The Brief

You may be already fantasizing about what you’re going to eat on Thanksgiving (and those tasty leftover sandwiches you’re going to make afterwards). One of the biggest stars, if we’re being honest, are the pies.

Apple, pecan, sweet potato and pumpkin — there’s something for everyone, right? Yup, unless you have specific dietary restrictions like celiac disease or gluten intolerance, or a health condition or a plant-based diet, in which case you’ll probably look at the pies longingly and say the well-rehearsed sequence of four words — “I can’t eat that.”

If you can’t eat traditional pies, or would like to make your Thanksgiving dinner more inclusive for all your guests, here’s where to find gluten-free and vegan pies this Thanksgiving. Please note some places are not 100% gluten-free, so if you have celiac try at your own discretion.

Sinners and Saints 

Gluten-free, vegan

Gluten-free vegan rustic pumpkin pie, Sinners and Saints.

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Erik Fischer Photography

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Courtesy of Sinners and Saints

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Sinners and Saints is a bakery in Venice that offers both traditional and gluten-free desserts, brought to you by the same people behind the gluten-free eatery, 401K Food and Wine. Their playful name captures that, with Sinners referring to decadent desserts and Saints referring to gluten-free delights.

Their Thanksgiving menu has an impressive array of gluten-free options and a handful of vegan options, including:

• Gluten-free pumpkin pie. 
• Gluten-free vegan rustic pumpkin pie.
• Gluten-free chocolate bourbon pecan pie.
• Gluten-free vegan old-fashioned apple pie.

If you’d like to try your hand at your own recipe, you can also purchase one of their gluten-free pie crusts and have a blank canvas to work with.

Thanksgiving order deadline: Monday, Nov. 20 by 3 p.m.

Erin McKenna’s Bakery LA

Gluten-free, vegan, kosher, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free 

Pumpkin pie, Erin McKenna's Bakery LA.

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Courtesy of Erin McKenna's Bakery LA

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Erin McKenna, the eponymous founder of Erin McKenna’s Bakery is what I’d call a pioneer and a trendsetter in the gluten-free and vegan dessert space. Starting all the way back in 2005, the first bakery opened in New York.

Earlier this year, I happened to stop by while on a trip to N.Y. and enjoyed an exquisite gluten-free donut. As someone with celiac, it’s always nice to find a fully gluten-free bakery so I don’t have to worry about the potential for cross-contamination (which I’ve definitely experienced).

The good news is you don’t have to travel to enjoy these gluten-free, vegan, kosher, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free sweets. In fact, the L.A. location on Larchmont has been around for a decade.

So if you have to eat differently due to allergies, an autoimmune disease, or a vegan diet this is the place to go. For Thanksgiving, the store is offering two classic pies:

• Pumpkin pie.
• Dutch apple pie. 

And if you need a side to go with that? You can pick up some biscuits too.

Thanksgiving order deadline: Monday, Nov. 20

Sweet Laurel 

Gluten-free, grain-free, refined sugar-free, dairy-free

Tucked away in the Pacific Palisades on Sunset Boulevard is Sweet Laurel, a bakery that is a haven for people who eat differently. The store is lauded by celebrities and offers bakery items that are all gluten-free, grain-free, refined sugar-free, and dairy-free.

So if you have celiac disease or are diabetic or paleo, you can safely enjoy the treats at Sweet Laurel. There are also many vegan and keto options as well. Most impressive is the fact that many of the items have fewer than five ingredients.

Baker Laurel Gallucci started this journey after being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and had to say goodbye to traditional cake. Determined to find an alternative, her experiments led to the creation of Sweet Laurel.

Now you can reap the benefits and get pies for Thanksgiving that are a great option for a range of conditions and preferences. You can get:

• Pecan pie.
• Apple crumb pie.
• Get both with a holiday pie bundle.

Thanksgiving order deadline: Tuesday, Nov. 21 (for pick-up).

