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Enrollment in a plan may be limited to certain times of the year unless you qualify for a special election/enrollment period or you are in your Medicare Initial Election Period. Not all plans offer all benefits mentioned. This ad is not from the government. It’s from eHealth, an insurance agency selling plans from many insurance companies. For accommodations of persons with special needs at workshops, call 1-866-909-3627 (TTY/TDD: 1-866-660-4288). A licensed insurance agent will be present with information and applications. CHM Insurance Services, West LA Baby Boomer Insurance Services, Clear Financial Insurance Services, AGA, Avanti Insurance Solutions, Inc., and Paul Davis Insurance Services represent various Medicare Advantage (MA) and Prescription Drug Plans (PDPs) with Medicare contracts. Workshops are provided by the entities noted and are not affiliated with eHealth.
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LA City Council President Nury Martinez resigned Monday, Oct. 10, after audio of a conversation with Martinez and Councilmembers Gil Cedillo and Kevin de Leon and LA County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera was leaked on Reddit by an unknown source. Martinez resigned only as President of the City Council, retaining her seat on the city council.
The conversation took place in October 2021 as Martinez recounted events of how white Councilmember Bonin treated his son during a Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade. In the recording Martinez, a Latina, can be heard comparing Bonin’s young Black son to a “changui to,” or “little monkey.” She also accused Bonin of treating the child like an “accessory.”
“They’re raising him like a little white kid,” Martinez can be heard saying. “I was like, this
kid needs a beatdown. Let me take him around the corner and then I’ll bring him back.” Martinez apologized in a statement issued as her resigna tion. “I ask for forgiveness from my colleagues and from the residents of this city that I love so much. In the end, it is not my apologies that matter most; it will be the actions I take from this day forward. I hope that you will give me the opportunity to
make amends.”
Several parties called for the immediate resignations of not just Martinez, but Cedillo, De Leon, and Herrera on Monday, including fellow Councilmember Lindsey Horvath. “The resigna tions of all involved are impera tive, but they are simply not enough,” said Horvath in a press release. “We must meet this moment with the urgency it requires and with robust healing
and reconciliation.”
The conversation also gives a window into the vicious nature of redistricting. In the first half of the audio recording, Martinez recounted a conversation she allegedly had with businessman Danny Bakewell about which district would control the Los Angeles airport.
“So getting back to Marqueece, I told Danny, if you wanna cut a deal, and if you want to make like f***ing boss moves, I would go after the airport. He goes, ‘f*** I love that idea.’ I said, ‘go tell Marqueece.’ Don’t go after him. Leave him alone. Go get the airport from his f***ing little brother, that little b**** Bonin.” Martinez then accused Bonin of thinking he is Black and moved into the description of the MLK Day parade’s events.
The conversation demonstrates deep political and racial divides in the LA city council. Accord ing to published reports, much of the conversation focused on
maps brought forward for redistricting. One topic of discussion was who would control Koreatown, a largely Hispanic neighborhood. At this juncture, Martinez made further racist comments about Oxacans, remarking on their “ugly” appearance.
Bonin responded to the leak in a press release on Sunday, saying “As parents of a Black child, we condemn the entirety of the recorded conversation, which displayed a repeated and vulgar anti-Black sentiment, and a coordinated effort to weaken Black political representation in Los Angeles.”
The political fallout of this leak will be profound, as the timing comes one month before major city elections. As of Monday afternoon, neither Cedillo nor De Leon has resigned, but Council member elect Eunisses Hernan dez will fill Cedillo’s seat in December once Cedillo’s term ends.
By Devon Steigerwald
Where do I start? I was born and raised in the Midwest and am also an athlete. But I was always just cruising, making a living with big dreams. I went to an excellent photography college, moved to NYC with pennies, and intended to be the next big thing.
Eventually, I moved out west to live the “California Love” vibes and met many beautiful people who put their energy into saving others vs. selfreward. Who knew that my self-reward would come from being involved with such an organization as Boarding for Breast Cancer (B4BC)?
For years, I photographed and shot videos for B4BC with hundreds of event participants, thousands of followers and supporters. They brought light to such a dark disease. But what I found so thrilling about them is how they taught men and women prevention. They wanted to be ahead of this
awful disease. They help people understand the risk before things can turn.
I worked with B4BC for years and kept the motivation through video and love. I helped them send people to retreats, helped them save lives, and said to myself selfishly, “I’m glad I could help, but it would never happen to me.”
In January 2020, I did a routine breast check as instruct ed. For three days, I continued to perform a self-exam because my gut told me something was wrong. B4BC has taught me to follow my intuition, advocate for myself, be strong, and listen to my body.
Los Angeles went into lock down. After a mammogram, which didn’t show anything, the ultrasound saw everything.
I had Stage 1 with the aggres sion of Stage 4. My pre-cancer was a grapevine; it grew and slowly started popping off tumors.
