Inside the letter room of the theater, Kim searches for the letters she needs to complete the updates for the marquee.
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Zaydee Sanchez
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LAist
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Topline:
The single-screen Gardena Cinema has been owned by the Kim family since 1976, and has always figured out ways to serve its community — even through some very difficult financial times.
Why it matters: This isn’t a story of stylish renovations, or of celebrity filmmaker intervention. This is the story of one family who fell in love with a movie theater and did (and even lost) everything to keep it up and running. Gardena Cinema is one of the last family-run movie theaters in L.A. Gardena Cinema is one of the last family-run movie theaters in L.A.
Why now: After struggling through a pandemic and ill-fated efforts to bring people back through its doors, Gardena Cinema finally hit some recent success after it stopped dealing with first-run releases and pivoted to repertory films. Many nights at this South Bay theater, you can catch a newish — or oldish — classic, from La La Land to Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
#250: As we continue our series "Revival House," How To LA producer Victoria Alejandro is taking us to the South Bay of LA. We're checking out the Gardena Cinema, which pivoted to revival screenings relatively recently. The theater has been owned by the Kim family since 1976, and is now a non-profit run by Judy Kim and a team of 40 volunteers. Kim's saved the cinema from closures a handful of times now, and has also built up an incredible community of folks dedicated to keeping the cinema running.
Revival House: The Gardena Cinema's Fight to Stay Open
#250: As we continue our series "Revival House," How To LA producer Victoria Alejandro is taking us to the South Bay of LA. We're checking out the Gardena Cinema, which pivoted to revival screenings relatively recently. The theater has been owned by the Kim family since 1976, and is now a non-profit run by Judy Kim and a team of 40 volunteers. Kim's saved the cinema from closures a handful of times now, and has also built up an incredible community of folks dedicated to keeping the cinema running.
This isn’t a story of stylish renovations, or of celebrity filmmaker intervention. This is the story of one family who fell in love with a movie theater and did (and even lost) everything to keep it up and running.
The single-screen Gardena Cinema has been owned by the Kim family since 1976, and has always figured out ways to serve its community — even through some very difficult financial times.
After struggling through a pandemic and ill-fated efforts to bring people back through its doors, Gardena Cinema finally hit some success after it stopped dealing with first-run releases and pivoted to repertory films. Many nights at this South Bay theater, you can catch a newish — or oldish — classics like La La Land and Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
The Kim family
The Gardena Cinema has always been a movie theater. It opened in 1946 as the Park Theatre, and operated consistently through the years showing first and second run feature films until it went up for sale in the 1970s.
That’s where the Kim family comes in. John and Nancy Kim immigrated from South Korea and had the goal of operating their own business. They dabbled in a few different industries when Nancy found the theater.
“My mom fell in love with it as soon as she came and saw it,” says current Gardena Cinema owner Judy Kim.
It's an incredible space, tucked between a gym and a Superior Grocers on Crenshaw Boulevard. It’s way bigger inside than it looks — at 800 seats, it’s easily one of the biggest theaters in the city. For comparison, The Chinese in Hollywood seats 932.
#250: As we continue our series "Revival House," How To LA producer Victoria Alejandro is taking us to the South Bay of LA and the Gardena Cinema. The theater has been owned by the Kim family since 1976, and is now a non-profit run by Judy Kim and a team of 40 volunteers. Kim has saved the cinema from closures a handful of times now, and has recently pivoted to showing repertory films at the theater.
Listen to the How to LA episode
#250: As we continue our series "Revival House," How To LA producer Victoria Alejandro is taking us to the South Bay of LA and the Gardena Cinema. The theater has been owned by the Kim family since 1976, and is now a non-profit run by Judy Kim and a team of 40 volunteers. Kim has saved the cinema from closures a handful of times now, and has recently pivoted to showing repertory films at the theater.
There are still fireproof window covers in the projection room, a holdover from old film screening safety practices. And there are “cry rooms” upstairs from the 1940s, balcony seating with speakers and a glass window where patrons could sit with a crying baby and not interrupt their viewing experience.
Kim reminisces about her father using a pole hand to change the letters on the marquee. However, she admits that she lacks the arm strength for such a technique, which led her to invest in a scissor lift.
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Zaydee Sanchez
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LAist
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Kim updates the marquee letters approximately once a week to reflect the upcoming movies that will be showing at the theater.
