The Brief

Before the triumphant return of the "Superbowl of Motocross" can happen on Saturday at the L.A. Coliseum, there needed to be dirt — lots and lots of dirt.

"We're going to have roughly 30 million pounds of dirt that ends up being, oh my goodness, probably about a thousand dump truck loads for this track here," said Sean Brennen, a spokesperson for the SuperMotocross World Championship.

SuperMotocross combines elements of Motocross and Supercross. Rough translation: it's basically super dirt bike racing on an outdoor, custom-built track with monster jumps and tricky obstacles.

And it's all about the race track.

The race track

The track map of this Saturady's SuperMotocross World Championship final at the L.A Coliseum

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Another view

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Thus.... The dirt.

"We're going to go outside of the stadium, so of course you need additional dirt for that, but also because this is a SuperMotocross track... that dirt is very, very thick," Brennen continued. "So, we have to bring in extra dirt to mimic ... being at an outdoor natural terrain."

Construction started Monday. After the dirt was trucked in from various sources around downtown L.A., the crew began by laying down plywood to protect the venue's grass field before piling 30 million pounds of the stuff. Then, the bulldozers and skid steers went to work to shape the course.

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By midweek, three-quarters of the track was completed — the lanes, many of the obstacles, plus the loop that goes through the Coliseum's signature columns and comes back down the audience stands.

"It's one of the neatest features of this track, for sure," Brennen said.

The L.A. Connection

The championship final on Saturday marks a big homecoming for the sport.

Motocross — outdoor dirt bike racing on natural terrain — was born in the U.K. at the turn of the century. Skip to the 1960s, European motocross teams were doing exhibitions in America. They caught the eye of an L.A. rock music promoter named Mike Goodwin, who convinced the Coliseum to hold a race in 1972 called — what else? — the "Superbowl of Motocross".

It was a resounding success, and gave rise to an American version of the sport — one that's held on a manmade track, called Supercross.

The Superbowl of Motocross at L.A. Coliseum in 1974, two years after the event first debuted at the stadium

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Racer X Illustrated

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"So Motocross emigrated from Europe, but Supercross was born right here in Los Angeles at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum," Brennen said.

A funny little story about the dirt

Five decades later, the SuperMotocross World Championship series today boasts the sport's biggest prize haul.

The championship final will features two race divisions: 450cc and 250cc, and the winner of each class will take home $1 million, and $500,000, respectively.

After the race, Brennen said the crew has until the better part of Monday to get the dirt out. Most likely, it'll be stored around L.A. for future races.

The 1978 Superbowl of Motocross race

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"We are the unofficially the biggest dirt owner in the world," Brennen said. "We own dirt everywhere we go for our motosports. You know, we source all of that dirt locally."

In a few months time, Brennen said the crew will be converting the Angel Stadium of Anaheim for the Supercross season kick off. The dirt they'll be using will be extra hyperlocal.

"In Anaheim, our dirt, we store it underneath the employee parking lot," Brennen said.

Every December, the team would rip off the layer of asphalt, dig up the dirt beneath, prep it, and take it into the stadium to build the track. And once the race is done, the dirt is returned.

"It becomes the employee parking lot and then we asphalt over it again for the baseball season. It's pretty cool," Brennen said.

You may have developed a taste for Oaxacan food in L.A., with its tlayudas and vast array of moles.

But within that is another culinary tradition, specific to the Oaxacan highlands of Southern Mexico: Zapotec. It’s one of the oldest indigenous civilizations in Mesoamerica, with a distinct language and foodways that predate Spanish colonization. But as with many other Indigenous cultures, it’s often overlooked, erased under "Latino" or "Mexican."

Yet away from the spotlight, the culture is very much alive.

"The Zapotec culture is thriving here. There are so many things happening in indigenous communities throughout L.A., in backyards, in kitchens, in communities most Angelenos never see," said Odilia Romero, who leads CIELO, an indigenous-focused nonprofit.

A spread of dried chiles, heirloom corn and cacao beans reflects the Sierra Norte Zapotec ingredients at the heart of Lugya'h's communal dinner.

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Jon Endow

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Which is why that tradition is being celebrated on March 4, when Lugya'h (pronounced LOOG-yah) will host its first communal dinner from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The Oaxacan restaurant, located inside Maydan Market in West Adams, is a joint project from Romero and James Beard-nominated chef Alfonso "Poncho" Martínez. What began as a beloved backyard pop-up now has a permanent home in the market, where Martínez works alongside chef de cuisine Evelyn Gregorio.

Martínez, who grew up plowing fields and planting corn in Sierra Norte, is one of a handful of indigenous Zapotec chefs working in L.A.

Lugya'h — which translates in Zapotec to "the face and hearth of the plaza" — normally offers a menu of tlayudas and moronga. But the communal dinner marks a deliberate departure, reflecting the broader breadth of Sierra Norte Zapotec cooking, including aged tasajó, (cured beef) wild cebollina (similar to chives) and heirloom maíz.

It’s meant to start a conversation about Zapotec identity and visibility, drawing attention to the fact that indigenous people throughout California help sustain its food industry, from the fields to the kitchen, but are consistently swept into the larger Latino identity.

