The Brief

Tiki bars have a simple formula — low-hanging thatched roofs, tropical fruit drinks with umbrellas in them and inspired carvings of Polynesian deities flanking the perimeter. They are the passion projects of those who seek, with great fervor, to recreate a postcard-like experience of a faraway place teeming with coconuts and white sand beaches.

Perhaps not surprisingly then, tiki bars got their start here Los Angeles. After all, L.A. is a land of meticulously crafted movie sets where those invested in the dream could convincingly design an experience that made their patrons feel like they had stepped through a portal to a simpler time and place.

Now, a new documentary called The Donn of Tiki delves into the advent, the appeal, the aesthetic of the tiki movement and the enigmatic man who started it all. The film just made its L.A. debut at the Dances With Films Festival.

Donn the Beachcomber and the advent of tiki

When filmmaker Alex Lamb set out to make a documentary about the history of tiki culture in Los Angeles, he wasn't expecting to profile a single man. "As I started interviewing people, everyone was talking about Donn the Beachcomber," Lamb told LAist's daily news program AirTalk, which airs on 89.3. FM. "It seemed like he deserved his own documentary."

Donn the Beachcomber, it turns out, was a great embellisher of stories. So Lamb and his co-directors not only had the task of telling his story, but they also had to parse out fact from fiction. But then again, that was part of Donn the Beachcomber's allure and he used it to weave a colorful and compelling tapestry of tiki.

So, what exactly is tiki?

"It is a very American thing," Lamb said. "The cocktails are really based off rum and south Caribbean mixology. The aesthetic is South Pacific, like Hawaiian [and] Tongan."

In other words, tiki is a combination of many cultures that keeps reiterating itself in slightly different ways.

"The odd thing about tiki now is that it's really a copy of a copy of a copy of what this one guy Donn did," said Lamb.

So, what exactly did Donn do?

Donn the Beachcomber, née Earnest Raymond Beaumont-Gantt, opened the first tiki bar in Hollywood, California at 1727 McCadden Place. The year was 1937 and Donn had been working as a bartender at the Hollywood Hotel.

Years before his tiki oasis came to fruition, Donn was traveling to remote parts of the world where the dream was born.

"What Don was doing was really autobiographical," Lamb said. "He traveled to these places. He learned mixology. He collected these things. And to him, everything sort of meant something, you know, if he put something on the wall, that was because he wanted to talk about this place he had been and what he had seen and what he had learned."

But Donn wasn't just offering people another watering hole in Hollywood, Lamb added; he was offering them an escape.

The appeal

"When you look at tiki historically, it seems to always come back after horrible things happen because people are trying to escape that," Lamb said.

Donn opened his tiki bar right after prohibition ended. But it took off as soldiers returned from World War II looking for an escape.

"Tiki really hit a nerve," said Kevin Murphy, who co-owns the Tonga Hut in North Hollywood. It opened in 1958 and is the oldest tiki bar in Los Angeles. Murphy said it was during this post-war period that different kinds of themed places popped up, including Disneyland.

"Everyone needed an escape," he said. "Especially when you’re in the Midwest and it’s cold."

Murphy's introduction to tiki culture was through his father, who like many others during the advent of tiki, built a bar in the basement of their family home.

"It was full of fake plants, and we'd have luaus," he said. "We loved parties and we loved themes."

While Lamb's documentary doesn't seek to answer questions around cultural appropriation and ethics, Murphy and Lamb acknowledge that's been part of tiki's story since the beginning. "Capitalism is at the core," says Murphy. "Hawaii isn’t the home of the tiki bar. It’s a SoCal construct." That construct created a fusion experience. "The rum is Caribbean, food is Cantonese," says Murphy, co-owner of Tonga Hut in North Hollywood. "But it creates an awareness for the south pacific. People google Tonga after they visit our bar. It drives awareness."

The drinks

The influence of Donn the Beachcomber on modern day cocktails can't be understated, according to many of the tiki bar owners and connoisseurs featured in the film.

