Alejandro Ortiz, a former cook at The Original Pantry Cafe, cooks breakfast at East Los Tacos.
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Jacqueline Ramirez
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Boyle Heights Beat
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Topline:
A handful of longtime cooks from Original Pantry Cafe have been serving fried potatoes, eggs, pancakes, bacon and sourdough bread at East Los Tacos in East L.A. since the diner closed in March.
Breakfast menu: The “East Los Pantry” breakfast menu is available from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and serves many of the classics, like the breakfast platter with two eggs, choice of meat, crispy fried potatoes and sourdough bread, as well as French toast as a side or as a full platter, just like it was at the Pantry.
Why now: The idea to hire the Pantry cooks came to East Los Tacos owner Erika Armenta after having one last meal at the diner before it closed. She talked to cook Alejandro Ortiz and they said their farewells. “He was really sad about saying goodbye,” she said. Armenta thought of the workers who, after being there for decades, would soon be out of a job. So she hired them to work at her restaurant.
Read on... for people's reactions to stopping by East Los Pantry for breakfast.
Alejandro Ortiz drizzled powdered sugar on the sourdough French toast, a staple at the Original Pantry Cafe, when he greeted and joked with a longtime customer sitting across the counter.
“A majority of people who are coming here, I already know,” said Ortiz.
Except this wasn’t the Original Pantry in downtown L.A., which shut its doors this year after 101 years of service.
This was at East Los Tacos in East L.A., affectionately dubbed “East Los Pantry,” where a handful of longtime Pantry cooks have found a new home since losing their jobs when the diner closed on March 2. Here, they brought their signature breakfast dishes – and a following of loyal customers.
The “East Los Pantry” breakfast menu is available from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and serves many of the classics like the breakfast platter with two eggs, choice of meat, crispy fried potatoes and sourdough bread, as well as French toast as a side or as a full platter, just like it was at the Pantry.
Breakfast staples served at East Los Pantry.
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Jacqueline Ramirez
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Boyle Heights Beat
)
The idea to hire the Pantry cooks came to East Los Tacos owner Erika Armenta after having one last meal at the diner before it closed. She and Ortiz spoke and said their farewells. “He was really sad about saying goodbye,” she said. Armenta thought of the workers who, after being there for decades, would soon be out of a job.
“That kind of stuck with me, and one of our friends was like, ‘You should hire them. You need cooks,’” Armenta said.
Armenta was on the lookout for cooks, but she needed people who knew how to prepare their food, like the tacos they serve with asada, al pastor, chorizo and other meats.
“It gave me another idea. How [about] we bring them in and we do breakfast? Because that’s what they know how to do,” Armenta said.
Armenta proposed the idea to Ortiz, who consulted with the other cooks. “I didn’t know if we were going to be accepted here, but thank God we’ve had a great impact,” said Ortiz, who worked for the Pantry for more than 25 years.
East Los Pantry workers cook up breakfast plates.
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Susanica Tam
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Boyle Heights Beat
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At the Pantry, Ortiz worked as a cleaner, a cook, and most recently as a server.
“People have been very supportive. I’m very happy. This is my hobby. I do it because I like it. I like to cook. I like to serve and meet people,” Ortiz said.
To Armenta, the experience has been rewarding.
“It’s been fun. It’s been a lot of work. Definitely, it’s been a challenge, because it’s completely new to us, but having them have the skills and so much background has made it so easy,” Armenta said. “They’re hard-working. They love what they do. As a business owner, that’s what you’re looking for when you’re hiring people at your company.”
A handful of longtime Pantry cooks have been serving breakfast staples at East Los Tacos since losing their jobs when the diner closed on March 2.
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Jacqueline Ramirez
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Boyle Heights Beat
)
A group of workers at the Original Pantry Cafe in downtown L.A.
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Photo courtesy of Alejandro Ortiz
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On Monday morning, construction workers Cesar Fashen and Jerry Gonzalez stopped by East Los Pantry for breakfast. They ordered sausage, bacon, and ham with eggs and sourdough.
“We drove all the way from San Pedro just to come here,” Gonzalez said.
Fashen, who frequented the Pantry for two decades, spotted Ortiz right away.
Back then, Fashen remembers stopping by the Pantry when he would clock in early to “work on the high rises” downtown. The diner was also a place where he gathered with his family. He remembers chatting with Ortiz when he and his wife would sit at the counter.
