Los Angeles magazine - October 2020

I T ’ S H A L L OW E E N !

OUR GUIDE TO THE SCARY SEASON PAGE 19

HIGH-GRADE SCANDAL ‘A’ IS THE NEW ‘C’ AT ELITE L.A. SCHOOLS

SOUR GRAPES THE SKINNY ON CELEBRITY WINES

PAGE 44

PAGE 30

ADVENTURES OF A

FAKE PRESIDENT WHAT ’S IT LIKE TO SPEND A DECADE AS DONALD TRUMP ’S DOUBLE ?

INSIDE THE SURREAL WORLD OF POLITICAL IMPERSONATORS

+ KAMALA HARRIS LAYS DOWN THE LAW PAGE 58

JEWELS THAT TELL TIME

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O CTOBE R 2020

E V E OF D E ST RU C T I ON

Flames consumed a Napa County home in August.

Features 48

The Faking of the President

58

64

70

Kamala & Order

California Burning

A Place to Call Home

A tiny handful of actors have built successful careers impersonating politicians from Bush to Bernie.

Some quickly discover that playing POTUS can be a dangerous game

As California’s first black female attorney general, Kamala Harris had to balance the conflicting ideologies of law and social justice. But she might be the perfect person to help Democrats navigate the post-George Floyd era

Fires have always loomed large over the California landscape—both a cleansing promise and an obliterating threat. But like so much else these days, they suddenly seem out of control

To escape the homeless crisis, L.A. needs bold, outside-the-box solutions.

So we rounded up the city’s top architects and asked them to sketch out their most intrepid ideas

BY JEFF WEISS

B Y E M I LY YO U N G

BY ALLEN SALKIN

BY PETER KIEFER

2 L A M AG . C O M

P H O T O G R A P H BY NOA H B E R G E R

Buzz O CTOBE R 2020

S PAC E C A D E T S

Costumed revelers at the annual Anaheim Halloween Parade.

FREDRIK OF HOLLYWOOD

» The controversial costar of Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing, Fredrik Eklund, discovered his steamroller style didn’t play in L.A. His solution?

Develop a kids’ real estate show, for starters

BY ALEXANDRIA ABRAMIAN PAGE 11

THE BRIEF

» Harry and Meghan’s major move; the Spago of social media; and DA Jackie Lacey’s struggles PAGE 14

DOWN MARKET

» As the market for affordable apartments tightens, rents at some of L.A.’s toniest addresses are falling

BY ALEXANDRIA ABRAMIAN PAGE 16

Column THE ‘A’ LIST

» Under pressure from parents to deliver students to top colleges, elite prep schools in L.A. and across the U.S. are brazenly inflating grades

BY MAX KUTNER PAGE 44

Ask Chris » Did the Statue of Liberty appear at the Rose Parade? What’s up with the changing colored lights at City Hall? Our resident historian answers all your burning questions.

BY CHRIS NICHOLS PAGE 96

» Halloween isn’t canceled. Check out our COVID-safe

guide to get your fright fix and sugar high. PLUS: Aaron Sorkin on politics; the latest crop of celeb vintners; and sweatpants you’ll want to wear out PAG E 1 9

4 L A M AG . C O M

ON THE COVER An homage to the great George Lois’s 1968 Esquire cover featuring President Richard Nixon.

Photograph by Elisabeth Caren; set design: Jordan Grossman; produced by Richard Villani; fake Trump: John Di Domenico

P H OTO : T R E VO R K E L LY

The Inside Guide

Maer Roshan

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Michael Walker DEPUTY EDITOR

Hailey Eber MANAGING EDITOR

Eric Mercado DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR

Gwynedd Stuart STYLE EDITOR

Linda Immediato SENIOR EDITOR

Chris Nichols ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Trish Deitch DEPUTY DIGITAL EDITOR

Brittany Martin SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

Nathaniel Perkins WRITERS-AT-LARGE

Steve Erickson, Merle Ginsberg A RT + P R O D U C T I O N CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Ada Guerin PRODUCTION DIRECTOR

Denise Philibert SENIOR ART DIRECTOR

Rose DeMaria PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

Mallory Young CONTRIBUTING PHOTO EDITOR Richard Villani CONTRIBUTING DESIGNER Mary Franz

DISCOVER YOUR OWN BACKYARD Find more than 100 specially curated offers just for Angelenos

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L A M AG . C O M 7

Editor’s Note

BY MAER ROSHAN

to his diatribes over the last four years knows that Donald Trump is no fan of California. But it may surprise you to learn that the platinum-tressed president wasn’t always so down on the Golden State.

Back in the ’90s, he even briefly moved here.

Buoyed by the success of The Apprentice and bored with hawking real estate to Russians, Trump headed to Beverly Hills to reinvent himself as a latter-day Louis B. Mayer. But as Allen Salkin reported here last year, his conquest of Hollywood was short-lived. The first fruits of his new production company included Donald J. Trump Presents: The Ultimate Merger, in which sexy bachelors vied for the hand of Omarosa. Within a year he was back on Fifth Avenue.

After that, California’s supposedly marauding immigrants and radical left-wing politicians became staples of candidate Trump’s stump speech. The state’s voters returned the favor: in 2016, Trump won a lower percentage of voters here than any major party presidential candidate since John Davis in 1924. The president has never gotten over that slight.

Last year, according to a former Department of Homeland Security official, Trump asked FEMA to withhold wildfire relief from California “because he was so rageful that people didn’t support him.”

As Politico recently noted, bashing California has been a permanent plank of the ReA N YO N E W H O ’ S L I S T E N E D

8 L A M AG . C O M

“It would be easier to ignore such blatant hypocrisy if the damage that Trump had inflicted on ordinary Californians were not so severe.”

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER @MAERROSHAN

publican repertoire since Reagan finally rode off into the sunset, as evidenced by the near-hysterical bashing the state endured from speaker after speaker at this year’s GOP convention.

Ironically, the GOP’s least favorite state is home to many of Trump’s biggest boosters: former campaign chief Steve Bannon, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and Santa Monica skinhead Stephen Miller are all Angelenos. So is a conga line of the president’s billionaire benefactors including Tom Barrack, Larry Ellison, and Peter Thiel. In Congress, his most fervent supporters include Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and conspiracist Devin Nunes. Even Fox News’s corporate masters are comfortably bedding down in Bel-Air: Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch just paid a record $150 million for a property featured on The Beverly Hillbillies. (Dad Rupert lives on a 16-acre vineyard he shares with Mick Jagger’s ex.)

It would be easier to ignore such blatant hypocrisy if the damage that Trump had inflicted were not so severe. His vaunted tax cuts rewarded his billionaire pals while penalizing millions of ordinary Californians, who can no longer deduct state and local taxes from federal taxes.

He’s threatened to withhold school funding in the middle of a pandemic unless Sacramento agrees to send scared teachers and kids back to classes. But it’s his attacks on the environment that seem most obscene. Ignoring the escalating toll of climate change, the administration has pushed through hundreds of laws that weaken protections for our air and water. As I write this over Labor Day weekend, the state is enduring the most blistering heat wave in its history, with 2.1 million acres engulfed in flames.

In my two decades as an editor, I’ve refrained from boring readers with my political beliefs.

But an election as consequential as this one is hard to ignore. After impersonating the Donald for over a decade, John Di Domenico, this month’s cover boy, is still astonished by the visceral reaction he gets from people, even when they know he’s playing a role. “You put on a wig and they want to kill you or fuck you or be you,” he said. Trump’s astonishing impact on America—his bigotry and cruelty, his endless deception and staggering incompetence—has left the U.S. helpless in the face of a deadly pandemic, with half the country up in arms against the other. If you have higher hopes for California and humanity, Joe Biden and Democratic candidates are the only way out.

Roshan Editor-in-Chief Maer Roshan, P H O T O G R A P H E D BY E L I SA B E T H CA R E N

N O H U R R Y. N O W O R R Y.

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Fredrik of Hollywood

AFTER MOVING FROM NEW YORK, THE CONTROVERSIAL CO-STAR OF BRAVO’S MILLION DOLLAR LISTING DISCOVERED HIS STEAMROLLER STYLE DIDN’T PLAY IN L.A. HIS SOLUTION? START A KIDDIE REAL-ESTATE SHOW—AND SELL $2 BILLION IN PRIME PROPERTY

BY ALEXANDRIA ABRAMIAN

P H O T O G R A P H Y BY J O S E F JA S S O

L A M AG . C O M 11

BUZZ

R E A L E S TAT E

for 17 years and always had this dreamy, romantic idea of coming to Los Angeles,” Fredrik Eklund says while driving from Palm Springs to L.A. after filming an episode of Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing in 115-degree heat. But when Eklund moved here last year, he was unprepared for the culture shock. “It was like starting over,” he says. “In New York, ‘pushy’ was my middle name. Here in L.A., if you’re too pushy, it’s like ‘Ewww.’ ” There have been many transitions in Eklund’s 43-year-old life, starting with his move from Stockholm to New York City at 25, then transforming from luxury-real-estate agent to luxury-real-estate agent with a hit Bravo series and a sevenfigure Instagram following. Eklund ‘ E ’ I S F OR E K LU N D is the only agent to star in both the Eklund and his children, Freddy and Milla, New York and Los Angeles editions star in a YouTube show that uses Eklund’s of Million Dollar Listing—he seems luxury listings to teach English and math. equally at ease suited up for a Tribeca penthouse showing as he is barefoot properties increasingly resemble and deeply tanned on Broad Beach, the Park Place side of the Monopoly which he documents in his peripaboard, including the eight-acre tetic social media postings. “No one Norman Lear estate in Brentwood has ever touched my Instagram,” he for $27.9 million and a six-bedroom insists. “It’s my voice. That’s why my Malibu beach house for engagement is so high.” $17.6 million. Eight-figure Few real estate agents penthouses in New York have dominated multiple Eklund’s occupy multiple pages markets as successfully on the Eklund Gomes as Eklund. With more properties website, despite recent than $2 billion in 2019 include the conditions that transactions, the Eklund Norman Lear market have driven prices below Gomes Team, founded estate in 2008-financial-crisis in 2010 with agent John Brentwood, levels. “It’s going to have Gomes, has offices in listed at $27 a rough patch, but it will Manhattan, Beverly Hills, come back stronger,” Brooklyn, and Miami. The million.

Eklund says. “New York is firm is eyeing Houston unbreakable.” and Boston as well.

Meanwhile, Eklund Most recently, the seems to have parsed the tribal striking Swede with the gym-chiseled, rituals of L.A.’s upper crust. A Bentley six-foot-four frame dipped a tasselContinental GT shuttles him to listloafered toe into the original Real ings. He and Derek Kaplan, his artist Housewives terrain. Why venture husband, along with their two-and-ato Orange County when Bel-Air is half-year-old twins, Freddy and Milla, your backyard? “The price points are live on a two-acre Bel-Air estate with crazy!” Eklund exclaims. His current a 12,000-square-foot main house O.C. listings include an oceanfront which, Eklund points out, throwing compound in Dana Point with a $27.5 West Coast shade like a native, million price tag. His Los Angeles 1 2 L A M AG . C O M

includes a “master suite that’s bigger than most New York apartments.”

Eklund’s latest venture will take him into terrain no realtor has yet thought to tread: a real-estate TV show aimed—wait for it—at kids. The concept came to him post-COVID. “When we decided to homeschool our kids, I thought, ‘Let’s make a YouTube show that combines real estate and learning,’” Eklund says. The result is Milla & Freddy’s Adventures, starring Eklund and the twins boning up on reading and ’rithmetic using their father’s current listings—for example, counting the number of floating stairs in a $28 million Beverly Hills mansion.

“Yes these are listings for expensive real estate,” Eklund concedes.

“But they’re just the backdrop. I don’t want this to be about money. My kids are growing up in this beautiful house. I grew up in a 1,000-squarefoot apartment on the last subway stop in Stockholm. I don’t take any of this for granted.”

YO U T U B E .CO M (A L L T H E F E E L S I N B E V E R LY H I L L S ! )

“ I WA S I N N E W YO R K

N E WS & N OT E S F R O M A L L OV E R

The Brief

THE ROYAL COUPLE’S PRIVACY-MINDED NEW NEIGHBORS DECLARE WAR 0N THE TABLOID PRESS IAN SPIEGELMAN

W H E N Meghan Markle and Prince Harry moved with their son, Archie, into Tyler Perry’s Beverly Hills home this past summer, the paparazzi became such a royal pain that the couple sued to stop the onslaught of drones and helicopters flying over their home.

So in June, as the aerial assaults kept escalating, the privacy-seeking couple purchased a majestic 7.4-acre estate in Santa Barbara’s celebrity-strewn Montecito for a cool $14.65 million. Since then, the citizens of Montecito have rallied around the couple and vowed to protect them from further duress. In August, the local paper ran a story warning media interlopers that their shenanigans would not be tolerated. “Montecito Vows to Keep Tabloid Culture Across Pond,” blazed a 14 L A M AG . C O M

front-page headline in the Montecito Journal. But while hacks digging for regal dirt usually leave empty-handed, public shaming hasn’t kept them entirely at bay. “The helicopters are still coming,” says one of the couple’s neighbors, who notes that swarms don’t last forever.

“Listen, when Oprah bought her house here, the choppers buzzed for about two weeks and then never came back. After a while, they just get bored.”

Royals columnist Richard Mineards, who lives in the area, points out that Montecito is a haven for security-minded stars, including tabloid targets like Ellen DeGeneres.

“Lately, we’ve had Ariana Grande, Natalie Portman, and Gwyneth Paltrow,” Mineards says.

“We have George Lucas and Larry Ellison of Oracle—the fifth-richest

D O NO T D I S T U R B

Meghan and Harry’s CA sanctuary

without involving nosy real estate agents.

While the recovering royals have not yet ventured out to local hot spots, they were recently observed pedaling around Montecito with

a few minders. Mineards expects they will eventually turn up at VIP haunts like Lucky’s and Pierre Lafond—a French restaurant favored by Prince Andrew’s daughter Beatrice—and the Santa Barbara Polo Club, where Mineard’s friend Nacho Figueras, the Argentinian polo player, holds court.

In the long run, he thinks Montecito will be a better fit for the pair than L.A. “It’s a wealthy enclave, international and very small. Nobody cares who you are. There are tons of famous people here and nobody gives them a second look!”

JACKIE LACEY’S CRUEL SUMMER L A S T S P R I N G , it looked like Jackie Lacey might cruise to a third term as Los Angeles County District Attorney. Voters facing a choice between far-reaching reform to the criminal justice system and a more traditional prosecutor, chose the latter—to the tune of 48.65 percent—and the 63-year-old Lacey, a resolute moderate, fell just shy of the majority needed to avoid a runoff. As Lacey readied for a November face-off against George Gascón, an ex-LAPD commander and former San Francisco DA who has become a vocal advocate for criminal justice reform, most of L.A.’s Democratic establishment appeared staunchly in her corner.

But then, soon after

CO L L AG E : M A RY F R A N Z / CO M P O S E D O F G E T T Y I M AG E S , E N VATO E L E M E N TS , U N S P L AS H , Z I L LOW.CO M ; N E WS PA P E R : CO U RT E SY O F T H E M O N T E C I TO J O U R N A L

MEGHAN AND HARRY’S MONTECITO WELCOME

man in America. So they’re in good company.”

The Sussexes’ new home, while far from the toniest in town, boasts a surplus of amenities. In addition to its nine bedrooms and 16 bathrooms, the Mediterranean-style manse features a library, a gym, wet and dry saunas, an arcade, a game room, and a home theater—plus a two-bed, two-bath guesthouse, a tea house, and a “children’s cottage.”

The pair purchased the property from a controversial Russian oligarch named Sergey “Scarface” Grishin, who admitted to stealing $60 billion from Russian banks as the Soviet Union was collapsing. Grishin went to great lengths to keep the deal quiet—even ordering an underling to get a real estate license so she could broker the transaction

THE AMOUNT, PER SECOND, THAT AMAZON FOUNDER JEFF BEZOS PERSONALLY EARNS FROM THE COMPANY, WHICH HAS SEEN PROFITS SOAR DURING THE PANDEMIC. FORBES ESTIMATES THAT BEZOS’S TOTAL NET WORTH TOPS $193 BILLION.

F E E L I NG T H E H E AT

JAC K I E L AC E Y: G E T T Y I M AG E S ; B OA ST E A K H O U S E S C R E E N C A P T U R E S : T I KTO K .CO M / @JAC K . D O H E RT Y, I N STAG R A M .CO M / DA N AS E SS E N ; G U I TA R : E N VATO E L E M E N TS ; M U S I C I A N S : G E T T Y I M AG E S

DA Jackie Lacey faces a mutiny

the George Floyd protests struck L.A., Lacey’s campaign was hit with a political stampede, as some of her best-known backers began rushing for the exits. In June, Mayor Eric Garcetti, an early backer, took Lacey by surprise when he told a podcast interviewer that he was rethinking his endorsement. Soon after, congressmen Adam Schiff, Ted Lieu, and Alan Lowenthal also switched their support to Gascón, while Dianne Feinstein, Judy Chu, Norma Torres, and most of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors have stayed put. “I can’t figure out if these are career moves or philosophy moves,” said Raphael Sonenshein, executive director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at Cal State L.A. “But they reflect the lightning pace at which things are evolving since the death of George Floyd.” If Lacey had not managed to hang on to her other high-profile backers, he says, her campaign could have been finished.

When Lacey made history as L.A.’s first black district attorney in 2016, most progressives

celebrated her win. But as she has come under fire for being too cozy with the cops, leftist activists and politicos like Governor Gavin Newsom and Bernie Sanders have rallied around Gascón, whose reformist platform has made him a darling of Silicon Valley billionaires.

He was also endorsed by leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement, which regularly hosts noisy protests outside Lacey’s home and office. (Lacey supporters point out that BLM held similar protests against Gascón when he was San Francisco’s DA.) For her part, Lacey downplays the defections.

“I understand that in the heat of a controversial election, some politicians want to stay out,” she says. “But I’m not a politician. I’ve been fighting for criminal justice reform since before it was dominating the news, and endorsements from politicians aren’t going to be what decides this race.”

$2,489

your first meal there,” says Taylor Lorenz, who covers internet culture for the New York Times. Even now, at the height of the pandemic, famous TikTok collectives like the Hype House and Sway Boys dodge paparazzi to gather nightly at BOA’s outdoor space, while guests with more modest followings find it hard to score reservations. What’s so special about BOA? Judging from recent reviews,, it it’ss not the food. Lee Maen, en, co-owner of BOA’s parent nt company, denies reports that the cial stars eatery pays social to dine there, but several influencers claim aim the k hard h d tto restaurant works

A - L I S T S TA R S and their

hangers-on once flocked to Hollywood hot spots such as the Ivy and the Chateau Marmont. But for TikTok stars, YouTube personalities, and megainfluencers, the watering hole du jour is an unremarkable Sunset Boulevard steakhouse named BOA. “You’re not an influencer until you’ve eaten

has a long history of using popular songs at rallies and in campaign videos without permission from artists, spurring lawsuits and threats. Here are a few hits from Trump’s pirated playlist. t.

ADELE “Rolling in the Deep” p” AEROSMITH “Living on the Edge”” THE BEATLES “Here Comes the Sun” BRUCE SPRING SPRINGSTEEN U.S.A.” “Born in the U GRANT EDDIE GRA Avenue” “Electric Aven ELTON JO JOHN “Rocket Man” Ma GUNS N’ ROSES ROS “Live and Let Die”” HANS ZIMMER R “Why Do We Fall?” l?”

LEONARD COHEN “Hallelujah” LINKIN PARK “In the End” LUCIANO PAVAROTTI “Nessun Dorma” NEIL YOUNG “Rockin’ in the Free World” NICKELBACK “Photograph”

—JAS O N M CG A H A N

SPAGO OF THE INSTAGRAM SET

OFF KEY » The Trump campaign

PANIC! AT THE DISCO “High Hopes” PRINCE “Purple Rain” M E AT M A R K E T

Is BOA bribing influencers?

entice the digital elite..

Caroline Juen, 31, a lifestyle blogger, says BOA has sent her $100 gift cards for the past two years.

“Have I had better steak? eak?

Sure,” says Juen, who has nearly 44,000 followers. ers.

“Would I go back? Totally!” tally!”

QUEEN “We Are the Champions” ons” R.E.M. “It’s the End of the World As We Know It” RIHANNA “Don’t “D Stop the Music” THE ROLLING STONES “You Cant Always Get “Y What You Want”

TOM PETTY

“I Won’t Back Down” — L I N DA I M M E D I ATO

—HAILEY EBER L A M AG . C O M 15

R E A L E S TAT E

Down Market AS THE MARKET FOR AFFORDABLE APARTMENTS TIGHTENS, RENTS AT SOME OF L.A.’S TONIEST ADDRESSES ARE FALLING

BY ALEXANDRIA ABRAMIAN

C

OV I D -1 9 I S A F F E C T I NG

housing across Los Angeles, but rental units in some of L.A.’s most expensive and luxurious buildings are bearing the brunt of what economists call “downward pressure.” The result? The cost of leasing so-called Class A rental proper-

ties—sleek apartments with amenities including Spin gyms, poolside cabanas, and dog spas—is headed down as vacancies increase. Meanwhile, rents for the city’s most affordable multifamily units remain largely unchanged.

“To this point in the pandemic, high-end luxury apartments are

D OW N TOW N

S A N TA MONICA

B E V E R LY H I L L S / C E N T U R Y C I T Y/ U C L A

D OW N : 4 . 5 %

D OW N : 3 . 2 %

D OW N : 1 . 2 %

MARCH: $3.15/SF TODAY: $3.01/SF

MARCH: $4.12/SF TODAY: $3.99/SF

MARCH: $3.40/SF TODAY $3.36/SF

16 L A M AG . C O M

faring much worse than other segments of the market,” says Steve Basham, managing analyst at CoStar Group. “There are a limited number of renter households that can afford luxury apartments in L.A., so competition is more intense at the top of the market. On top of that, virtually every new project that is built in L.A. is a Class A luxury project.”

In downtown L.A., which saw the largest number of new luxury developments in the past decade (with thousands more units still under construction), rents declined 3.1 percent from January to March. Since the onset of the pandemic, they’ve dropped an additional 4.5 percent, bringing the decrease to nearly 8 percent.

DTLA’s Circa L.A. development— where amenities include a two-acre pool resort, communal tasting rooms, and a pet lounge, and rents range from $5,180 per month for a twobedroom unit to $17,725 for a penthouse—is offering two months free as an incentive to prospective tenants. A few blocks away, Hope + Flower, another newly completed luxury highrise with a wellness center and sauna pavilions, is offering up to ten weeks rent free for a 24-month lease.

“This doesn’t mean DTLA is going to die as a viable economic unit,” says Stuart Gabriel, professor of finance at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and director of the Ziman Center for Real Estate. “Ultimately, this was happening anyway because it has simply become too expensive.”

Experts say the pandemic is less the cause of the decline in luxury rents and more an accelerant of forces in motion in L.A.’s economy.

“Pre-COVID, we were already starting to see the exit of both jobs and employees with those jobs, often in tech, from the most expensive markets to secondary tech hubs,” says Gabriel. “People from Los Angeles were already moving to highamenity, high-millennial-friendly cities like Portland, Austin, and Boulder.

The difference is that now that no one is asking you to come into the office, destinations are much more dispersed. Pick your place.”

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G E T T Y I M AG E S

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Inside Guide T H E C A N DY M A N

Wessel and his tricked-out car of sweets

Tr u n k o r Tr e at

Halloween 2.0

On most Halloween evenings, the city’s streets are filled with thousands of trick-or-treating kids making their appointed rounds. This year the pandemic has put a momentary end to that. Instead, many will be trunk or treating—picking up loot from the trunks of tricked-out, scary parked cars. The Mystic Museum’s Erick Wessel usually goes all out for Halloween, presenting circus acts and magic shows inside his kitschy horror shop in Burbank. This year, we convinced him to take a break from designing spooky window displays to help us create the ultimate trunk-or-treat experience, meant to prove that safety and scary can go hand in hand. His tips? “Parents and kids both like vintage pumpkins and cartoony ghosts. And I’d give out the big movie-theater candy so they can go back home and watch a classic horror film together at the end of the night.”

