Dorano Jewelry Makes Special Days Sparkle

2nd February 20263rd February 2026 / May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Also published on 2 February 2026 on Hey SoCal

The Dorano Jewelry store on Huntington Drive in Arcadia. | Photo by May S. Ruiz/Hey SoCal

Gold is regarded as a risk-averse asset and safe haven during times of uncertainty. And recent geopolitical instability sent the price of gold soaring to an unprecedented high of over $5,000 per ounce then plunged below that mark.

But long before the huge demand for it and the wild price swings grabbed financial news headlines, the enduring value of gold inspired songs from Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold” to Harry Styles’ “Golden.” The metal — universally enjoyed as a piece of jewelry — symbolizes beauty, longevity, power, status and wealth.

In certain Asian cultures, gold figures prominently in people’s customs and traditions. Newborn children in China are commonly gifted with a piece of gold jewelry; gold is also a part of the Lunar New Year celebrations. In Korea, a gold ring is usually given for a child’s first birthday. In India, gold is purchased during the annual Diwali festival to bring wealth and good luck.

For Garen Avetisyan, proprietor of the Dorano Jewelry store on Huntington Drive in Arcadia, jewelry and the craftsmanship behind it are his life’s work. Creating memorable pieces are a source of pride and joy for this immigrant from Armenia who now calls Glendale home.

A 14-karat yellow gold necklace and ring with fancy sapphires. | Photo by May S. Ruiz/HeySoCal.com

Avetisyan’s story is that of very immigrant’s journey from their homeland to a new place to build a new life. Born and raised in Yerevan, Armenia, he started working in the jewelry business when he was 18. In 2012, at the age of 37, he and his family migrated to California and the following year he opened Dorano Jewelry.

Making jewelry is an art and skill that Avetisyan honed back in Armenia. He relates, “I had family members in the jewelry business and I always enjoyed watching them work, so I decided to follow in their footsteps. I took private jewelry courses in Armenia and also spent years observing, reading and educating myself on the profession and training. I still continue to expand my knowledge to this day.”

Uprooting oneself and beginning anew in a foreign country is a huge challenge and Avetisyan knows it only too well.

“I began looking for a storefront for my jewelry business soon after my family and I came to California,” Avetisyan recalls. “Since I had only been in America for such a short period of time, I had no credit history. Therefore, a lot of people turned me down despite the fact that I was willing to pay for a few months in advance. It was very difficult to gain people’s trust. I stumbled across one location in Arcadia and spoke to the owner directly. Thankfully, after our conversation, he decided to give me a chance and that’s how my shop opened in Arcadia in early 2013.”

A display case at Dorano Jewelry. | Photo by May S. Ruiz/HeySoCal.com

The moniker he gave to his shop — Dorano Jewelry — is a portmanteau of sorts and has a special meaning. Reveals Avetisyan, “I always admired the Italian language and used it as an inspiration for my store name. ‘Oro’ is Italian for gold and ‘d’oro’ refers to something made of gold. I incorporated these words and created the unique name of ‘Dorano.’ I believe it reflects the elegance and timelessness associated with gold jewelry.”

While finding the location for his shop was a fortuitous initial step, making a success of the business seemed an insurmountable undertaking early on in his business venture. He struggled to make ends meet yet he persevered.

Avetisyan says, “The first few years were very difficult for me because I was starting over in a new country and speaking a language not native to me. I had no connections, no reputation and didn’t know a lot of people. But I chose to continue this journey because I felt a huge responsibility to continue my life’s work that I had begun in Armenia. I didn’t view this passion of mine only as a job but also a skill that had so much history and hard work behind it. I had confidence in myself and my ability and I knew that if people gave me a chance, they would also recognize value in my work.”

“I realized that I was making progress when customers would visit the shop and share that they were recommended by my other clients,” continues Avetisyan. “I was excited that word of mouth was growing because it meant I was building trust with the community. As more people became happy with the work and product I was providing them with, I knew that all the struggle was worth it and continued to work just as hard.”

Garen Avetisyan, jeweler/gemologist and proprietor of Dorano Jewelry. | Photo by May S. Ruiz/HeySoCal.com

There is no shortage of jewelry stores in the vicinity — every mall has at least one — where shoppers can buy a necklace, ring or a pair of earrings. But what could be more exceptional than owning a bespoke piece that reflects one’s individuality? Custom work is Dorano Jewelry’s niche and Avertisyan has set out to make his shop stand apart.

He declares, “Dorano Jewelry is unique due to our deep expertise and detailed attention to each client. The staff is skilled across all aspects of the business, including custom designs, appraisals, repairs, sales and more. Thus, customers receive all services in one place quickly yet efficiently. This helps us ensure consistency and quality, and build close relationships with all our guests.”

“Dorano Jewelry holds itself to a high standard and has maintained this benchmark of care since day one,” Avetisyan emphasizes. “The business first advertised on television and social media to try and spread the word. After our first year, we relied primarily on word of mouth, focusing on growing the business through trust and reputation. Over time, satisfied customers became the best promotion.”

Being able to offer a variety of services has served Avetisyan well. “Dorano Jewelry operates as a ‘one stop shop’ as the business is evenly divided among custom work, repair services and jewelry sales from our display,” he says. “Each of these areas makes up approximately one-third of our business, allowing us to serve a wide variety of customer needs.”

14-karat white gold ring with green tsavorites and diamonds. | Photo by May S. Ruiz/HeySoCal.com

Many people think bespoke jewelry is prohibitively expensive — a misconception that Avetisyan hastens to clarify.

“Custom jewelry is definitely affordable at Dorano Jewelry,” Avetisyan asserts. “The most requested items are engagement rings and wedding bands and we offer a large variety of options and customizable details to best fit our clients’ budget. Whether they are simple elegant designs to more intricate pieces, we work very closely with all clients to ensure they receive the best quality within their budget.”

But it isn’t just the product and service that make Dorano Jewelry different. Avetisyan clarifies, “Dorano Jewelry is more than just a jewelry store, it’s a community and welcoming space. We focus on building a relationship based on trust and connection, allowing clients to come to us for guidance and support. Through this genuine relationship, we celebrate the most meaningful life moments together — from engagements to weddings to family milestones. The community feeling is what makes this store so special.”

Repeat business and customer loyalty are vital for every business’s success. And Dorano Jewelry has been fortunate to have both.

“Sixty percent of our business is generated from existing clients while 40% comes from new customers,” says Averisyan. “The majority of our clients are locals — I would say about 80% are from Arcadia, Pasadena and nearby cities. The remaining 20% is from Santa Barbara, San Diego and even clients who now reside in Las Vegas and visit us sometimes.”

14-karat rose gold ring with pink quartz, diamonds, pink sapphires and rubies. | Photo by May S. Ruiz/Hey SoCal

Asked if there’s one particular piece he has created over the years that is memorable, Avetisyan quickly replies, “A client wished to design a custom ring based on a lost heirloom left behind by the client’s ancestors. We worked closely together to maintain the sentimental value of the ring based on the client’s memory and description of the heirloom. Our goal was to preserve its history while also customizing the ring to best fit the client’s style and needs. We used an amethyst for the center stone and incorporated Indian symbols reflected through shape and detailing, referring to custom 3D designs to guide us. We achieved a refined and timeless finish.”

“I specifically remember the extensive research involved with this piece,” Avetisyan expounds. “To fully understand what the client wanted and realize the client’s vision, I studied symbolism and cultural meaning to best design the historical elements with accuracy and respect. I had the chance to explore this cultural background, making the piece challenging to make but with a rewarding outcome. It was one of the coolest projects I completed, learning a lot in the process.”

Having a piece of jewelry created by Dorano Jewelry means acquiring something that evokes significance for the person wearing it. Whether it’s to celebrate Valentine’s Day, a birthday, a wedding or anniversary, jewelry makes any special occasion sparkle. But it can also be just a practical, wearable investment — and jewelry makes even the everyday shine.

Holiday Motor Excursion Showcases Rare Antique Cars

9th January 2026 / May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Also published on 9 January 2026 on Hey SoCal

Peter Eastwood’s 1910 Stevens Duryea

For residents of the Michillinda Park neighborhood in East Pasadena, an ostentation of peacocks promenading on the boulevard is an everyday sight. But on a recent Sunday morning, we are pleasantly surprised to observe dozens of antique and vintage automobiles driving past our house.

It is a fascinating spectacle that invites further investigation. I take a break from pruning my roses and walk about 200 feet to Michillinda Park where I see several antique cars on the road while people chat by tables laden with pots of hot cocoa and coffee. I learn that this car show is an annual event and someone points out the organizers, Jean and Peter Eastwood, who are siblings and lifelong Pasadena residents.

A 1909 Pierce Arrow (left) and 1920 Model T Ford (right). | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Hey SoCal

I approach the Eastwoods and Peter proudly says that this is the 69^th year they’ve been holding this annual antique car show. He proceeds to give me the history of the event, which is known as the Holiday Motor Excursion (HME), but interrupts himself to inform me that he actually has the history written down somewhere.

Indeed for the 40^th anniversary of HME, Peter authored a write-up about how the event originated on behalf of the Eastwood family.

December 25th in Southern California is, more often than not, sunny and clear. It was on one of those Christmas days back in the early 1950s when the seed was planted that eventually grew into the Holiday Motor Excursion.

In Pasadena that Christmas morning, Doug and June Eastwood suggested to their five children, after opening their presents,“Let’s go to Uncle Warwick and Aunt Millie’s to see what (cousins) Joyce and Elaine got.”

Jean and Peter Eastwood. | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Hey SoCal

It did not take long for Richard, Sharon, Jean, Peter, and David to squeeze into Dad’s Model T Ford for the ride over there. After the cousins compared gifts, Warwick’s 1905 Buick was cranked up and a short trip around the corner took the families to Bill and Lola Collier’s house for a look at Nancy’s presents. This prompted Bill to take out his 1910 Maxwell and the three families went for a short ride. Then to Ward and Betty Kimballs’s house for Christmas cookies and tea.

It only took a year or two for the spontaneous Christmas Day itinerary to expand and visits were made to the homes of John Walgamott, Bob Coombes, Louis Cook, Dick Mendelson, and other Pasadena area Horseless Carriage Club friends.

The sight of a small caravan of antique cars crisscrossing Pasadena only hours after Santa had been there was always greeted with cheers from the neighborhood residents.

1920 Duesenberg racecar. | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Hey SoCal

Before long, club members from outside the area were feeling left out. The explanation that the Eastwoods were just out having some fun and that it really wasn’t an organized club event was not what they wanted to hear.

It was at this time in the mid-1950s when families in their antique cars started showing up at Doug or Warwick’s house on Christmas morning, not wanting to miss out on “the fun.” Over the years, homemade cookies had to be supplemented with store bought doughnuts and the first of several 100-cup coffee pots were put into service.

