The Brief

Welcome to LAist City Treks, a series of easy hikes and walks that will help you explore the parts of Los Angeles and SoCal that we rarely get to see — or only see through the car window. Expect to get about 5K steps, and plenty of photos for your social media channels. Keep scrolling, because you'll also find recommendations for grabbing a bite to eat once you're finished, so you can make a day of it. If you go, tag us on social media @LAistOfficial and #LAistTreks

Where are we headed?

For a family-friendly walk through Channel Islands Harbor and Hollywood Beach in Oxnard, two coastal gems with ocean breezes… and vociferous wildlife. (We're talking sea lions!)

Why now?

It's going to be another hot weekend. And we're looking for ways to stay cool. Oxnard is an easy jaunt north off the 101 Freeway and is also served by various rail options. Though Oxnard flies under the radar, the region along this route has long been desirable. Silent movies were shot along its strand, and Clark Gable and Charlie Chaplin were part-time residents, spawning its nickname “Hollywood by the Sea.”

Quickly, what can I expect?

• Route conditions: Flat and paved, with a small portion of dirt (though some may wish to veer off and sample the wide, sandy beach)
• Difficulty: An easy 1 out of 5, with 5 being the hardest
• Distance: 2.9 miles
• Dog friendly: Yes
• Parking: Free street parking on Harbor Boulevard, and three-hour parking in the trailhead’s parking lot if you patronize one of its establishments
• Bathrooms: Public restrooms available along the Channel Islands Harbor walkway and on the beach just west of the intersection of Ocean Drive and La Brea Street
• Also: The Channel Islands Maritime Museum is currently open Thursdays through Mondays from noon to 4 p.m. Double check the hours before you go if you want to stop in.

Map it!

Download it!

OK, let's get started...

Oxnard is a lot of things. As the only deepwater port between L.A. and San Francisco, it’s well-suited for naval bases like Point Hueneme. Its fertile soil boasts world-famous strawberries. And its dunes — or at least, what’s left of them — inspired Paramount Pictures to stick fake palm trees in the sand to double as the Arabian desert in The Sheik, starring the bedroom eyes of Rudolph Valentino. By the mid-1920s, however, Oxnard’s sandy strand was subdivided into the residential neighborhood known today as Hollywood Beach.

Before retracing the footsteps of glitterati ghosts, let’s begin on the leeward side of the peninsula — an area of shops, eateries, and recreational facilities abutting the southern end of Channel Islands Harbor.

Enter the parking lot at 2800 Harbor Blvd. and find your way to Mrs. Olson’s Coffee Hut, a bayside restaurant slinging up breakfast and lunch since 1974. (If you come on a Sunday, consider bringing a cooler and some ice: This lot also hosts a wonderful farmers market between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. that often includes the day’s catch.) Stroll toward the rear of Mrs. Olson’s. On its left-hand side, access the paved walkway that hugs the small-craft marina. Turn right, heading south.

What is this sea of boats?

Over the next mile, the walkway offers a sun-kissed stroll past bobbing boat masts along the harborfront. Reminiscent of Marina del Rey, the 310-acre harbor was dredged out of wetlands and sand dunes, resulting in 2,150 boat slips. Check for kiosks among the palm trees and greenbelts that line the pathway.

The marina provides a scenic backdrop to this stroll.

(

Paul Haddad

/

Laist

)

Along the stroll, look for informational kiosks. This one is a map of the Channel Islands, some of which can be seen in the distance if skies are clear.

(

Paul Haddad

/

Laist

)

Oxnard is a wonderfully sleepy seaside town also known by its nickname, "Hollywood by the Sea."

(

Paul Haddad

/

Laist

)

Oxnard's soil is known to produce amazing strawberries. If you plan your trip for a Sunday, bring a cooler and bags and cash: The farmers market is wonderful.

(

Paul Haddad

/

Laist

)

The placards detail the biodiversity of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, of which Oxnard is a gateway. Wanna learn more? Pop into the Channel Islands Maritime Museum near the end of the walkway. Look for the statue of the old salt standing under a crow’s nest in its plaza.

One-tenth of a mile past the museum, the palm-lined walkway abruptly ends at a hedge. Time to swing over to the windward side of things!

What's all that barking?

