The Brief

Jessica Wang has experienced delay after delay for nearly two years as she tried to open Gu Grocery in Chinatown. Her father, a contractor, had told her it would take nine months.

Instead, she says, there have been issues with city permits, inspectors, inaccurate information, illness and wayward appliance installers which have pushed things back.

The community didn't take nearly as long. In two weeks, 134 donors contributed nearly $12,000 to keep Wang afloat. But money can't solve her problem — she still needs the city's approval to open the doors.

Wang signed the lease at the end of 2023, envisioning a Chinese-Taiwanese grocery store and community hub where seniors could use EBT to buy fresh tofu, where kids from nearby elementary schools could stop by after class, and where her mother, Peggy, could teach neighbors how to make their grandmother's pickles.

Now, more than two years into a five-year lease, and nearly out of money after paying for permits, buildout, and rent on a space she can't operate, Wang launched a GoFundMe campaign a few weeks ago. The response showed the community believes in Gu Grocery and wants to see it succeed. But she's still waiting for at least seven final inspections by the city before she can open.

The story of Gu

The name "Gu" carries layered meaning: the character 菇 means "mushroom" in Chinese, a traditional symbol of prosperity, while the sound "gu" also means "auntie" in Mandarin — honoring intergenerational caretakers. Wang's mission for the space is to provide a place to purchase Chinese-Taiwanese pantry staples and prepared foods, and to host community workshops.

The communal aspect is central to Wang's vision of social entrepreneurship, not solely focused on profit. In addition to workshops, Gu Grocery plans to accept EBT and offer senior discounts for those on fixed incomes.

"I wanted a space where I could share knowledge and share culture and also just learn from the community," Wang said.

Ultimately, she hopes to convert the store into a worker-owned co-op.

Wang grew up in the San Gabriel Valley and worked as a pastry chef at San Francisco's State Bird Provisions before a pre-diabetic diagnosis at age 29 prompted her return to L.A. She began volunteering with API Forward Movement, a local nonprofit focused on health equity and food access in AAPI communities, and saw firsthand the need during COVID food distributions at L.A. State Historic Park.

Chinatown had lost its last two full-service grocery stores in 2019. Last fall, the neighborhood lost another: Yue Wa Market, a small produce shop that had served residents for 18 years before rising rent and pandemic losses forced it to shut its doors. The closures hit especially hard in a neighborhood where, according to American Community Survey data, half of the residents are low-income and one in five are seniors 65 and older — many of whom rely on walking to shop.

Jessica Wang (center, in black) and her mother Peggy (left, in white and red) smile while serving customers at a farmer's market pop-up for Gu Grocery.

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Daniel Nguyen

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Courtesy Gu Grocery

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Permitting woes

Much of bringing Gu Grocery to reality has been made possible by support from Wang's friends and family. Her father, Willie Wang, serves as her general contractor. When plans were submitted to the city in March 2024, he told her the buildout would take nine months if everything went smoothly.

Instead, she’s experienced delays from all directions, from slow bureaucracy, to issues with contractors. A hood installation contractor rescheduled multiple times, she said, then doubled his price the day before a rescheduled appointment. Drywall contractors said their workers had been detained by ICE and never returned.

The process hasn't just taken time — it's been expensive. One inspector approved a makeup air unit for the kitchen hood system, she said, only to have a senior inspector overturn the decision and order a complete replacement at nearly $6,000. Her father paid out of pocket — even as he was recovering from March surgery to remove a cancerous lung growth.

"Who would have thought that something an inspector asked us to do would be completely overturned by another inspector?" Wang said. "That's just so wild."

LAist has reached out to the city's Department of Building Services for comment but has not heard back.

The financial toll

Wang estimates she's spent more than $200,000 so far — more than $100,000 on buildout and permits alone, plus a full year of rent on a space she can't operate, equipment, insurance and taxes.

She draws no income from Gu Grocery. To cover personal expenses, she teaches fermentation workshops through her other business, Picklepickle, though that work has been inconsistent lately. Her health insurance doubled this year. The GoFundMe money, she said, is a "rainy day fund" in case she needs it to pay future bills.

The financial strain has touched her entire family. Her mother, who received a small inheritance when Wang's grandparents died, got scammed late last year trying to grow that money to help with the store. Targeted through online ads, she was convinced by an "investment tutor" based in Taiwan to hand over cash to a stranger in a parking lot.

"I didn't realize this would become part of what it's like to have aging parents in the age of technology," Wang said. "But it's scary how they get targeted."

Black sesame noodles from Gu Grocery's popup menu. Wang uses black sesame for higher nutritional value and plans to offer the dish as one of the prepared foods when the store opens.

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Aunty J

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Courtesy Gu Grocery

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Rice balls with house pickles from a Gu Grocery pop-up. Wang has been teaching fermentation and pickling workshops for 15 years and plans to serve pickles alongside all meals when the store opens.

