The Brief

Los Angeles is in the midst of a pizza renaissance.

Pizzaiolos across the city are slicing up unique takes on pies that pull from multiple influences — local, global, and everything in between — just like Los Angeles itself.

It's like when you create a playlist for your friends with all your favorite songs. There’s a little jazz, rock, hip-hop, country, pop.

That’s L.A.-style pizza.

Because the region isn't beholden to any specific standards for pizzas, chefs get to use all the best parts of what makes for a great pie. And, I would argue, that means L.A. is currently making pizza which is better than any other city across the globe.

Fighting talk, I know, but this is a hill I'm willing to die on.

Now, as LAist’s food editor, I’m often asked where to go to get pizza. So I’ve put together a list of my favorite picks. It's clearly not exhaustive, and it's not a list that tells you where to get "the best" pizza. Instead, it's a snapshot of L.A.-style pizza right now — my take on what stands out in terms of creativity and skill.

LaSorted’s: Silver Lake

Tommy Brockert was an L.A. event photographer when his then-girlfriend, now wife, gave him an Ooni pizza oven. That led him to enroll in a one-day pizza-making class, where he was hooked and began stumbling down the rabbit hole of crafting his own naturally leavened sourdough pizza crusts.

When his income dried up at the start of the pandemic, he had the crazy idea of selling his homemade pizzas off the front porch of his home in Echo Park.

Tommy and Erin Brockert started selling pizzas during the pandemic. The pizzeria recently have celebrated their four year anniversary.

(

Daviston Jeffers @davefotogram

/

Courtesy LaSorted's

)

It was so successful that he now runs his own pizza shop, LaSorted’s, in Silver Lake, just down the road from where he used to sell his porch pizzas.

A good place to start is the Mamba, prepared as a regular cheese slice or with pepperoni. Its name comes from the late Laker great Kobe Byrant, who once said he ate a pepperoni pizza before scoring 81 points in a single game in 2006. Brockert, who grew up worshiping the Lakers and Dodgers, chose the name.

The Upside Down Mamba is perhaps the most texturally interesting pie on the menu.

The Upside Down Mamba at LaSorted's in Silver Lake. One of the most texturally exciting pizzas in all of Los Angeles.

(

Tommy Brocket

/

Courtesy La Sorted's

)

According to Brockert, this style of pizza has roots in Philadelphia, which he learned about from some of his Philly-born employees. The name is exactly what it is: their cheese pizza, with its toppings, flipped, with a three-cheese blend serving as its base, then topped thoroughly with tomato sauce, sprinkled with flaky sea salt, and Sicilian oregano. The thin layer of cooked cheese underneath the sauce forms a buffer between the sauce and the pizza crust, making for a uniquely excellent texture that many West coasters, such as yours, truly haven’t experienced before visiting LaSorted’s.

Another standout is the sausage and pepper pie. It's topped with their housemade sausage mixed with roasted green peppers and onions and then drizzled with spicy tomato Arrabbiata sauce and Calabrian chili oil. This is the pizza version of a sausage and pepper sandwich from an Italian deli.

Think about how a producer takes a snippet of a song and creates a new song based on it. Brockert accomplishes something similar with his pizza—it's both specifically Los Angeles and distinctly his own.

Quarantine Pizza Co: Eastside pop-up

If you've ever visited Smorgasburg LA, there’s a good chance you’ve encountered Quarantine Pizza Co., a pizza pop-up run by Brandon and Carolina Conaway. Like many kids who grew up in Southern California, they draw from various influences, both from their respective cultural backgrounds and a slew of others that they’ve picked up along the way.

Brandon is Asian (Chinese and Vietnamese) and white. Carolina is Latina (Mexican and Colombian). Both grew up in Orange County, where they met before moving to Los Angeles for college.

Brandon and Carolina Conaway of Quarantine Pizza Co. draw from their diverse background to create fun and inventive pizzas at their pop up.

(

Robert Haleblian

/

Courtesy Quarantine Pizza Co.

)

Brandon worked in Italian restaurants, and Carolina has a background in set design for television and film. The couple has been experimenting with sourdough starters since 2015, which they would trade with friends. When the pandemic hit, they started selling pizzas out of their backyard in Highland Park (you may sense a theme here), which is how they came up with the name Quarantine.

It's led to some outstanding combinations, such an Banh Mi pies, Char siu pies, and birria sausage, salsa roja and red corn sourdough.

When you bite into a slice of their sourdough “Neapolitan-ish inspired pizza", its fluffy, airy texture is like a breath of fresh air. It's a revelation. The outer rim of the crust features the perfect amount of “leoparding,” which occurs when the naturally fermented dough is cooked under high heat and creates little dark spots.

The al-pastor pizza is the stuff dreams are made of! A pizza that taste like a taco!

(

Courtesy Quarantine Pizza

)

I suggest you try the al pastor. The soft crust feels like a thicker-style tortilla because they use Masienda, a single-origin heirloom masa harina infused into the dough. It features sausage from A’s BBQ, topped with sliced pineapple purchased from a local street vendor and salsa verde, onion, and cilantro.

