Fiona Ng
is LAist's deputy managing editor and leads a team of reporters who explore food, culture, history, events and more.
Updated January 4, 2026 3:58 PM
Published December 7, 2024 5:00 AM
Group photo including Albert and Bessie Johnsons in front of the main house of Scotty's Castle.
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Courtesy National Park Service
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Topline:
A little more than a century ago, a Chicago millionaire visited Death Valley after being conned into investing in a non-existent gold mine. Albert Johnson loved the heat and sparse landscape so much, he built a castle in the desert.
Why it matters: The story of Scotty's Castle is built on an unlikely friendship between a conman named Walter Scotty and a wealthy Chicago couple. It's a tale as improbable as it is befitting of the American West.
Why now: The castle has been in recovery since 2015, after damage from a flash flood. The National Park Service is conducting its yearly limited tours of the site to raise money to continue to renovate the compound.
If the history of the American West is one of reinvention, then one of its prime canvasses is the California desert.
People have been drawn since time immemorial to that vast emptiness of harsh elements and healing quietude to make something out of nothing, by hook or by crook, where the line between delusion and oasis is always thin.
In a nutshell, that is the story of Scotty's Castle, a Spanish revival villa that started construction in Death Valley in the 1920s and was built on a bold-faced scam. The mansion has been largely closed to the public since 2015 after damage from a historic storm. This weekend, the National Park Service is holding limited tours of the site through March.
The conman: Death Valley Scotty
The Scotty's Castle compound —with a main house, an annex, a hacienda, an unfinished pool and more — is called Death Valley Ranch, but as it's often the case, it's the nickname that tells the fuller story.
"It was kind of always called 'Scotty's Castle,'" said David Blacker, executive director of the Death Valley Natural History Association.
Walter Scott, also known as "Death Valley Scotty".
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Courtesy National Park Service
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The "Scotty" in question is Walter Scott, a performer in Old West shows who had worked with none other than Buffalo Bill Cody himself, according to Abby Wines, a spokesperson for Death Valley National Park.
"He was an amazing storyteller, a great entertainer," Wines said of Scott.
Scott eventually landed in the desert after he stopped performing. One day, Blacker said Scott rode into L.A. with a bag of gold.
"He said that he had found a mine out in Death Valley and that he was, you know, going to be rich," Blacker said.
Blacker said Death Valley Scotty, a nickname he'd come to be known by, proceeded to spend that money freely and loudly.
He followed that up with a bigger publicity stunt — by chartering a train from L.A. to Chicago around 1905 and breaking the train speed record. The feat, as intended, launched him into the national spotlight.
The cover of a booklet released by Santa Fe Railway to commemorate the record-breaking train ride commissioned by Walter Scott in 1905.
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Courtesy National Park Service
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"So when he finally arrived in Chicago.... Everybody knew that Walter Scott had this rich mine in Death Valley, and he was coming to Chicago to look for investors," he said.
One of them he hooked was an insurance magnate by the name of Albert Mussey Johnson.
Albert Johnson the millionaire
Johnson was a religious man who made his millions in insurance, but always had an interest in prospecting.
Johnson decided to grubstake the desert mining operation from Chicago.
Albert Mussey Johnson, the Chicago insurance millionaire behind Scotty's Castle in Death Valley.
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Courtesy National Parks Service
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But, "he didn't hear anything from [Scott]," Blacker said. "And he started writing him letters saying, 'Hey, Walter, how come I'm not hearing anything? What's going on?'"
When Scott finally wrote back, it was always to solicit more funds.
"He'd send a telegram and say, 'A heat wave killed my mules, send more coin. Or a flash flood washed away the mine headframe, send more money,'" said Wines from NPS.
Finally, Johnson got fed up and made the trek to Death Valley, solo. "There's nowhere for Scotty to hide," Blacker said.
Essentially, that's when the jig was up, but not before Scott staged a failed attempt to cover up his lies.
"So Scotty roped in a couple of his brothers and a couple friends and had them agree to pretend to rob them or to pretend to attack them," Wines said.
Shots were fired at the group, and unintentionally hit Scott's brother.