Chef de cuisine Evelyn Gregorio is part of the Lugya'h team at Maydan Market in West Adams.

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"From planting to serving your food, they are indigenous people — but they're never talked about that way," Romero said.

A 2024 report by USC's Equity Research Institute and CIELO found that one in five indigenous migrant workers in L.A. County work in restaurants — more than double the rate of Latinx immigrants broadly. Yet they remain largely invisible, often counted only as "Latino" in data and policy. Over two-thirds of those accessing CIELO's services identified as Zapotec, one of the county's largest and least visible indigenous communities.

Tasajo, moronga and a tlayuda from Lugya'h's regular menu at Maydan Market in West Adams.

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It's a tension Martínez knows firsthand — a local museum once sought out his recipe for an event, only to pass on having him there to tell the story behind it.

"They wanted the Oaxacan food, but they didn't want the Oaxacan people," he said.

The menu

The four-course, family-style dinner ($119/person) opens with tartare de tasajó — flank steak aged and salted in-house and served rare — an original creation you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else in the world.

It's followed by an anchovy tostada on Lugya'h's homemade heirloom non-GMO maiz, inspired by topotillo and charales, small preserved fish traditional to Oaxacan markets, served with avocado and guaje purée — a quiet nod to coastal Zapotec foodways that rarely make it onto L.A. menus. A farmers market salad rooted in California citrus and tomatoes and grilled skirt steak with in-house pressed heirloom corn tortillas and a variety of Oaxacan-rooted salsas round out the savory courses. Chef Evelyn closes the meal with a guava mousse — reminiscent of the pink guava water found in Oaxacan markets, sweetened with molasses.

Hands assemble a tlayuda at Lugya'h, layering mole, fresh greens and dried chiles — ingredients rooted in Sierra Norte Zapotec cooking.

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Jon Endow

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Courtesy Lugya'h

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Going forward, Martínez and Romero intend to host two communal dinners per month, with the menu changing monthly. For Martínez, the dinners are an act of resistance through persistence.

"We're gonna continue pushing so that it could be something strong," he said.

American businesses and shoppers paid the vast majority of the billions of dollars collected for the emergency tariffs that the Supreme Court recently ruled illegal. Companies are now pushing to get their money back. But can shoppers expect their own refund?

Probably not, according to Robert Shapiro, an international trade lawyer and partner at the law firm Thompson Coburn.

"And if you do, it'll be pennies on the dollar," Shapiro said.

The roughly $180 billion collected under the struck-down tariffs, according to an estimate by Goldman Sachs, was typically paid for directly by businesses, and indirectly by consumers through higher prices. Because those companies often paid the actual customs bill, any refund from the federal government would go to them.

Shoppers will have to wait for companies to get their refunds before any potential reimbursements might trickle down to them. And that could take a while. President Donald Trump suggested the question of whether the government has to refund those tariffs could be tied up in lawsuits.

"I guess it has to get litigated over for the next two years," Trump said during a press conference after the Supreme Court's decision.

Shapiro said when and if those businesses get a refund, some will pass along savings to consumers, but others will not. "They'll just take it as a gain," he said.

Several Democratic political leaders have pushed for a more direct resolution: Simply have the government send checks to Americans. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker sent a letter and invoice to Trump demanding that he refund every Illinois family $1,700. California Gov. Gavin Newsom also called on Trump to send out checks.

But there's a logistical issue: The tariff revenue isn't held in its own special account. When collected, it goes into the country's general fund. The U.S. Treasury could send out checks, but companies would still have a claim on their refunds. In that scenario, tariff refunds could be counted twice between customers and companies, drastically increasing the cost to the federal government.

There's another possibility, if companies are slow to pass their refunds along: Shoppers could launch class action lawsuits aimed at forcing companies to offer refunds for tariff surcharges.

Still, that poses a similar accounting challenge. For many products, the tariffed costs often weren't shared by one company and one customer, but across a supply chain. Think of products made of many materials — like a bike or a coffee maker — with parts made by different suppliers, which all contributed to tariff fees. Even a product as simple as a store-shelf-ready stuffed animal shipped from China can pass through multiple hands, from the importer to the wholesaler to the retailer, and finally on to the shopper.

How would the shopper prove what portion of the tariffs they paid and how much they deserved to get back?

"Tracing that through — it may be literally impossible," said Michael Ettlinger, a senior fellow at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.

But managing refunds could be easier for companies that put their tariff fees right on the receipt.

Erin Vandenberg is a frequent shopper with the athletic wear company Fabletics; she pays $70 a month for a membership and gets back credits to spend on outfits, like vests and fleece-lined leggings. Last year, she noticed a tariff surcharge on items, like $3.95 on top of a $69.95 berry-colored sports bra.

"They're making it very obvious what's happening," Vandenberg said. But she also found it discouraging. She recalls thinking, "Oh, well gosh! Maybe I don't want to buy this."

For her most recent order, before discounts and her credits, the value of the clothes totaled up to about $520, including $30 from tariff costs.

Since she had already paid for the membership credits, she went ahead with the order anyway.

