Fiona Ng
is LAist's deputy managing editor and leads a team of reporters who explore food, culture, history, events and more.
Published December 1, 2023 7:40 AM
Structural engineers gather this weekend to make the best and most stable gingerbread house in Tustin.
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Courtesy of SoCal Gingerbread Challenge
)
Topline:
The Southern California Gingerbread Challenge is a competition held by — and featuring — structural engineers from around the region taking place this weekend in Tustin.
Why it matters: Gingerbread houses have become a Christmas tradition the world over since they appeared in Germany in the 16th century. And it is only appropriate that in Southern California, their construction would come with an extra nod toward structural integrity.
The backstory: The challenge started in 2022 as a way to bring together the nearly 1,000 or so members of the Structural Engineers Association of Southern California during the holiday season for a good-natured competition. The annual bash also raises money for local charities.
Gingerbread houses have become a Christmas tradition the world over since they appeared in Germany in the 16th century. And it is only appropriate that in Southern California, their construction would come with an extra nod toward structural integrity.
At least that's the idea behind the Southern California Gingerbread Challenge, a competition held by — and features — structural engineers from around the region that takes place this weekend in Tustin.
"Most of us are practicing structural engineers. We make sure that a building has all the components it needs to withstand various forces throughout its lifetime," said Maria Mohammad, a structural engineer and one of the organizers behind the challenge. "This is what we do in real life, and now we get to do it in gingerbread."
The challenge
The challenge started in 2022, Mohammad said, as a way to bring together the nearly one thousand or so members of the Structural Engineers Association of Southern California during the holiday season for a good-nature competition.
2023 game day
A participant uses a handheld saw to cut gingerbread pieces.
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Courtesy of SoCal Gingerbread Challenge
)
Making sure the frosting that holds gingerbread pieces is steady and dry is one secret to a stable gingerbread house.
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Courtesy of SoCal Gingerbread Challenge
)
Rules include a size limit of a 3-feet diameter for the structure, and that all material used in its construction — including for structural support — must be edible.
"Rice Krispie Treats were used a lot to help support the gingerbread," said Mohammad.
Submissions are evaluated for creativity, flashiness, and of course, structural soundness among a variety of categories. Last year, the nation's premier earthquake expert Lucy Jones was among the panel of judges.
"There are no specific aesthetic requirements, but looking at the structures that were built last year, aesthetics was not lacking in all of the structures that were built," Mohammad said.
Bragging rights asides, the event also raises money for good causes.For every vote cast by the public, a dollar is automatically donated to a participating local charity.
Gingerbread Union Station
The award-winning Union Station replica by Structural Focus and Architectural Resources Group at the SoCal Gingerbread Challenge in 2022.
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Courtesy of SoCal Gingerbread Challenge
)
One of the big winners at last year's inaugural challenge was a gingerbread house version of Union Station, built by the structural engineering firm Structural Focus and the architecture firm Architectural Resources Group.
"Union Station is pretty close to most of our hearts," said Taylor Funk with Structural Focus.
Funk said the two firms had partnered up before to conduct renovations work onthe real-life Union Station in downtown, so to build a gingerbread homage was a no brainer.
"We started with kind of a virtual model and then that became paper cutouts," Funk said of the process, which involved a team of about a dozen members, including Mohammad.
Then they went about getting the details down.
"We wanted to make sure that we got all of the storefront doors correct," Funk said. "We made small molds that you had to pour the sugar glass into. And then one of the architects very carefully painted on top of it so that it looked like the true Union Station doors."
The clock tower, Funk noted, was made with a stack of Rice Krispies Treats with gingerbread pieces glued with frosting to the outside.
Next, the two firms got together for a pre-competition test run. "We tried some decorating tips, tried to make sure that the structure would stand up before we actually got there and built it," Funk said.
Finally, on "build" day, the different teams gathered for a multi-hour closed-door session to construct their respective entries live and in person.
Gingerbread Union Station took home the President's Award, as well as the People's Choice Award, at last year's challenge.