"Scotty sees this, and he jumps up, and he starts waving his arms, and he says, 'Stop shooting you fools, you've hit Warner,'" Blacker said.
At that point, it was clear to Johnson that he'd been had.
"He also knows that he's probably not had more fun, you know, than any time he could think of, and he's out here in the West," Blacker said.
Scotty's Castle in Death Valley.
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Bob Greenburg
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Courtesy National Park Service
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Scotty's Castle in 1931.
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Courtesy National Park Service
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Construction of Scotty's Castle
Johnson fell in love with Death Valley — especially the dry heat. In his 20s, Johnson was involved in a severe train accident that left him with a badly injured back. The desert weather felt just right.
Bessie Johnson, wife of Albert Johnson.
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Courtesy National Park Service.
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Soon, he brought his wife to the California desert. Raised in Walnut Creek, Bessie Johnson was one of 150 students who started at Stanford in 1892. Two years later, she transferred to Cornell, where she met and fell in love with Albert.
Bessie took one look at the barren landscape and told her husband, "Albert, if I'm going to come out here, you're going to have to build me a proper house," Blacker said.
Thus began the construction of Scotty's Castle over some 300 acres of land in the 1920s. The main house was complete, but many outside features were not.
That's partly because Albert, an engineer by training, kept having innovative ideas for the compound, like a solar water heater and walking-size tunnels that connected the different buildings.
"The castle was like a big box of Legos for him," Wines said.
Tunnels being put in to connect various buildings at the Scotty's Castle compound.
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Courtesy National Park Service
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Construction of the swimming pool next to Scott's Castle. That project was never finished.
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Courtesy National Park Service
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Another reason for the delay was the land where the castle sat actually belonged to the federal government, instead of the original plot of about 1,500 acres Johnson bought. Construction was paused until an act of Congress granted a land swap. That took well into the Great Depression in the 1930s. By then, Johnson's fortunes had dwindled.
Albert Johnson and Walter Scott
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Courtesy National Park Service
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But Wines said even into the 30s, the Johnsons would invite guests to the castle. Sometimes, they'd send workers down in the tunnels to make a ruckus.
"They'd be walking around the grounds in between buildings and hear this noise under their feet and think that it was people mining gold," Wines said. "So they would literally pull the wool over the public's eyes."
That chapter in the long history of the castle came to a sort of an end when Bessie Johnson died in 1943. With her death, Blacker said, the impetus to finish the castle was also gone. Albert died in 1948. Seven years later, so did Scott.
Bessie Johnson, Walter Scott, and Albert Johnson in the main house of Scotty's Castle.
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Courtesy National Park Service
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"When you look at the three of them, you're really seeing three people that were born one way, and they decided to come West and be what they wanted to be instead," Blacker said.
With Albert, he left his life as an insurance man to be an engineer and live a Western adventure. For Bessie, she came out West to do things that women back East weren't normally allowed to do.
With Scott, Black continued, "he got to come West and live the cowboy life and it made him famous."
Flood damage in 2015
The National Park Service acquired the property in 1970, turning it into popular tourist attraction that drew tens of thousands of visitors each year.
But in October 2015, a storm brought close to 3 inches of rain — around a year's worth of precipitation — to Scotty's Castle in mere hours.
At the time, Wines had been managing the tours for nearly a decade. She said the rain triggered a flash flood of mud into some of the buildings. But the main house was largely unharmed.
A flash flood in 2015 washed feet of mud into the Scotty's Castle compound.
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Courtesy National Park Service
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Articulated concrete blocks have been installed at the formal entry of Scotty's Castle to prevent undercutting by future floods.
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Courtesy National Park Service
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Wines was able to survey the damage a few days after the storm. She went into her office, wearing wader boots and trudging through mud.
"I got to my desk and the mud was to within a few inches of the bottom of my chair seat. And everything from that level was untouched and everything below was devastated. And I remember just sitting on my chair and crying," Wines said.
Recovery efforts have been ongoing ever since, at a cost of roughly $66 million.
How to join this year's tours
The National Park Service is now conducting limited guided tours at the site to continue to raise funds for recovery through March.
