California Dolphin

At 46, I’ve made some sense of my life by thinking about it as a story of second chances. If my evil twin were the author, it would be a string of dead ends — of not being a good enough writer, mother, wife, daughter, friend, teacher, sister (the list is endless). But I see my life as an endorsement of second chances. Almost everything that defines me happened because I failed and then tried again. My first marriage was an early one. I was 23, lacking all confidence, and had moved to London for my boyfriend. At the Chelsea Old Town Hall I clutched a bouquet from my best friend, Lexy, the only person in my life who knew about the wedding. Afterward, we celebrated over coffee and Danishes at a nearby Starbucks before my new husband returned to work and I wandered the streets of Kensington, pressure building behind my eyes, the sky blooming dark gray. I hoped then that my charismatic spouse, who worked in finance, would protect me from myself, from uncertainty, from the world. Instead, we had months of fights

Pacing the stage, Leslie Liao muses about the various moisturizers she, an almost 37-year-old, feels compelled to use. “I spend most of my time rubbing creams all over my body. … Face cream, eye cream, foot cream, just constantly creaming myself.” She continues; a mic drop about modern dating imminent. “I just learned there is a neck cream. I have to cream my neck. … I overheard a man complaining once how he spends all his money on drinks for girls and it’s so unfair. Bro, I am wearing $300 worth of face paint and body jam to not scare you away. I’d like my Moscow mule now, please.” The crowd erupts with laughter. “That joke was a real conversation I had with a man years ago,” Liao says, seated outside at Jewel in Silver Lake. “He was really making the argument. He was like, ‘I would love if a girl bought me a drink.’ And then I went on this rant. I was like, ‘Do you know? I had to put on my face for you to even talk to me. I’m in debt.

What should you do if your pot-smoking neighbor is stinking up your yard? Why aren’t there any legally licensed consumption lounges in the city of Los Angeles but somehow four in West Hollywood? And what do I need to know about using cannabis to combat the side effects of chemotherapy? Those are a few of the burning weed questions that have landed in my inbox lately. And just in time for the 4/20 high holiday on the horizon, I’ve got answers to these canna-conundrums — and more — from the pros who know. I live in the hills on a large lot. My neighbor’s tenant sometimes smokes weed outside his abode, and the smell drifts into my yard. The back of my neighbor’s house is next to my front yard. When I walk my dogs around my yard, it smells terrible, and I have to go inside. Can I do anything? Tell the landlord or any other recourse? I’m also concerned that when I put the house up for sale in the next two years, potential buyers viewing the property might encounter the smell. —

South Los Angeles resident Channing Martinez recalls the days years ago when he couldn’t find enough change for the bus and was forced to hop on his bicycle. Martinez, 36, co-director of the Labor Community Strategy Center, a think tank and advocacy organization for working-class families, rode roughly seven miles to El Camino College in Torrance from his home near Florence Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard. He then transferred to Otis College of Art and Design in Westchester, which was a nine-mile trek. “It was a heck of a ride that I’ve never forgotten,” Martinez said. “But in those days, I had no choice. I had to get to school.” Today, Martinez’s community organization is one of several groups behind a plan to bring transportation access to South Los Angeles in the form of e-bikes. People posed with some of the 250 e-bikes. (Courtesy of Colin Sweeney) The Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator and L.A.’s Department of Transportation, aided by nearly $3 million in funding from the California Air Resources Board, debuted their e-bike “lending library” Tuesday at Leimert Park’s Ride On! Bike Co-Op. The library was

Olvera Street, adorned with brightly colored papel picado (perforated paper) and teeming with lively puestos (food stalls), did not always look as vibrant as it does today. While the historic pedestrian street and El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument attract about 2 million tourists annually, many don’t know how the area came to be or that it was the site of the first public immigration raid in Los Angeles. A new self-guided audio tour , presented by the California Migration Museum, explores both the origin of this storied area and the “hidden” history of the La Placita raid that ultimately led to the deportation of as many as 1.8 million Mexican Americans across the country in the 1930s. The immersive experience, titled “Ni de Aquí, Ni de Allá” — meaning neither from here, nor from there — is narrated by Karla Estrada, an activist and advocate for immigrant justice. The founder and director of the museum, Katy Long, contributes to the story’s narration as well. The tour, which is also available as an interactive, 360-degree YouTube video , is part of the museum’s “Migrant

By Brady Halbleib April 17, 2024 / 1:44 AM EDT / CBS Sacramento Crews rescued 4 hikers, dog from cliffside near Foresthill bridge Crews rescued 4 hikers, dog from cliffside near Foresthill bridge 02:36 AUBURN — Four hikers and a dog are safe after they were rescued from the side of a cliff in Auburn near California’s tallest bridge. It happened Monday night on the west side of the revenue on the North Fork of the American River under the Foresthill Bridge. Cal Fire said they responded around 8:30 p.m. Monday after the hikers called for help when they could not find their way back to their car. The hikers were from out of town and were hiking on a remote trail, losing their way when the sun went down. California State Parks, Cal Fire and Placer County Technical Rescue crews responded to the call. The hikers were safely rescued and were not injured. Nolan Hale, battalion chief for Cal Fire’s Auburn headquarters, said the rescue could not have happened in a better location. “They were essentially 50 feet below our training site. Over the

What’s behind the steadily rising gas prices across California and San Luis Obispo County? AAA says the cause is due to seasonal factors rather than political ones. A spokesperson for AAA Auto Club of Southern California, Gianella Ghiglino, said the state’s steady rise in gas prices is not related to the conflict in the Middle East. “While we can be indirectly affected by conflict overseas, the issues in California are not directly impacted by that,” Ghiglino said. Instead, she attributes the uptick in prices to the approaching summer months. “During this time of the year, gas prices typically increase because of the summer blend,” Ghiglino said, “There are more people out on the roads … in the summertime so as more people are driving, gas prices do tend to increase.” She explained that the summer blend of gasoline costs more than gas used during other times of the year. Additionally, problems at nearby refineries can translate to higher fuel costs. “Right now, a lot of the local refineries are having maintenance issues, which does increase the price,” Ghiglino said. But with the average price of

(UPDATE: 7:00 p.m.) – Santa Barbara County fire officials say one person was transported by helicopter to the hospital. That person was ejected from one of the vehicles. Fire officials say three other people were transported by ground to a nearby hospital. Two with moderate injuries and one with minor injuries. ___ Santa Barbara County firefighters and California Highway Patrol officers are responding to reports of a multi-vehicle crash near Vandenberg Space Force Base. The crash happened along Highway 1 near Firefighter Road at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday. As of 6:30 p.m., both lanes in the area are blocked along Highway 1. According to Santa Barbara County fire, six vehicles were involved in the crash, with four people suffering injuries. The extent of their injuries is unknown at this time, and the cause of the crash is under investigation.This is a developing story and will be updated when new information becomes available.