Julia Paskin
is the local host of All Things Considered and the L.A. Report Evening Edition.
Published October 24, 2025 5:00 AM
Cartoonist R. Crumb at his "Tales of Paranoia" exhibition at the David Zwirner Gallery in Los Angeles.
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Courtesy David Zwirner
)
Topline:
The cartoonist R. Crumb has captivated readers — and sometimes agitated them — since the 1960s. A pioneer of counterculture comic book art, Crumb created Zap Comix which included iconic strips like "Fritz the Cat" and "Keep on Truckin’." He's now publishing new solo work for the first time in more than 20 years. "Tales of Paranoia" is on display in a new exhibition in Los Angeles.
The context: Crumb rose through the small press “underground comix” movement of the '60s to become a pioneer of counterculture comic book art. His work through the years has been criticized as misogynistic and racist, while simultaneously being celebrated in museums like the Hammer and the Whitney for their biting satire.
While the now 82-year-old Crumb was first established as an icon of the American left, born of the Hippie movement that celebrated a mistrust in “the establishment,” his ongoing and deep relationship to societal paranoia has pushed him to a contemporary liberal fringe.
Read on ... for more about R. Crumb and "Tales of Paranoia."
The cartoonist R. Crumb has captivated, titillated and agitated audiences since the 1960s, first as the creator of Zap Comix, which included counterculture strips like “Fritz the Cat” and “Keep on Truckin’,” then during his rise through the small press “underground comix” movement of the '60s to become a pioneer of counterculture comic book art.
His work through the years has been criticized as misogynistic and racist, while simultaneously being celebrated in museums like the Hammer and the Whitney for their biting satire.
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Controversial cartoonist R. Crumb's first solo work in decades now on display in LA
While the now-82-year-old Crumb was first established as an icon of the American left, born of the hippie movement that celebrated a mistrust in “the establishment,” his ongoing and deep relationship to societal paranoia has pushed him to a contemporary liberal fringe. Crumb mistrusts public figures across the political spectrum from Donald Trump to Anthony Fauci.
It's a fear of an ever-present “Deep State” that continues to drive Crumb’s work as he illustrates his modern-day anxieties, dives into updated conspiracy theories and pauses periodically to question if maybe he’s really just crazy?
In “Tales of Paranoia,” Crumb’s first publication of new work in 23 years, out this November, he includes a chart of powerful people he fears, ranging from J.D. Vance to Kim Kardashian, though Crumb doesn't list them by name, cheekily out of fear of their reprisal.
R. Crumb, "Cover: Tales of Paranoia," 2025
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Courtesy the artist, Paul Morris, and David Zwirner
)
“The thing about paranoia is it means that it's not based on a full knowledge of what's going on. It's based on the fact that you don't know what's going on. So, you’re trying to find out, and in the process, your mind can go to all kinds of crazy places,” Crumb told LAist.
Panels from “Tales of Paranoia” can be seen in an exhibition at David Zwirner’s L.A. gallery through Dec. 20. The show displays Crumb’s first in-depth solo comic work in more than 20 years and is his first showing in Los Angeles since 2009.
The show also includes panels from a collaborative, autobiographical comic done with Crumb’s late wife and longtime artistic partner Aline Kominsky-Crumb and their daughter, artist Sophie Crumb, and a digitized version of his notebook that gallery-goers can flip through on an interactive screen.
Page from R. Crumb, "What is Paranoia?," 2025
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Courtesy the artist, Paul Morris, and David Zwirner
)
In his pursuit of answers, Crumb is as equally voracious for knowledge and perspectives as he is dubious of those with power.
“I constantly try and sort out my feelings about human nature,” he said. “I mean, in my daily life, people seem pretty nice and all that, but there's so much nasty stuff going on. There's so much deception and manipulation and exploitation, and then hypocrisy and people that are very clever at what's called perception management.”
Crumb’s personal sense of paranoia has informed his work for decades, but it took a long time to make it the main focus of a comic.
“It took me 20 years of kind of festering about all this stuff until I was able to actually discuss it in a book,” Crumb said. “And I put it off for years and years because I knew I can't just do a comic that's just me, a talking head, page after page of me with half the panel as text. But that's what I ended up doing. I couldn't think of any cleverer way to do it. Just me mulling it over in public, you know, in print.”
Arguably the most literal depiction of Crumb’s constant consternation is a page depicting him awake in the night, staring into the darkness, eyes bulging in panic.
Page from R. Crumb, "I'm Afraid," 2025
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Courtesy the artist, Paul Morris, and David Zwirner
)
Crumb spends a lot of time ruminating in paranoia, but it’s a state of mind he also believes one must rein in. When his mind runs amok, Crumb said he does breathing exercises he learned from his daughter.
“When you're laying there in the night and you're having a panic attack, that's the only solution I know of,” he said. “That doesn't take away or change my mind, but it takes away the panic that's in your guts.”