"I think the craft cocktail movement of the early 2000s really helped bring back a resurgence of tiki," says Lamb. As bartenders started researching cocktails, they'd come across Donn the Beachcomber. Lamb goes on to say that Donn is the first person we know of who was mixing all kinds of rum and fresh juices together.

"The tiki cocktail was probably the first craft cocktail," says Murphy. "The foundation of a tiki bar is still your tiki cocktails." That means fresh juices, fresh made syrups, quality rums and quality spirits.

What are some tiki cocktail favorites? Depends who you ask, and maybe what day of the week it is.

"I'm going to go with a Navy Grog," says Murphy. It's one of the stronger more traditional tiki drinks with a grapefruit base. He also recommends a traditional Mai Tai. "If you start with that drink you will realize what a tiki drink is supposed to be," he says.

As for the larger tiki culture, Murphy and Lamb think it's having a revival moment. "We're getting a lot of people that are coming back and embracing it from history and then people are just enjoying it for the first time," says Murphy. That's the thing about tiki; it doesn't really change — and for many, that's exactly why they keep going back."

Tiki Talk — Listener favorites

We asked listeners to tell us their favorite tiki bars in LA as well and here are some of their suggestions:

Tiki No (North Hollywood)

Jim in North Hollywood pointed to his neighborhood favorite, Tiki No. "Tiki No has the best piña colada," Jim said.

Tiki-Ti (East Hollywood)

Adrian in Corona, who said he collects tiki mugs and began tiki bar hopping after learning about the legend of Donn the Beachcomber, pointed to Tiki-Ti in East Hollywood, which has called Sunset Blvd home for more than six decades.

Damon's Steakhouse (Glendale)

Floyd from Hollywood Damon's Steakhouse in Glendale is a must. "It's like a time warp. Good cocktails and pretty good steak!"

Tonga Hut (North Hollywood)

I mean, we talked to their owner for this piece so we'd be remiss if we didn't mention the oldest tiki bar in L.A. — Tonga Hut. But this longtime staple is also a listener favorite — Ken from West Adams was one of a few callers who mentioned it. "I've been to all the tiki bars in LA and the Tonga Hut is my favorite," he said.

Bamboo Club (Long Beach)

Not every great tiki bar is in North Hollywood! Ariana in Long Beach says Bamboo Club in Long Beach is her favorite. "It's still a hidden gem here, but we absolutely love this spot!"

Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar (Anaheim)

Ok sure, this is a tiki bar at Disneyland but it's still a fan favorite! AirTalk listener José wrote in to say that he and his wife have made a point to go to evry tiki bar in SoCal, and that it's become one of their favorite dates, but that they frequent Trader Sam's.

Listen to the conversation

The Los Angeles Unified School District is preparing for possible “Super El Niño” storms that could damage schools and lead to closures, the district announced in a media release Tuesday.

District staff are clearing drains, trimming trees and checking roofs, windows and doors. LAUSD is also testing emergency equipment, including pumps and emergency lighting systems, and stocking supplies such as flashlights and drinking water.

“Preparing for severe weather starts well before the first raindrop,” Superintendent Andrés Chait said in a statement. “We can’t control the weather, but we can take steps now to protect our students and employees and help our schools stay ready.”

The district will monitor weather patterns using information from the National Weather Service and local emergency officials, it said.

LAUSD encouraged families to update their contact information to ensure they receive district calls, texts and emails. Families should also monitor weather alerts, follow emergency officials’ instructions, avoid flooded roads and review safe routes to and from school, according to the release.

“Preparing for a storm is a shared effort — from the crews maintaining school buildings to the principals reviewing emergency plans and the families making sure they can receive critical updates,” LAUSD said in the release. “By taking these steps before the rain begins, Los Angeles Unified is working to help students and employees stay safe and keep school communities as prepared as possible for the winter ahead.”

Southern California is likely in for a solid dose of rain this week, just days after heat and Santa Ana winds helped fuel several wildfires across the region.

