Why the change? The course was getting run down. According to the county, it hadn’t improved much since opening in 1962. When the U.S. Open came to L.A. in 2023, organizers decided to give back by funding a renovation plan for the course. It closed in January 2025.
What’s different: The $20 million renovation includes an expanded driving range and practice green. The practice facilities have also been refreshed, and there’s new landscaping overall. A new clubhouse, which will include a community room with a youth enrichment lab, is also coming soon in the next phase of the upgrade.
Why the course matters: The nine-hole public course is named after Maggie Mae Hathaway, an avid golfer and popular sports columnist for the L.A. Sentinel in the 1950s. She advocated for integrating golf and is credited with breaking down race barriers at public golf courses. She died in 2001.
The new AI art museum Dataland is officially open to the public.
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Refik Anadol Studio
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In this edition:
Dataland opens, Chris Fleming at the Largo, Stud Country beginners night and more of the best things to do this week.
Highlights:
Cross learning to country line dance off your bucket list at Stud Country’s weekly queer line-dancing party at Los Globos. Mondays are for beginners; Thursdays, you’d better know what you’re doing or fear the trample! Howdy, pardner.
I had the chance to spend several hours at Dataland, the world’s first AI art museum, ahead of its opening and to speak with its founders, the artists (and married couple) Refik Anadol and Efsun Erkiliç. The pair have brought to life something truly unique, and we’re lucky to be in L.A. to experience it.
I saw Chris Flemingat a Netflix Is a Joke Festival event, and now I’m kind of obsessed with their quirky, offbeat humor. They’re doing a standup set at the Largo — which will definitely be longer than their fleeting but excellent Widow’s Bay turn as the shaman who gets sucked up into a tornado (IYKYK).
The World Cup and the Hollywood Fringe theater festival may not have a huge Venn diagram of overlapping fans, but perhaps the closest is the theatrics of England fans singing "It’s Coming Home" loudly at Ye Olde King's Head in Santa Monica (get there early if you want a seat for the England match on Tuesday). Then head to the theater to check out sporty Fringe shows Ball Boy, where comedian Ben Fisher recounts his experiences as the gay son of a baseball umpire, or go catch Kickball: The Musical(self-explanatory!).
If music is more your thing, Licorice Pizza’s picks for the week include supermodel and eyebrows icon Cara Delevingne’s two special showcases at Hollywood Forever Cemetery on Monday and Tuesday; also on Monday, shoegaze legends Heavenly make their own comeback at the Regent.
Tuesday, rapper and singer Isaiah Rashad is at the Grammy Museum, and singer-songwriter Audrey Hobert plays her first of two nights at the Wiltern. Also on Wednesday, Khalid plays the Greek, Madison Beer and Thủy play the Forum, Britrockers Bôa play the Bellwether, and rising U.K. electropop star Girli is at the Lodge Room.
On Thursday, Summer Walker is at the Crypto.com Arena, and Killswitch Engage with Machine Head are at the Hollywood Palladium.
16th Annual Zócalo Book Prize Event: America, Can We Take Down the Walls Between Us?
Thursday, June 25, 7 p.m. ASU California Center Broadway 1111 S. Broadway, Downtown L.A. COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Courtesy Zócalo Public Square
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Anand Pandian, the winner of the 2026 Zócalo Book Prize, will join political strategist and Lincoln Project co-founder Mike Madrid for a conversation about Pandian’s winning book, Something Between Us: The Everyday Walls of American Life, and How to Take Them Down. From fences around our houses to the "walled gardens" of the internet, our real and imagined borders are the focus of Pandian’s work. Plus, Deborah Ager, winner of the Zócalo Poetry Prize, will read her winning poem, “Letter from Indialantic.”
Rod Lightning & the Thunderbolts of Love
Thursday, June 25, 6 p.m. Concerts on Cañon Beverly Cañon Gardens 241 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Celebrate Pride with a free early evening concert in Beverly Hills, featuring classic hits from Rod Lightning & the Thunderbolts of Love.
