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 • 13:49

Listen • 13:49

Foraging for Wild-Food Tacos: REDUX

#42: We're celebrating Earth Week by bringing you some of our favorite outdoor episodes. This episode first aired on December 1, 2022.

Southern California has more wild food than you might expect. There's a long history of foraging in and around Los Angeles. These foods have been everything from staples for indigenous communities, to delicacies for high-end chefs. (and, of course, food for critters!) Today, Jess Starwood is taking HTLA host Brian De Los Santos on a foraging hike. He tries his hand at mushroom hunting, acorn gathering, and berry plucking, to prepare some truly unique wild-food tacos.

Guest: Jess Starwood, professional forager & author of Mushroom Wanderland: A Forager's Guide to Finding, Identifying, and Using More Than 25 Wild Fungi
Listen • 15:33

Listen • 15:33

How Do We Compost in LA?

#94: Are you all composting at home? Well, you should be, because we're now kind of required to by law! California’s landmark composting mandate went into effect in January of 2022. It states that all residents and businesses must separate “green waste” from other trash. To comply, LA developed a new composting program called “organics recycling,” but roll out has been complex, especially for multifamily residences.

Today, How To LA and LAist's climate emergency reporter, Erin Stone, go to Park La Brea Apartments – the largest apartment complex on the West coast – to see how they're making composting happen for their renters.

Guests: Aryn Thomez, VP of property management at Park La Brea Apartments; Jessica Aldridge, director of sustainability at Athens Services; Erin Stone, climate emergency reporter for LAist.

Check out Erin's reporting on the roll out of the composting program.

And check out Athens Services guides on properly composting and recycling.
Listen • 16:35

Listen • 16:35

Finding Home con DACA, Part 3: "Outside, In"

#93: How to LA host Brian De Los Santos arrived in the U.S. from Mexico at the age of 2. He found out as a teenager that he was undocumented. Then he got DACA - deferred action childhood arrivals. He was able to get a driver’s license, qualify for in state college tuition and establish a path to a good career.

But even under DACA Brian wasn’t able to the leave the county... until he qualified for something called “Advance Parole,” earlier this year. It's a program that allows DACA recipients to travel outside the U.S under certain conditions. Brian had, maybe, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go to his country of origin.

In part 3 of the 3-part series, Finding Home con DACA, Brian returns to Los Angeles. But his ideas of "home" have changed.

Music from this episode composed by: Geir Sundstøl, Modarchive, Natalia Lafourcade, Old Saw, Woo, Yeahman
Listen • 12:17

Listen • 12:17

¡Fiesta! At LA's Legendary Puppet Theater

#92: The Bob Baker Marionette Theater is a legit L.A. institution. It opened in 1963 in Echo Park and, after the first building was sold to a real-estate developer, it reopened in Highland Park in 2019.

Now, it might not seem like an obvious place to connect with Latino and LGBT communities in L.A., but you might be surprised! When HTLA producer Victoria Alejandro took our host Brian De Los Santos to the theater's ¡Fiesta! puppet show, they were delighted by what they discovered.

Bob Baker himself created ¡Fiesta! 50 years ago as a "love letter" to Latin America. It was, according to the theater's website, inspired by his neighbors in L.A. and his mostly Latino team of puppeteers.

The show recently got a much needed contemporary update from two new directors, Daisy Hernandez and Karina De La Cruz, who also happened to grow up going to the theater. They join How to LA host Brian De Los Santos to talk about what BBMT meant to them as kids and why the art of puppetry is still such a draw for them professionally.

The whole experience of seeing the show at BBMT was a special kind of magic for Brian who admits he was a little skeptical when our producer pitched this idea. You'll have to listen to the podcast to hear why it continues to make an impact on audiences young and old across L.A.

Guests: Daisy Hernandez, stage manager at Bob Baker Marionette Theater and co-director of ¡Fiesta!, and Karina De La Cruz, puppeteer and co-director of ¡Fiesta!
Listen • 14:35

Listen • 14:35

Neighborhood Councils: What Do They Really Do in LA?

#91: There's all sorts of things we probably want to change about our neighborhoods. Maybe it's a desire for speed humps or public trash cans ...or fewer parties at the Airbnb down the street. Whatever it is, those issues probably can be addressed with the help of your neighborhood council - it's a volunteer group made up, most likely, of your neighbors.

There's roughly 99 of them in the city and the folks who serve on these councils can often be that direct link to your city councilmember and other L.A. government officials and organizations. Ideally, they can help get things done for your community.

And with voting is underway for the people who will serve on your neighborhood council, we want to give you the 4-1-1 on what they are all about. Listen to this episode and, if you want to know even more about YOUR neighborhood council, check out this link at empowerLA.org. You can find out which neighborhood council represents you and what kind of work they've been up to lately.

Guest: Brianna Lee, LAist engagement producer, Civics & Democracy.

To learn more, check out Brianna's stories:

Neighborhood Councils Are As Local As LA Government Gets. Here's How They Work – And How To Join One

How To Vote In Neighborhood Council Elections, Which Are Happening Right Now
Listen • 15:26

Listen • 15:26

Everything You Need To Know About SoCal's Wildflower Bloom

#90: Happy wildflower season! Have you seen all the wildflowers popping up around the city and beyond lately? One of the wettest winters on record has paid off, and SoCal's spectacular array of wildflowers is our reward. Today, botanist Evan Meyer tells us all about this season's special bloom, which, due to the rain, will continue for months to come in what is called a "constant" bloom.

California is one of the few places in the world that experiences this explosion of color beginning each spring. Learn how the state's Mediterranean climate produces our unique wildflower seasons and – most importantly – how to responsibly enjoy the blooms without disturbing the delicate ecosystem. We'll also tell you the best spots to see wildflowers this weekend.

Guest: Evan Meyer, executive director of the Theodore Payne Foundation
Listen • 18:55

Listen • 18:55

Finding Home con DACA, Part 2: "Hecho en México"

#89: How to LA host Brian De Los Santos arrived in the U.S. from Mexico at the age of 2. He found out as a teenager that he was undocumented. Then he got DACA -- Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. It let him get a driver’s license, get a work permit and helped him build a successful career as a journalist. But even with DACA, Brian wasn’t able to the leave the county to visit even visit family. That is, until he qualified for something called “Advance Parole.”

In part 2 of Finding Home con DACA, Brian finally sets foot in Mexico. His audio diary chronicles what it was like to feel at home, but also feel like an outsider, in the place where he was born.

Music from this episode composed by: Floating Points, Geir Sundstøl, Modarchive, Yeahman
Listen • 11:54

Listen • 11:54

Where To Get Your Lit... In Spaces Owned By Black Women

#88: Since 2019, several Black women have founded literary spaces in Los Angeles that hold more than just books; they offer places where people can gather and find community. There’s Salt Eaters in Inglewood, Reparations Club near West Adams, the Radical Hood Library — home to the No Name Book Club — near Jefferson Park. Last month Octavia’s Bookshelf opened in Pasadena, named for beloved science fiction author Octavia Butler. There's also Our Watts Bookshop, which is currently online with plans for a physical store in Watts later this year.

How to LA newsletter writer Aaricka Washington talked to the women behind these spaces and joined HTLA Brian De Los Santos to share what she learned.

Guest: Aaricka Washington, HTLA newsletter associate editor