Philosophically, Crumb is less interested in identifying a fundamental truth than he is focused on undoing fallacy.
“You want to come out on the other side of all the layers of falsehood and bulls--t and propaganda that we are constantly deluged with constantly. We're just swimming — we're up to our necks in it. So, getting past the falsehood, that's very liberating.”
You can see cartoonist R. Crumb’s latest work, "Tales of Paranoia," at David Zwirner in Los Angeles now through Dec. 20.
Gab Chabrán
covers what's happening in food and culture for LAist.
Published January 8, 2026 4:33 PM
The Original Saugus Cafe's neon sign.
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Konrad Summers
/
Creative Commons on Flickr
)
Topline:
The Original Saugus Cafe, L.A. County's oldest restaurant since 1886, was supposed to have closed Sunday, with lines around the block. But this week a sign on the door said it was reopening under new ownership. That was news to the Mercado family, who had previously run the business for nearly 30 years. It's turned into a legal dispute between the Mercado family and the owners of the property, who are laying claim to the name.
Why it matters: The dispute highlights the precarious position of small business owners who operate under informal agreements with their landlords. For nearly 30 years, the Mercado family ran the restaurant on a handshake deal with property owner Hank Arklin Sr. After he died, the Mercado family is facing losing not just their location, but potentially the business name and legacy they've built.
Why now: Hank Arklin Sr., a former California assemblyman with multiple properties, died in August at age 97. New management presented the Mercado family with written lease terms they found unfavorable, triggering negotiations to sell the business that ultimately fell apart.
Lines stretched around the block Sunday at the Original Saugus Cafe in Santa Clarita. It was supposed to be the restaurant's last day before closing after 139 years — making it the oldest continually operated restaurant in Los Angeles County.
But earlier this week, a sign was posted on the door saying, "Reopening under new ownership soon," although there were few details about who would be running it.
The sign was a surprise to the Mercado family,who have operated the restaurant for nearly 30 years. The family now is in a legal dispute with the Arklin family, who owns the property, about the potential re-opening and who owns the historic name.
The background
Alfredo Mercado worked his way up from bartender to restaurateur, purchasing the business in 1998. Since then Mercado and his daughters have operated the restaurant, leasing from the Arklin family. For most of that time, according to the Mercado side, the two families maintained good terms. Property owner Hank Arklin Sr., a former state assemblyman who owned other properties in the area, kept a verbal month-to-month agreement with the Mercados — no written lease required.
That changed when Arklin died in August at age 97.
New terms, failed negotiations
Larry Goodman, who manages multiple properties for the Arklin family's company, North Valley Construction, took over the landlord relationship. In September, the Mercado family say they were presented with a new written month-to-month lease.
Yecenia Ponce, Alfredo's daughter, said the new terms included various changes to the existing agreement, including a rent increase and charges for equipment.
Months of back and forth negotiations about different options, including selling the business, ultimately fell apart. Their attorney, Steffanie Stelnick, says they are being forced out, without proper legal notice, and has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Goodman saying the family has plans to continue running the business.
LAist reached out to Goodman for comment repeatedly Wednesday and Thursday by phone but did not hear back.
Goodman told The Signal, a Santa Clarita valley news outlet, that Alfredo Mercado had changed his mind several times in recent weeks about keeping the business.
“I said, ‘Fine,’ then I got out and got someone to take it over,” Goodman said.
He said he'd been in contact with Eduardo Reyna, the CEO of Dario's, a local Santa Clarita restaurant, and that the cafe could re-open as soon as Jan. 16.
Who owns what?
The dispute also focuses on who owns the rights to the Original Saugus Cafe name.
Ponce said when her father purchased the restaurant in 1998, it was called The Olde Saugus Cafe, but the name was then changed to The Original Saugus Cafe. State records show that name registered as an LLC under Alfredo Mercado.
After Arklin’s death, however, the Arklin family filed a pending trademark application to lay its own claim to the name.
The Mercado family is resisting.
"As long as they don't buy the name from us, we're not handing it over," Ponce said.
Ponce said the family had no idea the landlord planned to continue operations.
"We truly did think we were closing," she said. "We were not aware that they had plans to continue."
She apologized to customers for the confusion.
Whether the decades-old restaurant name survives — and under whose control — may ultimately be decided in court.
Makenna Sievertson
covers the daily drumbeat of Southern California. She has a special place in her heart for eagles and other creatures that make this such a fascinating place to live.
Published January 8, 2026 4:22 PM
The roughly 550-pound male black bear has been hiding out under an Altadena home.
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CBS LA
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Ken Jonhson
)
Topline:
A large black bear has finally crawled out from under a house in Altadena where he’s been hiding for more than a month.