1911 Pope Hartford. | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Hey SoCal

Sometime in the late 1960s the event date was changed to the weekend between the holidays and the departure point was moved to the Pancake House located between Doug’s and Warwick’s homes. As the event grew in popularity, the Model T Club and other clubs with newer cars joined in. In the late 1980s, to maintain the flavor of early day motoring and to keep the event to a manageable size, participants were invited to bring vehicles built before 1933.

Over the years the HME has been fortunate to be invited to visit many wonderful family homes, collections, and businesses in the area. Many visits have been made to the Dean Hensley, Burton Burton, and Don Ricardo Collections, just to name a few.

Somewhere along the line the HME. was adopted as a Horseless Carriage Club of Southern California event but the Eastwood family still handles all the event planning. For over 30 years Warwick and Millie hosted the dessert stop at their home at the event’s conclusion. In 1994 they decided to take it easy and Gary and Sheryl Hunter eagerly volunteered to take over and host the party at their home in nearby Arcadia.

The popularity of the event can be gauged by the 450 nametags and 150 copies of driving instructions given out last year – not to mention 30 dozen doughnuts, 400 cups of coffee, and 200 cups of orange juice.

1925 White Yosemite Tour Bus (yellow car on left), 1923 Model T Ford (right); 1910 Jackson (in back)

At some later time, the Arcadia County Park became the Holiday Motor Excursion’s departure point. Cars arrive as early as 6:30 but the event officially commences at 7:30 and the tour begins promptly at 9:30.

“This year there are 110 participating cars,” discloses Eastwood. “I believe the oldest car this year is a 1909 Stanley (steam powered!). A few arrived on trailers but most are driven to the event. I know that two of the cars that came by trailer were from Arroyo Grand and Hanford, California.”

1929 Model A Ford. | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Hey SoCal

Continues Eastwood, “The tour route is usually around 30 miles. We drive about 10 miles winding through the picturesque neighborhoods of Arcadia and Pasadena. Then we stop at a different park for coffee and donuts provided by our club – the donut stop is part of the event’s annual traditions.”

“Then we carry on for another 20 miles through more scenic Pasadena neighborhoods along the arroyo and other areas,” Eastwood adds. “We then circle back for lunch at Clearman’s North Woods Inn or Clearman’s Galley on Huntington Drive and Rosemead Blvd. From there we take a short drive to a nearby club member’s house for dessert. The route changes every year because we want to keep people guessing. But we come to Michillinda Park every two or three years”

The Horseless Carriage Club (HCC) doesn’t promote the event to the public according to Eastwood. The information is posted on the club’s website for the car owners. HME shirts – the artwork for which was created by Disney animator and HCC member Ward Kimball – are available at the event and they are discussing selling them through the club website.

Model T Ford. | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Hey SoCal

Unlike other antique car shows, HME is not a fundraising affair. Eastwood clarifies, “The event is merely an opportunity for the car owners and their families to have some holiday fun. The emphasis is on the driving aspect. We are fortunate that we can enjoy our cars this time of year – many clubs in other areas don’t have the weather we have.”

After a while, the tables of drinks and donuts are cleared and club members get in their cars to resume the tour. The drivers and passengers of the antique cars happily wave to people who happen to see them making their way to their scheduled stop on the route. And at every stop bystanders and onlookers marvel at the exquisite automobiles.

What started for the Eastwood family as a fun Christmas day jaunt around the neighborhood has grown into an eagerly anticipated annual tradition for hundreds of car enthusiasts and even those who might know next to nothing about antique cars. Watching the beautiful rare cars we don’t normally see on our streets certainly puts a smile on our face. What a delightful treat!

Local Man Founds Rebuild Altadena from the Ashes of Eaton Fire

5th January 20265th January 2026 / May S Ruiz / 1 Comment

Also published on 5 January 2026 on Hey SoCal

A view of the Eaton Fire on Washington Blvd. in north Pasadena. | Photo courtesy of Grigory Heaton/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Jan. 7, 2025, dawned bright, clear, and very windy in the San Gabriel Valley, with the mountain peaks clad in snow. Most Altadenans and Pasadenans went about their usual chores and workday despite the windstorm. But by the end of that fateful day the lives of several thousand people in these two towns would be upended.

According to news reports, shortly after 6 p.m., residents observed flames on a hillside in Eaton Canyon. While the fire itself was not large, 59 mph wind gusts pushed sparks across the canyon. The wind shifted the embers west into central Altadena and decimated a large swath of the unincorporated L.A. county area.

The Eaton Fire was the fifth deadliest and second most destructive wildfire in California’s history. Approximately 7,000 residential and commercial structures burned to the ground overnight, with 19 deaths reported. Most of the residents are still temporarily housed, residing in motels and extended-stay hotels in Pasadena and neighboring cities.

The Rose Bowl parking lot serves as the base for hundreds of firefighters. | Photo courtesy of Tom Stokesberry of the Forest Fire Service/Wikimedia Commons

An Altadena man, David Ly, and his family were among those who were displaced. He recalls the horrors they experienced.

“Jan. 7 started for us like a normal day,” says Ly. “We heard about a fire, but at first we didn’t think much of it. Fires happen, and you assume it’ll be contained. Later that day, my brother, who lives in the Highland Oaks area of Arcadia, called and said he could see the fire raging behind his house. He told us he was evacuating to our parents’ place and that we should do the same because the wind could turn at any moment. That’s when it became real and was truly one of the most traumatizing days of my life.”

“I remember going back on the morning of Jan. 8 thinking the fire was done because as I drove up Lake Avenue, everything seemed quiet,” Ly continues. “I had no idea I was literally driving into an area still burning. I saw homes on fire, and it was this surreal scene of memories literally disappearing. When I reached my own street, the power lines were down, and there was just this heavy sense of disbelief. I locked eyes with neighbors who were also there, and we just stood silently crying. By the time I got to where my house had been, it was all gone. You could still smell the smoke. I’ll never forget that feeling of seeing everything just, gone.”

Ly and his family proceeded to drive out to Dana Point that same day. Then they went to Phoenix to stay with family, to get some distance, and breathe. While it was a moment of disbelief and trauma, for him it was also when he began to realize how many others needed help. The past year had been a difficult journey, but it also gave him purpose — help others rebuild.

David Ly at one of the rebuild sites. | Photo courtesy of Rebuild Altadena

“Rebuild Altadena was born from the ashes of this fire, so we are not business as usual,” declares Ly. “Our focus is on rebuilding smarter and more fire-resilient, based on what this community has lived through. The concept behind it is rebuilding as a community. After the fire, it became clear that families were overwhelmed trying to navigate everything on their own — the County process, insurance, engineering, timelines, and rising construction costs.”

“We bring together a coordinated network of designers, engineers, and contractors who are focused almost entirely on Altadena,” Ly explains. “Just like our organization, their priority is helping this community rebuild – not chasing projects across Los Angeles. That’s where our Group Build approach comes in. It means our entire network is concentrated on the same area, working under the same County requirements and fire-rebuild conditions. By staying local, our partners are able to respond faster; keep pricing lower and more stable, even as tariffs and material costs fluctuate; reduce inefficiencies caused by labor shortages; share real-time knowledge from project to project; and move families through the rebuild process together. That level of coordination simply doesn’t happen when a contractor has job sites scattered across multiple cities.”

Rebuild Altadena uses bulk purchasing to protect homeowners from sudden cost spikes. By buying materials — including cabinets, tile, FirePoint plywood, HVAC systems, and lighting — in volume, the company can lock in pricing and reduce exposure to shortages and supply-chain disruptions.

“At the heart of everything we do is a neighbor-first philosophy,” emphasizes Ly. “Rebuild Altadena exists to make sure families who want to come home can do so with a rebuild that is reliable, locally built, transparent, and fire-resilient. This isn’t about shortcuts or volume — it’s about rebuilding Altadena smarter, safer, and with accountability that lasts long after construction is complete.”

The company is supported by a network of about 25 building professionals, comprised of contractors, designers, structural and civil engineers, surveyors, permit expeditors, and specialists in fire-hardening and resilient construction.

“We also have key staff members who bring deep lived experience and local leadership to the work,” Ly says. “One example is Steve Lamb, a fifth-generation Altadenan who lost his home in the Eaton Fire. Steve previously served on the Altadena Town Council and is a residential designer whose career has focused on historical preservation. His background reflects the values of this community — respecting Altadena’s architectural character while helping it rebuild stronger and safer. People like Steve don’t just contribute professional expertise; they carry the history, pride, and long-term vision of Altadena.”

David Ly and the Rebuild Altadena team. | Photo courtesy of Rebuild Altadena

“And our network continues to grow every day,” adds Ly. “More individuals and companies reach out because they want to help. They see the need, they believe in the mission, and they want to be part of rebuilding our town the right way.”

Since its founding, there have been four Rebuild Altadena Fairs, each growing dramatically as the community and industry partners have rallied behind the effort. Each Fair brings in 50 to 70 building professionals — architects, designers, engineers, builders, SBA representatives, county officials, material suppliers, and fire-hardening specialists. These events have drawn up to 2,000 attendees, making them one of the largest community rebuild gatherings in the region.

“When we first started, the goal was simple: give fire-affected families a place to meet architects,designers, the SBA, the County, and builders — all in one room, without barriers or confusion. But the Fairs have evolved into something much bigger,” Ly explains. “Our most recent event included: fire-hardening materials; 3D visual walkthroughs of rebuild designs; Vicon exterior fire-sprinkler demonstrations; a full Rebuild Zone where homeowners could see, feel, and compare real materials; windows and doors; tile and flooring options; roofing systems; lighting by Maison Enterprises; and other essential components of a resilient rebuild. It’s become a true one-stop experience where families can get educated, meet their teams, and touch the materials that will become their future homes. For many residents, the Fair is the first moment they feel clarity and hope again.”

The site gets ready for rebuilding. | Photo courtesy of Rebuild Altadena

Starting in the new year, one major Rebuild Altadena Fair every three months is being planned. These quarterly events allow Ly’s team to keep homeowners updated, introduce new technologies, and bring in additional experts as the rebuild landscape evolves.

“Families are still facing very complex concerns in the rebuild process, and these Fairs help address the biggest challenges we hear every day,” states Ly. “These include navigating the County process which is unfamiliar and stressful, especially for families who lost everything overnight. People are overwhelmed by engineering corrections, plan-check timelines, fire-zone requirements, inspections, knowing what to submit and when.”

“Additionally, homeowners are concerned about rising construction costs and insurance gaps,” Ly says further. “Many homeowners worry their insurance payout won’t cover today’s costs. They need guidance on budgeting, materials, and how to avoid unnecessary expenses.”

“Fire-hardening and long-term safety are also major concerns,” declares Ly. “Residents want to rebuild stronger but often don’t know which materials are best, what new codes require, and how exterior fire sprinklers, roofing, windows, doors, and siding work together. This is why we bring FirePoint sheathing, Vicon exterior fire sprinklers, and other fire-resilient products to the Fairs.”

“And then there are temporary housing pressures,” Ly cites. “Families are still paying rent out of pocket. Delays hurt not just emotionally but financially, creating urgency for clear timelines and dependable teams.”

