind of town, there are many late-night spots (as in open after 11 p.m.) — if you know where to look for them. We've put together a comprehensive guide, by neighborhood, so that wherever you are when the hunger pangs strike, there's somewhere to head.
Why it matters: Because when you stumble out of the party, or bar, or concert, (or yes, even after the late shift), eating a convenience store hot dog just doesn't cut it.
Why now: Our last guide to L.A.'s late-night eateries stretches back to pre-pandemic times. A lot has changed since then, especially in the restaurant scene, so we figured it was time to bring everything up to date.
If you’re here, chances are you’re hungry, it’s late, and the clock is ticking. On the upside, traffic isn’t bad this time of night. On the downside, Los Angeles isn’t always known for late-night options unless you know where to go.
For those in the throes of a late-night food mission, let us guide you.
We’ve rounded up a list of (almost) all the late-night restaurants in the city. We skipped the major chains and fast food and decided anything before 11 p.m. isn’t truly late night.
During the pandemic, our city suffered significant restaurant closures. Nearly 100 restaurants from the last iteration of this list (2019) have closed. But while we’ve lost icons like Pacific Dining Car entirely, and Oki Dog now closes at 9 p.m., new spots have popped up in their absence.
One has a one-pound meatball, and another is a drive-thru pizza joint on the Sunset Strip. Koreatown still reigns supreme for late-night eats and adventures, but there’s a new upscale food court smack dab in DTLA.
Read on and bon appetit!
Koreatown, Mid-City, Pico-Union Nobody does late night eats like Koreatown. This bustling, self contained neighborhood has more 24-hour spots per square foot than anywhere else in town.
The obvious choice is Korean cuisine, whether it’s bubbling vegetarian hot pot from BCD Tofu House, street food inspired skewers in a graffitied booth at Dang Sung Sa, or K-fried chicken in a red restaurant that you’ve seen in New Girl.
But if you’re not feeling Korean food, the late night Korean spirit is awake at LOVE HOUR, a once beloved food truck with its own smashburger brick and mortar. While you’re there — don’t skip the elaborate cocktail menu or old school photo booth.
Address: 3470 W. 6th St., #6, Los Angeles, CA 90020 Closing time: Mon to Fri: 11 p.m., Sat/Sun: 1 a.m.
Bob's Big Boy in Burbank
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San Fernando Valley
Don’t call the San Fernando Valley a sleepy suburb. Where it lacks in nightlife options, it’s robust in nighttime food. There’s an array of old school diners, from David Lynch’s favorite Bob’s Big Boy to Mel’s Drive In. For juicy shawarma, try Sincerely Syria, regarded as some of the best Middle Eastern food in the city.
Craving a nostalgic and filling loaded baked potato? While enjoying a jazz performance? This unusual combination is only at The Baked Potato — a jazz club that’s been holding it down for over 50 years with more than a dozen topping combinations. Appetizers and small plates galore both high end (Bacari) and down home (Barney’s Beanery) are available late night for when choosing just one entree seems unfair.
Address: 150 S. San Fernando Blvd. #20, Burbank, CA 91502 Closing time: Mon to Fri: 12 a.m., Sat/Sun:1 a.m.
San Gabriel Valley
Any L.A. foodie knows SGV is heaven for Asian cuisine, and that doesn’t stop at 9 p.m. Grill your own KBBQ at King Charcoal BBQ or no frills fried rice at Phoenix Inn. But the diverse valley has plenty of taco options for just a few bucks each, and some of the city’s favorite pastrami in an unassuming corner stand. Take yours piping hot and freshly sliced in a sandwich or on fries at The Hat.
Address: 306 N. Garfield Ave., Monterey Park, CA 91754 Closing time: Mon to Thurs: 3 a.m., Fri/Sat: 4 a.m. Sun: 12 a.m.