How we got here: The roughly 550-pound bear, dubbed “Barry” by the neighbors, had been holed up in a crawlspace beneath the home since late November.
Why now: Cort Klopping, a spokesperson with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, confirmed to LAist Thursday that the bear had left and the access point had been secured.
The backstory: This wasn’t the first time the bear hid out under a house in Altadena. The same bear was lured out from another crawlspace in the area and relocated miles away to the Angeles National Forest after the Eaton Fire last year. Wildlife officials said they believed he'd been back in Altadena for several months.
Why it matters: Officials encourage residents to secure access points around their homes. One suggestion is to cover crawlspaces with something stronger than the wire mesh Barry has broken through, such as metal bars.
What you can do: Bears are extremely food motivated and can smell snacks in trash cans on the curb from 5 miles away, Klopping has said. He suggested putting trash cans out the same day they get picked up and bringing pet food sources inside, including bird feeders. You can find tips on how to handle a bear in your backyard here and resources from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife here.
If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.
Libby Rainey
is a general assignment reporter. She covers the news that shapes Los Angeles and how people change the city in return.
Published January 8, 2026 2:15 PM
A protester displays a poster as tear gas is used in the Metropolitan Detention Center of downtown Los Angeles on June 8, 2025.
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Eric Thayer/AP
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FR171986 AP
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Topline:
Community leaders and politicians in Los Angeles are responding in outrage after an ICE agent shot and killed a woman in Minnesota on Wednesday.
Why it matters: The fatal ICE shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good has sparked anger and fear in Los Angeles, which has been an epicenter of federal immigration enforcement since the summer.
What are some groups saying? Jorge-Mario Cabrera with the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, or CHIRLA, says the killing was upsetting but not surprising. " Los Angeles has been witness of the escalating aggressiveness of these federal agents against the community," he told LAist.
Read on... for how local politicians are reacting.
Community leaders and politicians in Los Angeles are responding in outrage after an ICE agent shot and killed a woman in Minnesota on Wednesday.
The fatal ICE shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good has sparked anger and fear in Los Angeles, which has been an epicenter of federal immigration enforcement since the summer.
Jorge-Mario Cabrera with the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, or CHIRLA, says the killing was upsetting but not surprising.
" Los Angeles has been witness of the escalating aggressiveness of these federal agents against the community," he told LAist.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has defended the shooting, saying Good was trying to run agents over with her car. That account has been disputed by eyewitnesses, the mayor of Minneapolis and other officials. Bystander video also challenges the federal narrative, according to MPR News.
L.A. politicians have joined a chorus demanding justice for Good. Mayor Karen Bass posted on X, saying that ICE agents are waging "a purposeful campaign of fear and intimidation" on American cities.
"The senseless killing of an innocent and unarmed wife and mother by ICE agents today in Minneapolis is shocking and tragic and should never have occurred," she said in the post.
The senseless killing of an innocent and unarmed wife and mother by ICE agents today in Minneapolis is shocking and tragic and should never have occurred. And it happened because of the brutal and racist policies of the Trump administration that unleashed these agents in…
Nereida Moreno
is our midday host on LAist 89.3 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Published January 8, 2026 2:05 PM
Crystal Hernández is the violinist for the Mariachi Rams and the only woman in the group.
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Courtesy Los Angeles Rams
)
Topline:
As the Rams head to the NFL playoffs this weekend, we’re shining the spotlight on a beloved fan favorite: the Mariachi Rams. Violinist Crystal Hernández, the only woman in the band, tells LAist it’s exciting to see how fans — even those cheering for the opposing team — have embraced their presence at SoFi Stadium. She said it shows how involved and integral Latino culture is to L.A.
“There's no boundary. There's no border,” she said. “It’s all about love and joy and bringing excitement to the game.”
Why it matters: The Rams are the first NFL team to have an official mariachi. The group was formed in 2019 by Hernández' father, the renowned mariachi Jose Hernández. Since then, a handful of teams, including the Houston Texans, have begun incorporating mariachi bands as part of their cultural programming.
Game day: The Mariachi Rams’ musical flare has captivated audiences, blending hip-hop and rock-and-roll sounds with traditional mariachi. They typically perform two or three times throughout the game, starting with a Mexican classic like “El Rey” and segueing into local favorites like “Low Rider” from the Long Beach band War and Tupac’s “California Love.”
The Mariachi Rams blend hip-hop and rock and roll sounds with traditional mariachi. They typically perform two or three times throughout each game.
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Courtesy Los Angeles Rams
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Keeping traditions alive: Crystal Hernández also works with L.A. County students at the nonprofit Mariachi Heritage Society. She said it’s important to pass the tradition down to kids — and especially young girls who may not otherwise see themselves represented onstage.
“If you're a mariachi, you're also an educator,” she said. “It's our responsibility to teach the next generation so this beautiful Mexican tradition doesn't die out.”