29th Annual Dances With Films LA Festival
Wednesday, June 24, 4 p.m. The Art of Sharing film screening Chinese Theatre 6925 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood COST: $26.90; MORE INFO
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Courtesy GPPR
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The annual indie film fest Dances With Films continues through June 28, but this Wednesday is a great chance to see the block of documentary short films in the lineup. The docs include The Art of Sharing, which follows Michelin-starred chef and artist Minh H. Phan during her artist residency with Food Forward, a California nonprofit dedicated to rescuing fresh surplus produce that we’ve featured in Best Things to Do for their annual Zest Fest and volunteer opportunities.
Dataland
Ongoing 100 S. Grand Ave., Downtown L.A. COST: FROM $49; MORE INFO
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Refik Anadol Studio
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I had the chance to spend several hours at Dataland, the world’s first AI art museum, ahead of its opening, and to speak with its founders, the artists (and married couple) Refik Anadol and Efsun Erkiliç. The pair have brought to life something truly unique, and we’re lucky to be in L.A. to experience it. You enter into a deeply immersive (I know, overused word, but it’s true) world that takes you to the rainforests of the Amazon and into the connected networks that exist across nature. It’s a totally new way of going to a museum, and I think there’s a lot that other institutions that could take notes on how to make art and technology feel visceral and relevant. It just opened last week and is a permanent installation that takes more than two hours to really see, so plan accordingly.
Stud Country beginner night
Monday, June 22, 8 p.m. Los Globos 3040 W. Sunset Blvd., Silver Lake COST: $20; MORE INFO
Cross learning to country line dance off your bucket list at Stud Country’s weekly queer line-dancing party at Los Globos. Mondays are for beginners; Thursdays, you’d better know what you’re doing or fear the trample! Howdy, pardner.
Chris Fleming
Tuesday, June 23, 8 p.m. Largo at the Coronet 366 N. La Cienega Blvd., Melrose COST: $50; MORE INFO
Chris Fleming performs at the Largo this week.
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Arturo Holmes
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Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival
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I saw Chris Fleming at a Netflix Is a Joke Festival event, and now I’m kind of obsessed with their quirky, offbeat humor. They’re doing a standup set at the Largo — which will definitely be longer than their fleeting but excellent Widow’s Bay turn as the shaman who gets sucked up into a tornado (IYKYK).
Live reading: Mrs. Alving & The Captain, Los Feliz
Wednesday, June 24, 7:30 p.m. Echo Theater Company Atwater Village Theatre 3269 Casitas Ave., Atwater Village COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Hamish Linklater's new play will get a free reading this week.
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Michael Loccisano
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Getty Images
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Oh look, another Widow’s Bay reference from me. Y’all really need to watch this show. But I digress. This time, the featured actor from the Apple TV hit is Hamish Linklater, who wrote a new play — Mrs. Alving & The Captain, Los Feliz —and is also in the cast. Get in early and check out this free reading of the new comedy with Echo Theater Company.
Gab Chabrán
covers what's happening in food and culture for LAist.
Published June 22, 2026 5:00 AM
Nikki Hill, left and Claire Wadsworth at La Copine with their cookbook.
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Sheva Kafafi
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Courtesy La Copine
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Topline:
Claire Wadsworth and Nikki Hill — the life and business partners behind La Copine, the cult-favorite restaurant near Joshua Tree — have released their debut cookbook, La Copine: New California Cooking from an Oasis in the Desert. On Thursday, June 25, they come to The Crawford in Pasadena for Cookbook Live, an onstage conversation and live cooking demo presented by LAist in partnership with the James Beard Foundation.
Why it matters: A decade ago, the pair bought a Flamingo Heights restaurant with a contract signed in a pickup truck, paid for with a $5,000 wedding fund, no lawyers and seven days to find the rest of the money. What they built became one of California's most singular dining destinations: a globe-hopping but unfussy menu, come-as-you-are hospitality, and a devoted following of locals, road-trippers and celebrity regulars.
Why now: The cookbook is out, and the June 25 event is a rare chance to see Wadsworth and Hill outside the desert — cooking a signature recipe live and, in Wadsworth's case, performing music as St. Claire.
It all began with a business contract signed inside a pickup truck in the desert — with little more than a dream and a song — and became something far bigger than anyone could have imagined.