A trio of sausages from Wurstküche
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DTLA
The concert has ended, the club is winding down, you’re downtown, what’s next? In most cities, “downtown” is the epicenter of it all, but Angelenos know our city works a little differently. Nevertheless, from the Historic Core to Little Tokyo to the Arts District, there’s options.
Keep it old school with a french dip at the counter of the over-100-year-old Cole’s (They claim to have invented the sandwich!) . Or give the new Downtown a shot at Level 8, a food and beverage mecca inside the Moxy hotel with Vegas-level immersive, Instagrammable dining, including tacos and shabu shabu open late. If you want to keep it simple, in true L.A. fashion, there are plenty of casual tacos in the area, too.
Address: 800 E. 3rd St., Los Angeles, CA 90013 Closing time: Sun to Thurs: 12 a.m., Fri/Sat: 1 a.m.
Mel's Drive-in
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Hollywood
In Hollywood, sometimes the real party is wherever you grab food after. If you’re looking to see, be seen, and keep the party going, Grandmaster Recorders, inside the same building where David Bowie and the Red Hot Chili Peppers once recorded hits, serves Italian inspired bites till 2 a.m. Bossa Nova Brazilian Cuisine attracts clubgoers and even your favorite rappers who want to soak up the tequila sodas with rich fettuccine alfredo and beans and rice plates. Vegans and meat eaters can indulge at Doomie’s Home Cookin’, an entirely plant-based diner serving comfort food favorites and elaborate house-made desserts.
Address: 5657 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028 Closing time: 12 a.m.
Roscoe's House of Chicken 'n Waffles
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Long Beach
Taco lovers are lucky with the array of options in Long Beach open late. Tacos Super Gallito has grilled meats, fried fish, fries and aguas frescas at their truck. For dine-in, despite its name, Los Tres Cochinitos serves both meat and mariscos, plus micheladas. While many other locations around town now close too early for this list, the original Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles, which opened in 1975 in Long Beach, serves its namesake till midnight.
Address: 225 W. Anaheim St., Long Beach, CA 90813 Closing time: 11 p.m.
South Bay
If you’re craving a burger, the South Bay is your oyster — no fast food chains required. Opt for quick and casual at Louis Burgers IV or Fabulous Charbroiled Burgers. Do it up at The Kettle, a diner that uses farmer’s market ingredients. You can get classic pad thai until 2 a.m. at Subhannahong or get quirky with their fusion laab tacos. Like the rest of town, there are late-night pizza and ramen options, too.
Address: 1644 W. Carson St., Torrance, CA 90501 Closing time: 11 p.m.
South L.A.
If you’re in South L.A., we can practically guarantee you’re less than 10 minutes from a King Taco, Tacos Gavilan, or Tacos El Unico. If you want pancakes while your BFF wants a full Thanksgiving dinner plate, there’s art deco legend Norm’s diner running 24 hours too. Mom-and-pop joints like Jim’s Super Burger and Louis Burger II are reliable and greasy in the right way. If you’re feeling bougie (we won’t tell), there’s yet another Bacari in this neck of the woods.
Address: 9901 Long Beach Blvd., Lynwood, CA 90262 Closing time: 11 p.m.
The Eastside
(Silver Lake, Echo Park, Atwater Village, Los Feliz, Highland Park, Eagle Rock, Cypress Park, Lincoln Heights, Boyle Heights, East L.A.)
Mexican food reigns supreme on the Eastside, whether it’s a big plate of enchiladas and a flaming margarita at El Compadre or bubbling, counter-service carnitas from Carnitas Michoacan. For those who want to split a slice of pie and chat into the wee closing hours of the night, Fred 62 has a robust menu with unusual diner options like falafel and familiar favorites, while House of Pies keeps it classic with old school prices, too. Locals know that Red Lion Tavern, a German-style bar, is best known for its wings.
Address: 4738 York Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90042 Closing time: 11 p.m.