I’ve photographed for some of the largest companies in the world, so I was lucky enough to have a network of people from all over the country, providing me insight and direction for who I could trust with my life. That next chapter of my life was assembling my team. I swear by my oncologist, surgical oncolo gist, Dr. Linnea Chap, and Dr. Dennis Holmes.
B4BC was with me during this time, especially Lisa Hudson and Curt Sterner. They had my back. Lisa and Curt continued to check in with me through this challenging time of enormous loss. We had the pain of losing many we supported and helped during this time. Loss is heavyDevon Steigerwald with her service dog.
GENRE: Magical Realism
Fictional Memoir
I didn’t find a lump, but my muscle was shifting weirdly in my left breast. It almost felt like a hard disk. I went to my doctor and asked for a check. Sadly, my doctor only gave me the go-ahead because he was dealing with the start of Covid. He could have cared less.
I was diagnosed the week that
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Excerpts from this novel--The Pollinator In His Own Words--read by the author, exemplify the intimate relationship between two art forms: painting and writing. The protagonist of this tale, through the mystic art surfing, slowly develops the ability to fly. the story evolves, he discovers that he can,
Excerpts from this novel--The Pollinator In His Own Wordsread by the author, exemplify the intimate relationship between two art forms: painting and writing. The protagonist of this tale, through the mystic art of surfing, slowly develops the ability to fly. As the story evolves, he discovers that he can, during flight, by way of olfactory engendered clairvoyance, accumulate and store inter nally essential love; eventually he is able to bestow this love. The following excerpts, inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper, occur in the story when the protagonist is beginning to collect such essences of primal bliss.
Excerpts from this novel--The Pollinator In His Own Words--read by the author, exemplify the intimate relationship between two art forms: painting and writing. The protagonist of this tale, through the mystic art of surfing, slowly develops the ability to fly. As the story evolves, he discovers that he can, during flight, by way of olfactory engendered clairvoyance, accumulate and store internally essential love; eventually he is able to bestow this love. The following excerpts, inspired by
Excerpts from this novel--The Pollinator In His Own Words--read by the author, exemplify the intimate relationship between two art forms: painting and writing. The protagonist of this tale, through the mystic art of surfing, slowly develops the ability to fly. As the story evolves, he discovers that he can, during flight, by way of olfactory engendered clairvoyance, accumulate and store internally essential love; eventually he is able to bestow this love. The following excerpts, inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper, occur in the story when the protagonist is beginning to collect such essences of primal bliss.
FIND EXCERPTS on YouTube
through grief and love, but through everything they do, their chins are up, and they force forward, making a real difference.
While going through every thing, including three surgeries, PTSD, and finally hitting remission…I helped my mother move to Florida, including looking at shelters to help her adopt a dog so she had com pany in retirement. We went to a shelter. In one of the last cages, there was a dog in the corner, unsure of any human. The staff told me he didn’t come up to anyone. I leaned down with a treat, and he gravitated toward me. I immediately had an unsaid bond with him. He went home with me the next day even though I was not looking for a dog.
That week, I couldn’t under stand why he kept pawing me at my sternum, over and over again. My education through B4BC told me to do another breast exam. So I took the time and checked everything. I found something that felt like the tip of a ballpoint pen. It must have been stitching,
right?
I flew back to LA with what would become my service animal and went to see my doc tor. I told her something was wrong and that we needed a scan. It turns out my dog and B4BC saved my life once again. My small but invasive breast cancer was hiding and trying to spread again. That grapevine was coming back.
In total, I have had five surgeries. I’ve also had chemo, which compromised many things, including my spirit and health. I’m about to go into radiation. But let me tell you one thing: my head is held high. I wouldn’t be here kicking cancer in the tuchus if it wasn’t for the prevention education and being strong with such a loving community. B4BC is not just the organiza tion I’ve helped raise money for to provide survivor pro grams and prevention educa tion opportunities. B4BC saved my life. Prevention is critical, but so is early detection. I have a very sneaky cancer that would have had me on my deathbed. Morbid, I know. But let’s be honest: B4BC saved
my life.
B4BC has been there with me every step, not only with love, but also with the little things like sending me chemo survival packages. They are a team of survivalists. For that, I’m indebted to them; not only for helping me save my own life or get through my last three years, but for being family. Continu ally educate yourself, find a path, and be strong. Always trust your instinct and advocate for yourself. B4BC helped me learn these qualities.
And for that, thank you.
To learn more about B4BC, check out B4BC.com or join their annual fundraiser, Skate the Coast, which is held Oct. 15 & 16 to raise funds for breast cancer prevention education and survivor support programs.
