Taste of Cambodia Town

Food

Exploring the Long Beach neighborhood

Gab Chabrán covers what's happening in food and culture for LAist.

Published September 27, 2024 5:00 AM

A man with a medium-dark skin tone squeezes a lime over a white bowl of soup topped with white bean sprouts and crushed peanuts. Only the bottom part of his face is visible. He is holding a clear blue plastic water cup next to the bowl, and next to the bowl is a golden yellow piece of fried bread.

Beef Stew Noodle from Phnom Penh Noodle Shack in Cambodia Town in Long Beach.

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Julie Leopo

for LAist

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Topline:

Long Beach houses the largest population of Cambodians outside of the country, with Cambodia Town the location of some great restaurants. LAist food editor Gab Chabrán met up with James Tir, a Cambodian American food influencer, to learn more about the cuisine.

What’s on the menu? Charred fragrant beef sticks, Texas meets Cambodian BBQ, smooth and creamy noodles, a very bitter green and whole fried yellow catfish, to name a few.

How is it different to other South Asian cuisines? “It’s less about balance and subtlety and more about enjoying a broad range of experiences in one sitting, unabashedly playing with bitter and acrid flavors," Tir says.

I’ve lived in Long Beach for almost seven years. While I’ve eaten my way through many of the city’s food offerings, I’ve only made it to Cambodia Town's restaurants a handful of times.

Part of that was because it wasn’t something I knew much about. What should I order? How is it different from other Southeast Asian cuisines, like Vietnamese or Thai?

Unconsciously, I think I was holding out for a chance to experience the food firsthand from someone who understood its culture and origins.

So when James Tir, an Instagram food influencer, aka Long Beach Food Coma (LBFoodComa), reached out to ask if I wanted to take a tasting tour of Cambodia Town restaurants, I immediately said yes.

From left, LAist Food Editor Gab Chabrán and James Tir, food influencer known as LB Food Coma, share a meal at Monorom in Long Beach

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Julie Leopo

LAist

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Tir is Cambodian-American and grew up in Long Beach. He regularly covers a variety of food in the city and has the knowledge of Khmer cuisine I was looking for. He seemed the perfect guide.

When we met, he explained that Long Beach became a landing spot for Cambodians in the 1970s and 1980s after the Khmer Rouge’s reign of terror. And, like many immigrants, they brought their traditional cuisine with them.

Cambodian cooking is influenced by rice fields, tropical jungles, and the Mekong River, using ingredients such as lemongrass, tamarind, and prahok (fermented mudfish).

Most people’s reference point for Southeast Asian cuisine is Thai or Vietnamese food, but Tir says Cambodian cuisine is distinctive.

“Its flavor profiles are less about balance and subtlety and more about enjoying a broad range of experiences in one sitting,” he says. “It unabashedly plays with bitter and acrid flavors and harmonizes with, rather than hides the intensity of, those dishes.”

With that quick education, we were on our way.

About Cambodia Town

Cambodia Town is a 1.2-mile stretch along Anaheim Street between Atlantic and Junipero Avenues.
It’s home to the largest Khmer (also known as Cambodian; the two terms can be used interchangeably) population in the U.S.
Many Cambodians arrived in Long Beach as refugees in 1980s after the overthrow of the totalitarian Khmer Rouge regime.

Battambong BBQ (Smoked Twako)

A close-up of a giant smoker painted black with both doors open. At the back you can see a glimpse of a man with a medium-dark skin tone, wearing a pale yellow cowboy hat and square sunglasses, tending to the two shelves of smoked meats on their own and in large aluminum trays.

James:

It’s hard to talk about Cambodian-American cuisine without mentioning Chad “The Cambodian Cowboy” Phuong’s take on Cambodian-Texan fusion.

His hardened journey from the war-torn countryside of Cambodia to the panhandle of Texas to the streets of Long Beach has instilled a uniquely Khmer twang to the smoke-encrusted meats of Texan-style barbecue. His brisket is kissed by the heat of Kampot black pepper (a sharper sting compared to the more citrussy ubiquitous Tellicherry); his pork belly is lacquered in a soy sauce, scorched sugar, ginger, and star anise-tinged dance on your tongue, and his twako is the showstopper.

The twako is a Khmer descent sausage comprising ground beef, galangal, and rice. The galangal effuses a depth that’s more floral than its cousin, ginger, whilst the rice ferments the sausage, adding a nice acidic bite to the affair.

