The Brief

It's hot, it's sunny, you may be feeling beachy.

But if it's a good few miles sitting in traffic for you to get to the sand, why not get your sea breeze vibes another way with fish tacos?

L.A.’s got plentiful places showcasing the best flavors of the ocean. Here’s some of our favorites.

Del Mar Ostioneria (Mid-City)

Oysters, and the baja and tamarindo shrimp tacos from Del Mar Ostioneria on La Brea Boulevard.

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Brian Feinzimer

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LAist

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If you're searching for mariscos in the Mid-City area, Del Mar Ostioneria has you covered. The stationary food truck, parked in the same parking lot as a massage parlor, juice bar and wedding chapel, tends to blend into the scenery, perhaps due to the tan-colored paint job that camouflages it among the surrounding buildings. However, if you take the time to find it, you’ll be rewarded for your efforts.

Taco selections include Baja-style fish and shrimp (both $10) served on a hand-made blue corn tortilla piled high with fresh-tasting guacamole, cabbage mixture and pico de gallo. Other choices include the tamarindo octopus taco ($12), which features charred octopus over a bed of fresh guacamole bathed in a spicy tamarindo salsa.

If you're still hungry, try their ceviches, such as kanpachi, which is made with yellowtail tuna, avocado, sweet peppers and red onions, dashed with crushed chili peppers and spicy ponzu sauce.

Holé Molé (Long Beach)

The fish tacos from Holé Molé

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Brian Feinzimer

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LAist

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If there were ever a dish synonymous with Long Beach, it would be the fish taco at Holé Molé. There’s something about popping into one of its many locations for a quick bite that screams Playa Larga vibes.

Your money will go far at Holé Molé, where a fish taco goes for $1.29 a pop and shrimp for $1.95. Grab a few of these tacos if you want to feed a small group of people for around $20, which seems unheard of these days. But that's part of what makes the people of the 908 keep coming back.

Mariscos Jalisco (East L.A.)

Tacos de Camaron and Oysters Peinados from Mariscos Jalisco

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Brian Feinzimer

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LAist

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If you ask people where to find the best tacos in Los Angeles, there’s a good chance Mariscos Jalisco will come up. In 2002, Raul Ortega opened his nondescript-looking food truck, painted white with red, blue, and green lettering and parked in an industrial section of Olympic Boulevard. There he serves mariscos dishes from his hometown of San Juan de los Lagos in Jalisco, Mexico.

The menu at MJ is straightforward, consisting of tacos and ceviche. However, for all its simplicity, the care taken with each item shines through, especially in dishes such as the shrimp tacos ($2.50 each).

These are not Ensenada-style shrimp tacos, which are usually made of batter-fried shrimp in a corn tortilla topped with cabbage and cream. Instead, Ortega fills corn tortillas with minced shrimp, vegetables and other secret ingredients kept under lock and key. The tacos are then deep-fried and topped with light red seafood salsa and thin slices of avocado. The result is nothing short of L.A. taco magic.

The heavy crunch of the taco symbolizes monumental things to come as you reach its contents, revealing a soft and creamy texture inside. The rush of tanginess from the salsa roja, permeating the rest of the taco as it dribbles down your hand, adds to the experience.

Tacos Baja (Whittier)

Shrimp and fish tacos from Tacos Baja in Whittier.

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Gab Chabrán

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LAist

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There are fish tacos, and then there are fish tacos from Tacos Baja. With its original location in East L.A. and another just further down the road in East Whittier, in a converted A-frame, the humble mariscos spot offers a menu of fish and shrimp tacos, ceviches, and other miscellaneous items.

But a couple of crucial factors allow it to stand out. First, the light, tempura-like batter, which contains notes of sweetness and plenty of savory crunch. Then there’s the topping: a perfect amount of crema and a sprinkling of diced tomato, cabbage and cilantro, all folded into a quality yellow corn tortilla. The level of detail, from the superior batter containing just the right amount of crunch to the quality of the tortillas, sets these tacos apart from the rest.

Ditroit Taqueria (Arts District)

Fish flautas and glass of palo santo, yuzu, and cucumber agua fresca from Ditroit Taqueria in the Arts District.

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Gab Chabrán

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LAist

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Ditroit Taqueria is mainly hidden behind a parking lot off Violet Street. You'll know you're in the right place when you hear the soft, slowed-down beat of cumbia music playing from an outdoor speaker.

The restaurant features a walk-up window where you can place your order, with plenty of outdoor seating in the patio under the shade of strategically placed foliage, making it feel like a little hidden taco oasis.

While Ditroit offerings include various meat and veggie options, the fish flautas are worth seeking out ($9 for two). Flautas land somewhere between a taquito and a burrito. Medium in size, a rolled blue corn fried tortilla is filled with a fish machaca, a dried fish mixture seasoned with different spices and chilies. The umami-rich bite pairs well with the crunchy tortilla, topped with cabbage and crema.