The first fire-resilient rebuild.| Photo courtesy of Rebuild Altadena

“Another worry is knowing who to trust,” says Ly. “After a disaster, homeowners are approached by dozens of contractors and consultants. Many fear choosing the wrong people. Rebuild Altadena was created so residents have vetted, local professionals they can rely on. The quarterly Fairs give families a place to get answers, explore materials in person, meet trustworthy experts, and move forward with confidence.”

Out of roughly 4,500 single-family homes lost in the Eaton Fire, Ly estimates that about 60% to 70% of residents intend to rebuild, though everyone is moving at a different pace depending on insurance, finances, and the County process.

“Most families are still in the design, engineering, or plan-check stages, working through approvals and corrections,” Ly says. “A smaller number have reached construction. And we’re very proud that one of the very first rebuilds in Altadena is a Rebuild Altadena project. By the one-year anniversary of the fire, that home will be in painting and finishing stages.”

“Not only is it among the first to rise from the fire, it’s also the first home in the entire burn zone to use fire-resilient materials like FirePoint Sheathing, which is designed specifically to withstand extreme heat exposure,” Ly explains. “For many families, that home represents hope — a sign that rebuilding is possible, and that we can do it smarter and more resilient than before.”

Rebuild Altadena is currently supporting more than 30 homes in the design and planning phase, which includes architectural design, engineering, and county plan check.

The first Altadena Rebuild home is expected to be completed around the first anniversary of the Eaton Fire. | Photo courtesy of Rebuild Altadena

“On the construction side, two homes began construction in mid-December,” Ly says further. “We anticipate three additional homes breaking ground in the first half of January, assuming permitting and utility coordination stay on track. Aside from the first home that will be in finishing stages, the timelines for the other rebuilds vary based on lot conditions, design complexity, utilities, and fire-hardening requirements. For most projects, a realistic expectation is 12 to 18 months from permit issuance to completion.”

Ly is also rebuilding. And being one of the first rebuilds in Altadena comes with its own unique set of challenges, one that every family after him will face as well.

“For example, we’re dealing with major utility uncertainties,” Ly explains. “Southern California Edison still hasn’t confirmed whether they’re going overhead or underground with the new electrical system, which affects design, trenching, and timelines.”

“Because of new fire codes, many homes — including mine — now require interior fire sprinklers,” cites Ly. “That means a lot of families must upgrade their water meters, and one of our clients was quoted an astronomical price by the water company just to make that change. These are things no homeowner planned for.”

“And that’s why Rebuild Altadena has taken on a strong advocacy role,” Ly declares. “We’ve already helped the community win important battles: eliminating unfair fire hydrant flow test fees for each individual home; challenging cross-lot drainage requirements that didn’t make sense for wildfire survivors; pushing back on County fees and conditions that were originally designed for single new homes being built in an established neighborhood — not for a town where thousands of homes burned overnight.”

“We didn’t ask for this disaster,” asserts Ly. “We lost our homes, our stability, and in many ways our sense of place in a single night. Families should not be burdened with excessive fees and code upgrade costs that were never intended for a mass-rebuild situation. So yes, I’m rebuilding — but I’m also fighting every day for the families behind me, making sure the path gets a little clearer and a little fairer for all of us.”

Rendering of a future rebuild. | Photo courtesy of Rebuild Altadena

“Altadena is in a complicated place right now,” Ly says further. “There’s a mix of grief, frustration, determination, and hope all happening at once. Physically, many lots are still empty, and that can make it feel like time has stood still. Simultaneously, there’s real movement happening — plans being approved, foundations going in, and the first homes starting to rise. Progress is uneven, but it’s real.”

“Emotionally, people are tired,” laments Ly. “Many families are still displaced, paying rent, navigating insurance, and waiting on approvals. There’s frustration with the pace of utilities and permitting, and uncertainty about what comes next. But there’s also a strong sense of resolve. Neighbors are more connected than they were before the fire. People are sharing information, showing up for one another, and pushing for fair treatment together. You see it at community meetings, at the Rebuild Altadena Fairs, and even just on the street.”

An article in the Los Angeles Times in November 2025 featured the first house that was rebuilt after the Palisades Fire. The developer-owned showcase home, which was constructed within six months, was an advertisement of sorts for Thomas James Homes. The company has a library of home plans available for faster rebuilds and claims a rebuild typically takes 12 months.

Asked if this can be done in Altadena, Ly replies, “I saw that article, and it’s an impressive accomplishment. But comparing the Palisades rebuild to Altadena isn’t exactly apples to apples. In the Palisades example, the contractor rebuilt his own model home — a single property, on a standardized lot, with no insurance complications, and no displaced family depending on it. That allowed him to fast-track the process and present a ‘template’ home.”

The Rebuild Altadena office on Marengo Avenue in Pasadena. | Photo courtesy of Rebuild Alatdena

“But Altadena is different,” expounds Ly. “We pride ourselves on our diversity — our lots, our architecture, and our neighborhoods are not cookie-cutter. Many of us don’t want pre-designed, identical boxes placed across the community. People want to rebuild homes that reflect who they are, not a one-size-fits-all model. And with that individuality comes complexity: unique slopes and topography; older utility systems; unanswered questions from SCE about overhead vs. underground power; interior sprinkler requirements that force water meter upgrades; soils, drainage, and grading challenges; insurance delays; and County processes that were never designed to handle over 4,500 rebuilds at once.”

“So while it’s inspiring to see a house rebuilt in six months, making that promise in Altadena would be unrealistic — even irresponsible,” Ly continues. “False promises give families hope in the short term, but they cause real pain when they fall apart. What we are focused on is speed with integrity — rebuilding smarter, stronger, and with fire-resilient materials. Our goal is to eventually streamline to a point where 12-month rebuilds become achievable.”

What would success look like and what accomplishments does Ly envision for Rebuild Altadena?

“Success for Rebuild Altadena isn’t measured by how fast we rebuild homes,” states Ly. “It’s measured by whether families feel supported, empowered, and protected throughout one of the hardest experiences of their lives. Success is thousands of families back home, living in a safer, stronger, more unified Altadena. That’s what we’re fighting for every day.”

Very soon now, a Rebuild Altadena house will be completed. It will most probably be celebrated not only by the family that moves in, but by the thousands of other families who are still displaced. Each house that rises from the ashes of the Eaton Fire provides them with a glimmer of certainty that one day in the not-too-distant future they will be back — exhausted by the ordeal they’ve been through, but very happy to return to the town they call home.

Altadena Forever Run to Benefit Those Affected by the Eaton Fire

29th December 2025 / May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Also published on 29 December 2025 on Hey SoCal

Firefighters spray water from a hose during the Eaton Fire. | U.S. Forest Service photo taken by Capt. Jason Benton / Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The Eaton Fire of January 7, 2025 will be endlessly seared in the collective memories of the Pasadenans and Altadenans who experienced the largest blaze in the history of the San Gabriel Valley. Overnight 19 people died and 9,000 structures were reduced to ashes, among them 80 homes at Upper Hastings Ranch in Pasadena and over 4,500 in Altadena.

Large corporations and private citizens across the country responded immediately to the disaster – sending cash, food, personal items, and other basic necessities to the various collection sites that opened during the days following the fire.

All through the year, several non-profit organizations emerged in Altadena to continue to support those who were affected even as the rest of the country moved on to other important matters. Community leaders have worked ceaselessly to keep the momentum going and thought of ways to ensure we didn’t forget that thousands of Altadenans are still grappling with the aftermath.

Two individuals – Victoria Knapp and Ethan Marquez – are collaborating on an event to benefit those who were affected by the Eaton Fire. They are co-chairing the Altadena Forever Run which will be held at 8:00 am on Sunday, January 4, 2026 at the Mariposa Junction in Altadena.

Thousands of runners and community members will gather for a10K, 5K and 1K family run raising critical funds for residents still recovering from the Eaton Fire – including individuals and families who remain displaced, are living in vehicles, or are running out of short-term rental assistance.

Victoria Knapp is a longstanding Altadena community leader and organizer whose civic work has focused on connection, recovery, and purposeful engagement. A former Pasadenan, she made Altadena her home in 2011, where she spent the next 15 years deeply involved in community life. She played a central role in crisis communication and community coordination after the fire, helping residents navigate loss while fostering collaboration among neighbors, small businesses, and local organizations throughout the recovery period. She is a firm advocate for community-based initiatives that bring people together with purpose and meaning, including the Altadena Forever Run, which reflects her belief that shared action – like running together – can be a powerful force in healing and resilience.

Ethan Marquez is a 26-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department with a career spanning custody, patrol, training, and command assignments. He was on the scene during the Eaton Fire, playing a critical role in emergency response and community coordination. In August 2025, he was promoted to Captain of Altadena Station, where he continues to emphasize operational excellence, public safety, and community partnership. A dedicated endurance runner and philanthropist, he runs marathons while pushing his son in a wheelchair to raise awareness and funding for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research, using running as both advocacy and a deeply personal expression of service.

“The Altadena Forever Run is about honoring what we’ve lost, supporting those still recovering, and reaffirming our commitment to one another,” state Knapp and Marquez. “After the Eaton Fire, our community showed that resilience isn’t just about rebuilding homes, it’s about standing together, staying connected, and moving forward with purpose. This run reflects the heart of Altadena: strong, compassionate, and forever connected.”

The course passes through neighborhoods and foothill corridors impacted by the fire, featuring on-course storyboards that highlight survivor experiences and ongoing recovery efforts. Organizers say one of the most meaningful aspects of the event is the regional turnout, with runners traveling from across Southern California and beyond to stand in solidarity with Altadena residents.

Community leaders and first responders are expected to attend – including Robert Luna and Kathryn Barger. The Los Angeles Laker Girls will also be on site to cheer on runners and support the event atmosphere. The Altadena Forever Run is supported by corporate and community partners, including SoCalGas, GoFundMe, East West Bank, First City Credit Union, and Toyota of Pasadena.

Proceeds from the event directly support Altadena residents who continue to face housing instability and are seeking viable pathways to rebuild and return home. Although the emergency response has ended, many residents continue to recover in the long term with limited resources.

But through the tireless efforts of dedicated individuals and the support of the community, Altadenenas will get through this unfathomable tragedy and get back on their feet stronger than ever before.

Radical Histories: Chicano Prints from the Smithsonian American Art Museum Exhibit Opens at the Huntington

13th November 202514th November 2025 / May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Also published on 13 November 2025 on Hey SoCal

Installation photo courtesy of The Huntington

“Radical Histories: Chicano Prints from the Smithsonian American Art Museum,” makes its West Coast debut at The Huntington’s Marylou and George Boone Gallery from Nov. 16 to March 2. Curated by E. Carmen Ramos, forming acting chief curator and curator of Latinx art at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the exhibition features 60 dynamic works by nearly 40 artists and collectives that trace more than six decades of Chicano printing as a form of resistance, community building and cultural reclamation.