The casing has a snap, but its contents spill from the tiniest toothy massage. Traditionally grilled, Phuong tosses them into a smoker adding an extra layer to the complex sausage.

An overhead view of a brown paper tray with checkered black and white paper on top. The tray is filled with various types of cooked meats and is placed against an unfinished wood surface. On the left side, there are two separate rectangular paper containers holding different kinds of vegetables.

Gab:

I’d actually sampled Battambong BBQ before our tour. Phuong has staged several pop-ups all over Long Beach since 2022 and can also be found at Smorgasburg, LA, every Sunday.

While we were there specifically to try the twako, Phuong didn’t miss miss an opportunity to showcase his battalion of ‘cue consisting of beef sausage, brisket, and tri-tip. The pork belly ends stood out for me; small rectangular cubes of pork belly with a sweetly coated caramelized outside and a succulent inside.

I inhaled the twako, though. It contained earthy umami notes, similar to hearty mushrooms, recalling morcilla (Spanish blood sausage) but with more sweetness. The addition of smoke catapulted the sausage to the next level entirely.

Location and Hours: Check Instagram

Phnom Penh Noodle Shack (Beef Stew Noodles)

James:

Sitting on the northwest border of Cambodia Town is the tiny but mighty Phnom Penh Noodle Shack. Opening in 1985, it was the first Cambodian restaurant in the region, serving up piping hot bowls of noodles to the Khmer community. The eponymous shack is famous for one thing: Phnom Penh noodles, a regionally distinct rice noodle dish that is a close cousin of Vietnam’s phở.

However spectacular that dish may be, the beef stew noodles (khor ko) might be my personal favorite. It has colonial French roots, drawing inspiration from beef bourguignon, but is punctuated by the flavors of lemongrass, star anise, and fish sauce, neatly commingling with the acidity of tomato paste. This collagen-thickened broth suspends tender chunks of tripe, tendon, and braised beef between delicate strands of rice noodles.

When paired with cha quai, a crispy, broth-sopping length of deep-fried bread, the dish is elevated to another level of satisfaction.

The interior of a small dining room inside a restaurant overlooks a larger dining area. Various groups are seated at tables of different sizes, enjoying their meals and engaging in conversation. The patrons have diverse skin tones and represent different genders. A woman with black hair and attire is sitting between both rooms and inputting an order into a computer. Framed artwork adorns the walls in both dining areas.

Gab:

James really took me to school with this dish. I thought it would be similar to Taiwanese beef noodle soup, but this was not that. It was a large bowl of deep red broth filled with rice noodles and tripe. At this point, James looked up from the bowl with a soft smile and said, “It’s like menudo.”

James, of course, was right on the money with his Mexican soup reference. The thick cuts of tripe and chunks of beef sop up the tangy, starchy taste of the rice noodles, and the collagen from the tendon adds to the soup's viscosity, delivering spoonful after spoonful of hearty comfort. The result tastes and feels like it has exceptional therapeutic properties — perfect for curing a hangover.

Location: 1644 Cherry Ave., Long Beach
Hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Pho Hong Phat (Banh Sung)

James:

Pho Hong Phat is a Cambodian-owned phở restaurant serving some of the best Vietnamese noodles in the city. What betrays the facade of the primarily Vietnamese menu is the “not pho” section, which includes Phnom Penh noodle soup, Hainan chicken rice, and banh sung.

Banh sung is the Cambodian cousin of the Vietnamese bún chả giò, both of which are a vermicelli noodle salad with fried egg rolls. The aforementioned shares a bowl with leafy greens, a wealth of herbs, shredded carrots, and grilled marinated pork, resulting in a salad that involves a carousel of textures.

Like the bún chả giò, it’s served with sweet fish sauce, chili sauce, and crushed peanuts. Unlike bún chả giò, the Khmer variant also incorporates more than a splash of coconut milk steeped with chopped green onion. The last ingredient mellows out the intensity of the fish sauce, creating an experience that coats the palate with a bright umami.

A large white bowl is placed on a dark grey surface. Inside the bowl, there are cooked thin white noodles topped with two fried egg rolls cut into three pieces each, cooked brown meat, and sliced green onions. Next to the bowl, in the bottom right corner, is a small bowl containing opaque white liquid. In the upper right corner is a small container with a metal spout and a printed black-and-white label that reads "peanuts."

