Jessica Koslow

Local musicians are playing familiar tunes. The food and drinks are flowing for the hundreds of community members in attendance. Dozens of neighborhood businesses have donated to the silent auction. Each year for the past 22 years, Venice Community Housing (VCH) has hosted a champagne brunch with live jazz to raise money for its mission: To develop comprehensive solutions to rising rates of homelessness and an increasing need for affordable housing for low-income individuals and families.

VCH is on a roll, according to Linda Lucks, the Community Engagement and Special Events Coordinator. The Corporation recently broke ground on a 78-unit project on 20^th Street and Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica, and 2024 saw the opening of three projects: Marian Place, which houses formerly unhoused families; The Journey Apartments in Venice, which provides permanent supportive homes for transition aged youth (18-25) and other formerly unhoused people; and Aviation Apartments in the Del Aire neighborhood. . . .

Read the entire article at The Argonaut.

The city of Buellton has experienced two time periods: B.S. and A.S., referencing the 2004 Oscar-winning film “Sideways” about a road trip to the Santa Barbara wine country. Buellton and its neighbor, Solvang, were featured prominently in the film, and because of the exposure, tourism to the area skyrocketed. Unfortunately, one of its claims to fame, Pea Soup Andersen’s, which had been a major draw since 1924, closed in 2024 just before its 100th anniversary. Fortunately, Buellton has so much more to offer, including wineries, breweries, new eateries, horseback riding, a botanic garden, a petting emu and ostrich farm, a zipline experience and an adventure park course. . . .

Read the entire article at Playa Vista Magazine.

On Thursday, Aug. 21, Thomas Safran & Associates (TSA) hosted the grand opening of Thatcher Yard, consisting of 98 affordable and supportive housing units for seniors and non-age-restricted residents located at 3311 S. Thatcher Avenue in Marina del Rey. 

Both founder Thomas Safran and Jordan Pynes, the president of TSA, were on hand mingling with guests, including LA Councilmember Traci Park; Elizabeth Selby, director of development and finance for the Los Angeles Housing Department; Carlos Van Natter, director of Section 8 at the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) and Paul Buckland, senior vice president of fund investments for Wells Fargo.

In 1974, Safran left the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to start his own company, and for over 50 years, TSA has specialized in developing and managing high-quality properties. It has created 6,500 units of luxury, affordable and mixed-use rental housing in Southern California. . . .

Read the entire article at The Argonaut.

Founded in 1985, Heal the Bay has been making waves of change by helping to protect the coastline, restore waterways, and speak out for clean water policy across watersheds. How does it accomplish this? Partly with the aid of volunteers, because ripples make waves. The kid-friendly Heal the Bay Aquarium at the Santa Monica Pier features more than 100 species of marine life that live right offshore.

  healthebay.org

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Venice Family Clinic has devoted more than five decades to providing quality care to 45,000 individuals, families, and communities from the Santa Monica Mountains through the South Bay. In 2023, the community health center celebrated the completion of its renovation at its flagship site, which was renamed the Chuck Lorre Rose Avenue Health and Wellness Center. The clinic’s comprehensive care includes mental health services, dental care, vision services, substance use treatment, prescription medications, domestic violence counseling, HIV services, healthy food distributions, health education, health insurance enrollment and child development services.

  venicefamilyclinic.org . . .

Read the entire article at The Argonaut.

The ocean and psychological well-being are very important to Brian and Eric Barr, the sibling duo behind Feeling Swell, a Venice-based lifestyle brand and foundation inspired by surfing and rooted in mental health. 

Born in the New Jersey suburb of Bridgewater, from an early age the brothers felt completely at home at the beach. Brian grew up as a swimmer and, like his father, attended Brown University. Eric caught the surfing bug early, and spent two years at Saddleback College in Orange County’s Mission Viejo. Post-college both gravitated to Los Angeles. Eric spent 10 years in San Clemente, Huntington and then L.A. (where he has lived for the past five years) while Brian has called the Westside home for four years.