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Zaydee Sanchez
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LAist
)
People always comment on how nicely preserved the theater is as it was from 1946, and I tell people it's only preserved because my parents never had enough money to upgrade it.
— Judy Kim, owner of Gardena Cinema
Now it's got that vintage hue.
“Now it's cool! It's really cool!,” says Kim. “Now that I have dreams of trying to raise money to make changes, people are like, don't change anything!”
The early days
When theKims bought the theater, they saw an underserved audience in Gardena. There was a drive-in theater nearby in Torrance called the Roadium that played Spanish-language movies every Wednesday, and the place would be packed.
One day, Judy Kim says, her parents decided to change the format of the theater from English speaking second-run movies from Hollywood to second-run Spanish language movies. In the 1970s and the 80s, the Kims named the theater Teatro Variedades — “variety theater” in Spanish — and focused on Spanish-language films and live events with Latino filmmakers and actors. If the Torrance drive-in was ever rained out, or if folks wanted to catch a movie in Spanish on another day of the week, they’d head to the Gardena.
“It was meant to be like a neighborhood theater that was typical in the post-war era,” says Kim. “There was always a neighborhood movie theater that you could walk to from your home, just a few blocks away … all of those theaters are now gone.”
TheKims held on to their theater and in 1995 renamed it the Gardena Cinema. Judy Kim and her brother helped run the theater and neighborhood kids showed up too, offering to clean or help out in other ways in exchange for a movie ticket.
It served as a community hub.
“We were almost kind of like a Boys and Girls Club,” recalls Kim. After the movie, kids “would hang out in the lobby, and we would play video games, or talk about what was cool and what was not and, as an adult at that time, I made sure that all the kids that were here did their homework.”
“I tutored them,” she adds. “I made sure that they were doing OK in school.”
Kim always expected them to go to college.
Trouble sets in
Despite the joy found in the theater, like most teens, Judy Kim wanted to get away from her parents and spread her wings, so to speak. She left for college out east and had dreams of moving to New York and becoming a Broadway producer.
Then the calls started coming — a lot of calls from her parents. Sometimes twice a day, begging her to return to L.A. She didn’t really understand what the urgency was all about, but she came home and found her parents — and the theater’s — finances in disarray.
“I realized that they were under extreme financial hardship, and they were embroiled in lots of legal problems,” she says.
Kim explains that her parents had been defrauded multiple times. The Kims lost their house, their car. To help, Judy Kim went to law school, became a lawyer and dug in to help untangle them. It took almost 15 years to get everything sorted. “We were basically surviving off of, like, 99 cent hamburgers,” she says.
The upside in all of this — and the part of this story that might be the reason Gardena Cinema is still around — is that about five years ago, Kim negotiated the purchase of a parking lot.
It was a big-time play. Gardena is one of very few independent theaters in L.A. with its own parking and, says Kim, “it saved our butt when the pandemic came.”
“Nobody was open and I had this big parking lot that I could show movies outdoors where people could sit in their car, safely, away from other people and watch a movie,” she says. “All they had to do was tune into the FM station that I told them to tune into.”
A bumpy road to recovery
As theaters in the city started welcoming folks back inside, the Kim family then had to navigate another major loss. “That time period is when my mom was fighting cancer,” says Kim. Nancy Kim died in 2022.
An altar of Kim's mother, Nancy Soo Myoung Kim, is placed in the lobby of the theater in remembrance of her beloved mother.
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Zaydee Sanchez
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LAist
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John and Judy Kim closed the theater and took a few months to grieve. Judy Kim sold her condo and moved in with her father, putting that money towards the cinema.
“And then I said to my dad, we’re running out of money.”
The Gardena Cinema reopened with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, expecting it to be a huge hit. But only 10 people showed up to the first screening. Reopening the cinema with first-run movies meant that Kim was actually losing money.
New releases are “loss leaders” for movie theaters. Most of the ticket price is going straight back to the film’s distributor, and contracts mean that new films have to be shown for a certain number of weeks. If a theater isn’t bringing in enough audience members to turn a profit on concessions, theater owners are spending more than they’re making by running a first run film.
“So 2023, I’m running out of money,” says Kim. She says her father was ready to retire and use his “senior citizen card for all the national parks.” Why not sell the theater? Neither Kim nor her brother have children, so “there’s nobody to leave the theater to,” she says.
The theater hit the market, but didn’t sell.