Forecasters expect the bulk of the rain to roll into the Los Angeles basin Wednesday night and continue into Thursday morning, with a small chance of thunderstorms and hail.

The San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Valley and coastal areas across L.A. and Orange counties could get around an inch over the next few days. Hills and mountains could get up to 3 inches.

“We could see some pretty high rain rates,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Wofford. “It's a good storm for this time of year — it's a little stronger than what we would see normally.”

The possibility of significant rain in the mountains raises concerns about flooding in areas recently burned in wildfires, particularly around the Bryson Fire burn scar near Malibu, which is only a few days old. Burn scars can’t absorb heavy rainfall and are susceptible to landslides.

The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for the Santa Monica Mountains and surrounding communities from Wednesday afternoon through Thursday. That means heavy rain there could flood streets, creeks and rivers. The flood watch area includes both the Bryson Fire and Palisades Fire burn scars.

This will also be the first nontropical storm of the season, meaning it’s moving into the region from the north. Most storms that hit Southern California follow a similar path, especially during the winter, unlike the tropical storms that formed off the coast of Mexico and brought muggy weather to the region this summer.

Nontropical storms also bring cold air to the region. On Wednesday and Thursday, forecasters expect highs in the 60s and 70s. High elevations will be even cooler.

The science research institute that would likely receive $4.2 billion in public taxpayer money if voters approve Proposition 38 this November had only three employees as of last month — far fewer than the 51 staffers it planned to have hired by last year.

Public statements and public records CalMatters obtained raise questions about how well prepared the institute is to shepherd so much money if the bond measure passes.

Prop. 38 would allocate up to $8.4 billion in bonds for scientific research on diseases and cures concerning the immune system, with an emphasis on finding treatments for Alzheimer’s, cancer and heart disease. The ballot language stipulates that a single, unnamed research institute would receive half the bond’s money to conduct research and partner with other researchers if it meets highly specific criteria. Bonds are a type of debt that must be repaid.

Previous reporting by CalMatters found only one institute in California currently meets those criteria: the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy. The institute’s principal funder is billionaire Gary K. Michelson, who wrote Prop. 38 and is by far the largest donor to its political campaign.

Backers of the proposition said state bond money is needed to stabilize research funding after President Donald Trump repeatedly attempted to cut existing and future federal science grants.

The measure’s critics say Prop. 38 is well-intentioned but poorly designed because it overlooks the many established public and nonprofit university and hospital research labs in California. They also say California should not subsidize subsets of scientific research and instead should support research more broadly.

CalMatters obtained documents that included the five-year business plan of the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy. The plan was part of the formal affiliation agreement between UCLA and the institute, which the two parties signed in August 2024. Among other details, the agreement requires the institute to pay UCLA 7.5% of the net revenue of any drugs and technologies developed by the institute’s staff. The institute is one of the founding tenants at a UCLA-owned research park in West Los Angeles, where the institute is leasing 235,000 square feet of research space, the institute says.

Far fewer employees than plan called for

Between summer 2024 and summer 2025, the institute committed to hiring “approximately” 51 employees, including six executives, five “world-class” scientists who can lead research labs, and 40 other employees, such as data scientists, lab technicians, biologists and administrative personnel. Between 2025 and 2027, the institute would hire roughly 90 more workers, including 10 research lab leaders, according to the agreement.

But John Mazziotta, a senior UCLA official who also serves as a board member of the immunology institute, last month said the institute has hired just three employees: a chief operating officer, a general counsel, and a scientific advisor, and “they're well into the search” for a director. Mazziotta, the CEO of UCLA Health and vice chancellor for health sciences at UCLA, made his comments during the Sept. 16 UC Regents meeting.

The Yes on Prop. 38 campaign has repeatedly refused to comment on whether the bond was written specifically for the immunology institute. Claudia Briggs, a spokesperson for the campaign, told CalMatters in July that whichever nonprofit receives the $4.2 billion portion of the bond fund should be a sophisticated one that “is prepared to accelerate lifesaving research immediately while maintaining the highest standards of scientific quality, accountability, and stewardship of public funds.”