Commencing with the late 1960s Delano Grape Strike, the precursor to the United Farm Workers (UFW) labor union, the prints in “Radical Histories” depict momentous events in the history of community activism and the formation of collective identity. Chicano artists used silkscreens, posters, and offset prints to mobilize communities – often with barbed wit, lively colors, and evident urgency.

The exhibition is arranged in five thematic sections: “Together We Fight,” “¡Guerra No!” (No War!), “Violent Divisions,” “Rethinking América,” and “Changemakers.” Each section highlights how Chicano artists have used the accessible and reproducible medium of printmaking to confront injustice, affirm cultural identity, and engage in transformative storytelling.

Installation photo courtesy of The Huntington

Section 1: Together We Fight

The opening section explores how the UFW, cofounded by César Chávez and Dolores Huerta, collaborated with visual and performance artists to support the fight for farmworkers’ rights. Key labor actions inspired a wave of Chicano art that functioned as both political expression and tangible solidarity. Artists adopted the UFW’s iconic black eagle, embedding it in posters, prints, and murals that raised awareness and helped fund the movement. The union’s visual language extended beyond its own campaigns, appearing in advocacy materials for the Texas Farm Workers Union and the Cannery Workers Committee in Sacramento.

Section 2: ¡Guerra No! (No War!)

Since the 1960s, Chicano graphic art has played a vital role in advancing antiwar resistance. These works serve as rallying cries, counternarratives to mainstream media, and spaces of reflection. Chicano artists have used print and poster art to critically examine U.S. military interventions in Vietnam, El Salvador, Chile, Iraq, and elsewhere.

Section 3: Violent Divisions

The U.S.-Mexico border has been a central theme in Chicano art. Printmaking has enabled Chicano artists to raise awareness about the experiences of immigrant communities because it is affordable and prints are easily distributed. Recurring iconography – such as the monarch butterfly, a symbol of natural migration – challenges the notion of geopolitical boundaries. Figures like the Virgin of Guadalupe and ancient Mesoamerican goddesses appear as powerful cultural symbols.

Section 4: Rethinking América

This section presents works that broaden historical narratives by including perspectives rooted in resistance and cultural reclamation. The artists drew inspiration from revolutionary figures and movements to create narratives that center Mexican American and Indigenous perspectives. Using mapmaking and record forms like the ancient Mesoamerican codex, Chicano artists also created speculative past and present narratives to reimagine social landscapes.

Linda Zamora Lucero, América, 1986, screenprint on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Gilberto Cardenas and Dolores Garcia. | Photo courtesy of The Huntington

Section 5: Changemakers

Portraiture is a cornerstone of Chicano art, used to educate audiences and celebrate both cultural icons and overlooked figures. Artists often base their portraits on documentary photographs, transforming black-and-white images into vivid prints that honor the subject’s life and legacy. Featured changemakers include political prisoners, activist leaders, attorneys, actors, and artists—individuals who challenged the status quo and shaped history.

By email, Dennis Carr, Virginia Steele Scott Chief Curator of American art, and Angélica Becerra, Bradford and Christine Mishler Associate Curator of American Art – also the venue curators – discuss the exhibition’s origins, its relevance, and viewer takeaways.

“Radical Histories was organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum to highlight the central role Chicano artists have played in shaping American visual culture,” begins Carr. “The exhibition began touring nationally in 2022 following its debut at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and The Huntington is presenting its first West Coast exhibition.”

“While the core exhibition is drawn from SAAM’s collection, our presentation places particular emphasis on Los Angeles as a vital center of Chicano printmaking,” Carr clarifies. “To honor that history, The Huntington commissioned a new mural by Los Angeles–based artist Melissa Govea, created in collaboration with Self Help Graphics & Art, a community print studio that has supported Chicanx and Latinx artists since 1973.”

Melissa Govea’s mural. | Photo courtesy of The Huntington

“Through this partnership, we commissioned Melissa Govea, a Los Angeles–based artist who is Chicana and Purépecha,” explains Carr. “Govea began her career as a muralist and is known for work that honors community, ancestry, and cultural memory. Rather than giving her a specific direction, we invited her to respond to the themes of the exhibition. The result is a dedicated gallery featuring a new mural, a sculptural installation, and print-based works that together reflect multiple dimensions of her practice. This marks the first time her work has been presented in a museum context.

“Her mural, titled ‘Sangre Indígena’ (Indigenous Blood), draws on portraits of friends, collaborators, and cultural leaders who have shaped her life. The work recognizes the generations of artists, organizers, and knowledge-keepers who came before her, while affirming the presence, agency, and creativity of those shaping Los Angeles today.”

It would be an oversimplification to say how many works in the exhibition are from L.A. artists, as Becerra explains.

“Many artists in ‘Radical Histories’ have deep ties to Los Angeles, whether they lived, studied, printed, organized, or collaborated here. The most meaningful connection is through Self Help Graphics & Art, which offered open studio access, mentorship, and a collaborative printmaking environment to generations of Chicano and Latinx artists.

“Artists such as Barbara Carrasco and Ernesto Yerena Montejano continue to live and work in L.A., and their practices remain rooted in local community networks. So rather than thinking in terms of birthplace alone, it’s more accurate to say that Los Angeles is one of the central homes of Chicano printmaking, and the exhibition reflects that history.”

Asked if the exhibition has taken greater meaning now with ICE raids targeting Hispanic communities and looking Hispanic or Latino is enough to get one handcuffed and thrown into a detention camp, Becerra replies, “The themes in ‘Radical Histories’ are both longstanding and timely. Chicano printmakers have historically used posters and prints to address labor injustice, state violence, displacement, and the struggle for belonging – issues that continue to resonate today.”

Becerra says further, “What museums like The Huntington can offer is space: a place to look closely, process, reflect, and connect personal experience to shared history. These works remind us that art has always been a tool of community care and resistance.”

As for the viewer takeway, Carr states, “We hope visitors come away with a deeper understanding of how Chicano artists have used printmaking to organize, to tell stories, to build community, and to assert cultural identity. And we hope they see that art is not separate from daily life – it is a tool for resilience and collective meaning-making.”

“In addition to the exhibition itself, The Huntington will host public programs, bilingual gallery talks, and hands-on workshops in collaboration with local artists and partners,” adds Carr. “A major highlight will be Historias Radicales: Latinx Identity and History in Southern California, a two-day conference on December 5–6, connecting the exhibition to The Huntington’s co

Norton Simon Museum Celebrates 50th Anniversary

20th October 202523rd October 2025 / May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Also published on 20 October 2025 on Hey SoCal

Jan Brueghel the Younger. Flowers in a Gilt Tazza, c. 1620. | Photo courtesy of The Norton Simon Foundation

October 24, 2025 marks the 50^th anniversary when the Pasadena Art Museum was renamed Norton Simon Museum. It is only fitting then that 50 years to the day, the museum will debut the exhibition called “Gold: Enduring Power, Sacred Craft.” On view in the lower level exhibition wing through February 16, 2026, it explores the artistic and cultural function of gold in 57 objects drawn from the museum’s American and European and South and Southeast Asian collections.

The objects in this exhibition were crafted from metal excavated from mines across three continents and transported over vast regions, often in the form of currency. In the hands of trained craftspeople, this processed gold was transformed into jewelry that adorned Roman patrician women or spun into thread that was then woven into textiles for elite patrons in Europe and Asia.

Co-curated by Maggie Bell, Norton Simon Museum’s associate curator, and Lakshika Senarath Gamage, assistant curator, “Gold: Enduring Power, Sacred Craft” being the exhibition during the 50^th anniversary celebration came about serendipitously. They had been contemplating to collaborate on an exhibition that would bring the Asian collection and the American and European collection together. When they began this project two years ago, they realized there was a common element in the artwork they were looking at.

Rembrandt van Rijn, The Goldweigher, 1639. | Photo courtesy of The Norton Simon Foundation

“As we were looking at the objects in our collections, a theme emerged and we realized we talk about gold across mediums – tapestries, sculptures, painting, works on paper – as an opportunity to get to know and celebrate the collection,” Bell begins. “We systematically went through all the objects that had gold as a medium. At the same time we started thinking about the way gold as a metal interacted with other medium and also what gold means symbolically, even to representations of gold in thread or in paint. There are so many ways to approach this subject. There are things in the exhibition which don’t actually have gold in them but evoke ideas and associations with gold.”

Later in the process they realized the exhibition they had been planning was going to be completed around the same time as the museum’s 50^th anniversary celebration. And it was a happy coincidence because the milestone is traditionally symbolized by gold.

“With the story we wanted to tell together, we started with about 200 possible objects,” continues Bell. “We got to know these objects and started doing research. And one of the best things that happened in the process is that I learned so much from Lakshika about her collection and the stories and themes that we can tell together. In conversation with each other and through research we narrowed them down. There were only a certain number of objects that would tell that story clearly and we consolidated them to the 57 that visitors will see in the exhibition.”

“We want to explore gold as a medium but also as an idea,” Bell states. “We want to show the ways in which gold as a material physically does endure for millennia, hence the title. Also, it has a grasp on our imagination globally; visitors will see in the geographical range of these objects that gold really has so much power as a medium.”

Gerard David, The Coronation of the Virgin, Maria in Sole, c. 1515. | Photo courtesy of The Norton Simon Foundation

The exhibition is divided into three themes: power, devotion, and adornment. The 57 objects represent about 17 countries across four continents, spanning from 1000 BCE to the 20^th century.

“Through these works we explore how gold traveled across land and sea, how it was crafted, and how it has been imbued with special meaning, particularly with devotion,” explains Gamage. “This is possibly the first time South and Southeast Asian art are displayed together with American and European collection in the special exhibitions galleries. I do want to emphasize that this is not a comprehensive picture of gold because we are drawing solely from the Norton Simon Museum collection and these objects were mostly sourced by Norton Simon himself.”

Museumgoers will find a clean, front-facing plan and objects displayed on tables in the center instead of against the wall. The first gallery focuses on power, the second on devotion, and the third contains jewelry and the smallest objects. Interior walls and display stands are painted red, inspired by a lot of the images in the space. The lighting will be different in each gallery.

Asia: China, Tibet, Headdress, 20th century. Gold Metal with semiprecious stones. | Photo courtesy of The Norton Simon Foundation

Gamage elaborates, “Visitors won’t see any artwork on the peripheral walls and it’s a deliberate design choice to give prominence to the objects. Maggie and I worked very closely with the designers to create an exhibition that felt meaningful to visitors. The layout allows them to create their own pathways and gives them the freedom as they walk around to see these connections with their own eyes. And rather than separating them into just Asian and European, we wanted the objects to have interesting sightlines so visitors can see Asian objects visually interacting with American and European objects. That highlights function and meaning, whereas a division by geography and time loses those meaningful trajectories.”

A map at the entrance indicates where the objects originated and where the gold came from. In the first gallery, the very first object visitors will see is a bovine sculpture from 18^th century China.