Here are the details:
Scotty’s Castle Flood Recovery Walking Tours Tours Dates: Select Sundays, Jan. 4 through March 29 Price: $35 per person, plus a processing fee. Tickets must be purchased at least 48 hours in advance. Info: For tour dates, details and ticket sales, gohere
Libby Rainey
has been tracking how L.A. is prepping for the 2028 Olympic Games.
Published May 27, 2026 9:48 AM
Members with Unite Here Local 11 attended an L.A. City Council meeting on May 14, 2025.
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Allen J. Schaben
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Getty Images
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Topline:
The Los Angeles City Council has officially delayed minimum wage increases for tourism workers. The council made the final vote Tuesday, pushing back a boost to $30 an hour for airport and hotel workers from 2028 to 2030.
Why it matters: The controversial move comes after L.A. faced major pressure from business interests, which had gathered enough signatures to put a measure on the November ballot to repeal the business tax. That effort could have financially ruined the city if it passed.
The backstory: After the City Council voted to delay the wage from the November ballot, the leaders behind that ballot measure withdrew it.
Read on... for how workers are responding to the delay.
The Los Angeles City Council has officially delayed minimum wage increases for tourism workers. The council made the final vote Tuesday, pushing back a boost to $30 an hour for airport and hotel workers from 2028 to 2030.
The controversial move comes after L.A. faced major pressure from business interests, which had gathered enough signatures to put a measure on the November ballot to repeal the business tax. That effort could have financially ruined the city if it passed.
After the City Council voted to delay the wage from the November ballot, the leaders behind that ballot measure withdrew it.
It's a maneuver hotel workers have called a "shakedown." Originally celebrated as an "Olympic Wage," the $30 minimum was pegged to the arrival of the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. But a battle to upend it started as soon as the City Council passed it last year.
Workers who had counted on the increases aren't happy.
" I would expect my councilmember to stand up for working Angelenos, not help giant companies take money out of our pockets," Jordan Long, a bartender at LAX, said at a recent council meeting.
Stuart Waldman with the Valley Industry & Commerce Association told LAist that business groups decided to advance their ballot measure after unions wouldn't broker a deal with them directly.
"The business community has taken a page out of the union playbook to play hardball," he said.
Council members Eunisses Hernandez, Ysabel Jurado and Hugo Soto-Martinez voted against the motion to finalize the wage delay Tuesday.
The Trump administration has mass-deleted information about prosecutions tied to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, including cases of defendants who assaulted police officers. The removals mark the latest phase of President Trump's effort to rewrite the history of the violent riot.
Why now: Justice Department news releases that detailed guilty pleas, jury verdicts and prison sentences abruptly disappeared from government websites last week.
The Trump administration has mass-deleted information about prosecutions tied to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, including cases of defendants who assaulted police officers. The removals mark the latest phase of President Donald Trump's effort to rewrite the history of the violent riot.
Justice Department news releases that detailed guilty pleas, jury verdicts and prison sentences abruptly disappeared from government websites last week.
On social media, the Justice Department defended the move, saying, "We are proud to reverse the DOJ's weaponization under the Biden administration. We will do everything in our power to make whole those who were persecuted for political purposes. This includes stripping DOJ's website of partisan propaganda."
Daniel Rodriguez, who pleaded guilty to driving an electroshock device into the neck of former Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department officer Michael Fanone, and who was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison.
Albuquerque Head, who pleaded guilty to assaulting police and grabbing Fanone by the neck and pulling him into the mob of rioters while yelling, "I got one!" Head was sentenced to more than seven years in prison.
Thomas Webster, who was convicted by a jury of assaulting law enforcement with a metal flagpole, tackling a police officer to the ground and trying to remove the officer's gas mask. Webster was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Christopher Alberts, who was convicted by a jury of assaulting police with a wooden pallet and carrying a loaded handgun on Capitol grounds. Alberts was sentenced to seven years in prison.
Peter Schwartz, who was convicted by a jury of assaulting police officers with pepper spray and throwing a metal chair at law enforcement. Schwartz was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
The previously accessible news releases now lead to a "Page not found" message.
