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Podcasts
How To LA
Colorful array of city activities: food truck, cyclist, vintage car, barber, girl in quinceanera dress; 6th street bridge in the background with purple gradient overlay
(
Dan Carino
/
LAist
)
How To LA
Stories about L.A., for L.A., by L.A.

About the Show

We’re here to help curious Angelenos connect with others, discover the new, navigate the confusing, and even drive some change along the way. Host Brian De Los Santos brings you stories about L.A., for L.A., by L.A. — with your help. Like you, we know this city is unique, and that’s why it’s one of the reasons we love it.

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.

Funding provided by:

Corporation for Public Broadcasting
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Episodes
  • How To LA logo (graphical text) with LAist Studios logo (graphical text) with 6th street bridge in the background; with red to orange vertical gradient as background color
    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.

You can power How To LA
This great community resource only exists with your listener support. Help us tell stories about LA’s rich history and exciting future, as well as answer the deeper questions on important issues. Step up and become a member today with a donation! Let’s explore and discover our great city together.
  • How To LA logo (graphical text) with LAist Studios logo (graphical text) with 6th street bridge in the background; with red to orange vertical gradient as background color
    Listen • 10:14
    Transcript
    Listen • 10:14
    Brown & Gay in LA
    Growing up as a gay Filipino man in the 90s and 2000s with immigrant parents, Anthony Ocampo felt confused and alone. Now a professor and sociologist, he wrote a memoir exploring the challenges of discovering oneself in LA during that period. He joins HTLA host, Brian De Los Santos, to talk about what he's learned over the years – and, to give a preview of what's inside his new book: Brown and Gay in LA: The Lives of Immigrant Sons. 

    Guest:
    Anthony Christian Ocampo, Professor of Sociology, Cal Poly Pomona

    Transcript
  • How To LA logo (graphical text) with LAist Studios logo (graphical text) with 6th street bridge in the background; with red to orange vertical gradient as background color
    Listen • 11:17
    Transcript
    Listen • 11:17
    Understanding The Monkeypox Virus Now
    There are 1,900 monkeypox cases in Los Angeles County. Transmission rates are falling but this week the L.A. County Public Health Department confirmed the first death caused by the virus. Information about monkeypox is changing fast so host Brian De Los Santos checks in on the where things stand now -- and what people in high risk categories should know. 

    Guests: 

    Jackie Fortier, LAist Senior Health Reporter

    Eric Pham, Palos Verdes resident

    Janay Tate, Hollywood resident

    Transcript
  • How To LA logo (graphical text) with LAist Studios logo (graphical text) with 6th street bridge in the background; with red to orange vertical gradient as background color
    Listen • 7:15
    Transcript
    Listen • 7:15
    Growing Kale In Compton
    Alma Backyard Farms in Compton is a lot of things to a lot of people. It grows fresh produce to sell to its neighbors, trains formerly incarcerated people to work the land, and teaches kids to garden and eat healthy meals. It brings the community together. During the dog days of summer, Brian De Los Santos and team went to see how it all works... and pick up some tomatoes. 

    Guests:
    Erika Cuellar and Richard Garcia, co-founders of Alma Farms

    Transcript
  • How To LA logo (graphical text) with LAist Studios logo (graphical text) with 6th street bridge in the background; with red to orange vertical gradient as background color
    Listen • 10:18
    Transcript
    Listen • 10:18
    Fight The Heat With Asphalt Paint
    Pacoima is one of the hottest neighborhoods in Los Angeles so some homegrown environmental activists are trying something new to mitigate the extreme heat: painting the pavement. 

    Guests: 

    Erin Stone, LAist Climate Emergency Reporter 
    Melanie Torres, Community Organizer with Pacoima Beautiful
    Eliot Wall, General Manager for Street Bond-GAF 



    Transcript
  • How To LA logo (graphical text) with LAist Studios logo (graphical text) with 6th street bridge in the background; with red to orange vertical gradient as background color
    Listen • 10:46
    Transcript
    Listen • 10:46
    Cheap Fast Eats #1: Pasadena
    #6: Hungry and looking for some inexpensive grub? Come along with HTLA host Brian De Los Santos and LAist food editor Gab Chabrán as they go in search of cheap, fast eats in communities all over LA County. First up: some old school eateries in Pasadena. 

    Locations: Burrito Express, Sandwiches By Connal, Roma Market

    Guest: Gab Chabrán, food editor at LAist.

    Transcript
  • How To LA logo (graphical text) with LAist Studios logo (graphical text) with 6th street bridge in the background; with red to orange vertical gradient as background color
    Listen • 10:33
    Transcript
    Listen • 10:33
    How to Make LA Greener
    For its size, Los Angeles is lacking in parks and other green spaces compared to other major cities. Meet one man who is on a mission to make a difference in some of L.A.'s most underserved neighborhoods - one tree at a time. 
    Guest: Aaron Thomas, Director of Urban Forestry for the non-profit Northeast Trees.

    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.

    Transcript
  • How To LA logo (graphical text) with LAist Studios logo (graphical text) with 6th street bridge in the background; with red to orange vertical gradient as background color
    Listen • 11:09
    Transcript
    Listen • 11:09
    Navigating LA's Desert Heat + Food Deserts
    It's hot, Los Angles. We hear how people dealt. Plus, Chinatown is a food desert. The neighborhood is home to a lot of low income seniors and there is no local grocer that serves them. The new LA River Farmers' Market that opened up in nearby the LA State Historic Park hopes to fill some of the void.




    Transcript
  • How To LA logo (graphical text) with LAist Studios logo (graphical text) with 6th street bridge in the background; with red to orange vertical gradient as background color
    Listen • 9:28
    Transcript
    Listen • 9:28
    Light Rail Level Up + LA's Farmers' Markets
    LA Metro's long-awaited K Line will soon be ready to ride. Seven stops will open later this year, taking folks from Crenshaw to Inglewood and Westchester (sorry but that LAX stop will take a minute). We get the tea from residents and business owners who've been waiting on this train for a few years. Next stop: Mar Vista -- to go shopping at the farmer's market, one of more than 100 in the county.



    Transcript
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Credits
Victoria Alejandro
Former Producer, How to L.A. and LAist Studios
Megan Botel
Producer, How to L.A.
Headshot of Monica Bushman
Monica Bushman
Producer II
Brian De Los Santos
Former Host, How To L.A., social
Megan Larson
Fromer executive Producer, How To L.A. and Take Two
Evan Jacoby
Former producer for "How to LA" and on-call
Aaricka Washington
Former Associate Editor, How To L.A.