PH O T O GR A PH BY S TA R F O R E M A N

Plus > Aaron Sorkin on Mark Zuckerberg and the Chicago Seven PAGE 22

> Celebrities who rosé to the occasion PAGE 30

> Why sweatpants might be here to stay PAGE 36

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H A L LOW E E N

Dressed to Chill

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FOR COSTUME-CRAZY ANGELENOS, HALLOWEEN IS THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE YEAR. BUT WILL COVID AND CANCEL CULTURE FREEZE OUT ALL THE FUN?

BY CHRIS NICHOLS

far fewer places to go this Halloween doesn’t mean Angelenos won’t get all dressed up on October 31.

In America, the Halloween industry is valued at $9 billion annually, and the Los Angeles area accounts for more of that massive amount of money than any other American city, according to a survey published in USA Today. In fact, L.A. is home to more costume stores, candy shops, and haunted houses than anywhere else on the continent. And while the spooky business is seeing a big downturn at the moment, local shops say the party will, and should, go on.

“You want to maintain some sense of normalcy with digital pumpkincarving contests where you can dress up and drink wine,” says Lisa Griffin, director of marketing and communications at Leg Avenue. The City of Industry-based company practically invented the sexy Halloween costume back in the ’90s, with sultry Snow White and skin-tight Catwoman getups. They’ve had to pivot this season, marketing face masks and jewels originally created for canceled

C OV I D C OS P L AY

events like Coachella and Burning Man as Halloween items. Griffin says that online holiday celebrations are important for staying sane in these uncertain times. “Zoom helps make you feel like your world is still in order,” she says. fornia Meanwhile, California Costumes is hoping g that October will be a bright spot in what’s been a dismal ness. year for the business. pany, Sales for the company, headquartered in Boyle Heights, are down 50 percent for 2020, and the manufacturer and wholesaler has sold 10 only 45,000 of its top costume—a custom kid’s ninja outfit—compared to the 300,000 sold in 2013. e’ve been “This is the first time we’ve ffs,” says faced with losses and layoffs,” or of California Costume director erybody’s design Chris Guzman. “Everybody’s oping holding their breath and hoping we all survive. But we will rise from the Halloween ashes.”” demic And it’s not just the pandemic that costume-makers have to worry ake of about these days: in the wake the George Floyd protests and a poisonous political season, even the

1. Alien mask, $40 at discounthalloweencostumes.com. 2. Genie costume, $37 at fearlessapparel.com. om.

3. Ninja-warrior costume, $25 at halloweencostumes.com. 4. Day of the Dead costume, $61 at legavenue.com. venue.com.

5. Darth Vader mask, $14 at etsy.com. 6. Cheshire Cat bandana, $10 at legavenue.com. 7. Plague doctor octor mask, $20 at purecostumes.com. 8. Mr. Postman toddler costume, $26 at purecostumes.com. 9. Coronavirus irus Halloween mask, $36 at amazon.com. 10. Sexy containment suit, $60 at brandsonsale.com.

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P U M P K I N W I T H M AS K : G E T T Y I M AG E S ; COST U M E S CO U RT E SY O F T H E B R A N DS ; A N A H E I M FA L L F E ST I VA L : T R E VO R K E L LY; T R U N K O R T R E AT: V E R O N I C A YO U N G

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most innocuous-seeming inn costumes are poten potential minefields.

“There are so many things happening in the world this year with happenin pandemic and social justice,” says the pand Alicia Fre French of Alicia’s Costumes, a rental an and custom costume shop in Covina. ““There’s a lot of emotions.

I got rid o of all my American Indian headdresses since people want to stay headdres away from ethnic costumes. We’re not going to blackface anybody. We’re going to h help people achieve their look, but there are certain lines we’re not going to cross.”

French is focusing on ensembles with a fa face mask that is an organic the costume: think cowboys part of th with ban bandanas and genies with veils.

She has eeven designed a new collection of h handmade face coverings based on The Wizard of Oz, where the st story is incorporated into the mask—a straw border for the mas Scarecrow and a tiny tail for the Sca Cowardly Lion.

Cow LeBlanc of Costume House in Shon L North Hollywood believes another big cat will be popular this year. “I think people will do the Tiger King cast,” he says. “They’re such characters.” And despite their potential to offend, he imagines some political costumes will also be quite popular. “I have a feeling there’s going to be a lot of interesting Trump things,” he says. “I can see Melania with a gold-coin bikini or wrapped in a big Visa.” And, of course, there will be sexy costumes inspired by healthcare workers, but with plenty of skin on display. “We have a see-through doctor’s smock by Bob Mackie. It’s a sheer crinoline with a little bit of a shimmer,” LeBlanc says.

“Halloween is the one day that you can be as trashy as you wanna be.”

Though iconic Halloween events like West Hollywood’s parade, the Queen Mary Dark Harbor, and Knott’s Scary Farm aren’t taking place this year, insiders say celebrations are more essential than ever.

“When you put on a costume, you’re allowed to leave your worries behind and you’re somebody else,” says France. “It helps release stress. We all need that. The kids need that.”

Fright Fests From trunk or treating to drive-through haunts—our top picks for a safe Halloween

BY LINDA IMMEDIATO S C A R E TAC T I C S

Reign of Terror Haunted House September 28-November 2

> The house of horrors is back this year, with familiar attractions like Inbred and the Asylum, plus the all-new Containment. This is not recommended for children under 13, and social distancing will be strictly enforced. $25-$50 per person, 225 N. Moorpark Rd., Thousand Oaks, rothauntedhouse.com.

PATC H WO R K

Pumpkin Picking October 1

> Forneris Farms won’t have its usual corn maze or petting zoo this year . . . but it will have plenty of pumpkins! Take the kids (in masks) and keep the tradition of carving a jack-o’-lantern alive. 15200 Rinaldi St., Mission Hills.

C A N DY A N D P R O P S

Trunk or Treat October 27

> A Home Depot parking lot doesn’t sound like much fun, but add some candy for trunk or treating, iconic film props like the Ghostbusters car, and food trucks, and it’s a party. 5800 Lincoln Ave., Cypress, 5 p.m–9 p.m.

The event is free.

A B I TC H I N ’ H A L LOW E E N

Stranger Things October 1–October 31

> Netflix and Secret Cinema have teamed up to re-create Hawkins, Indiana, circa 1985. You can drive through the town, stop by the Starcourt Mall, get chased by a Demogorgon, and take a frightening specialeffects-filled trip to the Upside Down. $59 per car with two guests, stranger thingsdriveinto.com.

S P O O KS O N PA R A D E

Anaheim Fall Festival October 24

> The the city of Anaheim will hold its beloved Halloween parade as usual, but this time you can watch the floats from your car. The retrothemed crowd-pleasers like the 1951 Anaheim Rocket Witch, Pumpkin Man, and, of course, Andy Anaheim will all be there.

6 p.m. For more details go to anaheimfallfestival.org.

K I D - F R I E N D LY F U N

Descano Gardens October 1–31

> Go for a family stroll through a towering oak forest where the kids will discover, among other surprises, hundreds of twinkling carved pumpkins. They can wear their costumes and feel like Halloween wasn’t canceled. $5-$15, Advance ticketing required at descansogardens.org.

L A M AG . C O M 2 1

The Inside Guide

M OV I E S

The Drama King NO SURPRISE. AARON SORKIN—HOLLYWOOD’S UNDISPUTED MASTER OF RAZOR-SHARP, RAPID-FIRE DIALOGUE—HAS SOME THINGS TO SAY ABOUT MARK ZUCKERBERG, THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, AND BEING THE HIGHEST-PAID WRITER IN TOWN

BY MERLE GINSBERG

A A R O N S O R K I N has long been fascinated by the crackling

combo of politics, media, and the law. Throughout his long, impressive career—which includes films like A Few Good Men and The Social Network, TV’s West Wing, and a Broadway adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird—the 59-year-old writer-director has dramatized some of the most topical subjects of the day. His latest project, The Trial of the Chicago 7, might be his most pertinent yet. The film, which premieres October 16 on Netflix, is set in the summer of 1968, with protesters and police clashing violently outside the Democratic convention. With a high-wattage cast that includes Sacha Baron Cohen, Eddie Redmayne, Jeremy Strong, and Mark Rylance, it follows the six-month trial of the men accused of inciting the riot, among them Abbie Hoffman and Black Panthers cofounder Bobby Seale. Sorkin recently talked to Los Angeles about the movie, the upcoming election, and whom he considers the best actor alive right now.

You first met with Steven Spielberg in 2006 about writing a film on the Chicago Seven that someone else would direct.

What happened?

>The one thing I remember distinctly about that 2006 meeting is that Steven thought it would be great to get this film out before the election.

He was talking about 2008! At that point we had not heard of Barack Obama. The day after I turned in the second draft, the Writer’s Guild went on strike.

When I did finally get back to it, Steven wanted to produce, but there were other directors 22 L A M AG . C O M

he was interested in—Paul Greengrass, Ben Stiller . . . .

Then two things happened: the election of 2016 and Molly’s Game, my directorial debut.

Steven was pleased enough with Molly’s Game to say, “Now’s the time to do Chicago 7, and you should direct it.”

Working on the project in 2006 and more recently, you probably never could have imagined police brutality and violence in the streets all over again. It’s déjà vu. > It’s amazing, and very chilling.

Someone asked me recently if

I’d changed the script to mirror the times. The answer is no; the times changed to mirror the script—in the worst possible ways. Look, when we started on the final version of the script, we’d elected a president who waxed nostalgic to crowds about the good old days when we carried protesters out on stretchers—when you could beat the crap out of them. And then there was “Go back to where you came from!” And then I thought the movie was relevant when we were shooting it in late 2019. We didn’t need it to get more relevant, but

it did. I watched this summer’s protests on television and thought how similar things looked to 1968.

And now you’ve got the president ordering soldiers to teargas American citizens who peacefully protest. > That’s right. At this performance, the role of Chicago Mayor Richard Daley is being played

by Donald Trump.

How much of what we hear in the film is what was really said, and how much is snappy Sorkin lingo?

I L LU S T R AT I O N BY C H R I S M O R R I S

> There are a few moments in the courtroom scenes where what was in the trial transcript couldn’t be beat—like a lot of the Bobby Seale moments.

Everything else is a writer’s imagination.

Jeremy Strong as Jerry Rubin is like nothing that guy has done. He always plays such a hard-ass. > Honestly, right now, he is one of the best actors alive. I saw him for the first time in The Big Short and thought, “Wow, he’s great, but that’s probably the part he can play.” Then I cast him in Molly’s Game. When I saw him in Succession, I decided there’s no limit to what this actor can do. Jeremy is for real.

You wrote the Oscar-winning screenplay for The Social Network. What do you think about what’s happening with Facebook now, with Zuckerberg refusing to censor clearly false political propaganda? > I think Mark and Facebook are intentionally confusing unpopular opinions with incorrect facts.

They make more money from unpopular opinions. I think we’ve all seen how dangerous it is, and it’s not stopping. That tells you a lot.

And it turned out it worked great. With the Obamas, Kamala Harris, and Joe Biden, the effect was, “I’m not doing this because it’s an applause line.

I’m not throwing red meat out to the crowd. I am talking to you.” So it actually had more weight. Now, do I hope big convention speeches with big crowds and balloons come back? I do. But for this very strange and frightening year, it was a great convention.

Since you’re Hollywood’s political sage, I must ask you, do you think Biden will win? > I don’t have any more knowledge than anyone else. But I’ve gotten The West Wing cast together, and we’re gonna do a benefit on HBO Max for an organization called When We All Vote. The cast will be doing a staged reading of an episode of the show that was kind of an ode to voting. [The special will be taped at L.A.’s Orpheum Theater in October and air later in the month.]

Did you see that Nicolle Wallace, after her MSNBC show was expanded, said she watched more episodes of The West Wing than she could ever admit to when she was working as the communications director for Bush? > Let me tell you that there’s no one I’d rather get a compliment like that from than Nicolle Wallace. Every four years there’s this opportunity in America for us to hear the best of two competing arguments, right? Health care, poverty, race relations, climate.

And we never get to hear that argument because we’re gonna talk about dumb things like “The election is rigged.” That’s what the conversation has turned into. It’s too bad. I would love to hear people like Nicolle Wallace, Steve Schmidt, and a raft of others make strong counterarguments to things I believe. I’m definitely persuadable, so give me the best argument for your case. But I need to hear it from people who are not part of what I call “the silly season.”

N I KO TAV E R N I S E / N E T F L I X © 2 02 0

Do you think it’s just about money? Or could it be politically motivated? > Your guess is as good as mine.

My knowledge about Facebook is Facebook in 2005. But I would say, follow the money.

What did you think of the Democratic National Convention? > Loved it. I was very nervous about it. I’m a big fan of oratory; I like convention speeches. I didn’t know how they were going to work without a crowd.

“Someone asked me recently if I’d changed the script to mirror the times. The answer is no; the times changed to mirror the script— in the worst possible ways.”

AARON SORKIN ON THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7

So you’re a fan of the Lincoln Project? > Yeah, they’re strong. They can swing much harder, and they don’t have to say, “I’m Joe Biden and I approve this message.”

Which political commentators do you watch? Bill Maher?

Colbert? John Oliver? > Yes to all three. Plus Seth Meyers—always love “A Closer Look.”

Trevor Noah. Samantha Bee. You’ve been compared to David Mamet, a staunch Republican, who, like you, is known for his fast, smart dialogue. > David Mamet is someone whom I disagree ideologically with, but I’d love to hear more from, politically. Because if Mamet cannot persuade me, I’m not persuadable! I think being compared to David Mamet as a writer is unfair to David.

On talk shows, actors from your projects always get asked, “How did you do all that language?” It seems very difficult. > You know, yes, from time to time when the actor will have a long speech—or a long list of names, dates, and places— sometimes that’s just me punishing them.

Did you plan for this film to come out before the November 2020 election? >Yes. Not because I think it can affect the results of the election but because right now—and this was before life began to imitate art in such a terrible way— is when we’re feeling these things and when it will have the most resonance.

I’ve read in several places that you’re the highest-paid screenwriter in Hollywood. > I have no idea if that’s true. If it is, then Tony Kushner has to have a serious talk with his agent.

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The Inside Guide

MUSIC

BLUE WAVE

Declaration of Independence AFTER LEAVING HER LABEL, KAMAIYAH IS A RAPPER ON THE RISE—WITH A RINGING ENDORSEMENT FROM CARDI B

BY EMMA KOPELOWICZ

C A R D I B ’ S “ WA P ” was the talk of last summer, but Cardi has her own ideas about what we all should be listening to. In July she posted a video on Instagram, praising a handful of lesser-known rappers she described as “really fucking dope.” Among them was 28-year-old Kamaiyah.

Oakland native Kamaiyah’s 2016 debut mixtape, A Good Night in the Ghetto, was full of unfussy, G-funk-inspired bangers, earning her critical acclaim and a record deal with Interscope. But label life isn’t for Kamaiyah. So this past February she put out the album Got It Made on her own imprint, Grnd.wrk, reasserting control over her sound, her career, and her identity.

“I’m a hustler. I’m thriving. I’m independent. I’m bossed up, and I’m a force to be reckoned with,” says the one-time security guard, who is now based in Southern California and counts TLC, Aaliyah, and Missy Elliott as her biggest influences. While the artist considers her work a departure from everyone else’s in the industry, she aims to emulate Elliott’s career most directly.

“I feel like we’re kind of mirrors of each other, in essence,” she says. “In this era of music, I don’t fit in with my counterparts, and I felt like she was the same kind of way—which makes it easier to be respected.”

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Recorded pre-pandemic, Matt Berninger’s Serpentine Prison isn’t exactly sunny, though it was made here in Los Angeles. Out October 16, the alluring album boasts a Nick Cave-like swagger; soulful, haunting musicianship; and razor-sharp lyrics.

“My eyes are T-shirts, they’re so easy to read, I wear ’em for you but they’re all about me,” Berninger declares on the LP’s opener. The atmospheric tone is in part thanks to its producer, R & B legend Booker T. Jones.

“Booker’s a genre-less musician,” Berninger says. “He’s all about feel and emotion. If you listen to his record Melting Pot, you can hear when those four guys look at each other. You can smell the wood of the drum kit.

You can smell the cologne on those records. You hear the creaks in the wires. I wanted that, too.”

Born and raised in Cincinnati, Berninger, 49, made his mark as the frontman of the Brooklyn darling the National, but for the past seven-and-ahalf years, he’s called Venice home.

“I lived in New York City for 18 years, and the magic was there until 17-anda-half years in,” he says. “And then suddenly it was just gone overnight.

I had to go. I dread that happening to L.A. because right now I’m just smitten with it. I find Venice to be this little Mayberry: a microcosm of all the greatest aspirations of art and life, and also the most devastating defeats. You see some entirely broken people here, and then you see somebody rollerskate past who has just got their shit together.” —A L E X S CO R D E L I S

KA M A I YA H : I M AG E RY BY A D R I A N O C TAV I U S WA L K E R / E D I T E D BY D O M ST U D I O S ; M AT T B E R N I N G E R : SA M I R H U SS E I N /G E T T Y I M AG E S

His Brooklyn days behind him, the National frontman Matt Berninger finds solo-album inspiration in coastal California

2020–21 SEASON

ART MATTERS NOW MORE THAN EVER CAP UCLA GOES ONLINE WITH CAP CONNECT DANCE THEATER MUSIC FILM DIGITAL MEDIA THE TUNE IN FESTIVAL

ALL FALL 2020 ONLINE PROGRAMS FREE WITH RSVP CAP.UCLA.EDU

The Inside Guide

MIXED MEDIA

king of Bavaria fell in love with him, Wagner—30 years older and decidedly straight—feigned a reciprocal interest in order to get his extravaganzas funded; the besotted young emperor was ready to abdicate and follow Wagner into exile when everything about their relationship finally blew up, as everything with Wagner inevitably did. Like many geniuses, Wagner felt ruthless and entitled: “My turn to do the dishes? Excuse me, I’m busy writing Parsifal, Tristan and Isolde, and Ring of the Nibelung.” And none of this mentions the real difficulty with Wagner that many would insist should be mentioned in the first paragraph of this piece if not the first sentence: Wagner was an antiSemite with political views that were nationalistic and socialist—two words that, when put together, sound suspiciously like Nazi.

Half a century after the composer’s death in 1883, Adolf Hitler’s enthrallment with Wagner became the soundtrack of 1930s Aryan supremacy. Ross quotes Woody Allen’s joke that whenever he hears IN THE CURRENT POLITICAL MOMENT, RICHARD WAGNER too much Wagner, he gets the urge to invade Poland, AND HIS LASTING ARTISTIC INFLUENCE ARE MORE and urban legends abound of Wagner playing to RELEVANT—AND PROBLEMATIC—THAN EVER Jewish victims in the ovens, though the historical evidence is slight. Wagner’s most contemporary

BY STEVE ERICKSON relevance is the new cancel-culture quandary of how we assess great art without reducing it to M O N T H B E F O R E an election where the choice is something simpler than it is: One of Ross’s most fascinating nothing less than democracy versus neo-fascism, revelations, for instance, is that for all the ways Wagner you don’t have to know much more about Richard became associated with fascism, Nazis other than the Führer Wagner than I do to find Alex Ross’s Wagnerism: found the music problematic and disconcerting. To the ears Art and Politics in the Shadow of Music (Farrar, Straus and of Joseph Goebbels, its unabashed eroticism was “decadent” Giroux) timely. Ross makes a persuasive case that the nineand its depth of passion sounded, well, a little Jewish, maybe? teenth-century German composer wasn’t just The larger paradox brought into sharp focus the most influential artist of the twentieth and by our times is, if we can’t morally reconcile art’s twenty-first centuries, but maybe the most aesthetics, then is the art actually great? Cancel influential artist ever in any form. Wagner’s culture’s rabbit hole involves fading distincIf we can’t operas plumbed the primal and dreamy, the tions between personal choice and organized morally heroic and pagan. If you’ve ever been to the efforts that amount to censorship by those on reconcile art’s the right or left who believe ends justify means. movies or watched TV, then you know Wagner better than you think: His music has scored In Israel, Wagner has been banned for much of aesthetics, everything from the ride of the Ku Klux Klan in the nation’s existence, something, Ross points then is the Birth of a Nation to the helicopter raid at dawn out, even some Jewish conductors oppose. But art actually in Apocalypse Now. And his massive producthe response to Wagner in Israel has somegreat? tions were so dramatically grand and so epic in times been audience members standing and scale (up to 15 hours long) that while it might revealing scars suffered at the hands of Nazis. be overstating things to say there would be no For them, that’s what Wagner means.

Star Wars or Lord of the Rings without them, In the current American Reich, when woke neither would have the same enduring resonance. Wagner Red Brigades police our collective taste, good faith easily was a towering influence on everyone from Joyce to Dalí to gives way to bad. Alex Ross’s Wagnerism, which might otherSontag, and although Ross doesn’t, I would argue that the wise seem a bit rarefied if not arcane, confronts the moment’s Beatles’ Abbey Road has Wagnerian flourishes. dilemma of how to think about bad men making great art Just as Wagner begins to loom as a heroic figure of his that inspires both more great art and unfathomable evil. It’s own, however, we run up against the complicated realia dilemma without an answer other than to embrace the ties of Wagner’s shadow and the man who cast it. He was a contradictions instead of trying to resolve them. Art doesn’t mess, constantly skipping town to avoid debt collectors and lend itself to clear-cut conclusions any more than do the men husbands whose wives he slept with. When the 18-year-old and women who make it or write books about it.

Facing the Music

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P H OTO G R A P H BY P I E R R E P E T I T, 1 8 61 ; CO U RT E SY O F E T H - B I B L I OT H E K Z Ü R I C H , T H O M AS M A N N -A R C H I V

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DONATE AT LAFH.ORG Photo courtesy of L.A. County

The Inside Guide

W H E R E T O E AT N O W

New & Notable Theía

B E V E R LY G R OV E O You couldn’t make it to

Mykonos this summer, but you can check out this lovely and lively Greek spot with a menu of Mediterranean classics, colorful cocktails, and an all-day brunch on Sundays. 8048 W. 3rd St., theia-la.com.

Taco the World

AT VENICE’S NUEVA, THE CHEFS MIX MOLE AND TAPENADE—MINING BOTH THEIR MEXICAN AND MIDDLE EASTERN ROOTS TO CREATE TRULY UNIQUE DISHES

BY HAILEY EBER

W

H E N VA R T A N A B G A R Y A N ’s “The Middle Eastern palate really likes the herbbusiness partners wanted to open driven, the acid-driven, the spice-driven. The a Mexican restaurant in Venice, Mexican palate is very similar.” the Armenian American chef had “There’s a huge Middle Eastern community to call for backup. in Mexico City,” Llanez adds. “The trompo”—the “I’ve been in L.A. for 30 years. I’ve eaten Mexvertical rotating spit—“for al pastor came from ican food for 30 years. But it’s a different thing the Middle East.” growing up with it in your family,” says 38-yearSeeing an ambitious project through during old Abgaryan. So he turned to a young Mexican the pandemic has been challenging and emoAmerican chef he’d known for years: 31-year-old tional. Last year Abgaryan opened Yours Truly to Mesraim Llanez. much acclaim, but the restaurant has been closed, The result of their collaboration is Nueva, a for the most part, since March. “It’s a bit bittercheery neighborhood cantina with a spacious sweet,” says Abgaryan, adding that he plans to patio and a menu of Mexican dishes with Midreopen soon. And he and Llanez are heartened dle Eastern moments. In addiby how many Venice folk have tion to the traditional ceviches come out to eat at Nueva in spite Llanez fondly remembers eating of everything. On some weekend on the beach with his family while days, when they serve both brunch growing up in Southern Califorand dinner, they’ve had as many as nia, there’s a taco with black bean 600 customers come through the falafel, branzino topped with red restaurant. mole and olive tapenade, and a “We’re meant to feed the brunch combo of huevos rancheneighborhood,” says Llanez. “And ros and shakshouka. that’s exactly what we’re doing.”