Cake Monkey

Gluten-free by request, vegan 

Butterscotch Pudding Pie, Cake Monkey

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Courtesy of Cake Monkey

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Honey Braised Pumpkin Tart, Cake Monkey

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Courtesy of Cake Monkey

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Cake Monkey was started by entertainment industry veteran Lisa J. Olin who parlayed her producing skills to create this venture. As the name suggests, the bakery’s primary focus is cakes, but this Thanksgiving you can also take advantage of their pies.

The bakery offers traditional baked goods with gluten-free options available for some items. Since the bakery has both items, on their website there’s a note that says they’re not a celiac-safe gluten-free facility. So if you want or need to eat gluten-free but don’t have celiac disease, this could be a good option for you.

This Thanksgiving, the store is offering the gluten-free version (by request) of three pies and one vegan pie including:

• Honey braised pumpkin tart (GF version). 
• Butterscotch pudding pie (GF version). 
• Chocolate cake pudding pie (GF version).
• Vegan pumpkin caramel pie. 

Their main storefront is located in Mid City, but there is a North Hollywood location that is pick-up only.

Thanksgiving order deadline: Monday, Nov. 20 by noon.

Winston Pies

Gluten-free, vegan 

Southern pecan pie, Winston Pies.

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Courtesy of Winston Pies

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Founder Brianna Abrams is a former attorney turned baker who started Winston Pies, with a name that is an homage to her hometown of Winston-Salem, NC. Her passion for pies comes from a deep reverence for the women in her family, who for generations baked together. What started as a small home kitchen operation blew up, and now the bakery has four locations in Brentwood, West Hollywood, Santa Monica, and Marina Del Rey.

For Thanksgiving, Winston Pies has some classic options for those who are gluten-free, vegan, or both including:

• Mixed berry crumble (gluten-free and vegan). 
• Southern pecan pie (gluten-free). 
• Harvest apple pie (gluten-free and vegan versions available). 
• Fall pumpkin (gluten-free version available with 24-hour notice). 

You can also pick up a gluten-free, vegan version of the Harvest Apple with a Bake at Home pie at the Brentwood or Marina Del Rey location.

Thanksgiving order deadline: Friday, Nov. 17 by noon

Top Tier Treats 

Vegan

Pumpkin pie, Top Tier Treats.

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Courtesy of Top Tier Treats

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Jamaica Crist, the founder of Top Tier Treats, held a number of restaurant positions growing up before she eventually found her true love with desserts. She took baking classes in college and later met her future husband, James. They opened the bakery in 2005 and have continued to grow since. Now the couple works as a team, with James heading the business side and Jamaica as the baker and visionary behind the sweet treats.

Top Tier Treats has a range of Thanksgiving vegan pies available by request including:

• Pumpkin pie. 
• Pecan pie. 
• Apple pie.
• Mixed berry.

Those are the more traditional Thanksgiving options, but other vegan options include chocolate cream, coconut cream, banana cream, and peanut butter cream pies. You must place a special order to get the vegan option. Also, it’s important to note that there are no gluten-free or sugar-free options available.

Thanksgiving order deadline: Friday, Nov. 17 (though there will be some ready-to-go pies available a few days before the holiday)

Companies that create and manufacture personal delivery devices, those cute bots you see on public sidewalks, have been working on growth plans for years.

Cities, on whose public sidewalks the delivery bots travel, are only now catching up to regulating them and charging the companies fees.

That's what's happening in Glendale, where, City Councilman Dan Brotman says, “[The delivery bots] just appeared out of nowhere. The company that operates [them] never reached out and talked to us."

He and other council members, he said, want to know if the delivery devices make it harder for Glendale residents using wheelchairs to use public sidewalks.

“I also am curious who is getting the financial benefit from these,” he said.

Glendale’s City Council asked city staff last month to draft two proposals, one with regulations and fees and the other pausing the operation of delivery bots while the council studies their impact. Brotman said staff may deliver those proposals to him and his colleagues in the months to come.

The two largest cities in LA County, at two different stages

The City of Los Angeles approved rules for personal delivery devices a few years ago, including flat permit fees. The City Council has since asked staff in the Department of Transportation to revaluate those rules and make suggestions.