Wash it down with one of their agua frescas, such as my favorite, made with palo santo (a plant whose name means "sacred wood," native to the Yucatán, which contains notes of citrus, mint and pine), as well as yuzu and cucumber, or their iced cafe de olla if you need a little pick-me-up afterward.

In just four days, the Los Angeles Official Martin Luther King Day Parade will take over South L.A.

The LA Local recently spoke with Sabra Wady, the parade’s lead organizer, who said this year’s parade will look much the same as recent years.

So, whether you’re attending the parade or watching it on TV, here’s everything you need to know about Monday’s parade:

The procession will begin at 10 a.m., with ABC7 set to begin a broadcast at 11 a.m.

What time does the parade start? How can I watch? Is anything happening after?

Wady said the best place to catch the parade in person is the intersection of Crenshaw Boulevard and Martin Luther King Jr. King Boulevard, or “camera corner,” where the parade will culminate and organizers are planning a live preshow. Bleacher seats, though, will be limited.

The Metro K Line runs directly to the intersection, dropping people off at the Martin Luther King Jr. Metro station.

Onlookers can also post up along the parade route with folding chairs and other self-arranged seating, Wady said.

The parade broadcast will run until 1 p.m., but Wady said the procession is expected to keep going until mid-afternoon.

“After the cameras stop rolling, it’s the people’s parade,” Wady said.

LA City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Councilmembers Curren Price and Heather Hutt – who represent council districts 8, 9 and 10, respectively — will organize the annual MLK Freedom Festival in the Leimert Park Plaza from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

What route will the parade take?

The route will remain the same, running down King Boulevard from Western Avenue to Crenshaw Boulevard before turning south down Crenshaw and heading to Leimert Park. Much of the route will be closed to traffic overnight before the parade.

More than 150 groups, including bands, floats, horseback riders and marchers, will trek down the boulevard. Wady said organizers cut off new sign-ups weeks ago in order to keep the parade manageable.

What will road closures look like?

Colin Sweeney, a spokesperson for the LA Department of Transportation, said in an email that the department will close off traffic down the main parade route overnight.

Here are the roads that will be closed to all vehicles for the duration of the parade and festival.

• King Boulevard from Vermont Avenue to Crenshaw Boulevard 
• Crenshaw Boulevard from King Boulevard to 48th Street
• Leimert Boulevard from 8th Avenue to Leimert Park 
• Degnan Avenue between 43rd Street and Leimert Park

Sweeney said only residents will be allowed to drive into the band of neighborhoods directly along the length of the parade route. That includes the blocks from 39th Street to 42nd Street along King Boulevard and the blocks between McClung Drive and Victoria Avenue along the Crenshaw closure.

The transportation department will allow traffic to cross the parade route at major intersections — including Western Avenue, Arlington Avenue and Stocker Street — but those crossings will be shut down at 10 a.m. All closed roads will stay blocked off until the parade and festival wrap up and transportation officials determine crowds have sufficiently dispersed, Sweeney said.

Wady said the parade is expected to peter out around mid-afternoon. The festival at Leimert Park Plaza is scheduled to end at 5 p.m.

Vehicles parked in the parade assembly area, parade route and disbanding area will be subject to impound or tickets, Sweeney wrote.

Topline:

By the numbers: Film and television shoot days totaled 4,625 in the final three months of 2025, up 5.1% in that timeframe. But overall last year, there were 19,694 shoot days, which is down 16.1% from 2024's total of 23.480.

Why it matters: Production in Los Angeles has been slow to rebound since the COVID-19 pandemic and the Hollywood writers and actors strikes in 2023. There is also increased competition from other states that offer appealing film tax credits and other incentives for productions that decide to take their shoot outside of California. This summer, Gov. Gavin Newsom expanded California's Film and TV Tax Credit Program in an effort to lure productions back to the Golden State.

What's next: Film L.A.'s Phil Sokoloski says that many of the productions approved under the expanded tax credit program are just now getting underway, and he hopes the industry will start to see the effects of not only the tax incentive expansion in 2026, but also L.A. Mayor Karen Bass' directives to streamline the permitting and shooting process in the city.

In L.A., there is no shortage of events to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day this year.

Since 1986, the federal holiday is observed on the third Monday of January to honor the life and legacy of the Civil Rights leader.

California African American Museum

The California African American Museum is hosting a King Day scavenger hunt on Sunday from 2 to 3 p.m. On Monday, it is hosting an all-day event honoring King that will culminate with a performance by the Inner City Youth Orchestra of L.A., which is billed as the largest majority Black youth orchestra in the country.