PA RT N E R S I N L I M E “The spice profiles work really 822 Washington Blvd., Venice, Mesraim Llanez (left) and well together,” Abgaryan says.

Vartan Abgaryan nuevavenice.com.

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Ichijiku

H I G H L A N D PA R K O This sushi joint from a number of industry veterans boasts both raw-fish favorites and a selection of creative vegan rolls, like one with beets and tofu “cream cheese,” and another with asparagus, corn, zucchini, and onion, wrapped in soy paper.

5629½ N. Figueroa St., ichijikusushi.com.

Tartine Silver Lake S I LV E R L A K E

O The sourdough mae-

stros now have an Eastside location offering their usual pastry-case pleasures, plus pizzas with intriguing toppings and perfectly blistered crusts. 3921 W. Sunset Blvd., tartinebakery.com.

Gamboge

L I NC O L N H E I G H T S O For grab-and-go Cambodian sandwiches, which have some similarities to bahn mi, this little shop is a great stop. But don’t miss the wonderfully bright chicken salad; grilled, coconut-glazed corn; or the charming, plant-lined back patio.

1822 N. Broadway, gambogela.com.

—H.E.

CO U RT E SY N U E VA

E AT YO U R V E G G I E S

The crispy cauliflower and chopped salad with grilled avocado at Nueva

This bite started here.

The Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove Showroom is a creative and collaborative space.

Chef demonstrations and interactive products will inspire you, while knowledgeable consultants will guide you through your entire kitchen project.

Delicious moments, spent cooking with the ones you love, start here.

SCH E DUL E A S H O W R O O M APPOI NTM ENT 655 Anton Boulevard, Costa Mesa, CA 92626 • 657-269-5874 • subzero-wolf.com /southerncalifornia

The Inside Guide

WINE

Hollywood and Vines FROM SARAH JESSICA PARKER TO SNOOP, MORE AND MORE CELEBS ARE GETTING INTO THE WINE BUSINESS. BUT ARE THEY ACTUALLY MAKING GOOD VINO—OR JUST ATTACHING THEIR BOLD-FACED NAMES TO PINK PLONK?

The Celeb

The Wine

The Review

Where to Find It 30 L A M AG . C O M

Actress/shoe-obessive Sarah Jessica Parker, 55, who starred as writer/shoe-obsessive Carrie Bradshaw on Sex and the City.

Rapper, Renaissance stoner, and friend of Martha Stewart Snoop Dogg, 48.

Self-described retired actress Cameron Diaz, 48, got jizzy with it in There’s Something About Mary and starred in romcoms aplenty. She’s gone on to reinvent herself as a wellness guru.

In 2019, Parker partnered with New Zealandbased wine producer Invivo & Co to make two varieties—a Marlborough sauvignon blanc and a Provençal rosé.

This past summer, Snoop partnered with the Australia-based, badass-themed company 19 Crimes to release Cali Red, a hearty blend of petite syrah and zinfandel made with Golden State grapes.

Earlier this year, Diaz launched Avaline, a line of wines billed as “clean.”

Labels tout that the wines are vegan and free of artificial colors, concentrates, and added sugars—all of which can be said about many halfway-decent wines.

“This is definitely the stiletto of rosés. It has a pointed minerality with a sassy feel,” says Pierluc Dallaire, the beverage director at Bar Restaurant in Silver Lake, of the Invivo X, Sarah Jessica Parker Sud de France Rosé 2019. “It’s very light and crisp.”

“It has a bold y personality and probably bly only Martha Stewart St t could pair some food with it,” says Dallaire of 19 Crimes Cali Red. “I’d go for gin and juice instead.”

If you’re looking for something different, Avaline’s French Rosé is delightfully distinct from the other Provençalstyle celeb rosés, says Dallaire. “The aromatics are different from the others. It’s a little more herbaceous, with a nutty nose.”

$18 at BevMo, various locations at bevmo.com.

$13 at Whole Foods, various locations at wholefoods.com.

$19 at Sprouts Farmers Market, various locations at sprouts.com.

A L L W I N E B OT T L E S CO U RT E SY B R A N DS ; I L LU T R AT I O N S : S H U T T E R STO C K ; SA R A H J E SS I C A PA R K E R : M I K E CO P P O L A /G E T T Y I M AG E ; S N O O P D O G G : R O C H E L L E B R O D I N /G E T T Y I M AG E S ; C A M E R O N D I A Z : T I B R I N A H O B S O N /G E T T Y I M AG E S ; G I N A N D J U I C E : G E T T Y I M AG E S

BY HAILEY EBER

P O ST M A LO N E : M AT T W I N K E L M E Y E R /G E T T Y I M AG E S FO R D C P ; E R I C WA R E H E I M : N OA M G A L A I / W I R E I M AG E ; B R A D P I T T A N D A N G E L I N A J O L I E : JAS O N L AV E R I S / F I L M M AG I C ; G I A CO P P O L A : M I C H A E L KOVAC /G E T T Y I M AG E S FO R CO R E G A L A ; KY L E M AC L AC H L A N : CO U RT E SY P U R S U E D BY B E A R ; G -WAG O N : CO U RT E SY M E R C E D E S - B E N Z ; H E A RT A N D T E N T: S H U T T E R STO C K

Musician and Olive Garden superfan Post Malone, 25, best known for being a white guy who raps and has face tattoos.

Actor-writer-director Eric Wareheim, 44, known for being one half of the comedy duo Tim and Eric, and his work in front of and behind the camera on Master of None.

Actors Brad Pitt, 56, and Angelina Jolie, 45— the greatest divorce story of our time.

Filmmaker Gia Coppola, 33, the granddaughter of director and winemaker Francis Ford Coppola. Mom is costume designer Jacqui Getty, dad is the late Gian-Carlo Coppola.

Actor Kyle MacLachlan, 61, known for playing quirky, coffee-loving special agent Dale Cooper on Twin Peaks, as well as many other memorable weirdos on film and TV.

Earlier this year, Malone launched his own Provençal rosé, Maison No. 9, a blend of grenache noir, cinsault, syrah, and merlot. When it hit the market this past summer, inventory of the wine—roughly 50,000 bottles—sold out within two days.

In 2014, Wareheim partnered with Bay Area grape guru Joel Burt to start Las Jaras Wines.

Based in Sonoma’s Sebastopol, they make various natural and lowintervention wines. Their product has been hailed as a celebrity wine that’s actually good.

In 2012, the couple purchased Château Miraval in the South of France.

The 1,235-acre winery produces pink bottles with huge distribution.

Sources say the exes are committed to keeping it as “an investment for their children.”

In 2018, the Francis Ford Coppola Winery launched the #Collection

by Gia Coppola. Meant to appeal to a younger demo, the wines are moderately priced, come in picnic-perfect one-liter bottles, and feature labels with Gia’s arty photos and sans serif text.

MacLachlan launched his Pursued By Bear wines in 2005 with the release of a cabernet sauvignon from Washington’s Columbia Valley.

While you won’t see MacLachlan’s face on the bottle, he’s said to be quite hands-on in the winemaking process.

“This is a rosé with a lot of life. It will definitely dance in your mouth. It’s almost sparkling,” says Dallaire of Maison No. 9.

It might, he cautions, inspire you to take your GWagon for a joy ride in Joshua Tree, à la Postie’s “White Iverson” video.

The 2019 Glou Glou— made from a blend of zinfandel, carignan, petite syrah, pinot noir, and cabernet—is an easydrinking red that chills well. “If you’re a fan of natural wine, and lighter wine, you’ll love it,” says Dallaire. “It’s my favorite of the celeb wines.”

“It’s very easygoing with a light bitterness, probably from the divorce,” quips Dallaire of the 2019 Miraval Rosé.

“Don’t think about it, just drink it. Your mom probably has some in her house.”

Dallaire says he was “pleasantly surprised” by how much he liked the Gia Orange Riesling.

“The apricot nose gets you right away—it’s very fragrant with a light tanin grip!” he says. “O-M-G. This is a fun and affordable wine that should appeal to everyone.”

“A lot is going on in this bottle. A flavor circus just landed in town. Bold, elegant— there’s an encore in your mouth,” says Dillaire of the flagship 2016 Pursued by Bear Cabernet Sauvignon.

“Buckle up!”

$22 at Cap n’ Cork, 1674 Hillhurst Ave., Los Feliz.

$27 at Silver Lake Wine, 2395 Glendale Blvd., Silver Lake, silverlakewine.com.

$22 at Trader Joe’s, various locations at traderjoes.com.

Available direct-toconsumer only, $20 at thefamilycoppola.com.

$70 at pursuedby bearwine.com.

L A M AG . C O M 3 1

The Inside Guide

S W E E T T R E AT S

T H E SW E E T L I F E

Clifton Powell makes traditional Southern cobbler using an old family recipe. Peach is his most popular flavor by far.

Peachy Keen

PASADENA’S GOURMET COBBLER FACTORY HAS A SIMPLE RECIPE FOR SUCCESS: FRESH FRUIT AND A PERFECTLY FLAKEY, BUTTERY CRUST B Y H E AT H E R P L AT T

N A Q U I E T side street

just off Pasadena’s busy Colorado Boulevard, the sweet, smoky smell of barbecued meat and buttery fruit cobbler mingle in the air.

Through the front window of an unassuming storefront, a neon OPEN sign shines brightly and, above it, a placard reads “Gourmet Cobbler Factory.”

“Everybody loves peach,” says Clif3 2 L A M AG . C O M

ton Powell of his bakery’s most popular cobbler. “But I have all the flavors: apple, mixed berry, blackberry, blueberry, boysenberry, and lemon meringue.”

Powell, who’s 76, grew up in Mississippi and New Orleans and moved to California when he was 16. He worked at Disney for 30 years as a machinist, and in 2002, three years before retiring from Mickey and Co., he took over the storefront. Powell and his family lived

across the street at the time, when it was another bakery. Back then, he was eager to share his family’s secret recipes for the dessert, along with his seafood gumbo. “I learned how to make cobbler down south. My sister actually taught me.”

In March, the Gourmet Cobbler Factory closed its doors for the lockdown, but since reopening in May for takeout only, business has been steady. Powell and his wife of 56 years, Gloria, stock their glass pastry case with extra peach cobblers every morning, and they usually sell out by day’s end to a steady flow of customers—locals and those who travel from farther afield on word of mouth. The secret, says Powell, is in the crust.

“Most cobblers don’t have a bottom; they just have a top. I put a bottom on all of my cobblers,” he says. “And I put a double crust on the top because if the crust is good, people love it.” In recent years, Powell has added a barbecue menu, turning out chicken, ribs, tri-tip, and pulled pork from an indoor smoker, making Gourmet Cobbler Factory a one-stop shop for dinner and dessert.

But the namesake pastry remains the star attraction.

“We use fresh fruit on all of our cobblers; we don’t use canned anything.

Our recipe is very Southern,” Powell says. “I have to say, I have not tried cobbler anywhere else quite like mine.”

33 N. Catalina Ave., Pasadena, thegourmetcobblerfactory.com.

P H O T O G R A P H S BY C O R I NA M A R I E H OW E L L

Holey Days

MOCHI DOUGHNUTS MIGHT BE THE PERFECT CURE FOR THE MALAISE OF THE MOMENT. GET ’EM WHILE THEY’RE HOT

BY HAILEY EBER

CO U R T E SY D R AG O N B O B A

W H E N D RAG O N B O BA opened in June amid the pandemic, manager Christopher Yoon figured business wouldn’t be booming. “I thought we’d be really slow,” he says, “but a lot of people are wanting sweets right now.” The dessert cafe often sells out of its colorful mochi doughnuts, which are delightfully chewy, thanks to a batter made from sweet rice flour. “The texture attracts people,” Yoon notes. Dragon Boba isn’t the only shop in town making this kind of doughnut, but it offers a vast range of flavors—from matcha to strawberry milk—and toppings like Fruity Pebbles cereal and crushed cookies. Yoon says that it’s best to enjoy the doughnuts, which are made fresh twice daily and without preservatives, right after purchase. “You got to eat them when you get them.” 528 S. Western Ave., Koreatown, dragonbobausa.com.

L A M AG . C O M 33

R E TA I L

In Living Color

AFTER 25 YEARS, THE ICONIC DESIGNER TRINA TURK IS CLOSING UP SHOP IN L.A. BUT SHE’S ALREADY PLANNING A KALEIDOSCOPIC COMEBACK

BY MERLE

D

GINSBERG

E S I G N E R T R I NA T U R K

says wryly, “Well, it’s not exactly the 25th anniversary I was expecting.”

She’s referring to the peculiarity of having a monograph celebrating her long career released this fall during a pandemic, not to mention the shuttering of a number of her eponymous stores, including, most re3 4 L A M AG . C O M

cently, in Larchmont. “We were planning celebratory events for the book this past March, and then . . . .” We all know what happened next. Trina Turk, published by Chronicle Books, will now be released on October 6.

Turk’s sun-soaked aesthetic has stood the test of time, making her one of Los Angeles’s most successful contemporary designers. Her trademark

retro caftans, tunics, swimwear, and dresses are the SoCal version of the pastel Palm Beach world of Lilly Pulitzer and the swirly psychedelic paisleys of Emilio Pucci.

As Turk, who’s 59, writes in the intro to her book, “This is a story of color, print, optimism, and California. My print training ground was Ocean Pacific, the surf company.

That’s where I learned that there had to be movement in prints or they don’t work.”

Her label was born in the late ’90s, just when California modernist art and architecture had begun to get a foothold around the globe. The book includes an interview with her long-

A L L I M AG E S CO U RT E SY T R I N A T U R K , P U B L I S H E D BY C H R O N I C L E C H R O M A 2 02 0

The Inside Guide

time friend, Simon Doonan, the famed creative director and window dresser of Barneys.

“I’d been wanting to do a book; the wheels have been turning for years,” Turk says. The idea gained traction when her husband and business partner—and the designer of their Mr. Turk brand of hipster menswear—Jonathan Skow, passed away at age 55 after a surfing accident in 2018. “I felt I had to document what we had built together over the past 25 years.”

Turk opened her first boutique on North Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs in 2002. Next came Turk’s WeHo boutique on West 3rd Street,

which closed in 2016, but rose again in Larchmont. Now that store is gone, along with the one in Manhattan Beach. That leaves ten remaining (including Palm Springs, Miami, New York, Dallas, and Atlanta). “We’ve had to lay off 75 percent of our employees,” Turk says. “We’re just trying to keep the boat from sinking. But this year online sales are up steadily about 15 percent from last year.”

Among other concessions to the pandemic, Turk has nixed her signature crimson lipstick. “I’ve always worn it, but it gets all over my masks.

Trust me, it will come back when there’s a vaccine. Along with many other things, I hope.”

C A L I F OR N I A D R E A M I N ‘

Clockwise from top left: Turk’s former Third Street shop; a look from her late-husband’s Mr. Turk line; the couple in happier times; her new monograph; Turk’s Palm Springs store.

L A M AG . C O M 35

The Inside Guide

FA S H I O N

Don’t Sweat It ONCE RELEGATED TO DORM ROOMS AND THE GYM, SWEATPANTS HAVE BECOME FASHION’S HOTTEST STAPLE B Y L I N D A I M M E D I AT O

FANCY PANTS Karl Lagerfeld’s French fleece sweats. $165 at yoox.com.

N O T L O N G A G O, sweatpants seemed

like the antithesis of style—gray, shapeless garments favored by frat boys and tweens. In 2010, the legendary Karl Lagerfeld acidly commented that sweatpants “are a sign of defeat. You lost control of your life so you bought some sweatpants.” But as the athleisure trend has taken off in the past decade, even Kaiser Karl changed his tune. One of his final collections featured a loose-fiting version with his logo printed down the side of the leg.

In the past year, COVID has accelerated the trend, inspiring homebound fashionistas to ditch their work clothes in favor of more comfortable and informal apparel. But the season’s new sweatpants—festooned with bright colors and innovative fabrics—have little in common with their dowdy predecessors. When the famously frosty Vogue editor, Anna Wintour, posted an Instagram pic of herself in a pair of Adidas track pants, even the most stylishly conservative had to admit that sweatpants have finally arrived.

CAT COUTURE A kitty with a taco and a slice in space? What’s not to love? $69.99 at nextlevelpet.com.

THANK YOU, NEXT Photorealistic Ariana Grande pants. $19.99 at sgoodgoods.com.

36 L A M AG . C O M

MIDNIGHT AT THE OASIS Suzie Kondi’s rose harem pants. $69 at everaftershop.com.

A L L I M AG E S CO U RT E SY O F B R A N DS

DYED AND TRUE This set has that ’60s-era “There’s somethin’ happening here” vibe. $20 at shopakira.com.

UNISEX

SPEED OF LIGHT Nothing screams “I’m smart” like Einstein’s theory of relativity. $29 at dhgate.com.

SPATIAL RELATIONS Loveternal’s spandex joggers with a geometric print—for all. $20 at amazon.com.

“Don’t get creative. It’s bourbon and sweatpants time.”

JUSTIN HALPERN, CREATOR OF @SHITMYDAD SAYS ON TWITTER

PUFF, PUFF, PASS Smoke and mirrors—and digital-printed technology. $23.99 at raisevern.com.

SLIM SHADY Try skinny-fit track pants, if baggy isn’t your thing. $27 at boohooman.com.

RICK AND MORTY Time travel to happier days with this twisted duo. $20 at wish.com.

SHAKE YOUR MONEYMAKER In the end, Honey Boo Boo was right—a dolla do make u holla. $24.86 at beautifulhalo.com.

L A M AG . C O M 37

The Inside Guide

ACC E S S O R I E S

Kamala Harris for the People tote, $15 at teeshirtpalace.net.

Shop4ever pint Sh 4 i t glasses, l $12 at amazon.com.

Agitpop iPhone case, $25 agitpopshop.com.

Voter Expression A MONTH BEFORE THE MOST CONTENTIOUS ELECTION IN OUR HISTORY, EVERYONE SEEMS TO BE WEARING THEIR POLITICS ON THEIR SLEEVES. HERE ARE A FEW FASHION STATEMENTS THAT CAUGHT OUR EYE

ght b buttons at amazon.com. #MeToo buttons, $6 for eig eight

Impeach This T-shirt, irt, m. $30 at 1stshirts.com.

AeisonHome ring, $28.50 at etsy.com.

LavenderLeft earrings, $13 at etsy.com.

B Y L I N D A I M M E D I AT O

Trans pride bumper sticker, $5.50 at crazynoveltyguy.com

Greater Half MAGA onesie. $65 at greaterhalf.com.

38 L A M AG . C O M

Trump cologne, $40 at omfragrances.com.

Birdies slip-ons, $165 at birdies.com.

Gay Nation baseball cap, $23.50 at gaynation.co.

A L L I M AG E S CO U RT E SY O F B R A N DS

Bro Biden T-shirt, $20 at amazon.com.

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L A M AG . C O M 39

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

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The X Pot, an immersive multisensory dining adventure pairing traditional Z[`SL HUK YLPU]LU[LK Ă…H]VYZ ;OL Asian-inspired restaurant features an interactive dining and entertainment L_WLYPLUJL [OH[ HSSV^Z N\LZ[Z [V LUNHNL HSS Ă„]L ZLUZLZ JYLH[PUN HU extraordinary gastronomic experience ^OLYL [OL WHZ[ HUK [OL M\[\YL JVSSPKL

42 L A M AG . C O M

KAMU Ultra Karaoke [OL MPYZ[ OPNO LUK RHYHVRL JS\I VU [OL 3HZ =LNHZ :[YPW HUK [OL TVZ[ ¸UV[Lš HISL PU [OL ^VYSK )VHZ[PUN HU \UYP]HSLK L_WLYPLUJL ^P[O [OL \S[PTH[L PU S\_\Y` HUK [LJOUVSVN` 2(4< PZ OV^ =LNHZ KVLZ RHYHVRL .\LZ[Z JHU ZPUN [OH[ X\HYHU[PUL MH[PN\L H^H` PU [OL JVTMVY[ VM VUL VM VM 2(4<ÂťZ ZVJPHSS` KPZ[HUJLK \WZJHSL ZPUNPUN Z\P[LZ Museum of Dream Space (MODS) [OL ^OPTZPJHS T\S[PTLKPH HY[ NHSSLY` VŃ&#x153;LYZ HU PTTLYZP]L ^VYSK VM J\S[\YL HUK JYLH[P]P[` ^LSJVTPUN N\LZ[Z [OYV\NO ZP_ IYLH[O[HRPUN YVVTZ Ă&#x201E;SSLK ^P[O Z[H[L VM [OL HY[ [LJOUVSVN` HUK Z[Y\J[\YHS KLZPNU VŃ&#x153;LYPUN WSLU[` VM 0UZ[HNYHT ^VY[O` WOV[V VWZ H[ L]LY` [\YU

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Education

MAX KUTNER

The ‘A’ List

UNDER PRESSURE FROM PARENTS TO DELIVER STUDENTS TO TOP COLLEGES, ELITE PREP SCHOOLS IN L.A. AND ACROSS THE U.S. ARE BRAZENLY INFLATING GRADES

4 4 L A M AG . C O M

As online learning continues this fall for the more than 160,000 high schoolers in Los Angeles—and as schools put in place more lenient grading policies because of the pandemic—grades will be less reliable than ever. ////

T

always give letter grades. The practice started in the late 1800s, when an explosion in school enrollment necessitated a standard way to assess students. But grading never really was standard, and it wasn’t long before educators, concerned that students were E AC H E R S D I D N ’ T

S C H O OL F OR S C A N DA L

Above left: Former Buckley head of school James Busby.

A 2017 internal investigation confirmed that Busby raised the grades of several students—including one working with indicted collegeadmissions advisor Rick Singer (right)—but exonerated him of wrongdoing.

Busby resigned after backlash from the school’s students and alumni.

R I C K S I N G E R : S COT T E I S E N /G E T T Y I M AG E S

I

N MARCH 2010, the English teachers at the Buckley School felt ambushed. They were seated at one end of a conference table in the office of Larry Dougherty, the tony prep school’s head. Large windows offered a view onto Buckley’s verdant campus in the hills above Sherman Oaks. Three or so school administrators sat at the other end of the table. Dougherty had called in the teachers to discuss why the grades they gave their students were lower than those at Harvard-Westlake and Viewpoint, two other L.A. private schools. He passed around photocopies of the grade distributions. To the teachers, it felt like an interrogation.

“You’re hurting the students!” Dougherty shouted, slamming his fist on the conference table, according to two teachers present. He told them to raise each student’s grade by half a letter. As one teacher put it, Dougherty warned them not to “tell anyone that he was instructing us to lower standards.”

According to a source who attended the meeting, Dougherty later told a colleague, “Grades will go up one way or the other

by October.”

Dougherty’s request wasn’t unusual. Private and public high schools throughout Los Angeles and the rest of the country are rife with grade inflation, according to school data and interviews with teachers, students, and admissions officers. “The number of As given out has gone up, but it hasn’t had a correlating improvement in learning,” says education consultant Rick Wormeli. “There hasn’t been a place anywhere in the United States where I haven’t seen at least at a little bit of it.”

show. And families consider grades the most reliable and accurate indicator of how their children are performing, according to a 2019 report. As Americans confront racial inequality, advocates for students of color and low-income students say those pupils have the most to lose from grade inflation. “If you’re in an area where you’re under-resourced and your grades are being inflated,” says Tanji Reed Marshall of the nonprofit Education Trust, “you have to remediate. You’re not prepared for the demand.” According to the most recent federal data, as of 2015, around 40 percent of undergraduates have taken remedial courses since high school, more of them Black and Hispanic than white.