Gab:

I’ve eaten at Pho Hong Phat a few times, but I’ve inhaled the sweet smell of the pho broth simmering in the kitchen far more often.

That’s because they open at 8 a.m. for folks looking for hot breakfast soup. When I stop for coffee at the cafe across the street, Good Time, (a local favorite amongst locals, including myself and James), I often get an enticing whiff of the day’s cooking wafting over.

I had only eaten pho during my previous visits, but James opened my eyes to the “not pho” section featuring Khmer options. Adding the pleasant flavors of coconut milk brought a new depth to the cold rice noodle dish. The smooth texture and creaminess provided a nice balance with a mix of greens, peanuts, and sliced bits of eggroll, which are always a winner.

The exterior of a small, two-story corner restaurant is painted grey. It has white signage with red lettering that reads "Pho Hong Phat Restaurant." There is a light green pillar next to the glass door entrance, leading from the sidewalk. A row of parked cars is next to the sidewalk, and there is a person standing next to the car closest to the corner.

Location: 3243 E Anaheim St, Long Beach
Hours: Monday through Tuesday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Wednesday

A & J Seafood Shack (Lemongrass Beefsticks)

James:

At one point in my life, I worked many years both front and back of the house at Hak Heang, a banquet-style Cambodian-Chinese seafood joint in Long Beach that served as a hub for the Khmer community since the early 90s. Be it weddings or graduation parties, it was a special occasion spot, where you’d get wok-fired lobster or crab that’s been tossed in a medley of jalapeño heat and MSG to flex your wealth while downing generous shots of Hennessy cognac.

A & J takes this concept and serves these revered dishes (sans cognac, as far as I know) out of takeout boxes — allowing you to enjoy these special occasion experiences in a more casual context.

Though a seafood joint serving some Viet-Cajun boils, they are Khmer through and through, embedding both lemongrass beef sticks and twako on their seafood-studded roll call.

The beef sticks, in particular, are an item found on most Khmer menus. The beef is marinated in kroueng, a mortar-and-pestle bashed paste of lemongrass, turmeric, galangal, garlic, shallots, kaffir lime leaves and chilies that’s pervasive throughout the cuisine. It’s then skewered on bamboo sticks and cooked over an open flame. The outcome is a supple treat that is crispy from the char of the grill.

It’s hard to beat the time-tested formula of meat on a stick.

A small outdoor shack is situated on a street corner. It is painted brown with red metal stools and tall, thin tables outside. A medium-sized palm tree is next to the sidewalk in the left corner. Two people are standing at the window where you can place an order. Above them is a blue awning affixed to the takeout window, with a printed sign that reads "A & J Seafood Shack." The sign features a red cartoon lobster and color photos of different food dishes.

The exterior of A&J Seafood Shack in Long Beach.

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Julie Leopo

LAist

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A clear plastic to-go container with its lid open is on a light grey concrete surface. The container is filled with cooked white rice topped with three skewers of brown meat covered with green cilantro leaves. In the right corner is a small portion of shredded white and orange vegetables.

The Beef Stick Rice dish from A&J Seafood Shack

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Julie Leopo

LAist

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Gab:

I featured A&J in my Cheap Fast Eats Long Beach edition. It’s a great option for their Cambodian dishes and various pan-Asian-inspired dishes, including their garlic shrimp plates, which take nods from shrimp trucks from the North Shore area of Oahu.

In my previous visits, I’ve opted for the beef stick sandwich, made with a demi baguette-style roll (similar to Viet Bahn mi or Khmer num pang) containing two beef sticks, green pickled papaya slaw, and Sriracha mayo. Per James's recommendation, we had the beef sticks on their own over a bed of rice and a side of slaw.

The ultra-savory flavors of the aromatic beef, mixed with the light char and forkfuls of jasmine rice, make for a great light meal.

Location: 3201 E Anaheim St., Long Beach
Hours: Open daily, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Monorom Cambodian Restaurant (Prahok Ktis)

James:

Monorom, like A & J, also has a fantastic lemongrass beef stick. But they also have a catalog of traditional eats such as the prahok ktis (or prahok creme as they have it labeled on their menu).

One of the most common ways food is consumed in Cambodia is to have an assortment of in-season vegetables and a dip, precisely what you’d get with prahok ktis.