That's the story ofLa Copine, the cult-favorite restaurant that helped redefine what dining in the Mojave Desert could be.
"I would not advise anyone to do what we did," says Claire Wadsworth, who, along with her wife and partner Nikki Hill, bought the restaurant with a $5,000 check from their honeymoon fund — no lawyers, no inspection, and seven days to come up with the rest of the money.
At the time, Wadsworth and Hill were ready to sign a lease on an L.A. restaurant space. Hill was working as a sous chef under Antonia Lofaso at Scopa in Venice, a chef she still counts among her closest mentors and friends. Wadsworth was in the music industry: a musician herself, trained at Berklee College of Music, who also ran the front desk at the Village recording studio in West L.A. There, she mastered the craft of hospitality, learning the food and drink orders of the high-profile clients who came through — Elton John's non-alcoholic Heineken, Weezer's penchant for vegan fare.
A cult favorite in the desert
Eleven years later, La Copine has become the kind of place people plan whole trips around — a remote desert restaurant that draws road-trippers, locals and a steady stream of famous fans alike. Set near Joshua Tree, it pulls in music from every direction: over the years it has fed and hosted the likes of Big Thief, Jenny Lewis, Courtney Barnett and Patti Smith, with neighbors like Pappy & Harriet's and Rancho de la Luna feeding the same creative current.
La Copine's hand-lettered sign stands roadside in Flamingo Heights, near Joshua Tree.
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Sheva Fafai
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Courtesy La Copine
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What keeps people making the drive is a globe-hopping but unfussy menu — dishes pulled from France, the Mediterranean, Southeast Asia and beyond, built on fresh ingredients and a come-as-you-are spirit that treats a curious first-timer and a longtime regular exactly the same. It's food that's adventurous without being precious, the kind that has earned the restaurant a cult following and a reputation as one of California's most singular places to eat.
Inside the cookbook, each chapter opens with its own illustration.
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Sheva Kafai
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Courtesy La Copine
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That sensibility is now a cookbook. La Copine: New California Cooking from an Oasis in the Desert , written with James Beard Award–nominated author Ben Mims, translates the restaurant's dishes — and its philosophy — for the home kitchen.
On June 25, Wadsworth and Hill bring it to Pasadena forCookbook Live, an onstage conversation and live cooking demo presented by LAist in partnership with the James Beard Foundation. Wadsworth will also be giving a short performance under her alias St. Claire.
The food
The menu at La Copine refuses to sit still. Take the bánh mì, which started as a special, born from a craving for Southeast Asian flavors and an unwillingness to drive two hours to the San Gabriel Valley for the real thing. Their version leans indulgent: pork belly with a house five-spice-and-brown-sugar rub and yuzu kosho — a spicy Japanese citrus-chile paste — folded into house mayo. The galette complète, inspired by Gabrielle Hamilton's writing on the savory buckwheat crêpes of Brittany, is naturally gluten-free and built with ham, gruyère, a fried egg, and a tangy apricot gastrique. And the Sichuan noodles, a loose riff on dan dan, swap fermented black garlic for pickled mustard greens, tahini for Chinese sesame paste, and mushrooms for pork — vegan-friendly by design.
Staying affordable for their community
Beyond the food itself, Wadsworth and Hill consider affordability part of their mission at La Copine. In a town where, by their estimate, the median income is around $25,000, they aim to appeal to both diners accustomed to high-end prices and locals living on a fixed income.
The pair share the story of one of their favorite regulars, Patty, who lives on Social Security and comes in once or twice a month. She's open about what she budgets — about $50 a visit for the salad Copine, a glass of wine, a panna cotta, and a cup of gazpacho. "Patty needs to be able to come in here and afford the meal," they say.
Their goal, they say, is to make food so good that people forget what they spent, without making it so expensive that they're afraid to walk in.
Dessert lined up on the pass — proof the sweet end of the menu gets the same care as everything else.