This all leads to an obsession with grades and grade point averages. Videos tagged #GPA have a combined 35 million views on the teen-heavy app TikTok. Many students get push notifications on their phones the moment a teacher enters a mark. The pressure is on to get a certain GPA, to make it into the National Honor Society, to get automatic college admission. “Kids feel like they’re killing themselves, figuratively or literally, to get these perfect grades,” says a person in the test-prep world who requested anonymity, “and even that’s not enough.” ////

T

receiving grades higher than they deserved, started sounding H E B U C K L E Y S C H O O L sits on 18 acres in a canyon the alarm about inflation; researchers pointed to data shownear the gated Mulholland Estates. A sign at the ing how grades have gone up while standardized test scores school entrance at one point read, “College begins at have stayed the same or gone down. Anecdotally, teachers Two,” a favorite saying of Isabelle Buckley, who founded the today don’t think their students are any smarter than in preK-12 school in 1933. The school boasts 100 percent college vious generations. acceptance for its graduates and has long had a reputation Around 50 years ago, the most common average grade that for accepting the children of celebrities. Michael Jackson’s college freshmen reported receiving in high kids went there, as did Paris Hilton and the school was a B, according to the Higher EduKardashians. As “Growing Up Privileged,” a cation Research Institute at the University 1982 People cover story about Buckley, put “Parents have of California, Los Angeles. Only 5.7 percent it: “If John Davidson Jr. and Frank Sinatra’s of students reported an average grade of A grandchildren could stand it, so can you. Upa transactional or A+. Now 30.9 percent do, making those per school tuition is $5,150.” Tuition is now mindset: ‘I pay stellar grades the most common. By contrast, almost nine times that amount—$43,860— money to go to standardized tests document stagnant or fallhigher than at Harvard-Westlake. Fourteen this school. I ing scores. The average critical-reading score percent of Buckley families receive financial on the SAT fell from 530 in 1972 to 494 in want grades that aid, compared to 20 percent at Harvard2016. The average math SAT score remained Westlake and Viewpoint. will get my kid unchanged. (These numbers have since inFormer Buckley teachers still find it hard into Harvard.’” creased after a test redesign.) On Advanced to talk about the pressure they felt a decade JON REIDER, FORMER Placement exams, the average score for all ago. Nancy Booth, who was at the 2010 meetCOLLEGE COUNSELOR subjects has dropped from 3.03 in 1997, when ing with Dougherty, recorded in her journal data are first readily available, to 2.91. The at the time: “We give high grades and we hate ACT has seen a similar trend, with an averourselves because of the lack of integrity; we age composite score that has changed by just 2.1 percentage give low grades and we get called in and screamed at.” She points in 50 years, and even less in the last few decades. quit Buckley in 2012 and never taught again.“I knew in my Yet grades continue to be treated as science or gospel. heart that every school now is like this,” she says today.

College-admissions officers rank grades as the most imporFive more sources, all former Buckley teachers and admintant element when considering applicants, annual surveys istrators, don’t dispute that Dougherty wanted higher grades.

I L LU S T R AT I O N BY C H R I S M O R R I S

C L A SS SYST E M The Buckley School’s $43,860 annual tuition is among L.A.’s highest. Former students include the Kardashians, as well as Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie (right), seen in a Buckley yearbook photo.

In 2018, a student reporter at Sage Hill School in Orange County surveyed 19 teachers. Nearly all of those who responded said they had noticed grade inflation at the school. Taylor Garcia, a senior, told the reporter, “In the last couple of years, I feel like I haven’t been working as hard, and my grades don’t really reflect that. It’s kind of an

odd disconnect.” In her article, the reporter pointed out that the school asked teachers to include “categories of assessment,” like class participation, “that allowed more students to score higher grades.” When the average GPA subsequetly went up schoolwide, the head of school called the spike “exciting news.” For this spring’s graduating

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Four of them say the English teachers were notoriously tough graders. But one of the former administrators says that top brass saw higher grades as necessary to compete for applicants.

“Increasing reputation was very, very important to them,” the person says.

Dougherty, who multiple sources at Buckley say was respected by many at the school, says he let teachers control how they graded. “If I had a disagreement with a teacher about grades, I would talk to them directly. But I always left it up to the teacher to make the final decision as to what was the grade,” he says. To suggest otherwise, he adds, is “just not accurate.”

Buckley is not the only private school where educators say grades are bloated. “[At] some independent schools, I think it’s become almost policy to have grade inflation, because they want their kids to be able to get into ‘good colleges,’” says a former admissions officer in the Los Angeles area who requested anonymity. “B- is basically the floor. There are very few schools that don’t have grade inflation.”

class, the most common GPA at Sage elite colleges bombared by applicaHill, out of 4.0, was between 4.25 and tions were becoming more selective.

4.65. Tom Green, associate executive And when their children’s grades director at the American Association of turned out to be too low for those inCollegiate Registrars and Admissions stitutions, parents became unsatisfied Officers, compares GPAs like these to customers. “Those families who have the guitar amplifier that goes to 11 in such substantial financial resources This is Spinal Tap. or perceived power and The Great Recession influence may not have is partly to blame. When much experience with private schools took fibeing told no,” HarBusby had nancial hits a decade ward says. Jon Reider, changed ago, they countered a former Stanford adseveral by increasing enrollmissions officer and students’ ment and thus needed private-school college more applicants. To atcounselor, says, “I took grades. All tract them, the schools shit from the parents seemed to geared their marketand the kids who didn’t have parents ing toward promising get into Yale.” Those on the board. parents a “return on parents have a “transinvestment,” says Emmi actional mindset,” he Harward, executive disays. The thinking goes, rector of the Association “I pay money to go to of College Counselors in Independent this school. I want high grades that Schools. That “return” would be elite will get my kid into Harvard.” So high college acceptance, which the high schools responded by inflating grades. schools all but pledged when they Some Buckley students bristle at sent out lists of where their recent the suggestion of easy grades. “We earn graduates matriculated. Meanwhile, our grades,” says one Buckley student

Christmas

who graduated this year. “We work very hard for them.” Another young Buckley alumnus agrees: “Classes are difficult, and you earn your grades.”

But their teachers believe otherwise.

“Buckley is all about transaction,” says a current teacher. “It’s all about the A. It’s all about the 4.0.” ////

W

HEN JAMES BUSBY became head of school in 2013, Buckley teachers felt optimistic that the obsession with grades would end. That’s because Busby had come from the prestigious Saint Ann’s School in Brooklyn, which doesn’t use grades. Teachers were correct—Busby didn’t care about grades—but according to sources familiar with his thinking, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t use his authority to raise them. In 2017, a math teacher learned that Busby had raised a C+ she had given a student—the child of a Buckley trustee—to a B-. The teacher discovered that Busby had changed more (CONTINUED ON PAGE 93)

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PHOTOGRAPHS BY ELISABETH CAREN

TH

C H E E R S A N D J E E R S From left: Political impersonators Reggie Brown (Obama), Gary Bley (Biden), John Di Domenico (Trump), and Don Frankel (Clinton) raise a glass at Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Briens Irish Pub in Santa Monica.

Set Design: Jordan Grossman Agent: Denise Bella Vlasis at Tribute Productions

OF THE

BY ALLEN SALKIN

PRESIDENT

A T I N Y H A N D F U L O F A C T O R S H A V E B U I LT S U C C E S S F U L C A R E E R S I M P E R S O N A T I N G P O L I T I C I A N S F R O M B U S H T O B E R N I E . S O M E Q U I C K LY D I S C O V E R T H AT P L AY I N G P O T U S C A N B E A D A N G E R O U S G A M E

ALEC BALDWIN WAS

BEGGING HIM TO STAY ONSTAGE.

50 L A M AG . C O M

DRESS FOR SUCCESS Before each performance, John Di Domenico uses recordings of the president speaking to get him in a Trumpy mood.

doing a Trump impersonation on a television sketch comedy show. In other words, he’d impersonate Alec Baldwin impersonating the president. The gig might require Di Domenico to fly to New York the next day, a challenge since he was also under consideration to appear at a Tony Robbins conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, that week. But it was all good: “Once there’s forward movement and there’s energy, things start happening and it’s like a twister,” he told me happily after the show that night.

“Things start sucking towards you.”

The storm of Donald Trump’s presidency has been traumatic for many, but it’s been manna for John Di Domenico and others in his spectacularly bizarre business. If the beginning of Trump’s end comes in November, say a tiny prayer for these artists who may never see times like this again. “It’s a very small clique,” says Bob DiBuono. The 49-year-old New Jersey actor is Di Domenico’s main rival at the top of the Trump-impersonation racket. If you include impersonators making a living doing Obama or any former president, membership is only slightly less exclusive than the club of real ex-presidents. Reggie Brown, America’s top Obama impersonator, estimates there are “less than five people at the top level. Altogether, maybe 25.”

Mostly comedians or once-struggling actors, they are hired via an online service such as GigSalad, or through talent agents, by everyone from major corporations looking for

PHOTO ASSISTANTS: CHRISTIAN RAICES, ASH DANIELSEN; RETOUCHING: NADIA SELANDER

For John Di Domenico, the world’s top Trump impersonator, the day was going even better than he’d envisioned when he hopped onto a flight from Las Vegas to San Jose early that morning.

It was a warm day in February, and he’d been hired as the comic relief for a Lunar New Year dinner benefiting Evan Low, a California state assemblyman representing Silicon Valley. Not yet in makeup and as bald as Dr. Evil, 57-year-old Di Domenico, a brawny five foot eight, had spent much of the morning seated at a desk in the lobby of the San Jose Doubletree hotel tinkering with his material. The U.S. Senate had voted on the articles of impeachment that week: “Today, ‘MAGA’ has a new meaning,” Di Domenico pecked into his laptop and simultaneously tested aloud in Trump’s voice—“My Ass Got Acquitted.” He tried a localized bit: “They’re terrible people, the media—all lies, all lies! Especially the San Jose Mercury News. How many articles can you write about Mercury? It’s a tiny planet. Tie-knee.”

He checked his account on Cameo, the app that lets people buy personal video greetings from notables. Di Domenico has filmed as many as 24 greetings in a day from his home White House lectern, at up to $200 a pop, earning more than $100,000 since he joined the service in October 2019. On this morning, a Cameo request had come from the Church of the Redeemer in West Monroe, Louisiana. “We are pro-Trump here,” wrote the pastor. “Please say some fun version of this: ‘Sorry I can’t be there, but you’ve got Aaron Booth to run the show tonight. He’s one funny real-estate appraiser!’”

Then around noon, a text came in from Di Domenico’s agent, informing him that he was under consideration for a guest role on the CBS show The Good Fight, where he’d play a famous actor

ALL EARS Reggie Brown looks strikingly like Obama, even when he’s out of costume. But customized $3,000 prosthetic ears add the final touch.

unique keynote speakers to wedding planners. Top impersonators can earn up to $30,000 emceeing a conference, $10,000 for doing 45 minutes of jokes as dinner entertainment for a Passover seder at a resort in Cancun, $1,500 to show up at a party, and anywhere from $125 to $5,000 for a custom video or Zoom appearance.

“We are all competing against each other, but there’s a respect, because there’s not many of us, and we all know how much work it takes to really perfect all the aspects of your character,” DiBuono says. Nothing against Darrell Hammond’s lower-lip-hiding Bill Clinton, Dana Carvey’s finger-flinging George H. W. Bush, or Will Ferrell’s deer-in-headlights Dubya. But making it big without SNL’s boost requires a whole nother level of moxie and a tolerance for abuse.

“I tell them, ‘You got four years—rake in the money,’” says Dustin Gold, a manager of political impersonators. Comedian Vaughn Meader’s JFK was so good that his 1962 album, The First Family, sold 7.5 million records. But hours after the 1963 assassination, Lenny Bruce started a nightclub show with a long pause and then said, “Boy, is Vaughn Meader fucked,” and he was right. No one wanted to laugh about JFK anymore. Tim Watters, a Floridian whose physical similarity to Bill Clinton led him to stop selling real estate in 1992 and try his luck as an impersonator, says he earned $1

Before Trump’s presidential candidacy, Di Domenico had almost given up the business. Weary of fighting for sporadic corporate conference bookings with his stable of impersonations—Dr. Phil, Guy Fieri, businessman Trump, and Austin Powers—he’d started poking around for dependable work as a Vegas producer.

But at this moment, three weeks before the U.S. registered its first COVID-19 death, Di Domenico was aces. He had never met Baldwin, who was coming to support Low. But there was no assurance the best fake Trump would get the chance to meet and take a photo with the most famous one.

COURTESY REGGIE BROWN: EARS BY ALLEN SALKIN; INSTAGRAM: IAMREGGIEBROWN

O N S TA G E I N A $ 4 , 0 0 0 W I G , D I D O M E N I C O S L AY E D T H E C R O W D O F A B O U T 3 0 0 D E M O C R AT S I N T H E B A N Q U E T R O O M O F A C H I N E S E R E S TA U R A N T P E R F U M E D B Y F R I E D L O B S T E R .

million in his peak year, 1996, which dwindled in 1998 and pretty much dried up after 2000. “I was making more than the president,” he said. “When Lewinsky broke, I lost a lot of Fortune 500 gigs.” A few are luckier. Care to check out Rich Little’s 1970s-era Richard Nixon? Until the pandemic, you could still catch the octogenarian playing mid-sized rooms in Vegas and doing Watergate jokes.

But while the getting is good, there is no one better positioned to understand the persona of a president—the outward-facing sum of their word choices, facial expressions, and hand gestures—than an impersonator. And every one of them says that, from the surface, they reach something deep.

For Joe Biden impersonator Dave Burleigh, the Democratic candidate’s speaking voice is animated by loss. To perform it, Burleigh touches his own grief. “There’s a reflective sadness in Biden’s delivery, an empathetic reflection.

His family dying in a car crash, then losing his son to cancer,” Burleigh says. “I lost my Dad to cancer when I was 19.”

Onstage in a $4,000 wig, Di Domenico slayed the crowd of about 300 Democrats in the banquet room of a Chinese restaurant perfumed by fried lobster—“My Secret Service detail told me there’s over 5,000 people here at the arena tonight, and 2,000 outside that couldn’t get in . . . I’m the greatest president in the history of presidents other than the late great Abe Lincoln, whose wife was maybe a three.”

Now $4,500 richer (minus expenses and 20 percent to his agent) from the day’s work, he prepared to cede the stage to Baldwin. In a postshow phone call from his dressing room, Di Domenico related to his fiancée what happened next. “So Alec says, ‘No, no, no—you’re not going anywhere. I want to interview you.’”

A L E C : How long have you been doing this?

J O H N : I’ve been doing Trump since 2004.

A L E C : So from when he started doing The Apprentice. You

began doing comedy clubs? Vegas?

L A M AG . C O M 51

J O H N : Comedy clubs, voiceovers. I did a movie in 2008 and

a bunch of stuff.

A L E C : When did you know you had the essence of Trump?

And what, to you, is the essence of Trump?

J O H N : The essence of Trump is confidence no matter what.

A L E C : I’m gonna steal that from you.

J O H N : If people are booing me, I hear applause. It’s like positive thinking on steroids.

A L E C : Whenever people ask me what I’m trying try to do, I say I just try to make Trump as miserable as possible.

J O H N : You know how they say you’re the king of the . . . ?

A L E C : No, no—I’m the worst Trump impersonator there is. All Trump impersonators know that. What we do is five minutes long. They want to get a couple gags, get everybody wound up, and say, ‘Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!’

Very broad. Very caricature. What else do you do these days?

J O H N : This is pretty much taking over my entire life.

A L E C : You and me both, baby!

requires that he be accompanied by two security people, costumed as Secret Service. Brown has also become adept at Thai boxing. When he was 20, an N-word-spouting thug bashed his face with a hard object, shattering his craniomaxillofacial bones and ending his modeling career. When he is invited to give keynote talks as Obama, Brown breaks character at the end to tell his personal story, including his birth father leaving him when he was 5 and his losing his beloved stepfather to leukemia when he was 13. He runs a charity in schools called Outsmart Racism.

This night, he asked the aggressor, “Do you want to get knocked out or you want to get choked out?”

The bros, intimidated by this ready-to-rumble Obama, offered to buy him a beer. “Then when I went to leave, the guy says, ‘Have a good night, N-word,’” Brown recalls.

They went outside, Brown with Watters and Patti Lyons, the faux Palin. “She always had my back,” Brown says.

Watters and Lyons insist they have only hazy memories of this incident, but Lyons says Brown often can’t distance himself from anger directed at the Obama avatar. “Someone will say something and instead of saying, ‘Yeah, yeah,’ he’d say ‘F.U., dude.’ I would say, ‘Reggie, just stop. Stop it. Don’t do this.’ But you become very loyal to your character. When I started doing Palin, I wasn’t sure I liked her. But then as you study her, you get to know her and like her.”

Unlike Di Domenico who requires nearly two hours to wig up, face paint, and get his Trump on, Brown requires only a dusting of white hair powder, a touch of makeup, and one other easy step to look so much like Obama that it’ll make you drop your phone: a slip-on pair of $3,000 prosthetic ears.

He took them off and handed them to his manager “like a chick takes her earrings off in a fight—‘Hold these.’”

The aggressor charged. “I took him like it was a movie, and I don’t know if it’s ‘dung’ him or ‘dinged’ him off a light pole, spun him around, and threw him back at his friends. He staggered and splatted at their feet.”

Back inside, there was more trouble when a separate drunkard stepped off the elevator and decided to try his luck.

“He tried hocking one right in my face. I ducked. He went to punch me, I ducked, picked him up, double-legged him, took him down on the ground. He’s saying, ‘I’m gonna kill you.’ I was in his ear, ‘You’re not doing a good job.’ He starts crying, and they kick him out of the hotel.”

Oftentimes it goes less roughly for Obamas. Dion Flynn, a New York actor, impersonated the former president on The Tonight Show. “After Trump got elected, I had these overwrought women hugging me closer, saying, ‘I voted for you. I would vote for you again. Please don’t leave.’” It went differently when Flynn was hired for $3,000 plus expenses to visit a dying woman in Illinois. Arriving in a black Escalade, he was led to her adjustable bed in the living room where he held a folder

has drastically reduced inperson performances, it has been a boon for Cameo greetings and paid Zoom meetings. Sarah Cooper used her lockdown time to create an abstract impression of the president with lip-synched TikToks so on-key that she was rewarded with a forthcoming Netflix special. But most impersonators hone their acts on the road, where, in the days before COVID, they’d come face-to-face with people who treat impersonators as therapy dummies. After a trade-show gig at Mandalay Bay in Vegas in 2016, Di Domenico stepped into an elevator with his producers. An older man who was already aboard sprang, grabbed him by the throat, and squeezed. “My producers were saying, ‘It’s not him, it’s not him,’” Di Domenico recalls. As they shoved him out, “the guy said, ‘I know it’s not him. It’s what he represents.’”

Thirty-nine-year-old Brown is the most realistic fake Obama; born to a white mother and a black father, he has the same height, head shape, and natural vocal cadence as the ex-president. When I visited his Sherman Oaks apartment, he told me about a confrontation he had at the Muse Hotel in New York. He had been having drinks in costume with Watters (the Bill Clinton) and a faux Sarah Palin after doing a sketch on Mike Huckabee’s Fox News show.

Brown started getting heckled by “total frat bros—double polo, popped collars. One had his beer balls, going, ‘Hey, Obama, I didn’t vote for you.’ And I’m [in Obama voice] ‘OK, well, did you vote?’ He said, ‘Yeah.’ I said, “YOU’VE NEVER BEEN IN A SURREALISTIC ‘Well, good for you—your voice S I T U AT I O N U N T I L Y O U ’ R E S I N G I N G L E O N A R D has been heard.’ I was trying to deC O H E N ’ S ‘ HALLELUJAH,’ DRESSED AS OBAMA, FOR escalate, but his friends started pushing me. I said, “‘Alright, dude.

A WOMAN WHO WOULD BE DEAD IN 36 HOURS.” Nothing’s happening. Stop touch—DION FLYNN, OBAMA IMPERSONATOR ing me.’”

Normally, when he makes public appearances, Brown’s contract rider

WHILE THE PANDEMIC

5 2 L A M AG . C O M

R O YA L F L U S H Biden impersonator Gary Bley crowns around with Di Domenico as Trump. (On occasion, Bley moonlights as Mike Pence.)

CREDIT BOX

Inset: Bley; Clinton impersonator Don Frankel; and Aurora Sexton, a transgender performer who does a mean Melania.

L A M AG . C O M 53

George W. Bush impersonator John Morgan (this page) and Bill and Hillary Clinton impersonators Bill Watters and Teresa Barnwell (opposite) were all set to star together in a reality show called Politicos. But it was canceled when an agent for the impersonators stabbed the producer, Marcus J. Fox. 54 L A M AG . C O M

CREDIT TK

SHOW STOPPERS

“HE’S GOT LIKE THREE DIFFERENT TONES. labeled “NSA.” Using information her famTHERE’S SUBDUED GRANDPA BIDEN, BARSTOOL ily had provided, he read her “top secret” file aloud, gently joking about her shoe buying BIDEN (‘C’MON MAN!’), AND CRANKY BIDEN.” and unsuccessful first marriage. “You’ve never —DAVE BURLEIGH, BIDEN IMPERSONATOR been in a surrealistic situation until you’re singing Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah,’ dressed as Obama, for a woman who would be dead in 36 hours,” Flynn recalls. Just before he left, the dying woman, who seemed to believe the president himself was there, whispered, “I didn’t vote for you.”

Like the ex-presidents, many impersonators are former professional rivals who know and like each other—even as they ruthlessly pick each other apart. “I’m the best of the best,” said Anthony Atamanuik, a background actor on 30 Rock before his version of Trump landed him a 24-episode run of The President Show on Comedy Central. “Roger Stone and I were at this event, and he grabbed my arm and said, ‘He knows what you do.’ I said, ‘OK, OK.’ He goes, ‘You do his presence. I’ve never seen anyone do his presence.’ I said, ‘Roger, what did you do with Watergate?’”

DiBuono doesn’t criticize other impersonators directly, but he says, “Most guys don’t have the full package. They look like their guy and can’t do the vocal impression well; or they do the impression, but they’re not real comedians and don’t have good material.” so he could have a week of quiet.”

When Brown was developing his Obama impression around His Trump wig has hair set into a translucent lattice 2011, he paid particular attention to how the 44th president that disappears into Di Domenico’s scalp. He sends it to its would enter a room. “If he’s coming in and he’s feeling all cool, maker, Bree Schaller, every few weeks for repairs. He lifts it he does this little stroll and he’ll be like, ‘Oh, it’s good to see you. from a dummy head and smoothes it onto his own. On the How are you?’ He moves like a swaggy robot. It’s hingey.” mirror are two headshots of Trump—one a glowering Time His standard Obama act includes zingers at Trump. “I won cover headlined “Deal with It,” the other showing a canarythe Nobel Peace Prize. He won the Try and Get a Piece prize.” mouthed smile. They watch Di Domenico shave. “He has no He has not used that joke on trips he has been paid to take stubble.” In normal times, Di Domenico visits a beauty salon via airplane and motorcade to summer camps in the Northevery couple of weeks to keep his eyebrows bleached the east. “I’ll take the podium and make them say, ‘Yes we can!’ same corn blond as the wig.

Like, ‘Do you promise to be the best you can be?’ Then I say, Di Domenico did once meet Trump when the imperson‘And now we officially break color war!’ They go crazy. I take ator performed as Austin Powers for a Trump birthday in some pictures, and then I head out.”

Atlantic City around 2000. The impersonator had received a call from a booker who asked three times if he could do the gig for free. he was living the onstage dream “Not for free on a Saturday night,” Di Domenico replied. with Baldwin in San Jose, Di “So 100 percent you will not perform for Donald Trump Domenico started the nearly twofor free?” hour process of becoming Trump.

