A yellow Sureway bus arrived in a quiet, upscale Buena Park neighborhood near Coyote Hills on Sunday afternoon. One by one, dozens of tenants set to be evicted from an apartment complex a block from USC in Los Angeles exited with protest signs in hand. The residents readied to march before the multimillion-dollar, majestic, white […]
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Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait Goes to Puerto Rico
Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait spent April 9 touring the Puerto Rican city of Guaynabo, just outside of San Juan. The trip—hosted by the city’s mayor, Angel Pérez Otero—had one goal: to emphasize the recovery process under way after the devastation left by Hurricane Maria in mid-September 2017. The Mayor Exchange program, funded by the New […]
What Really Makes a Performance Coachella-Worthy?
There’s always a lot of talk about what makes an artist’s set at Coachella particularly memorable. It’s that intangible glow or specific moment we think about that makes all the other names on the past festival posters melt away to reveal the diamonds in this desert Goliath that springs up every year in Indio for […]
Free Brake Light Repair Clinic Gives OC Police One Less Reason to Pull Us Over
By Sandra De Anda “The reason for the stop is your third brake light is out,” convicted South Carolina killer cop Michael Slager said to Walter Scott in 2015. Moments later, Slager shot Scott to death in the back after he ran away. Last year, another cop stopped Philando Castile in Minnesota for a broken tail […]
KROQ Weenie Roast 2018 Lineup Announced With Blink 182, Panic! at the Disco
It’s time for the Weenie Roast to rise again. This morning 106.7 KROQ FM announced its 26th annual concert which returns to the Stub Hub Center in Carson. The show is headlined by Blink 182 and Panic! At the Disco, Rise Against, and Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park. The former two acts have both been […]
Coachella’s Not Getting Worse, You’re Getting Old
According to music journalists from publications like the New York Post, The Guardian, and numerous hip blogs in and around Southern California, Coachella kind of sucks these days. Every year, hundreds of reporters, bloggers, social media influencers, and regular people come home from the desert (often accompanied by a sinus infection and/or the dreaded “Coachella […]
FAIR’s Anti-Immigrant Extremist Behind OC’s Anti-Sanctuary State Revolt Has OC Roots
In a tale of two city councils, Los Alamitos and Yorba Linda traveled down different paths towards the same goal of opposing the California Values Act last month. The roaming pro-Trump circus packed Los Alamitos’ tiny chambers on Mar. 19 in supporting the city’s effort to adopt an ordinance opting out of the “Sanctuary State” […]
Newport Beach Film Festival Presents Its Funniest Lineup in 19 Years
I have sat through so many films while on the Newport Beach Film Festival (NBFF) beat. Because so many friends and family members know that, I am invariably asked to name my favorite NBFF film. It beats the hell out of me; that would be like choosing a favorite toe. However, to deal with the […]
Designer Betsey Johnson Shares Her Guide to Living and Loving with Style
When it comes to matters of happiness, career and style, Betsey Johnson’s advice on all three are essentially the same: “decide it, then do it.” The iconic fashion designer knows there’s a time and place to be superfluous (which is to say, often) but when it comes to success in all aspects of life, […]
Jury Pummels Police Lawsuit Specialist and His Defense Lawyer Client
A criminal defense lawyer, his plaintiff’s counsel, an ex-district attorney’s investigator and his lawyer this month walked into a bar, no, a federal courthouse. James Crawford, the criminal defense lawyer, said something like, “I deserve $2 million because the investigator pulverized my face with his fist in a 2016 Orange County Superior Court brawl.” His […]
Stereo Brewing Company’s Passion For Records is Always on Tap
As I sit with Rick Smets in the taproom of Stereo Brewing in Placentia on a late Friday afternoon, a series of precursory warnings get thrown my way from the regulars at the end of the bar: “Don’t bring up Tool.” “No Dave Matthews either. And he hates Beastie Boys.” “Alice in Chains and Soundgarden […]
Anti-Defamation League Joins Call for HB Finance Commissioner’s Removal
Gracey Van Der Mark somehow remains on the Huntington Beach finance commission even after a controversy erupted around her online bigotry earlier this month. As the Weekly reported, Van Der Mark recently deleted comments on YouTube where she referred to blacks as “colored people” and suggested they dutifully did the bidding of Jews at a […]
South County’s Sol Agave Expands to Mission Viejo!
From gourmet truck to stand alone restaurant to second location, the team at Sol Agave is embracing their restaurant’s growth and extending their reach to not only include San Juan Capistrano, but Mission Viejo’s Union Market. I sat down for dinner with Jessie Galvez (one of the business partners) to learn more about their thriving […]
Coachella Sets The Standard Of Security In High Risk Festival Environment
It’s 90 degrees, and you’re waiting in line, except it’s more of a swarm of sweaty people herding toward the entrance, trying to get into Coachella. The wind stirs up dust, which blows in your eyes, sticks to your skin and coats your hair. A person passes out in line because of the heat. The […]
The Tanning of Coachella: Beyoncé, Blackness, and the Collision of Cultures
In 2011, music executive and advertising guru Steve Stoute, released his book The Tanning of America: How Hip-Hop Created a Culture That Rewrote the Rules of the New Economy. Stoute analyzed how Black culture permeated mainstream America, going as far as proposing its swell helped Barack Obama get elected. Stoute and his readership may be […]
The C-Words(s): Too Many Chefs in the Kitchen
Twice a month, legendary bartender/chef/restaurant insider Dave Mau pops by Stick A Fork In It to chime in about a random OC food or drink musing of his choice. Enjoy!! “Esse Quam Videri” – To be rather than appear. A couple occurrences gave rise to this week’s post – a serendipitous confluence of events. The […]
11 LGBT Punk and Metal Artists Who Made An Impact
If there’s at least one positive thing we’ve learned in the ongoing chaotic aftermath of the Trump administration, it’s that as a modern civilized society, we can’t take things like diversity and inclusion for granted. When it comes to musical genres like punk rock and heavy metal, one should keep in mind that there have […]
Your Coachella Food Guide
Coachella continues to up its game each year. So it’s no surprise that 2018’s food lineup is just as good as the musical one. Here’s our list of must-eat bites for this (and next) weekend’s fest. PIZZANISTA The thin-crust, New York-style pies have earned Pizzanista a ’za seal of approval from just about everyone. Since […]
OVSD Trustee Sues HB Blogger for Violent Threats, Gets Temporary Restraining Order
Ocean View School District trustee Gina Clayton-Tarvin is as tough as they come, but even she has legal limits. Attorneys for the school board member filed a lawsuit on Mar. 22 in Orange County Superior Court against Huntington Beach blogger Chuck Johnson for defamation, harassment and making criminal threats against an elected public official. Johnson […]
Los Angeles Azules Bring the Cumbia Heat to Coachella
With Coachella quickly approaching this weekend, most festival goers are excited to see the typical headliners like Beyonce, The Weeknd, and Eminem. However, no group stands out more from typical this year than the legendary backyard dance troubadours like Los Angeles Azules. By far the most seasoned act on the Coachella stage, Los Angeles Azules are […]
Despite the Movies, Godfather of Ganja Cheech Marin Defies What It Means to be a Stoner
“Hey, you wanna get high, man?” The camera pulls back to show a 1964 Chevrolet Impala Super Sport driving along the coast. “Does Howdy Doody got wooden balls, man?” “I’ve got a joint here that I’ve been saving for a special occasion.” The next shot shows the infamous godfathers of cannabis: Richard “Cheech” Marin, with […]