It’s ground pork married with the pungency of prahok paste, the omnipresent fermented mudfish product, and the creaminess of coconut milk. The prahok ktis are presented with a shallow basket carrying thin cross sections of raw Chinese eggplant, Thai eggplant, cucumber, yardlong beans, and cabbage.

The interior of Monorom

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Julie Leopo

LAist

)

A plate with a white to-go wrapper contains two rows of uncooked Chinese eggplant and cucumber alongside a thick wedge of lemon and long green beans. Additionally, there are wedges of green cabbage and two red and green Thai chiles. In the foreground, on the right side, is a medium-sized ceramic bowl containing thick red liquid with thinly sliced red bell pepper and thinly cut-up green herbs added.

The Prahok ktis dish from Monorom

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Julie Leopo

LAist

)

Gab:

During my previous food tour of Little Arabia with my colleague Yusra Farzan, there were a couple of moments when I entered small family-owned restaurant spaces and felt as if I were inside their living room.

Monorom carries a similar vibe with its seating setup. During our stop there, a multigenerational family was enjoying a meal together, adding to the personal nature of the atmosphere.

The extensive menu felt overwhelming. Luckily, we already had a plan to start with the prahok ktis.

The cut-up raw vegetables come with a side of the reddish-orange prahok paste containing loose bits of ground pork, which makes for an excellent dip. It made me think of that Northern Thai dish, nam phrig noom (a roasted green chili dip) served with crispy frieded pork skins, which is go-to order of mine and my family at Renu Narkron in nearby Norwalk.

Location: 2150 E Anaheim St., Long Beach
Hours: Monday through Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Thursday, 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Friday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Closed Wednesday.

Crystal Thai Cambodian (Trei Aundain Chean)

The small restaurant's dining area was filled with green vinyl booths, with small groups seated at them. A row of long tables and wooden chairs were in the empty room. The walls were painted bright orange, and modern blue light fixtures hung over each booth. In the background, a small counter space with a slight overhang built around it is painted purple on the outside. Various plants were placed throughout the restaurant, and framed artwork adorned the walls.

James:

Much more Khmer than Thai, Crystal Thai Cambodian is the quintessential spot for experiencing a traditional Cambodian meal — things you’d find in a Khmer home, where parents and grandparents have preserved culinary memories of a pre-genocide Cambodia.

Their menu is a voluminous encyclopedia of the Khmer greatest hits, ranging from the backyard party noodle nom p’jok (a thick rice vermicelli noodle dish that’s beset by a turmeric-stained catfish broth) to duck feet salad (a mélange of saccharine-vinegar slaw dotted with the cartilaginous webbed feet of waterfowl).

When I’m looking to impress the adventurous, I always order the trei aundain chean, which translates to whole fried yellow catfish. The catfish arrives at the table with a bouquet of greens, including slivers of green leaf lettuce, Vietnamese coriander, fish mint, bean sprouts, cucumber, and branches of sadao—the latter of which are the flower buds of the neem tree. Imagine the pithy florets of broccoli but with a medicinally astringent flavor. It’s bitter. Incredibly so.

You begin this meal by tearing into the catfish, peeling away the chicharrón crispy skin, and revealing a brilliant yellow flesh. The flesh is flaky, moist, and surprisingly clean-tasting despite the jaundiced pallor — not fishy. Then, you nest the contents into a leaf of lettuce, stack the herbs high, and roll yourself a wrap.

The wrap is accompanied by a sour and sweet tamarind sauce and green mango salad, creating a Russian doll-like flavor experience of slowly unveiling the entire roster of taste with each bite.

A light-skinned hand holds a white soup spoon as it dips into a small white bowl containing a thick, dark brown sauce with chopped bits of green onion. Next is a bowl of chopped vegetables and fruit, resembling a slaw or a salad. Above the bowls is a fried yellow catfish scored throughout its body. There are various green vegetables and herbs on a separate plate above the fish, including Romaine lettuce leaves and cucumbers. Behind the hand holding the spoon is a partially shown bowl of cooked white rice.

Gab:

I had heard tales of Crystal Thai and its bodacious bowls of nom p’jok, the yellow curry dish, for a while now. But James was down to explore the menu a little more.

I can’t remember the last time I had a whole catfish (maybe never, filets, sure). Arriving at your table the fish has been scored and deep-fried, along with a separate plate of greens. The sadao was the standout, given its striking appearance resembling wild baby broccoli. I assembled the the D.I.Y. lettuce wraps with torn chunks of the fish mixed with tamarind sauce and mango salad. It all paired together. Nothing short of memorable.