Judy Kim made another last ditch pivot and came up with another plan: “I’m going to set up a nonprofit organization.”
With her father’s blessing, Kim began the process in April of 2023. The theater got official recognition as a nonprofit in July. Between that and the success of summer films like The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Barbie, the Gardena Cinema had a future.
Volunteer 'grandchildren'
Judy Kim was now running a theater and a nonprofit entirely on her own. But, as she learned years earlier, you can’t underestimate the number of people willing to trade work for a free movie. It took months, but Kim now has a team of 40 volunteers who help her run the theater.
“I’ve got a really good core group of people that are very supportive.”
It’s those volunteers who convinced Kim to move away from first-run movies and start programming repertory screenings. Without the strict scheduling and tiny profit margins of a first-run movie, Kim suddenly had a lot more flexibility. If she needed to step away and take care of her father, or just close the theater on a slow night, those options were now on the table.
Movie posters adorn the lobby walls of the Gardena Cinema.
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Zaydee Sanchez
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LAist
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The Gardena Cinema volunteers are invaluable to the space. They run concessions, clean the theater, sell tickets, run the projector — and this past November, Kim left the theater in their hands entirely to take a trip with her father. “They did a fantastic job … it’s still standing,” she says.
If you care about something, you gotta go the extra mile.
— Conor Holt, a volunteer at the Gardena Theater
Cifen, a local filmmaker, helps organize events in the theater. He put together a singles’ night and a screening of his independent film, Age of Embellished Relic, this past February. He calls the theater a “safe haven.”
Conor Holt makes the drive to Gardena from East Hollywood. A former ArcLight Cinemas employee, he says he cares about making sure cinemas stay open. “If you care about something, you gotta go the extra mile.”
Adela Tobon used to manage a single-screen movie theater in Northern California. A friend told her about the Gardena Cinema and she says, “I just lost it. I’m like, this is exactly where I belong.”
And Bill DeFrance has taken over a lot of John Kim’s duties in the cinema — cutting trailers, ripping tickets at the box office, building the show in the projector.
It’s a family affair for DeFrance too. On Valentine’s Day, he programmed Wild at Heart — his and his wife’s favorite movie. “I programmed it for Valentine’s Day so I could be at the theater and on a date at the same time.”
A sign his daughter made hangs on the side of the ticket booth, and boldly states in red crayon: “NO PRANK CALLS!”
“For a long time, my dad was like, well, we don’t need to leave a legacy. There’s no grandkids,” says Kim. But the volunteers pipe up with a chorus: “We can be your grandchildren!”
Gardena Cinema owner Judy Kim.
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Zaydee Sanchez
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LAist
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Judy Kim is now planning on leaving an endowment for the theater, so it can continue after she and her family have moved on. And intentional or not, the Gardena Cinema now has a legacy of community building and a fighting spirit.
Keep an eye on the Gardena Cinema’s calendar. You can catch anything from a karaoke party screening of La La Land to Dawn of the Dead in 3D to film festivals featuring shorts from local filmmakers.
Julia Paskin
is the local host of All Things Considered and the L.A. Report Evening Edition.
Published March 12, 2026 5:00 AM
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Ben Kingsley in a scene from “Wonder Man.”
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Disney+ / Marvel Television
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Topline:
There’s a lot of real Los Angeles mixed into the recent MCU series “Wonder Man,” now on Disney+, which makes for a version of the MCU that feels a little more grounded in reality, especially for Angelenos.
The context:Wonder Man is an action-comedy about two struggling actors also dealing with superhuman forces and secret government agencies — think The Studio meets Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. It's part of the Marvel Universe, but also feels accessible to viewers not that familiar with the MCU. Showrunner Andrew Guest told LAist that was by design, and was helped by grounding the show in an realistic portrayal of life in Los Angeles.
Read on ... for more about the real L.A. locations featured in Season 1, and why a Season 2 (if it does happen) might film elsewhere.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is all about people with superpowers living in a world very much like our own.
And there’s a lot of real Los Angeles mixed into the recent MCU series “Wonder Man,” now on Disney+, which makes for a version of the MCU that feels a little more grounded in reality, especially for Angelenos.
It's an action-comedy about two struggling actors also dealing with superhuman forces and secret government agencies. Think The Studio meets Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Sir Ben Kingsley reprises his Iron Man 3 character Trevor Slattery, the messy British actor hired to play a bad guy called The Mandarin. And Yahya Abdul-Mateen II plays Simon Williams, aka Wonder Man.