The mass deletion of government information about the riot, in which a mob of Trump supporters injured 140 police officers and threatened the lives of members of Congress and then-Vice President Mike Pence, follows a broader effort by the Trump administration to whitewash the attack.
Trump granted clemency to every Jan. 6 defendant, including full pardons for all the most violent rioters and the erasure of seditious conspiracy convictions for members of extremist groups. The Justice Department fired dozens of prosecutors who worked on Jan. 6 cases and hired a former riot defendant who was seen on video urging the mob to "kill" police. The administration settled a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the estate of rioter Ashli Babbitt, who was shot and killed while storming the Capitol, for nearly $5 million. On the fifth anniversary of the riot, the White House created a website that distorts that day's events, describing the rioters as "patriots" and blaming police for causing "chaos." And just last week, the administration announced a $1.8 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund," indicating that even rioters who assaulted police may be eligible for payouts.
When speaking about the attack, Trump consistently describes his supporters as victims rather than perpetrators of violence.
"I pardoned people that were assaulted themselves. They were assaulted by our government," Trump said last year. "They didn't assault. They were assaulted."
Police officers who were violently assaulted on Jan. 6 have described suffering lifelong physical and psychological injuries.
"I have been sentenced to a lifetime of medical issues that include physical pain and mental and emotional distress," former Capitol Police Sgt. Federico Ruiz said in a victim impact statement filed in a Jan. 6 case. "There is not a day that goes by that pain, discomfort, and/or a mental health issue do not flare up to remind me of that day."
Brendan Ballou, a former federal prosecutor who worked on Jan. 6 cases, told NPR in a recent interview that the administration's effort to flip the story of the riot is part of a broader effort to attack democratic institutions.
"It's clear there is an ongoing fight to rewrite the history of Jan. 6, because these people know if they can successfully get people to forget about Jan. 6 — or worse yet, condone it — then they will be able to convince people to accept any attack on democracy," said Ballou.
Ballou currently represents two police officers who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6 and are suing to prevent payouts from the Anti-Weaponization Fund.
The searchable database covers all the nearly 1,600 criminal cases, including charges, convictions and sentencing outcomes. The archive also includes a timeline of the day's events and makes accessible hundreds of videos from police body cameras, Capitol surveillance footage and other sources. NPR is currently taking legal action to obtain additional video evidence held by the government, which has not been previously disclosed.
Copyright 2026 NPR
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Libby Rainey
has been reporting on L.A.'s preparations for World Cup games this year.
Published May 27, 2026 5:00 AM
Nader Adeli a group of Iranian-Americans from around Los Angeles who play soccer together on weekends in an adult league, under the team name Arya FC.
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Libby Rainey
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LAist
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Key takeaways
Iran's participation in the World Cup has been in question since the U.S. and Israel launched a war against the country in late February. Whether the Iran team shows up or not won't be settled until they arrive in the U.S.
L.A. County is home to about 166,000 Iranian-Americans — the largest population of Iranians outside of Iran.
The U.S. and Iran teams have only faced off twice in World Cup history.
FIFA is planning to ban Iran’s former Lion and Sun flag in the stadiums. That flag is associated with those that want to see a return to monarchist rule in the country.
If the teams both finish second in their groups, they'll face off in Dallas, Texas on July 3.
Los Angeles is preparing to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup next month in unprecedented circumstances.
As the U.S. war in Iran drags on, the United States is the first host nation in World Cup history to be at war with a participating country. And the Iran men’s team is scheduled to play two of its matches in Los Angeles, home to the largest Iranian population outside of Iran.
Iran's participation in the tournament has been in question since the U.S. and Israel launched a bombing campaign against the country in late February. Whether they show up or not won't be settled until the team arrives in the U.S. to play. They were scheduled to train in Tucson, Arizona ahead of the tournament, but they've now re-routed to a facility in Tijuana, Mexico. FIFA confirmed the move on Monday.
"Sports is supposed to displace war. It's not supposed to be war."
— Kevan Harris, associate professor and vice chair, UCLA
Iran's first match is June 15 at SoFi Stadium against New Zealand. In the meantime, Iranians in Los Angeles are anticipating the coming tournament with complicated feelings.