One idea being considered — charging companies for every bot trip instead of the flat fee.

A delivery robot sits next to the bike path by the beach

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Courtesy Coco

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L.A. City Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez successfully introduced the motion last year to have the regulations revisited. 

“[The companies are] starting to put movie ads or show ads, and if they're generating revenue off that, we want to know what that looks like but also be able to have a fee for them,” Hernandez said.

That report should be presented to the City Council later this year, she said. 

She’s also keen to hear from the public about their views on delivery bots. 

Companies that make the devices argue they’re providing an essential delivery service to residents while cutting down on the number of vehicles on the road making the deliveries.

“We currently pay fees in Los Angeles, Chicago and West Hollywood as part of their permit programs and are open to similar models in other cities,” said Vignesh Ram, vice president of policy at Serve Robotics, by email.

Starship Technologies' delivery robot exits the elevator in the company's office.

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Meg Kelly

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NPR

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The company is now operating in Long Beach; Ram says it notified the city before beginning to operate there.

A City of Long Beach spokesperson told LAist its business licensing, planning and public works teams are currently working on recommendations for regulations. Those should be presented to the City Council early this summer.

The story first appeared on The LA Local.

When Hermila Melero trains future therapists at Cal State LA, she emphasizes something she learned over nearly two decades working on the Eastside: It matters where you’re from. 

“When you know the difference between East LA and Boyle Heights … they appreciate that on a really fundamental level,” Melero, director of field education at CSULA’s School of Social Work, said. “You feel a sense of safety and being seen when the person reflects what you look like, has a foundational understanding of where you come from.” 

Now, a $48 million grant to California State University, Los Angeles, will open new opportunities for students to serve the communities they come from. The funding will expand the university’s social work and counseling programs, training 1,000 new students to support youth mental health in Eastside communities and other underserved areas of Los Angeles.

What will the funding do?

The five-year investment by the Ballmer Group — the largest grant in the university’s history — will significantly grow Cal State LA’s Master of Social Work program. 

Its one-year MSW program will double in size, the two‑year program will increase by 50%, and the School-Based Family Counseling program will also double. The bulk of the funding will support scholarships, new faculty and the expansion of clinical placements.

Cal State LA already partners with organizations across the Eastside, including El Centro De Ayuda, AltaMed, Survivor Justice Center and schools across LAUSD. The new funding will allow more students to work directly with these groups, serving families who often lack access to care. 

“This speaks to the amazing work our social work and counseling programs are doing within our schools and with LA’s agencies serving youth and families,” said CSULA President Berenecea Johnson Eanes in a statement to Boyle Heights Beat. “With more clinical placements and greater numbers of master’s alumni, we will make real strides in meeting a critical shortage of qualified social workers and counselors.”

In addition to CSULA, CSU Dominguez Hills received $29 million to expand mental health resources in South LA and UCLA will use part of its $33 million grant to develop a minor in youth behavioral health. The three universities have received a total of $110 million. 

When Hermila Melero trains future therapists at Cal State LA, she emphasizes something she learned over nearly two decades working on the Eastside: It matters where you’re from.

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Courtesy CSULA

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Why representation matters

For Melero, who was born and raised in East LA, the expansion is personal. 

Melero spent 17 years of her professional career as a social worker in her own community and the surrounding areas. She witnessed firsthand how much her patients appreciated it when she spoke to them in Spanish or told them where she grew up. 

“You don’t have to explain yourself, you don’t have to explain what it’s like, you know, to grow up here,” she said. 

Now as director of field education, she helps place students in organizations, clinics and schools across the region, many of them serving the neighborhood they call home. 

Barriers to access

The need for more mental health workers comes at a time when many Eastside families are facing more barriers to care.

Stigma around mental health combined with fear tied to immigration raids have discouraged some people from seeking services, Melero said.

At the same time, financial challenges are making it harder for students to enter the profession. 

