How To LA

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100 Years Of The Hollywood Sign Sep 19, 2023

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#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.

Wanna Beat The Heat? Try Painting Your Roof Sep 18, 2023

Show notes

#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.

Finding Community Through Friday Night Shabbat Sep 15, 2023

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#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

How A Film Location Scout Turns DTLA Into NY, Chicago, the Future And the Past Sep 14, 2023

Show notes

#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."

As Strikes Drag On, Financial Stress Sets In For Hollywood Workers Sep 13, 2023

Show notes

#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.

Why The LA Coliseum Is More Than A Stadium Sep 12, 2023

Show notes

#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";

Correction: A previous version of this episode stated that the Rams first came to L.A. in 1945. It was in 1946.

How To Live Car-Free — In The Car Capital of The World - REDUX Sep 11, 2023

Show notes

#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

HTLA, Live! Summer Cookouts with the Chefs of Cheap Fast Eats Sep 08, 2023

Show notes

#146: Nothing screams L.A. Summer like a summer cookout. For our ongoing event series, Culinary Connections, we invited some of our favorite chefs from Cheap Fast Eats to talk about how cookout culture shapes L.A.'s food scene... and of course, their favorite things to cook.

If all this talk of free food, music, and awesome chefs makes you sorry you missed the event... Well, we missed you too! Make sure you catch the next one by heading over to LAist.com/events

Interviewers: Gab Chabran, LAist Food Editor; Brian De Los Santos, host of HTLA

Guests:

SueEllen Mancini, owner, Sad Girl Creamery
Janet Kang (she/her), co-owner, Pizza Baby
Gustavo Chavez, owner, Carnitas El Artista

So Is LA Officially A Football Town??? Sep 07, 2023

Show notes

#145: Now that you've recovered from Taylormania and the Beyhive hitting LA and SoFi Stadium, football season is HERE. The Rams AND the Chargers now share a stadium in Inglewood and the regular season games kick off September 10. We get the lowdown on everything you need to know to get ready for the season of pro football in LA even if you don't count yourself as a big fan.

Guest: Sports Illustrated writer Gilberto Manzano.

How To Watchdog Your Local Government Sep 06, 2023

Show notes

#144: Just a heads up there is some explicit language used towards the end of this episode. Please be advised.

There have been MANY government scandals that have been exposed in our city.

Just in the last year: Former LA Councilmember Mark Ridley Thomas was just sentenced to 42 months in prison plus 30-thousand in fines for corruption. Councilmember Curren Price was charged with multiple counts of embezzlement, perjury and conflict of interest earlier this summer. And last fall leaked racist tapes exposed councilwoman Nury Martinez, forcing her to resign.

When corruption like this pops up - it sparks outrage. There are usually protests and officials are fired and sometimes arrested. It can all be super disheartening. So, what can we do? How do we ACTUALLY hold our local officials accountable? Today, we speak with LAist’s Civics and Democracy reporter Brianna Lee, who recently wrote a guide on how to do just that.

Guest: Brianna Lee, Engagement Producer, Civics and Democracy for LAist

Read Brianna's guide on LAist here.

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