Josie Huang
is a reporter and Weekend Edition host who spotlights the people and places at the heart of our region.
Published December 14, 2023 5:07 PM
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani puts on a baseball cap during a news conference at Dodger Stadium Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023, in Los Angeles.
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Marcio Jose Sanchez
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AP
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Topline:
Baseball megastar Shohei Ohtani made his first public appearance as a Dodger on Thursday. His move to L.A. is seismic news across Dodgerland. But his arrival carries special excitement for the Japanese diaspora.
Why now: This is the first time Ohtani has spoken publicly since signing a 10-year, $700-million contract this week after becoming a free agent in the offseason.
The context: The previous largest contract was signed in 2019 by Ohtani's now-former teammate Mike Trout on the Los Angeles Angels, which was for $426.5 million over 12 years.
The backstory: The move comes six years after the Dodgers missed out on signing the Japanese superstar slugger and pitcher. On Dec. 9, 2017, he chose to sign with the Angels to begin his Major League Baseball career.
Baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani made his first public appearance as a Dodger on Thursday after signing a megadeal earlier in the week.
Keeping the No. 17 he wore with his last team, the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani put on a white and blue jersey with his number at an introduction event at Dodger Stadium Thursday.
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Shohei Ohtani Is Introduced To LA As A Dodger For The First Time
"I can't wait to join the Dodgers," Shohei said, speaking through his interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. "They share the same passion as me, have a vision and history all about winning, and I share the same values."
It was the first time the former Angels player has spoken publicly since signing a 10-year, $700-million contract after becoming a free agent in the offseason. The previous largest deal was inked in 2019 by Ohtani's now-former teammate Mike Trout on the Angels, which was for $426.5 million over 12 years.
What the move means for LA's Japanese diaspora
Ohtani's move to L.A. is seismic news across Dodgerland, but his arrival carries special excitement for the area's large Japanese diaspora.
The fact that a Japanese athlete is now the highest-paid player in major league baseball — well, in any U.S. sport — isn't lost on Greg Toya. He told LAist he’s bursting with pride as a third-generation Japanese American and life-long Dodgers fan. So is his 92-year-old father, who Toya now plans to take to a Dodgers game so he can see Ohtani.
Greg Toya (l.) poses with friends at Angel Stadium in Anaheim while wearing No. 17 on his cap — Shohei Ohtani's number.
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Courtesy of Greg Toya
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Greg Toya (l.) and his friend LAist Senior Editor George Kiriyama enjoy a Dodgers-Angels game at Dodger Stadium on July 8, 2023
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Courtesy of George Kiriyama
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"Shohei Ohtani being Japanese is an important and vital part of our Asian American diaspora that needs to be celebrated and I definitely celebrate," Toya said.
The Dodgers organization has had ties to Japan going back decades. Ohtani is the eleventh in a line of Japanese-born players to wear Dodger blue, starting with Hideo Nomo in 1995. The two-way talent will play for manager Dave Roberts who was born in Japan to an Okinawan mother and U.S. Marine father.
Ohtani’s importance to Japanese and Japanese Americans was evident at a media-only introduction ceremony on Thursday for Ohtani at Dodger Stadium. Japanese-language outlets from both Japan and the U.S. had a large presence in the centerfield plaza watching Ohtani take off his blazer to don his new jersey.
Silence, save for whirring cameras, in Dodger Stadium, as Shohei Ohtani puts on his No. 17 jersey.
Toya, a dean at Santa Ana College, said growing up, Asian American role models in professional sports were few and far between. But now everyone aspires to be Shohei. In the first 48 hours after his No. 17 jersey dropped, sales surpassed those for soccer star Lionel Messi.
Fans of the Blue Crew are hoping more stars from Japan will join Ohtani on the mound. Ohtani's contract is for a blockbuster $700-million dollars over 10 years. However, he is deferring all but $2 million a year to free up the Dodgers to court top talent like Japanese free agent Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Yuma Asakura reported from the introduction ceremony for Ohtani. He covers the Japanese American community in Orange County and said there's sadness that Ohtani left the Angels. But he said fans want the two-time MVP award winner to secure a title.
"He wanted to win. Yeah, so I think that is the best," Asakura said.
Tatsuo Mori, president of LaLaLa, a Japanese-language publication holds up a recent front page.
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Josie Huang
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LAist
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The throughline to Hideo Nomo
Tatsuo Mori, another Japanese-language journalist at the introduction event, said that the Dodgers hold a special place among Japanese baseball fans because Los Angeles is where Nomo debuted.
“We remember how the Dodgers took care of Nomo,” Mori said.
Toya, the college dean, said Nomo broke ground for all Japanese players in the U.S. — walking so Ohtani can run.
“Shohei is in his own class,” said Toya who thinks the player has already outpaced Babe Ruth. “In the future, people will be saying ‘Oh, he's like Shohei.'”
What’s next: The temporary order expires in 14 days. The court battle will continue to play out, with further decisions by the judge expected in the coming weeks, after more arguments from both sides.