Fabletics is far from the only company to shift some tariff costs to customers. The company was just the rare business to spell it out.

In a statement emailed to NPR, Fabletics said: "We implemented a clearly labeled tariff surcharge at checkout to be transparent with consumers and ensure we can continue providing the highest-quality products at the most competitive prices. The surcharge only partially covers our cost increases but we felt it was important to not pass the full burden of cost on to our consumers. While the Supreme Court ruling is an important development, tariffs remain in place and there are still many outstanding questions regarding implementation and potential refunds that we are closely monitoring."

Vandenberg has no idea how much she paid in tariff fees to other businesses. Now that those tariffs are gone and companies are pursuing refunds, Vandenberg would love to get her money back from them. And she would be willing to join a lawsuit to get it.

"At this point, I feel like those are sometimes the only way you can hold businesses, or companies, or the government accountable," Vanderberg said.
Copyright 2026 NPR

This story was originally published by Boyle Heights Beat on Feb. 23, 2026.

Self Help Graphics & Art has long been a creative home for Chicano artists and families in East Los Angeles. Now, a new documentary is inviting the community to help tell its story.

Chicano Gráfica, a documentary about Self Help Graphics & Art, explores how a small group of East Los Angeles artists altered the art world by embracing and celebrating their identity as Chicanos.

To chronicle this history, filmmakers Gloria Westcott and Grace Amemiya are asking community members to share memorabilia from the 1970s and 1990s. This can include VHS tapes, photography, invitations, visual art, postcards, greeting cards, T-shirts, CDs and records, according to an open community call from Self Help Graphics.

A gathering for the memorabilia collection will be held March 7 at Avenue 50 Studio in Highland Park. All shared items will be returned.

The film, according to its website, “showcases the legacy of Self Help from its roots in the East Los Angeles barrio to its role as an international force that exported the Chicano art aesthetic and iconography in printmaking.”

A key player of the Chicano movement of the 1970s, Self Help Graphics & Art was founded in the East LA garage of Sister Karen Boccalero, a Franciscan nun and printmaker. It started with a small group of young Latino artists who used their medium to spread social justice messages.

From the onset, these artists involved members of the community in the process of making art and organizing programs, such as a 1972 Day of the Dead event considered to be the first public commemoration in the United States of a tradition rooted in Mexico’s indigenous origins.

This is the latest community call for personal memorabilia. Previous callouts have been held at the East Los Angeles County Library and Avenue 50 Studio, according to the Chicano Gráfica website.

The violence that erupted in Mexico after the death of a powerful drug lord has left many questioning whether the country will be able to co-host the World Cup in just over three months.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino thinks it can.

"Of course, we are monitoring the situation in Mexico these days, but I want to say from the outset that we have complete confidence in Mexico, in its president, Claudia Sheinbaum, and in the authorities, and we are convinced that everything will go as smoothly as possible," Infantino said late Tuesday in a press conference in Colombia.

"Mexico is a great country, like in every country in the world, things happen; we don't live on the moon or another planet," Infantino added. "That's why we have governments, police, and authorities who will ensure order and security."

The Mexican army killed Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, "El Mencho," who led the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, on Sunday, sparking several days of violence. Cartel members burned cars and blocked roads in nearly a dozen Mexican states and authorities report that at least 70 people have died.

Four high-level soccer matches from the local leagues were postponed last Sunday, including one in the central city of Queretaro, where Mexico defeated Iceland 4-0 late Wednesday in a friendly match.

Before the match, a minute of silence was held in the Corregidora stadium in honor of the soldiers who died during the operation to capture Oseguera.

Thirteen World Cup matches are scheduled to be held in Mexico, including the opening game in Mexico City on June 11 between the co-host and South Africa. Guadalajara, the central hub for the Jalisco cartel, is scheduled to host four.

Colombia is set to play one game in Mexico City and one in Guadalajara.

"Our first two matches are in Mexico, but we know they will overcome this and move forward," said Ramón Jesurún, the president of the Colombian Soccer Federation. "I have absolute and total confidence in my geopolitical thinking that this is an issue Mexico will overcome, and overcome very quickly."

Other nations have expressed more concern. The Portuguese soccer federation said Tuesday that it was closely monitoring developments ahead of a planned friendly against Mexico in March. Jamaica is set to play New Caledonia in Guadalajara on March 26 in an intercontinental playoff semifinal, with the winner advancing to face Congo for a World Cup spot.

"The games are at the end of March, so we still have another month to see what happens; but it is making me very nervous, to be honest," said Michael Ricketts, the president of the Jamaican Soccer Federation. "We will be listening out for CONCACAF and FIFA to give us instructions (on) whether they are playing the games or whether they are immediately looking for other options."

Another Mexican city, Monterrey, will host a playoff where Bolivia plays Suriname and the winner faces Iraq for a spot in the tournament.

On Monday, Sheinbaum said there is "every guarantee" that the World Cup matches in Guadalajara will be played as planned and added that there was "no risk."

"We are in regular contact with the presidency and the authorities in Mexico and we are monitoring the situation," Infantino said. "The World Cup is going to be an incredible celebration".
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