By Kamala Kirk
Tito’s Tacos and Tito’s Handmade Vodka hosted the fifth annual Tito’s Fiesta Mexicana on Oct. 4 in celebration of National Taco Day and National Vodka Day. The event also marked the first time National Taco Day has taken place on a Tuesday since 2016. More than 1,000 guests attended the event where they enjoyed live Mexican entertainment, award-winning tacos and specialty cocktails while raising money for a good cause. There were performanc es by traditional mariachi artists including Grammy Award-nominated Mariachi Sol De Mexico De Jose Hernandez, allfemale favorites Mariachi Reyna De Los Angeles, and Trio Chapala; folkorico dancers DanzArts/Sabor a Mexico Dance Company, and a special appearance by standup comic Jesus Trejo. The event was orchestrated by Master of Ceremonies
comedian Eric Schwartz aka “Smooth-E.”
The event raised over $16,000 (making it the most successful event so far) for the Culver City Arts Foundation, a nonprofit that preserves the past, enriches the present, and creates the future of arts and culture in Culver City. The funds will be used to help the organization continue its mission of inspiring the community and supporting the creative culture of Culver City through grant funding. Since 2018, Tito’s Fiesta Mexicana has donated 100% of proceeds from the event to the founda tion and has raised over $50,000 over the past years.
Tito’s Tacos Mexican Restaurant 11222 Washington Place, Culver City 310-391-5780 titostacos.com
By Bridgette M. Redman
September is a challenging month for Santa Monica resident Bridget McCar thy.
Her son Riley’s birthday was Sept. 3. He died of suicide on Sept. 16, 2020, just after his 16th birthday. September is Suicide Prevention Month.
However, she is a woman of drive and hope and rather than wallow, she walks, she talks and she tries to keep her tragedy from becoming something that others experi ence.
This year, she received notification of an honor by the LA Suicide Prevention Network (LASPN) for the work she has done in the two years since her son died, trying to make sure other parents don’t go through the same thing she is.
On Sept. 14, she was present ed with the Hero Award. Each year they give three awards— one to an organization, one to a professional, and one to an advocate.
“I’ve been very honored to receive these awards,” McCar thy said. “The Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Network Award was an enormous surprise to me. I received it on Riley’s birthday—I received the email on Sept. 3, but they actually sent it on Sept. 2. I didn’t look at it because I was kind of shut down.”
A year after Riley’s death, she became sponsorship committee chair for the American Founda tion for Suicide Prevention’s (AFSP) Out of Darkness Walk in Santa Monica. This year she is the co-chair. She’s volun teered for the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
With the AFSP walks, she raised $13,655 in April 2021 and more than $10,000 in Fall 2020. This year, she’s hoping to raise more. Walking, she says, is one way she keeps her sanity. Her goal is to have walked 500 miles by the end of October.
Nominated for the LASPN award by her friend Susan Klos, McCarthy was granted the 2022 Outstanding Hero Award for Advocacy. As part of the email announcing her selection, she was told: “This award recognizes your innova tion in the area(s) of mental
health advocacy, stigma reduction, increased help-seek ing, resource delivery and collective community support of suicide prevention in LA County.”
Nor is that the only recogni tion she received last month.
“On Monday (Sept. 12), I accepted a proclamation from the mayor, vice mayor and the city council of Culver City,” McCarthy said. “And on Tuesday, we accepted one from the council, mayor and vice mayor of Santa Monica, which was really lovely because they asked me to speak.”
The latter was a challenging event for her. The place where she accepted the award was the very place she’d seen her son perform as part of the choir a few years before he died.
“It was a little surreal,” McCarthy said. “I managed to get through it, but the teacher was in tears.”
She’s turned the recognitions into ways of recruiting for the Oct. 22 Out of Darkness Walk in Santa Monica. She said this year Santa Monica High School will have a team for the first
time ever. Beverly Hills High School is also sending a team.
“The schools now realize they have to do prevention,” McCarthy said. “Otherwise they’re going to be doing post-vention. There isn’t a choice. They’d always been a bit cautious before with the fear of if we speak about it, we’ll make it happen. But we now know that’s not true.”
As she was receiving the proclamation, a police officer came in and said there had been another loss in the community to suicide.
“He turned to me and said, ‘We’ve lost police officers, I want to do a police team,’” McCarthy said. “We’re getting community involvement on the grassroots level like never before.”
In addition to the police, city leaders have recently experi enced losses to suicide. The veteran’s commissioner in Carson signed up a team because they are a high-risk group.
“Everybody has been touched by this the past few years and really put it in everybody’s
faces,” McCarthy said.
On a recent Sunday, she was in the Mar Vista marketplace and a gentleman came up to talk to her because like her son Riley, he has a teenage trans son. They talked about the difficulty from a parent’s point of view of having a child that’s struggling and how desperate one is to support and help them while not knowing what to do. After the conversation, he bought her a bouquet of flowers.
McCarthy is committed to waving a lot of flags—ones for the upcoming walk, for suicide prevention, for mental health awareness, and for trans rights and awareness. As co-chair, she’s very focused on the upcoming Out of Darkness Walk on Oct. 22, starting on Third Street Promenade.
