Explore LA

Coffee and safe haven: Inside the Skid Row cafe run by formerly unhoused women

The Downtown Women’s Center cafe helps train dozens of people a year as they transition from homelessness.

Listen 2:56

Two women stand smiling in front of the counter at the Made by DWC Cafe in Downtown LA's Skid Row.

Altadena’s fire diaspora: Why some families left after the Eaton Fire

Since the fire destroyed their homes, families have relocated everywhere from the East Coast to Europe.

Listen 5:57

A white couple stands outdoors in front of a wooden fence, smiling at the camera. The woman holds a baby. A toddler stands in front of them with their back to the camera.

That $3.2 million bluefin tuna from Japan is sold out in LA

The 535-pound giant was purchased in Tokyo as part of an annual tradition. About 30 pounds of it was flown to L.A. It was sold out in two days.

Listen 1:00

The storefront of a Japanese fish market or restaurant, prominently featuring a massive tuna displayed inside on a wooden platform.

The Hollywood Center Motel fire burned down over 120 years of history

The motel was up for historic status before it was destroyed.

Listen 3:52

A wide view of the motel from the street. The gate between the breeze walls is closed. It's covered in heavy white and red graffiti. The dilapidated house is visible behind the gate, which is also covered in graffiti.

The buzz without the booze — the rise of daytime partying

Tired of battling painful hangovers? Non-alcoholic based drink gatherings are offering the rush without the side effects

In the foreground, a DJ with medium skin tone is stretching out his hand to an energized crowd of sweaty dancers in a large open interior space

LA County increases support for program that helps youth through ‘wolf therapy’

Tuesday’s vote increases funding to make way for 150 more youths to be served at Wolf Connection’s Palmdale ranch.

Listen 0:46

Wolf Connection team member Edward Amaya sits with hands clasped together. He wears a black jacket and grey hoodie. Beside him, behind a fence, sits his buddy Kenai, a black and brown male wolf who lives on the ranch.

An anti-smoking billboard is an LA New Year’s mainstay. What do its sponsors think?

The American Cancer Society says when it comes to raising awareness about lung cancer screening, the more the merrier.

A billboard that reads "Smoking deaths this year: 332,385 and counting." The number is shown on an electronic counter.

The story ends for a nearly century-old community paper in the Pacific Palisades

The Palisadian-Post documented everyday life of a beloved coastal paradise for 97 years.

Listen 3:12

A man in a tan hat, a dark green shirt, gray pants and brown shoes leans against a brick wall with a sign that says "Pacific Palisades Post Printing & Publishing". The man smiles at the camera. A glass door behind him has the address "839" on it.

Photographer finds his way home to Altadena, one image at a time

Kevin Cooley and his family lost their house in the Eaton Fire. The artist's post-fire photographs have again and again guided him home.

Listen 2:12

Photo of a trailer parked on a dirt or gravel lot, with a cityscape faintly visible in the distance under a deep blue sky transitioning to purple and orange near the horizon. Palm trees rise tall in the background. A man with a beard is inside the trailer.

How trailblazer Rebecca Gonzales broke through mariachi machismo in the 70's

Rebecca Gonzales’ oral history sheds light on the rewards and the pain of her breakthrough.

Listen 4:48

A young woman with black hair and medium toned skin is wearing a large red Mexican sombrero, and a red and white scarf, and is holding a violin

Does your pooch herd at the dog park? Let them try the real thing

Jerry Stewart has been training Southern California dogs to herd sheep for nearly four decades.

Listen 0:48

A man holds a shepherd's staff in one hand and a leash attached to a yellow dog in the other. He's in a pen with a small flock of sheep in the background.

Rising from the ashes, a symbol of hope at the Rose Parade

Survivors of the Eaton and Palisades Fires find healing and community working on a Rose Parade float to honor the lives and communities lost in last year's wildfires.

Hey, LA listener!

Explore LA

Support Explore LA today