The 2023 entries
Van de Kamp's Bakery by Architectural Resources Group and Structural Focus
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Courtesy of SoCal Gingerbread Challenge
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Monster House by CalPoly Pomona
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Courtesy of SoCal Gingerbread Challenge
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Happiest Team on Earth by Degenkolb Engineers
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Courtesy of SoCal Gingerbread Challenge
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Super ES World by ICC Evaluation Service
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Courtesy of SoCal Gingerbread Challenge
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Mission San Juan Capistrano by Mott McDonald
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Courtesy of SoCal Gingerbread Challenge
)
The Bite Sized Grand (Wilshire Grand Center) by Brandow & Johnston and AC Martin
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Courtesy of SoCal Gingerbread Challenge
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The McCallister House by Cal State University Los Angeles
Hogwarts Castle by PBK and Kubala
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Courtesy of SoCal Gingerbread Challenge
)
Gru’s Residence by Grimm & Chen
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Courtesy of SoCal Gingerbread Challenge
)
House From Up by MHP Structural Engineers, HPI Architects, and P2S Engineering
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Courtesy of SoCal Gingerbread Challenge
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A BarbenHeimer Christmas by Holmes
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Courtesy of SoCal Gingerbread Challenge
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Merry Griffith Observatory by Hohbach Lewin and HMC Architects
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Courtesy of SoCal Gingerbread Challenge
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The Burrow (Harry Potter) by Simpson Gumpertz & Heger
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Courtesy of SoCal Gingerbread Challenge
)
Barbie Dreamhouse by MiTek
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Courtesy of SoCal Gingerbread Challenge
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Santa's Surf Shack by Hilti
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Courtesy of SoCal Gingerbread Challenge
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Winter in San Francisco by Walter P Moore
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Courtesy of SoCal Gingerbread Challenge
)
The Van de Kamp windmill
This year, the team is at it again with another iconic entry: a replica of the Van de Kamp windmill, with blades spun by a teeny tiny motor smaller than the size of someone's fist.
"[That's] the only inedible thing on our structure, which we've passed by the Board," said Funk.
For the blades, the team is going stringy.
"The windmill itself, we have to make sure is very light," said Mohammad. "So we're using spaghetti."
The windmill is going up against more than a dozen other submissions. All in all, it's a more structurally ambitious project, and Funk and Mohammad are hopeful that the team's engineering and gingerbread construction chops will pay off.
"It is vertical, so the foundation, it's even more important for it to hold," said Funk. "I'm 90 percent confident that it's going to stand up and move."
Pro tips on construction
"Make sure that all the icing holds before you let go of anything," said Funk. For example, when you put the roof on, be sure to hold it there for as long as it takes for the icing to dry.
"Be smart with the geometry," said Mohammad. "Pick geometries that are stable on their own. Like a triangle, the base is wider than the top. So you have more support at the bottom than the weight you have at the top."
"Use lighter materials," said Mohammad, like the spaghettis in their Van De Kamp gingerbread windmill.
Fiona Ng
is LAist's deputy managing editor and leads a team of reporters who explore food, culture, history, events and more.
Published March 1, 2026 7:39 AM
A man raises the historical Iranian Lion and Sun flag during a rally in the Westwood neighborhood on Saturday.
(
Genaro Molina
/
Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
)
Topline:
Angelenos took to the streets of downtown Los Angeles and Westwood on Saturday in response to the U.S.-Israeli military strikes in Iran.
Details: Local demonstrations protesting U.S. intervention took place outside City Hall in downtown Los Angeles, as well as in Ventura and Orange counties. In Westwood, Iranian Americans gathered to celebrate the strikes. More demonstrations are planned for today and tomorrow.
Read on to see photos from Saturday's demonstrations.
Angelenos took to the streets of downtown Los Angeles and Westwood on Saturday in response to the U.S.-Israeli military strikes in Iran.
A coalition of organizations, including the National Iranian American Council, the ANSWER coalition and 50501, held protests nationwide in reaction.
Local demonstrations took place outside City Hall in downtown Los Angeles, as well as in Ventura and Orange counties.
In Westwood, Iranian Americans gathered to celebrate the strikes. More demonstrations are planned for today and tomorrow.
Here are photos from Saturday.
Westwood
Hundreds rally seeking regime change in Iran in Westwood on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, in Los Angeles. The rally was organized after word spread that the U.S. and Israel had bombed Iran overnight, Pacific time, killing Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, among others.