At a September press conference, a Yes on Prop. 38 spokesperson appeared to confirm CalMatters’ findings that only one institute currently qualifies to be the one to receive half the bond money. “It is very likely that CIII, which is a research institute affiliated with UCLA, will qualify for half of the funds under the current criteria,” said Robin Swanson. CIII is the initialism for the immunology institute.

According to the five-year plan, the institute was supposed to spend $25 million on personnel between 2024-25 and 2025-26 and $45 million total on operating expenses in that time, including maintenance, utilities and rent. It was also supposed to spend an additional $167 million in that time on capital expenses, such as construction and demolition. However, Mazziotta told UC regents that the institute had so far spent a total of $20 million on “operating expenses, hires” and other expenses.

The Yes on 38 campaign refused CalMatters’ request to interview Michelson for this story, as did Michelson himself in a separate email. A spokesperson for the institute, Becky Warren, sent a written statement that didn't answer CalMatters' questions about employing far fewer people than the five-year plan laid out. Instead, she highlighted the promise of the institute and a few of its milestones, including signing the affiliation agreement with UCLA and clearing a state environmental review of its forthcoming research facility.

The institute won’t get state bond money if it isn’t ready to begin work, “plain and simple,” wrote Swanson, the Yes on 38 spokesperson, in an email. She stressed that though the institute very likely qualifies, the ultimate decision to award half the bond funding is up to the California Department of Public Health.

Institute facility will be built by 2028

The UCLA research park that houses the institute isn’t slated to be fully built until at least late 2028, according to the agenda item of the September UC regents meeting. The research park is a former mall UCLA acquired in late 2023 that’s now undergoing major retrofitting.

But the 2024 affiliation agreement between UCLA and the institute anticipated this. The agreement permitted the institute to use UCLA health research space on another campus property on an interim basis. Mazziotta told regents that research is underway there.

Mazziotta also told the regents the institute's construction costs are not fully funded — it still needs roughly $100 million. He said UCLA was in serious talks with a donor to provide about $50 million to the institute.

If Prop. 38 passes, the bond funding would be provided in increments based on how often the institute requests new money that senior state officials approve. If all the funds are depleted, Californians would repay the bond at a rate of $500 million to $600 million annually for about 20 years.

Institute would be exempt from public records act

CalMatters submitted the public records request to UCLA, which must comply with the California Public Records Act. The institute, as a private nonprofit, does not have to comply. And while Prop. 38 would channel billions of dollars in taxpayer money to the institute, the proposition’s language specifically exempts the nonprofit that will receive the $4.2 billion from state public meetings laws, political reform laws and the public records act. The other half of the funds would go to a council that’ll pick projects led by researchers from a limited pool of universities and nonprofits. The council would generally be governed by the state’s political reform act, which prohibits financial self-dealing.

Briggs defended the institute’s exemption in Prop. 38, writing that applying state transparency laws to existing private organizations would “not fit well with how private entities are organized and operate.” Instead, she noted the selected nonprofit institute would be required to publish annual reports on its research progress and financial plans plus commit to annual state audits, among other disclosures written into the ballot measure.

Still unclear to the UC regents is the relationship between UCLA and the institute on matters of public disclosure. Four senior UCLA officials sit on the institute’s board. So is a document held by those UCLA officials public because it’s related to UCLA affairs or private because it’s related to the institute’s affairs? UC’s general counsel couldn’t explain where that dividing line is after a regent member asked him. The regent member, Michael Cohen, said he wants more clarity when the regents meet again in November.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Democratic Party endorsed Prop. 38, as have dozens of patient and research advocacy groups, plus the state GOP. The union of graduate students and post-doctoral researchers, whose pay often relies on science research funding, has also endorsed the proposition. The union doesn’t represent faculty.

Money raised in support of Prop. 38 now exceeds $66 million, including at least $61.2 million in contributions from Michelson and his policy institute. Roughly $14 million of that includes loans from Michelson. The no camp has raised about $8,800

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