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How To LA
How To LA helped curious Angelenos connect with others, discover the new, navigate the confusing, and even drive some change along the way. Host Brian De Los Santos brought you stories about L.A., for L.A., by L.A. — with your help — from August 2022 to July 2025.
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Episodes
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Listen 50:06This 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.
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 SteamThis 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 24:30Hey there! After 317 new episodes, the How to LA team is turning the page. We won't be producing weekly episodes anymore, but you'll hear our reporting on LAist 89.3 FM, on our website and on social media. Before we exited the party, we wanted to hang out with our homies, comadres and contributors one last time.
Thank you for lettings us in your homes, speakers and communities. Follow along at LAist.com/newsletters and Instagram.
Guests:
Gab Chabrán, LAist food editor
Cato Hernández, LAist reporter
Joshua Letona, LAist social media producer
Erin Stone, LAist reporter
Antonia Cereijido, LAist Studios host
Monica Bushman, LAist Studios producer
Victoria Alejandro, LAist Studios producer
Hasta luego, friends ❤️Hey there! After 317 new episodes, the How to LA team is turning the page. We won't be producing weekly episodes anymore, but you'll hear our reporting on LAist 89.3 FM, on our website and on social media. Before we exited the party, we wanted to hang out with our homies, comadres and contributors one last time.
Thank you for lettings us in your homes, speakers and communities. Follow along at LAist.com/newsletters and Instagram.
Guests:
Gab Chabrán, LAist food editor
Cato Hernández, LAist reporter
Joshua Letona, LAist social media producer
Erin Stone, LAist reporter
Antonia Cereijido, LAist Studios host
Monica Bushman, LAist Studios producer
Victoria Alejandro, LAist Studios producer
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Listen 12:06#17: The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department did something unusual last month. It launched a criminal investigation into L.A. County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, and others, and got a warrant to search her house. It was unusual because the LASD does not typically investigate other county agencies. California's Attorney General has since taken that investigation over but the actions by the LASD raised some alarms, especially since Sheriff Alex Villanueva is running for re-election in November. It's all sorts of complicated but HTLA host Brian De Los Santos gets into it with this explainer on law enforcement in L.A.
Guest: LAist Civics and Democracy Correspondent Frank Stoltze
#17: The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department did something unusual last month. It launched a criminal investigation into L.A. County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, and others, and got a warrant to search her house. It was unusual because the LASD does not typically investigate other county agencies. California's Attorney General has since taken that investigation over but the actions by the LASD raised some alarms, especially since Sheriff Alex Villanueva is running for re-election in November. It's all sorts of complicated but HTLA host Brian De Los Santos gets into it with this explainer on law enforcement in L.A.
Guest: LAist Civics and Democracy Correspondent Frank Stoltze
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Listen 10:13#16: Street vending has been legal in L.A. for a few years now, but state health codes made it almost impossible for smaller vendors - especially food vendors - to get permitted. That process will become easier on January 1, 2023, thanks to a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September. HTLA host Brian De Los Santos and team get a behind the scenes look at how it all happened - the hard work that took place on the ground level - and what this change means for the vendors and for customers.
Guests: Juan Espinoza, lawyer with Public Counsel who works on their Community Development Project; Rosario Meléndez, street food vendor in Koreatown.
#16: Street vending has been legal in L.A. for a few years now, but state health codes made it almost impossible for smaller vendors - especially food vendors - to get permitted. That process will become easier on January 1, 2023, thanks to a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September. HTLA host Brian De Los Santos and team get a behind the scenes look at how it all happened - the hard work that took place on the ground level - and what this change means for the vendors and for customers.
Guests: Juan Espinoza, lawyer with Public Counsel who works on their Community Development Project; Rosario Meléndez, street food vendor in Koreatown.
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Listen 14:04#15: Drug use among teens is actually down but overdose deaths have spiked, doubling nationwide in 2020, largely due to the spread of counterfeit pills. In Los Angeles, a 15-year-old girl died after consuming a pill laced with fentanyl. In a surprise move, the Los Angeles Unified School District now says it will distribute Narcan, which reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, to junior and senior high schools. So, how did we get here? How to LA host Brian De Los Santos explores that question and how to talk to kids about this epidemic.
Guests: Joseph Friedman, UCLA researcher and author of a recent JAMA study on teen drug use and overdose deaths; Keegan Hamilton, who covers organized crime and the drug trade at VICE.
Correction: Alberto Carvalho’s name was mispronounced in an earlier version of this episode.