Through their adventures trying to book the gig-of-a-lifetime while surviving the perils of the MCU, L.A. landmarks and cultural references abound, and ground the series in a relatability for many Angelenos, including lots of inside jokes for those working in the entertainment industry.
3 cultural references that make Wonder Man feel like real Los Angeles
Historic places, some we’ve had to part with
There’s a series of roughly 100-year-old small, independent movie houses used as locations in Wonder Man — the Eagle Theatre now home to Vidiots, Westwood's Village Theater now operated by American Cinematheque (with views of The Bruin Theater across the street), and the Highland Theatre which closed in 2024.
A scene from 'Wonder Man' on Disney +.
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Marvel Television
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Speaking of iconic L.A. spots breaking local hearts, the vintage bar within Echo Park’s Taix French Restaurant was used as an interior location for the series. Taix is closing at the end of the month to make way for new development.
“Taix, the Highland Park Theatre — these places that it was only three years ago were there,” Wonder Man showrunner Andrew Guest told LAist, “a lot of these establishments sadly, are not surviving. And this town is in a rough, rough place.”
(Though actor/director Kristen Stewart recently said in an interview with Architectural Digest that she bought The Highland Theatre and is restoring the building.)
L.A. traffic (especially around the Hollywood Bowl on a performance night)
Traffic is part of life in Los Angeles and with so many scenes shot in Hollywood, even the main characters of Wonder Man must experience that bumper-to-bumper frustration.
Though, because it is a TV show, they were able to indulge in the fantasy of beating that traffic in a way that in reality would be highly dangerous (and illegal).
“We got to shut down Sunset Boulevard for a little while to shoot a car going onto the sidewalk in front of the Palladium,” said Guest. And surprisingly, he explained, they didn’t have to shoot in the middle of the night to make the shot happen: “That was Friday night…. We didn't close all lanes of traffic. The street was open. We were shooting while Los Angeles was still going strong.”
The scene also references the frequent traffic back up during big shows at the Hollywood Bowl, even earning the show a social media repost of the scene from Chaka Khan.
Having family and friends 45 minutes away, who you rarely visit
Wonder Man includes an episode titled Pacoima where the main character visits his family and childhood home.
“My wife grew up in Chatsworth, and one of the things I found fascinating about her experience growing up there was that many of her friends and their families never went to Los Angeles,” said Guest.
“The idea that Simon grew up close to, but far enough away that Hollywood and Los Angeles did not feel like they were part of his life…so when he moved to the city, Pacoima is not a place he goes to a lot. And I feel like that's a part of L.A. that is true to this city. That doesn't get explored a lot and felt like it was another detail that we got to sort of throw into the show.”
There’s lots of other Southern California. references to enjoy from the Talmadge Apartments, an historic renaissance revival building on Wilshire Blvd., a mural of Danny Trejo, and even a cameo from Gisellle Fernandes, real-life L.A. broadcaster for Spectrum 1 News.
Should you get lost in the multi-verse, at least this L.A will be pretty familiar.
BONUS: Could there be a Season 2 of Wonder Man? And would it still be set in L.A.?
Guest couldn’t confirm anything about a possible Season 2, but told LAist, “It’s still on the table as an option, potentially."
As for whether a potential Season 2 would also film in Los Angeles and continue to highlight the city in new ways, Guest said it’s occurred to him that one of the best ways to write about Hollywood could be “ to send our show somewhere else because everybody in this town who's working has to move — whether it be Budapest or London or Ireland or Vancouver — very little is actually happening in this town. And that’s a story that I don’t think is being told right now about L.A.”
Season 1 of ‘Wonder Man’ is now streaming on Disney+.
Jun Endo and Angel City FC kick off their season this weekend.
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Liza Rosales
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ISI Photos via Getty Images
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In this edition:
Oscar-watching, birdwatching, soccer-watching, pie-eating and more of the best things to do this weekend.
Highlights:
Marcia Cross (Desperate Housewives) is getting rave reviews for her performance in Honour, Joanna Murray-Smith’s examination of marriage and betrayal. Directed by Max Mayer, it’s the first show in the newly renovated Kaplan Stage at Ruskin Group Theatre and Broadway World called it “a meaningful return to the material and a powerful way to inaugurate the Kaplan Stage.”
