Gab Chabrán
covers what's happening in food and culture for LAist.
Published April 26, 2024 5:00 AM
Grab a slice of Pizza City Fest Los Angeles.
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Photo collage by Gab Chabrán/LAist
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Pizza City Fest artwork courtesy of Pizza City Fest / Photo by Brian Feinzimer for LAist
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Topline:
Now in its second year, Pizza City Fest returns to L.A. this weekend to showcase the talent of over 40 pizzaiolos from all over the state: A ticket gets you unlimited eats and drinks.
Why's it important: Pizza in Los Angeles is currently having a moment. Pizza City Fest founder and food writer Steve Dolinsky, who hails from Chicago, took note and wanted to bring some of the city's most exciting pizza makers under one roof.
Who's going to be there? Tastings from some of our favorites include Hot Tongue and LaSorted's (both in Silver Lake), Prime Pizza (Fairfax), a pizza collaboration between Riip Beer & Pizza (Huntington Beach) + Heritage BBQ (San Juan Capistrano), Apollonia's Pizzeria (Mid-Wilshire), Ghisallo (Santa Monica), Shin's Pizza (Cypress Park), and Gorilla Pies (Valley Village), as well as plenty of panels and demonstrations for the pizza nerds among us.
More info: The event takes place from 1 to 5 p.m. this weekend at L.A. Live.
When James Beard Award-winning Chicago food reporter Steve Dolinsky wrote his book Pizza City, USA he chronicled his mission to find the best pizza in his hometown of Chicago and, perhaps more importantly, to disprove the idea that all Chicagoans only like to eat thick, deep-dish pizza.
After tallying the 101 region's best pies in his 2018 book, Dolinsky took things further by creating an event that showcased all the different styles of pizza, and launched Pizza City Fest in 2022 in Chicago. Soon after, he brought the festival to Los Angeles, which is now in its second yearand happening this weekend at L.A. Live in downtown L.A.
Pizza City Fest LA touches down this weekend to celebrate all things pizza. Tickets get you unlimited eats and drinks and desserts.
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Bailey Holiver
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Courtesy of Pizza City Fest LA
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Why L.A.? According to Dolinsky, Los Angeles currently has one of the nation’s most exciting pizza communities thanks to the robust pop-up scene, much of which was born during the pandemic. (That's not exactly news to us here in L.A., but we appreciate the recognition from a Chicagoan.)
Here's everything you need to know about Pizza City Fest LA, where a ticket gets you unlimited pizza eats and drinks, including beer, wine and cocktails, and desserts.
Who: Pizza City Fest Los Angeles celebrates all things pizza by bringing together over 40 pizzerias from Southern California, stretching from Santa Barbara to San Diego.
What: Pizza Fest also provides the opportunity to discuss concepts such as "crust and crumb" and see how comfortable you are using terms "undercarriage' with a straight face in public. In addition to all the great tastings, the event will feature a series of panel discussions and demonstrations from chefs, authors, and content creators.
In the Collab Lab that day: Catch demos from Michael Procaccini from La Parolaccia (Long Beach) from 12:30 p.m., followed by William Joo and Jennifer So of Pizzeria Sei (Pico-Robertson) from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Why: Pizza Fest is about bringing people together. Los Angeles can sometimes feel fragmented, with traffic making it difficult to get from one end of town to the other. At Pizza Fest, pizza enthusiasts can try lots of different slices all in one place.
Dolinsky said the festival emphasizes showcasing small, mom-and-pop, independently-owned businesses. It's also about giving back. A portion of the proceeds from City Pizza Fest will go to C-CAP (Careers through Culinary Arts Program), which provides culinary, job, and life skills to more than 25,000 middle and high school students nationwide.
Cost: General admission tickets start at $125, which gets you unlimited pizza and drinks, including beer, wine, cocktails, and desserts. VIP tickets, $200. Details at LALive.com
By Christopher Weber and Amy Taxin | Associated Press
Published September 8, 2026 5:09 PM
Emergency vehicles repond to the chemical leak in LA Habra on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026.
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Jae C. Hong
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Associated Press
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Topline:
A slow leak from a chemical tank smeared an orange cloud across the sky of a Southern California neighborhood on Tuesday, but authorities said they quickly got it under control.
Why it matters: Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Aaron Katon said authorities responded to a La Habra business that makes cleaning products after receiving a call shortly before noon about the cloud. Police evacuated a nearby middle school as a precaution, Katon said.
The chemical: They do not yet know what the chemical was, but all shelter-in-place orders have been lifted, Katon said.
What's next: The regional air quality management district has deployed staff to the area to investigate, said Connie Villanueva, a spokesperson for the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
A slow leak from a chemical tank smeared an orange cloud across the sky of a Southern California neighborhood on Tuesday, but authorities said they quickly got it under control.
Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Aaron Katon said authorities responded to a business that makes cleaning products after receiving a call shortly before noon about the cloud. Police evacuated a nearby middle school as a precaution, Katon said.
They do not yet know what the chemical was, but all shelter-in-place orders have been lifted, he said. The regional air quality management district has deployed staff to the area to investigate, said Connie Villanueva, a spokesperson for the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
The company, Shepard Bros., could not immediately be reached for comment.
Three company employees reported minor respiratory irritation and declined further treatment, Katon said.
The leak occurred in the city of La Habra near a mix of residential neighborhoods and industrial warehouses about 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Anaheim.
Keary Godinez, who works in a nearby restaurant, said she saw what appeared to be a dark yellow cloud spread across the sky. The 20-year-old said she watched students across the street board buses to evacuate, but police told her the eatery could remain open.
“It looked like pollen dust,” Godinez said, adding she didn’t detect a smell from the cloud. “It just kind of smeared in the sky and started going away.”
