The Brief

[Editor's note: This story is part of an ongoing LAist series exploring public art in L.A.]

The mural is called A Better and More Beautiful World, or A shenere un besere velt in yiddish.

It covers a roughly 60-foot-long and 15-foot-tall wall on the side of the Worker’s Circle building in Pico-Robertson. The mutual aid group, founded by Yiddish-speaking Jewish immigrants, opened an office in L.A. in 1908, not long after it started in New York.

This mural stands apart from other Jewish themed public art in L.A. in that it does not focus on the religious or national part of Jewish identity.

Early 20th century labor activist Rose Schneiderman

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“I think that part of what the idea of this mural… was to sort of stake out a claim for a different vision of what it means to be Jewish,” said Caroline Luce, a historian who has researched the history of the Worker’s Circle, also known by its Yiddish name, Der Arbeter Ring.

That vision at the group’s founding more than a century ago, and when this mural was unveiled in 1998, Luce said, challenged ideas of Jewish identity dictated by influential members of Jewish communities, including rabbis or wealthy patrons.

The Workmen's Circle building.

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“That has been the sort of philosophy of the organization… to inspire Jews, not only to worship in the way that they feel and join political movements, but to fight for social justice and to create a better and more beautiful world,” Luce said.

The mural centers portraits of Jewish writers and feminists, as well as labor and educational leaders, and weaves in similar activists from outside the community to show a Jewish identity linked in solidarity with the struggles of other working class people.

From Emma Goldman to Cesar Chavez

Nearly two dozen people are portrayed in the mural, including 19th century Russian writer Sholem Aleichem, early 20th century feminist and labor organizer Rose Schneiderman, and Molly Picon, the early 20th century Yiddish theater’s most famous actor.

An image of Cesar Chavez, at the top of the photo; below him are socialist presidential candidate Eugene Debs (L) and Morris Hillquit, and anti war activist and labor movement lawyer.

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Alongside them are depictions of Martin Luther King, Jr., Chiune Sugihara, the Japanese consul in Lithuania who helped thousands of Jews escape Nazi Germany, and near the center of the mural, farmworker leader Cesar Chavez.

“He is an important part of Los Angeles and California's labor history. We all marched, we marched with SEIU, the hotel workers when they had the big strike,” said Ruth Judkowitz, the head of the Worker's Circle in L.A.

It’s a Filipino-Jewish mural

The mural was painted by Eliseo Art Silva, the artist who designed the Historic Filipinotown Archway just west of downtown L.A.

Silva was in his mid 20s when he painted A shenere un besere velt.

To reflect his own background, he included the shining sun motif from the flag of the Philippines rising above the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor, and his mother as a young girl in a group of kids.

Silva painted the sun over the Statue of Liberty as a reference the sun on the flag of the Philippines.

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”The work is about inclusiveness, and that we all share the same dreams and hopes… the common connections [that] bind us all together as workers, as immigrants,” Silva told LAist.

The mural’s been defaced

While the mural's primary focus is on the history of Jews pushing for social justice, there is an Israeli flag, which has been vandalized over the years.

After the first instance more than a decade ago, artist Silva was asked to fix and modify it. He added the words for peace in English, Arabic and Hebrew displayed on leaves, an allusion to the Philippine Indigenous tradition of writing on leaves.

Behind them he painted an abstract image inspired by Palestinian woven fabric designs.

Silva's addition, a tree with the words peace written in English, Hebrew and Arabic.

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In July, someone defaced the mural again, covering the Israeli flag with a Palestinian flag and painting the U.S. flag upside down.

“In some ways it's just an easy target, [the mural] looks Jewish,” said historian Luce. “It also may be that there's just a fundamental misunderstanding” about what the mural and the organization that commissioned it stand for.

Judkowitz agreed.

"We're pro-humanity, we're pro-people," she said. “We'd love to see a two-state solution. We'd love to have a true Palestinian state… a place they could call home and a place that they can live in peace.”

She's been talking to Silva about doing restoration work on the mural next year. Judkowitz said she’s seeking support from the Los Angeles City Council.

She and others say the mural’s message of encouraging and proposing alternative Jewish identities is as relevant now as in 1908 when Worker’s Circle opened its doors in L.A. and 1998 when the mural was unveiled.