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Aunty J.

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Courtesy Gu Grocery

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Addressing Chinatown's needs

Once Gu Grocery opens, it won't operate as a full-service market — there won't be a meat counter. Instead, it will function like a corner store with a focus on healthy prepared foods: butter mochi, sesame noodles and daily congee.

"Something that Chinatown has never had was prepared food that is EBT eligible," Wang said.

In 2020, Wang surveyed seniors through API Forward Movement's Tai Chi fitness program to understand their shopping habits following the closure of local grocery stores. Many told her they now ride the bus to Super King on San Fernando Road in Glendale, nearly 5 miles away, for produce deals, or rely on family members to drive them to 99 Ranch in Alhambra. Some grow their own food in gardening plots, Wang said, "but they can't produce everything they need."

Willie Wang (left), Jessica Wang (center), and Peggy Wang (right) pose inside Gu Grocery. The signs display the store's values in both English and Chinese — Willie's reads "body health" and Peggy's reads "mushroom auntie," playing on the dual meaning of "gu."

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Daniel Nguyen

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Courtesy Gu Grocery

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The community response

When she launched her Go FundMe in mid-April, she was overwhelmed by the response. "I have a hard time asking for help," said Wang. "So actually receiving help, it's very moving."

The donors range from former pop-up customers and friends to a range of assorted well-wishers — a musician who had her food once at an event, fellow food business owners, farmer's market regulars and even her insurance agent.

"The generosity is beyond my expectations," Wang said. "Some of these people only had my food once. People are showing their support truly in a personal way and really believing in the vision."

The GoFundMe money helps Wang stay "afloat for now," but she's had to rethink her opening strategy. She won't be able to afford full inventory when she opens. Instead, she plans a phased opening: prepared foods only, served through a takeout window, then using revenue to slowly stock shelves with the retail items she originally envisioned.

The community raised more than $14,000 in three weeks. After nearly two years of delays, Wang is still waiting for permits. She hopes to open by Father's Day — her general contractor dad's birthday. But she's learned to expect the unexpected.

Many donors sent her direct messages saying simply: "We got this, Jess, we got you."

Olympics organizers have released a first look at plans for a celebration of arts and culture across Los Angeles during the summer of 2028.

Known as the "Cultural Olympiad," the programming will include a poster series by local artists, film screenings across the city and a calendar of events, including live performances and art installations at different institutions. The city of L.A. will also put on its own events, including culture festivals in each council district, in the lead up to the Games.

Arts programming is a long Olympic tradition — starting in 1912 as artistic competitions and eventually evolving into festivals.

When Los Angeles last hosted the Olympics in 1984, the city hosted a weeks-long spectacle that included more than 400 performances and launched with the unveiling of a sculpture by artist Robert Graham topped with two statues depicting the naked female and male form, each without a head. The statues still stand at the entrance to the Coliseum today.

A closeup of the statues by artist Robert Graham atop the Olympic Gateway Arch at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

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David Madison

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Getty Images

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The 1984 festival is credited with transforming the city's arts scene. After the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion put on opera productions in the summer of 1984, local patrons launched L.A. Opera, which had its first season in 1986.

“That moment — when this city chose to present itself to the world not only through sport but through the full force of its artistic imagination — gave rise to an institution that has, for four decades, reflected the scale, diversity and ambition of Los Angeles itself," Christopher Koelsch, president of L.A. Opera said in a statement provided by LA28.

L.A.'s artistic contributions in 1984 in turn transformed the Olympics. John Williams composed the "Olympic Fanfare" for the Opening Ceremony, which is still associated with the Games today.

The legacy of 1984 means expectations for the 2028 Olympiad are high — but most details on what's in store are still to come. Some in Los Angeles have criticized LA28, saying that planning is lagging.

Another big question is funding. The city of L.A.'s initial plan for cultural programming estimates a budget of $15 million, which would cover local festivals in each council district. But the city also painted a vision for what it could do with $45 million in funding, including a seven-week arts festival across the city.

Documents from the city's Department of Cultural Affairs says full funding will depend on external partnerships, including LA28. LA28 told LAist that the Cultural Olympiad will be funded through private fundraising but didn't provide further details.

The first event associated with the Olympiad will launch in July 2027, when winners of the local artist poster contest are announced.

Some Los Angeles County residents are worried about how surveillance data is being used and stored as the Sheriff’s Department tries to address fears about cooperation with civil immigration enforcement.

The department has 480 high-speed cameras that can be used to track vehicles and their activity around the region, according to officials.

The L.A. County Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission held a virtual forum Wednesday focused on surveillance technologies in the county, specifically around the department's use of Automated License Plate Readers, otherwise known as ALPRs.

