How To LA

Episodes

Listen • 50:06

Listen • 50:06

This Old House Radio Hour: Designing for Disaster: How Los Angeles Builds Back Smarter + Saving The Outsider’s House + Four DIY Fixes: Chimneys, Circuits, Ceilings, and Steam

This week on This Old House Radio Hour—what does it mean to rebuild not just homes, but entire communities?

Sunset Magazine editor-in-chief Hugh Garvey joins us to discuss the magazine’s special issue devoted to the rebuilding of Altadena and Pacific Palisades in the wake of January’s devastating wildfires. Sunset, a voice in California architecture for over 125 years, has assembled an extraordinary coalition of architects, planners, artists, and historians. Together, they offer not just a plan, but a call to action—for fire-resilient homes, culturally grounded design, and a West that can weather what’s coming.

Then we travel from the hills of Los Angeles to the streets of Tulsa, where Danny Boy O’Connor—from House of Pain—takes us inside his remarkable second act. After bottoming out, he bought a run-down house for $15,000... and it just happened to be the house from The Outsiders. What followed was a full restoration, a pilgrimage, and a new life. We take a tour of the Outsiders Museum and meet the community that made it possible.

Later, Cheap Old Houses is back—Ethan and Elizabeth Finkelstein spotlight a dreamy 1870s Victorian in Fredonia, Kentucky and an off-the-grid cabin on federal forest land in Snoqualmie Pass, Washington, both for under $100,000.

Plus, another round of House Rules, our listener-powered game that tests your home renovation know-how. And in The Simple Fix, we show you how to find a stud in your baseboard—without breaking the wall.

And as always, we’re taking your calls. Got a house problem, project hurdle, or just need a little advice? Call us at (877) 864-7460.

All that and more, coming up on This Old House Radio Hour.

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Listen • 22:10

Listen • 22:10

REDUX: The Biltmore Hotel is 100 Years Old — And It Has Some Ghost Stories To Tell

In honor of The Biltmore Hotel's 100th birthday this month, we are bringing back an episode that delves into its history. This story's got movie stars, dignitaries and a whole lot of ghosts...just in time for Halloween.

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#143: Today we’re exploring one of L.A.’s most historic landmarks: the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.

It celebrates its 100th birthday in October, and since How to LA just turned one (!) we thought it'd be fitting to feature some of the most iconic spots in Los Angeles that are hitting the century mark (Others to come: the LA Memorial Coliseum and the Hollywood sign).

The Biltmore opened to the public in 1923 and it has such an interesting history, including becoming the place to be in prohibition-era Los Angeles, its role in the origins of the Academy Awards and its significance to the notorious Black Dahlia murder case. And that’s just the beginning.

Guest: Journalist Hadley Meares, who's written about The Biltmore's history for LAist
Listen • 22:09

Listen • 22:09

Finding (And Creating) Queer Joy In Community

Brian talks to LAist reporter Caitlin Hernandez about stories of queer joy in the face of difficult news this year about anti-trans bills and other negative rhetoric about LGBTQ rights. We also take a trip to a queer Quinceñera event to find community and joy.

You can find a video of Caitlin's Queer LA Live event here: https://laist.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/queer-la-live-los-angeles-events-lgbtq

Guests:

Caitlin Hernandez, LAist

Valentina, Drag Race Mexico

Salina Estitties, RuPaul's Drag Race Season 15

Ms. Benny, trans Latinx entertainer
Listen • 35:55

Listen • 35:55

HTLA Presents: Imperfect Paradise: Nury & The Secret Tapes: Part 4

This is How To LA – the podcast that helps you navigate this city. I’m Brian De Los Santos. We’re back with the 4th episode from Imperfect Paradise: Nury & The Secret Tapes – an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the biggest political scandal in recent Los Angeles history.

In the year since the L.A. City Council tape scandal, a lot has changed.

Efforts are underway to reform the redistricting process. Nury Martinez and Gil Cedillo are gone from the council. Only Kevin De León remains. Progressive shifts in the council are influencing its policies, and new elected members are working to forge a new way forward in L.A. This is the last episode of Nury & The Secret Tapes.