The context: In halting childcare and welfare benefits to hundreds of thousands of low-income Californians, the Trump administration wrote that “recent federal prosecutions” are driving concerns about “systemic fraud.” But an LAist review found fraud in the targeted programs appears to be a tiny fraction of the total spending. Prosecutions that have been brought around child care benefits amount to a small fraction of 1% of the federal childcare funding California has received, according to a search of all case announcements in the state. When pressed for details about what specific prosecutions justify the freeze in California, administration officials have offered few specifics.
Federal judge orders LA to pay $1.8M in settlement
Makenna Sievertson
has been covering the case and attending federal hearings in downtown L.A. since at least March 2024.
Published January 9, 2026 5:02 PM
A view of L.A. City Hall in downtown.
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Makenna Sievertson
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LAist
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Topline:
A federal judge has ordered Los Angeles to pay more than $1.8 million in attorneys’ fees and costs to the L.A. Alliance for Human Rights and other organizations that sued the city over what it deemed an inadequate response to the homelessness crisis.
The details: In addition to $1.6 million in attorneys’ fees and $5,000 in costs to L.A. Alliance, the judge awarded about $200,000 in fees and $160 in costs to the Los Angeles Catholic Worker and Los Angeles Community Action Network.
Why now: The city is appealing the decision.
Why it matters: In his order, released Tuesday, the judge compared the recent award to the millions of taxpayer dollars city officials agreed to pay an outside law firm representing L.A.in the settlement.
Read on ... for more about this week's order.
A federal judge has ordered Los Angeles to pay more than $1.8 million in attorneys’ fees and costs to the L.A. Alliance for Human Rights and other organizations that sued the city over what it deemed an inadequate response to the homelessness crisis.
The city is appealing the decision.
The details
L.A. Alliance is a group of business owners and residents who sued the city and county of Los Angeles in 2020 in an effort to push both governments to provide more shelter to unhoused people in the region.
The city of L.A. settled with the plaintiffs in 2022, and U.S. District Judge David O. Carter is overseeing the city’s progress in keeping up with the terms of that agreement. The judge found the city breached its agreement in multiple ways in a ruling last summer.
Specifically, the judge found that the city did not provide a plan for how it intends to create 12,915 shelter beds, as promised, by 2027. The court also found the city “flouted” its responsibilities by failing to provide accurate, comprehensive data when requested and did not provide evidence to support the numbers it was reporting, according to court documents.
In addition to $1.6 million in attorneys’ fees and $5,000 in costs to L.A. Alliance, Carter awarded about $200,000 in fees and $160 in costs to the Los Angeles Catholic Worker and Los Angeles Community Action Network.
The organizations are considered “intervenors” in the suit, representing people experiencing homelessness on Skid Row. Their attorneys include those from the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles.
Why it matters
In his order, released Tuesday, Carter compared the recent award to the millions of taxpayer dollars city officials agreed to pay an outside law firm representing L.A. in the settlement.
“It has fallen to plaintiff, intervenors, and journalists to point out the deficiencies in the city’s reporting,” Carter wrote, referring to data the city is required to report to the court as part of the settlement.
“Plaintiff and intervenors must be compensated for this,” he said.
The city’s response
Attorneys representing the city filed a notice of appeal with the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on Thursday.
L.A. City Attorney Hydee Feldstein-Soto’s office did not respond to LAist’s requests for comment by phone or email.
Shayla Myers, senior attorney with the Unhoused People's Justice Project at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, told LAist the intervenors participated in the case without compensation “because it's incredibly important given what is at stake in these proceedings that unhoused folks have a voice.”
Matthew Umhofer, an attorney for L.A. Alliance, told LAist he’s thrilled the court is imposing accountability on the city, including sanctions for violating the settlement agreement. But Umhofer said he’s saddened that L.A. Alliance is going to have to keep fighting to hold the city to its promises.
“The obvious city strategy here is hire a big, good law firm to fight on absolutely every front in hopes that the plaintiffs, the intervenors or the court will ultimately give up trying to hold the city accountable,” he said.
What's next
The parties are scheduled to appear in federal court in downtown L.A. on Monday, when a hearing will resume to determine whether the judge will hold the city of Los Angeles in contempt of court.
Carter has said in documents that he’s concerned “the city has demonstrated a continuous pattern of delay” in meeting its obligations with court orders under the settlement and that the “delay continues to this day.”
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Gab Chabrán
covers what's happening in food and culture for LAist.
Published January 9, 2026 3:52 PM
Asha Stark's Hot Grease specializes in Black fish fry with a side of social justice.
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Gab Chabrán
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LAist
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Topline:
Smorgasburg L.A. reopens this Sunday with 13 new food vendors joining the downtown market's annual grand reopening at the Row.
Why now: The January grand reopening with new vendors is a longstanding tradition that kicks off the year ahead. Vendors apply through Smorgasburg's website, and the team meets with every applicant to taste their food before acceptance. Competition remains fierce, with many more applicants than available spots. This year marks the market's 10th anniversary celebration in June.
Why it matters: The new vendor class demonstrates the resilience of L.A.'s independent food scene, following a challenging year for the restaurant industry, with concepts ranging from a Grammy-nominated producer's Persian-influenced pizza to Southern fried fish honoring Black migration history.