“[After Oct. 7] there's an extreme amount of disappointment of the leadership of many of the congregations and communities in which some of these folks grew up and a desire to reinvent what it means to be Jewish,” Luce said. “A kind of return to internationalism and a movement away from Jewish nationalism and specifically of Jewish Zionism.”

Much like when Worker’s Circle started in 1900, some Jewish people in L.A. are starting their own groups to reflect new forms of Jewish identity. They include, Luce said, Der Nister Downtown Jewish Center and others.

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Since 1977, Richard Santillan has been to every Opening Day game at Dodger Stadium. 

“The tradition goes from my father, to me, to my children and grandchildren. Some of my best memories are with my father and children here at Dodger Stadium,” Santillan told The LA Local, smiling under the shade of palm trees near the entrance to the ballpark Wednesday morning. He was there to protest the team less than 24 hours before Opening Day.

Santillan, like countless other loyal Dodgers fans, is grappling with his fan identity over the team’s decision to accept an invitation to the White House and owner Mark Walter’s ties to ICE detention facilities.

More than 30 people joined Santillan on Wednesday morning for a press conference held near 1000 Vin Scully Drive to convey a message directly to the team. 

“We are demanding the Dodgers stop participating in funding of inhumane treatment of families and do not go to the White House to celebrate with the criminal in chief,” Evelyn Escatiola told the crowd. “Together, we have the power to make a change.”

Escatiola, a former dean of East Los Angeles College and longtime community organizer, urged fans to flex their economic power by “letting the Dodgers know that we do not support repression.”

Jorge “Coqui” Rodriguez, a lifelong Dodgers fan, spoke to the crowd and called on Dodgers ownership to divest from immigration detention centers owned and operated by GEO Group and CoreCivic.

Jorge Coqui H Rodriguez speaks at a press conference outside Dodger Stadium on March 25, 2026, to demand the Dodgers not to visit the White House following their 2025 World Series win.

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In a phone interview a day before the protest, Rodriguez told The LA Local he did not want the Dodgers using his “cheve” or beer money to fund detention centers. 

“They can’t take our parking money, our cacahuate money, our cheve money, our Dodger Dog money and invest those funds into corporations that are imprisoning people. It’s wrong,” Rodriguez said. 

Rodriguez considers the Dodgers one of the most racially diverse teams and said the players need to support fans at a time when heightened immigration enforcement has become more common across L.A.

The team’s 2025’s visit to the White House drew ire from the largely Latino fan base, citing the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on immigrants. 

In June, the team came under further scrutiny when rumors swirled online that federal immigration agents were using the stadium’s parking, which immigration authorities later denied in statements posted on social media accounts.

The team again came under fire after not releasing a statement on the impacts of ICE raids on its mostly Latino fan base at the height of immigration enforcement last summer. The team later agreed to invest $1 million to support families affected by immigration enforcement.

When he learned the Dodgers were pledging only $1 million to families in need, Rodriguez called the amount a  “slap in the face.” 

“These guys just bought the Lakers for billions of dollars and they give a million dollars to fight for legal services? That’s a joke,” Rodriguez said. “They need to have a moral backbone and not be investing in those companies.”

According to reporting from the Los Angeles Times, former Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershawsaid last week that he is looking forward to the trip.

“I went when President [Joe] Biden was in office. I’m going to go when President [Donald] Trump is in office,” Kershaw said. “To me, it’s just about getting to go to the White House. You don’t get that opportunity every day, so I’m excited to go.”

The Dodgers have yet to announce when their planned visit will take place. 

Santillan sometimes laments his decision to give up his season tickets in protest of the team. His connection to the stadium and the memories he has made there with family and friends will last a lifetime, he said. On Thursday, he will uphold his tradition and be there for the first pitch of the season, but with a heavy heart.

“It’s a family tradition, but the Dodgers have a lot of work to do,” he said.

A local favorite mom-and-pop bookshop in Eagle Rock is facing displacement due to a steep rent hike. The owners say theirs is just one of several small businesses along Eagle Rock Boulevard struggling to keep up with lease increases.

Over the past 19 years, many in the neighborhood have come to love READ Books for its eclectic collection of used titles and shop dog Florence.

Co-owner Jeremy Kaplan said it’s been a delight to grow with the community over the years.

“Like seeing kids come back in, who were in grade school and now they’re in college,” Kaplan said.

But the building where Kaplan and wife Debbie rent was recently sold, and the rent increased by more than 130% to $2,805 a month, Kaplan said. He told LAist it was an increase his small business simply could not absorb.

