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The internet has fallen in love with a group of harmonica-playing Korean retirees who have been serenading hockey fans at the first-round NHL playoff series between our Los Angeles Kings and the Edmonton Oilers.
Why now: The group performed the national anthem before three games in this series.
The backstory: The silver set hail from a harmonica class offered by the Koreatown Senior and Community Center on Normandie.
Read on ... to find out more about this K-town viral sensation.
Los Angeles is a purple and gold town. It's also a Dodger blue town. But one unsuspecting segment of the city has been locked in to the first-round Stanley Cup playoffs between our Los Angeles Kings and the Edmonton Oilers.
That segment? Korean retiree harmonica players from Koreatown. And even though the Kings are out of playoff contention, their viral videos live on.
Before Game 1 of the series on April 21, the group of about a dozen of harmonicists, attired in traditional Korean hanbok, took to the stage to serenade a crowd of some 20,000 with a rendition of the national anthem — and got them to sing along.
It was a sure bet to go viral. Indeed, the group was invited back to perform at Game 2 and Game 3 on Tuesday, where they were decked out in the Kings' black and silver.
The silver set hails from a harmonica class at the Koreatown Senior and Community Center on Normandie Avenue — one of nearly 50 courses the space offers to seniors since its founding in 2013. About 1,500 people participate in the programs each week, according to the center, including learning to trot dance, reading the English newspaper and calligraphy.
The harmonica class began about seven years ago and has been practicing The Star-Spangled Banner since 2021. They play other tunes too — in case you were wondering — such as Mother's Grace.
The pint-sized instrument has special meaning for those living in the Korean diaspora.
"They know harmonica since in the elementary school in Korea, they're teaching harmonica in second grade," said Yong Shin, the senior center’s chairperson. She added that the instrument's portability allows the group to practice anywhere.
Shin said the class has been performing at local events for years, including on Mother's Day, over Christmas, or during the Lunar New Year.
Their big break came in 2023, when the group performed the national anthem at City Hall for a Los Angeles City Council meeting. The rendition was met with a standing ovation from the council members and the more than 100 people in attendance.
The love gave the center's executive director, Kwanil Park, the confidence to pitch a performance for a Kings game.
Their hockey debut was March 23, 2025, as part of the club's K-Town Night.
"What started as a unique performance during our Koreatown Theme Night — where fans spontaneously began singing along — quickly became one of our most memorable moments of the season. When it came time to select anthem performers for the playoffs, the choice was easy," said Sean Tabler, vice president of production and entertainment with the L.A. Kings, in a statement to LAist.
Performing in front of a stadium full of people might be intimidating to most people, but Shin said not so much for the seasoned crew.
"I think they are kind of a little nervous, but [they've been] practicing so many times," Shin said. "I asked them. They said, 'No, we are fine. We could do, you know, like closing eyes.'"
So no more Kings performances until hopefully next season. But after going viral, Shin said offers to perform have poured in. She can't say where and when just yet — but keep your eyes, and ears, tuned for that down-home sound.
The Kings are organizing fundraising campaign for the Koreatown Senior and Community Center. All money will go directly to the outfit. You can donate here.
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The Department of Veterans Affairs has ended some commercial leases at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center Campus, which it says helps pave the way to serve more veterans, including those experiencing homelessness.
Why now: As of Monday, the VA ended its leases with the Brentwood School, a private school with a sports complex on the property, and a company that ran a parking lot on the campus. The department also revoked an oil company's drilling license.
The VA described the leases and the license as “wasteful” and “illegal.”
Why it matters: The move follows court rulings that found the leases and license violated federal law.
Last December, a U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling found the agency had “strayed from its mission” by leasing land to commercial interests instead of caring for veterans.
The VA said it also found last year that it has been underpaid by more than $40 million per year based on the fair market value of the properties.
The backstory: Last May, President Donald Trump issued an executive order instructing the VA secretary to designate a national hub for veterans experiencing homelessness, the National Center for Warrior Independence, on the West L.A. VA campus.