Support LAist Today: https://LAist.com/donate

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Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.

This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.
Listen • 20:59

Listen • 20:59

Witnessing A War Through Your Smartphone. How Do We Cope?

#168: The news coming out of the Middle East over the past couple of weeks has been terrifying. There have been thousands of reported deaths in the region following Hamas’ attack on Israel, and Israel's retalitory attacks in Gaza.

It can be hard to keep up with the new headlines of the day or the stuff we see on social media. It’s…. a lot… and it's heartbreaking. We know a lot of people in L.A. are hurting over this. The Jewish community in L.A. is the second largest in the U.S. after New York… with more than half a million people. And there are nearly 95,000 people of Arab descent living here.

Overall, there is just a lot of trauma people are experiencing now in different ways. Today, How To LA speaks to clinical psychologist Dr. Rick Williamson about how to cope with this collective trauma.

Guest: Rick Williamson, clinical psychologist and executive director of the Emmada Institute of Behavioral Health and Wellness

If you live in California and are struggling with your mental health right now, you can call the state’s peer-run hotline for help at 1-800-845-6264.
Listen • 19:43

Listen • 19:43

Your Guide To New Laws On Housing, Climate, Worker Pay And... Skittles?

#167: Over a thousand bills were sitting on Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk, and he had until last Friday to sign them. Now the results are in: 890 new laws, and 156 potential ones that got vetoed.

A lot of these laws only involved minor tweaks to existing legislation, and some were things that only affect Sacramento, but some could have a big impact right here in L.A. — on issues like increased pay for healthcare and fast food workers, a path to more housing development, and increased abortion access.

There were also some things that could have been big, but didn’t get the governors stamp — like decriminalizing psychedelics.

Today, Alexei Koseff, a reporter with Cal Matters, helps us make sense of some of these new laws, and the Governor's reasoning behind some vetoes.
Listen • 12:22

Listen • 12:22

BONUS: LA Ghost Stories - REDUX

We are half way to Halloween — time to get spooked, L.A.! We dug into the audio archives and found a few scary tales that were once told to a colleague long ago... (ok, like 2018).

These stories span the decades and take us from Kagel Canyon to Koreatown to the L.A. Zoo. Oh, and you'll learn a little bit about the making of the Bradbury Building in Downtown LA. Enjoy!
Listen • 17:29

Listen • 17:29

The History Of California's No Spanish Rule

#166: Back in the late 1800s, California leaders got together to rewrite the state's constitution. It was proposed that all government documents should only be written in English and that official business only be spoken in English. That proposal was soon adopted, effectively banning Spanish for official use, despite promises made after the end of Mexican-American war to create space for the language. It's a decision that continued to affect California classrooms decades later. But one higher ed system in the state is taking steps to reverse it.

Host Brian De Los Santos talks to LAist's Adolfo Guzman-Lopez who recently wrote about this is in a two-part series.

Guest: Adolfo Guzman-Lopez, Higher Education Correspondent for LAist

You can find his story on LAist -- part 1 is here: https://laist.com/news/education/california-constitutional-convention-english-only-spanish-laccd

And here's part 2: https://laist.com/news/education/laccd-community-colleges-immigrant-experience-in-language-classes-spanish
Listen • 53:32

Listen • 53:32

HTLA Presents: Imperfect Paradise: Nury & The Secret Tapes: Part 3

This is How To LA– the podcast that helps you navigate this city. I’m Brian De Los Santos.

To close out this week, we bring you the third episode from Imperfect Paradise: Nury & The Secret Tapes – an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the biggest political scandal in recent Los Angeles history.

In this episode, Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijido presses former L.A. City Council President Nury Martinez to account for the racist, demeaning comments she made on the secret recording that rocked Los Angeles and led to her resignation.

Antonia also challenges Nury on the deep-seated issues of race and politics that Nury’s own words raised.

Here’s Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijido – Nury and The Secret Tapes. Part 3.

CONTENT WARNING: Sensitive subject matter.