West Hollywood
Got a hot date, but work ran late? West Hollywood is your best bet for high end, table service dinners at European hours. Your Instagram explore page has probably familiarized you with seafood spot CATCH, but newer LAVO Ristorante has a 1 pound meatball on the menu that is just as selfie-worthy and indulgent.
If you can manage to get a last minute table, old school red sauce joint Dan Tana’s will make anyone feel like a regular with service from seasoned waiters in tuxedos. Reality TV lovers may mourn the closing of PUMP, but Vanderpump Rules affiliate Tom Tom is now open. Those not looking to break the bank can go Tokyo mode and slurp ramen at Tatsu after the bars close, eat a hot dog in an old train car at Carneys, or spend under $10 for New York City export Prince Street Pizza (be warned, they don’t serve ranch).
Canter's Deli on Fairfax
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Address: 8684 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, CA 90069 Closing time: Sun to Thurs: 12 a.m., Fri/Sat: 1 a.m.
Mel's Drive-in on Sunset
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Westside
Whether you’re a student, a surfer, or just lucky enough to spend a night by the beach, the Westside has plenty of affordable options for a late night bite and a few sit-in restaurants that keep the doors open.
Gorge on a giant sandwich from Fat Sal’s or Johnnie’s Pastrami or ramen from Daikokuya’s west side outpost. For a full restaurant experience, grab a dimly lit booth at La Cabaña for tamales and chile rellanos or head over to sailor themed The Galley for not-too-expensive steaks. Those from the 310 will suggest a hickory burger from West LA institution The Apple Pan. The extremely experienced will remind you to leave room for banana cream pie.
Address: 1440 Lincoln Blvd., Venice, CA 90291 Closing time: Sun to Wed: 12 a.m., Thurs to Sat: 1 a.m.
Restaurants that have closed since our 2019 guide
DTLA: Comfort LA, Coronados, Lupetti Pizzeria, Mezcalero, Pacific Dining Car, Suehiro Cafe, The Little Easy, The Pantry-TomGeorge, Wangs Tavern
Hollywood: 101 Coffee Shop, El Gran Burrito, Kitchen 24, Shin Ramen, Snow White Cafe, The Sit Down, Velvet Margarita, Yogi Dog
Koreatown: Beer Belly, Chadolpoong, Golden Pig, Kang Ho, Dong Baekjeong, KyoChon, Mountain Cafe, Nan Wok House, Plato, Red Pig, Secret IZT, Shuto Izakaya, Shin Jung, Star Night, Spare Tire Kitchen & Tavern, Stone Grill BBQ, Ten Ramen, Tengoku Ramen Bar, Touhmi, Won Jo Kokerang Agurang
Long Beach: Bangkok Blvd Restaurant, Cha2O, La Frida, SongHak
San Fernando Valley: Conrads- Dos Burritos- Harry's Family Restaurant- L'Ambiance Cafe- Nostal Cafe- Rock'n Pies, Trap Fried Chicken, Jerrys Deli
San Gabriel Valley: Altadena Wine & Ale House, Happy Kitchen, NYC Seafood, Tasty Garden
South Bay: Moshi Moshi Mambo, Ryo Zan Paku
South L.A.: Aldewaniah, Diana's Las Playas, El Oaxaco Taqueria y Antojitos Oaxaqueños, Tacos El Sinaloense
The Eastside: Electric Lotus Kitchen of India, Xelas, La India Bonita
West Hollywood: 8oz. Poke, Croft Alley at the Standard, Eveleigh, Greenblatt's, ISA Japanese, Kitchen 24, Michael's Pizza, Oki Dog, One80 Pizzeria, Pearl's Rooftop, Pink Taco, Plancha Tacos, Pump, Rock House Sliders, Saint Felix, Spare Tire, Sweet Chick, The 3rd Stop, The Hudson, The Pikey, The Sunset Trocadero, Toca Madera
Westside: Gabes Bar and Grill, Go Japanese Izakaya, Habibi Cafe, Izzy's Deli, James' Beach, Không Tên, Pacific Dining Car, Pho Shop-Plancha Tacos, Tasty Wok Cuisine, Swingers
Throne reached a milestone 1 million uses last week.