“No.” He leaned his cell phone against a The booker said they could now discuss a price. mirror in his hotel room to play a “That comes from the top. It’s a pain in the ass.” highlight video.

On the night of that particular show, staff warned Di “Welcome to the world, Joe,” Domenico not to shake Trump’s hand. “All right, baby,” Di Trump said, and the impersonator Domenico assured them in the voice of the character invented repeated it. Then, “We sold millions and millions of hats.”

by Mike Myers. Then Trump came in the dressing room and In developing his Trump, “there were certain things about stuck his hand out. “Shake his hand,” a staffer whispered. him that reminded me of my dad, who had a very short fuse,” The director said, “Mr. Trump, this is John Di Domenico. He’s Di Domenico says. “My dad never apologized. He was a hardthe best Austin Powers impersonator in the country.” working guy and he wanted fucking quiet and he didn’t want The gag was that Di Domenico would pop out of a giant to hear it from his kids. Our summer vacations, he drove us cake at the end of the show. He and the birthday boy would to Ocean City, New Jersey, dropped us off, and drove home

HOURS

ALL PHOTOSON THIS SPREAD: COURTESY DUSTIN GOLD, PHOTO BY MARGI TOBEY

BEFORE

L A M AG . C O M 55

Marcus J. Fox, a TV producer who worked on The Osbournes and Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica, cooked up a reality show in which political impersonators would live together. Brown, Lyons, Di Domenico, and Watters spent about a week with others shooting the pilot for Politicos in and around Gainesville, Georgia. At the time, many were managed by Gold, from

IN 2012,

56 L A M AG . C O M

“I HAVE TO BE VERY MUCH OUT OF COSTUME IF I’M GONNA GET LAID A F T E R A B E R N I E S A N D E R S S H O W. ” —JAMES ADOMIAN, SANDERS IMPERSONATOR

whom Brown has since split.

“Patti really was like a ditzy soccer mom,” Gold recalled in a phone interview. “She had accidentally taken some sleeping pills instead of Tylenol, and on the way to a car dealership she was drooling all over herself. Marcus told me, ‘Dude, this is going to sell so easy.’” Taking Ambien was a mistake, Lyons admits, but “they loved it.”

Then things really turned, Brown recalls. “One night after we’re almost done shooting, I went to sleep. A few hours later, a police officer was waking me up and bringing me downstairs and we see the kitchen being taped off. Dustin is being handcuffed.”

According to news accounts, a fight had broken out between Watters and Fox that drew in Gold. “The Clinton was looking for a fight,” Lyons says bitterly. “He was saying to Marcus, ‘You’re Irish, I’m of English descent—we used to own you.’ Marcus was like, ‘F you, my father fought that fight.’”

Watters recalls that early in production, Fox said, “‘If you’re controversial, you’ll be one of the main characters.’ I figured I’d play that up. Throw some alcohol on there, and someone gets crazy.”

At a court hearing, a sheriff’s investigator testified that at one point Fox held Gold down on a pool table and licked his face.

Gold ran outside, fell down an embankment, was let back in at 4 a.m. by a Michelle Obama impersonator, scuffled with Fox, and then stabbed the producer in the gut with a steak knife. Fox was hospitalized with punctured intestines and required several operations, according to both Brown and Lyons.

COURTESY DUSTIN GOLD, PHOTO BY MARGI TOBEY

lock arms with a line of showgirls and do a few kicks.

“So I jump out, the girls leave the stage,” Di Domenico recounts, “and Trump vamps, ‘Austin, wasn’t this some party?’ “‘Baby, it was groovy, baby.’

“Then Trump said, ‘I want to thank everybody for being here. And, by the way, folks, you probably didn’t know this, but he doesn’t do this a lot. In fact, he doesn’t do it for anyone. But he did it for me. This is Mike Myers.’

“I felt like I got hit by a cattle prod. I thought, ‘Why is he saying that? He knows I’m not Mike Myers.’ And as I came offstage, people were saying, ‘Oh, my God, I was talking to you! I didn’t realize you were really him! Mr. Myers, can I get your autograph?’

Textbook Trump!” Di Domenico says, laughing.

When the impersonators gather, as they did recently at O’Briens Irish Pub in Santa Monica, stories fly. Don Frankel, a phony Clinton, reminisced about a model at a medical convention who circled for days, trying to get in his pants, and finally slipped him her number. “Since I’m married, I immediately threw it away,” he croaks.

Brown nods, “Everyone knows the Clintons have it best.

Girls are always throwing themselves at him. It’s bizarre, but he still has it. I can’t imagine it’s fun to be Bernie.” (This was later confirmed by James Adomian, a Sanders impersonator.

“I have to be very much out of costume if I’m gonna get laid after a Bernie Sanders show,” he griped.)

Brown bemoaned his own lack of road action. “I guess people know Obama doesn’t play that way. He doesn’t really exude sexual charisma.”

There was one notable exception, however—a Vegas producer who promised a big payday if he starred as Obama in a porn film. He declined. “I don’t think me appearing nude as Obama will do much to enhance either of our brands!”

EXIT RIGHT Gold was charged with a felony Above: The faux first and claimed self-defense. The case couple, Di Domenico and was dropped with no conviction, Sexton, make a rush for the door. “We all have a very said Hannah Aldrich, a clerk with short window,” says the Hall County, Georgia, criminal Di Domenico. Opposite: Producer Marcus J. Fox court. In text messages, Fox cited (center) with the cast of ongoing security concerns and did Politicos. not reply to requests for more comment. The show never aired.

Brown’s business was dropping off even before the pandemic.

Bidens are popping up, including Tom Shillue, a comedian on The Greg Gutfeld Show on Fox News. Shillue’s bit involves Biden making rambling phone calls from his basement.

“Other people can talk about Biden losing his marbles,” Shillue said in a phone interview. “But that’s not funny.

What’s funny is he always brings it back to his childhood with a story about Corn Pop.” Di Domenico says Biden impersonations will never be as popular as those of Trump, Obama, and Clinton because the former vice president lacks catchphrases and traits to caricature. Burleigh, who uses full masks for spot-on impersonations of Sanders and Trump, had resisted spending the $10,000 it would cost to make a mold for Biden. But he’s been trying to study the voice.

“He’s got like three different tones,” Burleigh texted.

“There’s subdued Grandpa Biden, Barstool Biden (‘C’mon

Man!’), and Cranky Biden (‘Dog Face Pony Soldier’).” Finally, in late summer, Burleigh received two bookings for a Biden impersonation—one a corporate gig, the other a TV pilot— and he ordered the mask.

In 2016, Di Domenico predicted Trump’s election. At appearances in the middle of the country during campaign season, he was experiencing rabid devotion. In Trump’s 2005 book How to Get Rich, which credits coauthorship to longtime Trump Organization staffer Meredith McIver, there is a chapter entitled “Read Carl Jung.” It discusses “persona,” noting the Latin origin of the word means mask. “It’s the face we put on for public use, and it can be intentional or unconscious . . .

The only danger is when people become their personae. That means something has been shut off somewhere along the line, and these people will end up hiding behind the false personality that works professionally.”

When you see Democrats lining up to take selfies with Di Domenico after the San Jose show, you understand that, before and maybe after all the mishegas, an achievement you can’t take away is that Trump, whether through craft, instinct, or madness, created an indelible persona called Trump and blasted it on the nation’s collective unconscious in 20-foothigh brass letters. The persona sold useless degrees and got cast as a successful businessman on reality TV even though the man himself wasn’t. Then, when he was ready to grab for political power, Trump added a nasty smirk to his mask by embracing birtherism and a border wall.

Perhaps if someone isn’t easy to impersonate, they’re not electable. They lack a persona that lodges in the subconscious and motivates fingers to mark ballots. If Biden doesn’t win, think about Kate McKinnon’s memorable Elizabeth Warren (“I’ve got a plan for that”) and Larry David’s indelible Bernie Sanders.

Or Adomian’s Sanders. During a primary-season comedyclub tour in which Adomian as Sanders debated Atamanuik as Trump, his faux Sanders had sharp material: “As president, I promise that I will only fly stand-by. Even on Air Force One, if anyone—anyone—has a better reason to take the flight, you go ahead and take the seat. I’ll take the next one.” Sanders’s voice? Have you done a Biden impression? A Hillary? You’ve probably done your own Bernie for friends.

Everyone alive in the 1970s still has a Nixon.

What’s more, Trump effectively tars his opponent’s masks with monikers: “Lyin‘ Ted.” Speaking of Lincoln once, he showed his thinking on persona and politics: “Honest Abe—I wonder how honest he really was.”

If you want Trump gone from the White House, know that The Apprentice was only a top-ten hit the first season.

Trump’s act tires. Still, “I don’t think he’s going to lose,” Di Domenico says. “But even if he does, a core group is going to have events, and they’ll want a Trump. He’ll never disappear from the American consciousness.”

Starting to remove his makeup late after the San Jose event, a message dinged on Di Domenico’s phone. He’d just been booked on The Good Fight.

Allen Salkin is the co-author of The Method to the Madness: Untold Stories of Donald Trump’s 16-Year Quest for the White House.

L A M AG . C O M 57

KAMALA&

ORDER

58 L A M AG . C O M

CALIFORNIAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S FIRST BLACK, FEMALE ATTORNEY GENERAL, KAMALA HARRIS IS UNIQUELY POSITIONED TO HELP THE BIDEN TICKET NAVIGATE THE POSTGEORGE FLOYD WORLD

BY PETE R KI E FE R I L LU ST R AT E D BY PI X E L PU S H E R

I

T ’ S H A R D TO SAY E X AC TLY W H E N C A LI FO R N I A TU R N E D ITS BACK O N K A M A L A H A R R I S ’ S PR E S I D E NTI A L A M B ITI O N S , B UT H I STO R I A N S CO U LD DO WO RS E TH A N PO I NT TO OC TO B E R 3 , 2 0 1 9 . A PO LL R E LE AS E D TH AT M O R N I N G S H OW E D H A R R I S W IT H S I N G LE - D I G IT S U PPO RT A M O N G C A LI FO R N I A PR I M A RY VOTE RS ,

6 0 L A M AG . C O M

VEEPSTAKES

Clockwise from top left: Harris as California attorney general; debating her future running mate; throwing epic shade during the Trump impeachment trial; with her husband, attorney Douglas Emhoff. Below: Harris with her mother, Shyamala Gopalan.

whom played crucial roles in Harris’s resurrection—reveal that despite a drawn-out process and a formidable list of candidates, the job was always Harris’s to lose. Just 55 years old, she brings relative youth and energy to the ticket. Unlike some of the lesser-known candidates on Biden’s short list, Harris had been vetted on the national stage during her own presidential bid and so passed what’s known as the “do no harm” test (which aims to ensure nothing in a running mate’s past could come back to hurt the ticket).

She had a personal connection to Biden from her earlier friendship with his late son, Beau, and as a crack fundraiser, she brings an impressive Rolodex of donors in Silicon Valley and the entertainment industry. Her fundraising prowess is HARRIS AND HER MOTHER: HARRIS’S INSTAGRAM; ALL OTHER IMAGES: GETTY IMAGES

placing her well behind Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Bernie Sanders of Vermont and former Vice President Joe Biden—all of whom had built their reputations thousands of miles away. At the time, Warren was surging while South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg was peeling off some of Harris’s early supporters. Meanwhile, billionaire Michael Bloomberg was preparing to jump into a ridiculously crowded field and drop hundreds of millions of his own money to vacuum up any available airtime in California. Just a few months earlier, Harris held a hefty lead in her delegate-rich state, where she’d served as attorney general, and junior U.S. senator and was a staple of San Francisco’s political scene for two decades. It was clear by October, however, that the candidate dubbed “the female Obama” was staring down a fourth- or fifth-place finish in her primary. Eight weeks later, she dropped out.

As the bluest state in the nation, California is in lockstep with the Democratic Party, so its lukewarm support of a home-grown star—and a woman of color no less—speaks to the complexity of Harris’s political appeal.

“Everyone was so eager to get their daggers out with ‘the rise and fall of Kamala’ narrative,” says Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti. Much of that ill will was drained on August 11, when Biden selected Harris to be his running mate, effectively anointing her as the future leader of the party.

In choosing Harris, Biden seems to have tossed out the traditional playbook. She wasn’t picked for geographic reasons; California and its 55 electoral votes were always a lock for Biden regardless of whom he selected. It’s also not clear what Harris brings demographically. There’s powerful symbolism in having the first Black and South Asian American woman appear on a major party’s national ticket.

But the reality is Black women aren’t uniformly enthusiastic about Harris, and Biden performed much better among the demographic during the primaries, as evidenced by his blowout 30-point victory in South Carolina. Furthermore, a number of Biden supporters never forgave Harris for her attack on Biden during the first debate, when she called him out for his opposition to federally mandated school busing with her now iconic “That little girl was me.” The exchange went viral, and Biden supporters worried that Harris, as vice president, wouldn’t play nice.

Interviews with prominent donors, strategists, and elected officials close to the vetting process—a number of

famously in a tense exchange Harris had on the debate stage with Hawaii congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard over her record as a prosecuter.

But with President Trump desperately pivoting to a law-and-order message in the final weeks of the campaign, insiders say Harris’s backstory as a tough-on-crime prosecutor, once seen as a negative, could be the ticket’s secret weapon if deployed adroitly. “How do you respond to what’s been happening in communities of color, and have the conversation with law enforcement so their perspective is reflected and understood?” asks a source close to the Biden campaign. “I think she is unique in that she has experiences on both sides. She now has a platform to help educate white Americans while also defusing Trump’s law-and-order message.”

IT ’S WIDELY ACKNOWLEDGED that after the murder of

already paying dividends. On September 2, the Biden-Harris campaign announced that it had raised $364.5 million in August, setting a new monthly record for presidential fundraising. That figure includes 1.5 million new donors, according to the campaign. Immediately after her selection, and in the days leading up to the Democratic National Convention, Harris’s name on the ticket seemed to unify the party.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing. Her supporters had to beat back a late surge by Obama national security adviser Susan Rice and California congresswoman Karen Bass, who, as a longtime activist from South L.A., had her own coterie of die-hard supporters advocating on her behalf.

There was also a not-so-subtle cameo from former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown, who penned an editorial urging Harris to turn down the job, which inadvertently reminded everyone of Harris’s complicated history with Brown. All the while, Harris clung to a strategy that belied her killer political instincts: she sat back and let the job come to her.

By far the most loaded issues that emerged during the vice-presidential search were race and police reform, and if the Trump campaign has its way, the remaining month before November 3 will be a referendum on those explosive issues. Harris’s stints as district attorney of San Francisco, and later as California attorney general, saddled her with a tough-on-crime legacy that left her out of step with where California and the progressive wing of the party have been heading on criminal justice reform. The legacy came to haunt her during the presidential primary, most

George Floyd and the ensuing Black Lives Matter protests, Biden’s calculus regarding Harris changed. The cultural winds had shifted dramatically, and it was no longer enough to have a female vice president, a pledge Biden made during a nationally televised debate months earlier. His selection would now also need to be a person of color. That mandate winnowed his list of candidates. In addition to Harris, Rice, and Bass, there were activist and Georgia gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams; Illinois senator Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran and Purple Heart recipient; Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms; and Florida congresswoman Val Demings. (Warren and Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer, while not women of color, reportedly remained in contention.)

“It was an excruciating decision for [Biden], because each one of these women could’ve been an exceptional vice president,” says Garcetti, who had an insider’s perch during the vicepresidential sweepstakes. Garcetti was one of four people tapped by Biden to vet the short-listed candidates, along with former Connecticut senator Chris Dodd; Delaware congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester; and Cynthia Hogan, a former Apple VP and Biden counsel. As the sole elected official from California on the committee who harbors his own national ambitions, Garcetti was in a unique, if not awkward position: Harris, Governor Gavin Newsom, and Garcetti have long been considered the up-and-coming Democratic stars from California, and now Garcetti was being asked a give a rival a potential leg up.

It can be argued that Harris was simply the right per-

Harris’s prosecutor backstory could be Biden’s secret weapon.

L A M AG . C O M 61

son for the moment. Her origin story dovetailed neatly with the historic protests that seized the country after Floyd’s murder, and she could speak eloquently and from the heart about America’s legacy on race relations. At the first Democratic primary debate in June 2019, she was widely acknowledged to have won the night by uttering the “little girl” zinger after flaying Biden for being chummy with segregationist senators and opposing the federal busing program that enabled her to attend an integrated school. Harris won plaudits for showing her Jedi-like ability to ruthlessly pin her opponents with rhetorical flare, but the lingering resentment it inspired among Biden loyalists would complicate her vice-presidential bid a year later.

Strictly speaking, Harris is an Angeleno. She and her husband, entertainment attorney Douglas Emhoff, own a home in Brentwood. Emhoff, a partner at DLA Piper, and Harris married in 2014 after being set up on a blind date and, by all accounts, share a happy and stable marriage. Though he was born in Brooklyn, according to one of his friends, Emhoff is very much an L.A. guy, having graduated from California State University, Northridge, and earning his law degree from the University of Southern California’s Gould School of Law. An avid Lakers fan, Emhoff has two children from a previous marriage who call Harris “Momala.” Both got warm shout-outs from Harris during her VP acceptance speech, along with her sister, Maya, and niece, Meena, who are her closest confidantes.

But Harris is very much a product of the Bay Area. She was born in Oakland and raised in and around Berkeley by politically active immigrant parents. Her mother was a cancer researcher from India; her father, an economist from Jamaica. During her childhood, the Bay Area was a hotbed of civil rights activity, and her parents didn’t shy away from involving themselves and their daughters. While stumping, Harris often trotted out the line that her parents pushed her in a baby stroller at protests and marches.

Harris’s political style was forged in San Francisco’s cutthroat political scene, where politicians are required to debate policy differences in excruciating detail. The city has long been a political farm system, and it’s no coincidence that it fostered the careers of a stable of Democratic stars, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senator Dianne Feinstein, and Newsom. Harris got her start as a sex-crimes prosecutor in Alameda County in the 1990s and quickly

The Trump campaign has failed to define a coherent counterattack on Harris or her record.

62 L A M AG . C O M

moved up the ladder. Political observers would get their first glimpse of her ambition and fierce campaigning tactics in 2003, when, at 38, she ran for San Francisco’s district attorney seat against the incumbent, Terence Hallinan, a prosecutor and fixture in the Bay Area’s progressive firmament who happened to be her former boss. As district attorney, Hallinan made cracking down on misconduct within the San Francisco Police Department a centerpiece of his tenure; at one point he indicted the entire command staff of the SFPD. Harris, sensing that she could turn Hallinan’s core mission into a liability, ran on a traditional “law and order” campaign and hammered Hallinan for his low conviction rate. Gary Delagnes, a former San Francisco police union official, told Politico that Harris approached him at an event and poked him in the chest, saying, “You better endorse me, you better endorse me. You get it?” Harris won the election with 56 percent of the vote, becoming California’s first district attorney of color.

Nathan Ballard, a top San Francisco political consultant, has known Harris for more than 20 years and worked with her in the district attorney’s office. “She re-professionalized the DA’s office and pulled it back into the mainstream,” says Ballard. “Anywhere else she would’ve been considered a progressive prosecutor, but by San Francisco standards, she was restoring a traditional ‘law and order’ office.”

Ballard recalls walking with Harris during grassroots outreach to the city’s precincts. “She’d come in with designer heels and jeans and then put on her walking shoes.

She’d hand me her heels and say, ‘Put these somewhere safe,’” he says. “I always thought of her as a good grassroots politician. There’s no doubt she’s always been ambitious, but she also pitched in on her way up. She’s mentored a lot of young women.”

Anyone who pulls off a meteoric political rise like Harris makes enemies along the way. “She’s brilliant. She’s beautiful and immaculately dressed,” says Ballard. “The two leading players in San Francisco, politically, are Gavin and Kamala, and they both have a movie-star quality, which adds to their allure but also leads to a lot of resentment and jealousy. They’re both very lucky and have led, by and large, charmed lives, so there’s going to be some schadenfreude when they fail,” he says.

One L.A.-based Democratic consultant, who declined to speak on the record, was surprised by her selection. “Whenever there is Kamala pile-on, most of the negative incoming is from California,” says the consultant. “She’s not somebody who people feel has always had their backs. Look at the Clintons: As much as they love power and exercising it, there’s a sustained belief among those who have worked for them that they’re genuinely motivated by doing good and getting good policy in place. That’s not a sentiment that’s shared about Kamala.”

In 2008, Harris announced her candidacy for California attorney general, and two years later narrowly defeated former L.A. district attorney Steve Cooley, yet again making history, this time, as the first woman to win that office.

Serving from 2011 to 2017, her tenure was marked by several

THE “REAL” KAMALA? Harris’s friends point to the disconnect between her public and private personas. “Tough” and “ambitious” are replaced with “warm” and “thoughtful.” But in political circles, “whenever there is a Kamala pile-on, most of the negative incoming is from California,” says a Democratic consultant. “She’s not somebody people feel has always had their backs.”

controversies. In 2014, she had to walk back a memo written by attorneys in her office that argued against the early release of prisoners, citing the need for inmate labor. A year later, her office became the first statewide agency to adopt a body-camera program for police, but was criticized for not making the policy mandatory. In 2016, Harris announced her intention to run for the Senate seat vacated by Barbara Boxer and went on to win that race by a healthy margin.

Since Harris joined Biden on the presidential ticket, Trump and his surrogates have failed to define a coherent counterattack on her or her record. They’ve pingponged from calling her a stooge for the extreme left and reminding supporters of her tenure as attorney general.

In a sign of how confused the messaging has become, the pro-Trump website The Federalist took the perplexing strategic step of selling T-shirts with a badge that simply says: “Kamala is a cop.”

GETTY IMAGES

BY L ATE JULY, California lieutenant governor Elena

Kounalakis was getting nervous. During the long-running speculation over whom Biden would pick as his running mate, Kounalakis had read a string of stories in Politico in which unnamed sources questioned whether Harris, a longtime friend from the social scene in San Francisco, could be loyal to Biden and play second fiddle. “They characterized her as someone who was not a team player. They used the trope of the ‘ambitious woman’ that you couldn’t trust, and it was so far from the truth,” Kounalakis says. Harris—famous for leaving nothing to chance—had instructed her closest supporters not to lobby Biden’s camp on her behalf, hoping her

record would speak for itself.

Then former San Francisco mayor and California Assembly Speaker Willie Brown published an editorial urging Harris to turn down the vice presidency and instead seek a cabinet position in a potential Biden administration. The editorial resurfaced long-held suspicions that Harris benefited from Brown’s political patronage when he appointed her to several state commissions early in her career. In the early 1990s, Brown reveled in playing a kingmaker in California politics and regularly doled out cushy committee appointments to up-and-comers who showed fealty and promise. Newsom was an early beneficiary.

Harris and Brown were romantically linked when Harris was a deputy district attorney and Brown was making his successful bid to become the first Black mayor of San Francisco. At the time, Brown was 31 years her senior and estranged from his wife, Blanche Brown, though they were still married. Harris would later appear to distance herself from Brown, calling their relationship an “albatross hanging around my neck.” But a source close to Brown says the reality is more complicated. “He and Kamala have been close over the years, and he wanted her to get that VP nomination,” says the source. Calling for Harris to abandon the sweep states, the source adds, was Brown’s way of “tweaking the narrative to keep her in the decisionmakers’ consciousness—he really is a political genius.”

Regardless of Brown’s intentions, in late July, Kounalakis organized a Zoom meeting of 20 California officials who made their case for Harris to Biden and his team. One of Kounalakis’s first calls was to Long Beach mayor Robert Garcia, whose mother, Gabriella O’Donnell, had just died of complications from COVID-19. (Less than two weeks later, Garcia’s stepfather, Gregory O’Donnell, also succumbed to the virus.) Harris had met Garcia’s mother four years earlier when, as attorney general, she swore in Garcia as mayor. “She’s always been there for me,” he says. Garcia adds that after his mother’s death, Harris reached out to him and “talked a lot about her own mother and how important she was to her. Her words were sincere and kind and came from a place of friendship, and they brought me lot of comfort.”