At the end of the walkway, you’ll notice a cul-de-sac to your right, which marks the end of Albacore Way. Take Albacore’s sidewalk for 150 feet, turning left at the T-intersection with Harbor Boulevard.

Now you're strolling Harbor’s eastern sidewalk, as it bends toward the mouth of the channel. Benches are conveniently placed to take in boats cruising in and out of the harbor. At Channel View Park you’ll encounter another cul-de-sac — the end of Ocean Drive.

On your right, a triangular median features a giant wood-carved map of the Channel Islands; on your left, by a jetty, are two fiberglass California sea lions commemorating longtime Oxnard resident Bernice “Nell” Wolven, a community leader who died in 1997. The statues are often accompanied by the sound of barking sea lions. Wait a minute, is there a speaker in these things? Nope, you’re hearing the real deal.

You might hear the sea lions before you see them on this stroll, their barking and arfing piercing the air. Unless, of course, they're quietly snoozing in the sun.

(

Paul Haddad

/

Laist

)

Step on the dirt between the cul-de-sac and the jetty. Follow the jetty — or the cacophony of sea lions — for about 20 yards. During a recent visit, I found a dozen of these dogs of the sea raising a ruckus — arfing, tussling, frolicking, posturing, or simply catching some Zs along the rocks. Needless to say, please keep a respectful distance. (Of course, wild animals, like rock stars, operate on their own whims; there’s no guarantee they’ll always show up.)

Where the celebrities slept

Leaving the jetty, return to the cul-de-sac and proceed along Ocean Drive, away from the channel. The street has no sidewalk, so take care, but it typically sees as many pedestrians as vehicles in this sleepy residential area.

Back in its Hollywood heyday, this stretch of Ocean consisted of cottages and bungalows, many of which housed movie stars and producers. Now it’s mostly multilevel stucco dwellings, with one standout: a 1920s-era adobe at 3125 Ocean Dr.

Rumor has it Mr. Valentino lived here while shooting The Sheik. The current owner has installed a “CASA VALENTINO” sign on the side of the house. Those wishing to sleep in the same bedroom as Silent Cinema’s famous lover can rent the place out on Airbnb.

What's more surprising: This wide sandy stretch? Or that you'll have it all to yourself? Certainly, it will be busier in the summer months. But still, nothing like L.A.'s busiest beaches.

(

Paul Haddad

/

Laist

)

Many of these homes are available to rent. Can't get any closer to the sand!

(

Paul Haddad

/

Laist

)

These street signs help you understand why Oxnard is sometimes dubbed "Hollywood by the Sea."

(

Paul Haddad

/

Laist

)

The drifting sands over paved streets and sidewalks can making driving, cycling and walking a bit slippery. So, tread carefully.

(

Paul Haddad

/

Laist

)

Another sign that this was an industry town.

(

Paul Haddad

/

Laist

)

Continuing along Ocean, cross-streets such as Las Palmas and La Brea will give L.A. folks a sense of déjà vu. (Ditto streets like Hollywood, Highland, and Cahuenga, farther south.) I guess those old-timey Hollywood types really did want this place to feel like home.

Streets paved with… sand?

If you can’t leave here without stepping onto the actual beach of Hollywood Beach, you can access the shoreline through any of the public passages on your left. On a clear day, two Channel Islands — Anacapa and Santa Cruz — are visible on the horizon, less than 20 miles away. (Make a mental note: Must visit!) Even if you don’t hit the beach, it will come to you anyway. Ocean Drive literally lies on the edge of the sand — so close that portions of the street are constantly covered in the grainy stuff as it drifts through, between houses.

At Los Altos Street, turn right to explore a tiny but quaint retail block that includes the Hollywood Beach Café. Go left on Sunset Lane, then right on W. Channel Islands Boulevard. In 0.2 miles, the street intersects Harbor Boulevard.

Take the crosswalk across Harbor, which leads to the parking lot from which you started. As for that mental note to visit the Channel Islands? Island Packers Cruises lies a little farther down the lot. The family-run concessionaire offers daily transportation to the islands and will set you up on a fun adventure. My family still talks about the time we kayaked through the sea caves of Anacapa Island and its famous natural arch. Who knew? Now you do!

This could be you, frolicking off the Channel Islands.

(

Paul Haddad

/

Laist

)

Done! Where to eat?