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Sheva Kafai
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Courtesy La Copine
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Music + food
When speaking with the La Copine couple, one thing becomes very clear: music is almost as central to the restaurant's concept as the food itself. Recalling the night they met, Hill says she was working a catering gig when Wadsworth put on a song by the band Devotchka — a group they both loved — a moment that signaled to each of them that they'd found their type. It now opens their cookbook.
To them, music is "woven into the fabric of our restaurant."
When it came to laying out the dining room, Wadsworth gave up a table to make space for a piano, so that she and visiting musicians could perform. She plays under the name St. Claire and hosts cabaret nights; a nomadic piano tuner now shows up to tune the instrument for free, won over by the fact that they sacrificed a table for it.
Ultimately, what Wadsworth and Hill hope visitors take away has less to do with any single dish than with a state of mind. Slow down, they say. Take in the view. Do nothing for a while.
"La Copine is a happy place in the universe," Wadsworth says.
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Mariana Dale
has been reporting on changes in LAUSD’s leadership since the FBI searched the superintendent’s home in February.
Published June 22, 2026 12:37 AM
Superintendent Alberto Carvalho has resigned as leader of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
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Genaro Molina
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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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Topline:
Superintendent Alberto Carvalho has resigned as leader of the Los Angeles Unified School District, four months after the FBI searched his home and office.
Why now: A district spokesperson confirmed a letter of resignation from Carvalho on Sunday night. The reason for the timing wasn’t immediately clear.
The backstory: FBI agents searched Carvalho’s home and office on Feb. 25. A Department of Justice spokesperson said the agency had a court-authorized warrant, but declined to provide additional details. Within days, LAUSD’s board voted unanimously to place Carvalho on paid administrative leave “pending investigation” and appoint longtime district administrator Andres Chait as acting superintendent. The district did not respond to LAist’s questions about whether the “investigation” referenced is federal or internal. Carvalho declared his innocence in a March statement and expressed a desire to return to his job.
What's next: Chait remains acting superintendent, but the board is expected to take up a discussion of the district’s leadership at a meeting this Wednesday. The status of the federal investigation into Carvalho is unclear. The L.A. searches are linked to a search of a Florida home associated with the company LAUSD contracted with to create a short-lived AI tool.
Superintendent Alberto Carvalho has resigned as leader of the Los Angeles Unified School District, four months after the FBI searched his home and office.
A district spokesperson confirmed a letter of resignation from Carvalho on Sunday night. The reason for the timing wasn’t immediately clear.
"The Board remains steadfast in its commitment to ensuring stability, continuity, and continued progress through strong leadership," the district said in an overnight statement. "Our focus remains unchanged: providing every student with a high-quality education, supporting our dedicated workforce, and maintaining the trust of the communities we serve."
FBI agents searched Carvalho’s home and office on Feb. 25. A U.S. Department of Justice spokesperson said the agency had a court-authorized warrant, but declined to provide additional details.
The district did not respond to LAist’s questions about whether the “investigation” referenced is federal or internal. The L.A. searches are linked to a search of a Florida home associated with the company LAUSD contracted with to create a short-lived AI tool. Carvalho declared his innocence in a March statement and expressed a desire to return to his job.
Chait remains acting superintendent, but the board is expected to take up a discussion of the district’s leadership at a meeting this Wednesday. The status of the federal investigation into Carvalho is unclear.
Heavy Manners co-founder Matthew James-Wilson organizes library books in the Echo Park shop.
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Dañiel Martinez
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LAist
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Topline:
Heavy Manners Library, a multipurpose event space in Echo Park, is moving. The organization hosts classes, music shows and more.
Why now: The library is getting too big for its current space, but still wants to remain in Echo Park. Staff were able to find a place nearby.
What's next: Heavy Manners will be holding shows and workshops until the end of the month. It plans to reopen at its new location by mid-July and will hold volunteer moving days over the next two weeks.
Read on to find details …
Heavy Manners Library, a beloved multipurpose event space on Alvarado Street, is hitting a big milestone. The organization, which hosts classes, music gigs and art exhibits, has outgrown its current location.
Defying the fate that has befallen many small operations in rapidly changing neighborhoods, Heavy Manners is staying in Echo Park.
Yulia Cymbura, head librarian at Heavy Manners Library.
