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Searching for the Essence of L.A.

Another East Coast editorial trying to understand Los Angeles hit the New York Times last week: "Something escapes me about Los Angeles. Wherever I go, I always imagine I’m finally going to grasp its essence."
That got LA Times columnist Hector Tobar thinking. "New Yorkers have long been perplexed by L.A.," he said. So he called up native Angeleno Tomas Benitez, who "said he believes he stumbled upon the secret of L.A. one evening in the 1980s, when he drove with his young daughter from the Eastside to the Pacific Ocean, almost 30 miles along old Brooklyn Avenue [now Cesar Chavez Avenue] and Sunset Boulevard." It was a drive of "taco stands, transvestites, iconic nightclubs and faux Roman villas."
"Finding the essence of L.A. is not meant to be easy," Benitez said.
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It's been many, many years since we saw this much snow in our mountains. Going up there right now isn't safe, but here are some places where you can enjoy the view and snap a pic.
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April Valentine died at Centinela Hospital. Her daughter was born by emergency C-section. She'd gone into the pregnancy with a plan, knowing Black mothers like herself were at higher risk.
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A look at years past when snows creeped into our citified neighborhoods, away from the mountains and foothills.
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In the face of a drier future, that iconic piece of Americana is on its way out in Southern California.
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Another Missing Hiker Has Been Found Dead In San Gabriels As Search For Actor Julian Sands ContinuesBob Gregory, 62, went missing the same day as Sands. His body was recovered near Mount Islip.