In January, the U.S. Department of Education updated its definition of a “professional degree” and excluded social work, which will affect graduate students’ eligibility for federal student loans, creating a significant financial barrier, according to the Council on Social Work Education.

Students hope to give back

For students like Silvia Perez, 41, financial assistance would be a great help.

The Cal State LA undergraduate student is pursuing her master’s degree after she graduates in May, all while raising two teenagers and a 23-year-old. Perez has been paying for her education by selling shoes and perfume outside of her home in East LA. 

Her decision to pursue a career in social work came after seeing her sister navigate the Department of Children and Family Services system with her children and witnessing how young people in her community struggled with substance abuse and homelessness. 

After graduating, Perez hopes to work in East LA to help the people she encounters every day. She believes that level of understanding can create trust with an already vulnerable population.

“I would like to help the people in my community first…I live the daily life that everyone else in my community faces,” she said.

For more information on CSULA’s MSW programs, click here.

Editor’s Note: The LA Local also receives support from the Ballmer Group.

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.

California scored a legal victory Monday that for now, undermines the Trump administration’s efforts to drastically cut funding for homeless housing.

Changes that would have diverted huge chunks of federal funds away from permanent housing and funneled them instead into temporary shelters and sober living programs will remain suspended after the Trump administration dropped its appeal of an earlier court loss. While the broader case is still being litigated, the new development could provide some reassurance to California counties waiting for the federal funds.

“We continue to fight for Californians and the rule of law, and we continue to win,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a news release. “People experiencing housing insecurity or homelessness need the federal government’s continued support — not a rollback of assistance.”

In November, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development attempted to change the way it doles out money for homeless services via its Continuum of Care program. It decreed that jurisdictions applying for a piece of about $4 billion in federal homelessness funds can’t spend more than 30% of that money on permanent housing — a move that would result in a significant cut to the type of long-term housing that can resolve someone’s homelessness.

Last year, California communities spent about 90% of their federal Continuum of Care funds on permanent housing.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration quickly joined 19 other states and the District of Columbia in suing to stop the Trump administration’s changes. In December, a federal judge in Rhode Island temporarily blocked the changes and ordered HUD to process funding applications under the original rules. The Trump administration appealed that ruling, leaving local governments and homeless service providers unsure of what they would be awarded funding for, and when.

The federal government on Monday dropped its appeal. While the rest of the lawsuit will move forward, and could take months to resolve, counties should be able to access permanent housing funds in the meantime.

Instead of prioritizing permanent housing, as has been the rule in the past, the Trump administration wants to focus more on shelters that get people off the streets quickly and temporarily, and on programs that require residents to be sober. HUD also attempted to ban the use of federal homelessness funds for diversity and inclusion efforts, support of transgender clients, and use of “harm reduction” strategies that seek to reduce overdose deaths by helping people in active addiction use drugs more safely.

A HUD spokesperson said the agency stood by its funding reforms.

“HUD remains committed to reforming the failed ‘Housing First’ approach and restoring the Continuum of Care program to its core objectives; reducing homelessness and promoting self-sufficiency for all vulnerable Americans, ensuring taxpayer dollars are directed towards those goals,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

HUD experienced another legal setback last month when a federal judge in Rhode Island shot down the agency’s attempt to upend another, smaller, source of federal homelessness funding. At issue in that case was a program called the Continuum of Care Builds grant, which funds the construction of new homeless housing. HUD last year made grantees reapply under a very different set of criteria, which seemed to disqualify organizations that support trans clients, use “harm reduction” to prevent drug overdose deaths or operate in a “sanctuary city.”

About $75 million in federal funds had been frozen as that case moved forward.

In March, the court found HUD violated the law through its “slapdash imposition of political whims.”

“This ruling is a victory for people across this nation who have overcome homelessness and stabilized in HUD’s permanent housing programs,” Ann Oliva, chief executive of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, which filed the lawsuit, wrote in a statement. “Today’s news reinforces a fundamental truth: that the work to end homelessness is not partisan, and never should be interfered with for political means.”

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