"Bring back what burned"
A LARB post-mortem, Frieze LA is in full swing, Altadena classic cars get second lives, and more.
Last week was a big week for No Bad Days. I’m going keep it short 'n sweet this week to focus on the stuff that pays my rent (and IRS debt).
To my new subscribers: Thanks for joining. This is No Bad Days, a newsletter about Los Angeles. What you’ll find here: hyper-local news, recommendations, scene reports, community events, reported pieces, and the occasional takedown.
As for me: I’m a journalist, writer, and life-long Angeleno. But I also occasionally publish other writers here. (And my rates are higher than LARB’s.) You can send pitches (or tips, feedback, hate mail, etc.) to nobaddaysinla@proton.me.
The LARB post-mortem
I don’t think I’m going to do an extensive part 2 on this saga—if you want more tea, you can click through the many comments, restacks, tweets, etc, where writers who’ve worked with LARB as well as former interns and editors are speaking up about some of their experiences, which range from disappointing to gross. My favorite allegation is that LARB gently suggests writers give up their $100 fee as a “donation” to the nonprofit at the time of invoice.
One thing I didn’t publish is a series of anecdotes from two sources about Albert Litewka, and his (alleged) obsessive need to talk about an African safari he takes every year (and the “little African girls” he encounters on this safari), sometimes with Tom Lutz. I felt it was immaterial and could not verify it with a third source last minute. Here, now, you can find a third source validating those anecdotes, with a much more serious allegation:
I did receive word from a source on the inside that LARB is not planning to publicly address the situation, despite many “closed-door” meetings they had last week. Fair enough! I hope they’re at least planning on making some internal changes.
In case you didn’t make it to the end of my report last week, I want to reiterate that I pursued this story because I love LA, I love its literary community, and I think we all deserve better. We deserve a literary institution that cares about writers and the city they live in.
A couple of months ago, photographer Gustavo Soriano told me about his cousin, Carmen Vera, who was restoring three vintage cars thay had been severely damaged in the Eaton fires. I didn’t have the time to report the story myself so I tossed it to NBD contributor Angella d'Avignon, who was able to place it with the LA Times. The first car Carmen Vera was able to full restore was a 1972 C10 pickup. “The point was to bring back what burned,” Vera told Angella.
A Diva Corp challenger is here. Bio reads, “No diva shit here.”
Cafe Tondo is being forced by the city to pause outdoor music programming. It sounds like they’re trying to find a compromise with the neighborhood. According to one commenter: “the bass has been carrying pretty far into the neighborhood, and it’s been tough for some of the seniors and families living within a block.” I think we’re going to see a lot more of these battles play out over the next few years. (Fire marshals killed El Prado’s lively sidewalk culture; Beethoven Market had its liquor license revoked after complaints from the neighbors. Does anyone know how Bar Seco gets away with it?) Sidewalk activity is essential to thriving neighborhoods—bustling sidewalks are safer than empty ones! But it gets a little complicated when that activity is being generated by and for people from outside the neighborhood.
Bari Weiss voluntarily pulled out of a UCLA lecture after protests from students and professors. But some people would have you believe she was “cancelled” by the “woke mob”. Meanwhile, Trump is suing UCLA for creating a “hostile” environment for Jewish students, citing the UCLA encampments (which were partly organized by … Jewish students).
7,190 families in California will be at risk of homelessness and family separation should this new Trump administration law go into effect. It would end federal housing assistance for households with mixed immigration status.
The DTLA graffiti towers officially have a local buyer. It’s a bummer he plans on getting rid of the graffiti—where is the vision!!!
I only made it out to one Frieze LA event last weekend, but it seems like everyone was at the Barry Mcgee 99 Cent Store installation made in partnership with The Hole NY. This was the 99 Cent Store location that, up until a week ago, housed Solidarity Projects’ Really Really Free 99 store (a mutual aid operation).
New Palestinian coffee shop Latieh in Venice Beach (not yet launched) will be be pausing its build out to host "Ramadan Nights” this weekend and the next. Free coffee and pastries. Dates here.
Nancy Kricorian and Randa Jarrar will be in conversation about “literature under genocide” at the new Watermelon Books this weekend. February 27 at 7:30 PM. RSVP here.
Heavy Traffic Mag launches its seventh issue with readings by Otessa Moshfegh, Johanna Stone, and Amie Barrodale at the Barnsdall Gallery Theatre. March 7 at 7:30 PM.
Sam Buck is hosting his third and final art show at Taix in the Champagne Room next week. He’ll be showing new paintings and stained glass art. March 8, from 5 PM to close.
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