Asia: China, Tibet; Asia, Nepal, Bovine, 18th-19th century. Gilt-copper alloy. | Photo courtesy of The Norton Simon Foundation

“We chose this because it is associated with strength, power, and resilience, and possibly tied to ancient Chinese feng shui tradition,” explains Gamage. “The function is not exactly known because not much research has been done about this object. The practice itself remains unclear but the charging bull has long been viewed as an auspicious symbol of prosperity and abundance.”

One of the foremost European objects in the first gallery that addresses the power of gold – both as an economic material as well as a symbolic medium – is a portrait of Sir Bryan Tuke, who was appointed treasurer and secretary of Henry VIII’s royal household in 1528.

“This is a copy after a painting by Hans Holbein the Younger, a German artist primarily for the court of Henry VIII,” Bell describes. “Holbein was both a painter and a jeweler and was renowned for designing jewelry for Henry VIII and his wives, and incorporating those designs into the portraits he did of the people in Henry VIII’s court. Because Holbein was a 16^th century artist and this was done in the 17^th century, it’s possible that Tuke’s descendants commissioned the new portrait to hang in their home as a reminder of their own connections to the Court of Henry VIII in the previous century.”

Hans Holbein the Younger, Portrait of Sir Bryan Tuke, c. 1527. | Photo courtesy of The Norton Simon Foundation

“It’s very true to the original Holbein portrait especially in the way that the cross jewelry is hanging around Bryan Tuke’s shoulders,” explains Bell. “It’s very conceivable that Tuke designed this hefty gold cross himself. I really like this image because a treasurer gets the economic power of gold; it also has an interesting symbolism around the use of gold in this portrait. When this was painted Tuke had just recovered from a really serious illness. It has additional meaning because gold was associated with longevity and good health since it never tarnished.”

In the second gallery, objects on devotion and the sacred role of gold in making art are displayed.

“It was a really fascinating theme to think through with Lakshika because gold has different meanings in Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism that is very complex,” Bell declares. “For example, in the Christian tradition, gold is incorporated into images of religious figures as a way to honor them. But it also becomes a bit tricky because poverty is such an ideal in Christianity, so integrating gold undermines the value of poverty as a Christian virtue.

“But in Buddhism, there is the tradition of genuine sacrifice that comes from giving gold as a gift. It was really interesting to think through those ideas with Lakshika in terms of using gold to craft religious images and the different symbolic and devotional implications that they have.”

Workshop of Cornelis Engebrechtsz, The Adoration of the Magi, c. 1520. | Photo courtesy of The Norton Simon Foundation

One of the first European displays in the second gallery is a painting called “The Adoration of the Magi.” It is a scene showing the three kings who traveled from the four known corners of the world – Asia, Europe, and Africa – to honor the Son of God with extravagant gifts of frankincense, myrrh, and gold..

“What I found interesting that I didn’t realize, is that in a lot of these images from the 16^th and 17^th century, Christ is shown interacting with this pot of gold,” says Bell. “I find that thought-provoking because, at the same time. the Holy Family was also honored for their poverty. Christ was born in a manger, surrounded by farm animals but he was being honored with gold and he’s reaching out for the gold, and in some paintings even holding the gold coin.”

A South Asian object in the second gallery is the sculpture of Indra – the Hindu god of storms, thunder, and lightning, and was historically the king of gods.

Asia: Nepal, Indra, 13th century. Gilt bronze. | Photo courtesy of The Norton Simon Foundation

Gamage states, “Indra is in this particular posture called the ‘Royal Ease.’ He wears a very distinctive Nepalese crown and he also has a horizontal third eye that clearly tells us that this is the god Indra. There are various ceremonies that are very specific to the veneration of Indra, particularly in the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal.”

In the third gallery, called adornment, objects are mostly jewelry. The one object from the Asian collection is a bracelet made of pure gold dated 1000 BCE – the oldest object in the exhibition. It is from the Uragu Kingdom, which is modern Turkey, Armenia, and part of Iraq.

Asia: Urartu, Bracelet with Animal Head Terminals, c. 1000 BC. Gold. | Photo courtesy of The Norton Simon Foundation

“We have an eclectic group of ancient European objects,” enthuses Bell. “There are two Egyptian cats that we’re really excited about. These were on trend for collectors in the 1960s. We have figurines of various goddesses decorated in gold in someone’s home as talismans. We have this fantastic pair of earrings which are hollow inside but made of pure gold. They’re beautiful! It’s a testament to the power of gold – it doesn’t tarnish even after millennia. We were desperately trying to find photos of Jennifer Jones, Norton Simon’s second wife, wearing these to some events. But we have not been able to verify this.”

Europe: Roman, Pair of Earrings, 3rd century CE. Gold. | Photo courtesy of The Norton Simon Foundation

The Gold exhibition will feature four technical stations, created by the museum’s conservator, behind the two large tapestries. Bell expounds on the reason for this.

“We’re thinking about gold as a material and we had no idea about the many ways gold can be manipulated to become ink, paint, thread, leaf, or something you can melt. There are so many things you can do with gold. It’s alchemical in a real sense. We kind of condensed them into these four major techniques that you see throughout the show: gold leaf on painted wood panel, gold threads, gold paint, and gilded cast metal – which is the majority of the work that Lakshika is displaying from the South and Southeast Asian collection. So we’re very grateful to our conservator and we hope they will enhance the exhibition experience for our visitors.”

Giovanni di Paolo, Branchini Madonna, 1427. Tempera and gold leaf on panel. | Photo courtesy of The Norton Simon Foundation

Asked if they learned something when they worked on the exhibition they didn’t know before, Bell replies, “Training our eyes to recognize the different techniques was a skill I didn’t have before. That was something we acquired through looking at objects to get a sense of ways that gold paint or gold leaf could be applied. And also, just understanding the complexity of gold as the material resource in the world. What’s it meant to get from a mine or a river into the hands of the artist is extraordinarily difficult to understand, and I was very humbled by that research.”

Gamage echoes Bell’s sentiment “One of the most interesting things I learned is a very deep appreciation for those artists who used gold in magical ways we would never even have imagined. For example, to see how gold was coiled and wrapped around another thread and how it was used in a tapestry, cut silk embroidery; or in painting as gold leaf. Today, we have this state-of-the-art technology and are capable of so many modern and technological marvels. But to know that humans were capable of such intricate and extraordinary artistry was deeply humbling, to mimic Maggie’s words. That level of technical expertise and finesse they had – and that they did by hand – is something that still amazes me.”

Rendering of the Norton Simon Museum’s main entrance and pedestrian walkway. | Image courtesy of ARG and SWA

The Norton Simon Museum’s 50^th anniversary celebration will include a community weekend, which is free to the public, to be held on November 7, 8, and 9. There will be exhibitions, various activities, live music, and the unveiling of the improvement project.

A book called “Recollections: Stories from the Norton Simon Museum” is also available for purchase. A fascinating read, it contains essays penned by former and current staff about some of the paintings, sculptures, and artworks in the museum’s holdings.

In the book’s introduction, Emily Talbot, Vice President of Collections and Chief Curator, recalls the museum’s history. Maggie Bell traces Tiepolo’s “Allegory of Virtue and Nobility’s” acquisition and journey to Pasadena. Talbot lets us in on the little-known friendship between Norton Simon and abstract expressionist artist Helen Frankenthaler. Dana Reeb’s essay informs us Simon amassed one of the largest and most important Goya print collections in the world. Likewise, Lakshika Senarath Gamage reveals how Simon assembled the largest body of Chola period bronzes that allowed him to wield the most influence in this area of the art market.

Recollections. | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Hey SoCal

Rachel Daphne Weiss explores the collaborative purchase of Poussin’s “The Holy Family with the Infant St. John the Baptist and St. Elizabeth” between Simon and the Getty. Leslie Denk writes about Cary Grant’s gift to the museum of Diego Rivera’s painting “The Flower Vendor.” Gloria Williams Sander gives us an insider look at how the right frames present paintings to their best effect. Bell’s second essay sheds light on how the West Coast exhibition “Radical P.A.S.T.: Contemporary Art and Music in Pasadena, 1960-1974” explored Pasadena’s role as a generative hotbed of contemporary art. John Griswold, Head of Conservation and Installation, discusses the museum’s collaborative approach to conservation.

Gloria Williams Sander reflects on the moment Photography became accepted in the art world as a medium worthy of collecting and exhibiting. Alexandra Kaczenski uncovers the legacy of Printmaking in Los Angeles. Gamage’s second essay examines Architect Frank Gehry and Los Angeles County Museum of Art Curator Pratapaditya Pal’s vision for the Asian galleries and the arrangement of the objects displayed within. The last essay by Griswold and Talbot talks about the Norton Simon Museum’s loan exchange program, which gives museumgoers the opportunity to view significant artworks from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Musée d’Orsay.

Norton Simon’s extraordinary art collection has been a Pasadena treasure since its founding. It has magnificently lived up to the purpose Simon envisioned when he assembled one of the finest European and South and Southeast Asian masterpieces in the world. In the capable hands of the museum’s stewards and curators, Simon’s legacy will continue to enrich our lives and flourish well into the next 50 years.

Day One’s Resiliency Studio Hosts Altadena Community Brunch

1st October 20258th October 2025 / May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Also published on 1 October 2025

A brunch attendee shows off her handiwork. | Photo courtesy of Day One

Day One, a non-profit organization in Pasadena, held an Altadena Community Brunch and DIY Workshops for Recovery and Sustainable Living on Sunday, September 28. Hosted by its Resiliency Studio, the event took place from 11 am to 2 pm at the Day One Lawn on 175 N. Euclid Avenue in Pasadena.

One of the many associations in the Eaton Fire Collaborative working together to support families affected by the fire, Day One focuses on youth empowerment, healthy cities, and policy development. Local government assistance also comes in various ways – including opportunities to collaborate on community events and initiatives.

This past Sunday’s Resiliency Studio Brunch and DIY Workshops was a free, family friendly event that combined a community connection through food with hands-on workshops that support recovery and sustainable living following the Eaton Fire.

Bicycle repair demonstration. | Photo courtesy of Day One

Workshops included: bike care and repair for affordable, eco-friendly mobility; composting and soil health to restore land and grow food after fire; healthy cooking with energy-efficient appliances; DIY rain gardens and rain capture systems; wildlife-friendly landscaping with native plants and birdhouse building. But the event was about more than skills – it’s about neighbors coming together to rebuild stronger, healthier, and more resilient.

“The Resiliency Studio began as a vision for a hub where families could learn about sustainability,” explained Nancy Verdin, Day One’s Director of Environmental Education and Engagement. “In the aftermath of the Eaton Fire, we reimagined how this hub could directly support families in rebuilding with sustainable strategies.”

Verdin said further, “The workshops are led by a mix of community partners (such as Community Compound, Crop Swap LA, Pulse Arts, Altadena Farmers Market), Day One staff with expertise in advocacy, public health policy and community engagement, and skilled volunteers such as bike mechanics. Together, they bring a diverse range of knowledge and experience to support our community.“

Birdhouse building. | Photo courtesy of Day One

According to Verdin, Day One has 30 years of experience working alongside residents, young people, elected officials, and other stakeholders to strengthen and build healthy, vibrant communities by advancing public health, advocating for public policies, meaningfully engaging youth, and igniting community-level and behavioral change. Comprised of a team of 24 employees, the organization is primarily grant-funded through local, state, and federal sources.