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Genaro Molina
/
/Los Angeles Times via Getty Image
)
Hundreds rally waving the historical Iranian Lion and Sun and American flags in Westwood on Saturday.
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Genaro Molina
/
Los Angeles Times
)
Hundreds rally in Westwood seeking regime change in Iran.
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Genaro Molina
/
Los Angeles Times via Getty Image
)
A man walks under the colors if Iran while joining hundreds in a rally seeking regime change in Iran in Westwood on Saturday.
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Genaro Molina
/
Los Angeles Times via Getty Image
)
Downtown Los Angeles
A protester holds a poster reading "drop the files not the bombs" during a demonstration against the war in Iran in front of City Hall in Los Angeles on Feb. 28, 2026.
(
Etienne Laurent
/
AFP via Getty Images
)
A crowd gathered at Los Angeles City Hall to protest against United States and Israel bombing Iran on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026.
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Myung J. Chun
/
Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
)
A protester holds a portrait of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a flag of Iran during a demonstration against the war in Iran in front of City Hall.
(
Etienne Laurent
/
AFP via Getty Images
)
Protesters hold placards reading "no new US war in the Middle East" during a demonstration against the war in Iran in front of City Hall.
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Etienne Laurent
/
AFP via Getty Images
)
A man holds a sign at Los Angeles City Hall to protest against United States and Israel bombing Iran.
Josie Huang
is a reporter and Weekend Edition host who spotlights the people and places at the heart of our region.
Published March 1, 2026 6:08 AM
L.A. street artist S.C. Mero stands next to her latest installation in the Arts District, a utility box theater.
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Courtesy of S.C. Mero
)
Topline:
Utility boxes are a popular canvas for public art, but a Los Angeles street artist has taken the idea further — transforming one into a miniature theater.
Why now: Since S.C. Mero installed the box theater just a few weeks ago, dozens of performers have already reached out and begun using the space, ranging from poets to musicians and clowns.
The backstory: Mero often transforms overlooked street fixtures into pieces about urban life. A previous installation at the same corner — an oversized mailbox symbolizing the elusiveness of homeownership — stood for about five years.
Walk through cities around the world and it's easy to spot the trend: utility boxes painted and transformed into public art to spiff up neighborhoods.
In downtown Los Angeles, street artist S.C. Mero has taken the idea of the utility box as art in a different direction with one she’s installed in the Arts District.
“Would you like me to open it up and you can see?” she asked on a recent morning.
At first glance, it looks like an ordinary electrical cabinet — gray, about the size of a refrigerator, with slotted vents. But instead of the usual fire-resistant metal, this one is made of wood with a faux concrete base.
The box theater incognito.
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Courtesy of S.C. Mero
)
Mero spins two combination locks and pulls open the door.
A hidden theater
Inside, instead of a tangle of cables and cords, red crushed velvet covers the walls from top to bottom.
A gilded clock and gold-framed pictures of two other electrical boxes (“possibly its mother, and its great-grandfather”) adorn the tiny interior, inspired by one of downtown’s oldest and grandest movie palaces, the Los Angeles Theatre.
“The first time I went into that theater, the feeling that I had, I wanted people to have a similar feeling when they opened this up,” she said.
Like the theater, the box is meant to bring audiences together. Mero invites performers to step inside, and since its installation a few weeks ago, some 30 poets, magicians, puppeteers and clowns have reached out about using the space.
Many are female artists.
“Maybe it's because of the scale of it, they feel like they can actually have a chance to get inside,” Mero said.
A tradition of unexpected art
The box theater sits on the 800 block of Traction Avenue, across the street from the historic American Hotel, an early hub for artists in the neighborhood.
Jesse Easter, the hotel’s night manager, has a front-row seat to the box theater performances.
“The Arts District is still alive,” he proclaims.
Easter first arrived in the neighborhood in the 1980s, a blues and rock musician who also professionally installed art.
He said the Arts District has long been known for unconventional public art. Famously, in 1982, artist Dustin Shuler pinned a Cessna airplane to the side of the American Hotel with a 20-foot-long nail.
“I was one of the people that was in the hotel that saw the room that the nail came down into, went through the brick wall, into the floor and stopped,” Easter recalls.