The sausage cups up like pepperoni, pairing exceptionally well with the pineapple's sweetness and the masa in the pizza dough. Each bite contains a rush of freshness.

Yes, that’s right. It's the best of both worlds: pizza and tacos. What a time to be alive in Los Angeles.

Apollonia's Pizza in Mid-City 

The busy entryway to Apollonia's Pizzeria on Wilshire Boulevard.

(

Brian Feinzimer

/

LAist

)

Justin De Leon, owner and head pizza maker at Apollonia's Pizza, grew up on pizza. His first job was working at a pizza restaurant when he was 13. The modest menu might make you wonder if this is really some of the best pizza in Los Angeles. But you'll quickly understand why after your first bite — or encountering the long lines outside his standing-room only, cash-only pizzeria off Wilshire Boulevard.

De Leon has been a lifelong student who has broken down pizza into its fundamental elements. If you ask what defines his pizza craft, he’ll say his job is to “simplify it.”

“I've challenged myself to create something that I want. Not necessarily what there's a market for.”

I suggest you start with a traditional slice of De Leon's cheese pie. “I was looking for something thin, light, and crispy,” De Leon said. Well, he found it. This is the cheese slice all others should be judged against.

Some of the best pizza you can find in L.A., and it's sold by the slice at Apollonia's Pizzeria on Wilshire Boulevard.

(

Brian Feinzimer

/

LAist

)

Next, try the square slice, but take a look before taking a bite — notice that crispy, frico cheese crust that rises up on the sides, giving it a 3-D effect. Contrast that with the square slice's light and spacious interior and you'll know why I think this is one of the best in Los Angeles.

De Leon is quick to point out that he doesn’t use specific names, such as Detroit style, Siciliana, or Grandma’s style to describe his pizza. Instead, he likes to think of it as a combination of all of them wrapped into one, as well as his own background and that of his employees: DeLeon is Latino, and many of the staff members he works with at the small pizzeria are Latino.

LAist food editor, Gab Chabran and How To L.A. Host Brain De Los Santos with Apollonia's Pizzeria owner Justin DeLeon

(

Aaricka Washington

/

LAist

)

Listening to De Leon describe his square slice is like listening to an artist talk about their most recent work, which makes sense given his background in photography. He describes it as “graphic” with “a strong visual representation,” stating that the flavor of the slice itself should match the visual.

DeLeon describes L.A.-style pizza as a mixture of various styles, and believes that combination gives it a unique taste.

In his own words, "To me, L.A. pizza is a mix of everything."

How LAPD responds when someone is experiencing a mental or behavioral health crisis is getting a closer look. 

Last week, Mayor Karen Bass issued an executive directive ordering an independent review of the department’s response, including its policies, training and use of force. 

“There is a severe shortage of mental and behavioral health care, and too many people in crisis have nowhere to turn,” Mayor Bass said in a prepared statement. “People cycle between the streets, emergency rooms, and detention facilities, and too often come into contact with law enforcement.” 

The Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners will need to retain an independent firm to conduct the audit and report back recommendations to the mayor’s office within six months. Bass said that the firm selected should be experts in constitutional policing and crisis response. 

The review will determine how officers identify people in crisis, including those with intellectual and physical disabilities, and people who are under the influence of illicit substances.

LAPD officers fatally shot more than 60 people between 2021 and 2025, according to the most recent data the department reported to the California Department of Justice. All of those deaths will be reviewed.

The audit will also look into how the department tracks repeat calls about a person who is in crisis or needs help. Yong Yang’s case is one example. Yang was fatally shot by police in 2024, after his parents attempted to get him help during a behavioral health crisis.

His parents previously told The LA Local about how Yong Yang had nonviolent encounters with police before the encounter that ended in his death. They question why officers failed to de-escalate the confrontation before he was shot.

They’ve continued to call for accountability, even after LAPD closed its investigation into his death. Under Bass’ new directive, his case is one that would be reviewed. 

The audit will evaluate:

• Use of force: Incidents over the last five years of uses of force and arrests that resulted in death or serious bodily injury to determine if the person was experiencing a behavioral health crisis or had an intellectual disability.
• De-escalation: Incidents over the last five years that did not result in death or serious bodily injury to determine how they were de-escalated.
• Repeat calls: The department’s procedures for keeping track of people involved in repeated calls to police, including those who have a disability.
• Training: The training officers receive about incidents with people experiencing behavioral crises.
• Less-lethal options: What less-lethal force options are available to officers.
• Custody and care: Uses of restraint and processes for medical treatment for people in police custody. 
• Officer wellness: Protocols for providing officers with mental health care after these confrontations.

Bass’ order comes about a month after the police department released graphic videos of men who died during police encounters. One video captured officers sitting on and restraining a handcuffed man for an extended period of time at a holding facility in the San Fernando Valley. The man, Jose Carlos Hoyos-Munoz, died soon after. 

“When an encounter results in death or serious injury, we must rigorously examine whether our policies, training, tactics, supervision, and accountability systems are sufficient,” Bass said after the videos were released.

