Inside a $27M property deal funded by taxpayers now under federal investigation

Inside a $27M property deal funded by taxpayers now under federal investigation

Even in L.A.’s famously overheated real estate market, the profit — and quick turnaround — on a senior housing complex in the Cheviot Hills neighborhood seemed extraordinary. The man at the center of the deal, since identified by federal prosecutors as Brentwood landlord and developer Steven Taylor, bought the property on Shelby Drive in 2023 for $11.2 million, purchase records show. He wasn’t planning to hold on to the complex for long. At the time of his purchase, a company owned by Taylor already was in escrow to sell the complex to Weingart Center, a major homeless housing provider, for more than double what he paid, according to a purchase agreement obtained through a public records request. The $27.3 million to pay for that acquisition came from taxpayer grant funds authorized by city and state officials, according to grant documentation. L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom touted the purchase as a key tool in the fight against homelessness.

Gravy gone wrong. Your biggest Thanksgiving meal mishaps.

Have you ever had a Thanksgiving meal go so array that the whole family ended up piling in the car and driving to Taco Bell? Maybe the turkey caught fire, or you tried baking your first pie from scratch and you accidentally grabbed the cayenne pepper instead of the cinnamon. Look, it happens. It's a hectic day. Well, today on AirTalk we want to hear about your biggest Thanksgiving day disasters. Did you forget to cook the vegetables? Overcook the stuffing? Undercook the turkey? What are your Thanksgiving day disasters? Call us at 866-893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com. Joining us on the program is Clémence de Lutz, co-owner of Petitgrain Boulangerie in Santa Monica.

TV Talk: ‘Stranger Things,’ ‘Heated Rivalry,’ and more!

Have you felt completely overwhelmed when deciding what new show to watch these days? Us too. There’s just so much content out there between network TV and numerous streaming platforms. Each week, we will try to break through the noise with TV watchers who can point us to the must-sees and steer us clear of the shows that maybe don’t live up to the hype. This week, listeners will get the latest scoop on what’s worth watching with Hanh Nguyen, Executive Editor, Culture & Food at Salon.com, an independent news publication and Marcus Jones, awards editor for TV & Film at IndieWire.

TV Shows:

• Stranger Things (Netflix)
• Heated Rivalry (HBO Max)
• One Shot with Ed Sheeran (Netflix)
• Words + Music (MGM+)
• Married to Medicine (Bravo!)
• Drops of God (Apple TV+)

FilmWeek: ‘Hamnet,’ ‘Wake Up Dead Man,’ ‘Zootopia 2,’ and more!

Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Tim Cogshell, Manuel Betancourt and Charles Solomon review the latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms.

Films:

• Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery In Select Theaters Nov 26|Streaming on Netflix Dec 12
• Hamnet In Select Theaters Nov 26|Expands Dec 5
• Zootopia 2 Wide Release Nov 26 
• Eternity In Select Theaters Nov 26
• A Magnificent Life Laemmle Royal [West LA] Closes Nov 27
• Cactus Pears Laemmle Royal [West LA] Nov 28 
• Outerlands Available on VOD Nov 26
• Angel's Egg Alamo Drafthouse DTLA Nov 26|Egyptian Theater Nov 28

Feature: The enduring legacy of ‘The Big Lebowski’

For our most recent FilmWeek screening event, where we show quintessential L.A. films across the city, we went to the family-owned Garden Cinema to present the Coen Brothers’ classic The Big Lebowski. The 1998 noir-comedy opened to mixed reviews during its initial release, but has since gained cult status and even mainstream praise. In 2014, it was designated a "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant” film and added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. After the screening, Larry Mantle spoke with LAist FilmWeek critics Christy Lemire and Wade Major about the impact of the film and their personal love for ‘The Dude.’