How to LA: Explaining How to LA, Hollyhock House Reopens, The Weekend’s Social Trends

Good morning, L.A. It’s Monday, August 22

Hello, my friends! Is it just me or does it seem like August is just flying right by us? Anyway, I’m so glad to be back in your inbox.

So by now, you’ve noticed our makeover. And I’m sure you’re wondering what this is all about. Let me explain.

My team and I noticed an issue. It can be really hard to find your place in such a sprawling, complicated city, even if you’ve lived here all of your life. The people are in search for something real. Something authentic. Something that gets to the heart of the city. Something that is unapologetically L.A.

We know there is a real desire to CONNECT with other Angelenos, to DISCOVER new places and events and to NAVIGATE the many complicated aspects of living here. We also know that YOU want in on making CHANGE in this city. We feel you.

Introducing How to LA. 

I’ll be your bubbly, charismatic newsletter writer and my lovely effervescent, vibrant colleague Brian De Los Santos, who is also from L.A., will host a new podcast of the same name. Listen to a trailer now. New episodes will drop starting Tuesday, August 30, three times a week.

YES, THAT’S RIGHT. Get excited. Brian and I are the new faces for How To LA (the guy in the baseball hat is our amazing podcast producer Evan Jacoby). We are here for the longtime Angeleno and for the folks who just moved here. We’ll be covering all that we love about this city (the food, the nature, the awesome people!) but we'll also get real about stuff we need to work on: more green space, fewer traffic collisions, and a reduction in the number of people living on the streets.

Brian De Los Santos, Evan Jacoby and Aaricka Washington are the faces behind the new LAist project: How To LA.

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Megan Larson

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My colleagues and I will be out in the community, walking the streets and meeting with our neighbors - and we hope you will help us tell the stories we want to tell. Please look and listen for opportunities to ask YOUR questions and share your stories. Brian and I will share more about ourselves in the coming weeks.

To kick it all off, we are gonna share a guide on How to Speak LA — complete with pronunciation tips, and the history behind the names of some of our streets and neighborhoods. Enjoy!

As always, stay happy and healthy, folks. There’s more news below the fold.

News You Need After You Stop Hitting Snooze

• A new poll from UC Berkeley and the Los Angeles Times shows that retired Long Beach Sheriff Robert Luna is pulling ahead of incumbent Alex Villanueva in the race for L.A. County Sheriff.
• The pandemic may have temporarily shut down Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House, but the beloved house has reopened. It holds a lot of history, including being L.A.’s first and only UNESCO World Heritage Site.  
• The 6th street bridge is back with more news. L.A. is exploring the idea of “periodically” closing the famous route to car traffic.
• You may have heard about some of the fraternities that have parted ways with universities across the country. The University of Southern California is dealing with these breakaway fraternities making their own rules. 
• Here’s an update for the film fans. A new exhibit at the Academy Museum in L.A. explores the complicated history of black cinema.
• ICYMI This is pretty cool - one man in Boyle Heights turned his yard into an orchard. 
• Frustration is driving parents to run for school boards positions across California. Some are driven by policies being enacted while others want oversight of how money is being spent in schools.
• Ever heard the term ‘Quiet Quitting’? Here is what the term means and how it could even be a misnomer for setting boundaries at the workplace.
• Inflation has really set citizens in a spiral, but these are some of the ways that it’s actually changing the spending habits of Americans and how businesses are taking notice. 
• Monkeypox has created a crisis in America. Here’s how mistakes were made.

You're the Expert here...

"American" is a complicated term. As we unpack Americanness and who it belongs to for a new series at LAist, we’d love to hear about what it means to YOU to be American.

We want to hear stories about your families and how they built their lives here, whether that was 5 years ago or 105. We want to hear about your successes, struggles, and contributions; about the things that make you American, and the ways in which you feel your Americanness is questioned.

We’re looking for a few people to share what Being American means to them. Answer a couple questions in this form, and we might reach back out to you with an invitation to write an essay for LAist.

[SHARE YOUR STORY]

The Kicker...The Weekend's Top Three Tea-Sipping Trends

CicLAvia is an open streets event in various places in L.A.

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Farah Sosa

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Here's what people were talking about this weekend on social media...

THREE - Bikers enjoyed a car-free Hollywood for CicLAvia on Sunday. 

It’s all a part of CicLAvia’s “Meet the Hollywoods” 6.5-mile tour. Bikers took a nice breezy ride from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. It was an opportunity for people to skate, play and explore some great parts of LA County without cars. Check out the CicLAvia website for the next one!

TWO - Latisha Chong, a hair stylist for the Black and famous, died at 32 years old. 

Remember how absolutely fabulous Serena Williams looked on the cover of Vogue announcing her retirement? The uber-talented hairstylist who was responsible for golden honey strands for the cover, Latisha Chong, passed away last month after a battle with breast cancer. The news is circulating now.

ONE - Dennis Rodman says he plans to visit Russia this week to help release Brittney Griner, the WNBA star who was sentenced to nine years in prison on drug charges earlier this month. There could be a possible effort for diplomacy with Griner so the Biden Administration believes Rodman will do more harm than good. This is not the first time Rodman has tried to reach out to those who have a strained relationship with the U.S. In the past, the former NBA star tried to bond with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un.