Kaplan said he originally was given 30 days notice of the rent increase. After some research, assistance from Councilmember Ysabel Jurado’s office and some pro-bono legal help, Kaplan said he pushed back and got the 90-day notice he’s afforded by state law.

California Senate Bill 1103 requires landlords to give businesses with five or less employees 90 days’ notice for rent increases exceeding 10%, among other protections.

Systems Real Estate, the property management company, did not immediately respond to LAist’s request for comment.

What can small businesses do? 

Nadia Segura, directing attorney of the Small Business Program at pro bono legal aid non-profit Bet Tzedek said California law does not currently allow for rent control for commercial tenancies.

Outside of the protections under SB 1103, Segura said small businesses like READ Books don’t have much other recourse. And even then, commercial landlords are not required to inform their tenants of their protections under the law.

“There’s still a lot of people that don’t know about SB 1103. And then it’s very sad that they tell them they have these rent increases and within a month they have to leave,” Segura said.

She said her group is seeing steep rent hikes like this for commercial tenants across the city.

“We are seeing this even more with the World Cup coming up, the Olympics coming up. And I will say it was very sad to see that also after the wildfires,” Segura said.

Part of Bet Tzedek’s ongoing work is to advocate for small businesses, working with landlords who are increasing rents to see if they are willing to give business owners longer leases that lock in rents.

What’s next 

After READ Books posted about their situation on social media, commenters chimed in to express their outrage and love for the little shop.

While he looks for a new spot, Kaplan says he’s forming a coalition of local businesses and activist groups to see what can be done to help other small businesses facing similar displacement. He wants to address the displacement issue for businesses like his, which have made Eagle Rock the distinctive neighborhood that it is today.

Owl Talk, a longtime Eagle Rock staple selling clothing and accessories in a unit in the same building as READ Books, is facing a “more than double” rent increase, according to a post on their Instagram account.

Kaplan said he’s been in touch with the office of state Assemblywoman Jessica Caloza and wants to explore the possibility of introducing legislation to set up protections for small businesses like his, including rent-control measures or a vacancy tax for landlords. Kaplan said he also reached out to the office of state Sen. Maria Durazo.

By his count, Kaplan said there are about a dozen businesses within surrounding blocks that are at risk of closing their doors or have shuttered due to rent increases or other struggles.

When READ Books was founded during the Great Recession, Kaplan said he knew it was a longshot to open a bookstore at the same time so many were struggling to stay in business.

“It was kind of interesting to be doing something that neighborhoods needed. That was important to me growing up, that was important to my children, that was important to my wife growing up,” Kaplan said.

“And then somebody comes in and says, ‘We’re gonna over double your rent.”

Topline:

Frozen budget: Most of the city’s Bureau of Street Lighting budget comes from an assessment that people who own property illuminated by lights pay on their county property tax bill. The amount people pay depends on the kind of property they own and how much they benefit from lighting. A typical single-family home currently pays $53 annually, and in total, the assessments bring in about $45 million annually for the city to repair and maintain streetlights. Changing the amount the Bureau of Street Lighting gets from the assessment requires a vote among property owners who benefit from the lights.

Ballots: L.A. City Council’s vote gives city staff the green light to prepare and send out those ballots. Miguel Sangalang, who oversees the bureau, said at a committee meeting earlier this month that he expects to send out ballots by April 17. Notices about the ballots will be sent out prior to the ballots themselves.

Near unanimous vote: L.A. City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez was the only “No” vote Tuesday, saying she wanted to see a more current strategic plan for the bureau. Sangalang said the bureau developed a plan in 2022 that lays out how money will be spent. Councilmember Imelda Padilla was absent for the vote.

Vote count: Votes will be weighted according to the assessment amount. Basically, the more you’re asked to pay yearly to maintain streetlights, the more your vote will count. Ballots received before June 2 will be tabulated by the L.A. City Clerk.

How much more money: According to a report, the amount needed in assessments from property owners to meet the repair and maintenance needs of the city’s streetlighting in the next fiscal year is nearly $112 million.

Use of the money: Sangalang said at a March 11 committee meeting that the extra funds would be used to double the number of staff to handle repairs and procure solar streetlights, which don’t face the threat of copper wire theft. That would all potentially reduce the time it takes to repair simple fixes down to a week. Currently, city residents wait for months to see broken streetlights repaired. The assessment would come with a three-year auditing mechanism.