Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
LAist ventures into Big Cat country

Friday was the first Los Angeles Cougar Convention - dedicated to younger men and the older women who appreciate them. The event was organized by the Society of Single Professionals, an educational group dedicated to spreading the word about younger men dating older women.
Lucia (no last name), host of The Art of Love radio show and author of Lucia's Lessons of Love, taught the first-ever 'Cougar School' which took place right before the event officially opened.
According to Lucia, the term 'cougar' was coined by a player on Vancouver's hockey team, who started calling the older single women who came to the games cougars.
Also according to Lucia, to qualify as a cougar a woman must be at least 40 years old and exclusively date men at least 10 years younger than herself. The rest of you ladies are out of luck and just getting your freak on.
The event, held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Beverly Hills, started with a 'speed-dating' type mixer, followed by a keynote address and the cougar-themed "comedy" stylings of Unique Monique, and then a dancing and drinking at the cash bar.
For those of you who were afraid of who you thought was going to show up, the actual event was attended by mostly normal-looking women, many of whom said they weren't looking for a younger guy per se, but were just curious about the event.
Most of the guys there, when questioned, admitted that they were interested in meeting any lady, not just an older one.
All in all, the event was very fun, and the ratio was good for women (it ran about two men per women, although the organizers tell us that changes from city to city), and as the event room filled up and the line and the tiny corner cash bar became unmanageable, the party spilled out into the hotel's lobby bar (where at least one could run a tab), where phone numbers were exchanged furiously before attendees melted away into the night.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
-
The weather’s been a little different lately, with humidity, isolated rain and wind gusts throughout much of Southern California. What’s causing the late-summer bout of gray?