Location: 1165 E 10th St, Long Beach
Hours: Open daily, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Note: Cash Only

News

Dead Mt. Baldy hikers

Two of three hikers found last week identified

Fiona Ng is LAist's deputy managing editor and leads a team of reporters who explore food, culture, history, events and more.

Published January 4, 2026 8:17 AM

Snow capped mountains are visible above a bank of clouds.

Mount Baldy, photographed here in 2019, has been the site of more than 230 rescues and eight fatalities since 2017.

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Robyn Beck

AFP via Getty Images

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Topline:

Two of the three hikers found dead last week at Mt. Baldy have been identified.

The backstory: Their bodies were discovered when a search-and-rescue crew was dispatched to search for another missing hiker, who was reported to have fallen 500 feet near Devil’s Backbone Trail.

What's next: Trails on and around Mt. Baldy are still closed after the discovery of the three bodies.

Two of the three hikers found dead last week at Mt. Baldy have been identified.

They are Juan Sarat Lopez, 37, and Bayron Pedro Ramos Garcia, 36, according to authorities on Saturday. Both men are Guatemalan nationals living in Los Angeles.

Investigators believe the two fell from the Devil’s Backbone Trail the same day they were found.

Their bodies were discovered when a search-and-rescue crew was dispatched to search for another missing hiker, who was reported to have fallen 500 feet near Devil’s Backbone Trail.

That person was identified later as Marcus Alexander Muench Casanova, 19, of Seal Beach.

Trails still closed

Hiking trails on and around Mount Baldy have been closed by authorities after the deceased hikers were found, until 11:59 p.m. Jan. 7.

“Our primary responsibility is the preservation of life,” Sheriff Shannon Dicus said in a social media message sent on New Year's Eve. “Closing these trails is a necessary step to mitigate ongoing risks. We urge the community to respect these boundaries.”

The following trails will be closed:

Forest System Trail No. 7W12 - Mount Baldy Trail
Forest System Trail No. 7W02 - Mount Baldy Bowl Trail
Forest System Trail No. 7W05 - Devil’s Backbone Trail
Forest System Trail No. 7W06 - Three T’s Trail
Forest System Trail No. 7W07 - Icehouse Canyon Trail
Forest System Trail No. 7W07A - Chapman Trail
Forest System Trail No. 7W08 - Ontario Peak Trail

Venezuela has huge oil reserves, but now produces a fraction of what it used to

Venezuela was once one of the biggest global oil producers and was one of the main founders of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), a group of some of the world's biggest oil producers, whose decisions help determine global oil prices. Venezuela has the largest proven reserves of oil in the world, according to OPEC.

But while the country was producing more than 3 million barrels a day a few decades ago, today Venezuela produces only about a million barrels a day, or roughly 1% of global oil output. The U.S. produces about 13 million barrels a day.

Much of Venezuela's oil went to refineries in the U.S. Now much of it goes to China.

Not all crude oil is the same — some oil is physically lighter and easier for refineries to process. Venezuela's oil is heavy and dense, and requires special refineries. Burning any type of oil contributes to climate change, but Venezuela's oil is "among the dirtiest oils in the world to produce when it comes to global warming," says Paasha Mahdavi, associate professor of political science at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Venezuela owes some U.S. oil companies billions

U.S. oil companies like Chevron began drilling in Venezuela about one hundred years ago and played a key role in developing the country's oil sector.

But around 2004 to 2007, then-President Hugo Chávez "basically forcefully renegotiated contracts" with international oil companies, says Francisco Monaldi, director of the Latin America Energy Program at the Center for Energy Studies at Rice University.

ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips left the country in 2007 and then took the Venezuelan government to international arbitration courts. The courts ordered Venezuela to pay ConocoPhillips over $10 billion and ExxonMobil over $1 billion. Venezuela has only paid a fraction of those sums to ExxonMobil and to ConocoPhillips.

Chevron, however, stayed in Venezuela — although " they didn't like it," says Gerald Kepes, president of Competitive Energy Strategies, an energy consultancy in Washington, D.C.

Chevron today produces about a quarter of Venezuela's oil.