Harris’s closest friends and confidantes point to the disconnect between the public Kamala and the private one. Words like “tough,” “ambitious,” (CONTINUED ON PAGE 95) L A M AG . C O M 63

CALIFORNIA BURNING T E X T BY

JEFF WEISS

F I R E S H AV E A LWAYS L O O M E D L A RG E OVER THE CALIFORNIA LANDSCAPE—BOTH A CLEANSING PROMISE AND AN OBLITERATING THREAT. BUT LIKE SO MUCH ELSE THESE DAYS, THEY SUDDENLY SEEM OUT OF CONTROL

P H O T O G R A P H Y BY

NOAH BERGER

APOCALYPSE RIGHT NOW Two young men, parked in a field of grapevines, watch as a plume of fire spreads across a smoky sky in northern Sonoma County this past August.

T

H E FATA L F L AW of the California

dream has always been that fantasy is frequently mistaken for reality.

It’s a natural consequence of allowing generations of grifters to market the state as the new Eden, but with oranges instead of apples. And yet even California’s dark side has allure: cataclysmic earthquakes adapted by Universal Studios, femme fatale housewives, bestial cults affiliated with lesser Beach Boys. Most of all, there has always loomed the cleansing promise and obliterating threat of fire.

California may seem like paradise, but Paradise burned in the fall of 2018, the most lethal inferno in the state’s history.

It claimed 85 lives, incinerated two whole Northern California towns, and caused $16.5 billion worth of damage. Only two years later, during the last days of August, there were 560 fires simultaneously raging, displacing over 100,000 people and devouring swaths of terrain larger than Rhode Island. Until now, the only positive about a year characterized by death and division was that it temporarily allayed the anxiety over climate change. But that was swiftly altered by freak lightning strikes that ignited fires everywhere from Big Sur to the Napa Valley.

Southern California was temporarily spared, but our fire season doesn’t begin until the Santa Anas haunt the canyons each autumn. Joan Didion claimed that the city burning is Los Angeles’s most vivid image of itself, but that was a poetic misrepresentation, the graceful but empty aphorism of the nonnative whose bags are perpetually packed. From second- or third-generation Angelenos down to those whose clans descend from Sepulveda, fire isn’t the reflection of Los Angeles but, rather, its shadow, in the Jungian sense—an unwanted reminder of the natural and existential consequences that

of a twin Spanish and Anglo genocide, are finally getting justice. The region’s first missionaries outlawed the controlled burns that would have allowed the land’s indigenous people to survive despite the constant menace posed by even a faint spark. In the twentieth century, fire suppression at all costs became the operative policy, the mindset of colonialists who believed that nature was merely another obstacle to be demolished. But the ominous peril remained.

It’s true that prescriptive burns have returned to prominence. But there remain homeowners terrified of runaway fire and tar-colored hillsides—a blight on real estate value.

And then there are the inimical utility companies, like PG&E, whose perennial neglect led to the wildfires of 2017 and 2018.

Until the last several years, there was a prevailing sensibility in Southern California that fires were almost exclusively the calamaties of extreme wealth, a misfortune that happened to those able to afford luxurious glass aeries in canyons largely unseen by those in the flatlands. But as easy and satisfying as it is to dunk on the rich, there is also the obvious fact that this is the great reckoning of the California dream. In 2007, the Griffith Park fire ravaged almost all of the city’s most sacred greenspace. The arcadian ideal of living amidst natural splendor just 15 minutes from the beach has become increasingly untenable. A native who might have once dreamed of disappearing forever into the permanent Aquarius of Topanga Canyon now has to contend with the reality that Topanga Canyon won’t exist in 20 years or less.

There is something that feels different this time. It is, of course, reflective of the decline of American civilization, the runaway death rate from COVID-19, the erosion of civil discourse, the Q death cult and its dear leader, a president whose petty vengefulness knows no bounds. Until recently, there was the understanding that no matter who occupied the Oval Office, FEMA would at least shoulder the financial burdens incurred by these yearly holocausts. Now there is a dim lobsterhead demagogue who smirks at those amid their most obscene suffering and scolds them to do a better job of sweeping the forest floors.

There is the sickening understanding that the fires now exist in a different dimension— the old prophecies of a ruined future finally devolving into a deranged present. A state of permanent unrest where conservatives valorize a teen vigilante who crossed state lines to murder two protesters. The state’s three worst wildfires have all occurred over the last three years. In just a single week this past August, more than half a million acres turned to cinders— roughly twice the land scorched during all of last year’s fire season. The warming of the earth coupled with the preponderance of fluke weather events has turned California into a Gehenna with better waves and rap music. Everything is revealed in that viral photo of a senior center engulfed in flames, just behind a sign advising handwashing, social distancing, and masks; it is the shadow finally slinking out of the darkness.

In the here and now, fire season has not begun in Los Angeles, but it’s obvious how it will end.

There is the sickening understanding that the fires now exist in a different dimension—the old prophecies of a ruined future finally devolving into a deranged present. it has historically attempted to ignore. It is the big payback for the redlining and police brutality that eventually turned the city to cinders in 1965 and 1992. It is the hidden cost of the county’s contracts with the devil, giving developers free rein to build generic fortresses inside any available canyon— even those directly adjacent to ready-made conflagrations of coastal live oak and chaparral. It is a reminder that hopes rarely align with what actually happens, and that all time in the sun eventually yields to death. It is an ecological settling of scores in which even a $10 million Malibu mansion can become toast.

In Southern California, the Tongva tribe, the tragic victims 6 6 L A M AG . C O M

HOME WRECKER Sparked by lightening strikes during a heat wave, ďŹ re tears through the town of Spanish Flat in Napa County.

REMAINS OF THE DAY A woman examines the wreckage of her partner’s Vacaville home.

FLAMEOUT An air tanker drops retardant on the Lake fire burning through the Angeles National Forest north of Santa Clarita.

68 L A M AG . C O M

DOUBLE TROUBLE An inmate, brought in to battle the River ďŹ re in Salinas, takes a moment to catch his breath. Home to many migrant workers, this small agricultural city on the Central Coast has also been hit hard by COVID-19.

ONG BE F OR E T H E PA N DE M IC H I T Los An-

geles, homelessness was widely regarded as one of the city’s most urgent problems—an ugly fact of life in one of the world’s wealthiest cities. As home prices and rents ballooned in the past decade, more and more people had to trade the roof over their heads for a friend’s couch, a car packed with all their belongings, or a tent on a hot, dusty sidewalk. COVID-19 has only exacerbated this crisis. According to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, more than 66,000 homeless people are now living on the streets of L.A. County. As unemployment spikes and pandemic relief funds dwindle, the number of people facing foreclosure or

70 L A M AG . C O M

eviction is expected to double.

Everyone agrees that the city needs more housing for lowincome and homeless Angelenos. But steep construction costs, insufficient housing subsidies, and time-consuming regulations have hampered efforts to meet the demand.

Even some proponents of affordable housing balk at the prospect of hosting the homeless in their backyards. Critics complain that such projects threaten the character of their neighborhoods and increase congestion. Others worry about rising crime rates and plummeting property values. But what if the design of affordable housing could address these objections? Is it possible for smart architects to short-circuit

CO U RT E SY G E N S L E R

L

HELTER SHELTER w

To escape the homeless crisis, L.A. needs bold, outside-the-box solutions. So we rounded up the city’s top architects and asked them to sketch out their most intrepid ideas

By Emily Young

Gensler proposes an awning over apartments to reduce the need for air-conditioning.

community opposition?

Dana Cuff, a UCLA professor of architecture and urban design, thinks so. In 2017, she increased housing density in L.A. by coauthoring a state law that made it easier for people to build accessory dwelling units (ADUs) —aka granny flats— in the backyards of single-family lots. “We need to change the general—and misplaced—prejudice against affordable housing with housing that is smaller, targeted, and well-designed, and fits within the community,” she says. “We need to make more neighborhoods for more neighbors.”

Over the past year, Los Angeles invited 13 of the city’s top architectural firms to leverage their design expertise to come

up with innovative concepts for affordable or permanent supportive housing. Their ideas, which include maxxing out the number of ADUs on a lot and devising mobile dwellings that fold out of a suitcase, range from the eminently doable to the futuristically far-out. The eight concepts highlighted here (and five more featured online at lamag.com) make clear that building housing for everyone in L.A. who needs it is going to require out-the-box thinking; mind-boggling amounts of money, land, and labor; and major political muscle. Can Los Angeles summon the will to finally solve its long-festering housing crisis? As the ranks of the homeless continue to grow, a better question might be: can it afford not to?

L A M AG . C O M 71

MADE IN THE SHADE Gensler

THE BIG IDEA: Sustainable materials such as cork, linoleum, and recycled carpet and tile would decorate compact residences topped by slanted roofs, while shade awnings over buildings and garden areas would harness Southern California’s temperate climate for more-energyefficient, less-costly housing.

KEY FEATURES: Each small unit would contain a sleeping loft, a built-in dining table and shelves, and a kitchen and a bathroom.

A sofa bed would transform the living area into an extra bedroom. Units would be prefabricated, then assembled on-site to cut construction waste and time.

THE UPSIDE: “This concept’s emphasis on indoor-outdoor living makes it ideally suited to coping with future pandemics,” says architect Roger Sherman. “It also solves the problem of loneliness— shifting the preponderance of living spaces from the units to oasis-like, communal ‘porches’ protected from the elements.”

72 L A M AG . C O M

4

3

1

7

5

Cork-panel wall covering

Concrete topping slab

6

2

1

7

2

3

4

5

6

Recycled-paper corrugated board

Linoleum flooring

Recycled-content carpet tile

Wood-veneer wall covering

Recycled paperand-plastic tile

CO U RT E SY G E N S L E R

HOW IT WOULD WORK: Ceiling fans and plenty of windows would provide natural ventilation, minimizing the need for air conditioning. A transparent roof on upper units would reduce dependence on artificial lighting. Low-flow fixtures and native landscaping would capture rainwater and lower water use.

Come Together Escher GuneWardena THE BIG IDEA: Inspired by the pinwheel floor plan of the landmark Schindler House in West Hollywood (designed in 1922 by architect Rudolph Schindler as an experiment in communal living), the design of this mid-rise building would allow residents to cross paths more frequently and socialize more easily during progressive dinners and studio crawls. The ground

floor of the building would house a communal kitchen and a space for theater, music, and dance performances as well as storage areas for bicycles and shared electric vehicles.

KEY FEATURES: The layout and orientation of units on each level would be determined by chance, a reference to the work of composer

A mobile dwelling meshes nicely with the transcient nature of L.A.” Joey Shimoda, Shimoda Design Group

John Cage, a one-time Schindler House resident.

Exterior staircases that double as diagonal structural

supports would also be randomly placed, giving the facade an irregular appearance. Besides making it easy to walk throughout the building, the staircases would blur the boundary between public and private spaces.

THE UPSIDE: “This concept allows for flexibility,” says architect Frank Escher. “This doesn’t mean you have to be able to reconfigure space; it means you can use a space for a variety of purposes.

Each space could be used either communally or as private space.”

ONE FOR THE ROAD F R O M TO P : CO U RT E SY E S C H E R G U N E WA R D E N A ; CO U RT E SY S H I M O DA D E S I G N G R O U P

Shimoda Design Group THE BIG IDEA: Nomadic types would live in mobile dwellings that produce renewable energy, store water, and incorporate a toilet and a sink, allowing them to own their homes even if they don’t own any land.

HOW IT WOULD WORK: The wheeled “suitcase house” (lower right) could be towed and left anywhere it could be legally parked.

The self-contained living/ sleeping space would have a foldout platform inside a bubble-like enclosure. The “expandable mobility house”

(upper right), an autonomous vehicle half the size of the average car, would employ add-on modules to function simultaneously as home, office, and transportation. The “mobility high-rise house” would allow the expandable mobility house to plug into a

high-rise hive with shared benefits such as laundry rooms, a pool, a gym, and great views.

THE UPSIDE: “A mobile dwelling meshes nicely with the transient nature of L.A.” says architect Joey Shimoda. “It’s a progressive idea to think that

one’s home is always exactly where you are. One day it’s the beach; the next day it’s downtown. If we believe the gig economy will be the prevalent economy, then this offers great opportunity. This concept gives everyone the freedom to change living locations without the limitations of time and money.”

L A M AG . C O M 73

1

2

5 3 4

NOT FOR PROFIT RIOS

HOW IT WOULD WORK: The housing would be new buildings or existing industrial or 74 L A M AG . C O M

commercial structures that have been adapted for residential use. A combination of live-work; co-housing; and one-, two-, and three-bedroom units would allow residents to move within a development, depending on their budget and changing needs.

Houses and apartments would be owned or rented, but the land itself would be leased from the trust, ensuring that housing costs remain affordable rather than sub-

Shared living/kitchen: one- and two-bedrooms

2

Adaptive reuse of existing warehouse: one-bedrooms

3

Community garden spaces

4

Farmers’ market and civic gathering space

5

Vehicle and bicycle parking

ject to steep market-driven increases passed on to the occupants.

KEY FEATURES: Gardens, urban-farm plots, civicgathering space, and bicycle parking would nurture a shared sense of wellness.

THE UPSIDE: “These developments are communitydriven by nature, and many Angelenos would likely be drawn to this grassroots,

highly democratic model of living,” says architect Bob Hale. “It’s a model based on an economic foundation that discourages the gentrification that displaces residents, and it can be successful at multiple scales and with a wide array of socioeconomic communities, making it deployable anywhere in L.A.”

CO U RT E SY R I O S

THE BIG IDEA: A nonprofit community land trust would acquire vacant and underused city-owned land, maintenance yards, and foreclosed properties at below-market value in exchange for developing and maintaining that land for the sole purpose of affordable housing in perpetuity.

1

Sites Specific Clive Wilkinson Architecture

THE BIG IDEA: Housing would be constructed in abandoned or overlooked areas after regulatory changes make that possible. Targeted locations would be spaces along railway tracks, waterways, urban transit centers, and defunct manufacturing facilities, as well as aboard decommissioned cruise ships.

CO U RT E SY C L I V E W I L K I N S O N A R C H I T E C T U R E

A

HOW IT WOULD WORK: Stretches of railroad (top left) feature long parcels of land conducive to housing that would feature ramped roofs doubling as elevated pedestrian walkways.

Bridge-like buildings (center left) would connect neighborhoods on opposite sides of the L.A. River or Ballona Creek, making use of space over the water. Units in towers (bottom left) built in wasted airspace above light-rail and rapid-transit hubs would reduce the need to drive. Factories and warehouses in industrial areas plus old cruise ships docked at the coast (above) would be revamped as hous-

ing with private and public amenities.

THE UPSIDE: “Each aspect of our proposal focuses on cultivating opportunities for connection and creating iconic public destinations,” says associate/project manager Ben Kalenik. “These communities bring something new and exciting to the urban fabric that will be a source of pride—not just for the occupants, but for the whole city.”

It’s a model based on an economic foundation that discourages the gentrification that displaces residents.”

Bob Hale, RIOS

L A M AG . C O M 75

ROOMS FOR MORE Fung + Blatt Architects THE BIG IDEA: This concept includes two building schemes that would maximize the number of housing units allowed on one single-family lot under current zoning.

Multiple Choices Modal Design

While a central courtyard would promote interaction among the tenants, an opening along the street would encourage residents to engage with the larger neighborhood.

KEY FEATURES: To minimize the structure’s overall scale, the shared roof would slope downward on all four sides of the building so it matches the height of surrounding residences.

Different widths of metal cladding on the facade would help differentiate the units visually.

HOW IT WOULD WORK: The project would be laid out with multiple units along the perimeter of the adjacent lots’ four sides.

Studios and one-, two-, and three-bedroom units—plus some parking—would fit under one continuous roof.

7 6 L A M AG . C O M

THE UPSIDE: “In the ‘double-double,’” says architect Alice Fung, “having rentable bedroom suites in both the house and the ADU accommodates intergenerational and diverse households, potentially leading to healthier communities.”

Adds architect Michael Blatt, “As in a traditional British coach train, the ‘sleeping coach’ allows autonomy as well as community when desired.”

THE UPSIDE: “This proposal is a modern take on L.A.’s traditional and much-loved courtyard apartments,” says architect Daniel Monti.

“We’re imagining a familiar typology in a way that increases density but still builds community.”

F R O M L E F T: CO U RT E SY M O DA L D E S I G N ; CO U RT E SY F U N G + B L AT T A R C H I T E C TS

THE BIG IDEA: By combining two lots currently zoned to allow two and a half units each, this concept would produce a single structure for up to five integrated households.

HOW IT WOULD WORK: .

Where an existing house and accessory dwelling unit (ADU) already exist, the “double-double” would add a separate bedroom suite to each to transform two households into four households. The “sleeping coach” option would consist of a house with a shared kitchen, living room, and front deck, plus six bedroom suites off a central corridor that allow residents to come and go as they please.

KEY FEATURE: A fleet of communal cars would be stack-parked in a driveway that runs the length of the lot, sharply decreasing the space needed for parking. Residents would simply hop into the first car in line.

2 1

1

Single lane for one-way vehicle access

2

Public greenspace on every block

3

Typical existing single-family dwelling

4

Backup manuevering space for existing houses

5

Private outdoor space for each unit

6

New units (design evokes the character of neighborhood)

3

5

6

4

Changing Lanes CO U RT E SY E DWA R D O G O STA A R C H I T E C T U R E

Edward Ogosta Architecture THE BIG IDEA: Rows of single-family homes or duplexes would be erected in the middle of residential streets. The new homes would be elevated so traffic could flow underneath them.

HOW IT WOULD WORK: Two-way streets would be narrowed to a single lane of

one-way traffic, freeing up space to build new homes arranged end to end. Underpasses at street level would preserve driveway access for residents of existing single-family homes. To ease parking problems, the entire street could be excavated to create subterranean parking.

KEY FEATURES: Each unit would be built with a private outdoor deck, and its scale and design would reflect the same character and geometry as the houses in the neighborhood. A lush public greenspace in the middle of every block would be open to all residents.

THE UPSIDE: “Until the day comes that Angelenos see the rights of those who want to live here but can’t afford it as equal to their own rights as property owners, the status quo will be maintained,” says architect Edward Ogosta.

“Our design is intended to shine a light on solutions technically within reach that are challenged only by fear of change.”

TO READ ABOUT HOMELESS RESOURCES IN L.A. GO TO PAGE 92

L A M AG . C O M 77

ADVERTISEMENT

A Los Angeles Trade Tech College student learns about the history and legacy of housing discrimination practices during the Undesign the Redline exhibit. Photo by Leroy Hamilton

78 L A M AG . C O M

ADVERTISEMENT

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L A M AG . C O M 79

PROMOTION

UPCOMING EVENTS & PROMOTIONS SPONSORED BY LOS ANGELES MAGAZINE

04

OCT

Walk for Hope Sunday, October 4, 9 a.m. PDT

City of Hope, a cancer research and treatment center near Los (UNLSLZ ^PSS OVZ[ P[Z Ă&#x201E;YZ[ L]LY ]PY[\HS >HSR MVY /VWL :\UKH` 6J[VILY [V Ă&#x201E;UK H J\YL for breast and gynecological cancers.

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Register and fundraise today at walkforhope.org because if cancer still exists, #WeStillWalk for Hope.

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OCT

California Spirit beneďŹ ting the American Cancer Society Friday, October 9 6:30 p.m. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 8 p.m.

Virtual dining experience enjoyed from the comfort of your home (meals from Petit Trois, Los Angeles) Join acclaimed celebrity Chef Ludo Lefebvre for a virtual dinner party in your home. Enjoy a gourmet dining experience with multi-course meal including wine, cocktail mix and lesson with Master Mixologist Charlotte Voisey. The evening is hosted by Iron Chef Judge Billy Harris and will feature a surprise musical performance!

For tickets and more information visit calspirit.org

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Empower Friday, October 16 6 p.m. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 7:15 p.m.

Virtual Event

Western Justice Center is proud to present Empower, an evening VM JVUĂ&#x2026;PJ[ YLZVS\[PVU LX\P[` HUK JVTT\UP[` ;OPZ ]PY[\HS event experience will be held on October 16, 2020, featuring celebrity performances as well as access to \UPX\L H\J[PVU P[LTZ ;YHUZMVYT `V\Y JVTT\UP[` [VKH` by becoming a sponsor or purchasing tickets.

10th Annual LAFH Golf Outing Monday, October 26, 9 a.m.

Porter Valley Country Club, Northridge 1VPU \Z MVY H M\U ZHML HUK ZVJPHSS` KPZ[HUJLK day of golf while raising critical funds to help end homelessness in Los Angeles.

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For tickets and more information, please visit westernjustice.givesmart.com

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OCT

The Food Event 2020 Sunday, October 25 2 p.m. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 5 p.m.

Saddlerock Ranch, Malibu

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THE HOT LIST L.A. MAGAZINE

OUR MONTHLY LIST OF L.A.’S MOST ESSENTIAL RESTAURANTS E D I T E D

James Beard Award–nominated chef Jeremy Fox gets personal with a sunny spot dedicated to comfort food and named after his young daughter. The high-low menu is full of playful riffs on comfort food, from a corned beef platter to a matzo ball soup with carrot miso to a next-level relish tray. Don’t miss the jiggly rose-petal pie for dessert. 2421 Michigan Ave. (310310-3616 or birdiegsla.com). D Wed.-Sun. Full bar.

Broad Street Oyster Co.

MALIBU » Seafood $$

If ever there were a car picnic scene, it’s at this openair spot overlooking Malibu Lagoon State Beach (and across from a SoulCycle, if we’re being honest). You can grab a great lobster roll (topped with uni or caviar if you’re feeling extra fancy), towers of raw seafood, great clam chowder, and a burger sprinkled with shio kombu (dried kelp) that shouldn’t be overlooked. 23359 Pacific Coast Hwy. (424-644-0131 or broadstreetoyster .com). L-D daily. Beer and wine.

» Southeast Asian $$$

Bryant Ng mines his Chinese Singaporean heritage, honors wife Kim’s Vietnamese background, and works in the wood-grilling technique he honed at Mozza at this grand Southeast Asian brasserie. Hunker down at a table on the patio—or treat yourself to some great takeout—to devour turmeric-marinated ocean trout or chickpea curry with scallion clay-oven bread. Wherever and however you enjoy Ng’s cooking, you won’t be disappointed. 1314 7th St. (310-393-6699 or cassiala .com). D nightly. Full bar.

Colapasta

E B E R

At press time, restaurants remained closed for indoor dining, so we’ve focused on our favorite spots for eating al fresco or ordering takeout and delivery.

W EST

EAST

Includes Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Century City, Culver City, Malibu, Marina del Rey, Mar Vista, Palms, Santa Monica, Venice, West L.A., Westwood

Includes Atwater Village, Eagle Rock, East L.A., Echo Park, Glendale, Los Feliz, Pasadena, San Gabriel Valley, Silver Lake

T H E VALLEY DOWNTOWN Includes Arts District, Bunker Hill, Chinatown, Historic Core, Little Tokyo, South Park

Includes Agoura Hills, Burbank, Calabasas, Encino, North Hollywood, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Toluca Lake, Van Nuys

CENTRAL

SOUT H

Includes Beverly Grove, East Hollywood, Fairfax District, Hancock Park, Hollywood, Koreatown, West Hollywood

Includes Bell, Compton, Gardena, Hermosa Beach, Long Beach, Manhattan Beach, Torrance, Watts

Denotes restaurants with outdoor seating $ $$ $$$ $$$$

I N E X P E N S I V E (Meals under $10) M O D E R A T E (Mostly under $20) E X P E N S I V E (Mostly under $30) V E R Y E X P E N S I V E ($30 and above)

» Italian $

It’s equally pleasant to grab and go or eat at this quiet, affordable spot that features fresh pastas topped with farmers-market fare. The colorful, poppy-seed-sprinkled beet ravioli is delicate and delicious, while the gramigna with pesto and ricotta is

86 L A M AG . C O M

2020

hearty and satisfying. 1241 5th St. (310-310-8336 or colapasta.com). L-D Mon.-Sat. Beer and wine.