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Topline:
Throne, the smart restroom company at dozens of Metro stations, reached a milestone of 1 million uses last week, the company said.
Why it matters: Metro has partnered with Throne to provide public restrooms since 2023 starting with mobile toilets at three public stations. Now, the restrooms are at 64 locations.
The backstory: Before their pilot program in 2023, Metro had just a few publicly accessible restrooms across their coverage area.
Throne, the smart restroom company at dozens of Los Angeles Metro stations, reached a milestone of 1 million uses last week, the company said.
Metro has partnered with Throne to provide public restrooms since 2023, starting with high-tech toilets at three public stations.
In advance of the World Cup, Metro and Throne wanted to expand their presence in Los Angeles. The company completed those installations on June 4, days ahead of L.A.'s first World Cup match on June 12. Now, 64 locations are operating across the Metro system, according to Throne.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R- S.C., died late Saturday night following a "brief and sudden illness," according to a statement released by his office. He was 71.
Why it matters: Graham served in the House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003, when he succeeded Strom Thurmond in the Senate. He was reelected three times and recently won a primary election as he sought a fifth term.
Details: His office did not immediately reply to a request for information on his cause of death.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R- S.C., died late Saturday night following a "brief and sudden illness," according to a statement released by his office. He was 71.
His office did not immediately reply to a request for information on his cause of death.
Graham served in the House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003, when he succeeded Strom Thurmond in the Senate. He was reelected three times and recently won a primary election as he sought a fifth term.
Graham served in the U.S. military for more than three decades. After graduating from the University of South Carolina's law school, he served as an active duty Air Force lawyer for six years. Graham later served in both the South Carolina Air National Guard and Air Force Reserves and retired from the military in 2015 at the rank of colonel.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune called Graham "a strong advocate for the United States and a strong ally to freedom-loving countries across the globe," in a statement posted on X. "Lindsey fought passionately for the Palmetto State. He was a trusted adviser and colleague to me and many others, and numerous presidents and heads of state have relied on his counsel."
President Trump shared a remembrance on his Truth Social platform: "Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known, is dead! He was always working, and was a true American Patriot."
His death comes at a difficult moment for the Senate Republican conference, which has struggled with a narrow majority that includes a handful of outgoing members who occasionally break ranks to oppose the president.
Sen. Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, has missed votes during an apparently ongoing hospitalization for an undisclosed health issue, further narrowing the margins for Thune to pass legislation and confirm executive and judicial branch nominees.
Legislative legacy
During his near-quarter century in the Senate, Graham served as chair of two key committees and was instrumental in enacting Trump's policy and staffing priorities.
As chair of the Judiciary Committee during much of Trump's first term, Graham oversaw the confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court and of scores of federal judges.
Last year as head of the budget committee, Graham shepherded the president's landmark tax package, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, to passage despite unanimous Democratic opposition and thorny negotiations with his Republican colleagues.
An adaptable and sometimes controversial deal-maker, Graham was the last surviving member of an influential group of Senate defense hawks known as "the three amigos," alongside the late Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Joe Lieberman, a Connecticut Democrat-turned-Independent. The group was a fixture of congressional delegations to conflict zones.
Graham was among the most vocal supporters of the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran.
"Israel has lost one of its greatest friends. America has lost a great patriot. I have lost a beloved friend," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement posted to X. "Our hearts are with Lindsey's family and with the American people at this difficult time."
Graham also sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 and staked a lane as a fierce critic of Donald Trump. In a 2015 CNN interview, Graham referred to then-candidate Trump as "a race-baiting, xenophobic religious bigot" who doesn't represent the views of the Republican Party.