“The kids used to love it,” he said. “Even though we had to wait an hour in line, we would be right there waiting. No matter how long it [took] to wait, we were going to eat [there].”
East Los Tacos Location: 4500 East Cesar E. Chavez Ave., Los Angeles, 90022 Hours: Sun to Thurs 7 a.m. - 11 p.m.; Fri and Sat 7 a.m. - 12 a.m.
First artifacts installed in LA museum's expansion
Makenna Sievertson
has been covering space shuttle Endeavour's journey at the California Science Center since December 2023.
Published November 18, 2025 4:08 PM
The first of many artifacts have been installed in the Kent Kresa Space Gallery, including a space shuttle main engine (right) and a solid rocket booster segment.
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Makenna Sievertson
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LAist
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Topline:
The California Science Center unveiled Tuesday the first of many launch vehicles, engines and other artifacts set to be installed in the museum’s 200,000-square-foot expansion coming to Exposition Park.
Why it matters: Jeff Rudolph, president and CEO of the California Science Center, said the $450 million expansion is California’s biggest “endeavor” yet that will inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers and explorers.
Why now: The first artifacts in the expanded museum were placed in the Kenta Kresa Space Gallery, including a three-story-tall Electron launch vehicle from Rocket Lab in Long Beach.
The backstory: It’ll be the only place in the world where visitors can see an authentic space shuttle in its “Go for Stack” position, which is what museum officials called the process of moving each of the space shuttle components into place.
What's next: Officials expect to announce next year an opening date for the expansion.
Read on ... for a peak inside the expansion coming to Exposition Park.
The California Science Center unveiled Tuesday the first of many launch vehicles, engines and other artifacts set to be installed in the museum’s 200,000-square-foot expansion coming to Exposition Park.
Once complete, the new Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center will include multi-level galleries built around a towering centerpiece — the space shuttle Endeavour — displayed in its 20-story vertical launch position.
It’ll be the only place in the world where visitors can see an authentic space shuttle in its “Go for Stack” position, which is what museum officials called the process of moving each of the space shuttle components into place.
Museum admission will be free.
Jeff Rudolph, president and CEO of the California Science Center, said the $450 million expansion is California’s biggest “endeavor” yet to inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers and explorers.
“The enthusiasm that people have when they come in and see this stuff and get excited about it will hopefully lead to many more people, young and old, but particularly young people wanting to pursue more education in science,” Rudolph told LAist.
Museum officials expect to announce next year an opening date, according to Rudolph.
A look inside the center
The Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center will feature three main galleries: the Samuel Oschin Shuttle Gallery, the Korean Air Aviation Gallery and the Kent Kresa Space Gallery.
Guests will be guided through hundreds of exhibits and authentic artifacts focused on the exploration of the universe — including rocket ships that carried humans into space and telescopes used to view stars and galaxies beyond our reach.
A real Electron launch vehicle from Rocket Lab in Long Beach spans several stories tall in the Kent Kresa Space Gallery.
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Makenna Sievertson
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LAist
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The first artifacts in the expanded museum were placed in the Kenta Kresa Space Gallery, including a three-story-tall Electron launch vehicle from Rocket Lab in Long Beach.
Adam Spice, chief financial officer of Rocket Lab, told LAist the Electron helped lower the cost of getting to space by sending satellites in smaller, cheaper rockets. The new center is an opportunity to get up close and personal with an Electron for the first time outside of a factory.
Spice said he hopes it’ll show visitors their dreams can become a reality.
“They can be part of something much bigger than probably they ever thought they could,” he said.
The first artifacts installed in the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center include a solid rocket booster segment. Kenneth Phillips, aerospace curator, shows the scale of the piece, which has flown into space several times.
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Makenna Sievertson
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LAist
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The solid rocket booster segment will become a walk-through interactive experience in the Kent Kresa Space Gallery.
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Makenna Sievertson
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LAist
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A segment of a solid rocket booster that flew into space several times is laid on its side on the second floor of the gallery.
Kenneth Phillips, the California Science Center’s aerospace curator, told LAist it’ll be turned into an interactive exhibit with audio, video and educational graphics.
“It's 12 feet in diameter, so people can actually walk through it and learn about the function of it from the inside out literally,” Phillips said.
Visitors will be able to get up close and personal with a space shuttle main engine.
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Makenna Sievertson
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LAist
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A detailed model of a space shuttle main engine is set up next to the solid rocket booster. Three of those main engines helped boost space shuttles into orbit by providing about 20% of their power, Phillips said.