In response to the news of Maduro's capture, Chevron spokesperson Bill Turenne said in an email, "Chevron remains focused on the safety and wellbeing of our employees, as well as the integrity of our assets. We continue to operate in full compliance with all relevant laws and regulations."

Trump has said that Venezuela has "stolen" U.S. investment in the country's energy sector.

Will U.S. oil companies return?

Venezuela is what the oil industry calls a "brownfield" — meaning it's well established, and oil companies have a fairly good idea of what they will find when they drill. For companies like ConocoPhillips, returning to Venezuela could be an opportunity to recoup some of the billions owed to them by the government, Monaldi says.

In an email, ConocoPhillips spokesperson Dennis Nuss wrote, "ConocoPhillips is monitoring developments in Venezuela and their potential implications for global energy supply and stability. It would be premature to speculate on any future business activities or investments."

ExxonMobil did not respond to a request for comment.

Still, this isn't the best time to add to the global oil supply, Monaldi says. There's currently a worldwide glut of oil. Also, because Venezuela's oil is particularly bad for the climate, that makes it less attractive for European oil companies with climate goals, Monaldi says.

Venezuela's neighbor is a rising oil star

Next door to Venezuela is Guyana — a country that recently discovered over 10 billion barrels of oil and is a key emerging player in the international oil industry.

Guyana's oil is lighter than Venezuela's, less polluting, and has lower taxes than Venezuela, Monaldi says. There's also no national oil company in Guyana, as there is in Venezuela.

"All that makes for Guyana to be one of the most attractive oil places in the world," Monaldi says.

While ExxonMobil is no longer in Venezuela, it is a major player in Guyana.

For years, Venezuela and Guyana have had a territorial dispute that has also been related to oil rights. Last March, Venezuelan vessels entered Guyanese territorial waters approaching offshore oil vessels belonging to ExxonMobil.

"Without a doubt, with a changing regime, Guyana should feel more secure," Monaldi says.

Lack of political stability could be a deal breaker

Some increase in Venezuela's oil production could happen fairly quickly with more financial support and improved management, according to an analysis by Wood Mackenzie, an energy consultancy.

But Mahdavi says the Trump administration's plans to jumpstart the industry will be difficult. He notes that it took nearly two decades to revitalize Iraq's oil industry after the U.S. invasion, though corruption and mismanagement remain pervasive.

And ultimately, notes Kepes, if it's unclear who is in charge in Venezuela, oil companies will have concerns about the long-term viability of their contracts. "No one's going to start investing on the ground in a place where there's no legal contract and viable permission to operate or if there's concerns about political stability and violence," he says.

Explore LA

Remembering the Pali-Post

Palisades newspaper shuts down after 97 years

Dañiel Andres Martinez is an associate producer for LAist.

Published January 4, 2026 5:00 AM

A man in a tan hat, a dark green shirt, gray pants and brown shoes leans against a brick wall with a sign that says "Pacific Palisades Post Printing & Publishing". The man smiles at the camera. A glass door behind him has the address "839" on it.

Former Pali-Post editor Bill Bruns stands in front of the old "Pacific Palisades Post" building on Via de la Paz. The building held the newsroom as well as the paper's printing press.

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Bill Bruns

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Topline:

The Palisadian-Post, a community newspaper dedicated to the Pacific Palisades, published its final edition on Christmas Day.

Why now? After January’s fires subscriptions basically fell to zero and what advertisers the paper did have all but disappeared, according to owner Alan Smolinisky.

Who read it? At its height, the paper reached over 6,000 subscribers and was solely focused on stories local to the Palisades. Reporters would cover local community meetings, sports events and businesses.

Read on ... for nearly 100 years of memories of the Pali-Post.

The Palisadian-Post, the community paper that’s been covering the Pacific Palisades for nearly 100 years, printed its final issue on Christmas Day.

After January’s fires, subscriptions basically fell to zero, as did advertisers, according to a memo announcing the paper's closure from owner Alan Smolinisky.

But its end brings with it nearly a century of memories.

The Post remembered

The seaside community of Pacific Palisades was founded by members of the Methodist church in 1922. Six years later, the first issue of what would become the Pali-Post was published to document town life.

“ A little 12-point, 12-page tabloid, they called the Palisadian” said Bill Bruns, a former editor of the Palisadian-Post from 1993 to 2013, and member of the Pacific Palisades Historical Society. Before he was editor, Bruns was a loyal reader of the paper.