" Sports is supposed to displace war. It's not supposed to be war," said Kevan Harris, a sociologist at UCLA who studies the Iranian diaspora. "Teams fighting it out when a war is going on, it has a flavor that's very difficult to process. Do I want them to win? Do I want them to lose? I don't know. "
For some, those dynamics and their opinions about the Iranian government are inextricable from the coming World Cup. For others, it's just about the soccer.
Mixed feelings for soccer players in LA
In Woodland Hills, a group of Iranian-Americans from around Los Angeles play soccer together on Sundays in an adult league, under the team name Arya FC. On a recent weekend, many players said they were excited for the World Cup, and most said they'd root for Iran's team, known as Team Melli.
"It's a lot going on in Iran right now, and there are a lot of mixed emotions," said Bobby Riahi, an Arya FC player who said he was going to a World Cup match and would support Iran. "You can't be a soccer fan and not be excited about the World Cup. Am I excited about seeing my national team? I have mixed feelings this year."
In Woodland Hills, a group of Iranian-Americans from around Los Angeles play soccer together on Sundays in an adult league, under the team name Arya FC.
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Libby Rainey
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Between stretches and warm-ups, others said they doubted Iran would advance beyond the first round of the tournament. Some named players in Iran that they followed or said that they watched Iranian football.
Most didn't want to talk politics. Those that did, including one person who said he wouldn't support Iran because he thought it was the regime's team, didn't want to share their full names.
" It's a tough moment for sure for a lot of Iranians. I think a lot of my compatriots are pretty much divided," said Mehran Janani, another player. "There is a split, I think, in the Iranian population, about the Iranian team being here. There are some folks that are excited. There are some folks who are not happy for the presence of the Iranian team. And that all comes down to politics, unfortunately."
Nader Adeli, who manages the team, said he hoped all that could be set aside for the World Cup.
"Soccer has always been the most-watched sport in the world. And I think that will bring everybody together, at least for a period of one month of June to July," he said. "Let's hope for the best – that Americans will see the other side of the Iranian people as well."
A history of controversy at the World Cup
Iran's participation in the World Cup has been marked by political controversy before, including just four years ago. In 2022, the Iranian national team headed to Qatar for the World Cup as mass protests took place in Iran, sparked by the death of 22 year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody.
Christian Pulisic of USA battles for the ball with Ramin Rezaeian of Iran during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 at Al Thumama Stadium on Nov, 29, 2022 in Doha, Qatar.
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Dean Mouhtaropoulos
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"There was all kinds of pressure around trying to say that the team was not a national team, but that it represented the Islamic Republic, and therefore it should be boycotted," said Niki Akhavan, associate professor of media and communication studies at Catholic University of America.
Iran did end up playing in the World Cup in 2022, where the team faced the U.S. for just the second time in tournament history. They lost 1-0.
Fans with the USA and Iran's flags attend the Qatar 2022 World Cup match between Iran and USA at the Al-Thumama Stadium in Doha on Nov. 29, 2022.
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Patrick T. Fallon
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Prior to that, the two countries faced off in 1998 at the World Cup in France. The showdown came after nearly two decades of hostility between the U.S. and Iran following the Iranian Revolution and subsequent hostage crisis.
Score board showing the final score of the World Cup 1st round match at the Stade de Garland on June 21, 1998 in Lyon, France.
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Simon M. Bruty
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Naim Sadav and Mehdi Pashazadeh of Iran and David Regis of USA in action during the World Cup match at the Stade de Garland on June 21, 1998 in Lyon, France.
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Simon M. Bruty
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That match was dubbed "the mother of all games." The New York Times called it "the most visible head-to-head sporting event between the two countries since the Islamic revolution in 1979."
USA Team players exchange flowers with the Iranian Team before the World Cup 1st round match at the Stade de Garland on June 21, 1998 in Lyon, France.
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Simon M. Bruty
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"There will be protests"
This time around, some members of the Iranian diaspora in Los Angeles think that protests around the World Cup are inevitable.
"There's no doubt that there will be protests. The question is where will they happen?" said Harris, of UCLA. "What will be the slogan? What will be the demand? That's hard to tell."