Last year they weren’t able to do the full 5K, but that has been restored this year. These walks take place in cities nationwide, walks where people affected by suicide and their supporters can raise both awareness and money to help get the message out that suicide
is preventable. Those who want to participate can join or form a walking team, volunteer at the event, become a sponsor, help fundraise or promote the event. At the event there will be a chalk wall where people can post a picture or write a tribute to honor a loved one. There will also be a tent where people can get honor beads to show their connection to the cause.
McCarthy points out that the nationwide suicide hotline number rolled out on July 15, 2022. The number 988 is officially the toll-free nation wide telephone number that anyone can use. She praises California for promoting it and making it mandatory that schools are involved. She is certain that the line will save lives because sometimes all it takes is one person being able to talk to the person who is on the verge.
“California has been really good at protecting our mental health,” McCarthy said. “I think that’s a flag we can wave even higher.”
Remembering how much her
son was hurt by some of the anti-trans rhetoric that was coming out in the country, she’s continued to support trans rights and tries to raise aware ness about it.
“That’s been very damaging,” McCarthy said. “We need to wave those flags better, so I’m out here waving flags.”
She explains that it is a little weird to be receiving awards when you’ve lost your child, but what makes it OK for her is that it helps her get the word out even further. She’s found many ways to spread the word. There was a documentary crew doing a piece about trans teenagers that followed her around. She’s passed out
resources in Mar Vista, gone into the streets to wave signs. She tells a story about how a woman jumped out of her running car and ran up to her when she was waving a sign, saying the sign was a message to her.
“I realized that she was hurting,” McCarthy said. “We took her to one side and she said she had sought mental health care and it had not been satisfactory. I encouraged her to keep trying. She left a number which wasn’t correct and I was terribly worried about her.”
Three days later, McCarthy got a call from the woman who was in the hospital and phoning
in to thank her. She actually had a suicide plan and an intent to carry it out that day when she encountered McCarthy. Then she saw the sign and stopped, instead driving herself straight to a psychiatric ward and checked in.
“It’s moments like this that make every hour on the pavement waving a flag worth it,” McCarthy said. “It gives me goosebumps even to recount it because it was so affecting.”
And so she continues to organize walks, to carry signs and to do everything she can to help make people more aware of how they can prevent suicide and save lives.
By Bridgette M. Redman
Todd Elliot likes to throw a good party—one which throws the doors open to a happy crowd.
Owner of Todd Elliot Entertainment, a wedding/teen/corporate event planning, music and dance company, Elliot is the producer of the annual Westside Food-Wine-Spirits Festival that is now in its seventh year (it only missed 2020 because of the pandemic).
Held at the Automobile Driving Museum in El Segundo, the Oct. 23 event benefits the Westside Food Bank. Given the charity it helps support, it’s fitting that the festival features a wide array of great food and drink. Elliot expects there to be more than 25 restaurants, caterers, wine, craft spirits and beer exhibitors. It is a familyfriendly event, so alcohol will be restricted to the adults-only area while non-alcoholic drinks will be available everywhere.
Elliot tries to make his event stand out with the variety of offerings it has.
“There’s a lot of festivals out here,” he said. “A lot of them are wine or wine and food. When you get there, some times it’s just food trucks. But mine has wine, spirits, cocktails and non-alco holic drinks too.”
This year, the food access will be different from last year, making a return to what it was before Covid. Last year, guests had to purchase food tickets and were limited in what they could sample. It was Elliot’s way of helping out restaurants that had been hard hit by the pandemic, even though it cost him and his guests more.
“It’s going to go back to the original way,” Elliot said. “People can eat as much as they want without having to buy a food ticket."
Another change is that this year’s festival will open earlier. Last year’s festival was on Daylight Savings Day. This year it is earlier and it will be lighter outside. VIP tickets will be from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and general admission tickets will be from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. There are several perks to the VIP tickets. First, the free food is only as long as it lasts, so by arriving an hour early, guests are more likely to get what they want—and they won’t have to wait in long lines for the food and drinks. They also have first access to the free parking at the museum. VIP guests will get the close spots. General admission will still have free parking, but they might have to park a few blocks away.
VIP guests also get a reusable Govino souvenir wine glass that they can take home. General admission guests get a plastic glass to use throughout the festival. Also, some sponsors have
giveaways at check-in for VIP guests.
While the festival boasts plenty of good food and drink, the event surpass es mere gastronomical repast. There are plenty of activities for family members of all ages.
There will be a live rock and roll cover band outside and a DJ inside.
“Sometimes you go to these festivals and after an hour or two you’ve eaten and there’s not a lot else to do,” Elliot said. “Here, there’s plenty to do between the music and the dancing. That was one of the highlights last year—a lot of people were dancing.”
Set at the Automobile Driving Mu seum, guests can walk through all the exhibits—something Elliot said could take an hour or two on its own. The museum is also offering classic car rides from 10 am. to 3 p.m. for a small (required) donation. Other events include a complimentary photo booth and caricature drawings, strolling magic by Paul the Psychic magician, a silent auction, and an ice cream parlor.
