Jessica Koslow

When esthetician Kiana Dotson arrived at Suite 110 ready to see clients on Aug. 3 at Marina del Rey’s Phenix Salon Suites, she was greeted with a notice from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department instructing all businesses to vacate five days later.

“It was heartbreaking,” shared Dotson, a single mother and owner of Waxing in Harmony who was the first to arrive at Phenix. She immediately texted her co-workers about the unexpected news.

“I had been there for almost 10 years,” she said. “I started my business there; it was like my second baby. We were all good and loyal tenants. We paid our rent weekly, and it was disheartening to be treated like that after being there for so long.” . . .

Read the full article at The Argonaut.

Check out who Chandler Arizonan readers voted Best of Chandler 2024. I wrote short bits for 39 of the winners.

Read the entire issue.

The High Notes, Pasadena Chorale’s middle school choir, is holding auditions for soprano and alto voices for its second season. Last year’s inaugural choir consisted of 30 singers from eight different middle schools in the Pasadena area.

According to choir director Jeffrey Bernstein, The High Notes offers a unique and special opportunity for students. First, the kids get to know other kids from other schools, broadening their exposure to students across town who they do not see every day but with whom they may have a lot in common. Second, this coming year, the students will range from sixth to 10th grade because they allowed the eighth graders to remain in the program (and some of those eighth graders are now 10th graders).

“The way our choir bridges the ages is unusual and fruitful,” Bernstein said, who founded Pasadena Chorale, a 90-voice community chorus in Pasadena, in 2009.  . . .

Read the full article at Pasadena Weekly.

In celebration of its 140 years of serving the Pasadena public, the Pasadena Public Library (PPL) is collecting library stories from the community.

The online prompts read, “Tell us why you love the Pasadena Public Library,” and “What is your favorite memory at Pasadena Public Library?” People are asked to submit a photo with their story. It can be of the person, a drawing, a letter, or anything that relates to the story.

“We have received several outstanding stories already and are eager to receive as many as the community would like to supply us with,” Tim McDonald, library director, said. “It would be a full-circle accomplishment if we were to receive 140 stories to celebrate 140 years.” . . .

Read the full article at Pasadena Weekly.

Check out who the DTLA News readers voted Best of DTLA 2024. I wrote short bits about each of the 106 winners.

Read the entire issue at DTLA News.

Check out who the Star readers voted Best of Glendale 2024. I wrote short bits about each of the 95 winners.

Read the entire issue at Glendale Star.

Rediscover Center’s executive director Jonathan Markowitz Bijur is a professional tinkerer. When asked to expand on this passion, the Yale University graduate explains the three areas in which he likes to tinker.

“I tinker with my sourdough pizza dough every Friday night when I make pizzas for my kids,” he started. “I tinker with the programs that I teach. I am always learning. Tinkering is part of my professional DNA, and I have helped to make it part of Rediscover’s organizational DNA. And then I tinker with stuff, like I am unafraid to take apart a piece of furniture or my KitchenAid mixer when something’s rattling. It is a satisfying experience.” . . .

Read the full article at The Argonaut.

LA’s Westside is akin to a playground for kids of all ages (including adults and seniors). Think Disneyland by the sea. It is home to beaches, hiking trails, bike paths, piers and one of the biggest tourist destinations in California: the Venice Boardwalk, which hosts about 30,000 visitors daily. As summer approaches, tourists and locals will flock to the Westside all season in search of breezy temps and cooler hangouts. Below is a list of food to eat, things to do, and places to see, from Venice and Santa Monica to Mar Vista and Culver City, which are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to exploring all the treasures that are sprinkled throughout LA’s westside. . . .

Read the full article at The Argonaut.

Venice Design Series is presenting a guided tour of the restored Gabrielino-Tongva Sacred Springs. The event kicks off Saturday, April 27, on the campus of University High School. It’s the second of a three-part benefit to raise money for Venice Community Housing, an affordable housing developer and supportive services provider across LA’s Westside. The third event is a Rustic Canyon Dinner Party happening on May 4. 

This is the 10th year that Linda Lucks and Jay Griffith, the duo responsible for the Venice Garden and Home Tour, have curated Venice Design Series. Bob Ramirez, president of the Gabrielino-Tongva Springs Foundation, will guide the four-hour tour, which includes lunch, entertainment and activities. Tickets are $500, and children are free. 

In 1954, Gabrielino-Tongva Sacred Springs was registered as a state historical landmark. The three clearwater springs exist on the campus of University High School, which rests on the site of an ancient Native American settlement, Kuruvungna Village. According to Ramirez, Spaniards gave the native inhabitants of the land the name “Gabrielinos” because of their association with the San Gabriel Mission. However, the people chose the name “Tongva” to distance themselves from the colonial oppressor.  . . .

Read the full article at The Argonaut.

In the past few months, I have written “Best Of” features for San Clemente Times, The Capistrano Dispatch, Dana Point Times, and Explorer News.