Every January, the open-air downtown food fair reopens after its winter break and announces new additions to its carefully selected group of regular vendors.
This year’s new vendor class demonstrates the resilience of L.A.'s independent food scene, ranging from a Grammy-nominated producer's Persian-influenced pizza to Southern fried fish celebrating Black American culinary traditions, to an LAist 2025 Tournament of Cheeseburger heavyweight contender.
The reopening also marks the start of Smorgasburg LA's 10th anniversary year, and will feature 41 returning vendors, who've helped build the regular event into a fun, family-friendly opportunity to try new, often cutting-edge food you may not be familiar with.
Doors open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at DTLA’s The Row, with free entry and free parking for the first two hours.
A new year
General manager Zach Brooks said this is his favorite time of year. "We add the new vendors at the beginning of the new year, everyone's excited."
Vendors apply through Smorgasburg's website, and the team meets with every applicant to taste their food before acceptance. Brooks said it's not a vetting process like "Shark Tank" but rather a matter of seeing if it's a good fit. Competition remains fierce, with many more applicants than available spots.
"I think it's just a testament to L.A. and the resilience of people who love this business and have a passion for it, and are going to continue to persevere and start their businesses and want to be out there selling food," Brooks said.
Here are a few highlights:
Viral orange chicken sandwich
Long Beach-based Terrible Burger becomes Smorgasburg's new permanent burger vendor after standout appearances at LAist's Tournament of Cheeseburgers and the market's rotating Smorgasburger Stand. The smashburger pop-up, run by husband-and-wife team Nicole and Ryan Ramirez, specializes in burgers that draw from pop culture and global influences. They've made waves with a Korean barbecue burger topped with bulgogi barbecue sauce and a viral orange chicken sandwich, previously available only at their Tuesday night residency at Long Beach's Midnight Oil, making its L.A. debut Sunday.
Terrible Burger's viral orange chicken sandwich makes its LA debut at Smorgasburg after being available only in Long Beach.
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Courtesy Terrible Burger
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"We have been big Smorgasburg fans for a really long time before we even started Terrible Burger. We would go to Smorgasburg on dates, just eat and hang out. And it was just always a little dream of, "oh, what if we ever sold food here?" Nicole Ramirez said.
Crispy fried snapper and thick-cut fries
Orange County-based Hot Grease, run by Asha Starks, is among four vendors graduating from residencies to permanent status. The Southern fried fish pop-up celebrates Black American history through food that honors Starks' family heritage.
"Folks often forget that there are Black folks in Orange County. My family came to Orange County during the second wave of the Great Migration, and they settled in Santa Ana... my food is very cultural. And the story, I feel like, is just as important to highlight," Starks said.
Hot Grease's crispy buttermilk fried snapper with thick-cut fries and "Ill Dill" tartar sauce.
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Courtesy Hot Grease
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Hot Grease serves crispy buttermilk fried snapper with thick-cut fries and small-batch sauces like "Ill Dill" tartar. Honoring the fish fry's history as a site of mutual aid, Starks directs 3% of sales to the Potlikker Line, Hot Grease's reproductive justice mutual aid fund. For January, she's added fish and grits, black-eyed peas and collard greens.
Pizza with a Persian twist
Mamani Pizza brings studio-born energy to Smorgasburg LA with pies featuring Persian-inspired creativity.
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Courtesy Mamani Pizza
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Mamani Pizza, from the Grammy-nominated producer Farsi, part of the music production team Wallis Lane, started making Neapolitan-style pizzas at his West L.A. recording studio a year ago. What began as late-night pies for friends and artists became an underground hit. Most pizzas are traditional, but Farsi adds Persian touches like The Mamani, topped with ground wagyu koobideh, roasted Anaheim chilis, Persian herbs and pomegranate molasses.
Cato Hernández
covers important issues that affect the everyday lives of Southern Californians.
Published January 9, 2026 3:48 PM
Potholes pop up after rain because water seeps into the road's crevices and weakens the foundation. Cars driving over it exacerbates the damage, leading to more cracks.
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Cato Hernández
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LAist
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Topline:
All that rain didn’t just flood L.A. County streets, it chewed up our roads. You’re likely driving over more potholes than usual, so what do you do if your car gets damaged from one? You could get the government to pay for it.
How it works: You’ll want to take pictures of the pothole and your car. Then, submit a claim form. Personal property damage claims have a six-month filing period, and you’ll have to pay out-of-pocket first.
Unincorporated L.A. County: If the damage happened in an unincorporated area, you’ll have to print and mail this claim form.
Highway/freeways in L.A. or Ventura counties: For Caltrans damage claims, follow the filing directions here.
Manage your expectations: Keep in mind, this isn’t a quick way to cash. Claims can take months. You’ll also have to prove the agency was aware of the problem before your incident, such as by looking at street maintenance records for your area. Here are tips from the now-defunct site LAPotholes.com.
What’s next: Potholes continue to plague the city of L.A., and that’s probably not ending soon. In the next budget, StreetsLA (aka Bureau of Street Services) is proposing to prioritize funding for “large asphalt repair,” which means patching over sections rather than fully repaving streets, which some argue will lead to worse roads.