There will be a combination of old and new vendors. Past food vendors have included Fresh Brothers, Melody Bar & Grill, Down Home South Catering, and Creamy Boys, among others. Past alcohol and drink vendors have includ ed Boisset Wines, Riboli Family Estate Wines, Dulce Vita Tequila, Venice Duck Brewery, Our Los Angeles Vodka, and Bravago Seltzers, in addition to many others.
Elliot expects there to be between 30 and 50 vendor booths that will offer activities, giveaways and items for sale. Tickets are now on sale online. Chil dren 10 and under with an adult get in free. VIP tickets start at $95 and general admission starts at $70.
Argonaut readers can get a discount by entering “ARGO.” Groups of 10 or more can get a larger discount by emailing Elliot at elliot@swingenter tainment.
A portion of the proceeds of the festival will go to Westside Food Bank. Their mission is to end hunger in their communities by providing access to free, nutritious food through food acquisition and distribution, and by engaging the community and advocat ing for a strong food assistance net work. They report that they currently provide a wide variety of nutritious food including fresh produce, high protein foods and pantry staples to more than 70 agencies with food assistance programs in West Los Angeles County reaching more than 108,000 people each year, nearly half of whom are children.
Restaurants across the Westside offer special menus and pricing from Oct. 14 to 28
By Kamala Kirk
Enjoy two weeks of unique dining experiences across Los Angeles from Oct. 14 to 28 during dineLA, where many participating restaurants are offering special menus and prices.
For those looking to enjoy dineLA in the comfort of their own home this year, plant-based favorite Café Gratitude is offering a takeaway four-course prix fixe dinner menu for $45. For this special time of year, Executive Chef Dreux Ellis has created dineLA exclusive dishes like ‘I am Exquisite’ calamari and ‘I am Elated’ Southwestern-style enchiladas. Other healthy and delicious menu highlights include eggplant parmesan, warm butternut squash dip, smoked tofu salad and choco-flan. Available at Larchmont, Venice and Arts District locations. cafegratitude.com
The premier seafood restaurant at the oceanfront hotel presents a special dinner menu that offers diners the choice of salmon tartare, grilled octopus, Iberico de Belota ham salad, roasted pasture bird chicken, slow braised shirt ribs, dry aged branzino, or king oyster mushroom linguini. For dessert, choose from ricotta cheesecake with berry compote or brownie with vanilla gelato. $65 per person, not including tax and gratuity. Available for dine-in only and the entire table must participate. The hotel’s Patio del Mar is also participating in dineLA at $45 per person, which includes one’s choice of two items from the menu. Selections range from shrimp ceviche Baja style and beef carpaccio to Wagyu burger and kale chicken salad, among others. hotelcasadelmar.com
The Abbot Kinney restaurant is offering their Tasting Menu experience for dinner at $80 per person, which features some of The Tasting Kitchen’s most popular dishes. The menu features an appetizer, two dishes and dessert. Offerings include flat iron steak, mussels, gnocchi and bread pudding, among others. The special dineLA menu will be offered in addition to their two other classic tasting menu options for $90 and $140. All guests at the table must participate. thetastingkitchen.com
Their Santa Monica location is offering a $25 per person lunch menu that includes chips and guacamole, a Trejo’s Bowl (choices include steak asada, chicken tinga, beef barbacoa, spicy shrimp, young jackfruit, mushroom asada), as well as one’s choice of a refreshing agua fresca (guava lime, strawberry lemonade, date sweetened horchata). trejostacos.com
For the complete list of restaurants participating in dineLA, visit discoverlosangeles.com/dinela.
In celebration of National Taco Day last Tuesday (Oct. 4), Trejo’s Tacos Santa Monica and Downtown Santa Monica hosted a Taco Crawl with local restaurants in Santa Monica. Participating restaurants included Tocaya Modern Mexican Santa Monica, Lanea, Socalo, Cabo Cantina Santa Monica, Jame son’s Pub, Blue Plate Taco, and Trejo’s Tacos Santa Monica.
Trejo’s Tacos fans were also in for a special treat when they had the opportunity to meet legendary actor and entrepre neur, Danny Trejo, who kicked off the Taco Crawl at his Santa Monica restaurant.
“We’ve been thinking about doing some sort of event in Santa Monica since we opened in 2020, but of course that thing called the pandemic happened,” Trejo said. “So when National Taco Day rolled around this year, it felt like the perfect opportunity to finally get the community together and celebrate one of the best holidays of the year. I really enjoyed getting connected with our neighboring restaurants who are doing great things here in Santa Monica. I always love meeting everyone from the area that comes in, espe cially for our events. People bring their relatives, boy friends, girlfriends, buddies— you name it. It’s an inclusive Los Angeles community for everyone to enjoy good times over good food, and that makes me happy. You’ll find me at my locations often walking around to each table to say hello.”