#15: Drug use among teens is actually down but overdose deaths have spiked, doubling nationwide in 2020, largely due to the spread of counterfeit pills. In Los Angeles, a 15-year-old girl died after consuming a pill laced with fentanyl. In a surprise move, the Los Angeles Unified School District now says it will distribute Narcan, which reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, to junior and senior high schools. So, how did we get here? How to LA host Brian De Los Santos explores that question and how to talk to kids about this epidemic.
Guests: Joseph Friedman, UCLA researcher and author of a recent JAMA study on teen drug use and overdose deaths; Keegan Hamilton, who covers organized crime and the drug trade at VICE.
Correction: Alberto Carvalho’s name was mispronounced in an earlier version of this episode.
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Listen 9:11#14: There are roughly eight thousand bus stops in Los Angeles but three-quarters of them don’t provide ANY kinda of shade from the sun. And with the inevitable schedule delays, you know Angelenos are sometimes waiting 45 minutes or more for their ride. This has long been recognized as a problem but now the L.A. City Council thinks they have a plan in place that'll make a difference. Will it? Plus, take a stroll through Ascot Hills with an LAist reader who explains why this place is her special place.
Guests: Ryan Fonseca, Associate Editor, Transportation and Mobility for LAist; Jessica Meaney, executive director of Investing in Place; Maria Patiño Gutierrez, LAist reader
#14: There are roughly eight thousand bus stops in Los Angeles but three-quarters of them don’t provide ANY kinda of shade from the sun. And with the inevitable schedule delays, you know Angelenos are sometimes waiting 45 minutes or more for their ride. This has long been recognized as a problem but now the L.A. City Council thinks they have a plan in place that'll make a difference. Will it? Plus, take a stroll through Ascot Hills with an LAist reader who explains why this place is her special place.
Guests: Ryan Fonseca, Associate Editor, Transportation and Mobility for LAist; Jessica Meaney, executive director of Investing in Place; Maria Patiño Gutierrez, LAist reader
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Listen 10:40#13: How to LA is back at it, exploring the different neighborhoods that make up this beautiful city. Today we’re checking out Little Tokyo, where we’ll learn how its art, food, and community advocacy make it such a special place.
Guests:
Grant Sunoo, director of community building & engagement at Little Tokyo Service Center; Brian Kito, owner of Fugetsu-Do; Sharon Kamegai Cocita, director of development at Little Tokyo Service Center; and LAist reader Ryan Chu-Tachikawa
#13: How to LA is back at it, exploring the different neighborhoods that make up this beautiful city. Today we’re checking out Little Tokyo, where we’ll learn how its art, food, and community advocacy make it such a special place.
Guests:
Grant Sunoo, director of community building & engagement at Little Tokyo Service Center; Brian Kito, owner of Fugetsu-Do; Sharon Kamegai Cocita, director of development at Little Tokyo Service Center; and LAist reader Ryan Chu-Tachikawa
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Listen 9:35Los Angeles has a lot to offer when it comes to the outdoors. But here's the thing: if hiking or camping wasn't a part of your world growing up, it can feel a little intimidating to make the plunge. HTLA host Brian De Los Santos is one of those Angelenos that didn't grow up exploring the outdoors... But that's all about to change at Debs Park, just east of the 110 near Montecito Heights.
Guest: Maricela (Marci) Rosales, Program Associate Director at the Conservation Lands Foundation
Los Angeles has a lot to offer when it comes to the outdoors. But here's the thing: if hiking or camping wasn't a part of your world growing up, it can feel a little intimidating to make the plunge. HTLA host Brian De Los Santos is one of those Angelenos that didn't grow up exploring the outdoors... But that's all about to change at Debs Park, just east of the 110 near Montecito Heights.
Guest: Maricela (Marci) Rosales, Program Associate Director at the Conservation Lands Foundation
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Listen 8:58Black Market Flea is like a cross between an outdoor bazaar and a party. Sure, you can buy some cool vintage threads but it is definitely a lot more than a flea market and has become something of a community space for Black Angelenos. It's been going on once-a-month for a year now so the How To LA team went to check it out at the Beehive in South Central Los Angeles. More details here.
Guest: Aaricka Washington, Associate Editor, How to LA Newsletter
Black Market Flea is like a cross between an outdoor bazaar and a party. Sure, you can buy some cool vintage threads but it is definitely a lot more than a flea market and has become something of a community space for Black Angelenos. It's been going on once-a-month for a year now so the How To LA team went to check it out at the Beehive in South Central Los Angeles. More details here.
Guest: Aaricka Washington, Associate Editor, How to LA Newsletter
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Listen 10:14Growing 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
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
Support & Credits
Brian De Los Santos, Host
Victoria Alejandro, Producer
Megan Botel, Producer
Monica Bushman, Producer
Evan Jacoby, Producer
Aaricka Washington, Associate Editor
Megan Larson, Executive Producer