Exploring LA’s Most Northern Neighborhood, Sylmar (And Other Headlines)

I know we’re weeks into this sizzling summer, but I’d like to introduce something that the How to LA team is doing: ✨Welcome to the summer of discover.✨

We’re leaning heavy into exploring this city a little deeper — its neighborhoods, history and happenings. We’re going to bring you podcast episodes and newsletter editions that help you get outside and discover something new or rediscover that one thing you already know about. (If you have any ideas that you’d like for us to feature, you can write back to our newsletter!)

A cute equestrian town

First up, we’re exploring the most northern corner of the city of Los Angeles: Sylmar.

I was really excited to pitch this podcast episode to our team because I spent my formative teenage years in Sylmar, so it’s special to go back and feature this area. (Shoutout to my fellow 818 girlies out there.)

For those who are unfamiliar with the neighborhood, Sylmar sits between the 5 and the 210 freeways in the San Fernando Valley. It’s an equestrian town that features large residential properties with horses, chickens and other animals. By 1990, Sylmar was the fastest-growing neighborhood in L.A. It’s also predominantly Latino, almost 80%, according to a recent city of L.A. planning report.

I say the mixture of rural plus somewhat city vibes (with a bunch of restaurants and taco stands, a car museum, a community college and outdoor strip malls) make Sylmar a unique place.

Before Sylmar became “Sylmar,” the area was occupied by the Tataviam people. It gets its name by fusing together the Latin words for forest and sea, “Sylva” and “Mare” respectively.

But many of the area’s roots can be traced to, well, olive trees.

Sylmar used to have the largest olive orchard anywhere in the world. In the 1890s, a businessman named Robert Widney started pitching the world on Sylmar’s soil: It was perfect for olives, he said. Over the next few decades, the olive orchard drew in thousands of workers from around the world.

You can see remnants of the olive trees throughout the area, and many places have given a nod to that history in their names, including the Olive View-UCLA Medical Center.

Growing up in this vast valley neighborhood during the mid-2000s (up until 2013), it felt like its own corner of the world. Mexican/Mexican American biculture was prevalent and even my non-Latino friends celebrated that Latinidad. There wasn’t a whole lot to do to pass the time, but pool time and carne asada with friends was enough. Those experiences helped me understand the different pockets of Los Angeles a little better, and myself, too.

I can’t leave you without telling you some spots to check out if you pass through Sylmar:

• Caruso’s Italian Kitchen is a classic in the neighborhood — and no, they’re not affiliated with Rick Caruso.
• My high school friend David Lopez Jr. and his family opened up a michelada spot, MichexGod, that has killer ceviche.
• Plan a picnic or a swim at El Cariso park — it’s essentially where all the family gatherings were planned. 
• If you’re into spooky stuff, you have to read about the legend of Gravity Hill. You’re supposed to put your car in neutral on a hill and feel yourself being pulled by ghosts.

P.S.: The valley pros already know it gets hot out there, but just a warning …

Listen to this week’s How to LA neighborhood segment that features Sylmar.

Thanks to How to LA’s Eden Teshome for an assist on writing the newsletter. 

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More news

(After you stop hitting snooze)

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• Warehouse workers in California are pushing the state to write new protections for indoor work. At a news conference yesterday, advocates proposed a rule with provisions such as providing water and increasing break times during high heat.
• 25 years ago, California’s Proposition 10 instituted a tobacco tax. Ironically, that money went to fund early childhood (or First 5) programs in the state. In the time since, tobacco use has plummeted, and now funding for First 5 is failing, reports CalMatters.
• Sweeping reports published at the start of the week found California State University’s administration ineffective at assuring Title IX protections for community members. CalMatters’ Mikhail Zinshteyn reports on their failures and the overhauls the system’s bureaucracy will need to undergo.
• If you or someone you know is a striking writer or actor experiencing financial stress, LAist has compiled a list of community resources that can help out.

Wait... one more thing

Casting 'fresh faces': John Singleton's take on casting

John Singleton

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Canadian Film Centre

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Filmmaker John Singleton’s casting practices helped spark Hollywood dreams.

Singleton, who passed away in 2019, prioritized picking his cast among a sea of “fresh faces” — think of someone lifted off the street or an actor often hidden in the background.

The youngest and first Black filmmaker to be nominated for Best Director at the Oscars (for Boyz n the Hood), Singleton’s casting elevated a handful of unknown actors to stardom. The release of his 2001 film Baby Boy helped push Tyrese Gibson and Taraji P. Henson into the limelight.

Singleton’s legacy of lifting new voices in Hollywood lives on. Academy Museum director, president, and podcast host Jacqueline Stewart sat down with casting director Kim Taylor Coleman, who worked with Singleton, in Season 2, Episode 5 of The Academy Museum Podcast.

This season is all about casting in Hollywood. Listen wherever you find your podcasts.