The public was invited to share their concerns about unchecked use of the technology and ask experts questions about how the data is collected and shared.

A vast majority of the attendees — 91% — reported that they or someone they know has changed behavior or plans due to concerns about ICE or immigration enforcement. Most attendees said their top concern was who the surveillance data is shared with, and about a third said they were most concerned with how the information is being used.

Hans Johnson, chair of the commission, said there is a sense of a new, chilling reality taking hold in immigrant communities.

“ The fear that everyday activities like traveling to work, taking children to school, seeking medical care or gathering in public spaces could expose people to tracking, data sharing and hunting that threatens their safety and constitutional freedoms,” Johnson said during the forum.

Sheriff officials said it’s difficult to engage with county communities if they believe the department is involved in civil immigration enforcement.

Ernest Bille, a department commander, said officials need to ease those fears so people feel comfortable connecting with local law enforcement, including for Amber Alerts or reporting a crime, so that the Sheriff’s Department can more effectively serve L.A. County.

Sheriff cameras in the county

The Sheriff’s Department only contracts with Motorola Vigilant for its Automated License Plate Readers, Bille said. The cameras can capture license plate numbers, dates, times and geographic locations, as well as images of the vehicle and license plate.

“ It is important to note that our current ALPR system does not capture any personal identifying information whatsoever, and it is stored in the database for authorized law enforcement use,” he said.

Of the 480 Motorola Vigilant cameras operated by the Sheriff’s Department around the county, 42 are mobile, meaning they’re attached to the top of a patrol car while roaming the region. The more than 430 others are fixed, powered and solar cameras.

Bille added that there may still be Flock cameras in L.A. County, specifically from cities that’ve contracted directly with the controversial surveillance company.

In South Pasadena, for example, the city council recently moved to not renew a contract with Flock Safety following public outcry after reports that some local law enforcement agencies in Southern California illegally shared license plate reader data with federal immigration agents.

Flock did install cameras in burn areas after last year’s Eaton Fire to deter crime and looting, especially in Altadena, Bille said. He added that L.A. County contracted with Flock and made the cameras available to the department, but they’re currently deactivated.

When asked, Bille said he didn’t know how long the cameras have been out of commission in those areas.

How are they used?

The data collected from the department’s cameras can be used in a number of ways, including criminal investigations and recovering stolen vehicles. According to officials, they’ve been used successfully to locate missing people and for life-saving efforts.

Bille said the data is mostly used as an investigatory lead, and it’s not standalone evidence. If an investigator wants to get a license plate from the system, for example, they would have to have a legitimate law enforcement purpose for doing so.

“ It cannot be used for personal or non-work-related purposes, and it absolutely cannot be used for civil immigration enforcement,” he said.

The data is stored for two years in most cases, which was revised down from the department’s five-year policy.

After two years, the records are archived. After five years, the data is permanently deleted.

But there are some exceptions, including ongoing investigations, prosecutions or legal proceedings like appeals.

How is the data shared?

The Sheriff’s Department doesn’t share data from Automated License Plate Readers with any federal agencies, officials said.

The data can only be shared with other public agencies under an inter-agency agreement that includes compliance with privacy protections and applicable laws.

“ We have no inter-agency agreement with any federal agencies,” Bille said. Officials later noted that federal agencies do not qualify as a public entity for this purpose under California law.

The data cannot be sold or used for commercial, personal and non-work related purposes. It cannot be shared for civil immigration enforcement unless required by law or under a judicial warrant, according to officials.

How to get involved

There are internal audits of the sheriff’s Automated License Plate Reader system at least once a year, according to the department.

Semi-annual reports of the system will also be provided to the Office of Inspector General, the Civilian Oversight Commission and the L.A. County Board of Supervisors. Another report will be published on the department’s public transparency page.

Dara Williams, chief deputy of the county’s Office of the Inspector General, said the department wants to engage with the people they serve and have residents feel comfortable coming forward to report crimes.

“ It’s important to them to be sure that their policies don't overly share with the federal government because the Sheriff's Department does not like the consequences of what oversharing with the federal government would bring to them,” Williams said.

The commission is encouraging the public to join its upcoming monthly meetings to share thoughts on department policies and procedures:

• 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 21
  
  • St. Anne's Conference Center, 155 N. Occidental Blvd., Los Angeles
    
    • Register for webinar here
    • Sign up for emailed agendas here

When I went to the Natural Products Expo West earlier this year, a conference that highlights innovations in food and drink, I learned two things. One is that I could get my 10,000 steps by walking the Anaheim Convention Center. And two, that tea is really popular right now. As I walked around, I was given dozens of samples for teas from various flavors and brands, many of which were unknown to me.

Later, when I got home, I realized I had far more tea than I could drink. I have a pet peeve about waste, so I went to the one person I knew who could help……my mother, Jacqueline Richie.