“Our programming focuses on public health, youth leadership, community engagement, and advocacy,” Verdin emphasized. “We offer youth leadership programs, provide drug prevention and education, and lead local efforts in transportation and environmental policy. Our Resiliency Studio events, however, bring together fire-impacted families as well as other local residents who want to learn more about sustainable rebuilding and recovery. Attendees come from both Pasadena and surrounding communities. We want participants to leave knowing that sustainability is tangible and within reach. As families rebuild, we hope to inspire them to imagine and implement sustainable solutions that strengthen resilience for the future.”

“The Legacy Project Resiliency Studio Brunch was a meaningful day for our community,” declared Verdin. “Families and partners came together for hands-on workshops and resources provided by Altadena Farmers Market, Crop Swap LA, Pulse Art, Community Compound, and Oak Tree Comics, alongside our dedicated Day One staff and volunteers. Activities included bike repair, composting, cooking, native plants, and birdhouse-making, each designed to give families practical tools and strategies for sustainable rebuilding.”

“This work was supported by U.S. Greenbuild, who provided the seed funding that helped us create the Resiliency Studio,” Verdin said. “That effort has now evolved into the Collaboratory, a broader vision that brings together many organizations dedicated to supporting fire-impacted families with long-term recovery resources. With the generous contribution from Lowe’s, we are now able to provide tangible tools that will remain available to the community as they continue rebuilding.”

“It was a powerful reminder that resilience is built not only through tools and resources, but also through partnerships and community connection,” concluded Verdin.

Last Sunday’s brunch was quite a success! It would be gratifying for the Day One team if a good number of people came away encouraged by the connections they made and buoyed by the skills they gained. How heartening it would be if they left with renewed confidence that the resolve and spirit of Altadenans have not been scorched by the fire and that they w

Library Foundation of Los Angeles Launches ALOUD Fall 2025 Season

15th September 2025 / May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Also published on 15 September 2025 on Hey SoCal

Jessica Strand. | Photo courtesy of the Library Foundation of Los Angeles

The Library Foundation of Los Angeles’s (LFLA) ALOUD Series returns this fall with a slate of timely conversations and urgent questions shaping our world today. Prominent creatives, cultural critics, and writers will discuss themes that include the rise of authoritarianism to the politics of tech platforms, and examine Black female friendship, queer joy, and new works by literary icons. These talks – some of which are free to the public – will take place at the Mark Taper Auditorium at the Central Library in Los Angeles at 7 pm from September 18 through December 10.

Distinguished political journalist and New York Times bestselling author Ben Rhodes opens the season that showcases vital new works by National Book Award finalist Angeles Flournoy, transgender artist and activist Tourmaline, acclaimed writer Susan Orlean, award-winning novelist Gish Jen, James Baldwin scholar Nicholas Burges, and legal scholar and tech policy expert Tim Wu.

Guest moderators and conversation partners include the new Executive Director of the ACLU of Southern California Chandra S. Bhatnagar. Emmy-award winning writers and actors Lena Waithe, Issa Rae, and Ashley Nicole Black, and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner who will be joined by a cast of notable actors.

Image courtesy of Library Foundation of Los Angeles

The season closes on a mirthful note with a pair of enjoyable programs featuring NY Times Cooking recipe creator and Cookies author Vaughn Vreeland and a special evening with lead puzzle editor at the NY Times Games Joel Fagliano and guests to mark the release of Puzzle Mania!

Selecting the themes for these discussions rests on LFLA’s senior director of programing and strategic engagement Jessica Strand. To shape the series, she partnered with the ACLU of Southern California and the New York Times for a balanced line-up aligned with the organization’s mission.

With her literary pedigree, East Coast credentials, and engagement with L.A.’s civic life, Strand is perfectly suited for the role. Her father was the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mark Strand; she has authored ten cookbooks and previously ran the Books at Noon series for the New York Public Library.

From left: Jessica Strand, Genevieve Ko, Emily Weinstein, and Eric Kim. | Photo courtesy of the Library Foundation of Los Angeles

Given her father’s fame, it’s easy to imagine Strand having had an extraordinary childhood – her family hosting salons with plenty of cerebral exchange and lively discourse in their living room.

“I did grow up around lots of well-known writers, poets, and visual artists,” reveals Strand. “My parents were divorced when I was nine years old, so the largest chunks of time I spent with my father were during summers in far-off places. I wasn’t aware of it being special or different than other people’s childhoods since I had nothing to compare it to.”

Asked why she decided to author lifestyle books rather than literary ones, Strand replies. “I did try my hand at a novel many years ago which made the rounds but didn’t make it to print. But I put together a couple of anthologies: one of my literary programming at the Strand Book Store that Norton published and the other was a small, sweet, illustrated collection of love poems by poets over the ages which Chronicle Books published. I’m thinking my way through a project that I’m hoping to start writing in the coming months – a kind of autofiction piece about my crazy family.”

From left: Michael Chin, Ocean Vuong, Tanya Mosley, and Jessica Strand. | Photo courtesy of the Library Foundation of Los Angeles

A confirmed bibliophile, she reads to be informed and entertained and usually several books simultaneously. “I wish I had more time to read novels than I do,” says Strand. “I have lots of books going at once and try to listen in my car as well. I also read The New York Review of Books and The New Yorker. I often find a kernel of something in them that inspires an idea for a program. Though I finished it, the new Ocean Vuong still sits on my nightstand next to ‘Glitz, Glam and a Damn Good Time’ – a zany book about Mamie Fish, one of the queens of the Gilded Age.”

While Strand had to relocate to L.A. when she accepted the position at LFLA, she isn’t a stranger to the city. But that’s not to say that there weren’t some things to adapt to.

“I lived in Los Angeles for 10 years before moving to New York,” Strand discloses. “I largely grew up in New York City but have had a bicoastal life. When my mother got very ill, I felt it was time to come back to the West Coast. It was an easy move because I had a whole group of friends here already.”

“The biggest adjustment was the attitude toward culture – in New York, people reside right in the heart of the city and are willing to live modestly to be part of everything going on,” confesses Strand. “You’re expected to have seen exhibits, read certain books, gone to plays, etc. Los Angeles is full of wonderful cultural things to do but there is no expectation to participate. Here it’s about lifestyle and the outdoors; culture is part of the landscape but not an essential facet of everyone’s existence.”

Library Foundation of Los Angeles President and CEO Stacy Lieberman with author Walter Mosley.| Photo courtesy of Library Foundation of Los Angeles

Strand’s initial concept when she first came to LFLA was to do literary programs then branch out into current events and social justice-related topics and people. To that end, she expanded the Library Foundation’s ALOUD series which was created in 1992 as a live conversation with authors.

“My predecessor is responsible for creating the author series that put ALOUD on the map,” Strand clarifies. “I’ve altered it in the last seven years to include thematic programs, several Revues (more cabaret than conversation), and ALOUD in Community where we work with a curator or artist on a series for the Library. Together, we choose three to four branches to host the programs, with ALOUD’s financial and administrative support.

“Cultural programming can’t rest on a literary series anymore. Those are everywhere –several for-profit series exist in Los Angeles, and bookstores host them. ALOUD tries to present different types of series under one umbrella, so we can remain relevant and a bit different. We’re also 90 percent free. When we do charge, we sell the book, and the ticket price is never more than $10 to $12 above the book price – only to cover venue costs.”

Exterior of the Central Library in Los Angeles. | Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Public Library

ALOUD sets itself apart from other library series. Strand points out, “We’re different in that we present very high-level programming you’d usually have to pay for elsewhere. We also conceived a program called a ‘Night at the Library.’ It’s an event our small team, together with terrific partners, staged last February. From 8 p.m. to midnight, we welcomed 3,000 people into the Central Library, where more than 240 artists were performing, creating, and making throughout the building. The LA Phil performed an experimental opera on the escalators, BodyTraffic performed in the Central Library’s rotunda. We’re planning to do it again this year and opening more of the library.”

The topics explored in the ALOUD series aren’t based on personal whim. Strand explains, “I respond to what is going on around me. This includes local and world politics, trends in culture and literature, and ideas that are being discussed. I have a wonderful team – Tiffany Colli-Moon and Jorge Martinez – who both share their ideas and thoughts, and as a group we discuss what we think we should pursue in terms of talent.”

ALOUD’s fall 2025 line-up covers diverse and wide-ranging subjects – some of which are quite weighty, and others are lighthearted. It is an intentional blend of serious and cheerful topics.

“I went from heavy and important to something lighter and completely fun for the holiday season,” emphasizes Strand. “I am a strong believer in mixing up the programming. No one can tolerate a full diet of anything. I want our audience wanting to come back. The hope is to keep people engaged and interested by moving from different topic genres and production styles.”

Strand describes how she selects who will talk with the authors in the series. “Several things can happen. Often, the speaker has someone they’d like to be in conversation with – and if this person is a close friend, it usually makes for a terrific chat. Sometimes, I think about the person’s work and who has done something that may be similar in style or subject matter. Other times, it’s about influence – maybe the two speakers were heavily influenced by the same person. Pairing is a complicated game and is part feel, part knowledge, and part what would be off-beat and fun.”

There isn’t a typical audience size and it’s difficult to say which topics attract more people.

“The audience fluctuated last season from around 80 to 900,” Strand states. “The size depends on the popularity of the person presenting. Name recognition, together with publicity, makes for a popular show. There is no subject that is more popular than another; it’s all personality-driven. ALOUD might present an incredible novelist who has published numerous books and has been translated into multiple languages, but they’re not part of the pop culture machine at the moment. So it may pull a smaller audience while someone who has less experience in the book world but is active on social media draws a robust crowd.”

ALOUD audience showing off book. | Photo courtesy of the Library Foundation of Los Angeles

It’s impossible for Strand to single out one engaging and memorable ALOUD discussion since she took over the programming at LFLA. Says Strand, “That’s like naming a favorite child, which I can’t do. But I can tell you what makes me most happy after a program. First, if the audience is engaged, reacting in real time, completely taken with the discussion

Much thought and deliberation go into each ALOUD show. Strand and her team ensure that both the presenters and audience take away something rewarding from the experience. And they don’t want to deliver an unforgettable discussion; they aspire to provide the impetus for community involvement.

Pasadena Author Delves into One of California’s Last Public Hangings

4th September 202517th September 2025 / May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Also published on 3 September 2025 on Hey SoCal

Image courtesy of M. G. Rawls

Public executions aren’t exactly pleasant subjects to write a book about. But for M.G. Rawls, a retired Pasadena lawyer and author of the young adult fantasy trilogy “The Sorts of Pasadena Hollow,” it was a compelling topic that had captivated her for decades. Rawls’s great-great-grandfather, James Madison Anderson, was the El Dorado County sheriff who carried out one of the last public hangings in California towards the end of the 1880s. For years, the thought that an injustice might have been done weighed heavily on him.