What's next
Construction of the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center started more than three years ago and is on track to be completed in the coming weeks, according to museum officials.
With construction of the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center weeks away from completion, crews have started to put in landscaping around the outside of the expansion.
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Makenna Sievertson
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LAist
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The exterior of the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center as of Tuesday.
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Makenna Sievertson
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LAist
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The remaining exhibits and artifacts will then be installed over "many months," Rudolph said. Officials expect to announce next year an opening date for the expansion.
The California Science Center also is looking to raise about $70 million more for the $450 million project before it opens. You can learn more about its “EndeavourLA” fundraising campaign here.
Matt Dangelantonio
directs production of LAist's daily newscasts, shaping the radio stories that connect you to SoCal.
Published November 18, 2025 3:58 PM
The Westwood Village Theater will be operated and programmed by American Cinematheque when it opens
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George Rose
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Getty Images
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Topline:
The group of directors restoring the Village Theater in Westwood are tapping film nonprofit American Cinematheque to program and run the venue when it opens.
Why it matters: American Cinematheque also programs the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood and the Los Feliz Theater, making it a visible and active film arts nonprofit in the industry.
The backstory: The nearly century-old movie palace went up for sale in 2024 before Village Directors Circle bought it in February. The group is comprised of more than 30 notable filmmakers. They're led by director Jason Reitman (Thank You For Smoking, Juno) and their ranks include Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuarón, Lulu Wang, Chloé Zhao, Christopher Nolan and Ryan Coogler.
What's next: VDC says it's eyeing a 2027 opening for the Village Theater, and is currently in the quiet phase of a capital campaign to raise $25 million to restore and remodel the Village Theater into a more than 1,000-seat venue.
For January fire survivors looking for fresh start
Gillian Morán Pérez
is an associate producer for LAist’s early All Things Considered show.
Published November 18, 2025 3:46 PM
Residents embrace in front of a fire-ravaged property after the Palisades Fire swept through in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Jan. 8.
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Etienne Laurent
/
AP
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Topline:
The city of Long Beach has launched a new jobs program to help people affected by January’s fires.
Who is it for? The initiative will provide paid career opportunities and financial assistance to people looking for a fresh start in Long Beach.
To start, 10 people will get up to 300 hours of paid work experience with local employers. Another five people also will get training scholarships of up to $7,500 in high-demand fields like health care and information technology.
Who's paying for it? The initiative is funded by a $130,000 federal act called the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.
How to apply: Anyone interested in applying can contact Nakawa Shepherd, Career Center manager, Economic Development and Opportunity, at Nakawa.Shepherd@longbeach.gov or visit the LBWIN Adult Career Services Center.
How to participate: Long Beach’s Economic Development and Opportunity office also is looking for local employers to provide on-the-job training for applicants.
Jacob Margolis
covers science, with a focus on environmental stories and disasters.
Published November 18, 2025 2:51 PM
This undated photo provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office shows Jonathan Rinderknecht, who has been accused of setting a fire that led to the Palisades Fire.
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U.S. Attorney's Office
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Topline:
The man accused of igniting a fire that led to the deadly and destructive Palisades Fire in January will remain in custody without bond, U.S. Judge Rozella Oliver decided Tuesday in Los Angeles. Jonathan Rinderknecht has been in custody since his arrest in Florida on Oct. 7.
Where things stand: Rinderknecht was indicted by a federal grand jury in October and is charged with one count of arson, one count of timber set afire and one count of destruction of property by means of fire. Rinderknecht pleaded not guilty in mid-October and faces anywhere from five to 45 years in federal prison if convicted. His trial is set to begin April 21, 2026. His lawyers recently asked the court to allow him out of custody as he awaits trial.
Argument against release: In a filing on Monday, prosecutors said Rinderknecht is a flight risk because of his familial ties to France, as well as a danger to the community. The filing states that Rinderknecht threatened to burn down his sister’s home and that he purchased a gun and threatened to kill his brother-in-law. Prosecutors also raised the fact that a judge determined in October that the suspect’s mental health had declined.
The allegations: Authorities allege Rinderknecht set fire to brush near the Skull Rock Trailhead in the Santa Monica Mountains at around midnight Jan. 1, starting the Lachman Fire. Though the fire was held to just 8 acres and was believed to have been extinguished, authorities say it flared up once again amid strong, dry winds a week later. That fire grew into the Palisades Fire, which killed 12 people and destroyed more than 6,800 structures.