Saturday is 3.14, so that means it must bePi Day. With it comes the annual PieFest & Contest from KCRW. There’s pie, of course, but there’s also baking demos, food trucks, music and more.
Birdwatchers of all experience levels, get ready for some next-level spotting with a freefield trip from the Santa Monica Bay Audubon. Join guides for a walk that ensures a peek at many different waterfowl.
No need to wait for the World Cup; we already have first-class women’s soccer happening starting this weekend, with theAngel City FC season opener against the Chicago Stars.
It’s almost time for the Oscars, my favorite Sunday of the year. Whether you’re prepping for your watch party with Ham-net and cheese sandwiches, a Sinners-ful dessert display, Blue Moon pies or If I Had (Crab) Legs I’d Kick You, settle in for several hours of yelling at the screen and obsessing over dresses. If you’re not of the Oscars persuasion and are heading out to one of the many fun events on this list (or can score me an invite to the Vanity Fair party), be aware of street closures and diversions if you’re anywhere near Hollywood.
That’s doubly true if you’re catching any of the great music on tap this weekend. Our friends at Licorice Pizza suggest Miguel at the Forum, Black Label Society featuring Zakk Wyde at the YouTube Theater, Band of Skulls at the Teragram, the California Honeydrops at the Bellwether, Chicago indie rockers Whitney at the Lodge Room and Jon Brion going back to his roots at Largo — all on Friday. On Saturday, Indonesian rapper and singer Rich Brian is at the Palladium, London techno duo Bassvictim is at the Fonda (they’ll also be there Sunday) and ex-Savage Garden singer Darren Hayes plays the Troubadour (also playing on Sunday). Or, if you’re really in a truly madly deeply romantic mood, you can ride your pony over to the Peacock Theater for “The R&B Lovers Tour” with Ginuwine, Keith Sweat, Joe and Dru Hill.
Sunday, March 15, 3 p.m. Dusty Vinyl 11326 W Pico Blvd., West L.A. COST: $50; MORE INFO
Wagner Moura poses at the "The Secret Agent" green carpet during the 21st Zurich Film Festival.
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Andreas Rentz
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Getty Images
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There are many, many places to watch the Oscars with other movie fans this Sunday. But why not celebrate with the Brazilians and their nomination for (the excellent film) The Secret Agent? Dusty Vinyl is being turned into a 1977 secret-agent-themed hideout for the occasion, with a bespoke menu (food is included) and live music before the show starts; '70s costumes encouraged.
Honour
Through Sunday, March 22 Ruskin Group Theatre 2800 Airport Ave., Santa Monica COST: $45; MORE INFO
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Courtesy The Ruskin Theatre
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Marcia Cross (Desperate Housewives) is getting rave reviews for her performance in Honour, Joanna Murray-Smith’s examination of marriage and betrayal. Directed by Max Mayer, it’s the first show in the newly renovated Kaplan Stage at Ruskin Group Theatre, and Broadway World called it “a meaningful return to the material and a powerful way to inaugurate the Kaplan Stage.”
KCRW PieFest & Contest
Saturday, March 14, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Autry Museum 4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Courtesy KCRW
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It’s 3.14, so that means it must be Pi Day. With it comes the annual Pie Contest from KCRW. I entered once, and while my apple-pomegranate pie was delish, it sadly did not win. Perhaps I will try again someday, but in the meantime, I can eat and admire everyone else’s creations at the Autry. There’s pie, of course, but there’s also baking demos, food trucks, music and more.
Los Angeles Vintage Paperback Show
Sunday, March 15, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Glendale Civic Auditorium 1401 Verdugo Road, Glendale COST: $10; MORE INFO
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Courtesy LA Vintage Paperback Show
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Pulp fiction is alive and well at the L.A. Vintage Paperback Show in Glendale, where over 100 dealers will show their wares. From sci-fi to mysteries and everything in between, the annual event features free author signings and hours of fun poring over books of the past.
East L.A. Women’s Day Fest
Saturday, March 14, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. East L.A. Civic Center 4801 E. Third Street, East L.A. COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Celebrate Eastside women’s organizations like Mujeres de Maiz and The Goddess Mercado at the longest running women’s day celebration in East L.A. The event features art and advocacy workshops, music, poetry, local vendors and more.