The post Mayor Bass orders independent review of how LAPD responds to mental health crises appeared first on LA Local.

A new law will require local agencies to publicly disclose audio recordings and written records of 911 calls originating from privately run immigration detention facilities. The bill was prompted by CalMatters reporting on alleged sexual assaults at the Otay Mesa Detention Center.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 423, called the Detention Facility Transparency Act, on Tuesday. It was one of 21 immigration-related bills in a package his office announced the same day.

The law will require local agencies to turn over recordings and written records of 911 calls from privately run detention facilities, if a member of the public requests them. It includes an exception if an active investigation is underway and requires redacting the names of affected individuals.

“Well, it goes without saying, these past two years, Donald Trump has brought fear and has brought anxiety, disruption and stress to our immigrant communities,” Newsom said in a recorded video statement on his website.

“So, today, I sign a number of bills to strengthen transparency and to strengthen accountability and oversight over federal immigration enforcement and civil detention in our state,” the governor said.

State Sen. Lena Gonzalez, a Democrat from Long Beach, introduced SB 423 as state investigations and courts found serious gaps in essential medical care within the facilities. She said the aim was to stop private operators, and the agencies that work alongside them, from keeping what happens behind detention walls from the public's view.

In February, L.A. Taco reported that detainees inside Otay Mesa were throwing lotion bottles wrapped with notes about conditions inside over the wall of the facility to organizers standing outside.

“For 280 days we haven’t eaten a single piece of fruit, banana, apple, orange, or anything fresh," an Otay Mesa detainee wrote, the news outlet reported. "We are all in one big room with no doors or windows. We can’t see any grass or trees. We are all constantly sick.”

Gonzalez, who is chair of the Legislative Latino Caucus, said no person “should have to resort to throwing notes over the walls of a detention facility to have their needs met and their voices heard.”

Earlier this year, CalMatters sought information, including 911 audio records and other reports, about alleged serious incidents at detention facilities through a California Public Records Act request. While a San Diego County sheriff’s spokesperson said the agency was not investigating those cases, he said he was unable to turn over additional records because they were part of “a law enforcement investigation.”

“When journalists and reporters attempted to obtain records about reported incidents at these facilities through the Public Records Act, they faced severe pushback from law enforcement, citing vague investigatory records exemptions, despite there being no active investigation,” said Gonzalez.

Immigrant Defense Advocates and the First Amendment Coalition co-sponsored the bill.

“The governor has sent a powerful message: No more secrecy. SB 423 makes clear that 911 calls and related records about events in detention must be released upon request. This will shed more light on a notoriously opaque system, leading to stronger oversight and accountability,” Ginny LaRoe, Advocacy Director, First Amendment Coalition, said in a written statement.

Gonzalez’s bill was one of several detention oversight bills Newsom signed Tuesday. Others impose a new 25% tax on private detention facilities, expand health, safety and oversight requirements for the centers, and add to the state attorney general’s oversight role.

The new laws take effect Jan. 1.

This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.

Six Flags Magic Mountain is retiring its famous X2 roller coaster amid lawsuits alleging serious brain injury caused by the ride.

The Southern California theme park said Tuesday that it is permanently shuttering the ride after nearly 20 years. Six Flags recently settled a wrongful-death lawsuit from the family of a 22-year-old man who died after riding the coaster in 2022, and three more lawsuits alleging traumatic brain injuries were filed last week.

“While X2 consistently passed a multitude of safety tests, we have decided to close the ride because we believe it’s the right thing to do,” park President Brian Oerding said in an online announcement. “Ride safety is a cornerstone of our business, and when we see guest confidence affected, we take it seriously.”

The ride has been closed since the evening of July 12, after two women who rode the coaster less than a week apart both needed to be rushed to the hospital after they exited.

One of them, 25-year-old Naomi Greer-Wilkinson, collapsed shortly after the ride ended and was found to have massive brain bleeding inside the skull that required emergency brain surgery. She remains in a vegetative state in the hospital, unable to speak or move and dependent on a ventilator. Her family filed a lawsuit against Six Flags on her behalf.

Her attorneys said more than 100 people claimed they suffered brain injuries from the roller coaster in the past two years, and more lawsuits would be filed in the coming weeks.

According to the Six Flags Magic Mountain website, the X2 roller coaster reaches a top speed of 76 mph (122 kph) and has a total length of 3,610 feet (1,100 meters). The seats rotate 360 degrees “so your body will be flipping around the entire time,” and the ride features two “raven turns” — half loops that turn into sheer drops midway.

It debuted at the park in 2002 under the name X as the world’s first “fourth-dimension” roller coaster and reopened in 2008 as X2 with new trains and special effects. The uniqueness of the ride drew thrill-seekers from around the world and garnered a fervent fanbase.

The park settled a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the family of Christopher Hawley, a 22-year-old who died the day after he rode X2. He was taken to the hospital after the ride with severe brain bleeding. The medical examiner’s office said his death was from blunt head trauma. The case was settled at the end of August, a few days before the trial was scheduled to start.