What officials say: Doug Collins, the U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs, said Monday that the groups that had their leases and license terminated have been “fleecing” taxpayers and veterans for far too long. He said, under Trump, the VA is taking action to ensure the West L.A. campus is used only to benefit veterans, as intended.
“By establishing the National Center for Warrior Independence, we will turn the West Los Angeles VAMC campus into a destination where homeless veterans from across the nation can find housing and support on their journey back to self-sufficiency,” Collins said in a statement.
What's next: By 2028, the National Center for Warrior Independence is expected to offer housing and support for up to 6,000 veterans experiencing homelessness, according to the VA.
According to the White House, funding previously spent on housing and services for undocumented immigrants will be redirected to construct and maintain the center on the campus.
The VA said in a statement Monday that it is currently exploring construction options for the project and will share updates as the final decisions are made.
Go deeper: Unhoused veterans win crucial ruling with appeals court decision on West LA VA
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The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has rejected a proposal that would have let tenants across the county fall behind by about three months worth of rent and still have local protections from eviction.
How it died: Supporters said the rules would have helped immigrants stay housed after losing income because of federal immigration raids. Only one of the county’s five Supervisors supported the expanded eviction protections. With none of the other four willing to second the motion in Tuesday’s meeting, the proposal died before it ever came to a vote.
The details: The proposal would have built on an existing protection for renters in unincorporated parts of L.A. County. Under the current rules, renters can fall behind by up to one month’s worth of fair market rent (an amount determined by the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department) and still be legally protected from eviction.
Last week, county leaders voted to explore increasing that threshold to two months. But Supervisor Lindsey Horvath wanted to go farther, increasing the limit to three months and making it apply county-wide, not just in unincorporated areas.
Read on… for more information on the dramatic meeting where this proposal failed.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has rejected a proposal that would have let tenants across the county fall behind by about three months' worth of rent and still have local protections from eviction.
Supporters said the rules would have helped immigrants stay housed after losing income because of federal immigration raids.
Only one of the county’s five supervisors supported the expanded eviction protections. With none of the other four willing to second the motion in Tuesday’s meeting, the proposal died before it ever came to a vote.
The proposal failed after an hour of impassioned public comment from both renters and landlords. Onlookers chanted “cowards” as the board cleared the room for closed session.
Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, who put forward the proposal, said earlier in the meeting that expanding eviction protections would have been an appropriate way to help the county’s nearly one million undocumented immigrants.
Anticipating potential lawsuits to strike down the proposed ordinance, Horvath said, “I understand there is legal risk. There is in everything we do. Just like the risk undocumented Angelenos take by going outside their homes every day.”
Landlords spoke forcefully against the proposed rules. They said limiting evictions would saddle property owners with the cost of supporting targeted immigrant households.
“This proposed ordinance is legalized theft and will cause financial devastation to small housing providers,” said Julie Markarian with the Apartment Owners Association of California.
Horvath’s proposal would have built on an existing protection for renters in unincorporated parts of L.A. County, such as East L.A., Altadena and City Terrace. Under the current rules, renters can fall behind by up to one month’s worth of “fair market rent” (an amount determined by the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department) and still be legally protected from eviction.
Last week, county leaders voted to explore increasing that threshold to two months. But Horvath wanted to go further by increasing the limit to three months and making it apply countywide, not just in unincorporated areas.
Tenant advocates said family breadwinners have been detained during federal immigration raids, and other immigrants are afraid to go to their workplaces, causing families to scramble to keep up with the region’s high rents.
“Immigrant tenants are experiencing a profound financial crisis,” said Rose Lenehan, an organizer with the L.A. Tenants Union. “This protection is the bare minimum that we need to keep people housed and keep people from having to choose whether to stay in this county with their families and with their communities or self deport or face homelessness.”
A report published this week by the L.A. Economic Development Corporation found that 82% of surveyed small business owners said they’d been negatively affected by federal immigration actions. About a quarter of those surveyed said they had temporarily closed their businesses because of community concerns.
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The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is now tracking the movements of a Sierra Nevada red fox — an endangered species — for the very first time after a decade of tracking efforts.
What we know: The fox was captured in January near Mammoth Lakes, according to the department’s announcement. Officials fitted the animal with a GPS-tracking collar before releasing it.