As noted, you could grab a bite to eat at Mrs. Olson’s Coffee Hut or the Hollywood Beach Café. LAist's Associate Editor for Food and Culture Gab Chabrán also suggests the following:

Brophy Bros. Ventura

A meal at Brophy Bros.' Ventura location will require a drive north of about six miles, but totally worth it for beachside dining. (Note that there is a second location that is much further north, in Santa Barbara, so GPS accordingly.) Consider calling ahead for a reservation or using Yelp's waitlist. Brophy Bros. lands on LAist's Beach Eats list for its views, and its seafood, including their fish and chips:

Toppers Pizza

Toppers Pizza is a family run and family-friendly chain known for keeping a tight menu of pizzas, salads and sandwiches. And what they do, they do well.

Carnitas el Ray

If you love all things carnitas, then you need to make your way to Carnitas El Rey.

Where to next?

Any suggestions for great hikes in and around L.A.? Don't keep it to yourself! Let us know, and we might check them out for a future story.

Take accountability and move forward.

Those were the two points Los Angeles Fire Chief Jaime Moore hit repeatedly when speaking with LAist’s Larry Mantle this week.

On taking accountability, Moore said hazardous conditions and decisions made before the Palisades Fire erupted a year ago meant “our firefighters never had a chance” to arrest the fire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of structures.

On moving forward, he emphasized that reform is already in the works.

“Things have changed since the Palisades Fire, and we're going to continue making big changes in the Los Angeles Fire Department,” said Moore, who was selected for the LAFD top job by Mayor Karen Bass in November.

Here are three takeaways from the interview, which aired on AirTalk on Tuesday.

1. Staffing decisions hampered fire response

The LAFD uses a so-called pre-deployment matrix to set firefighter staffing levels ahead of high-risk weather.

According to the department’s after-action report, however, staffing levels on the day the Palisades Fire began fell short of the LAFD standard for extreme weather conditions. The National Weather Service had warned of low humidity, high winds and dry vegetation, what it calls a “particularly dangerous situation.” It’s the highest level of alert the agency can give.

Despite the high risk, the LAFD report said the decision not to deploy more firefighters in advance was in part made to save money.

Moore said Monday that the department has updated its policies to increase staffing for especially hazardous conditions, but he said he doesn’t believe additional resources would have stopped a fire of the magnitude that leveled the Palisades.

To suppress that kind of fire, he said, the department would need to pre-deploy resources across the city’s vast geography — to places like Baldwin Hills, Franklin Canyon, the Hollywood Hills, the Palisades, Porter Ranch and Sunland-Tujunga.

Moore said the department has already made new policies to call for more resources when the Weather Service issues a “particularly dangerous situation” alert.

2. LAFD is mostly an urban firefighting department

Moore referenced a key finding of the after-action report regarding a lack of training in wildland firefighting, which contributed to confusion and struggles to effectively utilize resources during the fire.

Wildland fires pose a number of challenges that are different from what firefighters face in urban environments. Those include the need to coordinate a large number of resources over vast areas, all while dealing with fast-moving flames that can rapidly tear through dry plants and structures.

The department found in its report that fewer firefighters were trained in fighting these wildland fires in recent years and that “leaders struggled to comprehend their roles.”

Some leaders in the department had “limited or no experience in managing an incident of such complexity,” the report said. And some reverted to doing the work of lower positions, leaving high-level decision-making positions unfilled.

“What we're doing now is really furthering that training and reinforcing that education with our firefighters so that they could be better prepared,” Moore said on AirTalk.

3. Changes to the after-action report

Early versions of the after-action report differed from the version released to the public in October, a fact that was first reported by the Los Angeles Times. The Times also reported that Battalion Chief Kenneth Cook, who wrote the report, wouldn’t endorse the final version because of the changes.

Moore acknowledged to the L.A. Board of Fire Commissioners at a Jan. 6 meeting that the report had been watered down.

“It is now clear that multiple drafts were edited to soften language and reduce explicit criticism of department leadership in that final report,” Moore told the commissioners. “This editing occurred prior to my appointment as fire chief, and I can assure you that nothing of this sort will ever again happen while I am fire chief."

Some changes were small but telling. A section titled “Failures” later became “Primary Challenges.”