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Dañiel Martinez
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LAist
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Book by book
Co-founder Matthew James-Wilson came up with the idea for the space while doing research for a book he wanted to write about the evolution of art in the internet age. During the process, he had an epiphany.
Why write just one book when you can provide access to hundreds of them? Why not start a library that doubles as an art space too?
“ You could imagine a gallery show happening in a library, or you could imagine a poetry reading happening in a library,” said James-Wilson.
An illustration by artist Patrick Kyle.
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Dañiel Martinez
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LAist
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Mixed media collages from artist Patrick Kyle's "How To Be Mean" exhibit.
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Dañiel Martinez
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LAist
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The name “Heavy Manners,” James-Wilson said, pays homage to a concept in reggae music that goes back to '70s deejay Prince Far I’s album Under Heavy Manners.
“ Sort of in reference to British colonial culture imposing this etiquette, or heavy manners, on Jamaican culture,” said James-Wilson.
Heavy Manners was just a couple of shelves when it opened in 2021, but through donations by artists and community members, its stacks grew.
The library has hosted more than 1,000 events, from drawing and sewing lessons to live music shows.
A room in Heavy Manners Library where events and workshops are held.
Interior of Heavy Manners.
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Dañiel Martinez
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LAist
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A small stage where events are held.
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Dañiel Martinez
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LAist
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“The space has taught me, as long as you can keep the calendar full and you can get things that people are excited about, people will share it with more people,” James-Wilson said.
Keep the calendar full
Carly Jean Andrews has been teaching nude figure drawing at Heavy Manners since 2023.
“Yeah, you have all the knowledge in the world on the internet, but it's so much more useful to just come here and have it be really literal,” Andrews said.
Carly Jean Andrews and Bijou Karman, instructors at Heavy Manners, posing in front of one of an art show.
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Dañiel Martinez
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LAist
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Bijou Karman teaches clothed figure drawing classes and has published zines and books of her fashion drawings through Heavy Manners.
“Today, I was here hand-assembling one of the books, and Carly was very kindly helping me assemble. It's a very community-oriented space where you actually meet people and learn new things,” said Karman.
Bijou Karman's recent art book "Images De Mode" is displayed near the entrance of the library.
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Dañiel Martinez
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LAist
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Changes on the block
Heavy Manners has been looking for more room to grow its library and event offerings.
The dream was to stay in the area and keep its relationship to Echo Park, despite the changes to the neighborhood, starting with the very block where Heavy Manners sits.
A book nook with a bench and a view of the outside street.
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Dañiel Martinez
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LAist
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The nearly century-old restaurant Taix is being demolished, while Silverlake Flea, which ran out of the French Bistro’s parking lot, has moved to Atwater Village.
“ It's a construction site that may be ongoing for a long time. You can sort of feel the sense of change happening, just on our block in general,” said James-Wilson.
Heavy Manners Library, 1200 N. Alvarado St., Unit D, Los Angeles
Days & hours: Mondays, and Thursdays to Sundays, 11 a.m.–7 p.m.
Membership: $8/month or $75/year. Tickets are available for purchase for individual workshops and events
Heavy Manners Library will remain at its current location through the end of the month.
Volunteer moving days are planned for June 23, 26 and 30. Here's how to sign up.
Luckily, James-Wilson saw a nearby building on Sunset within Heavy Manners' budget and went for it. Their new home, about 400 feet away from the current location, is bigger and more wheelchair accessible. It also has an outdoor area that employees want to convert into a garden, or use for nature-oriented workshops.
Its current space won’t sit vacant though; Whammy Analog Media, a VHS video store expanding from a small backroom to a full-fledged shop, will be taking over.
A shelve with analog media available for check out.
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Dañiel Martinez
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LAist
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It takes a village
Recently, Heavy Manners put out a call for volunteers to help move its many books and zines in time for a planned mid-July reopening.
A "Free Zine Library" inside the space.
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Dañiel Martinez
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LAist
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“Because it's really close by, I'm kinda hoping to have just sort of a parade of people each carrying a box across the street,” said James-Wilson. “It takes a village to foster something like this, that is not lost on me.”