Free pitas at Miznon opening
Saturday, March 14, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 8370 W 3rd Street, Beverly Grove COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Courtesy Miznon
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Popular Israeli dining spot Miznon’s new West 3rd St. location is opening this weekend and celebrating with free pitas — Lavan, Broken Chicken or Candy Steak — for the first 100 guests. The new location expands on their Grand Central Market stall, with a full bar and indoor and outdoor seating. Get there early!
Santa Monica Bay Audubon Field Trip
Saturday, March 14, 8 a.m. Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve 6350 Woodley Ave., Van Nuys COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Birdwatchers of all experience levels, get ready for some next-level spotting — there are more than 200 bird species in the Sepulveda Basin — with a free field trip from the Santa Monica Bay Audubon. Join guides for a walk that ensures a peek at many different waterfowl, like pied-billed grebes, great blue herons, black-crowned night herons, American coots, Anna’s hummingbirds, cliff swallows and blue grosbeaks.
ArtNight Pasadena
Friday, March 13, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Various Pasadena locations COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Courtesy ArtNight Pasadena
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ArtNight Pasadena is back! Free shuttles take you around to all kinds of art and theater experiences for a special night out along Colorado Boulevard and beyond. Head out and see all that Pasadena has to offer, from dance performances to art and photography workshops to gallery and museum installations to free classical music.
Angel City FC Opener vs. Chicago Stars
Sunday, March 15, 4 p.m. BMO Stadium 3939 S Figueroa Street, Expo Park COST: FROM $38; MORE INFO
Sarah Gorden of Angel City FC prepares to kick the ball during a game between Portland Thorns and Angel City.
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Liza Rosales
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ISI Photos/Getty Images
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No need to wait for the World Cup — we already have first-class women’s soccer happening this weekend, with the Angel City FC season kicking off against the Chicago Stars. Star forward Casey Phair is back from a stint in Sweden, and the team is ready for the new season. (Plus, they have the cutest gear.)
Keep up with LAist.
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Nick Gerda
is an accountability reporter who has covered local government in Southern California for more than a decade.
Published March 11, 2026 5:41 PM
Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do at the county Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023.
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Nick Gerda / LAist
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Topline:
Former O.C. Supervisor Andrew Do was ordered to pay the county $250,000 by mid-September as the first round of restitution for his crime in a corruption scheme that diverted millions of dollars in meal money from needy seniors. The judge said Do had the ability to pay, listing his net worth at about $1.5 million. But six months later, authorities say he hasn’t paid.
The order: At an Aug. 11 restitution hearing, the judge ordered Do to pay the first installment of $250,000 within 30 days.
A property transfer: The next day, Do transferred all of his ownership of his family home — estimated by Zillow to be worth $2.2 million — over to his wife, OC Superior Court Judge Cheri Pham, according to a real estate record.
Six months later: That Sept. 10 due date for the first restitution payment has long since passed, but federal and county officials say Do has yet to pay it. Do’s attorney, Paul Meyer, declined to comment, saying it would be “inappropriate” to do so.
‘No money left’: A spokesperson for the prosecutors’ office said they understand “there was no money left in assets” that could be seized.
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As part of his sentence for a corruption scheme that diverted millions of tax dollars from feeding needy seniors, a federal judge ordered former Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do to pay the county $878,230 as restitution for his crime.
“He has the ability to pay a fine,” U.S. District Court Judge James V. Selna wrote last June, listing Do’s net worth at about $1.5 million, with a negative monthly cash flow of $8,400.
At an Aug. 11 restitution hearing, the judge ordered Do to pay the first installment of $250,000 within 30 days.
The next day, Do transferred all of his ownership of his family home — estimated by Zillow to be worth $2.2 million — over to his wife, OC Superior Court Judge Cheri Pham, according to a real estate record.
That Sept. 10 due date for the first restitution payment has long since passed, but federal and county officials say Do has yet to pay it.
“He did not make that payment,” said Ciaran McEvoy, a spokesperson for the federal prosecutors’ office that oversaw the case, when asked by LAist about it on Monday. McEvoy said the prosecutors’ office understands “there was no money left in assets” that could be seized.
Leon Page, Orange County’s top lawyer, said county officials are “not aware of any such payment from Andrew Do.”
Do’s attorney, Paul Meyer, declined to comment, saying it would be “inappropriate” to do so.
“It’s hard to believe that so much time has gone by without the restitution being paid,” said Laurie Levenson, a Loyola Law School professor who served decades ago as a senior federal prosecutor at the office that later prosecuted Do.