T H E B R E A K D OW N

Birdie G’s

SANTA MONICA » American $$

SANTA MONICA

H A I L E Y

WEST

tessepor

Cassia

BY

Price classifications are approximate and based on the cost of a typical main course that serves one. For restaurants primarily offering multicourse family meals, the cost per person of such a meal is used.

Dear John’s » Steak House $$$

CULVER CITY

The good news: Josiah Citrin and Hans Röckenwagner have taken over this former Sinatra hang with their menu of steak-house classics—crab Louie, oysters Rockefeller, thick prime steaks—that pay homage to the lounge’s Rat Pack past and can be enjoyed on a sunny new patio. The bad news: the restaurant has a two-year shelf life. The building will be razed for a development in 2021. 11208 Culver Blvd. (310-8819288 or dearjohnsbar.com). D Tues.-Sat. Full bar.

Felix

VENICE » Italian $$$

Evan Funke is a pasta purist who can slip Italian lessons into any meal. He now presides at Felix, a clubby, floral-patterned trattoria that occupies the former home of Joe’s. His rigatoni cacio e pepe—tubes of pasta adorned only with Pecorino Romano cheese and black pepper—nods to Roman shepherds who used the spice to keep warm, while the rigatoni all’Amatriciana with cured pork cheek sings brilliantly alongside Italian country wines. 1023 Abbot Kinney Blvd. (424-387-8622 or felixla.com). D nightly. Full bar.

Kato SAWTELLE

» Cal-Asian $

Jon Yao isn’t serving his acclaimed Taiwanese tasting menu at the moment, but he’s offering up some great takeout. Go for scallion wraps stuffed with five-spice duck; fried chicken; and bacon, egg, and cheese. Or enjoy a bowl of noodles. Either way, now’s your chance to enjoy some highly affordable food from one of the city’s most acclaimed chefs. 11925 Santa Monica Blvd. (424-535-3041 or katorestaurant.com).

Pickup and delivery via DoorDash and Caviar. Tue.-Sat. 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

n/naka PALMS » Japanese $$$$ Niki Nakayama’s acclaimed kaiseki restaurant has long been one of the city’s harder-to-score reservations, so naturally its to-go meals aren’t easy to get a hold of

CO U RT E SY KATO

OCT

SANTA MONICA

The friedchickenscallion wrap from Kato

either. But if you do nab some takeout, you’re in for a treat. The $38 bento box with sushi includes an assortment of items such as grilled miso black cod, pan-fried shrimp with sesame aioli, sashimi, and matcha- and-white-chocolate cake. The $85 kaiseki jubako features delicacies like braised Monterey Bay abalone and seared Wagyu salad. The restaurant opens up reservations for takeout meals every Saturday at 10 a.m., and they’ve been going quickly. 3455 S. Overland Ave. (310-836-6252, n-naka.com, or @nnakarestaurant).

Takeout via Tock. 4:30-7 p.m. Tue.-Sat.

Pasjoli SANTA MONICA » French $$$$

Dave Beran’s à la carte spot bucks the trends and eschews bistro clichés in favor of old-fashioned thrills—an elaborate pressed duck prepared just as Escoffier would have and served with potatoes au gratin dauphinois—and modern French fare.

The showy duck must be reserved in advance as there are a limited number of birds available each night. But there are plenty of other exciting dishes on the menu, such as the chicken liver in brioche and a beef tartare spiked with nasturtium pesto. 2732 Main St. (424-330-0020 or pasjoli.com).

L Fri-Sun.; D Wed.-Sun. Full bar.

Pizzana » Italian $$

It’s not easy to make over the local pie joint, but 35-year-old chef Daniele Uditi has reimagined an urban standby with equal parts purism and playfulness that has become a neighborhood favorite in the process. Most impressive is the open-mindedness that has him deftly transforming the Roman pasta dish cacio e pepe into a pizza or putting a hearty short rib ragù on the Pignatiello pie. And in a real twist, appetizers and seasonal salads aren’t afterthoughts but highlights. The pizzeria is also making its famous limitededition sub sandwiches more readily available (check Instagram) and has been making free meals for doctors and nurses. 11712 San Vicente Blvd. (310-481-7108, pizzana.com, or @pizzana). Pickup and delivery via ChowNow. 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. daily. Also at 460 N. Robertson Blvd., West Hollywood (310-657-4662).

DOWNTOWN

Redbird HISTORIC CORE » New American $$$$

Neal Fraser has defined his own kind of L.A. elegance over the 20 years he’s been cooking in his native city.

Setting up shop in the deconsecrated St. Vibiana Cathedral offered an opportunity to add theatrics to a space that’s contemporary and classically plush and now boasts three distinct outdoor dining areas. A delicate curried carrot broth and beluga lentils transform slices of smoked tofu from wholesome to haute, while lamb belly spins on a spit in the former rectory. 114 E. 2nd St. (213-788-1191 or redbird.la). D Wed.-Sun. Full bar.

ARTS DISTRICT

» Middle Eastern $$$

Husband-and-wife duo Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis’s follow-up to Bestia is sort of the Godfather II of restaurants. Fans fervently debate whether the first installment or the second is superior, but one thing is certain: dishes like grilled prawns with harissa marinade and slow-roasted lamb-neck shawarma are delicious, as are the superb hummus and pita.

500 Mateo St. (213-232-4966 or baveldtla.com).

D Tues.-Sat. Full bar.

Bestia ARTS DISTRICT

FASHION DISTRICT

» Mexican $

At this downtown spot known for its flour tortillas, you can order à la carte or opt for affordable familystyle takeout options to make your own tacos, burritos, or chimichangas filled with chorizo, carne asada, or mesquite-grilled chicken. Wash it all down with a six-pack of Tecate or seasonal aguas frescas.

208 E. 8th St. (213-628-3710, sonoratown.com, or @sonoratownla). Curbside pickup by calling the restaurant; takeout and delivery via Caviar.

11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily. Beer to go.

WEST

Dialogue SANTA MONICA Eclectic $$$

› The ever-nimble Dave Beran has

Bavel

» Italian $$$

The good times keep rolling at this lively spot that put the Arts District on the foodie map. It has reopened with several new items on the menu, including a decadent lamb shank with morita peppers, raisins, creamy farro, and mint gremolata. But fear not, classics like the bone marrow with spinach gnocchetti remain. 2121 E. 7th Pl. (213-514-5724 or bestiala.com).

D Tues.-Sat. Full bar.

Guerrilla Tacos » Mexican $-$$

ARTS DISTRICT

CO U RT E SY D I A LO G U E

» Filipino $$

If you’ve followed the wave of new Filipino restaurants in the City of Angels, there’s a very good chance you’ve heard of brothers Chase and Chad Valencia. The cooking at their Far East Plaza restaurant exudes the sharp, resonant flavors of traditional Filipino food and the produce-driven aesthetic of California—Alice Waters filtered through Manila.

Thoughtfully selected natural wines perfectly complement dishes like whole fried pompano. 727 N. Broadway, Ste. 120 (213-443-6163 or lasa-la.com).

12-4 p.m. Wed.-Sun. Wine and beer.

Sonoratown

BRENTWOOD

Though founder Wes Avila recently departed, this slick counter-service spot remains fairly true to its taco truck origins, with many old favorites—potato taquitos, tempura-battered fish tacos, a hamachi tostada—still on the menu. The complex salsas are some of the best in town, while the cocktails provide another reason to visit. Try the ahi tuna tostada paired with a rum-spiked yuzu lemonade. 2000 E. 7th St. (213-375-3300 or guerrillatacos.com).

L-D daily. Full bar.

CENTRAL

Lasa CHINATOWN

transformed his tasting-menu temple into a wine bar called Tidbits by Dialogue that overlooks the Third Street Promenade. The intriguing, everchanging menu is divided into hot, cold, and sweet dishes, and it’s heavily market-driven: think leafy choi sum with strawberries, avocado, and tamarind. Dialogue’s haute delivery is also still on offer. 1315 3rd St., (dialoguerestaurant.com). 12-5 p.m. Wed.-Sun.

Alta Adams » California Soul Food $$

WEST ADAMS

Riffing on his grandmother’s recipes, Watts native Keith Corbin slips soy and miso paste into braised oxtail and spiced cashews into baked yams. Soul food in this city is too often associated with Styrofoam containers, yet the low-lit room here, carved out of a transformed Spanish Revival building, is a lovely place to linger, as is the lovely verdant patio.

Hot sauce splashed onto skillet-fried chicken is pure pleasure, enhanced by a bourbon drink the bar tints with roasted peanuts and huckleberries. Finish the night by taking on a heroic wedge of coconut cake.

5359 W. Adams Blvd. (323-571-4999 or altaadams .com). D Wed.-Sun; brunch Sat.-Sun. Full bar.

Angelini Osteria » Italian $$$

BEVERLY GROVE

Gino Angelini grew up eating his grandma’s lasagna in a town outside the Adriatic city of Rimini, then came to Los Angeles to cook with Mauro Vincenti.

He’s not above finishing a crostino of lardo with truffles, but his wheelhouse is a more understated realm: soup is thick with soft potatoes, tripe is buoyed by a slow-cooked soffritto, and all the veal kidneys need is cooked-down onions and a splash of wine. 7313 Beverly Blvd. (323-297-0070 or angelinirestaurantgroup .com). L Mon.-Fri.; D nightly. Beer and wine.

Antico LARCHMONT VILLAGE » Italian $$

Take comfort. Some of the city’s best ice cream is now available to pick up. Chef Chad Colby has converted his East Larchmont Italian restaurant into a takeout spot for foccacia pizzas and ice cream, fashioning a makeshift pizza oven with the plancha top that used to sit on the restaurant’s hearth. The ice cream has a wonderfully smooth texture, and the flavors are spot on. The honeycomb and strawberry have garnered a lot of praise since the restaurant opened last year— and rightly so—but Colby and pastry chef Brad Ray have also been introducing flavors like cookies-andcream and pistachio. 4653 Beverly Blvd. (323-5103093, antico-la.com, antico___la). Pickup and delivery via Caviar. 3-8 p.m. Mon.-Tues., 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Wed.Sun. Wine to go.

A.O.C. BEVERLY GROVE » California $$$

Unforced and driven by culinary excellence, A.O.C. is anchored by a courtyard with soft sunlight and laurel trees. Caroline Styne’s wine list doesn’t shy away from the ecology of vineyards, while Suzanne Goin’s cooking has become indispensable. Carefully constructed salads showcase vegetables at their best, and the roasted chicken with panzanella is both an homage to San Francisco’s Zuni Café and a classic in and of itself. 8700 W. 3rd St. (310-8599859 or aocwinebar.com). D Tues.-Sat.; brunch Sat.Sun. Full bar.

Badmaash FAIRFAX DISTRICT

» Indian $-$$

This Indian gastropub concept comes from the father-and-sons team of Pawan, Nakul, and Arjun Mahendro, who are all well versed in the culinary techniques of East and West. The menu features contemporary mash-ups, like a version of poutine smothered in chicken tikka, tandoori-spiced chicken wings, and a spicy lamb burger. If tradition’s your thing, you’ll be comforted by a superlative butter chicken and what they call “good ol’ saag paneer.” 418 N. Fairfax Ave., Fairfax District (213-281-5185 or badmaashla.com). Takeout or delivery via Caviar and DoorDash 12-9 p.m. daily. Beer and wine to-go.

Also at 108 W. 2nd St. (213-221-7466).

Brandoni Pepperoni WEST HOLLYWOOD » Pizza $$ Six nights a week, Brandon Gray turns out some of L.A.’s most exciting pizzas in the back of the WeHo Gateway shopping center. Gray, a veteran of Navy kitchens and top local restaurants like Providence,

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brings boundless imagination to his pies. They’re topped with premium ingredients—Jidori chicken, Sungold tomatoes, Spanish octopus—in exciting combinations. A curry-Dijonnaise dressing renders a side salad surprisingly memorable. 7100 Santa Monica Blvd., (323-306-4968 or brandoni-pepperoni.com).

Pickup only. 4-8 p.m., Thurs.-Tues. Wine to go.

E.P. + L.P.

WEST HOLLYWOOD

» Pan-Asian $$$

With a killer rooftop dining area, this dual-concept restaurant and bar would probably attract scene-y crowds regardless of its menu. The Thai-ChineseFijian plates are playful and progressive, including fried-crab-curry buns and ahi-tuna-tartare crostini with kimchi relish. 603 N. La Cienega Blvd. (310855-9955 or eplosangeles.com). D nightly; brunch Sat. and Sun. Full bar.

Harold & Belle’s JEFFERSON PARK » Southern Creole $$

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For Creole-style food—a mélange of French, African, and Native American flavors—Harold & Belle’s is as close to the Dirty Coast as you’ll come on the West Coast. The crawfish étouffée in spicy gravy will have you humming zydeco, while the bourbon bread pudding will leave you with a Sazerac-worthy buzz. 2920 W. Jefferson Blvd. (323-735-9023 or haroldandbelles .com). L-D daily. Full bar.

Lalibela

FAIRFAX DISTRICT » Ethiopian $-$$

The strip of Fairfax known as Little Ethiopia has long been dominated by the same handful of restaurants.

Chef-owner Tenagne Belachew worked in a few of them before opening her own sophisticated haven, which invites with the swirling aromas of berbere and burning sage. Stretchy disks of injera—the sour, teff-flour pancake that doubles as a utensil for scooping up food by hand—arrive piled with uniquely pungent delights. There are wots, or stews, made with chicken or spiced legumes or lamb sautéed in a creamy sauce. 1025 S. Fairfax Ave. (323-965-1025 or lalibelala.com). L-D daily. Beer and wine.

Luv2Eat Thai Bistro HOLLYWOOD » Thai $$

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Vibrant flavors and spices abound at this strip-mall favorite from two Phuket natives. The crab curry, with a whole crustacean swimming in a creamy pool of deliciousness, is not to be missed (it travels surprisingly well), but the expansive menu is full of winners, from the massaman curry to the Thai fried chicken with sticky rice and sweet pepper sauce. 6660 W. Sunset Blvd. (323-498-5835, luv2eatthai.com, or @luv2eat.thaibistro). Takeout and delivery via SappClub, ChowNow, or phone.

11 a.m.- 10 p.m. daily.

Osteria Mozza/Pizzeria Mozza » Italian $$$

EAST

Found Oyster EAST HOLLYWOOD Seafood $$$

› This tiny oyster bar was a prepandemic favorite. Now it’s operating as Found Oyster Overboard, serving items from its original menu like a pitch-perfect scallop tostada with yuzu and basil, a great oyster roll (above), and a unique take on a lobster roll with bisque-flavored mayo.

Interesting, affordable wines add to the fun. Looking to cook yourself ?

The restaurant also operates a seafood shop every Saturday. 4880 Fountain Ave., (323-486-7920 or foundoyster.com). Takeout via Toast.

3-8 p.m. Wed.-Sat., 12-5 p.m. Sun. Wine and beer to go.

som cream puff. 624 S. La Brea Ave. (310-362-6115 or republiquela.com). Takeout or delivery via Tock.

B-L-D daily. Full bar.

HANCOCK PARK

Nancy Silverton’s osteria and pizzeria may share a street corner, but their true link is a fearless approach. The osteria aims for big-city elegance, with space in the dining room for a cheese counter where you can order a plate of buffalo mozzarella and Sungold tomatoes. Next door it’s about pizzas with billowing crusts and toppings like fennel sausage. A parking area has recently been transformed into Piazza Mozza to offer outdoor seating. Osteria: 6602 Melrose Ave. (323-297-0100 or osteriamozza .com). D Wed.-Sun, B Sat.-Sun. Full bar. Pizzeria: 641 N. Highland Ave. (323-297-0101 or pizzeriamozza .com). D Wed.-Sun. Beer and wine.

Ronan

FAIRFAX DISTRICT » Cal-Italian $$$

Daniel and Caitlin Cutler may hail from traditional Italian eatery Sotto, but their chic pizzeria on Melrose is more offbeat, with tiki-ish cocktails and a brass crucifix above the wood-fired oven. Charred pies with spicy ’nduja, Gorgonzola, and celery nod as much to Buffalo as to Naples, while steak tartare is punched up with pistachios and briny olives.

7315 Melrose Ave. (323-917-5100 or ronanla.com).

D Mon.-Sat. Full bar.

Slab

BEVERLY GROVE

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88 L A M AG . C O M

République HANCOCK PARK » Cal-French $$$ République may be devoted to French food, but its soul is firmly rooted in Californian cuisine. Walter Manzke is as skilled at making potato and leek beignets as he is with at roasting cauliflower and local dates. At breakfast people murmur over cast-iron pots of shakshouka and drool over the pastries while waiting to be seated. At dinner the rib eye—served with soft marrow—can be had in two sizes. Afterward it’s time for Margarita Manzke’s orange-blos-

» Barbecue $$

Hungry diners used to line up in the driveway of Burt Bakman’s home, desperate for a taste of his famous smoked barbecue meats. In 2018 Bakman came up from the underground, opening a sleek storefront that’s now filling to-go orders for hearty fare, from perfectly marbled brisket to pulled-pork sandwiches and collard greens. You can even get a six-pack of Bud Light. 8136 W. 3rd. St. (310-8557184, slabbarbecue.com, or @slab). Takeout and delivery via Postmates. 11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily. Beer and wine to go.

CO U RT E SY FO U N D OYST E R

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Son of a Gun » Seafood $$

BEVERLY GROVE

Florida-raised chefs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo deliver a certain brand of sun-drenched seashore nostalgia. Dropping into the nautically themed dining room for chilled peel-and-eat shrimp and a Hurricane feels as effortless as dipping your toes in the sand. There are buttery lobster rolls and fried-chicken sandwiches alongside artfully plated crudos and uni-slathered burrata. Don’t miss the yellowfin tuna–wrapped avocado in leche de tigre. 8370 W. 3rd St. (323-782-9033 or sonofagunrestaurant.com). Takeout and delivery via DoorDash and Caviar. L-D daily. Full bar.

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Bar Restaurant » French $$$

SILVER LAKE

Chef Douglas Rankin, who worked under Ludo Lefebvre for years, strikes out on his own with this charming, pale-pink “neo-bistro” in the old Malo space in Sunset Junction. The menu features playful Gallic-ish fare, like curly fries and plump mussels Dijon atop milk toast; classic cocktails; and plenty of funky wines available by the glass. The restaurant recently expanded its already large outdoor space into the parking lot to create a festive area with plants and lights. 4326 W. Sunset Blvd. (323-3475557 or barrestaurant.la). D Wed.-Sun. Full bar.

Hippo HIGHLAND PARK

» Cal-Italian $$

Hidden in a wood-trussed dining room behind Triple Beam Pizza, this Cal-Ital restaurant from Mozza vet Matt Molina balances casual and refined.

Snappy wax beans are sluiced with vinaigrette for a picnic-worthy salad. Sweet corn cappellacci are lush pasta pillows. Grilled chicken thighs and a glass of

C H E F FAVO R I T E S MICHAEL REED CHEF/CO-OWNER OF POPPY + ROSE

Vermentino deliver the unfussy pleasure found at the best neighborhood spots. Eclectic regular specials like haute corn dogs add to the fun. 5916 ½ N. Figueroa St. (323-545-3536 or hipporestaurant.com).

D nightly. Full bar.

Northern Thai Food Club EAST HOLLYWOOD » Thai $ Offering specialty dishes unique to northern Thailand, this family-run favorite doesn’t skimp on flavor, spice, or authenticity. Tasty takeout meals include the khao soi gai (curry egg noodle with chicken), laab moo kua (minced pork), tam kha noon ( jackfruit salad), and pla salid tod (fried gourami fish). For those unfamiliar with the region’s distinct cuisine, the illustrious sticky rice is still a reliable bet. Need more incentive? Everything on the menu is less than $10. 5301 Sunset Blvd.

(323-474-7212 or amphainorthernthaifood.com).

Takeout and delivery via the restaurant’s website.

10 a.m.-9:30 p.m. daily.

Porridge + Puffs HISTORIC FILIPINOTOWN

Spoon & Pork » Filipino $$

SILVER LAKE

The go-to for Filipino comfort food offers a variety of dishes, all featuring one shared ingredient: deliciousness. Spoon & Pork puts an innovative spin on some Filipino favorites—just try its adobo pork belly, pork belly banh mi, or lechon kawali.

The dishes elegantly mix decadence with some authentic soul. 3131 W. Sunset Blvd. (323-922-6061, spoonandpork.com, or @spoonandporkla). Takeout and delivery via the restaurant’s website. 12-7 p.m.

Wed.-Thurs., 12-8 p.m. Fri. and Sat., 12-5 p.m. Sunday.

Beer and wine to go.

Union PASADENA

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9 0 L A M AG . C O M

CARNE ASADA BURRITO TERE’S MEXICAN GRILL “It’s perfectly seasoned meat, and the salsas are all great.” $8.95, 5870 Melrose Ave., Ste. 101, Hollywood, teresmexicangrill .com.

SUN FIRE ROLL SUSHI NABEEYA “That umami of fried garlic on top of the spicy tuna is amazing.” $9.99, 766 Santee St., downtown, 213-622-5750.

ORECCHIETTE WITH SAUSAGE AND SWISS CHARD OSTERIA MOZZA “It’s the only pasta dish that I crave; it’s just the right amount of al dente. And the fennel sausage is not too spicy, but spicy enough.” $25, 6602 Melrose Ave., Hancock Park, la.osteriamozza.com.

» Pan-Asian $

Minh Phan’s beloved restaurant is still cooking up porridge and puffs, along with bahn mi and a set meal named in honor of the late Jonathan Gold. Proceeds from “The Gold” go toward providing free meals to those on the front lines of the COVID-19 battle. Various provisions—from miso caramel to apricot habanero hot sauce—are on sale to help jazz up your home cooking. 2801 Beverly Blvd. (213-908-5313, porridgeandpuffs.com, or @porridgeandpuffs). Takeout via Square Up. 12-6 p.m. Fri.-Sat.

» Italian $$$

The food shines at this cozy trattoria. Chef Chris Keyser, an acolyte of Philadelphia pasta maestro Marc Vetri, joined in 2019, keeping classics like a great cacio e pepe on the menu while adding his own dishes such as a thrilling crispy octopus appetizer. The pastas all impress, but don’t miss the wild mushrooms and polenta with a sublimely delicious sherry vinegar and truffle butter sauce. 37 E. Union St. (626-795-5841, unionpasadena.com, or @unionpasadena). D nightly.

Beer and wine.

THE VALLEY Black Market Liquor Bar » New American $$

STUDIO CITY

Some nights it seems as if half the Valley is here, enjoying the colorful patio. Top Chef graduate Antonia Lofaso’s Italian chops are visible in the buxom ricotta gnudi with brown butter and pistachios. The deepfried fluffernutter sandwich is a reminder that food, like life, should not be taken too seriously. 11915 Ventura Blvd. (818-446-2533 or blackmarketliquorbar .com). L Mon.-Fri. D Sat.-Sun. Full bar.

The Brothers Sushi » Sushi $$$

WOODLAND HILLS

At this hidden gem, reinvigorated when chef Mark Okuda took the helm in 2018, is worth traveling for.

Keep spirits up with the Hand-Roll Party home kits (there’s even one for kids), or splurge on an omakase to be enjoyed on the patio or to go. You can also order à la carte or get non-sushi items like soy-glazed

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grilled chicken. 21418 Ventura Blvd. (818-456-4509, thebrotherssushi.com, or @thebrotherssushila).

L Tues.-Fri. D Tues.-Sun.Beer, wine, and sake.