Ryan's mom, Jacqueline Ritchie.

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Courtesy Ryan Ritchie

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My mom drinks multiple cups of tea a day, and has a wooden sign in the dining room that reads “A cup of tea and all is fine.”

While I have a background as a a food writer, I’m not a massive tea drinker, so I figured getting her perspective would help. It would also give me a good reason to spend quality time with my mother and get to know her better, perhaps through a different lens.

So we set up multiple afternoons and evenings to get through them all.

Ryan Ritchie on his tea drinking journey with his mother

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Courtesy Ryan Ritchie

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For the first session, I brought three teas for us to try: Lord Bergamot Full Leaf Black Tea by Steven Smith Teamaker, Moroccan Mint by Numi and Sapphire Bay by Bigelow.

First the bergamot tea. “This one is really good,” she said. "It has bergamot oil from Italy, not like some cheapo off brand. The bergamot is not overpowering. Some cheap teas hit you like 'ooh.'”

Next was the Moroccan mint. “It’s, uh, minty,” my mother said, “and I’m tasting the cinnamon and vanilla. Cinnamon can be overpowering, but this one is a faint, light taste. It lingers at the bottom of the cup as the water decreases. They did a good job of blending. A perfect combination.”

Two thoughts occurred: One, my mother knows way more about tea than I imagined. Two, she seems to have a strong palate, a term I’d never think to use when describing her. Most of the meals we had growing up were store-bought items she could heat up in the oven.

We ended our session with the Sapphire Bay tea. It was, unexpectedly, a majestic purple-blue, apparently from butterfly pea flower. My mom, a black tea lover, surprised herself — and me — by liking it.

The blue-purple hue of Bigelow's Sapphire Bay is only slightly stronger than the tea's floral taste.

Her adventurous palate was news to me. Could there be more adventure to a woman who wears holiday-themed sweaters?

For the next session, we started with Dandelion Masala by Yaygit. “I have no idea what dandelion tastes like,” she said, warily.

Apparently the dandelion root was blended with cardamom, cinnamon, ginger and clove as "an ode to chai," as it says on the website. Her verdict after she sipped it? She approved of its "earthy, sweet taste. This is a nice afternoon or after-dinner tea as a palate cleanser.”

“Palate cleanser?” "Earthy"? I’d never heard my mother use those terms. She described another tea we had later as “robust” and “malty.” Had my mom been the Anthony Bourdain of tea for decades and I was just now realizing it?

What I don’t know about my mother could fill volumes of encyclopedias. But, to be fair, I’ve never inquired about things like her first boyfriend or why her bathrooms don’t have hand towels. Perhaps I don’t want to know the answers to these questions. Perhaps I’ve always assumed my mom doesn’t have an adventurous side, that she’s happy baking desserts for my dad and reading on the couch.

But now she’s drinking dandelion tea like a pro.

We ramped up the new discoveries next time with Magiktea’s Palo Azul. What is Palo Azul exactly? I didn't know, and I eat nutritional yeast with my salads. Neither did my mom.

Turns out it is, according to a Google search, a medicinal shrub found in the Southwestern United States and Mexico.

And the tea it makes is also blue (clearly a color of the moment), but with a florescent sheen. It came not as a packet of tea leaves, but as two wooden sticks she poured hot water over.

“It looks like wood pulp,” she said. “All I can say is it’s interesting. I guess the more you drink it the more you’d get used to it. The first sip was not what I expected — not that that's bad. Maybe we should have used alkaline water as they recommend on the packet?”

I would have bet good money that my mother would have hated any tea that looked like wood pulp, but I was wrong. What else had I been wrong about?

Another session, we wanted to end with a nightcap and turned to Pure Chamomile from Twinings.

“It’s chamomile, alright,” she said. “It’s soothing and good if you’re sick or want to take a two hour nap and forget about everything. I prefer my chamomile mixed with something else. It’s not like I hate it, but it’s not my cup of tea.”

Hmmm. What is “everything” my mom wants to forget, exactly? She’s a retiree who gardens, practices yoga and enjoys time with her two grandchildren. Also, her use of “It’s not my cup of tea?” My mom is Anthony Bourdain and Jerry Seinfeld.

23 cups of tea later, (ginger, Lady Grey, wild berries to name a few) over a few sessions, we finally finished our tea time with mother sessions. And it did, in fact, bring us closer together. We don’t normally schedule much time to see each other… but she texted me a few days later with another idea.

“When is our next tea time?😀Maybe next time we can sample chocolates! 🍫I'll do the eating. You do the writing! 😂”

It sounded great, but I had to remind her I had two housesitting gigs that would keep me busy for three weeks.

“Okay,” her text read. “So you're gone until the 16th? I'm going to miss my tea buddy.🙉.”

Me too, mom. Me too.