Orchestra at Skirball

The orchestra will also perform at the Skirball Cultural Center on Saturday evening. The free event is already at capacity, but you can try your luck by signing up for the waitlist here. Earlier Saturday, the orchestra will join the Santa Monica Symphony for its annual MLK concert.

Parades and celebrations

Cedric the Entertainer will be the grand marshal of this year’s official L.A. MLK Day Parade on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard between Western and Crenshaw avenues on Monday. If you’re looking for a parade earlier in the weekend, you can head to Long Beach’s MLK Day parade on Saturday. Also on Saturday is a celebration of King’s legacy at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Culver City.

Volunteer opportunities

In 1994, President Bill Clinton officially decreed MLK Day as a day of service. If you’re looking for opportunities to volunteer, grab free tickets to Monday’s MLK Day Volunteer Festival at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum.

Free access to state parks

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday that more than 200 California state parks will be free to enter on Monday. The move comes after the Trump administration eliminated MLK Day and Juneteenth from the list of days when it’s free to access national parks. There are 12 free state parks on the list in L.A. County, including Los Angeles and Will Rogers State Historic Parks, as well as Topanga and Malibu Creek State Parks. See the full list here.

A 2017 Los Angeles Times article tells the tragic story of Lai Hang, a terminally ill woman who killed her 18-year-old son George, who’d been diagnosed with schizophrenia.

It’s a carefully reported story by journalist Frank Shyong about a family, about the shame and stigma that can surround mental illness in Asian American communities, and how media portrayals of people with mental disorders can perpetuate harmful misconceptions.

So when Shyong was first approached about the idea of adapting the story he wrote into a narrative film, he had some “very intense” concerns about whether a film would get the story right.

But after conversations with the filmmakers, and thinking through the potential value of telling fictionalized stories based on real-life events, Shyong says, “ I think I realized that my story was in a lot of ways incomplete.”

Nine years later, the film, titled Rosemead, is finished. Directed by Eric Lin and written by Marilyn Fu, the film stars Lucy Liu as Irene, a character based on Hang, and Lawrence Shou as Joe, who’s based on George.

And Shyong, who is credited as an executive producer and served as a consultant on the film, says “it’s sort of completing the circle a little bit” — fleshing out Hang and George as “full 360 degree human beings” and giving glimpses of how their story might have ended differently.

Reporting on trauma in Asian American communities

Back in 2015, when the events depicted in Rosemead happened, the breaking news coverage revealed the basics of what was known at the time — that a woman had fatally shot her son in a Rosemead motel and turned herself in.

“ I think a lot of people probably realized there was more story there,” Shyong says. But the only person who knew the details, Hang’s longtime friend Ping Chong, had declined to talk to the media.

Still, Shyong kept following up because the court records hinted at a story that he thought should be told.

The court records revealed that Hang had been dying of cancer, and that Chong continued to visit her after she turned herself in, performing Buddhist rituals for her.

“Just knowing those two facts,” Shyong says, “and knowing Asian American families, and how complete and terrifying the sense of responsibility that a parent can feel toward a child, I just thought there's gotta be something there.”

He would visit Chong’s shop, a traditional Chinese pharmacy, leaving notes for her and talking to her about why he wanted to know more. And he gained her trust.

 ”You just have to say, ‘This is [the] story I think is here. And do you think that story is true? And if so, can you help me tell it?’ And that's all I did,” Shyong says. “I think that's all any journalist ever does.”

It’s a story that Shyong says he would come to learn is more common than many may expect.   “When you are a caregiver in these communities,” Shyong says, “you can find and name a tragic story like this in probably every zip code.”

How filmmaking and journalism can complement each other

Shyong’s article ends with this poignant quote from Chong, about her friend: “People will only know her as the mother who killed her son [...] But she was more.”

The piece itself goes a long way toward dispelling Chong’s concern, including details about Hang’s life — that she was a talented graphic designer, that she was “beautiful, smart and ambitious,” that she’d lost her husband to cancer, and that she deeply cared about her son.

But “in this case fiction,” Shyong says, “could give closure to characters in a way that I couldn't in reality. It could tell the fullness of this family story.”

The film shows Liu’s character Irene having fun with her son at the beach, and joining his therapy sessions at the urging of a psychiatrist, despite being visibly uncomfortable doing so.

It shows George (Joe in the film) with his friends, who come to visit him after he has an intense schizophrenic episode at school.

The sound design gives a sense of what it’s like to experience schizophrenia, and a part of the film where Joe runs away shows how quickly a boy with a mother and friends who care about him can become an unhoused person who someone might fear on the street.

Ultimately, the film ends on a note of hope, which grew out of something that Shyong learned from Chong after the article was published. In a way that he couldn’t do in print, “It added parts to the story that I wanted to see depicted.”