Why it matters: The Sierra Nevada red foxes are protected by the state as an endangered species. The tracking device will allow scientists to better understand the movements and needs of the red fox. This specific kind of red fox can only be found in parts of California and Oregon but is extremely rare and elusive, according to scientists.
How did the foxes become endangered? The reasons are mostly unknown, but it’s likely that unregulated hunting and trapping played a big role.
A decade-long effort: “This represents the culmination of 10 years of remote camera and scat surveys to determine the range of the fox in the southern Sierra, and three years of intensive trapping efforts,” CDFW Environmental Scientist Julia Lawson said in a statement. “Our goal is to use what we learn from this collared animal to work toward recovering the population in the long term.”
If you think you’ve spotted one … report it here.
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The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday placed on the June ballot a proposed temporary half cent sales tax increase to fund the county’s struggling health care system, which has been hit hard by federal funding cuts.
The details: If passed by voters, the half-cent sales tax increase would bring L.A. County’s tax rate to 10.25%. It is projected to raise one billion dollars annually over five years. The tax would expire in five years.
Potential cuts: County health officials testified that President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” will cut $2.4 billion from county health programs over three years, threatening closure of some of the county’s 24 clinics and an array of public health programs. Supervisor Holly Mitchell, who co-authored the proposal, said the county faced a “federally imposed crisis.”
Dissent: The vote was 4-1, with Supervisor Kathryn Barger the lone dissenter. Barger is the board’s sole Republican. She worried shoppers would go to Orange County, where the sales tax is 7.75%. She also said the state should take the lead on addressing federal funding cuts to county health care systems.
Testimony: More than 700 people showed up to testify for and against the proposal.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday placed on the June ballot a proposed temporary half-cent sales tax increase to fund the county’s struggling health care system, which has been hit hard by federal funding cuts.
If passed by voters, the increase would bring the county’s tax rate to 10.25%. It is projected to raise one billion dollars annually over five years.
The tax would expire in five years.
County health officials said Tuesday that President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” will cut $2.4 billion from county health programs over three years, threatening closure of some of the county’s 24 clinics and an array of public health programs.
Supervisor Holly Mitchell, who co-authored the proposal, said the county faced a “federally imposed crisis” that in the absence of state action, could only be addressed by raising taxes on county residents.
“This motion gives the voters a choice, given the stark realities that our county is facing,” Mitchell said.
The vote was 4-1, with Supervisor Kathryn Barger the lone dissenter. Barger is the board’s sole Republican. She worried shoppers would go to Orange County, where the sales tax is 7.75%. She also said the state should take the lead on addressing federal funding cuts to county health care systems.
More than 700 people showed up Tuesday to speak out on the proposal. Health care providers pleaded with the board to place the measure on the ballot, saying federal funding cuts to Medi-Cal had hit them hard.
“This is a crisis,” said Louise McCarthy, president and CEO of the Community Clinic Association of L.A. County. “Medi-Cal accounts for over half of clinic funding. So these changes will lead to clinic closures, longer wait times, overcrowded E.R.’s and higher costs for the county.”
Others opposed any plan that would increase the sales tax.
“Our city is opposed to the adding of this regressive tax to overtaxed residents and making it even more difficult for cities, especially small cities, to pay for the increasing cost of basic resident services,” said Rolling Hills Mayor Bea Dieringer. “The county needs to tighten its belt further.”
Under the plan, up to 47% of revenue generated will be used by the Department of Health Services to fund nonprofit health care providers to furnish no-cost or reduced-cost care to low-income residents who do not have health insurance.
Twenty-two percent would provide financial support to the county’s Department of Health Services to safeguard its public hospital and clinic services. Ten percent would be allocated to the Department of Public Health to support core public health functions and the awarding of grants to support health equity.
The rest would be sprinkled across the health care system, including to support nonprofit safety net hospitals and for school-based health needs and programs.
A last-minute amendment by Supervisor Lindsey Horvath set aside 5% of funding for Planned Parenthood.
The spending would be monitored by a nine-member committee but ultimately would be up to the discretion of the Board of Supervisors.