Hank’s BURBANK

NATALE E

» Bagels $

The L.A. bagel revolution continues at this stylish new spot in the Valley that serves up carefully constructed sandwiches. Tomato, aioli, and mapleglazed bacon elevate a simple bacon, egg, and cheese, while a classic salmon-and-lox construction has thoughtful touches like salted cucumbers and pickled onions. Sammies shine with plain cream cheese, but it’s worth grabbing a tub of Hank’s “angry” spread—a spicy, slightly sweet concoction—to have in your fridge. And no cream cheese is needed for Hank’s everything jalapeno-cheddar bagel, a stunning gut bomb. 4315 Riverside Dr. (818-5883693, hanksbagels.com, or @hanksbagels). Takeout and delivery via Toast. 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Tues.-Sun.

T H A I

C U I S I N E

SOUTH T H E VA L L E Y

Ali’i Fish Company

EL SEGUNDO » Seafood $$

This small, unassuming spot shames all of the glossy poke purveyors popping up around town to serve mediocre versions of the Hawaiian dish. Glistening cubes of tuna, flown in fresh from the islands daily, remind you how great poke can be, and even a vegan poke, with tofu and sea asparagus, manages to satisfy. If you’re not looking to go raw, there are various salmon and tuna burgers to choose from, and the smoked-ahi dip with housemade potato chips is not to be missed. Perfect for picking up a beach picnic. 409 E. Grand Ave. (310-616-3484 or aliifishco.com). L-D daily; brunch Sat.-Sun. Full bar.

Fishing With Dynamite MANHATTAN BEACH » Seafood $$$ A premium raw bar near the beach shouldn’t be unusual, but it is. The same goes for velvety clam chowder. Here it achieves smoky richness—you can thank the Nueske’s bacon for that—without any of the floury glop. On the raw bar menu you’ll find several kinds of oysters from across the country, Peruvian scallops, and Alaskan king crab legs.

1148 Manhattan Ave. (310-893-6299 or eatfwd.com).

L-D daily; brunch Sat.-Sun. Full bar.

Hotville BALDWIN HILLS CRENSHAW

SHERMAN OAKS

“The Best of Culver City” 9 Years in a Row

Mexican $$ › The Vega family’s 64-year-old institution has put up a massive tent in its parking lot to keep the margaritas flowing amidst COVID-19 restrictions. And if you prefer takeout, there’s a drive-through setup that makes it easy to pick up a plate of enchiladas or a hulking “oven-style” burrito topped with enchilada sauce and melted cheese. The expansive menu has a great selection of hearty crowd-pleasers, cocktails, and tequilas. You might leave tipsy, but you’ll never go hungry. 13301 Ventura Blvd., (818-788-4868 or casavega.com).

L and D daily. Full bar.

- Culver City News

“Readers Choice Award”

“Best of The West Side”

- LA Times

- The Argonaut

Venice: 10101 Venice Blvd. | (310) 202-7003 Full Bar | Sushi Bar Beverly Hills: 998 S. Robertson Blvd. | (310) 855-9380 Full Bar | Valet Parking

Dine In | Delivery | Take Out | Order Online

nataleethai.com

PROMOTION

LIST

» Fried chicken $

After three years of running a pop-up, Kim Prince has opened a brick-and-mortar that does her family’s legacy justice—she is the niece of André Prince Jeffries, owner of Nashville legend Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack, where hot fried chicken is said to have originated. Prince adds spice at every step in the cooking process to produce a complex, layered flavor. The sides ($5 and up), like spicy mac and cheese and kale coleslaw, are also winners. 4070 Marlton Ave. (323-792-4835 or hotvillechicken.com).

L-D Tue.-Sun. No alcohol.

Little Sister

REDONDO BEACH » Asian Fusion $$

Chef and co-owner Tin Vuong deftly translates the flavors of Vietnam for a casual drinking scene. Nibble on Balinese fried meatballs with cilantro-mint chutney or fresh spring rolls with shrimp, pork, and a peanut dipping sauce, then wash it all down with a craft beer or three. 247 Avenida del Norte (424398-0237 or dinelittlesister.com). L-D daily. Beer, wine, and sake. Also at 523 W. 7th St., downtown (213-628-3146 or dinelittlesister.com).

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L A M AG . C O M 9 1

Nearly 70,000 people are homeless in L.A. County. Here are some local organizations working hard to change that

BY M A L I A M E N D E Z

BELL SHELTER > Bell Shelter is a Salvation Army program offering interim housing and supportive services—including statelicensed substance-abuse treatment and group therapy—to up to 500 homeless people. The shelter addresses the roots of homelessness by helping people find a higher quality of life through independence. Since many psychiatric hospitals no longer help homeless men and women manage mental illness, Bell Shelter fills that rehabilitation gap. bellshelter. salvationarmy.org.

THE DREAM BUILDERS PROJECT > Listed as a top-rated nonprofit group in 2019 by the national rating organization GreatNonprofits, the Dream Builders provides an array of services, but a staple of its program is its “Care Packages for the Homeless” events. Staff and volunteers assemble bags of 100-plus items, which are then distributed to more than 200 homeless men, women, and children. The bags include food, water, soap, toothpaste, first aid kits, clothing, and information about local shelters and food banks. dbpla.org.

HOLLYWOOD FOOD COALITION > The coalition’s Community Diner has served more than 1.5 million hot meals to the hungry since 1987. There are no breaks for this outfit: nutritious food is provided 365 days a year. On Wednesdays, a health check from the Mobile Clinic Project at UCLA is offered along with dinner. hofoco.org.

JOVENES > This Boyle Heights-based organization was founded in 1990 by good Samaritan Father Richard Estrada, well-known in the ’80s for providing asylum to homeless kids, and for backing the Chicano Rights movement. Jovenes honors Estrada’s work by helping young people ages 18 to 25 integrate into society—not only by providing basics like housing, healthcare, education, and employment, but by empowering them through trauma recovery programs. jovenesinc.org.

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L.A. FAMILY HOUSING > With 408 units, LAFH is one of the largest housing nonprofits in the country, transitioning more than 400 people into homes each year. Its beginnings were humble: in 1983, it converted a rundown, 40-room motel in North Hollywood into housing for the homeless.

Now there’s a new campus on the site of that old motel that includes a health center, facilities for supportive services, and housing for 49 individuals. lafh.org.

ST. FRANCIS CENTER > Since it was founded in 1972, this downtown L.A.-based organization has focused on hunger relief and comprehensive services for homeless and lowincome individuals in Los Angeles. In addition to managing a food pantry and youth camps, St. Francis refers people to health- and social-service agencies, and promotes access to opportunities not typically available to those with economic and geographic limitations.

Its mission is “serving hope,” which is apt considering its spiritual and material approach to aid. stfranciscenterla.org.

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL OF LOS ANGELES > Named after the French saint known for his heroic work with the poor, St. Vincent de Paul of Los Angeles is a Catholic charity with 2,500 volunteers in Southern California. St. Vincent serves the poor and homeless free of charge, providing food, clothing, furniture, appliances, help with rent, and other forms of financial assistance, with the end goal being self-sufficiency for them and their families. Their Cardinal Manning Center houses 100 men from Skid Row. svdpla.org.

WALK OF SHAME Even Hollywood isn’t immune to the encroachment of homelessness

PEOPLE ASSISTING THE HOMELESS > People Assisting the Homeless (PATH) works in six regions throughout California, using the “Housing First” model, where homeless folks are first given permanent housing, and then offered supportive services. Since 2013, PATH has built nearly 850 housing units and situated more than 3,000 people.

With a retention rate of 90 percent, PATH is more successful at putting people in homes than some cities are. It also offers a reprieve via nine interim shelters. epath.org.

THE PEOPLE CONCERN > This nonprofit, founded in 2016 in a merger between two trusted social service organizations based in L.A. County, offers a variety of services to empower its participants. Last year the agency connected over 6,000 homeless people to services, referrals, and housing resources, and assisted over 1,900 others in finding permanent housing. thepeopleconcern.org.

UNION RESCUE MISSION > For nearly 130 years, Union Rescue Mission (URM) has provided food, shelter, education, counseling, and longterm recovery programs to homeless people on Skid Row. One of the largest rescue missions in America, URM offers four levels of service: outreach, emergency services, transformation, and restoration. URM has recently partnered with Wells Fargo to fund Hope Gardens Family Center, a transitional housing campus that helps single women and their children transition from homelessness to independence in 12 to 36 months. urm.org.

WEINGART CENTER > Weingart helps more than 40,000 people a year. Whether it’s homelessness, addiction, or mental illness, there’s a program. The center is run by Kevin Murray, formerly a state senator and William Morris executive, who knows how to wrangle financial support. That means comprehensive and tailored services and an open door policy that allows walk-ins.

Special touches include a clothing boutique with professional attire to help ace that job interview. weingart.org.

A L I Z A DAST U D I O S /G E T T Y I M AG E S

Gimme Shelter

The ‘A’ List C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 4 7

students’ grades, and those students all seemed to have parents on the school’s board. When one of these students failed a class, Busby simply deleted the entire course from the student’s record.

So the math teacher sent a letter to the head of the board, calling for an investigation. (Busby said he couldn’t speak on the record for this story because of a nondisclosure agreement.)

That fall the board enlisted a lawyer, Katherine Edwards, to investigate.

Edwards reviewed documents and interviewed 18 witnesses. Busby had gotten approximately 26 requests to change grades or remove disciplinary records, and he had agreed to raise five or six grades and remove about the same number of records, according to a source familiar with Busby’s thinking. Busby argued privately that he had made the grade changes to help “disadvantaged” students, according to this same source. He believed the students had been treated unfairly, whether or not they were the children of trustees.

His former colleagues believe Busby made the changes for a different reason, though. “He had an insatiable need to be liked,” says one of the school’s former administrators. ////

A

S B U C K L E Y WA S wrapping up its investigation, another was ending for the Los Angeles Unified School District. In January 2018, federal auditors announced that in a sample of recent LAUSD graduates, 11 percent had been incorrectly counted as having finished high school, inflating the graduation rate.

While grade inflation at private schools aims to get kids into elite colleges, it is used at public schools to satisfy graduation quotas and keep students moving with their age groups—a practice called “social promotion.” Districts use tactics like credit recovery programs to give students a chance to earn just-passing grades at the last minute. Credit recovery is just one of the ways LAUSD has sought to raise grades; at one point the district offered students

higher grades as a reward for raising their standardized test scores. (A spokesperson declined to comment.)

LAUSD has gone to great lengths to turn around its notorious graduation numbers. A decade ago the rate was one of the lowest in the country, with less than half of students finishing high school. It has since increased to 78 percent, still below the national average, most likely due to the credit recovery courses, on which the district has reportedly spent at least $30 million since 2015. Tens of thousands of LAUSD students have taken these courses; one had the opportunity to raise his grade in biology from an F to a C in a single week, according to the Los Angeles Times. As the federal audit found, for the 2013-2014 school year, LAUSD “erroneously reported as graduates students who did not complete graduation requirements” or who did so after the deadline.

Critics question how much learning happens in these programs. A 2017 study conducted by researchers at UCLA and Claremont Graduate University found that as the LAUSD graduation rate increased, the percentage of students who enrolled in college generally stayed the same.

And as of the 2018-2019 school year, just around half of 11th graders in the district met or exceeded English standards on state tests, and only around a quarter did for math.

One LAUSD student who kept getting passed through the system was Javier De Los Angeles. As early as third grade, he noticed he was falling behind, but the district let him advance, eventually to high school.

“I wouldn’t get the help I needed,” he says. De Los Angeles says he was looking for resources but couldn’t find them at school. “Coming from a low income, I think it was really hard finding the right tutor,” he says. Teachers gave him Cs and Ds, just enough to keep him passing, but he felt like he wasn’t learning. “I remember looking at those textbooks like, ‘How am I going to do this shit? How am I going to understand it?’” He adds, “I just felt like I was being pushed onto the next grade.” He eventually dropped out in 2010 and lived out of his car. He tried a pre-college program but found it too challenging. “It made me realize, if I wasn’t even good at high school, I wasn’t college-level ready.” De Los

Angeles says that if high school had gone better for him, he might have more opportunities now. ////

A

burned through northern Los Angeles in December 2017, forcing Buckley to temporarily close, the student whose grade-change request had prompted the investigation into James Busby received a phone call from her college admissions consultant, William “Rick” Singer. As the student’s family tells it, Singer instructed her that if Georgetown asked about her application, she should say she played tennis. This would have been a lie.

But it was not the only lie on her college applications: the very same day, a Buckley college counselor learned from an admissions officer at Tulane that the student’s application incorrectly stated she was African American and would be a first-generation college student. The college counselor called all the schools to which the student had applied, including Georgetown, and told them to hold her applications. Perhaps Singer had phoned the student to get ahead of what was coming.

The student’s father is Adam Bass, president and CEO of the law firm Buchalter, who at the time was a Buckley trustee and donor. Bass and Singer had met years earlier through a member of Bass’s family, and Bass believed that Singer would be the right person to shepherd his daughter through the college-application process.

Members of the Bass family say they first learned of the false information when Singer called the student and she refused to lie. “Like thousands of families, the Bass family engaged Rick Singer’s company for college counseling services and to help their daughter with her college applications,” the family said in a statement. “They were stunned to learn that Mr. Singer and his company submitted inaccurate information on some of their daughter’s applications, none of which related to her test scores or academic record.”

The Bass family was furious and, upon learning more about Singer’s wrongdoing over the course of that weekend, immediately began conS WILDFIRES

L A M AG . C O M 93

tacting schools to supply them with the situation says that Werdesheim accurate information. (The family is brought the idea to Busby. Busby not the subject of any ongoing invesknew of Singer’s reputation and tigation.) didn’t like him; a student had once Buckley appears to have more parcomplained that he was unable to ents with known links to Singer—at log into his application materials the center of the national collegebecause Singer had the log-in inforadmissions scandal in which 57 indimation. After that, the school had viduals have faced charges—than any advised parents not to hire Singer. other high school. Two other Buckley Busby decided against a meeting. parents and donors, Devin Sloane //// and Stephen Semprevivo, pleaded guilty in the admissions scandal.

N F E B R UA R Y 2 0 1 8 , the day after (Sloane also sat on Buckley’s board.) the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Brian Werdesheim, a former Buckley Douglas High School in Parkland, parent, donor, and trustee, regularly Florida, the chairman of the board at introduced people to Singer, and reBuckley announced the results of the portedly got Singer to invest in a proinvestigation into Busby. The probe fessional soccer team. Singer’s compahad uncovered five grade changes in ny made donations to Werdesheim’s five years, some for students with parnonprofit, and Singer joined its board. ents on the board and some without. It As Melissa Korn and Jennifer Levitz concluded that “there were no preferwrite in Unacceptable, their book ential grade changes for board memabout the national college admisber children.” The investigation also sions scandal, “Werdesheim would found that “Busby received no personbecome one of Singer’s most fruitful al benefit” from the changes, and that links to wealthy L.A.-area families.” “[he] acted within his discretion and (Werdesheim was never charged in did not violate any school policies.” the scandal.)

In the outrage that followed, stu“My association with Rick Singer dents staged a protest and signed a was related entirely to his legitimate petition, alumni pubbusiness activities as lished an open letter, a college-prep coach and the family of Isaand education expert, belle Buckley called for which were extensive “In the last and came highly recomcouple of years, Busby’s resignation. The student newspaper demended to me from mulI feel like I voted almost an entire tiple respected memhaven’t been issue to the controversy. bers of our community,” working as “It was the No. 1 thing on Werdesheim said in a campus everyone was statement to Los Angehard and my talking about,” a recent les. “I was shocked and grades don’t graduate says. Facing disgusted by the revreally reflect unrelenting backlash, elation of Rick’s illegal that. It’s kind Busby resigned the folactivities, and I severed lowing month. all ties with Rick and his of an odd L ast year, Alona organizations.” disconnect.”

Scott became Buckley’s What hasn’t been reFORMER SAGE HILL HIGH head of school. She had ported is that Buckley’s SCHOOL SENIOR grown up in Los Angeties to Singer went even les and was a product deeper. In early 2017, of its private-school We r d e s h e i m i n t r o system. She came to Buckley at a duced Singer to the chair of Buckley’s rocky time, between the Singer scanboard, Valeria Balfour. Werdesheim, dal and grade-changing debacle. Five Singer, and Balfour talked over board members had left, as did the lunch about having Singer speak to head of college counseling. At least the board, as Buckley was trying to two former employees were pursuing revamp its messaging. Werdesheim lawsuits against the school. says he didn’t pursue the idea after Scott’s arrival was supposed to the lunch because he realized that herald a return to normalcy. Then “Rick’s insights were less relevant.”

COVID-19 exploded, and, like schools But a person with knowledge of

I

9 4 L A M AG . C O M

everywhere, Buckley moved classes online, where they remain until further notice. (Scott declined an interview request, saying by email, “I am focusing my time and attention on the start of the coming school year.”)

COVID-19 might serve to worsen grade inflation, education experts warn. Not only are teachers likely to be more lenient toward students during the pandemic, but schools are also changing their grading policies. Some are abandoning grades and switching to pass/fail. San Francisco’s public schools considered giving students automatic As but decided against it.

This past spring, LAUSD announced that during the pandemic, no student will receive an F. The district and teachers agreed that students should be “held harmless” and not receive a grade lower than what they had before the pandemic.

Also because of the pandemic, colleges have waived standardized testing requirements following a movement that has grown in recent years. It’s natural to think that some of these schools might abandon testing requirements for good. That’s what happened at the University of California, which in May became the largest university system in the country to phase them out.

This means that college-admissions officers will need to trust grades more than ever. “When you go test optional, you rely much more heavily on those grades,” says Green, of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.

“Lump on top of that a whole bunch of scattered information on grading, and it just became the Wild West for admissions offices for this fall.” With the new grading policies, he says, “just mathematically, it has to contribute to grade inflation.”

High schoolers have other things to worry about now besides grades.

“I miss seeing everyone, especially my friends—even that teacher who talks too much,” a California student named Julia commented on a recent New York Times article. “Sometimes I just feel really lost because I feel like I don’t have anything to hold on to.

I’m just trying to do well in ‘class’ and waiting for this to end.”

Max Kutner has written about education for Newsweek, The Boston Globe, and Boston Magazine.

Kamala & Order C O N T I N U E D F R O M PAG E 6 3

and “ruthless” are replaced with “funny,” “warm,” “kind,” and “thoughtful.”

Ballard, the San Francisco-based consultant, says Harris possesses a skill that he’s seen in only a handful of politicians: an uncanny knack for remembering the smallest details of people’s lives. During her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, it was impossible to miss her focus on friends and family or that she wore a huge smile throughout. She shared the intimate detail that when she was five, her parents split, leaving her late mother, Shyamala Gopalan, to raise her two daughters on her own. “My mother instilled in my sister, Maya, and me the values that would chart the course of our lives. She raised us to be proud, strong Black women, and she raised us to know and be proud of our Indian heritage,” she said.

The convention speech was widely seen as an attempt to smooth out

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Harris’s sharper edges and counter the impression of her as the toughas-nails prosecutor who had rhetorically pinned U.S. Attorney General William Barr during the impeachment trial and lacerated Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh at his confirmation hearings (a YouTube video of her exchange with Kavanaugh has been viewed 3.5 million times).

But it’s precisely those sharp edges that the Biden-Harris campaign may need to call upon in the last month of a campaign during which the president is guaranteed to pull out all the stops of outrageousness.

Of course, unleashing Harris’s inner cop risks alienating the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, already irritated that neither Sanders nor Warren are on the ticket. But the Trump campaign wasted no time leaning into the unrest in the wake of the police killings in Minneapolis and Kenosha, Wisconsin, as a way to turn the race away from the president’s failures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic that has crippled

the economy and killed more than 180,000. For now, the strategy appears to be working only among Trump’s immovable base; polls conducted in early September, weeks after the Kenosha shootings and the Republican convention, showed Biden’s eight- to ten-point national lead over Trump had barely budged.

That could change, of course, but at the very least, Harris’s presence on the ticket has had no discernible negative impact. And if the Trump campaign persists in a “law-and-order” theme, Harris’s background as California’s former top cop is a formidable weapon, locked and loaded, that Democrats can draw upon at a moment’s notice.

In the final days leading up to Biden’s selection of his running mate, Garcetti said that his committee’s intent was to identify the core character of the finalists and present each candidate to Biden “almost like they were characters in a play.” Whether or not Harris will need to channel her inner Cersei Lannister may end up determining this election.

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Q

I remember seeing the torch from the Statue of Liberty in L.A. in the ’80s. Was that a dream?

C H R I S ’S P I C K

Growing Pains A FORGOTTEN NEIGHBORHOOD REMEMBERED

OL D F L A M E

CO U RT E SY O F T H E PASA D E N A TO U R N A M E N T O F R O S E S ®

Lady Liberty’s torch lights the way in the 1985 Tournament of Roses Parade

A: It was here for the 1985 Rose Parade, but you were probably groggy from waiting up all night to see it. The original 16-foot, 3,600-pound copper-and-glass flame removed from Lady Liberty’s hand was flown to LAX and rolled down Colorado Boulevard on the Hilton Hotels float. Grand marshal and statue-restoration chairman Lee Iacocca thought the exposure would help the fundraising effort. Today that original flame is the centerpiece of a new museum at the statue’s base.

Q: What’s the meaning of the colored lighting at City Hall, and who picks it?

A: “The same people who go to their council office and ask for things,” says Michael Samulon in the mayor’s office.

The city council votes on requests from nonprofits and council members 9 6 L A M AG . C O M

with a cause to promote. City Hall isn’t keeping track of the color schemes, and they repeat often.

Purple has been used for awareness of elder abuse and the Armenian genocide, but also to celebrate when the Lakers win and gay pride. Keep an eye on the mayor’s Twitter for clues.

Q: What is that building next to the California Science Center?

A: That 200-foot row of midcentury barrel vaults was built in 1961 as an addition to the old Museum of Science and Industry. For almost 40 years, it was home to Mathematica: A World of Numbers . . . and Beyond, an exhibit designed

by Charles and Ray Eames. The exhibit toured the country before settling in the New York Hall of Science. The original building is set to be razed as part of renovations that will include a space shuttle pavilion.

Q: Is there any monument commemorating the Zoot Suit Riots?

A: In August 1942, a 22-year-old Mexican farmworker was murdered near a reservoir in southeast L.A. nicknamed Sleepy Lagoon. The following spring, racial tension erupted into the Zoot Suit Riots, where mobs of white servicemen terrorized Mexican American neighborhoods. The original lagoon is now a concrete plant, but an environmental justice group is spearheading a memorial across the L.A. River at Maywood Riverfront Park.

O If you’ve ever read a Raymond Chandler novel, you know Bunker Hill. Nathan Marsak resurrects the long-gone neighborhood in his new book Bunker Hill Los Angeles: Essence of Sunshine and Noir, sending us back more than 150 years to witness the new community rising. Around 1870, grazing land was transformed into an exclusive suburb filled with socialites trying to out-Jones one another with increasingly grander mansions. But what was fashionable up until 1920 soon went out of vogue, the remaining pensioners surviving among “alcoholics, the gaunt packrats, the working girl,” as novelist John Fante wrote. The hill became the city’s first redevelopment zone and was wiped out in the 1960s. Then Disney Hall, MOCA, and skyscrapers arose. Marsak’s extraordinary photos and pop-infused prose make the lost kingdom come alive.

VOLUME 65, NUMBER 10. LOS ANGELES (ISSN 1522-9149) is published monthly by Los Angeles Magazine, LLC. Principal office: 5900 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90036. Periodicals postage paid at Los Angeles, CA, and additional mailing offices. The one-year domestic subscription price is $14.95. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to LOS ANGELES, 1965 E. Avis Dr., Madison Heights, MI 48071. Not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or other materials, which must be accompanied by return postage. SUBSCRIBERS: If the Postal Service alerts us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within one year.

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