In her book “Hanging Justice,” scheduled to publish in October, Rawls delves into this event and gives readers an intimate look at the victim, the killers, the crime, and the hangings. She chronicles the details of the case and then reaches her own conclusions about this long-forgotten and rarely discussed episode in Placerville’s past. She will give an author book talk sponsored by the El Dorado Historical Society on Friday, October 17 from 6 to 7:30 pm at the Morning Star Lodge (also known as the Odd Fellows Lodge) in Placerville.

Based on newspaper articles at the time, a reputedly wealthy farmer John Lowell was murdered on March 24, 1888 during a robbery at his ranch near Mormon Island in El Dorado County. Three men were convicted of first degree murder – John Henry Meyers, a 27-year-old immigrant from Germany; John Olsen, a 24-year-old Norwegian native immigrant; and William Drager, a 41-year-old immigrant from Germany.

Meyers was hanged on November 30, 1888, but Olsen and Drager’s execution on the same day was stayed pending appeal. Coverage of the arrests, trial, and hangings was a local sensation. Dozens of newspaper articles ranging from the Sacramento Bee to the San Francisco Examiner recounted the gory details. Hundreds of spectators observed Meyer’s hanging, that gave it a circus-like atmosphere.

Olsen and Drager – who steadfastly claimed throughout the trial that they weren’t involved in the plot to kill Lowell – were hanged on October 16, 1889. Sheriff Anderson limited the observers to the minimum required by law and had canvas draped over the courtyard to keep out as many prying eyes as possible.

The Placerville Wagon Trail Event in 2023. | Photo courtesy of ‘Save the Graves’

Hangings were not uncommon in the United States back then; Placerville had been referred to as “hangtown” since the Gold Rush days. However, Olsen and Drager’s sentence galvanized the whole town into action because Placerville residents felt they had not been complicit in the murder, and the death penalty was too harsh for their actual crime.

Over 425 townspeople – including the district attorney who prosecuted the case, the sheriff, and nine of the 12 jurors – signed a petition requesting the sentence be reduced to life imprisonment.

The men had been model prisoners and were ready to accept their fate. Moreover, the victim – John Lowell – allegedly was of dubious character, having made many enemies and was himself accused of murder just a couple of years before. Olsen and Drager’s attorneys worked diligently to save them, even hand-delivering the petition and request for a pardon to Governor Waterman in Sacramento. Still, the petition was rejected, and the pardon turned down. For a long time, the townspeople wondered whether Olsen and Drager should have been executed.

Rawls’s grandmother had previously written about this event; but she was determined to find out more. She scoured through hundreds of old newspapers online and did extensive research at the Huntington Library in San Marino, the El Dorado Historical Society, the Center for Sacramento History, and the California State Archives. She traveled to Auburn, New Hampshire, to look at family documents and photos that her aunt and uncle have meticulously preserved.

By email, Rawls talks about what made her author “Hanging Justice,” what she learned from her exhaustive investigation, and the reader takeaway.

Model clipper ship ‘the Mountain Queen”. | Photo courtesy of M.G. Rawls

“In 1970, my grandmother wrote a community college paper about the last hangings in El Dorado County in 1888 and 1889 for which she got a B+,” recounts Rawls. “She’d played with a small model clipper ship called the Mountain Queen, crafted by two of the three hanged men while they were in jail. Sailors by trade, the two men made the miniature ship for her grandfather, my great-great-grandfather, Sheriff James Madison Anderson. It was their way of thanking him for taking care of them while their appeals were pending. They looked up to him like a father, yet he would be the one to hang them. My grandmother gave me the Mountain Queen, and I display it on a table in our living room as a relic of the event.”

It would take a while, though, before Rawls started writing the book. She discloses, “I’d had the story in my head for years, as I’m guessing many writers do, but didn’t start in earnest until about four years ago, just after I’d finished writing the third book in a young adult fiction shape-shifting trilogy – a series which combined my love for the local animals with California history. It was a natural transition for me since I love history and had experience doing research with my fiction books.”

Asked if the event haunted her family, Rawls replies, “I know that Sheriff Anderson and Marcus Bennett were emotionally torn about the executions of two of the men. Both felt that these men should have received a life sentence instead of death. Other than that, except for my grandmother, who was probably more intrigued than haunted, I don’t know what the rest of my family thought. But for the model clipper ship and my grandmother’s college paper, it is doubtful this story would have survived.”

Sheriff James Madison Anderson. | Photo courtesy of M. G. Rawls

In the course of her investigation, Rawls learned a few things that she hadn’t previously known and unearthed some personally meaningful finds.

“I knew that my great-great-grandfather, James Madison Anderson, was sheriff of El Dorado County from 1886 to 1890, so I was aware that he was generally in charge of the men,” states Rawls. “Still, I didn’t fully understand his specific role in the hangings until I read the contemporary newspaper accounts. Furthermore, until I started researching, I didn’t grasp that it was my great-uncle, Marcus Percival Bennett, Sheriff Anderson’s son-in-law, who was the district attorney prosecuting the case. I can only imagine the discussions that the two men must have had over the trial and hangings.”

“There were many surprising discoveries, made possible through the numerous institutions that I visited, family members who opened up their collections, and the hundreds of newspapers I pored over online,” Rawls continues. “I learned that the ‘victim,’ farmer and rancher John Lowell, was hated by many, and there were probably dozens who wanted to see him dead. But of course, you take your victim as you find him. I also learned that the State of California keeps all the files in death penalty cases and that anyone can access them in person through the California State Archives.”

“And lucky for me, despite a fire that burned down the El Dorado County courthouse in 1910, the El Dorado County Historical Museum had the preliminary examination records and original exhibits” adds Rawls. “While most of the records at the museum were in cursive and at times challenging to read, nonetheless, holding these documents, I found myself transported back to the period.”

The iconic Placerville Bell Tower. | Photo courtesy of M.G. Rawls

The fantasy novels Rawls previously penned flexed her imagination and creative thinking. Writing a historical non-fiction, it seems, proved to be an adventure that was just as fun and pleasurable for her.

“While I did a lot of research for my fiction books, ‘Hanging Justice’ necessarily required exponentially more,” Rawls reveals. “Still, the research institutions and historical places visited and friends made along the way more than made up for the time spent. Plus, I like researching. For me, it’s detective work – with bits and pieces in various sources to be put together like a puzzle.”

Although that’s not to say that it was without its challenges. Declares Rawls, “This is my first non-fiction book, so accuracy was necessary. Besides, while it’s unconventional, I was determined to use footnotes instead of endnotes so the reader wouldn’t have to keep turning to the back. I’ve tried to make the story interesting, too.”

Writing “Hanging Justice” was a revelatory experience for Rawls as well.

“Placerville is known as ‘Hangtown’ for the vigilante-driven hangings that occurred during the gold rush period, starting in 1849, after the discovery of gold by James W. Marshall in nearby Coloma, California, the previous year,” Rawls explains. “’Hanging Justice’ includes the telling of a particularly abhorrent hanging in 1852, when an ‘assemblage’ stormed the jail in Coloma and two men – one white and one black – were forcibly taken and hanged. The original account is in the El Dorado County Archives at the Huntington Library.”

A gold mine in El Dorado County. | Photo courtesy of Pixabay

“As highlighted in my book, the hangings for the killing of John Lowell were not the result of vigilantism,” clarifies Rawls. “They were legal executions after due process of law. Plus, like my great-great grandfather and great-uncle, many of the townspeople did not want two of the men to be executed. In my view, despite the circumstances surrounding these last hangings, Placerville had transformed into a lawful community and was determined to give these defendants a proper trial. The trial transcript in this case was over 600 pages, and the three men were represented by Placerville’s finest. Though in the end, Placerville’s best wasn’t good enough.”

This book isn’t your everyday read but Rawls thinks there’s valuable takeaway for someone who buys and peruses it.

“‘Hanging Justice’ lays bare the factual and legal groundwork for what happened,” Rawls describes. “But I hope the book also allows the reader to reach their own conclusions as to whether justice was rendered by the hangings. Personally, I found the victim’s own trial for murder several years earlier and the legal issues surrounding two of the men’s appeals fascinating. But then I’m a bit of a nerd when it comes to history.”

“Family stories worth keeping can be very fragile and will disappear if not written down,” pronounces Rawls. “The process of saving them can be both unifying and rewarding. In my case, despite the dark topic, this story has brought me together with cousins and friends I didn’t know I had, including the townspeople of Placerville. So I would urge readers to pursue their own family stories.”

During her countless trips to Placerville, Rawls learned that residents there today didn’t know about this particular event. As she worked on her book, she made it her mission to uncover all the documented facts so she could retell the story of what transpired over a century ago. It is a significant piece of their community’s history.

Cruising J-Town Explores Japanese American Car Culture and Community in L.A.

28th July 202528th July 2025 / May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Also published on 28 July 2025 on Hey SoCal

The cover of “Cruising J-Town.” | Photo courtesy of Oliver Wang

Cruising J-Town: Behind the Wheel of the Nikkei Community, on view from July 31 through November 12, 2025, chronicles the central roles Japanese Americans have played in countless car scenes throughout Southern California. Presented by the Japanese American National Museum and curated by cultural scholar and writer, Dr. Oliver Wang, it will debut at Art Center College of Design’s Peter and Merle Mullin Gallery on South Arroyo Parkway in Pasadena.

A companion book called Cruising J-Town: Japanese American Car Culture in Los Angeles, authored by Wang and published by Angel City Press at Los Angeles Public Library, will be released on August 5. It traces the history of the Japanese American community alongside the development of the car – from the earliest days of the automobile.

Through previously untold stories, Wang, a Cal State Long Beach sociology professor, reveals how a community in a state of constant transition and growth used cars as a literal vehicle for their creativity, dreams, and quest for freedom.

Tats Gotanda with his award-winning 1959 customized Chevrolet Impala, the Buddha Buggy, 1963. | Photo by Dick Day / Image courtesy of Hearst Autos, Inc

In the book’s introduction, Wang writes that growing up in the San Gabriel Valley, he wasn’t much of a “car guy.” He sits down to chat about how someone who doesn’t profess a passion for cars ended up writing a book and curating an exhibition about them, what he learned from the hundreds of interviews he conducted, and what he hopes readers take away from it.

“While my personal interest revolves around music, by the time I graduated from high school in 1990, I was aware of this very popular phenomenon of young Asian Americans tricking out their cars and street racing,” Wang says. “When I went off to college and began taking Asian American Studies classes, I was already interested in the pop cultural side of the community and the ways in which Asian Americans have engaged in different forms of popular culture over the years.”

“By the time the 2000s rolled around, there were articles in magazines about Asian American dynamic within the import car scene,” continues Wang. “But there was no sustained interest in it. As far as I know, none of the authors ever went on to produce anything beyond those academic articles. Part of me, maybe naively, just kept assuming that at some point someone was going to write a book about this because it seems to me – as a pop culture scholar and writer – it was such an obvious thing to focus on. It’s a pop culture activity which has such meaning for people that they invest time and money into. There are elements of ethnic identity, class, and gender.”