The Feeling Swell Foundation was originally launched in 2015 as a grassroots fundraising initiative in the wake of Hurricane Sandy’s destruction along the Jersey Shore. Raised in a family that emphasized community and compassion, the brothers saw Feeling Swell as a way to uplift others during a time of crisis. . . .

Read the entire article at The Argonaut.

Rancho Cucamonga may not be well known as a dreamy travel destination, but that might be changing with the recent opening of Sanctity Hotel and Durango Cocina & Rooftop, the only rooftop bar in the area. Located a little over an hour from Los Angeles and just south of the San Gabriel Mountains and Angeles National Forest, the quiet city in San Bernardino County is popping up on trip radars for a duo of new offerings on Base Line Road. . . .

Read the entire article at LA Downtown News.

SOUL+FULL, a new indoor cycling class, is cruising into the Valley this August, aiming to fill a unique niche where worship and wellness converge.

“Turns out people want more than tap backs and Beyoncé,” said Stephanie Schwartz, founder of The Underground Phoenix, which opened the doors to its permanent location in April. “They’re spiritual beings craving connection — real, raw and rooted in purpose. SOUL+FULL is one way we’re answering that call.”

Schwartz has taught in the Valley since 2007, earning a reputation from Gilbert to Glendale for her top-tier workouts. The idea to launch her own studio popped up when her previous employer went out of business. . . .

Read the entire article at Lovin’ Life Phoenix.

Professor Oliver Wang now knows more about Japanese American car culture in Los Angeles than he ever thought he would. He learned about racing mechanic Takeo “Chickie” Hirashima; Jimmie Yamane, the first international go-kart champion; and Larry Shinoda, the designer of the 1963 Corvette Sting Ray. He researched fish trucks from the 1950s, vehicles that carried fresh fish and hard-to-find Japanese foods six days a week to the postwar suburbs.

He also studied a caravan of 200 vehicles in the spring of 1942 that drove from the Rose Bowl to the temporary detention centers that had been created to house Japanese Americans during WWII. Once they arrived, the government impounded the cars and gave the owners nominal payment.

“These people not only had the indignity of driving themselves to be incarcerated, but they were losing the very vehicles that took them there to begin with,” said Wang. . . .

Read the entire article at Pasadena Weekly.

Oceanside, affectionately referred to as O’side, is the cutest beach town that ever was. Halfway between L.A. and San Diego, visitors can surf world-class waves, walk along one of the longest wooden piers on the West Coast (at 1,942 feet), and snack on a hand pie at High Pie, which is located inside the very house where Kelly McGillis and Tom Cruise fell for each other in the 1986 film “Top Gun.” The Victorian-style house is filled with movie memorabilia, and just outside, people can pose for pictures with a replica of the motorcycle that Cruise’s character, Maverick, rode down North Pacific Street in the film.

Oceanside is a surf town spotted with historic landmarks and two new beautiful hotels on North Pacific Street: The Seabird Ocean Resort & Spa and Mission Pacific Beach Resort. But according to long-time residents and local lore, O’side was not always so coveted. Maybe it was because of its proximity to Camp Pendleton, a military base located in North San Diego County, or that its neighbors, such as Carlsbad to the south and Dana Point to the north, stole the spotlight.

Flash forward to 2025, and O’side is the playground of some of the best surf pros; home to the Supergirl Pro Jam event, the world’s largest women’s surf competition; and a popular vacation destination and coastal road trip stopover along the Pacific Coast Highway. . . .

Read the entire article at Arroyo Monthly.

Fans of the Peanuts cartoon, rejoice! There is a place where statues of Charlie Brown and his friends stand on the streets, Charles M. Schulz, the creator, has a museum, and Snoopy operates an ice-skating rink. Located in Sonoma County, just over an hour’s drive from San Francisco, Santa Rosa is small and charming enough to melt away city stress, yet big and busy enough to offer hours of family fun and adventure. . . .

Read the entire article at Lovin’ Life Tucson.