Trejo, whose impressive entertainment career includes over 200 movie credits with roles in iconic films such as “Once Upon a Time in Mexi co,” “Desperado” and “Ma chete,” is also a successful entrepreneur with multiple businesses including Trejo’s Cerveza, Trejo’s Coffee & Donuts, as well as Trejo’s Tacos, which has several locations across LA.
“Trejo’s Tacos has something for everyone, including gluten-free and vegan/vegetar ian options,” Trejo said.
“Believe it or not, one of my favorite tacos on the menu is our roasted cauliflower taco, which was rated as one of the best by LA Times a few years back. We’re in the process of opening another Trejo’s Tacos location at HALO Downtown LA and we’re very excited to be serving DTLA coming this November 2022. Also, we’re working on our second cookbook filled with more of our favorite recipes.”
Signed copies of Trejo’s first cookbook, “Trejo’s Tacos: Recipes and Stories from L.A.: A Cookbook” are currently available on his website. The book highlights 75 easy-tomake recipes like succulent carnitas, vegan cauliflower tacos, and cinnamon-sugar lowrider donuts. It also features stunning photographs that pay homage to Trejo’s hometown from his favorite dining spots to his favorite characters.
Born to Mexican-American parents in the Echo Park neighborhood, Trejo grew up in LA and enjoys being a part of the communities where Trejo’s Tacos are located, including Santa Monica.
“I’ve always loved this part of LA,” Trejo said. “I actually used to live nearby this area and would frequent Muscle Beach. With the other Trejo’s restaurants near Hollywood, I wanted to spread the love to the Westside. As a lifelong Angeleno, I have a passion for working with local business owners. At Trejo’s Tacos, we believe it’s important to collaborate and create some thing unexpected and amazing, even if it’s only for a short time.”
316 Santa Monica Boulevard, Santa Monica 310-393-0622 trejostacos.com
Some classmates are hard to forget—even decades later. The bullies. The hard girls. The ones who liked to make other people’s lives miserable.
However, writers get to grab a chance for revenge—which is what Santa Monica resident Catherine Butterfield thought she was going to get 10 years ago when she started to write “To the Bone.”
Her play, which was optioned for Broadway until the pan demic squashed things, will get its world premiere Oct. 1 to Nov. 5 at Open Fist Theatre in Atwater Village.
Butterfield moved from a close, very “nice” community in Minnesota to Boston when she was in middle school. As a new girl who showed up in a dirndl with yarn in her hair while all the other girls were wearing fishnet stockings, high heels and Amy Winehouse eye liner, she quickly found out what it was like to be bullied.
“I feel like I took a lot of abuse,” Butterfield said. “It may have been just in my eyes because nobody ever gave anybody abuse in Minnesota. I was in shock a lot of the time.”
Years later, she took up her pen to get some revenge on the girls who tormented her. She made them in their 40s and life wouldn’t have turned out quite the way they were expecting.
“When I first started writing it, I thought, ‘I’m just going to make these girls pay,’” Butter field said. “I’m going to do a hatchet job on them. It’s my time for revenge. But as always happens when you write characters, you start to fall in love with them. You start to relate to them. You start to wish them the best, even if you didn’t like the original people they were based on. It turned out to be a very different play.”
It's set in 2013, 20 years after the Red Sox lost their chance at winning the pennant because a Yankees fan ran out on the field, voiding the game-winning out. And yes, baseball is as much a part of this story as family and genetics.
Even though she became sympathetic to her characters, Butterfield said the hardship is
still in the play. The girls she based it on lived in an area called the Gulch and she said they were really tough. They were infamous for such things as stealing cars, doing drugs and being promiscuous.
It was the latter that fed the playwright’s speculation on how their lives might have turned out. The play deals with the child one of them had when she was 17 who was turned over for adoption. The daughter and mother are about to have their first reunion, much to the surprise of the teenage son who didn’t know he had an older sister.
“What you might have expected to be a touching mother-daughter reconciliation doesn’t turn out that way at all,” Butterfield said. “Both of them turned out to have their own agenda, not only the daughter, but the mother.”
Her sister, Maureen, played by Amanda Weier, tries to provide some stability for Kelly and her nephew, Sean, played by Jack Sharpe. She acts as a facilitator who tries to smooth things out between mother and daughter as well as protect Sean.
The daughter, Geneva, played by Alice Kors, shows up with her roommate, Darcy, played by Kacey Mayeda. Geneva wants Darcy to catch the reunion on film with the plan of making a documentary.
Butterfield moved a lot during her childhood years, but she says the years in Boston were quite memorable. Her father ran television stations around the country. One fond memory she has about him being a station manager in Boston was that he had box seats to the Red Sox games and she got to go.
Twenty-seven years ago, she moved to Santa Monica which she now calls her home.
She has worked with Open Fist before. She and her husband, Ron West, did a series of political shorts in 2017 after the national election. West, has done a lot of work with the theater.