“It certainly raises questions — if not eyebrows — as to what happened here. Because ordinarily the U.S. Attorney's Office would take victim restitution orders quite seriously.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office can file a court motion if they discover a significant change in the defendant’s economic circumstances that affect their to pay restitution, according to a federal Justice Department guide. The prosecutors’ office also “is required to certify to the Court that victims who are owed restitution are notified about such material changes,” the guide states.
The court’s official online records show no filings regarding any changes in Do’s financial circumstances, or his apparent failure to pay the court-ordered restitution that was due six months ago.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office’s spokesperson has not responded to a follow up request for comment. They previously declined to answer any further questions about the situation.
Do turned himself into federal prison on Aug. 15, three days after transferring ownership of his family home to his wife. Meanwhile, he continues to collect about $7,300 per month from his county pension, according to the pension system. In addition, this January he received a $12,771 refund from the pension system of all the contributions he made as a supervisor, from when his crime began in June 2020 until he resigned in October 2024.
What happened?
Federal authorities say their understanding is no money was available for them to seize.
“When a defendant fails to pay a restitution order, our office’s financial litigation unit gets involved and completes a thorough financial investigation to find … any assets that could satisfy the outstanding restitution balance,” McEvoy wrote in an emailed response to LAist.
“We cannot comment on what that investigation found, but our understanding is there was no money left in assets that the government could levy to satisfy that order.”
McEvoy declined to answer follow-up questions.
In response to LAist’s questions, county officials say they’re looking into their options if Do refuses to pay restitution as required.
“We do not believe that he has complied with this order, but we’re verifying that is the case at this time,” said the spokesperson, Molly Nichelson.
Property ownership transferred just after restitution order
Do signed a deed on Aug. 12 transferring to his wife all of his ownership in the North Tustin family home they purchased in 2002, according to an official copy of the document LAist obtained from the county clerk-recorder.
Do's attorney declined to comment on the transfer.
An FBI officer at Andrew Do's house in North Tustin.
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Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
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LAist
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LAist obtained permit records showing substantial renovation work on the house was managed in 2021 by the leader of the same nonprofit from whom Do admitted to receiving kickbacks. The work included a bathroom addition and remodel of the master bathroom and kitchen.
Do also was investigated multiple times by the O.C. District Attorney’s Office, going back to 2015, over allegations he was living at the home illegally outside of the district he was representing as supervisor. No criminal charges were filed.
Pham was the court’s second highest-ranking judge when her husband’s corruption scheme came to light. Their two adult daughters received bribe money for their father as part of the scheme, according to Do’s plea deal.
The corruption scheme
After an LAist investigation prompted a criminal investigation, Do admitted to taking bribes as part of a scheme to divert nearly $8 million from feeding needy seniors during the coronavirus pandemic. He is now serving a five-year sentence in federal prison.
The county alleges its losses from the scheme were much higher — more than $13 million — and is trying to recover it through a lawsuit that is expected to take a long time to work its way through the court.
The restitution Do was ordered to pay is separate from the $3.7 million authorities obtained from properties and bank account money held by others accused of involvement in the scheme. That did not come from Do’s assets. Instead, it came from assets owned by his daughter, as well as a business and nonprofit Do had no formal role at.
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When Do entered prison in August, his release date was listed in November 2029 — about 85% of his five-year sentence. Seven months in, his expected time in prison has been shortened by two months, with a new release date in September 2029.
A spokesperson for the federal prison system said they cannot comment on specific people’s confinement conditions but that incarcerated people can earn additional time off of their sentence by completing specific classes and programs.
After leaving prison, the restitution order requires Do to pay $1,000 per month or 10% of his income — whichever is more.
At $1,000 per month, the last of the restitution payments would be in late 2081, when Do would be 118 years old.
Makenna Sievertson
covers the daily drumbeat of Southern California — events, processes and nuances making it a unique place to call home.
Published March 11, 2026 4:17 PM
A pickleball in the rain.
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The APP
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Topline:
A group of Los Angeles County high school students is trying to set a world record by collecting thousands of tennis balls and pickleballs for recycling — and they want your help.
Why it matters: The teens are working to keep the recreational equipment out of landfills through a youth-led recycling initiative called “Another Bounce.”
Why now: “There's so much waste, and nobody really pays as much attention to it as they should,” said Max Ehrman, a 15-year-old Brentwood School freshman and junior board member.
