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How To LA How to LA aims to drop a little knowledge about ALL the things that affect the people of Los Angeles, whether that's something that makes our city great (tacos!) or something that we need to work on, like the alarming number of traffic collisions. We serve the curious Angeleno who wants to better connect with our city, discover the new, navigate the confusing and even drive some change along the way.
How To LA

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How To LA

How To LA

From LAist 89.3

How to LA aims to drop a little knowledge about ALL the things that affect the people of Los Angeles, whether that's something that makes our city great (tacos!) or something that we need to work on, like the alarming number of traffic collisions. We serve the curious Angeleno who wants to better connect with our city, discover the new, navigate the confusing and even drive some change along the way.

Most Recent Episodes

Why Are There Nearly 10,000 Vacant City Jobs In LA?

#196: Trash on sidewalks, longer wait times for city services, and lots and lots of overtime for some L.A. workers. What connects it all? Job openings — a lot of them — for government jobs with the city and also the county. LAist civics and democracy correspondent Frank Stoltze joins us to explain what's going on.

Volunteers Take On The Homelessness Crisis, Part 1: "The Alternative is Death"

#195: Unsheltered life in L.A. can be dangerous and even deadly — and there has been a massive increase in the death rate for unhoused people in the county over the last few years. There is work being done by the mayor's office to get people off the street and into temporary housing. But the promise of services — whether in the form of housing, treatment for substance addiction, or mental health counseling — cannot help if people aren't alive in 6 months, a year — or 5 — to receive them. While they wait, many unhoused people have come to rely on mutual aid volunteers to cover their immediate needs, from overdose prevention to fresh drinking water. In part one of our 3-part series, HTLA host Brian De Los Santos and producer Evan Jacoby explore what these mutual aid groups actually do for our unhoused neighbors. Guests: Ndindi Kitonga, founder Palms Unhoused Mutual Aid (PUMA); Jesse Goldshear, volunteer with PUMA and postdoc researcher studying public health at the University of California, San Diego; Aria Cataño, co-founder of WaterDrop LA; Sade Kammen, volunteer with WaterDrop LA and social worker in Skid Row

Volunteers Take On The Homelessness Crisis, Part 1: "The Alternative is Death"

Listen · 31:22

Will Actors Ratify The New SAG Contract?

#194: Members of the Screen Actors Guild have now seen everything that is in tentative contract that union leadership negotiated with studios and streamers — and not everyone is happy with it. The big sticking point? Artificial intelligence. Some union members don't think the A.I. protections worked out in the contract go far enough, and are encouraging a "no" vote on the deal. For many in the industry, the chance that things could stall again is alarming. The writers and actors strike — combined — dragged on for 6 months, crippling a lot of people and businesses financially. And a lot of folks just want to get back to work. The union vote on this contract is expected to wrap up tomorrow (Tuesday Dec. 5th) so we thought we'd check in on where things stand. Guest: LAist reporter Robert Garrova

Cheap Fast Eats #11: Mid City

#193: It's Cheap Fast Eats time again, and that means LAist food editor Gab Chabrán is hitting the streets with HTLA host Brian De Los Santos. Mid City is close to EVERYTHING...Museum Row, Park La Brea, Fairfax, West Hollywood. It's a good place to know some gems to get some cheap grubs. Locations: Qi Steam Kitchen, Del Mar Ostioneria, Burger She Wrote Guest: LAist food editor, Gab Chabrán

Documenting LA In Oil Paints, Block By Block: Meet Painter Justin N. Kim

#192: Each neighborhood of LA has its own electricity — meet a painter who brings city blocks to life in oil paints. In the latest episode of How To LA, podcast host Brian De Los Santos hears from producer Victoria Alejandro about Pasadena-based painter Justin N. Kim. Kim showed us his studio as he was preparing to show his work at The Other Art Fair earlier this year, and let us in on his process of creating paintings of LA that also work as maps of the city. Take a look at some of the works discussed in this episode on his website: https://www.jnkim.org/#/maps/ Also here: https://laist.com/news/how-to-la/documenting-la-in-oil-paints-block-by-block It's all a part of an occasional HTLA series centering on artists, mostly painters and photographers, who tell the story of Los Angeles through their works. You can find our earlier episode with photographer Elon Schoenholz here: https://omny.fm/shows/howtola/artists-see-la-photographer-elon-schoenholz Guest: L.A. Painter Justin N. Kim

Documenting LA In Oil Paints, Block By Block: Meet Painter Justin N. Kim

Listen · 15:03

'It's Really Hot Out Here.' What LAUSD Is Doing To Cool Down Schools

#191: Today we're talking about heat and how it affects school kids – those in elementary, middle and high school to be specific — with LAist Associate Editor Aaricka Washington. Read Aaricka's reporting: "It's Been More Than A Year Since LAUSD Pledged To Green Schools. But There's Still No Finalized Plan In Place"

The Mayor's Promise To House 17,000 People In Her First Year

#190: It's been almost a year since L.A. Mayor Karen Bass was sworn into office — and made a pledge to house 17,000 people experiencing homelessness. It was a big and bold promise. So we wondered: How's that going? How To LA host Brian de Los Santos speaks with Brianna Lee, LAist engagement producer and reporter, and Nick Gerda, who covers unhoused communities in L.A. for LAist about their effort to track the mayor's promise. Guests: Brianna Lee, engagement producer and reporter for LAist; Nick Gerda, unhoused communities reporter for LAist

So How Did The City Of LA (And Then The County) Get So Big?

#189: When we say "L.A.," what are we talking about exactly? The city? The county? One of the 88 cites within the county? Or how about the unincorporated areas? It's all pretty complicated. So how did it get to be like this? As it turns out, one of the answers is water. LAist's LA Explained reporter Caitlin Hernández joins us to help explain. Check out Caitlin's reporting: Do You Live In LA City, LA County Or Another City Altogether? Yeah, We're Confused Too. Here Are Some Basics

Where To Get Outdoors Pt. 2 REDUX

Some of you might be out shopping today. Or just chilling after a big Thanksgiving meal. But might we suggest you go for a walk? The great thing about Los Angeles is that you can do the urban thing – go to museums, clubs, concerts and eat at good restaurants – AND you can get out in nature whenever you want... or need. Over the last year, we've asked listeners for some of their favorite places to hang out outdoors. Here are some of those suggestions: Greystone Mansion (Beverly Hills) Huntington Central Park (Huntington Beach) Sandstone Peak (Santa Monica Mountains) Ascot Hills Park (East LA) Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook (Culver City) Beverly Gardens Park (Beverly Hills) Palos Verdes Beach (Rancho Palos Verdes) Wattles Garden Park (Hollywood)

Social Calendar: What We're Enjoying In LA

#188: Hey, How to LA listeners! We're trying something new and hanging out with friends and colleagues from L.A. who are checking out interesting, fun, new happenings in the city. Guests: Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijido and LAist visual journalist Samanta Helou Hernandez Here's what each person pitched for YOUR social calendar: The Broad exhibition Desire, Knowledge and Hope (With Smog) Family Party: Diaspora Dialogues from producer Anita Herrera The John Waters exhibit Pope of Trash at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures If you wanna tells us what you're doing on your weekends, holler at us howtola@scpr.org

How To LA

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