In 1934, the paper was purchased by Clifford Clearwater, one of the first settlers of the Palisades. Bruns said Clearwater had been an ambulance driver in World War I, and was the Palisades's original postal carrier where he would deliver mail by horseback.

He wasn’t trained as a journalist, but his life experiences gave him the confidence to keep publishing the paper, serving as its photographer and editor until his death in 1956.

“He had a friend who had a little plane and he would take Cliff up and Cliff would shoot these great aerial pictures of the town growing, hanging out of this little plane,” Bruns said.

Over the years, Clearwater took about 3,000 aerial photos of the community as it developed and grew. All of those pictures survived the Palisades Fire and are stored at the Santa Monica Library for the public to see.

In 1950, a rival paper — the Pacific Palisades Post — came on the scene and by the end of the next decade, the two papers would merge to become the Pali-Post that most people think of today.

A staff picture of the "Palisadian-Post". Six people stand together, four people are in front and two are in back. The person at the far left and foreground wears a light blue jacket and scarf and a red shirt. The person in the middle foreground wears a green blazer and a green and blue scarf. Another person stands to her side and wears a pink scarf and dark red shirt. On the right side of the picture a woman wears a purple shirt, jeans and a purple cardigan. In the background, on the left side, one person wears a white button up shirt. To the side of him Bill Bruns wears a white and blue striped button up shirt. They all smile and pose for a camera. They are in a garden surrounded by green shrubbery.

A 'heyday' for community news

The paper changed hands again in 1981 and a little over a decade later, Bruns began as editor.

With an average of about 30 pages to fill every week, he said what readers appreciated most was the focus on local news. Reporters went in person to cover stories and were often seen at local meetings, sports events and businesses.

“So they knew that they were getting firsthand coverage of what was happening in the town,” Bruns said.

Readers like Sue Kohl who lived in the Palisades for 32 years, respected the breadth of its coverage.

The Post covered school sports her children participated in. She said it featured plenty of advertisements from neighborhood businesses, including her own real estate agency. She especially liked the small town bulletin feel of the paper.

“They talked about local issues. They talked about local residents, whether they were famous or not famous,” Kohl said.

One of her favorite sections to read was the “Two Cents” column, stray thoughts and opinions from Palisadians. She also appreciated the in-depth obituaries.

Bruns said the obit section was always appreciated by the families since the paper didn’t charge for them.

“ Because we didn't charge, people would write nice obituaries because they weren't worried about the cost and they would give us a picture and we ran those,” Bruns said.

A room is seen through a window. A red sign with white letters that says "news" sits in the middle of the room. Old newspapers can be seen on the other side of the windowpane. Next to the newspapers are a basket and a straw hat. A copy machine is seen in front of the window. Desks and a bulletin board filled with pictues can be seen beyond the window in the room.

The paper was known for its responsiveness to the community. The staff took pitches from readers, Bruns said, and put the spotlight on Palisadians themselves.

There was a “golden couples” column for anybody married for 50 years or more; a “young Palisadians” column for enterprising youngsters and a “people on the move” column for the movers and shakers.

The paper also announced the first birth in the community each year.

“It was kind of a cool thing to be the first baby in the Palisades. They gave them prizes like baby gifts and things. Very local, community driven, small town emphasis,” Kohl said.

More than a paper

That small town emphasis remained a constant. Gabriella Bock was a reporter at the Pali-Post from 2016 to 2018. She said it her first real newsroom experience.

A desk is seen in an office. The desk is black with silver cabinets. A black desk chair sits underneath part of the desk. There is a computer on top of the desk. The desk has various post-it notes and papers taped to its walls.

“ We were a small, tight-knit news team of myself, a sports reporter and one other staff reporter,” Bock said. “So I was able to be taken under their wing and learn a lot in a short period of time.”

A dark blue laminated "media pass" is seen. The media pass depicts a woman with brown hair in a white T-shirt and blue sweater. Underneath the picture is written the word "reporter". Above the picture the words "Gabriella Ayres" is written. Above those words "Palisadian-Post Media" is written.

But the paper was more than just a place to work. When Bock got married, her fellow reporters wrote a marriage announcement in the paper. When she was pregnant, they threw her a baby shower.

When she heard about the paper closing its doors, she said it was heartbreaking. To Bock it’s not about being nostalgic or sentimental about a former workplace. She sees the giant hole the disappearance of another local newsroom can leave people with.