Sheila Rossi, who was born in Iran and is now the mayor of South Pasadena, said she expects there to be conflict over the flags people will bring to the Iran matches.
Many demonstrators in Los Angeles have carried the country’s pre-revolutionary Lion and Sun flag as a symbol of protest. That flag bears the same green, white and red stripes as Iran's national flag, but includes an image of a golden sun and lion instead of an Arabic inscription.
"If there's going to be a fight, it's going to be about this flag issue," Rossi said.
Still, others are hoping the tournament can usher in a time of celebration for Iranians who have spent much of the year worrying about the war and family inside Iran.
Shaheen Ferdowsi runs a Persian restaurant in West L.A. called Meymuni Cafe. Throughout the year, he's hosted events to bring together Iranians from around Los Angeles, and opened his doors to people after protests against the Iranian government and amid the war.
Shaheen Ferdowsi runs Meymuni Cafe in West L.A.
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Libby Rainey
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Now, he's hoping the cafe can be a place of celebration during the World Cup. He's planning watch parties and special menu items like lamb nachos for the occasion. He's also hoping his restaurant can be a space for Iranians visiting from other parts of the world for the tournament to gather.
"The heartbeat of the Persian diaspora is in Los Angeles," he said. " I think that there's just going to be an electric vibe of Iranians all together here."
Back on the soccer field in Woodland Hills, Mehran Janani, one of the players, said he hoped the tournament could bring some levity to people inside Iran, who have endured months of war and a crackdown on protests before that.
" I think with the current political climate in Iran, I'm hoping that at least the soccer will bring some joy to the Iranian nation," Janani said. “I know as a country we love soccer.”
If both teams do advance through the first round, it's possible that the U.S. and Iran teams will face each other again, this time on American soil. If the countries each finish second in their groups, they'll play in Dallas, Texas on July 3.
Makenna Cramer
covers the daily drumbeat of Southern California — events, processes and nuances making it a unique place to call home.
Published May 27, 2026 5:00 AM
Morning fog slowly burns off over Universal City on May 31, 2025.
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Myung J. Chun
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Topline:
Southern California is in store for cooler temperatures, gusty winds and a chance of showers this week as a mixed bag of “May Gray” weather moves into the region.
Why now: The cooler forecast is expected to stick around through Thursday before warmer temperatures kick in Friday, lingering into next week.
Cooler conditions: Temperatures will be 10 to 20 degrees below normal “at the very least” in L.A. County for the next few days, according to the National Weather Service. That doesn’t mean L.A. County won’t see sunshine, particularly in the mornings.
It won’t be quite as chilly in Orange County, according to Lauren Villafane, a meteorologist with the San Diego office. But in the Inland Empire, she said, temperatures will be “well below” the seasonal average.
Rain: Showers and a brief thunderstorm or two are possible, mostly in the L.A. County mountains and higher terrain areas, but there is a small chance of wet weather drifting into the valleys and coastal areas.
The marine layer is back in Orange County, which Villafane said could bring some patchy drizzle in the mornings.
Winds: It’s going to be gusty on L.A. County beaches, mountains and desert areas through Thursday. A wind advisory was in effect Tuesday for the Antelope Valley, as well as parts of San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Some of Santa Barbara County, including El Capitan State Beach and San Marcos Pass, are under a wind advisory through Wednesday morning.
Orange County mountains will see winds between 40 to 50 mph with isolated gusts around 70 mph. Villafane encouraged people to be careful driving through the mountain areas, especially with taller vehicles “because they can get blown around a little bit.”
Surf: A high surf advisory is in effect for San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara county beaches until Wednesday evening. Dangerous rip currents and large breaking waves between 8 to 12 feet are expected, according to forecasters.
Rip currents could also kick up along Orange County beaches. “So definitely to be careful when they're swimming out there, pay attention to those flags and those lifeguards,” Villafane said.
What's next: By early next week, L.A. County temperatures will hang around 90 degrees in the valleys and mid-80s in downtown L.A. Temperatures on the coasts are expected to stay near normal, likely in the upper 60s to mid-70s.
Next Tuesday looks like it’ll be the warmest day in Orange County with temperatures up to several degrees above normal, according to the National Weather Service.