The backstory: An estimated 500 million tennis and pickleballs are thrown away each year worldwide, according to the organization. In the U.S. alone, 125 million tennis balls end up in landfills annually, according to Stanford University.
Read on ... for how to get involved.
A group of Los Angeles County high school students is trying to set a world record by collecting thousands of tennis balls and pickleballs for recycling — and they want your help.
The teens are working to keep the recreational equipment out of landfills through a youth-led recycling initiative called “Another Bounce.”
An estimated 500 million tennis and pickleballs are thrown away each year worldwide, according to the organization. In the U.S. alone, 125 million tennis balls end up in landfills annually, according to Stanford University.
A dozen students are leading the charge as part of their roles in the Junior Board of Habits of Waste, a Brentwood-based nonprofit focused on changing people’s habits and systems to help combat climate change.
“There's so much waste, and nobody really pays as much attention to it as they should,” said Max Ehrman, a 15-year-old Brentwood School freshman and junior board member.
Sheila Morovati, the organization’s founder and president, told LAist the initiative aims to get the sports world involved in sustainability. Pickleball, for example, remains the fastest growing sport in America, with tens of thousands of courts across the country.
“Tennis and pickleballs are one of those things where we are just constantly engaging in wastefulness without thinking twice about it,” Morovati said. “How can we think differently? How can we look at what we're doing every day to this planet and say, ‘Hey, can I do any better?’”
The students are collecting used balls within a 30-mile radius of Pacific Palisades and accepting mailed donations to a Santa Monica warehouse. They’re also advocating for recycling improvements with ball manufacturers and elected officials in Southern California.
The campaign will host a community collection event on April 19. The goal is to gather the donations by Earth Day on April 22.
Morovati said the idea started when some students at her son’s school realized how many balls were getting tossed in the trash after only a few hours of use.
The tennis and pickleballs are not biodegradable and can take more than 400 years to decompose, according to Another Bounce.
The initiative is being led by teens and athletes from several L.A.-area high schools, including Crossroads, Brentwood, Loyola, Harvard Westlake and Windward.
Among the participants are Ford and Boone Casady, 16-year-old twin brothers who attend Crossroads School in Santa Monica and who are among the top ranked junior pickleball players in the country.
“There's been nowhere for these balls to go,” Ford told LAist. “It's generally such a waste, and it's terrible to see that happen in our environment.”
“It's just very sad because I've grown up in the Palisades and in the ocean my entire life, and I've noticed the trash in the ocean,” Boone told LAist. “And I'm worried about the animals that are living in that biome that are having to ingest that plastic and those toxic things that are killing them.”
Morovati, who previously set a world record for the most crayons donated to charity in eight hours, said the ultimate goal is to set a recycling record that can’t be beaten easily. However, one of the challenges is storing the balls until they can be counted.
It was easier, in terms of volume, to get up to the million mark with crayons, she said.
“I think in this instance, even if they get into the 50,000, 100,000 range, I would be thrilled,” she added.
Another Bounce is using a three-pronged approach to collect as many balls for recycling as possible:
Working with clubs and coaches in the area for a local donation drive and accepting donations from other parts of the country with a warehouse in Santa Monica
Speaking at city council meetings, including in Los Angeles and Santa Monica, to advocate for ordinances that would require parks, schools and clubs to recycle tennis and pickleballs
Campaigning for major ball manufacturers to roll out nationwide take-back and recycling programs
“We’re trying to, like, change this narrative and we would like you guys to help us by supporting our mission,” said Max, the Brentwood School student. “Talking to your coaches, talking to your schools, talking to your clubs and trying to get as much involvement as possible.”
All the balls collected by Another Bounce throughout the initiative will be counted for their world record attempt before being recycled.
A Guinness World Records spokesperson told LAist it doesn’t currently monitor the title for the most tennis and pickleballs collected for recycling.
The organization is keeping an eye on the most tennis balls collected for recycling in one week, but no one currently holds it. Anyone attempting the record must collect at least 579 pounds, according to Guinness World Records.
How you can help
There are a few ways you can help the teens reach their recycling goal and set a new world record:
You can also send ball donations via snail mail to: C. Wiebe (HoW Donation) 3000 31st St., Suite C Santa Monica, CA 90405
You can send an email to major ball manufacturers, including Wilson and Penn, urging the companies to provide take-back and recycling programs online here
Learn more about Another Bounce and keep up with the students’ progress on its website and on Instagram.