La Habra Mayor Jose Medrano had urged residents to shelter in place and said some streets were being evacuated.
Luis Gomez, who manages a nearby pickleball program, said earlier Tuesday he saw the cloud, called police and was told anyone within a mile radius of the location was under an evacuation order.
Lakers head coach Phil Jackson celebrates after defeating the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals.
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Christian Petersen
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Getty Images North America
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Topline:
The Los Angeles Lakers will unveil a statue of former coach Phil Jackson outside their downtown arena next year. The Lakers announced the plan Tuesday to honor Jackson, who led the Lakers to five championships and seven NBA Finals appearances during two stints totaling 11 seasons as their head coach.
The backstory: After his famed tenure leading Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls to six championships, Jackson joined the Lakers in 1999 and immediately began another era of major success for the 17-time NBA champion franchise. His first three teams in Los Angeles won championships behind the dynamic duo of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, and the Lakers added two more titles in 2009 and 2010 led by Bryant and Pau Gasol. His Lakers also made the NBA Finals in 2004 and 2008.
What's next: The statue will be unveiled April 9 before the Lakers’ home game against Minnesota.
The Los Angeles Lakers will unveil a statue of former coach Phil Jackson outside their downtown arena next year.
The Lakers announced the plan Tuesday to honor Jackson, who led the Lakers to five championships and seven NBA Finals appearances during two stints totaling 11 seasons as their head coach.
The statue will be unveiled April 9 before the Lakers’ home game against Minnesota.
After his famed tenure leading Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls to six championships, Jackson joined the Lakers in 1999 and immediately began another era of major success for the 17-time NBA champion franchise.
His first three teams in Los Angeles won championships behind the dynamic duo of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, and the Lakers added two more titles in 2009 and 2010 led by Bryant and Pau Gasol. His Lakers also made the NBA Finals in 2004 and 2008.
Jackson set the Lakers franchise record for coaches with 610 victories while leading his teams to the playoffs in every year of his tenure, which ended in 2011.
“Phil Jackson defines championship basketball for a reason,” Lakers governor Jeanie Buss said in a statement. “His masterful approach to coaching brought out the best in some of the greatest athletes to ever play the game. After he accepted my dad’s invitation to join the Lakers, Phil’s unmatched creativity and commitment to excellence restored our championship legacy, bringing five titles and setting a standard of excellence for generations to come. It is a great joy to be able to mark that achievement with the statue he so richly deserves.”
Jackson will be the ninth person associated with the Lakers to be honored with a statue in Star Plaza outside their arena. He joins Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Bryant, O’Neal, broadcaster Chick Hearn and former coach Pat Riley, whose statue was unveiled earlier this year.
Jackson’s 11 championships as a head coach are the most in NBA history. The North Dakota native and former New York Knicks forward is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame.
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Lucas Brady Woods
covers the weather and disasters, among other climate and science topics.
Published September 8, 2026 3:25 PM
Clouds form over Venice Beach in August. Tropical moisture from Hurricane Marie is currently causing extreme humidity in Southern California this week.
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Apu Gomes
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Getty Images North America
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Topline:
The National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat warning for much of Southern California from Wednesday morning through Thursday.
The details: This week’s combination of heat and humidity could be worse than it has been all summer. Forecasters say temperatures will peak on Wednesday. Highs could get up to the triple digits. Overnight lows will also stay elevated. They may only get down to the 70s in places, offering little relief from the heat.
The humidity: Climate experts say the humidity this week could be some of the highest on record in Southern California, even after a summer marked by repeated humid heatwaves. The moisture in the air, combined with the extreme heat, makes it increasingly difficult for the human body to cool down, especially when outdoors. It’s also driving scattered rain and thunderstorms that will continue for the next few days.
The backstory: The tropical moisture is due in large part to the leftovers of Hurricane Marie hundreds of miles away in the Pacific Ocean. On top of that, record high ocean temperatures off the Southern California coast are adding to the humidity.
Destiny Torres
covers all things SoCal, from breaking news to local government, with a focus on Orange County.
Published September 8, 2026 2:22 PM
Mari Barke, photographed at the California Policy Center in Irvine in 2024.
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Courtesy of Mari Barke
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Topline:
An O.C. Superior Court judge increased the economic penalties for Orange County Board of Education member Marilyn “Mari” Barke for failing to report millions of dollars in economic disclosure filings. She will now have to pay more than $100,000 in penalties, according to court documents.
Why it matters: Barke was elected in 2018 to the Orange County Board of Education, which oversees and approves the county’s education budget that serves around 450,000 students.
Background: In 2024, the Fair Political Practices Commission found Barke liable for failing to correctly report income, resulting in a $3,200 penalty. But a judge in July said the FPPC’s settlement didn’t fully address Barke’s actions.
What are the penalties? Barke will have to pay $101,800 in penalties, as well as attorney fees, for incorrectly filling out economic disclosure statements and for failure to correct amended statements. She will be credited the $3,200 paid to the FPPC. Barke’s lawyer did not immediately respond to LAist’s request for comment.
What changed? Orange County Superior Court Judge H. Shaina Colover handed the decision on Sept. 3. Colover said in a final statement on the decision that “substantial civil damages are warranted” to enforce the Political Reform Act and prevent future violations.
Officials say: The complaint was filed by Lynne Riddle, a retired judge. Riddle’s lawyers said in a statement to LAist that the court’s ruling is a “landmark” outcome for public trust and that the high penalty fees show how serious the offenses were. “We hope this result reminds every public official in California that transparency is not optional, and that the public has both the right to know and the tools to hold them accountable when transparency is ignored,” Riddle’s legal team said.