In the decade since Trump's victory, though, Graham has become one of the president's staunchest advocates. A longtime friend and ally of McCain, Graham attributed his transformation to a sense of patriotic duty.
"I am not going to give up on the idea of working with this president. The best way I can honor John McCain is help my country," he told CBS News in 2018.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. (left) gestures as President Trump speaks with reporters while in flight on Air Force One as they were returning to Joint Base Andrews, Md., on Jan. 4.
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A frequent Trump golf companion, Graham hewed closely to the president in his recent Senate primary election — his campaign website touts the president's "Complete and Total Endorsement."
Graham was born in Central, S.C., in 1955 and lived with his family in a single room behind their liquor store, restaurant and pool hall, according to his campaign biography. His parents died while Graham was still in school. After their death, Graham became the primary caretaker of his younger sister, Darline, whom he eventually legally adopted.
In a statement on the social media platform X, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster described Graham as "irreplaceable," adding, "We shall not see his likes again."
McMaster, a Republican, will appoint a successor to serve the remainder of Graham's term. A replacement Republican nominee for this fall's general election race will be determined by a special election in August.
NPR's Brian Mann and Claudia Grisales contributed to this report. Copyright 2026 NPR
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A May 2025 file photo of FCC Chairman Brendan Carr
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Topline:
A program that helps connect schools and libraries to the internet at discounted rates is under review by the Federal Communications Commission. Educators and advocates are bracing for the funding to shrink or be eliminated.
Backstory: E-Rate has had a notable impact since its founding. It was created by Congress in 1996, when only 14% of schools and libraries could access the internet. That number is now near 100%. The FCC has overseen the program through both Democratic and Republican administrations, so when the agency announced a full review of the program in late June, some were confused.
Read on ... for more on what cutting the school internet subsidy would mean for students.
A program that helps connect schools and libraries to the internet at discounted rates is under review by the Federal Communications Commission. Educators and advocates are bracing for the funding to shrink or be eliminated.
The so-called E-Rate program, created in the 1990s, has considerable bipartisan support. The agency's recent focus on the program has left educators, including David Thurston, on edge.
Thurston oversees technology for the 33 school districts nested inside San Bernardino County. The area covers more than 20,000 square miles of Southern California: "We have mountain regions, far-flung desert regions, and then our urban and suburban areas. We're a really diverse county," Thurston says.
The county already built the infrastructure to get internet access from the edge of Los Angeles all the way to the state's eastern border, but the spending doesn't end once the fiber-optic cables are installed. Internet access bills come monthly.
"There's no doing without," he says. School districts "are gonna have to pick up the costs."
For San Bernardino districts, that's tens of thousands of dollars every month.
"Those are ongoing, essentially, utility costs," he says. "That's what E-Rate pays for."
A 'healthy' program
E-Rate has had a notable impact since its founding. It was created by Congress in 1996, when only 14% of schools and libraries could access the internet. That number is now near 100%. The FCC has overseen the program through both Democratic and Republican administrations, so when the agency announced a full review of the program in late June, some were confused.
"By its own data and its own measurement, the program is healthy," Thurston says. "The program is doing what it needs to and is important."
Less predictable was the chairman's reasoning for reviewing the program: kids getting too much screen time. In the now-approved notice of proposed rulemaking, the FCC calls for a review "to better protect children when using E-Rate-funded networks, including to limit screen time."
Since January, states including Alabama, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia have passed some form of legislation that calls for reevaluating technology's role in teaching and testing, and more than 10 other states are considering similar restrictions. The Los Angeles Unified School District, the second-largest in the country, recently approved a policy to limit screen time for its students.
Some advocates for limiting screen time at school say gutting E-Rate funding isn't the way to reduce how much time kids are spending on devices.
"We believe there are ways of strengthening school policies to promote more limited and privacy-protecting use of EdTech without taking away critical E-Rate funding," said Josh Golin, executive director at Fairplay, a nonprofit focused on digital safety for kids, in a statement to NPR.