Easter says Mero’s installations boldly continue that tradition of guerrilla street art in the neighborhood.
After graduating from USC in 2011, she started to make sculptural works with overlooked street fixtures, exploring issues such as addiction and homelessness.
Before the box theater, there was a giant mailbox.
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Courtesy of S.C. Mero
)
Before the theater box, Mero installed an oversized mailbox at the same corner, towering over passersby, symbolizing a housing market that remains out of reach for many Angelenos.
Elsewhere in the Arts District on Rose Street, she has installed a 13-foot-tall parking meter sculpture, commentary on the overwhelming nature of parking in the city.
Realizing a dream
The box theater is perhaps the piece that has invited the most participation.
Jesse Easter, a musician and night manager at the American Hotel, prepares to perform at the box theater.
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Courtesy of S.C. Mero
)
Last week, Mero asked Easter and other local artists to perform there. He played a blues song he wrote more than 40 years ago when he first moved to the Arts District.
“It was sunset, and I was thinking, this kind of is the bookend,” he said.
Other participants performed spoken word poetry and played saxophone.
One performer, Mike Cuevas, discovered the theater by accident.
An Uber driver, Cuevas was waiting for his next delivery order by the box theater as it was being prepped ahead of the night’s performance.
Mero recalls him getting out of his car to look at what she was doing.
“He's like, what's going on here? This looks so cool,” Mero said. “He said as he's driving throughout the city, in between his rides, he writes poetry.”
Cuevas, who goes by the pen name Octane 543(12), left to make a delivery in East L.A., but he said “something in his heart” told him to return that evening.
After watching others perform, he stepped up to the box and read his poetry in public for the first time, a piece about Latino pride.
Mike Cuevas, aka Mike Octane 543-12, publicly reads his poetry for the first time.
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Courtesy of S.C. Mero
)
“Another generation will pass through,” he recited. “And they'll understand why we honor with proud delight, the continuous fight for the history of our brothers and sisters.”
Cuevas didn’t know Mero by name or anything about her work, but thanked her for giving him a venue.
“I just felt something beautiful with her art,” Cuevas said. “It's time for me to start expressing myself. She inspired me to do exactly what she's doing, but through poetry.”
He now plans to read again at an open mic in downtown L.A. next week.
An overture to look inside
Mero says the project has spoken to her personally, too. Growing up in Minnesota, she loved art as a child but later focused on playing lacrosse and hockey. At USC, she studied public relations.
“Once I started getting so into art, everyone was kind of shocked,” Mero said. “That's why I really want to encourage people to go inside themselves and see what's there, because you never know.”
Mero is hoping for a long run for the box theater. Its predecessor, the supersize mailbox, stayed up for five years, only toppled, she heard, after skateboarders accidentally ran into it.
In the meantime, the small theater sits unassumingly on the sidewalk waiting for its next performer, its exterior starting to collect graffiti like any other utility box.
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A Super Blue Blood Moon hovers over Los Angeles in 2018.
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FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images
/
AFP
)
Topline:
A total lunar eclipse is happening this Tuesday. That's when the earth will move directly between the sun and moon, casting a “blood” red color onto the moon.
What: It's going to be the first lunar eclipse of the year. The process is slated to start around midnight and last until dawn on Tuesday. It’s called the “Blood Moon” because of the red hue the earth’s atmosphere refracts onto the lunar surface as light from the sun passes through it.
When: Although the eclipse begins around midnight, it won’t reach totality until 3:04 a.m., at which point it will be visible to the naked eye for about an hour. All of Southern California should be able to see it.
How else can I watch: The Griffith Observatory will be hosting a live virtual broadcast of the celestial event from midnight to dawn.
What's next: This isn’t the only lunar eclipse happening this year, but it is the only “total eclipse,” according to NASA. Another one is set to occur in August, but it will only be partially visible in North America. A solar eclipse will occur Aug. 12.
An adult gray whale and its calf approach tourists.
(
Courtesy José Eugenio Gómez Rodríguez
)
Topline:
With warm — relative to Alaska — spring waters, migratory rest-stops and great feeding grounds, Los Angeles County’s coast is considered part of the “Blue Highway,” a crucial whale migration corridor and one of the best places to spot the gentle giants.