Moore told LAist that changes between versions “ made it easier for the public to understand,” but an LAist review found the edits weren’t all surface-level.

In the first version of the report, the department said the decision not to fully pre-deploy all available resources for the particularly dangerous wind event “did not align” with their guidelines for such extreme weather cases. The final version said that the initial response “lacked the appropriate resources,” removing the reference to department standards.

The department also removed some findings that had to do with communications.

One sentence from the initial version of the report said: “Most companies lacked a basic briefing, leader’s intent, communications plan, or updated fire information for more than 36 hours.” That language was removed from the final report.

LAist has asked the Fire Department for clarification about why these assertions were removed but did not receive a response before time of publication.

Olympic organizers announced Tuesday that registration to buy tickets will run through March 18, with sales beginning in April. LA28 CEO Reynold Hoover said that locals will get the first bite at the apple.

The registration period opens 7 a.m. Wednesday.

" Our host city communities here in Los Angeles and Oklahoma City will have the opportunity to be a part of a local presale," Hoover said outside the Coliseum while surrounded by Olympic athletes from Games past. "With our thanks and as part of our commitment to making sure that those who live and work around the games, where the games will take place, can be in the stands and cheer in 2028."

Olympic organizers also provided more details on ticket prices for the first time. One million tickets will sell for $28 a pop and around a third of tickets will be under $100, according to LA28 Chair Casey Wasserman.

That means the majority of tickets to the Olympic Games will run into triple digits. If the World Cup is any indication, some tickets could get astronomically pricey.

Interested fans can go to LA28.org to register. Those who are selected will get an email with a time slot to purchase tickets.

The L.A. County Board of Supervisors took a step toward banning ICE from unlawfully operating on county-owned property and to post signage designating those spaces as “ICE Free Zones.”

The board unanimously approved the motion at Tuesday’s meeting, directing staff to draft the policy.

The draft could include requirements for county employees to report to their supervisor if they see unauthorized immigration activity on county property.

The city of Los Angeles passed a similar order last July, which strengthened protocols that prohibit ICE from operating on city-owned property. The agenda staff report points to an “ICE Free Zone” ordinance passed by the city of Chicago in October.

Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Hilda Solis co-authored the motion.

Horvath said the county will not allow its property to be used as “a staging ground for violence caused by the Trump administration."

Solis added that their action as a board could have a ripple effect on other city councils and local governments.

“Even though it's taken us this long to get here …I think it's really important for our communities to understand what we're saying is you don't have the right to come in and harass people without a federal warrant,” Solis said. “And if you use our property to stage, then you need to show us documentation as to why.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in an X post that the county cannot exclude federal agents from public spaces.

"Anyone who attempts to impede our agents will be arrested and charged, including county employees," Essayli said in the post. "We have already charged more than 100 individuals for similar conduct."

Since June, ICE raids have ramped up across the nation, heavily targeting certain immigrant communities like those in Los Angeles.

The motion directs the draft to include language that prohibits all types of ICE operations on county land, including staging and mobilizing without a warrant.

The motion cites an incident on Oct. 8, when county officials say federal agents raided the Deane Dana Friendship Park and Nature Center in San Pedro, arresting three people and threatening to arrest staff.

The motion also requires that the county post 'Ice Free Zone' signage on all of its properties.

Sergio Perez, executive director of the Center of Human Rights and Constitutional Law, told LAist the policy is enforceable under Fourth Amendment case law.

“You have to make sure that when you post that signage … that means that you routinely, or semi-routinely, assess who's coming in to the property, so that you can control access,” Perez said. “But if ICE shows up with a warrant, with a subpoena, then all bets are off, and they can enter into the property and do what they need to do.”

Perez said the county has moved “incredibly” slow on this issue.

“It's embarrassing that the county is moving six months later, given how we've been facing violent, aggressive, invasive and illegal raids now for so long here in Southern California,” Perez said, adding that local governments have not been fast or creative enough in protecting immigrant and refugee communities.

The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, one of the region’s largest immigrant advocacy groups, supports the motion.

"We do not want our county resources being used for federal immigration enforcement activities, which disrupt, uproot, and terrorize our communities,” Jeannette Zanipatin, policy director for CHIRLA, said in a statement. “It is important for all public spaces to be really safe for all residents.”

County staff have 30 days to draft a plan to implement the new policy.