Although states and districts are searching for ways to limit screen time, few — if any — are looking to operate without the internet altogether. Many schools rely on internet-based systems to track attendance, monitor school bus routes and give tests required by their state. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 48 states now have some kind of online component with exams.
Bob Bocher, a senior fellow with the American Library Association (ALA), says that because the program is written into the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the FCC likely cannot fully eliminate it. And last year, the Supreme Court ruled that the Universal Service Fund, which collects the money that schools and libraries in turn use to lower internet costs, is constitutional.
But the FCC could change the way the E-Rate program is run to make it more complicated, so the ALA is still worried.
Bocher, who helped work on the original law back in the '90s, worries the program could become so onerous it drives schools and libraries away by design.
"It's like death by a thousand cuts," he says, "death by a thousand rules and regulations."
Keeping up with the rest of the world
While internet access has expanded significantly since 1996, internet pricing and options haven't changed the way Bocher or his contemporaries expected.
"A common assumption that a lot of people had [was] … competition will evolve," he says. "And then drive down the price."
In cities, this may be true, but for many rural and remote areas, competition for internet service providers, or ISPs, is nonexistent.
"In rural Alaska, we don't have numerous options," says Patrick Mayer, superintendent for the remote Alaska Gateway School District. "We have one provider."
His district, where some students rely on planes to get to school in the winter months, has just under 400 students. Still, the district spends more than half a million dollars per year to ensure it has internet access at its six schools. The price tag is high, but the connection is what allows them to keep up with the rest of the world.
"It means the difference between having a school in the 21st century," Mayer says, "or a school in the 20th century."
The expansion of connectivity in his district allows students to take dual-enrollment courses online with a local college and access virtual speech and occupational therapy.
"To backfill that funding," he says, "would be very, very difficult."
He imagines there would be no way around cutting down on staff and student services to find money to pay the district's entire internet bill. For now, he's focused on making some noise.
Once the FCC officially publishes notice of its planned review, the public can comment for 60 days. After that, there will be a reply comment period of 30 days, followed by a full review of all of that input by the agency. The process can take a long time, but Mayer and other advocates are already working to draw attention to the issue.
He spent a few days this month in Washington, D.C., to meet with legislators about the importance of keeping Alaska's students connected.
Fiona Ng
is LAist's deputy managing editor and leads a team of reporters who explore food, culture, history, events and more.
Published July 12, 2026 5:00 AM
Ascot Hills Park in El Sereno.
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Topline:
Ascot Hills Park, a 93-acre nature park of hiking trails and restored native habitats in El Sereno, turns 20 this year.
Why it matters: The land is owned by LADWP and was used previously for water storage. One proposal for the plot in 2000 would have leveled the hills for a sports complex with soccer fields.
But then: El Sereno residents and a retired civil engineer from Mount Washington built consensus among stakeholders across local agencies and the community to build a nature reserve.
Read on … to learn about that 20 year journey.
A park is a city’s heart and soul. At its highest calling, it’s a community’s conscience.
Such is the case with Ascot Hills Park, 93 acres of hiking paths and native habitats built 20 years ago in the Eastside neighborhood of El Sereno, thanks to a retired civil engineer and residents who wanted the land to return to nature — and to the community.
"There was nothing there," said Val Marquez, one of those residents, who's lived in El Sereno for more than 50 years. "It was just hillsides, fenced off for the most part."
Ascot Hills Park took 20 years to build.
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Ascot Hills Park.
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Today, dirt trails are molded into the hills. Some dip down to a lush canyon of native trees and shrubs fed by a small stream.
Others take you higher — way higher.
“On a foggy morning, you can go to the east ridge and you're above the clouds,” said Raymond Rios, another early resident behind the efforts. “Or you can go on a beautiful evening to the west ridge and look at what the Lord painted in the sky.”
View of downtown L.A. from Ascot Hills Park.