When they told her that not only could she direct it, but she could bring the actors who had done readings of the show, Butterfield said it was a no-brainer.
“I started thinking, when is this little play going to get its chance?” Butterfield said, adding that she had a few plays that were due for premieres before the pandemic. “They really deserve their shot and they’re not getting it. When (Open Fist) said I can direct it, I thought, that sounds creatively really fun.”
Open Fist is also a community she trusts to do the work the way she feels is needed. It was a place where she felt a part of the community and where she knew she would have artistic control over her work.
The first half of rehearsals for
the show were done over Zoom. Butterfield said that allowed them to really dig deep into the inner lives of the characters, to figure out their backgrounds and the timeline of when things happened.
“By the time we finally got on stage, I think everybody was really well grounded,” Butter field said.
A week after the show opened, Butterfield also attended her first high school reunion. Some of her former classmates have already seen the earlier Zoom reading of “To the Bone.”
“They recognize themselves and they still love it,” Butter
field said.
It’s a love that should protect her from falling victim to any of her classmates who might still be bad to the bone.
Troupe
WHERE: Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Ave., Los Angeles
WHEN: Oct. 1-Nov. 5
TICKETS: $30, $20 seniors, $15 students
INFO: openfist.org
Stunning newer construction single-level 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom in the desirable Innov complex, located in Marina del Rey. This spacious and quiet courtyard facing unit is an entertainer's delight with sleek and modern finishes throughout including white oak wood floors in the living areas, a bright, open kitchen with stainless steel appliances, quartz countertops, custom cabinets, a private patio and ample storage space. The master suite features a spa-like en-suite bathroom with dual vanity, separate shower and tub, and massive walk-in closet. The two additional bedrooms also have custom-built closets. Unit also includes in-unit laundry, central air/heat and two parking spaces. Building amenities include a rooftop deck with panoramic views, BBQ, fireplace, and a yoga/meditation room. Blocks to a park and newly remodeled Marina Marketplace with shopping, movies and dining.
Offered at $1,129,000
Jesse Weinberg
Jesse Weinberg and Associates
800-804-9132
Sunlight, fresh air and tranquility abound in this top floor, corner condo in Culver City's Windsor Fountain complex. Vaulted ceilings and clerestory windows frame the entry and living area, which also features a decorative fireplace, and open flow into the kitchen and dining room. Down the hall, the primary bedroom overlooks the oversized private patio, has a walk-in closet, and ensuite access to the bathroom. The second bedroom, currently open to the living area, and private balcony makes a great guest suite or home office. The oversized balcony is the perfect place for morning coffee or alfresco dining, overlooking mature trees. Resort style complex amenities include a pool, sauna, recreation room, gazebo, BBQ's, and tennis courts. The complex is in the award winning Culver City School District and is conveniently located minutes from downtown, restaurants, and retail shops.
Offered at $649,000
Stephanie Younger COMPASS310-499-2020
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benches, ambient lighting, and so forth.
Aside from the mortgage payment, one of the most expensive parts of owning a home is paying the electricity bill. This holds especially true in the dead of winter and drought of summer. To help keep energy levels low, there are various energy-efficient features that can be installed throughout your home. Solar panels tend to be some of the first features that most people think of when they hear about cutting energy costs. By producing your own energy, you can avoid the high costs of paying your utility company each month. Heat pumps are another great way to majorly reduce your heating and cooling costs. Even adding energy-efficient kitchen appliances can be a great idea to help lower the electric bill each month.
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Have an event for the calen dar? Send it to kamala@ timespublications.com
Marina Drum Circle
Sundays, through Oct. 16
Discover the joy of interactive group drumming in Burton Chace Park! Join Marina Drum Circle on a journey of creating beats and sounds collectively, led by Christopher Ramirez of Freedom Drum Circles. Drums provided by Remo Drums. While in the Marina, enjoy lunch from local waterside restaurants. Offered in 60-minute sessions at two different times. For more information, visit the website, call 424-526-7777 or email: events@bh.lacounty.gov.
13650 Mindanao Way, Marina del Rey, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., marinadelrey.lacounty.gov
Bay Cities Coin Club
Thursday, Oct. 13
The Bay Cities Coin Club is meeting at the Westchester Masonic Lodge. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. There will be Show and Tell, auctions, 50/50, and a raffle. All ages are welcome. There will be gifts for kids. For more information, email: baycitiescoinclub@hotmail.com.
7726 West Manchester Avenue, Playa del Rey, 6 p.m., bayci tiescoinclub.com
Dorado 806 Projects Event
Saturday, Oct. 15
Dorado 806 Projects invites you to an all-day immersive Web3 summit for every level, for every talent, and for the curious mind. If you’re a curious creative, this is the time to join in and learn about Web3 in an inclusive and casual creative environment. This event aims to help clear the barriers for Web2
The first Culver City Bead & Design Show will take place from Oct. 21 to 23 and will present over 150 exhibits of artisan jewelry, beads, gemstones, handcrafted clothing and accessories, as well as interactive, hands-on workshops.
natives to enter Web3. Their Web3 sherpas will be your guide starting with learning the basics at their Web3 101 opening session, followed by a series of insightful fireside chats from experienced Web3 artists, fashion designers, musicians and beyond, in an intimate open conversational setting. There will be Phygital art on display, and an afterparty event with live performances, limited POAPS, snacks and drink cocktails. RSVP online, artists may request free tickets via: rsvp@dora do806.com.
