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 is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
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.
Bahooka's Beloved Rufus Stays At New Restaurant, Supporter Says Plan Is Fishy
Rufus the pacu fish (Photo by Emma Gallegos/LAist)
()
The drama over the future home of Bahooka's famous pacu fish Rufus has taken an unexpected turn. The owners of the building that once house the tiki restaurant Bahooka, who originally wanted Rufus out, told the Los Angeles Times that they now want to keep the fish to help decorate the restaurant.
They're also taking Rufus' age into account. "He's 37 years old already," Charles Ye, a spokesperson for the owners, told the Times. "We want to take care of him."
But Lynn Garrett of Hidden Los Angeles is claiming that they reversed their stance only after realizing that keeping Rufus would be a sound business decision due to the attention the beloved fish has received.
"When the press came and started talking to [the owner], they were asking if he was sure if he was going to get rid of this fish. And in his words, he realized the fish has value," Garrett told LAist.
Support for LAist comes from
Rufus became famous for greeting customers at Bahooka, a tiki restaurant that was a fixture in Rosemead for 46 years. When Bahooka closed down in March of last year, the fish sat in his tank, too old to be moved without the most careful of hands. Jorge Mastache, a former Bahooka employee, has been traveling from San Bernardino to feed Rufus and clean his tank, which has no filtration, Garrett said. The owners plan to open a Chinese restaurant in the building.
Since taking up Rufus' cause last week due to rumblings from the tiki community, Garrett has been a woman on a mission: she has called all across Southern California to try to find a home for the carrot-eating pacu fish. She eventually found another tiki-themed bar, Damon's in Glendale, who was willing to take Rufus in. She started a fundraiser and amassed over $2,700 from Rufus supporters. She even consulted with biologists from the California Science Center to find a way to move Rufus as gently and safely as possible.
The new owners want to build a larger, 2,079-gallon tank for Rufus (seven times the size of his current tank) in the middle of the new restaurant and fill it with other pacu. Garrett is claiming that the new owner still wanted the money that was raised on Rufus' behalf to help cover the cost of building that tank. When she refused, Garrett said, the owners accused her of not caring for the fish.
Ye told the L.A. Times that they are planning on starting a fundraiser of their own, claiming that they need an additional $6,000 to $12,000 in donations to create the new tank for Rufus. Mastache said that the other sea creatures in the building will be moved to the owner's home.
We reached out to the property owners for comment on Garrett's claims, but have yet to hear back.
As for the money, Garrett is talking to the donors to decide what to do with it. She told LAist that the fact that Rufus has a home is a positive thing, but she wonders what will happen to Rufus down the road.
"In six months down the road, when [the owner] realizes that he isn't interested in Rufus because he's not getting the same attention, then what happens to him?" Garrett said.
Support for LAist comes from
Related:
Bahooka’s Rufus the Fish is Probably Moving to Damon’sBahooka's Famous Fish Rufus Needs A New Home
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.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars. -
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.
Best of LAist