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Back to nature
The idea of a park came up as early as 1930 but never came to pass.
In the 1990s, Jerry Schneider was getting a master's degree in landscape architecture, a passion of his after retiring as a civil engineer. His thesis fieldwork took him to El Sereno. He and his colleague saw an ideal site in its dormant hillsides — a place to turn natural landscapes into hands-on classrooms for students from two nearby high schools.
"The area was the subject of a lot of political ideas and proposals that did not resonate with me or a lot of the community," Schneider said. Those ideas included asports complex, proposed in 2000, that would have leveled the hills.
Jerry Schneider at Ascot Hills Park, with the amphitheater in the background.
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Jerry Schneider at Ascot Hills.
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At a community hearing attended by Antonio Villaraigosa — who went on to represent District 14 on the City Council and later became mayor — Schneider remembered, "We lined up all the students and science teachers and others and we all basically told Antonio the neighborhood wants an open space. In fact, nature — it could be the main theme of the park."
How to build a park
Ascot Hills Park.
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Money came through Proposition 40, a 2002 parks bond, and a lease was hammered out between LADWP — which has owned the site for over a century for water storage — and the Department of Recreation and Parks.
"Nothing happens by itself,” said Schneider, who lives in Mount Washington, of importance of Villaraigosa's buy-in. "He was key because we needed political support."
The park opened in 2006 with little more than a gravel driveway and a few rocks to sit on — what old-timers call Phase 1.
Raymond Rios helped build Ascot Hills Park.
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Val Marquez helped build Ascot Hills Park. Later, he built the El Sereno Arroyo Playground, where he is at.
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"We were ready to have a ribbon-cutting and we were just waiting for the state to pay for the bill, basically," Marquez said. "And they came back and said, 'Where's the bathroom? You forgot the bathroom.'"
The full park — amphitheater, benches, picnic tables, a restored stream, new trails — didn't open until 2011, delayed three years by the Great Recession.
"Jerry [Schneider] made sure that it stayed as a natural habitat," Marquez said. "If it wasn't for him, that could've been a development. That could've been a regular park with soccer fields."
How to visit or get involved
Ascot Hills Park Where: 4371 Multnomah St., Los Angeles Hours: 5:30 a.m. to sundown daily
Volunteering: There are many ways to volunteer, including joining the Green Team for park restoration or the Nursery Monthly Action Day to plant native plants.
Today, the 86-year-old Schneider runs the park'smonthly volunteering program and can still be found at Ascot a few times each week, pulling out weeds and checking in on the native plants and trees planted by volunteers over the last two decades. Students from Wilson High drop in to help out routinely for class credit.
Demian Willette chairs the park's volunteer advisory board. He is also conducting research on urban habitat restoration at Ascot.
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Since 2024, anexperiment to grow a micro-forest of California natives has been underway over a 10,000-square-foot plot. It's thriving, despite minimal watering and upkeep, proving there's a cost-efficient way to restore habitat anywhere in this city.
"After two years, it's self-sufficient," said Demian Willette, a Loyola Marymount University biology professor who is leading the research. "You plant it, you let it go. You let nature take over."
Willette also chairs Ascot's volunteer-run Park Advisory Board, part of a new generation of stewards that include Lluvia Arras, who remembered what Schneider said when she first started to volunteer.
"He reminded me that it's slow, steady work," Arras said. "He's like, 'One day you're gonna look back and you're gonna see the progress and feel proud.'"
Lluvia Arras is among a new generation of volunteer park leaders at Ascot.
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Their advocacy didn't stop at Ascot. Marquez, an original Park Advisory Board member, went on to build theEl Sereno Arroyo Playground in 2012, informed by his experience at Ascot.
Rios, the current secretary, is active at neighboring Hazard Park. In the mid-2010s he worked with residents to beat back a USC proposal to improve its Health Sciences campus that would take away parkland.
"Not only are we park advocates," Rios said. "We're community advocates."