806 Broadway, Santa Monica, 12:30 to 8 p.m., dorado806.com
Spooktacular Garden at Ishihara
Saturday, Oct. 15
Werewolves, witches, giant spiders and the like will inhabit the Ishihara Park Learning Garden for their Monthly Pancakes in the Park. Anyone
dressed in costume can pick up a pack full of fall vegetable seeds. Costume or not, they’ll have plenty of activities for the young ones, hot coffee to get the not-so-young rolling, seasonal themed pancakes on the griddle and warm compost if you feel a chill and need to warm up your fingers or toes. Sponsored by the City of Santa Monica Commu nity Garden Program with support of Santa Monica Roots. For more info and questions, contact santamonicaroots@ gmail.com.
2909 Exposition Boulevard, Santa Monica, 9 to 11 a.m., thinkagain.org
Skate the Coast Oct. 15 & 16
Boarding for Breast Cancer (B4BC) is hosting its annual 15th Annual Skate the Coast, presented by Suja Organic, a 19-mile skate-bike-roll fundrais ing event on Oct. 16. In addition, a Breast Cancer Awareness Month registration part is on Oct. 15. The fun-filled weekend kicks off with the registration party at Firestone Walker Brewing Company. On Oct. 16, Skate the Coast event day starts at Santa Monica Pier and concludes at Dive N’ Surf in Redondo Beach. The two-day festivities benefit the B4BC mission. More info and register online.
3 to 8 p.m. (Sat), 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Sun), b4bc.org
Denim & Diamonds
Sunday, Oct. 16
Attend a gala at the California Yacht Club to benefit pediatric cancer survivors. There will be
cocktails, dinner and dancing. Live music by Single Trak. Honoring Lynette LaScala, NAPA Center Founder, with The Beautiful Mind Award. Western wear optional.
4469 Admiralty Way, Marina del Rey, 5 to 8:30 p.m., thinkagain.org
An Evening of Music Films with Mark Cantor Sunday, Oct. 16
Cinema historian Mark Cantor screens jazz, blues, folk music, Western swing and just plain “pop” films drawn from the Celluloid Improvisations Music Film Archive at beyond Ba roque. These rare film clips can’t be seen on YouTube or found on commercial DVDs. Featured on screen, in a full two hours of music on film, will be such artists as Duke Ellington, Louis Jordan, Dinah Washington, Phil Woods, Dakota Staton, Benny Goodman, Frank Sinatra, Archie Shepp, Louis Armstrong, Lee Konitz, Gerald Wilson and others. Live music at 6 p.m., films begin at 7 p.m. Free, but donations appreciated.
681 Venice Boulevard, Venice, 6 p.m., 310-306-7330, jazz-onfilm.com
How to Thrive on a PlantBased Diet Thursday, Oct. 20
Santa Monica Public Library presents, “How to Thrive On a Plant-Based Diet” with Emma Veilleux of Providence Saint John Health Center in the Main Library Multipurpose Room. Veilleux, who has been a practicing registered dietician for more than 10 years, will discuss
how to implement a vegan or vegetarian diet, and the benefits associated with plant-based dietary changes.
601 Santa Monica Boulevard, Santa Monica, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., smpl.org
The first Culver City Bead & Design Show is coming to the Hilton Los Angeles/Culver City and will present over 150 exhibits of artisan jewelry, beads, gemstones, antiquities, handcrafted clothing and accessories, as well as interac tive, hands-on workshops. Meet artists, artisans and tradespeople showcasing vast and eclectic displays of new and old, traditional and contemporary, finished pieces and components. Tickets are $8 online or $10 at the door, good for all three days. Open to the public—everyone is welcome.
6161 W. Centinela Avenue, Culver City, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Fri & Sat), 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Sun), beadanddesign.com
The Westside Food-Wine-Spir its Festival returns to The Automobile Driving Museum and benefits the Westside Food Bank. Festivities will take place both inside the museum, providing you with an opportu nity for photos with many of the classic autos, along with more activities and attractions outside. There will be a tasty fun blend of food, alcoholic and noon-alco holic drinks, and more. This seventh edition of the festival will showcase a variety of Southern California’s best culinary talent, finest wines and spirit makers. VIP early entry ($95) at 1 p.m., general admis sion ($70) from 2 to 5 p.m. Purchase tickets and more info online.
610 Lairport Street, El Segundo, 1 to 5 p.m., westsidefestivals.ticketsauce.com