“It's how people learn what's happening on their block, in their schools, in their city, and when that disappears, people oftentimes will lose a reason to stay engaged at all,” said Bock.

A woman in a dark blue hat wears food gloves and handles small baskets of food inside a food truck. She wears a gray shirt and light blue jeans. Napkins, a black bag, and condiments can be seen on the table in front of her. Behind her a person in a black shirt is working.

Bruns echoes Bock’s sentiment. He saw the paper as a unifier of the community in his two-decade tenure.

“It just made people feel more like they really liked their town, and the Palisades Post was a crucial element in that whole spirit of community,” Bruns said.

A man in a blue suit wearing a blue collared shirt and a blue and tan tie stands next to another man with glasses, a black suit, a blue collared shirt and a light blue tie. An aerial view photograph of downtown Los Angeles can be seen behind them. The man in the blue suit holds an honorary certificate up.

Kohl, whose home is more than halfway rebuilt, hopes that the spirit will return one day.

Last time she drove through her old neighborhood of The Alphabet Streets she saw several homes in the process of coming back up.

“I have faith that we will all come back, and I hope that the newspaper finds that as well,” said Kohl.

A woman in a blue puffer jacket, a sweatshirt, jogging pants and running shoes stands in the construction site of a home with a white dog on a leash. She wears sunglasses and makes a thumbs up gesture to the camera.

News

CA pols react to strikes

Schiff, Padilla, Issa statements on Venezuela

Fiona Ng is LAist's deputy managing editor and leads a team of reporters who explore food, culture, history, events and more.

Published January 3, 2026 11:18 AM

President Donald Trump listens to a reporter's question in the Oval Office of the White House, on Friday.

(

Alex Brandon

)

Topline:

California lawmakers have issued their responses on the U.S. military operation in Venezuela.

The backstory: In a news conference this morning, President Donald Trump said the U.S. is going to "run" that country until a proper transition is in place.

President Donald Trump launched a military strike against Venezuela overnight, resulting in the capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife.

In a news conference this morning, Trump said the U.S. is going to "run" that country, until a proper transition is in place.

California lawmakers are reacting to the attacks.

"Nicolás Maduro was a thug and an illegitimate leader of Venezuela, terrorizing and oppressing its people for far too long and forcing many to leave the country. But starting a war to remove Maduro doesn’t just continue Donald Trump’s trampling of the Constitution, it further erodes America’s standing on the world stage and risks our adversaries mirroring this brazen illegal escalation," says Sen. Adam Schiff, a democrat.

Nicolás Maduro was a thug and an illegitimate leader of Venezuela, terrorizing and oppressing its people for far too long and forcing many to leave the country. But starting a war to remove Maduro doesn’t just continue Donald Trump’s trampling of the Constitution, it further…
— Adam Schiff (@SenAdamSchiff) January 3, 2026

Republican Congressman Darrell Issa, who represents areas including Murrieta and the Temecula Valley, says President Trump, "has taken strong action to protect America’s homeland from neighboring threats of narcoterrorism and the scourge of deadly narcotics. The Trump administration has my full support."

Our elite military have again performed brilliantly with total effectiveness, and minimum loss of life. They are the best-trained, best-equipped, and bravest in the world.

Once again, @realDonaldTrump has taken strong action to protect America’s homeland from neighboring threats…
— Rep. Darrell Issa (@repdarrellissa) January 3, 2026

Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla says, "Let’s be absolutely clear: Trump’s military action in Venezuela is unlawful without approval from Congress."

Let’s be absolutely clear: Trump’s military action in Venezuela is unlawful without approval from Congress.

There’s no clear objective, no endgame, and no plan for what comes next. This is a dangerous recipe for chaos in the region.

And while he escalates conflicts abroad,…
— Senator Alex Padilla (@SenAlexPadilla) January 3, 2026

California Governor Gavin Newsom did not directly response to the attacks. He zeroed in on a comment Trump made about the L.A. fires during the news conference.

"Unless Trump is finally delivering the federal aid survivors need to rebuild after the horrific fires — nearly a year after California first requested it — he should keep Los Angeles out of his mouth," Newsom's office says on social.

Unless Trump is finally delivering the federal aid survivors need to rebuild after the horrific fires — nearly a year after California first requested it — he should keep Los Angeles out of his mouth. https://t.co/DolwqB3NnJ
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) January 3, 2026

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