What might you see? Cetacean species you may spot in our waters include humpback whales, orcas, blue whales and dolphins. Your best chance, however, is spotting a gray whale. As school-bus-sized gray whales migrate back and forth between Alaska and Baja, they consistently hug LA’s coastline.
Read on ... for tips on where and how to spot whales near you.
It’s whale watching season, which always makes me think of the novel Moby-Dick.
In the book, Captain Ahab chased a whale for vengeance. I recently chased whales off the coast of Los Angeles, but in my case, it was in pursuit of the beauty and majesty of the natural world.
With warm — relative to Alaska — spring waters, migratory rest-stops and great feeding grounds, Los Angeles County’s coast is considered part of the “Blue Highway,” a crucial whale migration corridor and one of the best places to spot the gentle giants.
According to Cabrillo Marine Aquarium program director Jim DiPompei, many whales can be seen right in our backyard.
“There’s a little over 90 species of cetaceans (marine mammals) in the world, and we see about 30% of the species we could possibly see here in Southern California,” DiPompei told The LA Local.
Cetacean species you may spot in our waters include humpback whales, orcas, blue whales and dolphins. Your best chance, however, is spotting a gray whale. As school bus-sized gray whales migrate back and forth between Alaska and Baja, they consistently hug LA’s coastline.
But where should you go to actually get a good look at whales? Don’t worry — I got you. Here’s The LA Local guide to cruising the Blue Highway.
Top spots to watch whales from shore
Point Vicente Interpretive Center 31501 Palos Verdes Drive West, Rancho Palos Verdes Free, laid-back, on the mountains!
At the Point Vicente Interpretive Center in Rancho Palos Verdes, you’ll find an overlook dedicated to whale watching. While this is a great free spot for amateurs to come and look out for whales, this is no playground. Professionals conduct the annual whale census here, tracking the migration of whales.
This is a great place to bring a picnic basket and some binoculars to relax while scanning the ocean. Even if you don’t spot any whale action, you can visit the free natural history museum inside, which focuses on the region and its most famous inhabitants: whales. Afterward, step outside and chat with a museum docent accompanying the census watch.
If you want to see whales, stick to the coastal canyons. Canyons aren’t just massive structures above water — they are also mountains beneath the surface, offering depth, cold water and nutrients that attract food for whales. Gray whales tend to follow the canyons to stay away from the dangerous orcas.
Whale spotting 101
Whale watching season typically runs from December through May. It peaks from January to March.
When looking for a whale, try to spot their water mist blowing above the water. Gray whales typically surface for air every five minutes. When they do, they’ll blow out a water mist — that’s your chance to spot and track them until they surface again.
Get on a boat!
If you want to get eye-to-eye and really feel a cetacean’s scale, there are plenty of whale-watching cruises. They typically depart from Marina Del Rey, Redondo Beach, Long Beach, San Pedro, Dana Point and almost anywhere with a port.
Many cruises have a naturalist on board to answer questions and provide expert context to ocean wildlife.
On my tour departing from Long Beach, we saw five gray whales and a swarm of common dolphins feeding.
But be warned: If you get seasick easily, this trip might not be for you. On our two-and-half-hour trip, the boat rocked emphatically as we approached feeding sites. It’s fun if you can imagine yourself on a see-saw, but it might not be that enjoyable if that sounds nauseating.
While boat captains are not allowed to approach the whales too closely due to environmental protections, the whales can approach the boat if they choose. Sometimes the whales seem curious and watch us in return — it’s up to them and how they are feeling.
Get involved
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium 3720 Stephen M. White Drive, San Pedro
If you really catch the whale-watching bug, you’re in luck.
At the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, they offer a whale-watching naturalist program where you can volunteer and train to be a naturalist on board whale-watching cruises.
DiPompei said they train anyone over the age of 18 “who’s interested in learning about whales and volunteering their time to be on these whale-watching boats to talk to the general public and to talk to students.”
This program was started in the 1970s by John Olge, one of the founders of Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, with an emphasis on education and showing schoolchildren the beauty of our natural world.
The aquarium is also a great place to introduce whales to children. With kid-sized exhibits and educational programs throughout the year, it’s an ideal way to show young ones just how big and beautiful our oceans are.