Oliver Wang | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Hey SoCal

In 2016, Wang was having a conversation with a good friend who also came out of Asian American Studies at U.C. Berkeley in the 1990s. Again he lamented about the absence of books about the subject.

His friend’s reply was “You’ve been complaining about this for 20 years, and you literally have made your career studying and writing about Asian America popular culture. If you really feel someone should be doing this work, why don’t you just go out and do it?”

That friendly challenge steered Wang towards this endeavor. At the suggestion of his wife Sharon Mizota, who is a Yonsei (fourth generation Japanese American), he interviewed his Sansei (third generation Japanese American) father-in-law Don Mizota.

“I knew that he was into cars but I didn’t realize that when he was in high school in the San Fernando Valley in the mid- to late 1950s, he and his friends – most of whom were children of Japanese American farmers and gardeners – started a car club called ‘kame,’” Wang confesses. “The joke was that kame means turtle in Japanese because all of them had pretty slow cars.”

Gardener Annie Takata loading up her truck, Los Angeles, May 1976. | Photo by Dennis Kuba / Courtesy of Visual Communications Photographic Archive

“It was a really fascinating interview,” enthuses Wang. “I wasn’t just learning more about my father-in-law, but also about the friends and the community that he grew up in. I then interviewed other people of his generation – Japanese Americans who would have been teenagers in the 50s or early 60s and were part of car clubs back then. I found examples in mid-city and South Bay, like Gardena and Torrance. I heard about them or saw photos of those who came out of East L.A. and Boyle Heights.”

“Clearly, there was a scene that existed then and that was what I started to explore,” Wang says further. “I wrote about some of what I had found in a relatively short article that appeared in Discover Nikkei, the Japanese American National Museum’s newsletter. I wasn’t really sure what I was going to do with the research that I was collecting. And I wasn’t entirely positive I had the bandwidth or the interest to really turn this into a book – even though I did feel strongly someone should write one.”

“In 2018, by coincidence, the museum independently came up with the idea of doing an exhibition about cars,” recalls Wang. “And because I had written that one article and they didn’t have anyone in-house that had the background to curate a show, they thought maybe I would be interested in doing it. I had a little background – I had interviewed a handful of people – but didn’t have a comprehensive knowledge of the long arc of this community’s history within the car world.

Street racers Tod Kaneko and David Eguchi, in Glen Kuwata’s Chevrolet Vega, during a Nisei Week Cruise. | Photo courtesy of Tod Kaneko

“But because I always want to leave myself open to learning new things – like curating an exhibition – and because it’s really important to me that the research I do be public-facing and not be available only to academics, an exhibition seemed like a wonderful way of solving multiple things. So I agreed to take it on.”

It was a slow project initially and Wang and his team lost a minimum of two years because of the pandemic. But in 2022, they set out to interview people in earnest.

“The exhibition and the book really began to form through all these conversations,” says Wang. “At this point I’d spoken to probably at least a hundred people about their personal histories and they were from very different areas that involve cars – not just about sport or recreation, but also very much about work, family, and community.”

Members of the L.A. Retail Fish Association at San Pedro Wharf, November 24, 1964. | Photo by JAck Iwata / Courtesy of Clyde Iwata and Teruo “Ted/Snyder Endo family

Asked if there was something he discovered during the seven years he was working on the project that surprised him, Wang pauses before replying, “Everything surprised me! I knew so little going in. Every new conversation expanded and opened up my awareness even more. And this was the reason to do the project – there was no book that existed from which I could learn about these things. I wouldn’t have wanted to do the project if someone had already laid out its history and the different facets.”

“In terms of what really stood out to me, the first thing that comes to mind would be the fish trucks,” reveals Wang. “By the late 1940s, when the Japanese American community returned to Los Angeles after being incarcerated during WWII, they didn’t have relatively easy access to food markets. They were geographically dispersed; some had moved out to Pacoima or Gardena or parts of the Eastern San Gabriel Valley. The fish trucks drove all around the Southland six days a week and did door-to-door deliveries of Japanese food items – fresh fish, rice, tofu, jerky, candy. For decades the fish trucks provided this useful community service to people who didn’t have the time or the means to easily come down to Little Tokyo to do their grocery shopping.”

“At some point by the early 1960s, there were enough trucks out there that the fish truck drivers organized themselves into what became known as the Los Angeles Retail Fish Association,” Wang relates. “At the same time, it was a way to prevent them from inadvertently competing against each other. And because they were now unified, they were able to negotiate better wholesale pricing.”

Bob Hirohata’s 1951 Mercury Coupe, aka the Hirohata Merc. on the National Wall, Washington D.C., 2017. The car was displayed after being added to the National Historical Vehicle Registry. | Photo courtesy of Hagerty Drivers Foundation

While Wang claims the book isn’t a complete history of the Japanese car culture in the Southland, essays from contributors cover a wide range of materials and personal anecdotes commencing with an insightful foreword by George Takei about what cars symbolize for the Nikkei community. Associate curator Chelsea Shi-Chao Liu pens five essays: the voluntary evacuation of Japanese Americans; the concentration camps during WWII and the Japanese Americans’ return and resettlement; the fish trucks; the displacement of Japanese Americans because of freeway construction; and drift racing. Oliver Otake writes about Nikkei auto designers; Jonathan Wong discusses the import car culture of the 1900s and 2000s; and Akiko Anna Iwata delves into the car audio systems business.

The book is a companion to the exhibition but it isn’t a catalog. And that’s by design. It’s a stand-alone publication that can be read and enjoyed by someone who doesn’t have an opportunity to see the exhibition.

Takeo “Chickie” Hirashima, the renowned Nisei racing mechanic of the WW II era with George Takei, Ontario Speedway, 1965. George is wearing the mechanic’s shirt for his character, Kato, from the film Red Line 7000. | Gift of Charles and June Keene, Japanese American National Museum

“A conventional catalog for a museum exhibition is normally meant to be a mirror of the show,” clarifies Wang. “We could have produced a catalog, but because there hasn’t been a book on this topic before, it just made more sense to write one that provides all of these stories and the back history rather than making it strictly tied to the show in terms of format. There’s absolutely overlap between the two, but going to the exhibition is its own experience and the book is its own experience as well. The book is based on the same history and set of stories.”

Wang expounds, “The book, which is divided into four chapters, is organized loosely chronologically. We start in the early 1910s, which is not just the birth of Japanese American car culture but also of the car culture of Los Angeles. It is when access to cars and trucks becomes much more available to people. While cars have existed in the U.S. prior to that, the 1910s is when you see it become affordable to the average family. The book goes all the way through the current day, looking at very contemporary scenes like the drift racing.

Toyota senior lead designer Bob Mochiziko working with a 20% scale clay model of what became Toyota’s FT-1 concept car. Calty Design Research, Newport Beach, 2013. | Photo courtesy of CALTY Design Research

“On the other hand, the exhibition is split into four themes: speed (covers racing and performance); style (about customization and design, drift racing falls under style because drivers are not graded on speed but on style when they’re skating on corners); work (looks at ways vehicles have factored in life and labor within the Japanese American population); and community. Community is very broad in scope but it allowed us to explore other dynamics – from the role that cars and trucks played during the WWII incarceration experience, car clubs and the ways in which people organized themselves communally and collectively through cars.”

The exhibition features five cars, each of which is tied to one of those themes. For Speed, Wang and his team picked a Meteor – an early 1940s hot rod that was formerly owned by George Nakamura. The Nakamura family donated it to the Peterson Museum.

There are two cars for Style: a customized 1951 Mercury coupe owned by Brian Omatsu called Purple Reign – a remarkable and eye-catching, show-stopping custom job; and a 1989 Nissan 240SX owned by Nadine Sachiko Hsu, who created the Drifting Pretty team when she was a pro racer in that circuit.

Drifting Pretty Racing Team, California Speedway, Fontana, CA. | Photo by Nadine Sachiko Hsu / Courtesy of Sachiko Hsu

For work, they have a Ford F100 from 1956 – a pick-up truck that used to be driven by a West L.A. gardener who was known as the hot rod gardener of West L.A. because he had a muscle car engine installed in the pick-up truck

For community, the curators borrowed a 1973 Datsun 510 – the first Japanese import to really take off within the Japanese American street racing scene.

Beyond the cars, they display helmets owned and worn by former race car drivers; accessories that people would typically have installed in their cars, especially in the 1980s import scene; reproductions of archival photos; jackets from the 1950s and 1960s car clubs, as well as 1970s and 1980s racing clubs; car plaques, which are basically license plates that Japanese American car clubs embellished with their name and logo; and ‘thank you’ gifts that gas stations and fish trucks used to give their customers.

Tom Ikkanda (seated), Fred Ige, and Frank Ige, Sawtelle, mid-to-late 1940s. Both Ige brothers worked for Ikkanda at his West L.A. service station on Sawtelle Blvd. | Photo courtesy of Richard Ikkanda

As for the reader takeaway, Wang would like for us to appreciate how the Japanese Americans have figured in the history of Los Angeles car culture.

“The world of cars and trucks has been an integral part of Japanese American lives for over a hundred years,” declares Wang. “Japanese Americans have contributed to many different aspects of car culture over that time, even if they have not been widely recognized for it. They were there, not just in the background but very much in the foreground. These hidden or forgotten mysteries, as you might call them, are there waiting to be discovered and shared.”

Furthermore, Wang wants to emphasize the subject of the Cruising J-Town book and exhibition. “I encountered quite a few people who think the project is about the history of how Toyota and Honda came to the U.S. I usually have to just very gently correct them and say this isn’t a show about cars and car brands; it’s first and foremost, about a community of people and their relationship to cars and trucks. The people in the community are at the center of it; cars help tell their stories but the cars are not the focus.”

“The irony is, I think people assume that it’s about Japanese car brands because Japanese cars have become such an important part of the American car landscape,” Wang stresses. “And I think the Japanese American community – in its own small but significant way – helped contribute to how Japanese imports were able to get legitimized and become respected within the American car world.”

After the exhibition opens and his book is released, Wang will have the time to work on his next endeavor. He has several projects on the back burner. He has already done the research about how New Order’s “Bizarre Love Triangle” became the unofficial anthem for Asian American Gen Xers; there’s one project that he and a research partner have been discussing about inter-ethnic marriages; and there’s a podcast idea that he wants to get back to called “Songs for Ourselves,” the conceit for which he says is drawn from the fact that for most Asian Americans growing up in America, their favorite songs were by people from other communities.

But that’s all in the future. For now, Wang has given us the “Cruising J-Town” book and exhibition to peruse and take in. And one doesn’t have to be a car aficionado or Asian American to find the stories they tell to be illuminating and uplifting.

A San Gabriel Valley Inquirer

One woman and her local community

Author: May S Ruiz