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 • 15:15

Listen • 15:15

After Scandals, A Moment For Reform In LA Politics

#153: The City Hall leaked tape incident last year, combined with several corruption scandals involving councilmembers in the past few years, have led to this moment: There’s now more momentum than ever behind some major reforms.

There are three main proposals that would significantly impact how the city is governed. They have to deal with redistricting, revamping the ethics commission and expanding the city council. BTW, did you know that the number of city council seats (15) hasn't changed in over 100 years, even though in the population of L.A. has grown sevenfold in that time?

Voters have to approve those changes, but there are some steps that have to happen before Angelenos will see them on their ballots.

Frank Stolze, LAist Civics and Democracy Correspondent, who recently co-wrote a guide to all this, joined us to explain.
Listen • 21:07

Listen • 21:07

100 Years Of The Hollywood Sign

#152: This month, How To LA is putting the spotlight on LA landmarks that are turning 100 this year – all to celebrate our FIRST birthday.

Next up: The Hollywood Sign. Host Brian De Los Santos and producer Megan Botel take a hike up to the top of Mount Lee to the sign to speak with Jeff Zarrinnam of the Hollywood Sign Trust. Learn about the evolution of the iconic landmark since the original "Hollywoodland" sign was put up in 1923, and what it means as a cultural and industry icon for greater Los Angeles.

Guest: Jeff Zarrinnam, chairman of the Hollywood Sign Trust

The best Hollywood Sign Hike from Griffith Park up Mount Lee.

A shorter hike option to the Hollywood Sign.
Listen • 15:12

Listen • 15:12

Wanna Beat The Heat? Try Painting Your Roof

#151: Okay - the past couple days of clouds were a nice break from the hot weather. But love it or hate it... that L.A. heat is always just right around the corner. Controlling urban heat is a major issue: it touches everything from health, to the environment, to your wallet. And running the AC all day can cost a pretty penny, assuming you're not one of the 20% of Angelenos who live without AC.

This is where cool roofs come in. It's L.A.'s new-fangled solution that got its start a couple thousand years ago in the Mediterranean, and is now required by law for all new roofs in the city.

Join LAist climate reporter Erin Stone as she takes HTLA host Brian De Los Santos down to Watts. The neighborhood received a grant to install free cool roofs, AND solar, for local residents.
Listen • 23:05

Listen • 23:05

Finding Community Through Friday Night Shabbat

#150: Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown on Friday, which means friends and friends will gather together for Shabbat.

It turns out that all around LA, every Friday, you can find a Shabbat dinner to attend – and you do not have to be Jewish. The non-profit OneTable that organizes these events says it's all about building community and practicing the long lost "art of gathering."

HTLA producer Megan Botel chats with folks from OneTable and attended a recent OneTable Shabbat dinner.

Guests: Dani Kohanzadeh, field director at OneTable; Elizabeth Grossman, Shabbat host through OneTable
Listen • 21:39

Listen • 21:39

How A Film Location Scout Turns DTLA Into NY, Chicago, the Future And the Past

#149: As a Los Angeles-based film location scout/manager who’s been in the business for nearly 30 years, Rick Schuler has found lots of streets and buildings in downtown L.A. that can look like lots of other places.

Places like Chicago, San Francisco, New York, Italy and Colombia. And different time periods too — like 1960s-era L.A. (for the 2019 film "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood") and L.A. in the “near future” (for the 2013 film "Her").

Schuler’s other film credits include "Seven" (1995), "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" (2005), "A Star Is Born" (2018), and "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood" (2019). All of them were filmed, at least partially, in and around Los Angeles.

Maybe more than other cities, Schuler says, “L.A.’s very adaptable to pass as a lot of different places."
Listen • 16:16

Listen • 16:16

As Strikes Drag On, Financial Stress Sets In For Hollywood Workers

#148: The Writers' and Actors' strikes continue to drag on with no deal in sight. It's starting to take its toll on these artists as its been months since many of them have made any income.

Reports of evictions and other hardships are starting to hit the headlines. But some help could be available for those who need a little extra financial help.

Guest: Keith McNutt. Executive Director, Western Region, Entertainment Community Fund (formerly known as the Actors Fund), which is helping creatives get through these tough times by giving out anywhere between $400, 000 to 700,000 in grants per week, plus other support.
Listen • 22:58
Listen • 22:58

Why The LA Coliseum Is More Than A Stadium
#147: The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is one of several L.A. landmarks hitting the century mark this year, and we thought it’d be fun to take a look back on them as we celebrate our one-year anniversary of How To LA this September.
We explored The Biltmore Hotel downtown (if you haven’t listened to that episode already) and we’ll be featuring the story behind the Hollywood sign pretty soon.

When it comes to the L.A. Coliseum (the "memorial" in the full name refers to the fact that the stadium is a memorial to the Americans who served in WWI) there’s no denying that it has a rich history. For example, it played a role in the desegregation of the NFL, and it will soon be the first location to ever host three Olympic Games. But the stadium's history goes way beyond sports.

Guests:
- Frank Guridy, Professor of History and African American and African Diaspora Studies at Columbia University, and author of the forthcoming book, "The Stadium: An American History of Politics, Protest, and Play"
- William Deverell, Historian at USC and Director of the Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West
- Marina Fote, Assistant to the General Manager, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The performances from Wattstax in this episode are Carla Thomas singing "Pick Up the Pieces" and The Bar-Kays performing "Son of Shaft/Feel It."
Listen • 18:03

Listen • 18:03

How To Live Car-Free — In The Car Capital of The World - REDUX

#77: Brian's out today, so we're revisiting that time Evan took Meg on his bike route to work... and explored what it looks like to live Car-Free in Los Angeles. Please note, the Gold Line, as reference in this podcast, has been renamed the A Line.

Lots of Angelinos live without a car – and hundreds of thousands of people here don't use a car in their daily commute. But... it is definitely NOT the norm. HTLA Producer Evan Jacoby recently joined the car-less when he switched to a bike last fall.

Today, he's showing fellow producer Megan Botel his work commute. And they're talking with people across LA about how limiting their car use, or even going car-free, changed their lives for the better.

Guests: Journalist Ryan Fonseca and carless citizens Fabian Santiago, Sahian Huesca, & Andrew McLeod